Oxaliplatin plus 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin (FOLFOX-4) as salvage chemotherapy in patients with pretreated colorectal cancer.

Background: There are a few clinical trials of combination chemotherapy of oxaliplatin plus 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin (FOLFOX-4) in Japan, and its efficacy and safety have not been confirmed yet, especially clinical experience in patients with prior chemotherapy.

Purpose: To analyze the efficacy and safety of FOLFOX-4 in patients with colorectal cancer who received prior chemotherapy.

Patients And Methods: Twenty patients were treated with FOLFOX-4 beginning in April 2005.

[A case of unresectable advanced pancreatic cancer treated by S-1 with concurrent radiotherapy].

Chemotherapy (5-FU) with concurrent radiotherapy is recommended as an effective treatment for locally unresectable pancreatic cancer. A phase I study of S-1 with concurrent radiotherapy demonstrated promising results in late years. A 70-year-old man was revealed to have metastatic pancreatic cancer (T 4 N 3 M 1 (PER), Stage IVb).

Diagnostic value of endobronchial ultrasonography with a guide sheath for peripheral pulmonary lesions without X-ray fluoroscopy.

Study Objectives: We evaluated the feasibility and efficacy of transbronchial biopsy (TBB) and bronchial brushing by endobronchial ultrasonography (EBUS) with a guide sheath (GS) as a guide for diagnosing peripheral pulmonary lesions (PPLs) without radiographic fluoroscopy.

Patients: One hundred twenty-one patients with 123 PPLs (mean diameter, 31.0 mm) whose bronchoscopic findings were normal.

Pulmonary capillary bleeding in a patient with severe left ventricular failure after acute myocardial infarction under anti-thrombotic therapy.

A 52-year-old man who was admitted for cardiogenic shock after acute myocardial infarction developed severe left ventricular dysfunction despite reperfusion therapy with coronary stents. After the 40th hospital day, he started to have cough and pulmonary infiltrates. Antimicrobial therapies and subsequent prednisolone for bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia were ineffective.

A virtual bronchoscopic navigation system under X-ray fluoroscopy for transbronchial diagnosis of small peripheral pulmonary lesions.

We had reported the utility of virtual bronchoscopic navigation system under CT-guidance for the diagnosis of small peripheral pulmonary lesions (PPLs). This study investigated the efficacy of virtual bronchoscopic navigation system for the diagnosis of small PPLs under X-ray fluoroscopy. We performed bronchoscopy with this system for 94 consecutive patients with 96 PPLs (< or =30mm in longest diameter; mean longest diameter, 16.

A case of suspected S-1 induced interstitial pneumonia.

A 37-year-old female with advanced gastric cancer and liver metastases was treated with S-1. Since the patient noticed a transient cough and low-grade fever in the middle of the third course of treatment, administration of S-1 was discontinued. Her symptoms resolved in three days, and the fourth course was started again.

Phase II study of carboplatin combined with biweekly docetaxel for advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: The combination of carboplatin and docetaxel has been considered one of the standard treatments for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). To investigate a safer and more convenient schedule for outpatient, we conducted a phase II study to evaluate the efficacy and the safety of carboplatin plus biweekly docetaxel for advanced NSCLC.

Patients And Methods: Patients with stage IIIB, IV, or postoperative recurrent NSCLC with good performance status were administered docetaxel at a dose of 35 mg/m on days 1 and 15 and carboplatin at an area under the curve (AUC) of 6 on day 1 every 4 weeks for at least three cycles.

Photochromism of novel metal coordination polymers with 1,2-Bis(2'-methyl-5'-(carboxylic acid)-3'-thienyl)perfluorocyclopentene in the crystalline phase.

Three new metal complexes with 1,2-bis(2'-methyl-5'-(carboxylic acid)-3'-thienyl)perfluorocyclopentene (BM-5-CATP) were synthesized and characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis. BM-5-CATP serves as a bis-monodentate ligand that bridges metal centers to generate three 1D polymers. The two thienyl rings in the three complexes adopt antiparallel fashions, and the distances of 3.

Clinical benefit of readministration of gefitinib for initial gefitinib-responders with non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: Gefitinib, an oral agent of epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, has a certain efficacy against non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Several predictive factors of gefitinib sensitivity have been well described. However, few studies have investigated the clinical features of gefitinib-responders.

Differences in antimicrobial susceptibility breakpoints for Pseudomonas aeruginosa, isolated from blood cultures, set by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) and the Japanese Society of Chemotherapy.

A study was made of the antimicrobial susceptibility to and efficacy of various kinds of antimicrobial agents against 179 strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa that were isolated from blood cultures at Kansai Medical University Hospital from 1990 through 2004. The annual detection rate was highest in 1994, at 22 strains (6.5%).

Transient splenial lesion of the corpus callosum after acute withdrawal of antiepileptic drug: a case report.

Transient lesions at the splenium of the corpus callosum (SCC) have been reported after withdrawal of specific antiepileptic drugs (AED), though the pathophysiology of the lesions remains unclear. We examined and treated a schizophrenic patient who developed a transient SCC lesion after withdrawal of the AED, carbamazepine. Interestingly, the SCC lesion was accompanied by the onset of diabetes insipidus, a state of arginine-vasopressin (AVP) insufficiency.

[Successful treatment for descending necrotizing mediastinitis; report of a case].

A case of a 55-year-old man with descending necrotizing mediastinitis (DNM) after a tooth removal was reported. Chest computed tomography (CT) showed a fluid collection in the right thorax, in the cervical region and in the mediastinum. The patient underwent cervical drainage and thoracoscopic pleural dissective drainage.

