[Small cell lung cancer complicated by opsoclonus myoclonus syndrome].

Opsoclonus myoclonus syndrome, one of the paraneoplastic neurological syndromes involving several neurological symptoms that result from "remote effects" of cancer, is a rare disease characterized by opsoclonus, cerebellar ataxia and myoclonus of the trunk and extremities. A 53-year-old man was admitted with dizziness and difficulty walking. Medical examinations led to a diagnosis of opsoclonus myoclonus syndrome.

An inhaled inducible nitric oxide synthase inhibitor reduces damage of Candida-induced acute lung injury.

Excessive nitric oxide (NO) generated by inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) aggravates acute lung injury (ALI) by producing peroxynitrite. We previously showed by immunostaining that the expression of iNOS was suppressed by inhalation of N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester in mice with Candida-induced ALI. This study tested the hypothesis that a novel iNOS inhibitor suppresses not only iNOS expression, but also iNOS messenger RNA (mRNA) production by interrupting a positive feedback loop at the time of NO production in Candida-induced ALI.

Overexpression of manganese superoxide dismutase by N-acetylcysteine in hyperoxic lung injury.

Background: Exposure of animals to hyperoxia causes lung injury, characterized by diffuse alveolar damage and exudation of plasma into the alveolar space. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play an important role in the development of hyperoxic lung injury. Mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation is one of the major sources of ROS.

Phase I/II trial of biweekly docetaxel and cisplatin with concurrent thoracic radiation for stage III non-small-cell lung cancer.

Objectives: We conducted phase I and II studies of biweekly docetaxel and cisplatin with concurrent radiotherapy, followed by consolidation chemotherapy with the same drugs in patients with locally advanced, unresectable non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Our objectives were to define the maximum-tolerated dose and dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) in the phase I study, and to determine the response rate, toxicity, and survival rate at the recommended dose (RD) in the phase II study.

Methods: Patients with unresectable stage IIIA and IIIB NSCLC were studied.

Fluoroscopy-guided barium marking for localizing small pulmonary lesions before video-assisted thoracic surgery.

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of fluoroscopy-guided barium marking for localization of small peripheral pulmonary lesions before video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) resection.

Material & Methods: Twenty-one patients with peripheral pulmonary lesions 15 mm or less in diameter who were scheduled to undergo VATS resection were studied. A catheter was inserted bronchoscopically into the target segment and guided to a presumed lesion.

[Severe asthma complicated with large mucoid impaction: successful removal with balloon catheter].

A 28-year-old woman was hospitalized for renal transplantation. She suffered an asthma attack after transplantation. Once this attack had ended after medical treatment, she again experienced dyspnea after the 11th treatment day.

Multidisciplinary therapy including high-dose chemotherapy followed by peripheral blood stem cell transplantation for invasive thymoma.

We describe two patients with invasive thymomas who responded to high-dose chemotherapy followed by peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) combined with surgery and radiotherapy. The first patient was a 42-year-old man admitted to the hospital with chest pain, and the second patient was a 45-year-old man admitted with myasthenia gravis. Both patients had nonresectable thymomas (stage IVa) because of invasion of the aorta, pulmonary artery, or both, and dissemination to the pericardium.