Facilitated on-line supercritical fluid extraction - supercritical fluid chromatography for nonpolar and polar compounds from milk thistle seeds.

Plant seeds, as those from milk thistle (Silybum marianum), are a valuable source of nonpolar and polar compounds with potentially interesting biological activity. The main nonpolar compounds are triglycerides, which are also the main components of all vegetable oils. In addition, specific polar compounds - flavonolignans, called silymarin, have been found in large amounts in milk thistle seeds extract.

Defining a generic column set for achiral supercritical fluid chromatography applied to pharmaceuticals or natural products.

When starting a method development in supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC), the first step is usually to screen several stationary phases based on previous experience or simply based on what is available in the laboratory. However, as there are now a large number of stationary phases available for SFC, the choice of an adequate set of columns to rapidly achieve a satisfying result can be difficult. In this project, 16 columns comprising a wide diversity of stationary phases and polarities ranging from the most polar (like bare silica gel) to the least polar (like octadecylbonded-silica) were compared, based on the gradient analysis of 129 probe compounds.

Exacerbation of nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease in a patient with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer during treatment with PD-1 inhibitor and chemotherapy.

A 69-year-old man visited our hospital due to an abnormal shadow on a chest X-ray. Chest CT showed a mass shadow in his left lower lobe accompanied by an infiltrative shadow in the right upper lobe. Thorough examination led to a diagnosis of pulmonary squamous cell lung carcinoma, stage IIIB (T3N2M0).

Prospective Study of Nocturnal Desaturation in Patients Receiving Home Oxygen Therapy.

Objective Nocturnal desaturation is common in patients with chronic respiratory disease and often worsens the prognosis. Therefore, it should be diagnosed accurately and appropriately treated. The aim of this study was to clarify the diversity of nocturnal desaturation.

Analysis of nocturnal desaturation waveforms using algorithms in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Purpose: Sleep-disordered breathing is recognized as a comorbidity in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Among them, nocturnal hypoxemia has been reported to be associated with poor prognosis and disease progression. We developed a diagnostic algorithm to classify nocturnal desaturation from percutaneous oxygen saturation (SpO) waveform patterns: sustained pattern, periodic pattern, and intermittent pattern.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma in a patient with pneumothorax: A cumbersome subtype both clinically and pathologically.

Here, we report a case of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) that was very difficult to diagnose. A 62-year-old woman with a surgical history of recurrent bilateral pneumothorax was admitted to our hospital with severe dysphagia. Computed tomography (CT) detected stenosis in the lower esophagus.

Phase II study of adjuvant chemotherapy with pemetrexed and cisplatin with a short hydration method for completely resected nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: Cisplatin (CDDP) and vinorelbine as an adjuvant chemotherapy improve the overall survival of patients with completely resected non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the treatment completion rate is low due to severe adverse events (AEs). Pemetrexed (PEM) has been used in advanced NSCLC due to its high safety and efficacy.

A Cross-sectional Survey of the Clinical Manifestations and Underlying Illness of Cough.

Aim: The aim of this study was to identify factors affecting the final diagnosis of cough.

Materials And Methods: This study recruited 463 consecutive patients who visited five Japanese general hospitals due to cough from October 2006 to September 2007. Of these, 418 patients (90%) who completed a questionnaire designed to acquire data regarding clinical manifestations of cough were included.

An Open-Label, Multi-Institutional, Randomized Study to Evaluate the Additive Effect of a Leukotriene Receptor Antagonist on Cough Score in Patients with Cough-Variant Asthma Being Treated with Inhaled Corticosteroids.

Cough-variant asthma is one of the most common reasons for chronic cough. It is important to treat appropriately cough-variant asthma because 30% to 40% of cough-variant asthma becomes a typical asthma. However, little is known about the treatment of cough-variant asthma except for inhaled corticosteroid (ICS).

Development of a practical online supercritical fluid extraction-supercritical fluid chromatography/mass spectrometry system with an integrated split-flow method.

