Peritoneal Dissemination and Malignant Ascites in Duodenal Cancer Successfully Treated With Adoptive Cell Therapy Using WT1- and MUC1-Pulsed Dendritic Cells and Activated T Cells With No Adverse Effects: A Case Report.

A satisfactory treatment for the dissemination of duodenal cancer has not yet been established. We describe a case of peritoneal dissemination and malignant ascites in duodenal cancer that was successfully treated with adoptive cell therapy with no adverse effects. A 72-year-old Japanese male patient with primary duodenal cancer with distal lymph node metastases received chemotherapy with S-1, an oral pyrimidine fluoridederived agent, and oxaliplatin after gastrojejunal bypass, which resulted in tumor shrinkage; however, peritoneal dissemination developed.

Enhancing the immunogenicity of Wilms tumor 1 epitope in mesothelioma cells with immunoproteasome inhibitors.

The immunogenicity of cancer cells is influenced by several factors, including the expression of the major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I), antigen expression, and the repertoire of proteasome-produced epitope peptides. The malignant pleural mesothelioma cell line ACC-MEOS-4 (MESO-4) expresses high levels of MHC-I and Wilms tumor 1 (WT1) tumor antigens. Using a functional T cell reporter assay specific for the HLA-A*24:02 restricted WT1 epitope (WT1235, CMTWNQMNL), we searched for factors that augmented the immunogenicity of MESO-4, focusing on proteasomes, which have a central role in the antigen processing machinery.

Dendritic cell vaccination in combination with erlotinib in a patient with inoperable lung adenocarcinoma: a case report.

Background: Satisfactory treatment for patients with unresectable advanced lung cancer has not yet been established. We report a case of unresectable advanced lung cancer (stage IIIb: T2aN3M0) treated with a total of 15 doses of dendritic cells pulsed with a Wilms' tumor 1 and mucin 1 vaccine in combination with erlotinib, a small molecule epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, for more than 699 days without recurrence or metastasis.

Case Presentation: A 63-year-old Korean woman was diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma by pathology and computed tomography.

Analysis of the NUDT15 gene and metabolites of azathioprine in Japanese patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Background: Thiopurines continue to play an important role in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It is well known that thiopurines can cause several adverse reactions. Especially, hematopoietic toxicity may lead to severe agranulocytosis.

Impact of in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm: a cross-sectional study.

The relationships between various diseases and the human gut microbiota (GM) have been revealed. However, the relationships between the human abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and GM remains unknown. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to clarify the association between the human AAA and GM.

Clinical features, therapeutic outcomes, and recovery period of long COVID.

To characterize the clinical features of long COVID, 286 patients who received care in our outpatient clinic for long COVID from May to December 2021 were surveyed. The recovery periods of each symptom and the key factors contributing to early recovery were statistically analysed. The median age of the patients was 35.

Dysbiosis of the Fecal and Biliary Microbiota in Biliary Tract Cancer.

Characteristic bile duct and gut microbiota have been identified in patients with chronic biliary tract disease. This study aimed to characterize the fecal and bile microbiota in biliary tract cancer (BTC) patients and their relationship. Patients with BTC ( = 30) and benign biliary disease (BBD) without cholangitis ( = 11) were included.

The Detection of Immunity against WT1 and SMAD4 of EpCAM Cancer Cells in Malignant Pleural Effusion.

Malignant pleural effusion (MPE) provides a liquid tumor microenvironment model that includes cancer cells and immune cells. However, the characteristics of tumor antigen-specific CD8 T cells have not been investigated in detail. Here, we analyzed MPE samples taken from a patient with pancreatic cancer who received a dendritic cell vaccine targeting Wilms' Tumor 1 (WT1) antigen over the disease course (two points at MPE and 2, two months after MPE1).

Usefulness of Bifidobacterium longum BB536 in Elderly Individuals With Chronic Constipation: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Introduction: Few reports exist regarding the therapeutic effects of probiotics on chronic constipation in elderly individuals. This study evaluated the effects of Bifidobacterium longum BB536 in elderly individuals with chronic constipation.

Methods: This was a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled, parallel-group superiority trial in Japan (UMIN 000033031).

The insoluble excretion of multi-matrix system mesalazine preparations in patients with ulcerative colitis.

Background: Multi-matrix mesalazine (MMX) is an important treatment for ulcerative colitis (UC); however, it is often excreted intact, which increases the risk of relapse. This study aimed to clarify the risk factors for insoluble MMX excretion.

Methods: The subjects were 102 UC patients who were newly prescribed MMX alone to induce remission.

Growth of various obligate and facultative anaerobic intestinal bacteria in cell culture medium under aerobic and anaerobic culture conditions.

Eight bacterial strains were used in this study to examine the survival of intestinal bacteria in immune cell cultures under aerobic and anaerobic culture conditions. With the addition of penicillin G and streptomycin, viable and cells did not decrease after 6 or 24 hr, even under aerobic conditions. Without antibiotics, eight bacterial strains did not decrease until 4 or 6 hr later, under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions.

