Phase II study of oral vitamin B12 supplementation as an alternative to intramuscular injection for patients with non-small cell lung cancer undergoing pemetrexed therapy.

Purpose: A vitamin B12 supplement is required in pemetrexed single agent therapy. Intramuscular administration is the method of choice; however, oral administration is simpler and easier and may be sufficiently effective. We conducted a Phase II study to evaluate the safety of oral administration of vitamin B12 in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer who received pemetrexed single agent therapy.

Retrospective analysis of unknown primary cancers with malignant pleural effusion at initial diagnosis.

Background: Malignant pleural effusion (MPE) can occur during the progression of various cancers. However, factors, such as the incidence of MPE associated with different types of cancers and its potential for diagnosing previously undetected cancers, are unknown. Moreover, MPE may accompany potentially curable cancers or those with a favorable survival prognosis with adequate treatment.

Examination of fluctuations in atmospheric pressure related to migraine.

Background: Japan has four seasons and many chances of low atmospheric pressure or approaches of typhoon, therefore it has been empirically known that the fluctuation of weather induces migraine in people. Generally, its mechanism has been interpreted as follows: physical loading, attributed by atmospheric pressure to human bodies, compresses or dilates human blood vessels, which leads to abnormality in blood flow and induces migraine. We report our examination of the stage in which migraine tends to be induced focusing on the variation of atmospheric pressure.

Gemcitabine in patients previously treated with platinum-containing chemotherapy for refractory thymic carcinoma: radiographic assessment using the RECIST criteria and the ITMIG recommendations.

Background: The key drugs for chemotherapy of thymic carcinoma are gradually being revealed in phase II and conventional retrospective studies. Gemcitabine is regarded as one of these key drugs according to the findings of clinical trials in which it was combined with capecitabine. However, the activity of single-agent gemcitabine concerning refractory thymic carcinoma remains unclear.

Neurotoxicity due to prophylactic cranial irradiation for small-cell lung cancer: A retrospective analysis.

Prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) is an established part of standard therapy for small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). However, the concerns regarding severe late neurotoxicity following PCI have not yet been systematically investigated. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the neurocognitive functioning of SCLC patients treated with PCI.

[Responding to Arterial Perforation during Endovascular Neurosurgery].

During endovascular neurosurgery, various devices, such as catheters, are passed through the intracranial arteries to access target vessels; the arteries can thereby be perforated. Even though such incidents are serious and should be dealt with appropriately, few case reports or standard procedures have been published. Herein, we report two cases of arterial perforation that occurred recently in our hospital.

Feasibility study of docetaxel plus bevacizumab as first line therapy for elderly patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: Thoracic Oncology Research Group (TORG) 1014.

Background: Docetaxel monotherapy is one of the standard treatments for non-small-cell lung cancer in elderly patients. The addition of bevacizumab to docetaxel seems promising; however, the feasibility of this combination has not been investigated in such patients.

Methods: Patients with advanced non-squamous non-small-cell lung cancer aged 70 years or older who had not previously received cytotoxic chemotherapy were enrolled.

A Patient with the GLA p.E66Q Mutation Exhibiting Vascular Parkinsonism and Bilateral Pulvinar Lesions.

A 76-year-old man was admitted to our hospital due to gait difficulty. Brain imaging indicated bilateral pulvinar lesions and moderate white matter lesions. The serum α-galactosidase A levels were measured for the differential diagnosis of bilateral pulvinar lesions and were found to be abnormally low.

Cellulitis-like symptoms manifested by bone metastasis of lung cancer in a patient living with human immunodeficiency virus.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients are at a high risk of cancer compared with the general population. As the use of antiretroviral therapy (ART) has increased, non-AIDS-defining cancers have also increased in the past decade. A 61-year-old man with HIV infection on ART developed a painful, erythematous and oedematous lower left leg and an associated fever.

Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion Presenting as Upper Limb Monochorea.

Background: Hemichorea is usually caused by a structural lesion in the contralateral basal ganglia or subthalamic nuclei or it develops as a form of a neurologic complication including hyperglycemia. We report a rare case of a patient who developed choreic movement in the right upper extremity associated with a contralateral middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion.

Methods: A 76-year-old man presented with chorea in the right upper limb, known as monochorea, which occurred after recovery from losing consciousness while standing.

Effects of Pioglitazone for Secondary Stroke Prevention in Patients with Impaired Glucose Tolerance and Newly Diagnosed Diabetes: The J-SPIRIT Study.

