[Evaluation of Serum KL-6 Levels in Metastatic Gastric Cancer Patients without Interstitial Lung Disease].

Serum KL-6 is elevated in patients with various diseases such as interstitial lung disease(ILD), lung cancer, or breast cancer. However, whether serum KL-6 levels would be increased in patients with gastric cancer remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to reveal the frequency and characteristics of patients with gastric cancer exhibiting high serum KL-6 levels and no ILD.

Benefit of Prompt Vs Delayed Initiation of Triple Therapy Following an Exacerbation in Patients with COPD in Japan: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Purpose: There is currently limited evidence for the optimal timing of triple therapy initiation in Japan, which is crucial for optimizing strategies for the effective treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This study assessed the impact of prompt vs delayed initiation of triple therapy following a COPD exacerbation on clinical and economic outcomes in patients in Japan.

Patients And Methods: Retrospective cohort study of patients in the Medical Data Vision Co.

Reduction in asthma exacerbation rate after mepolizumab treatment initiation in patients with severe asthma: A real-world database study in Japan.

Objective: To investigate the changes in asthma exacerbation, as well as in oral corticosteroid (OCS) use, exacerbation-related healthcare resource utilization (HRU), and healthcare costs before and after mepolizumab treatment initiation in patients with severe asthma who started treatment with mepolizumab in a real-world clinical setting in Japan.

Methods: A retrospective, observational, self-controlled study was conducted in Japan using a hospital-based administrative claims database. Patients who were diagnosed with asthma and who were new users of mepolizumab were included in the study.

The prevalence, burden of disease, and healthcare utilization of patients with eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis in Japan: a retrospective, descriptive cohort claims database study.

Objectives: To estimate eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) prevalence and disease burden in patients with newly diagnosed EGPA in Japan.

Methods: This retrospective descriptive cohort study (GSK ID: 209751, HO-18-19652) used administrative claim data from patients (aged ≤74 years) with EGPA (study period: January 1, 2005-December 31, 2017), identified from their first ICD-10 code for EGPA (index). Data were examined during the 12 months before (baseline) and 12 months following the index date (follow-up).

Prevalence and Characteristics of Individuals with Preserved Ratio Impaired Spirometry (PRISm) and/or Impaired Lung Function in Japan: The OCEAN Study.

Purpose: Many individuals with obstructive airway disease (OAD), including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma, remain undiagnosed, despite the potential for reducing disease burden through early detection and treatment. OCEAN aimed to determine the prevalence of, and characteristics associated with, impaired lung function in a Japanese population, with the goal of improving strategies for early OAD detection.

Methods: OCEAN was an observational, cross-sectional study in sequentially recruited Japanese individuals ≥40 years of age undergoing routine health examinations.

Utility of Self-Administered Questionnaires for Identifying Individuals at Risk of COPD in Japan: The OCEAN (Okinawa COPD casE finding AssessmeNt) Study.

Purpose: A considerable proportion of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remain undiagnosed and untreated even though they may have a burden of respiratory symptoms that impact quality of life. The OCEAN study assessed the ability of screening questionnaires to identify individuals with, or at risk of, COPD by comparing questionnaire outcomes with spirometric measures of lung function.

Methods: This observational study included participants ≥40 years of age presenting for their annual health examination at a single medical center in Okinawa, Japan.

Esterification of Tertiary Amides: Remarkable Additive Effects of Potassium Alkoxides for Generating Hetero Manganese-Potassium Dinuclear Active Species.

Invited for the cover of this issue are the groups of Fahmi Himo and Kazushi Mashima at Stockholm University and Osaka University. The image depicts a Mn-K scissor, which is able to break a C-N bond, represented by a tree branch. Read the full text of the article at 10.

Esterification of Tertiary Amides: Remarkable Additive Effects of Potassium Alkoxides for Generating Hetero Manganese-Potassium Dinuclear Active Species.

A catalyst system of mononuclear manganese precursor 3 combined with potassium alkoxide served as a superior catalyst compared with our previously reported manganese homodinuclear catalyst 2 a for esterification of not only tertiary aryl amides, but also tertiary aliphatic amides. On the basis of stoichiometric reactions of 3 and potassium alkoxide salt, kinetic studies, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we clarified a plausible reaction mechanism in which in situ generated manganese-potassium heterodinuclear species cooperatively activates the carbonyl moiety of the amide and the OH moiety of the alcohols. We also revealed details of the reaction mechanism of our previous manganese homodinuclear system 2 a, and we found that the activation free energy (ΔG ) for the manganese-potassium heterodinuclear complex catalyzed esterification of amides is lower than that for the manganese homodinuclear system, which was consistent with the experimental results.

Tunable Ligand Effects on Ruthenium Catalyst Activity for Selectively Preparing Imines or Amides by Dehydrogenative Coupling Reactions of Alcohols and Amines.

