Prostaglandin E-EP2/EP4 signaling induces immunosuppression in human cancer by impairing bioenergetics and ribosome biogenesis in immune cells.

While prostaglandin E (PGE) is produced in human tumor microenvironment (TME), its role therein remains poorly understood. Here, we examine this issue by comparative single-cell RNA sequencing of immune cells infiltrating human cancers and syngeneic tumors in female mice. PGE receptors EP4 and EP2 are expressed in lymphocytes and myeloid cells, and their expression is associated with the downregulation of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and MYC targets, glycolysis and ribosomal proteins (RPs).

New diagnostic criteria and current issues for pulmonary hypertension.

In 2022, the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the European Respiratory Society (ERS) proposed new diagnostic criteria for pulmonary hypertension (PH). These criteria include significant changes to the definitions of pulmonary hemodynamic indices. Specifically, the threshold for mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) has been lowered from ≥25 mmHg to >20 mmHg, and the threshold for pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) has been adjusted from ≥3 Wood units (WU) to >2 WU.

Predicting invasive disease-free survival in ER-positive, HER2-negative early breast cancer using the PAM50 risk-of-recurrence score: a retrospective analysis using single-center long-term follow-up data of postmenopausal Japanese patients.

Background: The prognostic value of the risk-of-recurrence (ROR) score calculated using PAM50 has been validated using clinical trials and patient cohorts. This study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of the PAM50 ROR score in Japanese patients with early breast cancer using long-term follow-up data.

Methods: We enrolled postmenopausal patients with ER-positive, HER2-negative, stage I-II breast cancer who had undergone surgery at the Kyoto University Hospital between 2008 and 2014.

Intra-patient spatial comparison of non-metastatic and metastatic lymph nodes reveals the reduction of CD169 macrophages by metastatic breast cancers.

Background: Breast cancer cells suppress the host immune system to efficiently invade the lymph nodes; however, the underlying mechanism remains incompletely understood. Here, we aimed to comprehensively characterise the effects of breast cancers on immune cells in the lymph nodes.

Methods: We collected non-metastatic and metastatic lymph node samples from 6 patients with breast cancer with lymph node metastasis.

Anthracycline-based hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy achieved 17 months of disease regression in a patient with breast cancer liver metastases resistant to multiple systemic chemotherapies.

Hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) for liver metastases (LMs) from breast cancer is not a standard of care, but its effectiveness in patients with extensive LMs who cannot tolerate systemic therapy has been reported. Herein, we report a case of breast cancer LMs that were controlled by anthracycline-based HAIC. A 46-year-old woman with estrogen receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative metastatic breast cancer who had multiple LMs and bone metastases underwent seven lines of systemic therapy (paclitaxel/bevacizumab for 38 months; letrozole, nivolumab/fulvestrant, eribulin, gemcitabine/vinorelbine, high-dose toremifene/abemaciclib, and capecitabine for 21 months in total).

Remarkable remission of symptomatic dermatomyositis after curative breast cancer surgery.

Dermatomyositis (DM) is an autoimmune disease that causes proximal muscle weakness in the extremities leading to severe immobility and dysphagia. Approximately 20% of patients with DM are positive for anti-TIF-1γ antibody and frequently accompanied by malignant tumors. Although DM remission after tumor resection has been reported, the indications for surgery in patients with severe DM are unknown.

Quantitative analysis of the effect of docetaxel-induced edema on quality of life in patients with breast cancer and related factors: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Systemic edema is an adverse effect of docetaxel chemotherapy and causes distress to patients, including those receiving this agent for breast cancer. However, its characteristics and factors related to its effect on quality of life (QoL) have not been adequately investigated. In this study, we assessed systemic edema quantitatively, explored related factors, and evaluated QoL in patients receiving docetaxel for breast cancer.

Overall survival in Japanese patients with ER+/HER2- advanced breast cancer treated with first-line palbociclib plus letrozole.

Background: An open-label, single-arm, Japanese phase 2 study (J-Ph2) investigated the efficacy and safety of first-line (1L) palbociclib (PAL) + letrozole (LET) in postmenopausal Japanese women with ER+/HER2- advanced breast cancer (ABC). In the final analysis, median progression-free survival was 35.7 months (95% CI 21.

Discovery of lipid profiles in plasma-derived extracellular vesicles as biomarkers for breast cancer diagnosis.

Lipids are a major component of extracellular vesicles; however, their significance in tumorigenesis and progression has not been well elucidated. As we previously found that lipid profiles drastically changed in breast tumors upon progression, we hypothesized that lipid profiles of plasma-derived extracellular vesicles could be utilized as breast cancer biomarkers. Here, we adopted modified sucrose cushion ultracentrifugation to isolate plasma-derived extracellular vesicles from breast cancer (n = 105), benign (n = 11), and healthy individuals (n = 43) in two independent cohorts (n = 126 and n = 33) and conducted targeted lipidomic analysis.

Evolutionary histories of breast cancer and related clones.

Recent studies have documented frequent evolution of clones carrying common cancer mutations in apparently normal tissues, which are implicated in cancer development. However, our knowledge is still missing with regard to what additional driver events take place in what order, before one or more of these clones in normal tissues ultimately evolve to cancer. Here, using phylogenetic analyses of multiple microdissected samples from both cancer and non-cancer lesions, we show unique evolutionary histories of breast cancers harbouring der(1;16), a common driver alteration found in roughly 20% of breast cancers.

