A Retrospective Analysis of the Efficacy of Oral Dexamethasone in Combination With Docetaxel Plus Ramucirumab Therapy for Previously Treated Lung Cancer.

Introduction: Docetaxel plus ramucirumab (DTX + RAM) therapy is a standard treatment for previously treated lung cancer, but many adverse events have been reported. This retrospective study was conducted to examine if the side effects of DTX + RAM therapy can be minimized by the combined use of oral dexamethasone (DEX), and to assess the therapeutic effect of DTX + RAM in patients with recurrent lung cancer.

Methods: Forty patients with relapsed non-small cell lung cancer who underwent DTX + RAM therapy were divided into two groups based on the concomitant use of oral DEX, and the therapeutic effects and toxicities in the two groups were compared.

A pilot randomized controlled study to determine the effectiveness of video educational tool in BRCA1/2 pre-test counseling for Japanese breast cancer patients.

BRCA1/2 genetic testing has become clinically important in breast cancer care, but increasing demand may put a burden on the shortage of healthcare professionals. We performed a single-center, pilot randomized controlled study to assess the effectiveness of employing a video educational tool that included standard pre-test genetic counseling elements related to BRCA1/2. Patients with operable breast cancer who met the criteria for genetic testing based on age, sex, subtype, and family history were recruited.

Pseudomesotheliomatous Carcinoma of the Lung with Morphological Characteristics of Signet Ring Cell Carcinoma: An Autopsy Case Report.

A 50-year-old woman presented with left pleural effusion. A pleural fluid cell-block specimen and longitudinal lymph node needle biopsy suggested signet ring cell carcinoma (SRCC). Although computed tomography showed a consolidation shadow in the left lower lobe, a left lung biopsy could not be performed.

Dose reduction of docetaxel avoids the usage of pegfilgrastim in docetaxel plus ramucirumab therapy for recurrent nonsmall cell lung cancer.

Background: Pegfilgrastim is recommended in docetaxel plus ramucirumab (DTX + RAM) therapy for recurrent nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) because of the associated frequency of febrile neutropenia (FN). However, the FN occurs less frequently when the dose of DTX is reduced because of other adverse events, such as appetite loss and oral mucositis.

Methods And Results: Twenty-two patients with recurrent NSCLC who received DTX + RAM therapy at the Hiroshima Prefectural Hospital.

Pre-Existing Interstitial Lung Abnormalities Are Independent Risk Factors for Interstitial Lung Disease during Durvalumab Treatment after Chemoradiotherapy in Patients with Locally Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer.

Introduction/Background: Chemoradiotherapy (CRT) followed by durvalumab, an immune checkpoint inhibitor, is the standard treatment for locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a life-threatening toxicity caused by these treatments; however, risk factors for the ILD have not yet been established. Interstitial lung abnormalities (ILAs) are computed tomography (CT) findings which manifest as minor interstitial shadows.

Pigment epithelium-derived factor promotes peritoneal dissemination of ovarian cancer through induction of immunosuppressive macrophages.

Peritoneal dissemination of ovarian cancer (OC) correlates with poor prognosis, but the mechanisms underlying the escape of OC cells from the intraperitoneal immune system have remained unknown. We here identify pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) as a promoting factor of OC dissemination, which functions through induction of CD206 Interleukin-10 (IL-10)-producing macrophages. High PEDF gene expression in tumors is associated with poor prognosis in OC patients.

High survival of bovine mature oocytes after nylon mesh vitrification, as assessed by intracytoplasmic sperm injection.

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is an alternative technique to in vitro fertilization (IVF) for producing transferable blastocysts, especially in combination with cryopreserved oocytes, when the IVF system does not work sufficiently. The present study was conducted to directly compare the efficacy of producing bovine blastocysts by ICSI and IVF from vitrified-warmed and fresh oocytes. Denuded oocytes with a detectable first polar body were vitrified-warmed using a nylon mesh device.

Switching Treatment from Mepolizumab to Benralizumab for Elderly Patients with Severe Eosinophilic Asthma: A Retrospective Observational Study.

Objective Switching from mepolizumab to benralizumab has been reported to significantly improve both asthma control and the lung function. However, the data on its efficacy in elderly patients with severe eosinophilic asthma are limited. This study aimed to assess whether elderly patients with severe eosinophilic asthma could experience an improved asthma control and lung function when switching directly from mepolizumab to benralizumab.

ATM: Functions of ATM Kinase and Its Relevance to Hereditary Tumors.

Ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM) functions as a key initiator and coordinator of DNA damage and cellular stress responses. ATM signaling pathways contain many downstream targets that regulate multiple important cellular processes, including DNA damage repair, apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, oxidative sensing, and proliferation. Over the past few decades, associations between germline pathogenic variants and cancer risk have been reported, particularly for breast and pancreatic cancers.

