Characteristics of Perfusion Computed Tomography Imaging in Patients with Seizures Mimicking Acute Stroke.

Introduction: Seizures as acute stroke mimics are a diagnostic challenge.

Objective: The aim of the study was to characterize the perfusion patterns on perfusion computed tomography (PCT) in patients with seizures masquerading as acute stroke.

Methods: We conducted a study on patients with acute seizures as stroke mimics.

Characteristics of seizure-induced signal changes on MRI in patients with first seizures.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the predictive factors and identify the characteristics of the seizure-induced signal changes on MRI (SCM) in patients with first seizures.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of patients with first seizures from March 2010 to August 2014. The inclusion criteria for this study were patients with 1) first seizures, and 2) MRI and EEG performed within 24h of the first seizures.

Patterns of relapse or progression after bortezomib-based salvage therapy in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma.

Introduction: Bortezomib-based therapy is commonly used in treatment for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (MM). Unfortunately, many patients show relapse or progression in heterogeneous patterns.

Patients And Methods: In this study, we retrospectively evaluated patterns of relapse or progression after bortezomib-based salvage therapy in patients with MM and analyzed prognostic significance according to patterns of relapse or progression.

Lymphocytopenia is associated with an increased risk of severe infections in patients with multiple myeloma treated with bortezomib-based regimens.

Bortezomib is a proteasome inhibitor with potent antimyeloma activity in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (MM) patients. We evaluated the types and factors affecting the onset of infectious complications and mortality owing to infection in MM patients treated with bortezomib-based regimens. We reviewed 139 patients with MM treated with regimens containing bortezomib in order to assess the types and factors affecting the development of severe infections.

Successful Treatment of Pure Red Cell Aplasia with Rituximab in Patients after ABO-Compatible Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.

Pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has been mostly reported in situations involving major ABO incompatibility between donor and recipient. Conventional treatments such as plasma exchange, erythropoietin, and steroid are often unsatisfactory. Rituximab has been reported to be highly effective for PRCA following major ABO-incompatible allogeneic HSCT.

A comparison of bortezomib, cyclophosphamide, and dexamethasone (Vel-CD) chemotherapy without and with thalidomide (Vel-CTD) for the treatment of relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.

We compared the clinical responses and toxicities between bortezomib-based salvage chemotherapy combined with cyclophosphamide, thalidomide, and dexamethasone(Vel-CTD) and without thalidomide (Vel-CD) in patients with relapsed or refractory MM. Eighty-six patients received at least two cycles of treatment with Vel-CTD (bortezomib 1.3 mg/m2 i.

Fludarabine-containing chemotherapy for patients with previously untreated low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Background: The clinical efficacy and safety of fludarabine combination chemotherapy was investigated for the treatment of previously untreated patients with low-grade (NHL).

Methods: Twenty-five patients who were newly diagnosed as low-grade NHL were treated with fludarabine combination chemotherapy. Fludarabine combination regimens consisted of fludarabine, mitoxantrone and dexamethasone or fludarabine, cyclophosphamide and mitoxantrone with or without rituximab and repeated every 4 weeks.

Optimal culture conditions for the generation of natural killer cell-induced dendritic cells for cancer immunotherapy.

Dendritic cell (DC)-based vaccines continue to be considered an attractive tool for cancer immunotherapy. DCs require an additional signal from the environment or other immune cells to polarize the development of immune responses toward T helper 1 (Th1) or Th2 responses. DCs play a role in natural killer (NK) cell activation, and NK cells are also able to activate and induce the maturation of DCs.

A Case of Disseminated and Fulminant Plasmacytomas That Developed during Bortezomib Treatment.

Multiple myeloma is an incurable and slow growing plasma cell neoplasm. The introduction of new drugs has increased the number of treatment options. Bortezomib, the first-in-class proteasome inhibitor, has been shown to have a significant antitumor activity in the treatment of relapse/refractory patients with multiple myeloma.

Successful cross-presentation of allogeneic myeloma cells by autologous alpha-type 1-polarized dendritic cells as an effective tumor antigen in myeloma patients with matched monoclonal immunoglobulins.

For wide application of a dendritic cell (DC) vaccination in myeloma patients, easily available tumor antigens should be developed. We investigated the feasibility of cellular immunotherapy using autologous alpha-type 1-polarized dendritic cells (αDC1s) loaded with apoptotic allogeneic myeloma cells, which could generate myeloma-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) against autologous myeloma cells in myeloma patients. Monocyte-derived DCs were matured by adding the αDC1-polarizing cocktail (TNFα/IL-1β/IFN-α/IFN-γ/poly-I:C) and loaded with apoptotic allogeneic CD138(+) myeloma cells from other patients with matched monoclonal immunoglobulins as a tumor antigen.

Prognostic significance of interim ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT after three or four cycles of R-CHOP chemotherapy in the treatment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Purpose: (18)F-fluoro-2-dexoy-D-glucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET)/computerised tomography (CT) has been used for staging and monitoring responses to treatment in patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The sequential interim PET/CT was prospectively investigated to determine whether it provided additional prognostic information and could be a positive predictable value within patients with the same international prognostic index (IPI) after the use of rituximab in DLBCL.

Methods: One hundred and sixty-one patients with newly diagnosed DLBCL were enroled; the assessment of the PET/CT was performed at the time of diagnosis and mid-treatment of rituxibmab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisolone (R-CHOP).

Clinical significance of clonality and Epstein-Barr virus infection in adult patients with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis.

We assessed the clinical significance of T or B cell clonality and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection in adult patients with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) to identify factors related to prognosis. A total of 30 adult patients with diagnosed HLH were included in the study. In all patients, EBV-DNA in peripheral blood was examined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and bone marrow cells were examined for clonal rearrangement of T cell receptor gamma(TCRG) and immunoglobulin heavy chain (IGH) genes.

Pomegranate (Punica granatum) seed linolenic acid isomers: concentration-dependent modulation of estrogen receptor activity.

Pomegranate (Punica granatum) seed linolenic acid isomers were evaluated as selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) in vitro. Punicic acid (PA) inhibited (IC(50)) estrogen receptor (ER) alpha at 7.2 microM, ERbeta at 8.

Acute and subacute stent thrombosis in a patient with clopidogrel resistance: a case report.

Drug-eluting stents (DES) are considered the treatment of choice for most patients with obstructive coronary artery disease when percutaneous intervention (PCI) is feasible. However, stent thrombosis seems to occur more frequently with DES and occasionally is associated with resistance to anti-platelet drugs. We have experienced a case of recurrent stent thrombosis in a patient with clopidogrel resistance.

Phorbol ester stimulates the nonhypoxic induction of a novel hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha isoform: implications for tumor promotion.

Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1), which is present at higher levels in human tumors, plays important roles in tumor promotion. It is composed of HIF-1alpha and HIF-1beta subunits and its activity depends on the amount of HIF-1alpha, which is tightly controlled by cellular oxygen tension. In addition to hypoxia, various nonhypoxic stimuli can stabilize HIF-1alpha in tumor cells, implying that both hypoxic and nonhypoxic stimuli contribute to the overexpression of HIF-1alpha in tumors.