The Clinical Significance of Interstitial Pneumonia with Autoimmune Features in Cryptogenic Organizing Pneumonia: A Prospective Multicenter Observational Study.

There are cases of idiopathic interstitial pneumonias (IIPs) that do not meet the diagnostic criteria for connective tissue disease but have clinical features suggestive of autoimmune process. Interstitial pneumonia with autoimmune features (IPAF) was recently proposed as a research concept for these patients. Although several prospective studies on IPAF have been conducted, its clinical significance in cryptogenic organizing pneumonia (COP) remains unclear.

Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia mortality risk associated with preceding long-term steroid use for the underlying disease: A multicenter, retrospective cohort study.

Objective: Long-term steroid use increases the risk of developing Pneumocystis pneumonia (PcP), but there are limited reports on the relation of long-term steroid and PcP mortality.

Methods: Retrospective multicenter study to identify risk factors for PcP mortality, including average steroid dose before the first visit for PcP in non-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-PcP patients. We generated receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for 90-day all-cause mortality and the mean daily steroid dose per unit body weight in the preceding 10 to 90 days in 10-day increments.

Pulmonary fibrosis and type-17 immunity.

Fibrosis of the lung can occur in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, collagen vascular diseases, and hypersensitivity pneumonitis, among other diseases. Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β, vascular epithelial growth factor, fibroblast growth factor, and platelet-derived growth factor contribute to the pathophysiology of fibrosis. TGF-β and other cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and IL-23, activate type-17 immunity, which is involved in pulmonary fibrosis.

Neuropeptide Y Antagonizes Development of Pulmonary Fibrosis through IL-1β Inhibition.

Neuropeptide Y (NPY), a 36 amino acid residue polypeptide distributed throughout the nervous system, acts on various immune cells in many organs, including the respiratory system. However, little is known about its role in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis. This study was performed to determine the effects of NPY on pulmonary fibrosis.

Fulminant Respiratory Failure Caused by Anti-asparaginyl tRNA Synthetase (Anti-KS) Antibody Syndrome-related Interstitial Lung Disease.

Anti-asparaginyl transfer RNA (tRNA) synthetase (KS) antibodies, detected in <5% patients with anti-aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase antibody syndrome, are strongly associated with interstitial pneumonia but not myositis and skin symptoms. A recent report suggested that most patients with interstitial pneumonia and anti-KS antibody (KS-ILD) may present with chronic disease. We herein report a rare case of severe acute respiratory failure in a KS-ILD patient requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).

Identification of targetable kinases in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Background: Tyrosine kinase activation plays an important role in the progression of pulmonary fibrosis. In this study, we analyzed the expression of 612 kinase-coding and cancer-related genes using next-generation sequencing to identify potential therapeutic targets for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

Methods: Thirteen samples from five patients with IPF (Cases 1-5) and eight samples from four patients without IPF (control) were included in this study.

Protective effects of neuropeptide Y against elastase-induced pulmonary emphysema.

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is a neuropeptide widely expressed in not only the central nervous system but also immune cells and the respiratory epithelium. Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) reportedly exhibit decreased NPY expression in the airway epithelium, but the involvement of NPY in the pathophysiology of COPD has not been defined. We investigated the role of NPY in elastase-induced emphysema.

Loss of IL-33 enhances elastase-induced and cigarette smoke extract-induced emphysema in mice.

Background: IL-33, which is known to induce type 2 immune responses via group 2 innate lymphoid cells, has been reported to contribute to neutrophilic airway inflammation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. However, its role in the pathogenesis of emphysema remains unclear.

Methods: We determined the role of interleukin (IL)-33 in the development of emphysema using porcine pancreas elastase (PPE) and cigarette smoke extract (CSE) in mice.

Dramatic Response to Carboplatin Plus Paclitaxel in Pancreatic Mucinous Cystadenocarcinoma with Liver Metastasis.

Mucinous cystic neoplasm (MCN) of the pancreas is a rare cystic tumor occurring in the pancreatic body and tail in young to middle-aged women that is pathologically characterized by an ovarian-like stroma. Chemotherapy for recurrent/advanced pancreatic MCN has been based on chemotherapy regimens for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, but the prognosis is poor. We herein report a 37-year-old woman with pancreatic mucinous cystadenocarcinoma with liver metastasis that responded dramatically to carboplatin plus paclitaxel therapy (CBDCA+PTX).

Detection of epidermal growth factor receptor mutations in exhaled breath condensate using droplet digital polymerase chain reaction.