Aim: Prediabetes is an independent risk factor for future stroke. However, no effective treatment has yet been established for the recurrence of stroke in patients with prediabetes. Here we investigated the effects of pioglitazone, a potent peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma agonist, for the reduction of recurrent stroke in patients with prediabetes.

A prospective, multicentre phase II trial of low-dose erlotinib in non-small cell lung cancer patients with EGFR mutations pretreated with chemotherapy: Thoracic Oncology Research Group 0911.

Background: Low-dose erlotinib may be as effective as gefitinib or erlotinib at full dose in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with activating mutations of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene.

Methods: Patients with chemotherapy pretreated NSCLC harbouring EGFR mutations received erlotinib at 50 mg/d until disease progression or unacceptable toxicities. The dose was escalated to 150 mg/d in patients showing no response (i.

Alectinib for choroidal metastasis in a patient with crizotinib-resistant ALK rearranged positive non-small cell lung cancer.

Choroidal metastasis is rare in cancer patients. Small molecules of molecular targeted agents for lung cancer with actionable mutations were reported to be palliated for symptoms caused by choroidal metastasis. Visual disturbance by choroidal metastasis significantly decreases quality of life during the patient's remaining lifespan; therefore, radiotherapy or laser photocoagulation is proposed with consensus.

Effect of Forefoot Strike on Lower Extremity Muscle Activity and Knee Joint Angle During Cutting in Female Team Handball Players.

Background: The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of different strike forms, during cutting, on knee joint angle and lower limb muscle activity.

Methods: Surface electromyography was used to measure muscle activity in individuals performing cutting manoeuvres involving either rearfoot strikes (RFS) or forefoot strikes (FFS). Three-dimensional motion analysis was used to calculate changes in knee angles, during cutting, and to determine the relationship between muscle activity and knee joint angle.

Utility of the Japanese version of the 9-item Wearing-off Questionnaire.

Background And Purpose: The 9-item Wearing-off Questionnaire (WOQ-9) is a useful tool for screening of wearing-off. We performed a validation study of the Japanese version of the WOQ-9 (JWOQ-9) using a cross-sectional design in Japanese Parkinson's disease (PD) patients diagnosed with sporadic PD and treated with levodopa.

Methods: Subjects with severe dementia, uncontrolled psychiatric comorbidities, and previous PD neurosurgery were excluded.

Low dose of clonazepam is effective in the treatment of painless legs and moving toes syndrome: a case report.

Introduction: Painless legs and moving toes syndrome (PoLMT) is a rare movement disorder characterized by flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, and torsion of toes in the absence of pain. It is considered a variant of painful legs and moving toes syndrome, which is characterized by similar movements but is accompanied by pain. Although neuropathy, spinal cord compression, brain tumor, cerebral infarction, and Wilson's disease have been reported to be associated with PoLMT, the actual cause, trigger, and mechanism remain unclear.

Hemiballism with leg predominance caused by contralateral subthalamic haemorrhage.

Hemiballism is a rare movement disorder characterised by high-amplitude movements of the limbs on one side of the body. Stroke of the contralateral basal ganglia, especially the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is the most common aetiology of acute development of hemiballism. Recently, the pathophysiology of hemiballism has been associated with abnormal firing patterns in the globus pallidus interna, with intermittent firing bursts followed by pauses, during which movements occur.

Kawasaki disease refractory to standard treatments that responds to a combination of pulsed methylprednisolone and plasma exchange: Cytokine profiling and literature review.

Unlabelled: We present a case of Kawasaki Disease (KD) that was refractory to plasma exchange (PE), but which finally responded to concurrent intravenous methylprednisolone pulse (IVMP) and PE treatment. To determine direct and indirect evidence for the efficacy of this combination therapy, we analyzed data of patients with refractory KD by review of the literature using medical databases and cytokine profiling. For literature searches, we used the Pubmed™ and Ichushi™ databases.

Involvement of serotonin transporter gene polymorphisms (5-HTT) in impulsive behavior in the japanese population.

The serotonergic pathway has been implicated in the pathogenesis of impulsivity, and sensitivity to aversive outcomes may be linked to serotonin (5-HT) levels. Polymorphisms in the gene that encodes the serotonin transporter (5-HTT), which have differential effects on the level of serotonin transmission, display alternate responses to aversive stimuli. However, recent studies have shown that 5-HT does not affect motor function, which suggests that the functioning of the serotonin-transporter-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) does not directly affect the behavioral regulatory process itself, but instead exerts an effect via the evaluation of the potential risk associated with particular behavioral outputs.