Up-regulated integrinα4β1 on systemic lymphocytes and serum IL-17A in interstitial pneumonia.

Background And Aims: In interstitial pneumonia (IP), lymphocytes play an important role in lung injury and the involvement of integrinα4β1 on leukocytes has previously been reported in animal models. Although the integrinα4β1 expression level is known to be up-regulated by inflammatory cytokines, the involvement of interleukin (IL)-17A is unclear. The purpose of this study is to address the possible involvement of integrinα4β1 on circulating lymphocytes and its correlation with serum IL-17A in interstitial lung diseases (ILDs).

Multiple logistic regression analysis of risk factors in elderly pneumonia patients: QTc interval prolongation as a prognostic factor.

Background: Acute pneumonia is a serious problem in the elderly and various risk factors have already been reported, but the involvement of QTc interval prolongation remains uncertain. The aim of this study was to elucidate the prognostic factors for the development of pneumonia in elderly patients and to study the possible involvement of QTc interval prolongation.

Methods: The subjects were 249 hospitalized pneumonia patients more than 65 years old in Aki-Ohta Hospital from January 2010 to December 2013.

Association of EPAS1 gene rs4953354 polymorphism with susceptibility to lung adenocarcinoma in female Japanese non-smokers.

Introduction: Hypoxia-inducible factor-2α (also called endothelial periodic acid-Schiff domain protein 1 [EPAS1]) seems to play an important role in some carcinogenesis, though there is no information on the relationship between single nucleotide polymorphism of EPAS1 and lung cancer development. The aim of this study was to explore a possible association of the EPAS1 gene rs4953354 polymorphism with susceptibility to lung cancer.

Methods: A case-control study of 346 patients with non-small-cell lung carcinoma (adenocarcinoma = 249, squamous cell carcinoma = 97) and 247 healthy control subjects was carried out.

Comparison of clinical management of young and elderly asthmatics by respiratory specialists and general practitioners.

Background: Asthmatic death in the elderly is a serious problem worldwide. Differences in clinical skill between respiratory specialists (RS) and general practitioners (GP) are important in asthma control. The aim of this study was to compare asthma management between RS and GP.

Comparison of hemagglutination inhibition assay and enzyme immunoassay for determination of mumps and rubella immune status in health care personnel.

Background: Screening tests are available to determine immunity to vaccine-preventable diseases, such as mumps and rubella. We aimed to define better assay for detecting immune status of health care personnel to vaccine-preventable diseases.

Methods: Mumps and rubella antibodies of health care personnel at Shimane University Hospital were examined by hemagglutination inhibition assay (HI), comparing with those by enzyme immunoassay (EIA).

Cyclooxygenase 2 1195G > A polymorphism is associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Japanese and Chinese patients.

Background: Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is overexpressed during airway inflammation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the COX-2 promoter might contribute to differential COX-2 expression and subsequent interindividual variability in susceptibility to COPD. We investigated the association between COX-2 (-765G > C, -1195G > A) polymorphisms and COPD susceptibility in Japanese and Chinese patients.

Efficacy and safety of piperacillin/tazobactam versus biapenem in late elderly patients with nursing- and healthcare-associated pneumonia.

Pneumonia is associated with an extremely high mortality rate in patients of late elderly age. Piperacillin/tazobactam and carbapenems are drugs of first choice for hospitalized patients with potentially resistant bacteria. We compared the efficacy and safety of piperacillin/tazobactam and biapenem.

Comparative analysis of a complement fixation assay and enzyme immunoassay to determine the seroprevalence of measles and varicella in a survey of healthcare workers.

Objective: Seroprevalence surveys of healthcare workers for vaccine-preventable diseases, including measles and varicella, are essential for disease prevention and infection control programmes. The purpose of this study was to compare the complement fixation (CF) assay and an enzyme immunoassay (EIA) to determine the prevalence of immunoglobulin G antibodies directed against measles and varicella viruses in healthcare workers.

Methods: Antimeasles and antivaricella antibody titres were measured simultaneously in serum samples from healthcare workers employed at a Japanese university hospital, using the CF assay and an EIA.

Periaortitis associated with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies induced by bevacizumab combination therapy.

Drug-induced vessel vasculitis is a rare complication of chemotherapy. In particular, few reports have investigated drug-induced large vessel vasculitis. We herein report the case of a 57-year-old woman with advanced lung adenocarcinoma who developed perinuclear anti-neutrophil cytoplastic antibodies (p-ANCA)-positive periaortitis induced by bevacizumab combination chemotherapy.

Phase I clinical and pharmacokinetic study of bi-weekly carboplatin/paclitaxel chemotherapy in elderly patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Aim: We evaluated the pharmacokinetics and quality of life of elderly patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with bi-weekly carboplatin and paclitaxel chemotherapy, and determined the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of this treatment.

Patients And Methods: Eligible patients had histologically- or cytologically-proven inoperable NSCLC, age of 70 years or older, no prior treatment, and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0-2. Paclitaxel was administered in combination with carboplatin under a bi-weekly schedule.

Increased expression levels of integrin α9β1 and CD11b on circulating neutrophils and elevated serum IL-17A in elderly aspiration pneumonia.

Background: Repeated aspiration pneumonia is a serious problem in the elderly. In aspiration pneumonia, neutrophils play an important role in acute lung injury, while CD18-independent neutrophil transmigration pathways have also been reported in acid-aspiration pneumonia animal models. However, the involvement of IL-17A and β1 integrin still remains unclear.

Nedaplatin and irinotecan for patients with recurrent small cell lung cancer.

Background: No standard second-line combination chemotherapy has yet been established for patients with recurrent small cell lung cancer (RSCLC).

Methods: Patients with RSCLC were treated with nedaplatin (NP) at 50 mg/m2 and irinotecan (CPT) at 50 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8 every 4 weeks for four cycles.

Results: The clinical outcomes of 12 patients (9 male and 3 female; age range 48-76 years, median 62 years) were retrospectively analyzed.

Stromal micropapillary component as a novel unfavorable prognostic factor of lung adenocarcinoma.

Background: Pulmonary adenocarcinomas with a micropapillary component having small papillary tufts and lacking a central fibrovascular core are thought to result in poor prognosis. However, the component consists of tumor cells often floating within alveolar spaces (aerogenous micropapillary component [AMPC]) rather than invading fibrotic stroma observed in other organs like breast (stromal invasive micropapillary component [SMPC]). We previously observed cases of lung adenocarcinoma with predominant SMPC that was associated with micropapillary growth of tumors in fibrotic stroma observed in other organs.

Stromal micropapillary pattern predominant lung adenocarcinoma--a report of two cases.

Generally, adenocarcinomas with micropapillary pattern, featuring small papillary tufts lacking a central fibrovascular core, are thought to have poor prognosis. This pattern has been described in various organs. However, tumor cells with micropapillary pattern of lung adenocarcinoma are more often seen to float within alveolar spaces (aerogenous micropapillary pattern, AMP) than in fibrotic stroma like other organs (stromal micropapillary pattern, SMP) and SMP predominant lung adenocarcinoma (SMPPLA) has not been well described yet.

[A case of acute hypersensitivity pneumonia in a worker at a feather duvet factory].

A 44-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because of a 15-month history of exertional dyspnea, nonproductive cough and fever. Thoracic high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) showed centrilobular ground-glass opacities distributed in bilateral lung fields. She had worked at a down quilt factory and had been exposed to a large amount of feathers for 5 years.