Successful extracorporeal life support for life-threatening hypercapnia with bronchiolitis obliterans after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Bronchiolitis obliterans (BO) is a disease with a poor prognosis, and a key factor that limits long-term survival after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). We here report a case of a 31-year woman with acute lymphatic leukemia, which was treated by chemotherapy and HSCT, and consequently developed BO 2 years after HSCT. A non-tuberculous mycobacterial infection occurred and showed gradual exacerbation.

Targeting angiogenesis in cancer therapy.

Angiogenesis is an essential process in tumor growth. The concept of angiogenesis, when proposed by Folksman in 1971, had a great impact on cancer research and therapy, as the survival and proliferation of cancer depend on angiogenesis, which could be a target of cancer therapy. In subsequent decades, numerous antiangiogenic agents were developed, and some of them have been applied clinically.

Aberrant DNA methylation profile in pleural fluid for differential diagnosis of malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) usually develops pleural fluid. We investigated the value of DNA methylation in the pleural fluid for differentiating MPM from lung cancer (LC). Pleural fluid was collected from 39 patients with MPM, 46 with LC, 25 with benign asbestos pleurisy (BAP) and 30 with other causes.

Germinal center B-cell-like diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of the duodenum is associated with t(14;18) translocation.

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) rarely involves the duodenum, and its clinicopathological characteristics have not been well elucidated. We performed clinicopathological examinations and identified 15 patients with duodenal DLBCL using 18 gastric or colonic DLBCL as a control. Eleven of the 15 patients (73%) were subclassified by immunohistochemical analysis according to the Choi algorithm as germinal center B-cell-like (GCB) type, whereas the 18 control gastric and colonic DLBCL were predominantly subclassified as activated B-cell-like (ABC) type.

Nodal follicular lymphoma without complete follicular dendritic cell networks is related to localized clinical stage.

Follicular lymphoma is the most common low-grade lymphoma and it frequently presents with a systemic disease, often showing advanced clinical stage (III/IV). The lymphoma cells are usually growing associated with follicular dendritic cell (FDC) networks. Abnormal FDC networks have been reported in duodenal follicular lymphoma, in which cases exhibit lower clinical stages than the nodal cases.

Role of survival post-progression in phase III trials of systemic chemotherapy in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: a systematic review.

Background: In advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with the increasing number of active compounds available in salvage settings, survival after progression to first-line chemotherapy seems to have improved. A literature survey was conducted to examine whether survival post-progression (SPP) has improved over the years and to what degree SPP correlates with overall survival (OS).

Methods And Findings: Median progression-free survival (MPFS) time and median survival time (MST) were extracted in phase III trials of first-line chemotherapy for advanced NSCLC.

Variant angina pectoris associated with FOLFOX4 therapy.

The patient was a 71-year-old man who underwent a right hemicolectomy for ascending colon cancer (pT3, pN1, pM0) and who opted not to receive adjuvant chemotherapy. Eight months later, multiple liver metastases occurred. He therefore received FOLFOX4 (5-fluorouracil/leucovorin and 85 mg/m(2) oxaliplatin) therapy, up to a total of 5 courses, and showed a partial response.

Long-term follow-up of phase II trial of docetaxel and cisplatin with concurrent thoracic radiation therapy for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: Chemoradiation improves survival for patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but clinical outcomes beyond five years are rarely reported. The aim of the present study was to identify the long-term results of a phase II study of docetaxel and cisplatin with concurrent thoracic radiation.

Methods: We previously reported short-term outcomes from the phase II study, which enrolled 42 patients (aged ≤ 75 years) with unresectable stage III NSCLC.

Relationship between preoperative radial artery and postoperative arteriovenous fistula blood flow in hemodialysis patients.

Background: It is recommended that arteriovenous fistula (AVF) blood flow should be more than 425 ml/min before cannulation. However, the relationship between preoperative radial artery flow (RAF) and postoperative AVF blood flow has still not been examined.

Methods: Sixty-one patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) were examined.

Synthetic retinoid Am80 ameliorates chronic graft-versus-host disease by down-regulating Th1 and Th17.

Chronic GVHD (cGVHD) is a main cause of late death and morbidity after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation, but its pathogenesis remains unclear. We investigated the roles of Th subsets in cGVHD with the use of a well-defined mouse model of cGVHD. In this model, development of cGVHD was associated with up-regulated Th1, Th2, and Th17 responses.

Histological and immunohistochemical features of gingival enlargement in a patient with AML.

Here, we discuss the pathophysiology of leukemia-associated gingival enlargement based on a case of acute myelomonocytic leukemia (AML-M4) with typical gingival enlargement. Uniquely, this patient was well enough to allow full periodontal examination and incisional gingival biopsy to be performed both before and after chemotherapy. The patient was a 39-year-old Japanese woman with AML-M4 showing gingival enlargement.

[A relapse of small-cell lung cancer ten years after concomitant chemoradiotherapy followed by high-dose chemotherapy with autologous peripheral blood stem cell transfusion].

A 57-year-old man had limited-disease small cell lung cancer in the left lower lobe of the lung. He was treated with chemotherapy with concurrent accelerated hyperfractionated thoracic radiation, followed by high-dose chemotherapy with autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. He had obtained a complete response for 10 years until the tumor in the left lower lobe was detected by positron emission tomography.

Learning curve in a Western training center of the circumferential en bloc esophageal endoscopic submucosal dissection in an in vivo animal model.