Selective dehydrogenative synthesis of imines from a variety of alcohols and amines was developed by using the ruthenium complex [RuCl (dppea) ] (6 a: dppea=2-diphenylphosphino-ethylamine) in the presence of catalytic amounts of Zn(OCOCF ) and KOtBu, whereas the selective dehydrogenative formation of amides from the same sources was achieved by using another ruthenium complex, [RuCl {(S)-dppmp} ] [6 d: (S)-dppmp=(S)-2-((diphenylphosphenyl)methyl)pyrrolidine], in the presence of catalytic amounts of Zn(OCOCF ) and potassium bis(trimethylsilyl)amide (KHMDS). Our previously reported ruthenium complex, [Ru(OCOCF ) (dppea) ] (8 a), was the catalyst precursor for the imine synthesis, whereas [Ru(OCOCF ) {(S)-dppmp} ] (8 d), which was derived from the treatment of 6 d with Zn(OCOCF ) and characterized by single-crystal X-ray analysis, was the pre-catalyst for the amide formation. Control experiments revealed that the zinc salt functioned as a reagent for replacing chloride anions with trifluoroacetate anions.

Attainment of a Long-term Favorable Outcome by Sunitinib Treatment for Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor and Renal Cell Carcinoma Associated with von Hippel-Lindau Disease.

von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease, caused by germline mutations in the VHL gene, is a hereditary autosomal-dominant disorder which predisposes the individual to various malignant and benign tumors. VHL acts as a tumor suppressor, mainly through the negative regulation of hypoxia-inducible factors. Molecular-targeted drugs against vascular endothelial growth factor-signaling pathways, a target of hypoxia-inducible factors, have recently been introduced into clinical practice for the treatment of patients with sporadic renal cell carcinoma and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.

[A multicenter trial of regional medical cooperation for cancer chemotherapy after the great East Japan earthquake].

The Great East Japan Earthquake was the first disaster we experienced after the administration of oncology care had mostly shifted from hospitals to outpatient departments in Japan. Disaster medical assistance teams(DMATs)were deployed immediately after the disaster, and actively assisted during the acute phase of the catastrophe. After experiencing the earthquake, we realized the necessity of medical support teams, even for chronic disease.

[Specific adverse events caused by monoclonal antibodies, focusing on the prophylaxis and management].

Monoclonal antibodies play important roles in medical oncology. The antibodies were designed as specific molecular targeting drugs and supposed to have less toxicity to normal cells compared to classical cytotoxic agents. Indeed, they do not have severe bone marrow suppression, nausea, or vomiting unlike cytotoxic drugs.

Safety verification trials of mFOLFIRI and sequential IRIS + bevacizumab as first- or second-line therapies for metastatic colorectal cancer in Japanese patients.

Objective: S-1 is effective in sequential combination with irinotecan (IRIS) in treating metastatic colorectal cancer. We conducted a randomized phase II trial of modified leucovorin, fluorouracil and irinotecan (mFOLFIRI) + bevacizumab and sequential IRIS + bevacizumab as first- or second-line therapies.

Methods: Sixty metastatic colorectal cancer patients were randomly assigned to receive mFOLFIRI + bevacizumab or sequential IRIS + bevacizumab (7.

[Poorly-differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma of ascending colon with liver metastases successfully treated with carboplatin and etoposide].

We present the case of a 76-year-old woman with a poorly-differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma (PDNEC) of the ascending colon with liver metastases responding to calboplatin (CBDCA)/etoposide (ETP). She was admitted to our hospital with bloody stools, and was diagnosed with ascending colon cancer and multiple liver tumors. Total colonoscopy showed a Type 2 tumor in the ascending colon, and histological findings revealed adenocarcinoma from biopsy specimens.

PRL-2 increases Epo and IL-3 responses in hematopoietic cells.

Dual specificity protein tyrosine phosphatase PRL-2 is overexpressed in pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and is located at human chromosome 1p35, a region often rearranged or amplified in malignant lymphoma and B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL). Little is known of the significance of PRL-2 expression in hematopoietic malignancies. Herein we demonstrated that ectopic expression of PRL-2 in murine pre-B-cell line Baf3ER and mouse bone marrow cells induced key features associated with malignant progression and metastasis.

AFP-producing hepatoid adenocarcinoma in association with Barrett's esophagus with multiple liver metastasis responding to paclitaxel/CDDP: a case report.

A case of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP)-producing hepatoid adenocarcinoma in association with Barrett's esophagus with multiple liver metastases, responding to chemotherapy, is reported. A 47-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with abdominal pain after subtotal esophagectomy for an esophageal adenocarcinoma in association with Barrett's esophagus, and was diagnosed as having multiple liver tumors. Most tumor markers were normal, but the serum AFP level was markedly elevated.

Activation mechanism of c-Jun amino-terminal kinase in the course of neural differentiation of P19 embryonic carcinoma cells.

P19 embryonic carcinoma cells, a model system for studying early development and differentiation, can differentiate into neurons and primitive endoderm-like cells depending on the culture conditions. We have previously reported that the activation of c-Jun amino-terminal kinase (JNK) is required for the retinoic acid-induced neural differentiation of P19 cells. However, the signaling pathway(s) responsible for the activation of JNK has not been known.