A 65-Year-Old Man With Massive Hemoptysis.

A 65-year-old man experienced a cough and mild hemoptysis suddenly one morning. He was prescribed tranexamic acid and carbazochrome salicylate by the local clinic at the first visit, and his hemoptysis stopped. However, 2 days later, he experienced recurrent hemoptysis that was prolonged intermittently.

Feasibility of Dedicated Breast Positron Emission Tomography Image Denoising Using a Residual Neural Network.

Objectives: This study aimed to create a deep learning (DL)-based denoising model using a residual neural network (Res-Net) trained to reduce noise in ring-type dedicated breast positron emission tomography (dbPET) images acquired in about half the emission time, and to evaluate the feasibility and the effectiveness of the model in terms of its noise reduction performance and preservation of quantitative values compared to conventional post-image filtering techniques.

Methods: Low-count (LC) and full-count (FC) PET images with acquisition durations of 3 and 7 minutes, respectively, were reconstructed. A Res-Net was trained to create a noise reduction model using fifteen patients' data.

Diagnostic Utility of a Mycobacterium Multiplex PCR Detection Panel for Tuberculosis and Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Infections.

The prevalence of nontuberculous mycobacterial diseases is increasing worldwide, and tuberculosis remains highly prevalent. Rapid and accurate microbial diagnoses of both tuberculosis and nontuberculous mycobacterial infections are required. A novel PCR-reverse sequence-specific oligonucleotide probe (PCR-rSSO) method-based mycobacterial detection panel (Myco-Panel) test was developed for the rapid identification of 30 mycobacterial species and subspecies.

Validity of Platelia Aspergillus IgG and Aspergillus Precipitin Test To Distinguish Pulmonary Aspergillosis from Colonization.

When Aspergillus, an ubiquitous, saprophytic fungus, is detected in respiratory tract specimens collected from chronic respiratory disease patients, it is important to determine whether it is a true infection or colonization. We investigated the usefulness of the Bio-Rad Platelia Aspergillus IgG (Platelia Aspergillus IgG) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method and the Aspergillus precipitin test to distinguish pulmonary aspergillosis from colonization. Between January 2017 and November 2021, 51 confirmed, untreated pulmonary aspergillosis (33 chronic pulmonary aspergillosis [CPA] and 18 allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis [ABPA]) and 77 colonization patients were included in this study.

The Treatment and Prognosis of Older Tuberculosis Patients with a Poor Performance Status Caused by Underlying Diseases.

Objective The incidence of tuberculosis in Japan has been decreasing in the overall population but is increasing in older patients ≥90 years old. A poor performance status due to underlying diseases makes it difficult for patients with tuberculosis to receive standard oral treatment. However, there is no consensus concerning alternative treatments.

Impact of lung cancer surgery on comorbid complex lung disease-A case series.

The number of cases with and lung diseases complex lung disease [MACLD are increasing globally. Lung cancer can sometimes present as a comorbidity with MACLD; however, the clinical presentation and outcomes of comorbid MACLD following lung cancer resection remain unclear. Therefore, we retrospectively assessed 17 patients with MACLD undergoing lung cancer resection to determine the impact of lung cancer surgery on comorbid MACLD.

Non- Aspergillus Infection Associated with a Negative Aspergillus Precipitin Test in Patients with Chronic Pulmonary Aspergillosis.

Aspergillus antibody testing is key for the clinical diagnosis of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) with high sensitivity. However, false-negative results in patients with CPA might be obtained, depending on the Aspergillus species. The aim of this study was to investigate which factors are associated with false-negative results in Aspergillus precipitin tests and whether the sensitivity of precipitin tests in CPA is influenced by Aspergillus fumigatus and non- Aspergillus species.

The accuracy and clinical impact of the morphological identification of Aspergillus species in the age of cryptic species: A single-centre study.

Background: Aspergillus spp. is identified morphologically without antifungal susceptibility tests (ASTs) in most clinical laboratories. The aim of this study was to examine the clinical impact of the morphological identification of Aspergillus spp.

Severe Asthma Where Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis Became Apparent after the Discontinuation of Dupilumab.

The use of biologic agents has enabled control of severe asthma, but there is a risk that eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) may be masked in some cases. We herein report a 71-year-old man who was administered dupilumab for 2 years to stabilize his asthma symptoms. A few months after discontinuation of dupilumab administration, an increase in the eosinophil count in peripheral blood, leg pain, and a rash appeared.

Usefulness and Prospects of Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy for Patients With Breast Cancer Using the Medical Imaging Projection System.

Background: The Medical Imaging Projection System (MIPS) projects indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence images directly on the surgical field using a projection mapping technique. We conducted an observational study of sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy using the prototype MIPS; we found a high identification rate. However, the number of SLN-positive cases was small, and the sensitivity could not be evaluated.

Optimization of prediction methods for risk assessment of pathogenic germline variants in the Japanese population.

Predicting pathogenic germline variants (PGVs) in breast cancer patients is important for selecting optimal therapeutics and implementing risk reduction strategies. However, PGV risk factors and the performance of prediction methods in the Japanese population remain unclear. We investigated clinicopathological risk factors using the Tyrer-Cuzick (TC) breast cancer risk evaluation tool to predict BRCA PGVs in unselected Japanese breast cancer patients (n = 1,995).