Association between Fathers' Use of Heated Tobacco Products and Urinary Cotinine Concentrations in Their Spouses and Children.

Heated tobacco products (HTPs) have become increasingly popular among smokers, especially among young adults in Japan in recent years. Assessments of secondhand tobacco smoke (SHS) exposure due to HTPs are scarce. The present study aimed to assess the urinary levels of total nicotine metabolites (TNMs) of non-smoking spouses and their children following SHS exposure due to their fathers' use of HTPs.

[Good Controlled Chylothorax in Gastric Carcinoma].

Chylothorax has been reported to be caused by accidental injuries in half of all cases in Japan, and < 10% of these cases have been associated with malignant tumors, including lymphoma. Chylothorax is a rare complication of gastric carcinoma. We successfully treated a 58-year-old man with gastric carcinoma, chylothorax, and ascites using a combination of talc pleurodesis and a lipid-limited diet.

Napsin A levels in epithelial lining fluid as a diagnostic biomarker of primary lung adenocarcinoma.

Background: It is crucial to develop novel diagnostic approaches for determining if peripheral lung nodules are malignant, as such nodules are frequently detected due to the increased use of chest computed tomography scans. To this end, we evaluated levels of napsin A in epithelial lining fluid (ELF), since napsin A has been reported to be an immunohistochemical biomarker for histological diagnosis of primary lung adenocarcinoma.

Methods: In consecutive patients with indeterminate peripheral lung nodules, ELF samples were obtained using a bronchoscopic microsampling (BMS) technique.

Development of a self-scored persistent airflow obstruction screening questionnaire in a general Japanese population: the Hisayama study.

Background: The use of a simple screening questionnaire to detect persistent airflow obstruction (AO) in COPD may facilitate the early, accurate diagnosis of COPD in general practice settings.

Objective: This study developed an original persistent AO questionnaire for screening individuals with COPD in a general Japanese population.

Methods: A working group was established to generate initial draft questionnaire items about COPD.

Regulation of TPD52 by antitumor microRNA-218 suppresses cancer cell migration and invasion in lung squamous cell carcinoma.

The development of targeted molecular therapies has greatly benefited patients with lung adenocarcinomas. In contrast, these treatments have had little benefit in the management of lung squamous cell carcinoma (lung SCC). Therefore, new treatment options based on current genomic approaches are needed for lung SCC.

Comparison of the COPD Population Screener and International Primary Care Airway Group questionnaires in a general Japanese population: the Hisayama study.

Background: The incidence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is increasing worldwide. In Japan and other countries, epidemiological studies have found that many patients with COPD are underdiagnosed and untreated, and thus, early detection and treatment of COPD has been emphasized. Screening questionnaires may have utility in the initial detection of COPD.

Interstitial pneumonia induced by bleomycin treatment is exacerbated in Angptl2-deficient mice.

Angiopoietin-like protein 2 (ANGPTL2) is a chronic inflammatory mediator that, when deregulated, is associated with various pathologies. However, little is known about its activity in lung. To assess a possible lung function, we generated a rabbit monoclonal antibody that specifically recognizes mouse ANGPTL2 and then evaluated protein expression in mouse lung tissue.

[Distinguishing asthma from COPD].

Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are major public health burdens. Asthma is characterized by airway inflammation, airway narrowing with reversibility, and hyperresponsiveness of airways. COPD has been associated with smoking and exposure to environmental fumes, which typically characterized by persistent airflow limitation and chronic inflammation of the airways.

Serum B cell-activating factor (BAFF) level in connective tissue disease associated interstitial lung disease.

Background: Interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) are common in patients with connective tissue diseases (CTDs). Although the diagnosis of an underlying CTD in ILD (CTD-ILD) affects both prognosis and treatment, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish CTD-ILD from chronic fibrosing interstitial pneumonia (CFIP). B cell-activating factor belonging to the tumour necrosis factor family (BAFF) plays a crucial role in B cell development, survival, and antibody production.

Validation of a COPD screening questionnaire and establishment of diagnostic cut-points in a Japanese general population: the Hisayama study.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is highly prevalent worldwide. COPD is a treatable disease and it is important to identify COPD subjects, highlighting the need for an efficient screening measure. Although the COPD screening questionnaire (COPD Population Screener, COPD-PS) was developed as a screening tool, its validity is not clear in population-based studies.

Downregulation of the microRNA-1/133a cluster enhances cancer cell migration and invasion in lung-squamous cell carcinoma via regulation of Coronin1C.

Lung cancer is clearly the primary cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Recent molecular-targeted strategy has contributed to improvement of the curative effect of adenocarcinoma of the lung. However, such current treatment has not been developed for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the disease.

A repeatedly refuelable mediated biofuel cell based on a hierarchical porous carbon electrode.