The stimulatory effect of fusobacteria on dendritic cells under aerobic or anaerobic conditions.

Fusobacteria have been suspected to be pathobionts of colon cancer and inflammatory bowel disease. However, the immunomodulatory properties that affect these inflammatory reactions in dendritic cells (DCs) under anaerobic and aerobic conditions have not yet been characterized. We directly assessed the stimulatory effects of anaerobic commensal bacteria, including fusobacteria, on a human DC line through coculture under aerobic or anaerobic conditions.

Effect of Probiotic Bifidobacterium breve in Improving Cognitive Function and Preventing Brain Atrophy in Older Patients with Suspected Mild Cognitive Impairment: Results of a 24-Week Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

Background: Probiotics have been reported to ameliorate cognitive impairment.

Objective: We investigated the effect of the probiotic strain Bifidobacterium breve MCC1274 (A1) in enhancing cognition and preventing brain atrophy of older patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Methods: In this RCT, 130 patients aged from 65 to 88 years old with suspected MCI received once daily either probiotic (B.

Prognostic value of immune factors in the tumor microenvironment of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

Background: Both activated tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and immune-suppressive cells, such as regulatory T cells (Tregs), in the tumor microenvironment (TME) play an important role in the prognosis of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).

Methods: The densities of TILs, programmed death receptor 1 (PD-1) + T cells, and forkhead box P3 (Foxp3) + T cells were analyzed by immunohistochemical staining. The associations of the immunological status of the PDAC microenvironment with overall survival (OS) time and disease-free survival (DFS) time were evaluated.

Pancreatic tuberculosis in an immunocompetent young female mimicking a malignant tumor: A case report and diagnostic radiological investigation.

Tuberculosis remains the leading cause of infectious disease related death worldwide with extrapulmonary tuberculosis being particularly difficult to diagnose. Here, we report a case of pancreatic tuberculosis (PTB) in an immunocompetent young female, which mimicked a malignant tumor diagnosed by endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration and biopsy (EUS-FNAB). A 19-year-old Japanese female with no prior medical history presented with abdominal epigastralgia and appetite loss lasting 2 months.

Long-term outcomes of antibiotic combination therapy for ulcerative colitis.

Aims: An antibiotic combination of amoxicillin, tetracycline and metronidazole (ATM) is effective for ulcerative colitis (UC), but this regimen is discontinued in some cases due to adverse events. This study aimed to assess a revised combination, namely, amoxicillin, fosfomycin and metronidazole (AFM), in UC patients with the goal of reducing side effects while maintaining therapeutic efficacy.

Methods: A prospective open-label trial was undertaken in 104 adult UC patients.

Cancerous pericarditis presenting as cardiac tamponade in a 68-year-old man with pancreatic adenocarcinoma: a case report.

Introduction: Pericardial effusion is a rare complication of pancreatic cancer. We report a case of cardiac tamponade secondary to pancreatic cancer.

Case Presentation: A 68-year-old Japanese man was diagnosed as having pancreatic cancer during surgery and received chemotherapy for 28 months after the diagnosis.

Dendritic Cells Pre-Pulsed with Wilms' Tumor 1 in Optimized Culture for Cancer Vaccination.

With recent advances in cancer vaccination therapy targeting tumor-associated antigens (TAAs), dendritic cells (DCs) are considered to play a central role as a cell-based drug delivery system in the bioactive immune environment. Ex vivo generation of monocyte-derived DCs has been conventionally applied in adherent manufacturing systems with separate loading of TAAs before clinical use. We developed DCs pre-pulsed with Wilms' tumor (WT1) peptides in low-adhesion culture maturation (WT1-DCs).

In Vivo Administration of Recombinant Human Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor Increases the Immune Effectiveness of Dendritic Cell-Based Cancer Vaccination.

Significant recent advances in cancer immunotherapeutics include the vaccination of cancer patients with tumor antigen-associated peptide-pulsed dendritic cells (DCs). DC vaccines with homogeneous, mature, and functional activities are required to achieve effective acquired immunity; however, the yield of autologous monocyte-derived DCs varies in each patient. Priming with a low dose of recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) 16-18 h prior to apheresis resulted in 50% more harvested monocytes, with a significant increase in the ratio of CD11cCD80 DCs/apheresed monocytes.

Clinical Significance of Tumor-Infiltrating T Cells and Programed Death Ligand-1 in Patients with Pancreatic Cancer.

The associations of the immunological status of the pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) microenvironment with prognosis were assessed. A high tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) density was associated with a better prognosis. Importantly, even with a high density of TILs, the PDA cells with programed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression showed a worse prognosis than the patients with negative PD-L1 expression.

Characterisation of blood microbiota in patients with liver cirrhosis.

Background And Aims: Bacterial infections arising in patients with liver cirrhosis are associated with life-threatening complications such as hepatic encephalopathy and spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in relation to bacterial translocation. To investigate the state of bacterial translocation, we surveyed the peripheral blood microbiota by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and analysed the blood microbial profiles.

Methods: Sixty-six patients with liver cirrhosis were enrolled in this study, whereas 14 healthy individuals were also analysed as controls.