Molecular Epidemiology of Drug-Resistant Mycobacterium Tuberculosis in Japan.

Clinical isolates of drug-resistant (isoniazid and/or rifampicin-resistant) Mycobacterium tuberculosis were obtained from 254 patients diagnosed with drug-resistant tuberculosis in Japan from April 2015 to March 2017 in National Hospital Organization hospitals. The 254 patients were approximately 32% of all 795 patients who were diagnosed with culture-confirmed drug-resistant tuberculosis from 2015 to 2016 nationwide in Japan. The whole-genome sequences of all the isolates from the 254 patients and the lineages of these isolates were determined, and phylogenetic trees were constructed based on single nucleotide polymorphism concatemers.

Non-localized Mycobacterium avium lung disease successfully treated with lobectomy and chemotherapy.

A 17-year-old boy presented with a large cavity and bilateral nodular opacities on his chest roentgenogram. Mycobacterium avium was identified in his sputum. According to the recommendations of the American Thoracic Society, he was not strongly recommended to undergo surgery because of non-localized lesions.

Distance and oxygen desaturation in 6-min walk test predict prognosis in COPD patients.

The aim of the present study was to predict the prognosis of Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients who underwent comprehensive pulmonary rehabilitation (PR). A total of 144 patients who performed PR between 1992 and 1999 was assessed. After PR, 67 patients underwent lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS).

Comprehensive pulmonary rehabilitation according to severity of COPD.

A new classification for the severity of COPD was proposed at GOLD 2003: stage I: FEV(1) > or = 80% predicted; stage II: 50% < or = FEV(1)<80%; stage III: 30% < or = FEV(1)<50%; and stage IV: FEV(1) < 30%. To elucidate the acute effects of pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) on patients with different stages of COPD, data on pulmonary function, arterial blood gas analysis, the 6-min walk test, respiratory muscle strength, and activities of daily living were analyzed before and after our comprehensive 4- to 8-week inpatient PR program between 1992 and 2003. A total of 225 patients (201 men and 24 women; 21 with stage II, 79 with stage III, and 125 with stage IV COPD) was assessed.

[In vitro antituberculous activity of ofloxacin and levofloxacin against multidrug-resistant tuberculosis and clinical outcomes].

Objective: To investigate in vitro antituberculous activity of ofloxacin (OFLX) and levofloxacin (LVFX) against multidrug-resistant tuberculosis and to study the clinical outcomes.

Subjects And Methods: In vitro antituberculous activity of OFLX and LVFX against multidrug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolated from 46 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and a retropective clinical analysis of 45 patients were investigated.

Results: In susceptibility testing, resistance rates to OFLX or LVFX were higher in intractable cases (7/20: 35%) and in cases with prior chemotherapy using new quinolones (5/12: 42 %).

[Antimycobacterial susceptibility against nontuberculous mycobacteria using brothmic NTM].

Purpose: Recently the incidence of pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacteria infection has increased among patients not only implicated with AIDS, but also without predisposing conditions. However, an effective antimicrobial therapy for the disease has not been established yet, because of the absence of highly active therapeutic drugs. We compared the in vitro antimicrobial activities of five antituberculous drugs, clarithromycin and fluoroquinolones against 92 clinical isolates belonging to three species of slowly growing nontuberculous mycobacteria.

The combination effect of amrubicin with cisplatin or irinotecan for small-cell lung cancer cells.

The single agent of amrubicin is active in untreated small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). Cytotoxicity of amrubicinol, the active form of amrubicin, was evaluated in a parent SCLC cell line (SBC-3); an active metabolite of irinotecan, 7-ethyl-10-hydroxy-camptothecin (SN-38)-resistant subline (SBC-3/SN-38); and cisplatin-resistant subline (SBC-3/CDDP) using AlamarBlue assay. Interaction of the combined drugs was evaluated by median-effect plot analysis, and the fraction of apoptotic cells was determined using flow cytometry.

Successful treatment of a patient with severe Churg-Strauss syndrome by a combination of pulse corticosteroids, pulse cyclophosphamide, and high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin.

A 24-year-old woman with a 4-year history of bronchial asthma suffered from bloody sputum, numbness of the extremities, elevated eosinophil count, and hypoxemia. A diagnosis of alveolar hemorrhage was made by bronchoalveolar lavage. Echocardiogram revealed severe hypokinesis of the left ventricular wall.

Rapidly progressed acquired immunodeficiency syndrome dementia complex as an initial manifestation.

We report a patient with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome dementia complex (ADC) that presented human immunodeficiency virus infection as an initial manifestation. A 34-year-old man developed disturbance of consciousness and severe abulia over 3 months. The CD4 lymphocyte count was 7.

Successful treatment of a patient with synchronous advanced non-small cell lung cancer and acute myeloid leukemia by a combination of gefitinib, low-dose cytarabine and aclarubicin.

There are few reports describing simultaneous occurrence of acute leukemia and lung cancer. We describe here an 83-year-old woman who simultaneously developed advanced adenocarcinoma of the lung and acute myeloid leukemia. She could not receive intensive chemotherapy due to poor performance status.

[Pulmonary tuberculosis case with consistant findings of endobronchial spread in chest roentogenography for about three years: a case report].

We reported a case of pulmonary infection by Mycobacterium tuberculosis complicated by endobronchial spread. Chest roentogenography and CT for an 85-year-old male complaining of cough showed endobronchial spread in right upper lung field. His sputum culture for eight weeks showed 10-20 colonies of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

[Interstitial pneumonia due to gefitinib followed in detail by high-resolution CT in a patient with adenocarcinoma of the lung].

We describe the case of a 69-year-old woman with advanced adenocarcinoma of the lung, in whom interstitial pneumonia was induced by gefitinib. The shadow was not clear on chest radiography, but diffuse ground-glass opacity was detected on high-resolution CT. Two treatments with pulse corticosteroids improved the lung injury temporarily.