Herein, we describe a practical online supercritical fluid extraction-supercritical fluid chromatography/mass spectrometry (SFE-SFC/MS) system with an integrated split-flow method and a pre-column trap method that is well suited for the continuous extraction and separation of a wide range of compounds, including hydrophilic ones. Although an SFE-SFC system with a splitting method is already commercially available, in this study, we added some new features to this system: 1) a splitting method that further reduces the amount of extractant introduced into SFC, 2) a trap column, connected before the analytical column, with a different separation mechanism than the analytical column in the system with the splitting method, and 3) a system for calculating the recovery rate of SFE during online SFE-SFC/MS. In the above setup, part of the analyzed extract is introduced into the separation section at a higher split ratio owing to the make-up pump flow rate, thus reducing the distortion of the target analyte peak shape caused by the use of a strong extractant.

Development of a split-flow system for high precision variable sample introduction in supercritical fluid chromatography.

In this study, we propose a novel variable sample injection system based on full-loop injection, named the split-flow sample introduction system, for application in supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC). In this system, the mobile phase is split by the differential pressure between two back pressure regulators (BPRs) after full-loop injection suitable for SFC, and this differential pressure determines the introduction rate. Nine compounds with a wide range of characteristics were introduced with high reproducibility and universality, confirming that a robust variable sample injection system was achieved.

Successful crizotinib rechallenge after crizotinib-induced interstitial lung disease.

We report the case of a 70-year-old Japanese male diagnosed with advanced lung adenocarcinoma harboring the echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like 4-anaplastic lymphoma kinase fusion gene. As soon as crizotinib was administered, tumor shrank immediately. On Day 25, he developed interstitial lung disease.

Ewing's sarcoma family of tumors originating in the main bronchus.

Ewing's sarcoma family tumors (ESFT), which include Ewing's sarcoma and primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNET), have been reported to originate in a variety of sites, mostly in the extremities. Previous reports have shown ESFT originating in the thoracic region, such as chest wall and peripheral lung. We herein report the first case of the ESFT that originated in the main bronchus.

An open-label, prospective clinical study to evaluate the efficacy of prophylactic antibiotics after diagnostic bronchoscopy.

The aim of this study was to prospectively examine the effect of prophylactic antibiotic use on the development of respiratory infections and on the worsening of symptoms after diagnostic fiberoptic bronchoscopy procedures. This study was an open-label, multicenter, controlled, clinical trial. Patients were alternately assigned to a group given prophylactic antibiotics after bronchoscopy (prophylaxis(+) group) and a group not given antibiotic prophylaxis after bronchoscopy (prophylaxis(-) group), and they were followed-up for 1 week.

Long-term outcome after multidisciplinary approach for leptomeningeal carcinomatosis in a non-small cell lung cancer patient with poor performance status.

The present study describes a case of a 60-year-old Japanese man who was histologically diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma harboring L858R mutation of epidermal growth factor receptor. He was successfully treated with gefitinib, but eventually developed leptomeningeal carcinomatosis. He underwent ventriculoperitoneal shunting for hydrocephalus and received erlotinib in place of gefitinib with concurrent whole brain radiotherapy; this resulted in dramatic improvement in his symptoms and performance status from four to one and he survived for as long as 13.

Antigen-Specific IgG ameliorates allergic airway inflammation via Fcγ receptor IIB on dendritic cells.

Background: There have been few reports on the role of Fc receptors (FcRs) and immunoglobulin G (IgG) in asthma. The purpose of this study is to clarify the role of inhibitory FcRs and antigen presenting cells (APCs) in pathogenesis of asthma and to evaluate antigen-transporting and presenting capacity by APCs in the tracheobronchial mucosa.

Methods: In FcγRIIB deficient (KO) and C57BL/6 (WT) mice, the effects of intratracheal instillation of antigen-specific IgG were analysed using the model with sensitization and airborne challenge with ovalbumin (OVA).

Successful erlotinib treatment for a patient with gefitinib-related hepatotoxicity and lung adenocarcinoma refractory to intermittently administered gefitinib.

A 73-year-old Japanese man was histologically diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma harboring an exon 19 deletion in the epidermal growth factor receptor. The patient was treated with gefitinib for 6 weeks until he developed substantially elevated hepatic enzyme levels that resulted in the discontinuation of gefitinib. Gefitinib was reintroduced with an intermittent treatment schedule after the transaminase levels normalized, but the patient's enzyme levels rose again, and the cancer progressed.