Altered distribution of KCC2 in cortical dysplasia in patients with intractable epilepsy.

Purpose: To examine the distribution of KCC2, a neuron-specific K(+)-Cl(-) cotransporter, in human cortical dysplasia (CD).

Methods: The immunohistochemical expression of KCC2 was investigated in 18 CD specimens obtained during epilepsy surgery. The histopathologic diagnoses were focal CD (FCD) type I (eight cases), FCD type II (six cases), and hemimegalencephaly (HME; four cases).

[A case of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma with lung metastases and cirrhosis that responded to combination chemotherapy with interferon-alpha and 5-fluorouracil].

The prognosis for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with progressive liver cirrhosis or extrahepatic metastases remains dismal. We report a case of HCC with liver cirrhosis and lung metastases who had been treated successfully by combination chemotherapy of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha). A 67-year-old male with a history of hepatitis C, liver cirrhosis and HCC was hospitalized because of cough and dyspnea.

[Combination chemotherapy with hepatic arterial infusion of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and systemic irinotecan (CPT-11) in patients with unresectable liver metastases from colorectal cancer].

Purpose: Hepatic arterial infusion (HAI) chemotherapy for hepatic metastasis from colorectal cancer has higher response rates compared with systemic chemotherapy, but can not control extrahepatic lesions. So the combination chemotherapy with HAI plus systemic chemotherapy is expected. This study ascertained the efficacy and toxicity of combined chemotherapy with HAI plus systemic CPT-11.

The first infant case with hepatosplenic gammadelta T-cell lymphoma after acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM)-like exacerbation.

We report the first infant case with hepatosplenic gammadelta T-cell lymphoma after recurrent acute disseminated encephalomyelitis-like, which were rapidly resolved with steroid pulse therapy. The patient had a history of recurrent bronchitis, intractable diarrhea, and failure to thrive since 4 months of age. Immunologic analysis revealed higher percentage of circulating gammadelta T-cells with markedly reduced numbers of CD3TCRalphabetaCD8 T-cells.

[A case of duodenal carcinoma with massive peritoneal carcinomatosis complicating a pulmonary embolism].

The incidence of venous thromboembolism in cancer patients is reportedly around 15%, and a pulmonary embolism is an important cause of morbidity and mortality. We present a case of duodenal carcinoma with peritoneal carcinomatosis complicated by a pulmonary embolism. Heparin, followed by warfarin, was useful to treat the embolism.

Phase II study of carboplatin and weekly paclitaxel in advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: The optimal schedule of taxane administration has been an area of active interest in several clinical trials.

Patients And Methods: To evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of carboplatin and weekly paclitaxel combination chemotherapy, a phase II study was conducted for chemo-naïve, advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Patients received paclitaxel 100 mg/m2 on days 1, 8 and 15, and carboplatin with the target dose of area under the curve of 6 on day 1 every 28 days.

Polymorphism of egfr Intron1 is associated with susceptibility and severity of asthma.

To clarify the associations of the egfr CA repeat polymorphism with asthma and its severity, we examined 579 Japanese asthmatics and 232 control subjects. The number of CA repeat ranges from 9 to 24. Asthmatic patients had a significantly higher incidence of having shorter alleles (<==16 CA repeats) compared with control subjects (p < 0.

Reduced exposure to mercury in patients receiving enteral nutrition.

The exposure to mercury (Hg) of various groups of people with different dietary backgrounds has been assessed because of its hazardous effects, but little is known about that in patients receiving enteral nutrition. Therefore, we studied the Hg exposure in 25 patients with severe motor disabilities, who received liquid enteral feedings for more than one year, by determining total mercury (T-Hg) in their hair samples with inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. The geometric mean of the T-Hg level in hair from the patients was 88 ng/g hair (+/- 1 geometric standard deviation [GSD], 34 - 228 ng/g), whereas that for the control group on a normal diet was 1,900 ng/g (+/- 1 GSD, 1,022 - 3,531 ng/g).

Airway remodeling and airway smooth muscle in asthma.

Airway remodeling in asthma has been recognized as structural changes of airways such as smooth muscle hypertrophy (an increase in size of airway smooth muscle cells) and hyperplasia (an increase in the number of airway smooth muscle cells), thickening and fibrosis of sub-epithelial basement membrane, hypertrophy of bronchial glands, goblet cell hyperplasia, and thickening of airway epithelium. In these pathological changes, airway smooth muscle remodeling has been recognized as one of the most important factors related to in vitro and in vitro airway responsiveness and the severity of asthma. Both hypertrophy and hyperplasia have been shown in asthmatic airways by morphometrical analyses, although there is a wide variation in the contribution of each mechanism in each patient.

Molecular-based haplotype analysis of the beta 2-adrenergic receptor gene (ADRB2) in Japanese asthmatic and non-asthmatic subjects.

Background: The beta2-adrenergic receptor gene (ADRB2) is a target molecule of beta2-agonists. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the ADRB2 are related to the effectiveness of beta2-agonists. However, there are some discrepancies in the results of pharmacogenetic studies of ADRB2 among different ethnic groups.

Retrospective analysis of stage IV advanced gastric cancer treated with S-1 or other chemotherapy.

Background: We retrospectively analyzed the influence of various clinicopathologic factors on the survival of patients treated with chemotherapy.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was made of 110 patients with stage IV gastric cancer who were treated from January 1996 to June 2004.

Results: Median survival time was 429 days for patients treated with S-1 therapy and 236 days for patients without S-1 therapy.