The detection of certain oncogenic driver mutations, including those of epidermal growth factor receptor (), is essential for determining treatment strategies for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The current study assessed the feasibility of testing exhaled breath condensate (EBC) for mutations by droplet digital PCR (ddPCR). Samples were collected from 12 patients with NSCLC harboring EGFR mutations that were admitted to Okayama University Hospital between June 1, 2014 and December 31, 2017.

The heterodimer S100A8/A9 is a potent therapeutic target for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

In patients with interstitial pneumonia, pulmonary fibrosis is an irreversible condition that can cause respiratory failure. Novel treatments for pulmonary fibrosis are necessary. Inflammation is thought to activate lung fibroblasts, resulting in pulmonary fibrosis.

Nintedanib can be used safely and effectively for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis with predicted forced vital capacity ≤ 50%: A multi-center retrospective analysis.

Background: Nintedanib is a multi-kinase inhibitor approved for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF); however, its efficacy and safety for patients with IPF and restricted pulmonary function remain unclear. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the efficacy and safety of nintedanib for patients with IPF and forced vital capacity (FVC) ≤ 50%.

Methods: This was a multi-center retrospective study performed by the Okayama Respiratory Disease Study Group.

Deterioration of high-resolution computed tomography findings predicts disease progression after initial decline in forced vital capacity in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients treated with pirfenidone.

Background: Pirfenidone suppresses the decline of forced vital capacity (FVC) in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). However, IPF progresses in some patients despite treatment. We analyzed patients with meaningful FVC declines during pirfenidone treatment and explored the factors predictive of disease progression after FVC decline.

A case of axillary lymphadenitis caused by in an immunocompetent patient.

Axillary lymphadenitis caused by non-tuberculous mycobacteria is rare and has been reported in immunocompromised hosts. Herein, we report the case of a 67-year-old man without immunodeficiency who developed right axillary lymphadenitis caused by and showed a small nodular shadow in the left pulmonary apex. Biopsy of the right axillary lymph node revealed several epithelioid granulomas, and the culture of the lymph node aspirate yielded .

Recent treatment strategy for advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the lung in Japan.

Squamous cell carcinoma of the lung is associated with smoking in its development and comprises about 20-30% of all lung cancers. Its treatment strategy had been limited for the past decades, inevitably resulting in the poor outcome. However in the 2010s, it has dramatically changed mainly with the recent clinical introduction of immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Beneficial Effect of Osimertinib Readministration in Non-small-cell Lung Cancer Harboring an Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) Mutation with a History of Acquired Resistance to Osimertinib.

We herein report a case of the beneficial effect of osimertinib readministration in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation. A 69-year-old non-smoking woman was diagnosed with advanced NSCLC harboring an EGFR exon19 deletion and T790M. She was treated with osimertinib for two years but eventually acquired resistance.

A retinoid X receptor partial agonist attenuates pulmonary emphysema and airway inflammation.

Background: Retinoid X receptors (RXRs) are members of the nuclear receptor (NR) superfamily that mediate signalling by 9-cis retinoic acid, a vitamin A derivative. RXRs play key roles not only as homodimers but also as heterodimeric partners, e.g.

Requirement for neuropeptide Y in the development of type 2 responses and allergen-induced airway hyperresponsiveness and inflammation.

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is a neurotransmitter that is widely expressed in the brain and peripheral nervous system. Various immune cells express the NPY Y receptor. NPY modulates these cells via its Y receptor; however, involvement of NPY in the pathophysiology of bronchial asthma, particularly airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), has not been defined.

Rapid and Long-term Response of Pulmonary Pleomorphic Carcinoma to Nivolumab.

Pulmonary pleomorphic carcinoma (PPC) is a rare very aggressive subtype of non-small cell lung cancer. We herein report a case of PPC that showed a rapid response to nivolumab. The patient, whose multiple tumors had progressed very aggressively, was treated with nivolumab, an anti-programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) antibody.

[HER2-Positive Advanced Gastric Cancer with Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation and Diffuse Bone Marrow Carcinomatosis Successfully Treated with S-1/Trastuzumab Chemotherapy--A Case Report].

Trastuzumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody against human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), has been proven to result in a survival benefit for the treatment of patients with HER2-positive advanced gastric cancer (AGC). However, data are lacking for the treatment of those with disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and diffuse bone marrow carcinomatosis. A 77-year-old woman presented with back pain and fatigue since 2 months.