Successful pericardial repair and coverage for late pacemaker lead-related atrial perforation and pneumothorax: a case report.

Background: Various complications of permanent pacemaker implantation have been reported. However, late pacemaker lead-related myocardial perforation rarely occurs. Conservative treatment is generally selected, if possible, but open heart surgery or catheter lead removal should be considered in symptomatic patients.

Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase-Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Treatment for Metastatic Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Throughout the Entire Gestation Period.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) occasionally develops in younger, fertile patients. This early-onset NSCLC tends to have more oncogenic driver mutations than in aged patients. Among early-onset NSCLC patients, pregnancy is very rare.

Postoperative anticoagulation management using subcutaneous unfractionated heparin for a patient with nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis: a case report.

Nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis (NBTE) presents nonbacterial vegetation on cardiac valves. NBTE requires appropriate anticoagulant therapy to prevent recurrence after surgery. However, there has not yet been established evidence for anticoagulant therapy in NBTE, and low molecular weight heparin is not approved in Japan.

Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling and Resistance to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: From Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer to Other Cancers.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. The standard of care for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) without driver-gene mutations is a combination of an anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibody and chemotherapy, or an anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibody and an anti-CTLA-4 antibody with or without chemotherapy. Although there were fewer cases of disease progression in the early stages of combination treatment than with anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies alone, only approximately half of the patients had a long-term response.

[β-Catenin Expression in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer and Therapeutic Effect of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors].

Recently, β-catenin mediated immune escape mechanism has been reported in several cancers. We investigated whether β-catenin is associated with resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy in non-small cell lung cancer. Non-small cell lung cancer patients expressing high levels of β-catenin showed poor progression-free survival and overall survival after single agent anti-PD-1 therapy.

Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy in a Patient with Multifocal Neurological Manifestations Caused by Solitary Brainstem Involvement.

A Japanese man in his 60s on medication for chronic lymphocytic leukemia presented with progressive, multifocal neurological manifestations. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a small, solitary region of brainstem involvement. Sensitive real-time polymerase chain reaction testing detected a small amount of JC virus (JCV) DNA (170 copies/mL) with pathogenic mutation in cerebrospinal fluid.

Orofacial Dyskinesia and Intractable Hiccups in a Patient with Varicella-zoster Virus Encephalomyelitis.

A 73-year-old Japanese man with diabetic complications presented with involuntary lip movements and long-lasting hiccups after developing zoster rash. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed lesions involving the medial temporal lobe and C1 level of the spinal cord. Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) encephalomyelitis was diagnosed.

CTLA-4 Expression in Tumor-infiltrating Lymphocytes Is Irrelevant to PD-L1 Expression in NSCLC.

Background/aim: Treatments containing ipilimumab have shown a good outcome in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) regardless of the PD-L1 tumor proportion score (TPS). However, the association between PD-L1 TPS and the expression of CTLA-4 in tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes is unknown.

Patients And Methods: Fifty-five NSCLC patients who underwent surgery in our hospital were included in this study.

The clinical significance of tertiary lymphoid structure and its relationship with peripheral blood characteristics in patients with surgically resected non-small cell lung cancer: a single-center, retrospective study.

Introduction: The presence of tertiary lymphoid structure (TLS) in tumor tissues has been reported to be a factor associated with a good prognosis in several types of cancers. However, the relationship between TLS formation and peripheral blood findings remains unclear. The purposes of the study were to evaluate the effect of the presence of TLS on survival and determine the peripheral blood characteristics associated with TLS formation in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.

A rare etiology of mild encephalitis/encephalopathy with reversible splenial lesion.

Legionella is a rare cause of mild encephalitis/encephalopathy with reversible splenial lesion, which should be considered in patients with risk factors. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and legionella urinary antigen test can help the diagnosis since cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) can be normal.

A patient with ALK-positive lung adenocarcinoma who survived alectinib-refractory postoperative recurrence for 4 years by switching to ceritinib.

Echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like 4-anaplastic lymphoma kinase (EML4-ALK) rearrangements are found in ~ 5% of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Several tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have been developed for treatment of so-called ALK-positive NSCLC. In cases of tumor progression during treatment with second-generation ALK-TKIs, such as alectinib, brigatinib, or ceritinib, National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines propose a switch to lorlatinib, a third-generation ALK-TKI, or to cytotoxic chemotherapy.

CLDN15 is a novel diagnostic marker for malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Malignant mesothelioma is a cancer with a poor survival rate. It is difficult to diagnose mesotheliomas because they show a variety of histological patterns similar to those of various other cancers. However, since currently used positive markers for mesotheliomas may show false positives or false negatives, a novel mesothelial positive marker is required.

Evaluation of complete and incomplete subscapularis tendon tear on preoperative magnetic resonance imaging.

Background: This study aims to evaluate the significance of preoperative magnetic resonance imaging findings to predict subscapularis tear confirmed at arthroscopic surgery.

