Successful granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor inhalation therapy for recurrent autoimmune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis after lung transplantation: A case report.

Sargramostim, a recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) inhalation therapy, was recently approved for pharmaceutical use in Japan and shows promise as a treatment for autoimmune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (APAP). For APAP patients with severe respiratory failure due to advanced lung fibrosis, lung transplantation is also a treatment option; however, APAP may recur after the procedure. Here, we report a case of successful sargramostim inhalation therapy for post-transplant APAP relapse in a patient who underwent living lung transplantation owing to severe fibrosis.

Impact of Janus kinase inhibitors and methotrexate on interstitial lung disease in rheumatoid arthritis patients.

Objectives: Little is known about how various treatments impact the progression of interstitial lung disease (ILD) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. Here, we compared ILD progression in RA patients treated with Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKi) or biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs). experiments were also performed to evaluate the potential effects of the drugs on epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a key event in pulmonary fibrosis.

Neglected Pulmonary Infection Caused by Exophiala dermatitidis Misidentified as Rhodotorula spp.

Exophiala dermatitidis is an emerging black fungus that causes pulmonary infections that may be underestimated by conventional culture methods. We encountered one case that initially appeared to be yeast and was misidentified as Rhodotorula spp. using a commercial identification kit.

Favorable impact of azithromycin on patients in the intensive care unit with coronavirus disease 2019: Insights from the first wave using a Japanese database.

Background: Azithromycin has favorable effects on critical respiratory diseases owing to its antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. During the early stages of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, azithromycin was frequently administered before specific treatments were developed. However, the efficacy of this treatment has not been verified.

Spontaneously Resolved Suspected Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis or Macrophage Activating Syndrome Associated with Neonatal Lupus Erythematosus: A Case Report.

Objectives: To present a rare case of neonatal lupus erythematosus (NLE) associated with suspected hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) or macrophage activation syndrome (MAS).

Case Presentation: A female infant weighing 2,995 g was born to a mother without medical history of any disease. At birth, the patient had erythematous papules on her face and trunk.

Downregulation of SPARC Expression Enhances the Fusion of BeWo Choriocarcinoma Cells.

Syncytiotrophoblasts, which are formed by the fusion of villous cytotrophoblasts, play an essential role in maintaining a successful pregnancy. Secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) is a non-structural Ca-binding extracellular matrix glycoprotein involved in tissue remodeling and cell proliferation, differentiation, and migration. Previous studies have revealed that SPARC is expressed in villous and extravillous cytotrophoblasts in the first trimester and that RNA interference targeted at SPARC significantly inhibited invasion of human extravillous trophoblast HTR8/SVneo cells.

Liposome-encapsulated progesterone efficiently suppresses B-lineage cell proliferation.

Progesterone suppresses several ancient pathways in a concentration-dependent manner. Based on these characteristics, progesterone is considered a candidate anticancer drug. However, the concentration of progesterone used for therapy should be higher than the physiological concentration, which makes it difficult to develop progesterone-based anticancer drugs.

Temporal visuomotor synchrony induces embodiment towards an avatar with biomechanically impossible arm movements.

Visuomotor synchrony in time and space induces a sense of embodiment towards virtual bodies experienced in first-person view using Virtual Reality (VR). Here, we investigated whether temporal visuomotor synchrony affects avatar embodiment even when the movements of the virtual arms are spatially altered from those of the user in a non-human-like manner. In a within-subjects design VR experiment, participants performed a reaching task controlling an avatar whose lower arms bent in inversed and biomechanically impossible directions from the elbow joints.

Pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis diagnosed using transbronchial lung cryobiopsy: A case report.

A 63-year-old Japanese woman with multiple cysts in both lungs on chest computed tomography (CT) was referred to our hospital after a thorough examination, including a transbronchial lung biopsy (TBLB), failed to provide a diagnosis. Based on the findings on chest CT and pathological examination of the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and transbronchial lung cryobiopsy (TBLC) specimen, the patient was diagnosed with pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis (PLCH). TBLC may replace TBLB as the main diagnostic technique for PLCH, although further studies are required to determine the usefulness of TBLC for the diagnosis of PLCH.

