Chronic expanding intrapericardial hematoma after coronary artery bypass surgery presenting with congestive heart failure.

We report the successful treatment of a rare case of chronic expanding intrapericardial hematoma that had slowly developed into a large mass after coronary artery bypass surgery. An 85-year-old man with a history of coronary artery bypass surgery presented with dyspnea on exertion and leg edema in 2006. Chest roentgenograph demonstrated right pleural effusion and severe pulmonary edema.

Severely calcified constrictive pericarditis simulating a mediastinal tumor and obstructing the right ventricular inflow tract.

We report a rare case of constrictive pericarditis that stimulated a large mediastinal tumor obstructing the right ventricular inflow tract. A 58-year-old woman was referred to our hospital because of a recent increase of dyspnea and facial edema. Computed tomography revealed severely thickened calcification, including a low-density area, presenting as a mediastinal tumor, compressing the right ventricular inflow tract.

Aortic valvar involvement in patients undergoing closure of ventricular septal defect via the pulmonary trunk.

Background: To determine how often the aortic valve is involved in doubly-committed ventricular septal defect in a surgical series, and when to intervene to minimize aortic valvar impediments.

Methods: The defect was surgically closed in 415 patients via the pulmonary trunk, age at operation ranging from 2 months to 76 years old. In infants, pulmonary hypertension or pulmonary high flow was the exclusive indication.

Phase I/II trial of sequential chemoradiotherapy using a novel hypoxic cell radiosensitizer, doranidazole (PR-350), in patients with locally advanced non-small-cell lung Cancer (WJTOG-0002).

Purpose: This Phase I/II trial was conducted to assess the efficacy and safety of PR-350, a novel hypoxic cell radiosensitizer, when administered with thoracic radiation therapy (RT) after induction chemotherapy (CT) for locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods And Materials: Two cycles of cisplatin (80 mg/m(2)) and paclitaxel (180 mg/m(2)), or carboplatin (AUC = 6) and paclitaxel (200 mg/m(2)) were given before RT of 60 Gy in 30 fractions. In the Phase I portion, the starting dosage of PR-350 was 10 daily administrations (2000 mg/m(2)) in combination with RT, and this number was increased in increments of 10 for successive groups to 30 doses.

Phase II study of amrubicin, 9-amino-anthracycline, in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: a West Japan Thoracic Oncology Group (WJTOG) study.

Purpose: We conducted a multicenter phase II study of amrubicin, a novel 9-aminoanthracycline, to evaluate its efficacy and safety in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Patients And Methods: Entry requirements included cytologically or histologically proven measurable NSCLC, stage III or IV, no prior therapy, an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 to 2, and adequate organ function. Amrubicin was given by daily intravenous injection at 45 mg/m2/day for three consecutive days, repeated at 3 week intervals.

Successful reconstructive surgery for isolated mitral insufficiency associated with Williams syndrome: report of a case.

Isolated mitral insufficiency requiring surgical correction is extremely rare in Williams syndrome (WS). We report the case of a 25-year-old man with WS, who suffered congestive heart failure caused by severe mitral insufficiency and atrial fibrillation. We found extensive anterior leaflet prolapse, but no other cardiovascular disorders such as supra-aortic or pulmonary arterial stenosis.

Giant circumflex coronary artery aneurysm associated with cystic medial necrosis in a non-Marfan patient.

Giant coronary artery aneurysm is rare, and its cause and natural history has not been clearly delineated. We present a patient without Marfan syndrome who had a giant coronary artery aneurysm of the circumflex coronary artery. After the surgical resection, the underlying pathology of the aneurysm was thought to be associated with cystic medial necrosis of arterial wall because of its progressive enlargement.

[A case of intravascular lymphomatosis with no abnormal findings on chest computed tomography and with diffuse pulmonary uptake of 67Ga on scintigraphy].

A 45-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with high-grade fever uncontrolled by antipyretic drugs, and elevation of the serum LDH and sIL-2R levels, and decrease of diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide. Chest computed tomography (CT) showed no abnormal findings but 67Ga scintigraphy revealed diffuse pulmonary uptake. He was given a diagnosis of intravascular lymphomatosis (IVL) based on transbronchial lung biopsy (TBLB) and immunohistochemical analysis.

Phase I study of TZT-1027, a novel synthetic dolastatin 10 derivative and inhibitor of tubulin polymerization, which was administered to patients with advanced solid tumors on days 1 and 8 in 3-week courses.

Purpose: To determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD), dose-limiting toxicity (DLT), and pharmacokinetics of TZT-1027 (soblidotin), a dolastatin 10 analogue, in Japanese patients with advanced solid tumors when administered on days 1 and 8 in 3-week courses.

Methods: Eligible patients had advanced solid tumors that failed to respond to standard therapy or for which no standard therapy was available, and also met the following criteria: prior chemotherapy < or = 2 regimens, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status < or = 1, and acceptable organ function. The MTD was defined as the highest dose at which no more than one of six patients experienced a DLT during course 1.

Phase III study of docetaxel compared with vinorelbine in elderly patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: results of the West Japan Thoracic Oncology Group Trial (WJTOG 9904).

Purpose: Docetaxel has shown activity in elderly patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This randomized phase III trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of docetaxel versus vinorelbine (the current standard treatment) in elderly patients.

Patients And Methods: Chemotherapy-naïve patients age 70 years or older with stage IIIB/IV NSCLC and performance status 2 or lower were eligible.

Valve repair with maze procedure in acromegaly.