Biofuel cells that generate electricity from renewable fuels, such as carbohydrates, must be reusable through repeated refuelling, should these devices be used in consumer electronics. We demonstrate the stable generation of electricity from a glucose-powered mediated biofuel cell through multiple refuelling cycles. This refuelability is achieved by immobilizing nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), an electron-transfer mediator, and redox enzymes in high concentrations on porous carbon particles constituting an anode while maintaining their electrochemical and enzymatic activities after the immobilization.

EGFR mutations and human papillomavirus in lung cancer.

Our previous study reported a frequent detection of human papillomavirus (HPV) genome in primary lung adenocarcinomas of the recurrent patients who were responsive to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitor, suggesting that HPV presence in lung cancer may be related to a genetic background related to EGFR mutations. The present study examined the association between the HPV presence and mutations in exons 19 and 21 of EGFR gene in Japanese lung cancer patients. Thirteen (31%) out of 42 cases had EGFR mutations.

The elevation of serum napsin A in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, compared with KL-6, surfactant protein-A and surfactant protein-D.

Background: Napsin A, an aspartic protease, is mainly expressed in alveolar type-II cells and renal proximal tubules and is a putative immunohistochemical marker for pulmonary adenocarcinomas. This study sought to determine whether napsin A could be measured in the serum to evaluate its relationship to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and determine whether renal dysfunction might affect serum napsin A levels.

Methods: Serum levels of napsin A were measured in 20 patients with IPF, 34 patients with lung primary adenocarcinoma, 12 patients with kidney diseases, and 20 healthy volunteers.

Effect of methanol and water contents on production of biodiesel fuel from plant oil catalyzed by various lipases in a solvent-free system.

Methyl esters synthesized from plant oil and methanol by the methanolysis reaction are potentially important as a biodiesel fuel. The methanolysis of soybean oil by lipases from various microorganisms was investigated. Several of the lipases were found to catalyze methanolysis in a water-containing system without an organic solvent.

Pretreatment of immobilized Candida antarctica lipase for biodiesel fuel production from plant oil.

The effects of the pretreatment of immobilized Candida antarctica lipase enzyme (Novozym 435) on methanolysis for biodiesel fuel production were investigated. Methanolysis progressed much faster when Novozym 435 was preincubated in methyl oleate for 0.5 h and subsequently in soybean oil for 12 h.

Biodiesel fuel production from plant oil catalyzed by Rhizopus oryzae lipase in a water-containing system without an organic solvent.

A new enzymatic method of synthesizing methyl esters from plant oil and methanol in a solvent-free reaction system was developed. It is anticipated that such plant oil methyl esters can be used as a biodiesel fuel in the future. Lipase from Rhizopus oryzae efficiently catalyzed the methanolysis of soybean oil in the presence of 4-30 wt% water in the starting materials; however the lipase was nearly inactive in the absence of water.

Treatment and outcome of severe and non-severe acute otitis media.

Unlabelled: To determine outcomes in acute otitis media (AOM) according to severity of disease and to assess different initial treatment regimens, 308 with AOM were enrolled and divided into severe (n = 277; 89.9%) and non-severe (n = 31; 10.1%) groups based on symptoms and tympanic membrane changes.

Pulse wave velocity as an indicator of atherosclerosis in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome patients.

Objective: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. We investigated the values of brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity as an indicator of atherosclerosis in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome patients.

Materials And Methods: Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) was measured in 104 OSAS patients and 104 healthy control subjects matched for age, sex, and body mass index (BMI).

c-jun mRNA expression and profilin mRNA amplification in rat alveolar macrophages exposed to volcanic ash and sulfur dioxide.

Local residents exposed to heavy falls of ash discharged by Mt. Sakurajima, an active volcano, have been reported to develop acute and chronic inflammation of the respiratory tract. The present study aimed to determine the primary cause of this inflammation using an experimental model.

[A case of Farmer's lung accompaign with caseous granuloma, monitored with serum KL-6 and SP-D].

A 65-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with a productive cough, fever, and dyspnea; his chest radiographs revealed diffuse nodular and ground-glass opacities. He had worked on a farm for 11 years. Six months earlier, he had presented with similar symptoms at another hospital, and was admitted with suspected atypical pneumonia.

[A case of sarcoidosis exacerbated after acute hepatitis C].

We describe a case of sarcoidosis exacerbated after acute hepatitis C, with particular reference to past case reports. A 30-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital in June 1997 because of cough and chest discomfort. Sarcoidosis was diagnosed as a result of chest radiography findings, transbronchial lung biopsy and bronchoalveolar lavage.

Immune response to surface protein A of Streptococcus pneumoniae and to high-molecular-weight outer membrane protein A of Moraxella catarrhalis in children with acute otitis media.

The immune response was evaluated in 11 children with Streptococcus pneumoniae and in 9 children with Moraxella catarrhalis otitis media. The age of the children had a range of 4-32 months. The mean IgG, IgM, and IgA antibody responses to surface protein A (PspA) of S.