Multiple Types of Taste Disorders among Patients with COVID-19.

Objective Based on the increasing incidence of smell and taste dysfunction among coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients, such issues have been considered an early symptom of infection. However, few studies have investigated the type of taste components that are most frequently affected in COVID-19 patients. This study investigated the difference in frequencies of the types of taste component disorders among hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

Management of skin sarcoidosis with minocycline monotherapy.

A 46-year-old woman with severe skin sarcoidosis, mainly on the back of the trunk, persisting for >15 years, was followed up without systemic treatment. In 2014, she was started on minocycline monotherapy owing to worsening of the skin sarcoid lesions. Surprisingly, after approximately 1 year of the monotherapy, nearly all skin lesions resolved with only light residual scars, despite the poor efficacy of the monotherapy for pulmonary sarcoidosis.

Usual Interstitial Pneumonia Pattern in the Lower Lung Lobes as a Prognostic Factor in Idiopathic Pleuroparenchymal Fibroelastosis.

Background: Idiopathic pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis (IPPFE) is a rare interstitial pneumonia that is characterized by stiffness in both the upper lobes and pleura, which is evident on high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) of the chest. However, prognostic factors for IPPFE have not been identified yet.

Objective: We aimed to investigate the clinical prognostic factors affecting survival in patients with IPPFE.

A Case of a Pregnant Woman Diagnosed as Having -rearranged Lung Adenocarcinoma.

A 28-year-old woman who was 34 weeks pregnant was admitted with complaints of cough and blood-stained sputum. After delivery of the baby at 37 weeks gestation, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a tumor in the right lung and a 15-mm brain metastasis. A diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma was made, cT4N3M1b (stage IV disease) by pleural fluid cytology.

Development of interstitial pneumonia during treatment with eribulin: a case report.

Background: Eribulin is typically used to treat patients with advanced breast cancer, and anti-cancer agents often cause the development of interstitial pneumonia in Japanese patients with advanced cancer. However, few case reports have addressed eribulin-induced interstitial pneumonia. Herein, we report a rare case of interstitial pneumonia-specifically, organized pneumonia-during treatment with eribulin in a patient with advanced breast cancer.

Surfactant protein-D predicts prognosis of interstitial lung disease induced by anticancer agents in advanced lung cancer: a case control study.

Background: Interstitial lung diseases induced by anticancer agents (ILD-AA) are rare adverse effects of anticancer therapy. However, prognostic biomarkers for ILD-AA have not been identified in patients with advanced lung cancer. Our aim was to analyze the association between serum biomarkers sialylated carbohydrate antigen Krebs von den Lungen-6 (KL-6) and surfactant protein D (SP-D), and clinical characteristics in patients diagnosed with ILD-AA.

Lung metastases from cutaneous adenoid cystic carcinoma 23 years after initial treatment.

Cutaneous adenoid cystic carcinoma (CACC) is an extremely rare neoplasm of head and neck region, and is characterized by propensity for local recurrence and perineural invasion. Late distant metastases occur usually to lungs. Although patients with lung metastases from CACC cannot be cured, long-term survival may be possible due to its slow-growing malignancy.

Loxoprofen-induced interstitial pneumonia: a case report.

Background: Loxoprofen is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug used in the treatment of many diseases. However, there are no case reports about loxoprofen-induced pneumonia. We have encountered a rare case of loxoprofen-induced pneumonia.

Pneumothorax developing for the first time in a 73-year-old woman diagnosed with Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome.

Spontaneous pneumothorax in the elderly commonly occurs due to underlying pulmonary diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, interstitial lung disease, lung cancer, etc. A 73-year-old woman developed pneumothorax for the first time that was a clinical clue to a diagnosis of Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome (BHDS), an autosomal dominant condition characterized by fibrofolliculomas of the skin, renal tumors and multiple lung cysts predisposing to pneumothorax. Although BHDS patients frequently develop pneumothorax during their twenties to forties, the present case indicates that BHDS should be considered as an underlying cause of pneumothorax in the elderly with undisclosed BHDS.

High prevalence of gene abnormalities in young patients with lung cancer.

Background: Recently, driver oncogenes in adenocarcinoma of the lung were identified, and several molecular target agents were introduced in the clinical setting. However, there are few reports on the frequency of gene abnormalities in young patients with lung cancer.

Materials And Methods: Twelve patients with lung adenocarcinoma aged 40 or younger at Juntendo University Urayasu Hospital or Juntendo University Hospital from July 2004 to March 2010 were analyzed for driver oncogene status including EGFR activating mutation, EML4-ALK fusion gene, and K-ras mutation.

[Analysis of predominant bacterial species and clinical backgrounds in lung abscess patients].

We reviewed the clinicopathological characteristics of lung abscesses retrospectively. We analyzed 89 patients hospitalized from July 1984 to May 2009. Most were men (76/89).

Wound-induced TGF-β1 and TGF-β2 enhance airway epithelial repair via HB-EGF and TGF-α.

The abundance of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) in normal airway epithelium suggests its participation in physiological processes to maintain airway homeostasis. The current study was designed to address the hypothesis that TGF-β1 and TGF-β2 might contribute to normal reparative response of airway epithelial cells (AECs). Treatments with exogenous TGF-β1 or TGF-β2 significantly enhanced wound repair of confluent AEC monolayers.

Role of multidrug resistance-associated protein 1 in the pathogenesis of allergic airway inflammation.

Multidrug resistance-associated protein 1 (MRP1) is a cysteinyl leukotriene (CysLT) export pump expressed on mast cells. CysLTs are crucial mediators in allergic airway disease. However, biological significance of MRP1 in allergic airway inflammation has not yet been elucidated.

B7-H3 contributes to the development of pathogenic Th2 cells in a murine model of asthma.

B7-H3 is a new member of the B7 family. The receptor for B7-H3 has not been identified, but it seems to be expressed on activated T cells. Initial studies have shown that B7-H3 provides a stimulatory signal to T cells.

[A case of non-small cell lung cancer accompanied with hemorrhage after chemotherapy including gemcitabine].

A 51-year-old man underwent left upper lobectomy due to pulmonary adenocarcinoma (cT2N1M0, stage IIB) in August, 2003. Since he turned out pT2N3M0 stage IIIB, he received combination chemotherapy with carboplatin and gemcitabine. During a second course chemotherapy, he was admitted again because of dyspnea and the deterioration of diffuse interstitial shadows in both lungs.

[An elderly case of sarcoidosis with multiple pulmonary cysts].

We report an elderly case of sarcoidosis with multiple pulmonary cysts. An 80-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital for detailed examinations of multiple cysts in both lungs. Chest radiography and chest CT revealed multiple cystic lesions with thin walls which were clearly separated from normal lung.

[Case of malignant lymphoma arising from the posterior mediastinum, with pleural effusion].

We report a rare case of malignant lymphoma arising from the posterior mediastinum with bilateral pleural effusion. A 71-year-old man was admitted to our hospital for evaluation of a posterior mediastinal tumor and bilateral pleural effusion revealed on a chest CT scan. Because no tumor tissue could be obtained by fiberbronchoscopy, video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery was performed.