Efficacy of mepolizumab in elderly patients with severe asthma and overlapping COPD in real-world settings: A retrospective observational study.

Background: Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are the most common respiratory diseases, presenting overlapping prevalence with age. Mepolizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin-5. In major randomized clinical trials, this antibody reportedly reduced the circulating eosinophil count, exacerbation rate, and oral corticosteroid (OCS) dosage in patients with severe eosinophilic asthma.

Drug-induced Neuropsychiatric Adverse Events Using Post-Marketing Surveillance.

Background: Several studies reported that abnormal behavior was noted in pediatric patients receiving several drugs, including neuraminidase inhibitors (NIs). However, the information on drugs associated with abnormal behavior in a real-world setting remains limited. The purpose of this study was to clarify the drugs associated with abnormal behavior using a spontaneous reporting system database.

Safety profiles of new xanthine oxidase inhibitors: A post-marketing study.

Introduction: The development of new xanthine oxidase (XO) inhibitors, such as febuxostat and topiroxostat, could offer an alternative to treatment with allopurinol. The purpose of this study was to compare safety profiles of new XO inhibitors with allopurinol using a spontaneous reporting system database.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective pharmacovigilance disproportionality analysis was conducted using the Japanese Adverse Drug Event Report database.

The Inhibitor of Apoptosis Protein Livin Confers Resistance to Fas-Mediated Immune Cytotoxicity in Refractory Lymphoma.

Death receptor Fas-mediated apoptosis not only eliminates nonspecific and autoreactive B cells but also plays a major role in antitumor immunity. However, the possible mechanisms underlying impairment of Fas-mediated induction of apoptosis during lymphomagenesis remain unknown. In this study, we employed our developed syngeneic lymphoma model to demonstrate that downregulation of Fas is required for both lymphoma development and lymphoma cell survival to evade immune cytotoxicity.

Comparison of Adverse Event Profiles of Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alfa Inhibitors: Analysis of a Spontaneous Reporting Database.

Introduction: Concerns over safety profiles of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alfa inhibitors have been raised. The purpose of this study was to clarify the adverse events associated with TNF-alfa inhibitors using a spontaneous reporting system database.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective pharmacovigilance disproportionality analysis was conducted using the Japanese Adverse Drug Event Report (JADER) database.

Efficacy of Upper Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Examination to Identify Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study.

Background/aims: Despite the high prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), most individuals are unaware of its diagnosis. We assessed whether an upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy can accurately predict the incidence of OSAS.

Methods: After endoscopic evaluation of laryngo-pharyngeal collapse, a total of 154 subjects with laryngo-pharyngeal collapse and 52 control subjects underwent polysomnography.

Periostin antisense oligonucleotide suppresses bleomycin-induced formation of a lung premetastatic niche for melanoma.

Metastasis is the leading cause of cancer death. A tumor-supportive microenvironment, or premetastatic niche, at potential secondary tumor sites plays an important role in metastasis, especially in tumor cell colonization. Although a fibrotic milieu is known to promote tumorigenesis and metastasis, the underlying molecular contributors to this effect have remained unclear.

[A young case of pulmonary tuberculosis with atypical tumor shadow on chest computed tomography and its difficulty in diagnosis].

Background: Diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis is usually made by diagnostic imaging such as chest X-ray or computed tomography (CT), and sputum test including smear and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. However there is difficulty in making diagnose when atypical imaging and negative sputum test are presented, followed by diagnostic delay.

Case: A 26-year-old man from Philippines consulted other clinic because of dry cough and was pointed out mass shadow in right upper lung field in his chest CT.

[A case of sclerosing mesenteritis diagnosed on the basis of biopsy findings obtained during laparotomy and successfully treated with steroids].

A 53-year-old female who complained of constipation and abdominal fullness was referred to our hospital. A tender low abdominal mass was palpable. Imaging (abdominal ultrasonography, CT, and MRI) revealed that the tumor had spread to the mesosigmoid and the superior mesentery.

Outcomes of Laser Conization for Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia 2-3 and Microinvasive Cervical Cancer.

Background: Currently, there is no standardized follow-up protocol for patients who undergo laser conization. Therefore, we retrospectively investigated the clinical outcomes of laser conization in patients with high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 2-3 (CIN 2-3) and microinvasive squamous cell carcinoma and assessed the risks of residual and recurrent lesions of the cervix uteri.

Methods: The medical and pathological records of 91 patients with CIN 2, 580 with CIN 3 and 73 with microinvasive cervical cancer (MIC) who underwent laser conization between January 2000 and December 2011 were retrospectively reviewed.