Methods: Sixty-four consecutive shoulders that underwent preoperative magnetic resonance imaging examination and arthroscopic shoulder operations were retrospectively reviewed. Under arthroscopic examination, complete subscapularis tear was defined as a full-thickness tear and incomplete subscapularis tear as tendon detachment larger than 5 mm from the insertion on the joint side.

Pulmonary large cell carcinoma, highly positive for PD-L1, shows marked response to pembrolizumab: A case report.

Pulmonary large cell carcinoma (LCC) is classified as a poorly defined entity among non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs). At present, there are no effective anticancer drugs, such as molecular targeted drugs, for LCC, and it has been reported that patient prognosis is poor. Recently, the development of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has changed the therapeutic strategies for patients with NSCLC.

Our experience of lung resection in patients who decline blood transfusion for religious reasons.

Objective: Surgical treatment for patients who refuse blood transfusion due to religious beliefs is an important issue related to medical safety. Few reports have examined pulmonary surgery for these patients, and we analyzed clinical characteristics in such cases.

Methods: Ten Jehovah's Witness (JW) patients with lung tumor resection who declined blood transfusion for religious reasons between December 2013 and February 2020 at the Fukushima Medical University Hospital were included.

Delta-like 1 homolog (DLK1) as a possible therapeutic target and its application to radioimmunotherapy using I-labelled anti-DLK1 antibody in lung cancer models (HOT1801 and FIGHT004).

Objectives: Delta-like 1 homolog (DLK1) is a non-canonical Notch ligand known to be expressed in several cancers but whose role in lung cancer is not yet fully understood. We sought to confirm DLK1 expression in small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) and non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and to examine DLK1's clinical significance. Furthermore, we examined the possible utility of DLK1 as a novel target in radioimmunotherapy (RIT).

Is it possible to predict the final component gap in flexion before femoral posterior condylar osteotomy in cruciate-retaining and posterior-stabilized total knee arthroplasty?

Background: In total knee arthroplasty (TKA) with posterior condylar osteotomy using anatomical landmarks, predicting the final flexion gap is impossible, as it differs with the presence or absence of the posterior cruciate ligament. We compared the predicted flexion gap, based on pre-femoral posterior condylar osteotomy measurements, with the postsurgical final flexion gap in cruciate-retaining (CR) and posterior-stabilized (PS) TKA.

Methods: One hundred knees of patients with osteoarthritis were included: 35 underwent CR, and 65 PS TKA.

[Monitoring Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes by Peripheral Blood in Lung Cancer Patients].

There have been many reports on the association between tumor infiltrating lymphocytes and cancer prognosis. It is known that tumor infiltrating lymphocytes contain not only cytotoxic T lymphocytes but also bystander lymphocytes and immunosuppressive cells. In most of previous reports, tumor infiltrating lymphocytes were defined as CD3 or CD8 T cells.

Genetic alterations in epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitor-naïve non-small cell lung carcinoma.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are an approved first-line therapy against unresectable or advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring gene activating mutations. However, the majority of tumors develop acquired resistance against EGFR-TKIs and some tumors exhibit natural resistance. A number of resistance mechanisms against the latest third-generation EGFR-TKIs have been reported, including tertiary C797S mutation and several gene alterations activating EGFR or other signaling pathways.

Laser-Beam-Patterned Topological Insulating States on Thin Semiconducting MoS_{2}.

Identifying the two-dimensional (2D) topological insulating (TI) state in new materials and its control are crucial aspects towards the development of voltage-controlled spintronic devices with low-power dissipation. Members of the 2D transition metal dichalcogenides have been recently predicted and experimentally reported as a new class of 2D TI materials, but in most cases edge conduction seems fragile and limited to the monolayer phase fabricated on specified substrates. Here, we realize the controlled patterning of the 1T^{'} phase embedded into the 2H phase of thin semiconducting molybdenum-disulfide by laser beam irradiation.

Relation between functional and cognitive impairments in remitted patients with bipolar disorder and suggestions for trials targeting cognition: An exploratory study.

Background: Trials targeting cognition in bipolar disorder (BD) are advised to include a measure of functional capacity as key secondary or co-primary outcome to assess whether treatment efficacy on cognition translates into enhanced functional capacity. However, it is unclear which measure of functional capacity shows the strongest association with objectively-measured cognition and may thus be best suited for inclusion in cognition trials.

Methods: Participants (N = 58) with BD in partial or full remission with objective cognitive impairment and healthy controls (N = 37) were assessed with mood ratings and were given a comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests and a questionnaire assessing subjective cognitive function, respectively.

Evidence for a quantum spin Hall phase in graphene decorated with BiTe nanoparticles.

Realization of the quantum spin Hall effect in graphene devices has remained an outstanding challenge dating back to the inception of the field of topological insulators. Graphene's exceptionally weak spin-orbit coupling-stemming from carbon's low mass-poses the primary obstacle. We experimentally and theoretically study artificially enhanced spin-orbit coupling in graphene via random decoration with dilute BiTe nanoparticles.