Acromegaly is characterized by a hypersecretion of growth hormone and is frequently associated with valvular abnormality and arrhythmia. The increased morbidity and mortality is primarily caused by stroke and cardiovascular disease. Therefore, valve reconstruction and sinus rhythm recovery will be particularly beneficial.

Production of alpha, omega-alkanediols using Escherichia coli expressing a cytochrome P450 from Acinetobacter sp. OC4.

Our biotransformation using Escherichia coli expressing a cytochrome P450 (CYP) belonging to the CYP153A family from Acinetobacter sp. OC4 produced a great amount of 1-octanol (2,250 mg per liter) from n-octane after 24 h of incubation. This level of production is equivalent to the maximum level previously achieved in biotransformation experiments of alkanes.

Isolation and identification of 2alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, a new metabolite from Pseudonocardia autotrophica 100U-19 cells incubated with Vitamin D3.

Pseudonocardia autotrophica converted Vitamin D(3) to 25-hydroxyvitamin D(3) and 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3). The hydroxylation of Vitamin D(3) with P. autotrophica was enhanced by the addition of cyclodextrin.

Predictive factors for interstitial lung disease, antitumor response, and survival in non-small-cell lung cancer patients treated with gefitinib.

Purpose: Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a serious adverse effect of gefitinib, but its prevalence and risk factors remain largely unknown. We examined the prevalence of and risk factors for gefitinib-induced ILD associated with practical use of the drug in Japanese with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Patients And Methods: Clinical information was retrospectively assembled for NSCLC patients who started gefitinib treatment at affiliated institutions of the West Japan Thoracic Oncology Group between August 31 and December 31, 2002.

[Persistent apnea in an obese patient with myotonic dystrophy].

We report a case of a 35-year-old woman with myotonic dystrophy and severe obesity of BMI 43.3 who showed persistent apnea at emergence after ovarian resection. The patient received an iv induction with minimum dose of propofol and vecuronium 3 mg.

Isolation and characterization of solvent-tolerant Pseudomonas putida strain T-57, and its application to biotransformation of toluene to cresol in a two-phase (organic-aqueous) system.

Pseudomonas putida T-57 was isolated from an activated sludge sample after enrichment on mineral salts basal medium with toluene as a sole source of carbon. P. putida T-57 utilizes n-butanol, toluene, styrene, m-xylene, ethylbenzene, n-hexane, and propylbenzene as growth substrates.

Determination of micelle mass by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.

By electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry, micelle solutions of sodium cholate were investigated in detail in the presence and absence of ethanol. The average aggregation number could be evaluated from the spectra acquired under conditions where soft collisions adequate to measure the micelle solution were induced, and the value agreed well with that obtained previously by other methods. From the dependence on ethanol content, it was also found that the average aggregation number in aqueous solution without organic solvent could be reliably estimated.

Biotransformation of various alkanes using the Escherichia coli expressing an alkane hydroxylase system from Gordonia sp. TF6.

Biotransformation using alkane-oxidizing bacteria or their alkane hydroxylase (AH) systems have been little studied at the molecular level. We have cloned and sequenced genes from Gordonia sp. TF6 encoding an AH system, alkB2 (alkane 1-monooxygenase), rubA3 (rubredoxin), rubA4 (rubredoxin), and rubB (rubredoxin reductase).

[Subset analysis of data in the Japanese patients with NSCLC from IDEAL 1 study on gefitinib].

The multinational, multi-institutional clinical Phase II trial of gefitinib monotherapy, IDEAL (IRESSA Dose Evaluation in Advanced Lung Cancer) 1, included Japanese and non-Japanese patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) pretreated with one or more chemotherapy regimens, at least one including platinum. To investigate whether survival is affected by gender or histological type of cancer, a retrospective, exploratory subset analysis was conducted including only Japanese patients from IDEAL 1 (n = 102 in total, 51 each in 250 and 500 mg/day groups). The median survival time of the 102 patients was 12.

A phase II study of topotecan in patients with relapsed small-cell lung cancer.

An early phase II study of topotecan produced favorable results in a small number of untreated and previously treated patients with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). This multicenter study was conducted in patients with relapsed SCLC at 19 medical institutions in Japan. Topotecan 1.

Highly active catalyst for the heterogeneous Suzuki-Miyaura reaction: assembled complex of palladium and non-cross-linked amphiphilic polymer.

An assembled insoluble catalyst, PdAS, prepared from palladium ((NH4)2PdCl4 (1)) and non-cross-linked amphiphilic copolymer poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-4-diphenylstyrylphosphine) (2) was developed. It was found that PdAS is an excellent catalyst for the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction on three points: (1) The use of 8 x 10(-7) to 5 x 10(-4) mol equiv of PdAS afforded the coupling products efficiently after easy workup, with the turnover number reaching up to 1,250,000. (2) The catalyst was reusable many times without loss of catalytic activity.

Phase II study of irinotecan and carboplatin for advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

A phase II study was conducted to assess the activity and toxicity of irinotecan (CPT-11) and carboplatin (CBDCA) combination chemotherapy for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Eligibility included chemo-naive advanced NSCLC patients with measurable disease and a good performance status. CPT-11 of 50 mg/m(2) was administered as a 90-min intravenous infusion on days 1, 8, and 15.

An assembled complex of palladium and non-cross-linked amphiphilic polymer: a highly active and recyclable catalyst for the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction.

An insoluble and assembled catalyst of palladium and a non-cross-linked amphiphilic polymer were developed. In the presence of 50-500 ppm mol equiv of catalyst, the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction proceeded efficiently under organic solvent-free conditions. The catalyst was reused 10 times without any decrease in activity and was recycled without any special treatment.