Disseminated Infection Mimicking Sarcoidosis: A Case Report and Review of Literature on Japanese Patients.

Sarcoidosis is a systemic inflammatory disease characterized by noncaseating epithelioid cell granulomas. However, certain infections can exhibit similar histological findings. We present a case of a 69-year-old man who was initially diagnosed with sarcoidosis and later was confirmed, through 16S rRNA sequencing, to have disseminated infection.

Evaluation of the Effectiveness and Use of Anti-Methicillin-Resistant Agents for Aspiration Pneumonia in Older Patients Using a Nationwide Japanese Administrative Database.

Studies indicated potential harm from empirical broad-spectrum therapy. A recent study of hospitalizations for community-acquired pneumonia suggested that empirical anti-methicillin-resistant (MRSA) therapy was associated with an increased risk of death and other complications. However, limited evidence supports empirical anti-MRSA therapy for older patients with aspiration pneumonia.

Urinary titin N-fragment as a predictor of decreased skeletal muscle mass in patients with interstitial lung diseases.

This study aimed to examine the validity of urinary N-terminal titin fragment/creatinine (urinary N-titin/Cr) reflecting muscle damage biomarker in patients with interstitial lung disease. This retrospective study enrolled patients with interstitial lung disease. We measured urinary N-titin/Cr.

Impact of Administering Intravenous Azithromycin within 7 Days of Hospitalization for Influenza Virus Pneumonia: A Propensity Score Analysis Using a Nationwide Administrative Database.

The potential antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effectiveness of azithromycin against severe influenza is yet unclear. We retrospectively investigated the effect of intravenous azithromycin administration within 7 days of hospitalization in patients with influenza virus pneumonia and respiratory failure. Using Japan's national administrative database, we enrolled and classified 5066 patients with influenza virus pneumonia into severe, moderate, and mild groups based on their respiratory status within 7 days of hospitalization.

Long-term effect of pulmonary rehabilitation in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: a randomised controlled trial.

Background: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is characterised by worsening dyspnoea and exercise intolerance.

Research Question: Does a long-term pulmonary rehabilitation improve exercise tolerance in patients with IPF treated with standard antifibrotic drugs, which are expected to reduce disease progression?

Methods: This open-label randomised controlled trial was performed at 19 institutions. Stable patients receiving nintedanib were randomised into pulmonary rehabilitation and control groups (1:1).

Behavioral screening of sleep-promoting effects of human intestinal and food-associated bacteria on Drosophila melanogaster.

Commensal microbes influence various aspects of vertebrate and invertebrate brain function. We previously reported that Lactiplantibacillus plantarum SBT2227 promotes sleep in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. However, how widely the sleep-promoting effects are conserved in gut bacterial species remains unknown.

Pulmonary Nodular Lymphoid Hyperplasia Evaluated with Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid Findings: A Case Report and Review of the Literature on Japanese Patients.

Pulmonary nodular lymphoid hyperplasia (PNLH) is a very rare disease, and it is difficult to diagnose PNLH and distinguish it from mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma. In addition, information on bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) analyses is lacking. We herein report a 36-year-old Japanese woman diagnosed with PLNH by a surgical biopsy and analysis of BALF.

Is Cervical Length a Useful Predictor of Antepartum Hemorrhage in Patients with Placenta Previa?

Objective: Placenta previa complicates 0.3-0.5% of pregnancies and can cause sudden antepartum massive hemorrhage (APH).

High-progesterone environment preserves T cell competency by evading glucocorticoid effects on immune regulation.

Progesterone (P4) and glucocorticoid (GC) play crucial roles in the immunoregulation of a mother to accept and maintain a semi-allogenic fetus. P4 concentration increases during pregnancy and becomes much higher in the placenta than in the other peripheral tissues, wherein the concentration of cortisol (COR), the most abundant GC and a strong immunosuppressor, remains uniform throughout the rest of the body. Here, we evaluated the effect of a high-P4 environment on pregnant immunity by comparing it with COR.