Aim. Evaluate the feasibility to overcome the learning curve in a western training center of the en bloc circumferential esophageal (ECE-) ESD in an in vivo animal model. Methods.

Radiofrequency ablation for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma with decompensated cirrhosis.

Background: Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is used to treat early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but is sometimes avoided in patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis because of the possible side effect of deterioration of liver function.

Aims: In this study, we report the safety and effects of RFA for treating HCC patients with Child-Pugh B/C liver cirrhosis.

Methods: Sixty-six consecutive HCC patients with Child-Pugh B/C cirrhosis, who were treated by RFA, were enrolled in this study.

Efficacy and safety of micafungin as an empirical antifungal therapy for suspected fungal infection in neutropenic patients with hematological disorders.

This prospective multicenter study was performed to clarify the efficacy and safety of micafungin (MCFG) as an empirical antifungal therapy for suspected fungal infection in patients with hematological disorders and neutropenia. Three hundred and eighty-eight patients were enrolled; 151 patients with possible fungal infection diagnosed by radiological imaging or serological testing and 237 patients with refractory fever were included in this study. The mean dose and duration of treatment with MCFG were 154.

Is adenosine deaminase in pleural fluid a useful marker for differentiating tuberculosis from lung cancer or mesothelioma in Japan, a country with intermediate incidence of tuberculosis?

The objective of this study was to evaluate the utility of the determination of adenosine deaminase (ADA) level in pleural fluid for the differential diagnosis between tuberculous pleural effusion (TPE) and malignant pleural effusion (MPE) in Japan, a country with intermediate incidence of tuberculosis (TB). We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records of 435 patients with pleural effusion and investigated their pleural ADA levels as determined by an auto analyzer. ROC analysis was also performed.

Association between insulin-like growth factor-1 polymorphisms and stomach cancer risk in a Japanese population.

The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signaling system plays a central role in cellular growth, differentiation and proliferation. Although the association between IGF1 gene polymorphisms and cancer risk has been evaluated for several carcinomas, this association has not yet been examined for stomach cancer. We investigated the association between IGF1 polymorphisms and the risk of stomach cancer in a Japanese population.

Cyclin D2 is overexpressed in proliferation centers of chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma.

The D cyclins are important cell cycle regulatory proteins involved in the pathogenesis of some lymphomas. Cyclin D1 overexpression is a hallmark of mantle cell lymphoma, whereas cyclins D2 and D3 have not been shown to be closely associated with any particular subtype of lymphoma. In the present study, we found that cyclin D2 was specifically overexpressed in the proliferation centers (PC) of all cases of chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) examined (19/19).

Requirement for chemokine receptor 5 in the development of allergen-induced airway hyperresponsiveness and inflammation.

Chemokine receptor (CCR) 5 is expressed on dendritic cells, macrophages, CD8 cells, memory CD4 T cells, and stromal cells, and is frequently used as a marker of T helper type 1 cells. Interventions that abrogate CCR5 or interfere with its ligand binding have been shown to alter T helper type 2-induced inflammatory responses. The role of CCR5 on allergic airway responses is not defined.

Establishment of pemetrexed-resistant non-small cell lung cancer cell lines.

Pemetrexed (PEM), a multitargeted antifolate with manageable toxicity, is active against non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer; however, most patients eventually acquire resistance to PEM. To elucidate the resistant mechanism, we established PEM-resistant lung adenocarcinoma cell lines. Two parental cell lines, PC-9 and A549, were treated with step-wise increasing concentrations of PEM.

Identification of quantitative trait loci for diabetic nephropathy in KK-Ay/Ta mice.

Background: The pathogenesis and development of human diabetic nephropathy involves genetic factors. Since human diabetic nephropathy is a heterogeneous disorder, identification of responsible gene loci is difficult. We studied candidate gene loci for diabetic nephropathy, using quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis of a spontaneous animal model for diabetic nephropathy: KK-Ay/Ta × normal BALB/cA F2 intercross mice.

Liposomal delivery of MicroRNA-7-expressing plasmid overcomes epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor-resistance in lung cancer cells.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) have been strikingly effective in lung cancers harboring activating EGFR mutations. Unfortunately, the cancer cells eventually acquire resistance to EGFR-TKI. Approximately 50% of the acquired resistance involves a secondary T790M mutation.

Churg-Strauss syndrome with necrosis of toe tips.

Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS) is a granulomatous necrotizing vasculitis of unknown etiology associated with bronchial asthma. Despite affecting small to medium-sized vessels, necrosis of the digits due to vasculitis is extremely rare. We report a case of CSS with necrosis of the toe tips.

Detection of the EGFR mutation in exhaled breath condensate from a heavy smoker with squamous cell carcinoma of the lung.

A 61-year-old male smoker (40 pack-years) presented with right chest pain. Computed tomography of the chest revealed a cavitary mass in the right lower lobe. A transbronchial biopsy showed squamous cell carcinoma.

STAT3 expression in activating EGFR-driven adenocarcinoma of the lung.

Bronchioloalveolar carcinoma (BAC) pattern is often seen at the margin of invasive adenocarcinomas. We investigated EGFR signaling abnormalities involved in the progression of adenocarcinoma. Fifty tumors were obtained from patients who underwent surgery for lung adenocarcinoma seen as dense areas in ground glass opacity on computed tomography.