Pre-Existing Interstitial Lung Abnormalities Are Independent Risk Factors for Interstitial Lung Disease during Durvalumab Treatment after Chemoradiotherapy in Patients with Locally Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer.

Introduction/Background: Chemoradiotherapy (CRT) followed by durvalumab, an immune checkpoint inhibitor, is the standard treatment for locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a life-threatening toxicity caused by these treatments; however, risk factors for the ILD have not yet been established. Interstitial lung abnormalities (ILAs) are computed tomography (CT) findings which manifest as minor interstitial shadows.

Efficacy of Chemoimmunotherapy in NSCLC Patients With Brain Metastasis With or Without Prior Brain Radiotherapy.

Background/aim: Many patients with advanced lung cancer develop brain metastasis (BM); however, few reports confirming the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) plus chemotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with symptomatic BM have been published. Therefore, we retrospectively evaluated the effects of chemoimmunotherapy in NSCLC patients who did or did not receive prior brain radiotherapy.

Patients And Methods: A total of 103 patients with advanced NSCLC who received ICIs plus chemotherapy at our hospital from January 2019 to July 2021 were retrospectively enrolled.

Coexistence of Emphysema With Non-small-cell Lung Cancer Predicts the Therapeutic Efficacy of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors.

Background/aim: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease coexisting with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) was reported to be associated with a longer progression-free survival (PFS) in patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). In the present study, we investigated the impact of emphysematous change on the treatment response to ICIs in patients with NSCLC.

Patients And Methods: A total of 153 patients with advanced NSCLC who received ICIs (nivolumab, pembrolizumab, or atezolizumab) at our hospital from January 2016 to May 2019 were retrospectively enrolled.

Ambulance use for low-acuity conditions by long-term care facilities for older adults.

Purpose: Increased ambulance calls affect the timely transportation of patients. Recently, ambulance uses from long-term care facilities (LTCFs) for older adults has been increasing. The aim of this study was to investigate to what extent LTCFs used ambulances for low-acuity conditions.

Observation of thermoacoustic chaotic oscillations in a looped tube.

This study presents experimental observations of chaotic thermoacoustic oscillations induced in a looped tube with respect to both temporal and spatial dimensions and compares them with those in a resonance tube system. The wave propagation directions observed in thermoacoustic systems showing periodic behaviors are confirmed in the chaotic case, from cold to hot sides in the stack in a looped system, and with reflections at the ends of a resonance tube system. Although both systems are similar in their route to chaos and correlation dimensions of the chaotic attractor, a recurrence visualization method reveals differences in the distribution of temporal patterns resulting from the mode competition between the natural frequencies of the systems.

Bifurcation diagram of coupled thermoacoustic chaotic oscillators.

A thermoacoustic chaotic oscillator is a fluid system that presents thermally induced chaotic oscillations of a gas column. This study experimentally reports a bifurcation diagram when two thermoacoustic chaotic oscillators are dissipatively coupled to each other. The two-parameter bifurcation diagram is constructed by varying the frequency mismatch and the coupling strength.

Clinical utility of fractional exhaled nitric oxide and blood eosinophils counts in the diagnosis of asthma-COPD overlap.

Background: Asthma-COPD overlap (ACO) is difficult to diagnose because it is characterized by persistent airflow limitation, and patients present with several manifestations that are usually associated with both asthma and COPD. In this retrospective study, we aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) and blood eosinophil counts for the clinical diagnosis of ACO.

Patients And Methods: A total of 121 patients were divided into two study groups, COPD alone or ACO, which was based on criteria from the joint document by the Global Initiative for Asthma and the Global initiative for chronic Obstructive Lung Disease.

Aminopeptidase N/CD13 as a potential therapeutic target in malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Angiogenesis is a crucial factor in the progression of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) and antiangiogenic strategies might be effective against MPM. Aminopeptidase N (APN)/CD13 promotes tumour angiogenesis and is associated with poor prognosis; however, its clinical significance in MPM remains unclear.In 37 consecutive patients with surgically resected MPM, we evaluated the association between immunohistochemical APN/CD13 expression in resected tumours and survival.

TAFRO Syndrome with Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation Successfully Treated with Tocilizumab and Recombinant Thrombomodulin.

TAFRO syndrome is a systemic inflammatory disorder that is characterized by thrombocytopenia, anasarca, myelofibrosis, renal dysfunction, and organomegaly. Although thrombocytopenia is one of the major features of TAFRO syndrome, complications of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) are not common. The therapeutic strategy for TAFRO syndrome complicated by DIC has not been established.

On-off intermittency in coupled chaotic thermoacoustic oscillations.

This paper documents on-off intermittency observed in coupled thermoacoustic chaotic oscillations. Mode competition between two or three oscillation modes engenders chaotic oscillations through quasiperiodic oscillations introduced by a local cross-sectional change in a gas-filled tube. Complete synchronization is then obtained by connecting two thermoacoustic chaotic oscillators via a rigid plate with an orifice.

Inhibition of PAI-1 Limits Tumor Angiogenesis Regardless of Angiogenic Stimuli in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an aggressive malignant tumor that secretes various angiogenic factors. The main inhibitor of plasminogen activators, PAI-1 (SERPINE1), has been implicated in tumor progression and angiogenesis, and high PAI-1 expression has been associated with poor prognosis in MPM patients. In this study, we examined the antiangiogenic effects of PAI-1 inhibition in MPM.

Inhibition of Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1 Attenuates Transforming Growth Factor-β-Dependent Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition and Differentiation of Fibroblasts to Myofibroblasts.

Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) is central during the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis, in which the plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) also has an established role. TGF-β is also known to be the strongest inducer of PAI-1. To investigate the link between PAI-1 and TGF-β in fibrotic processes, we evaluated the effect of SK-216, a PAI-1-specific inhibitor, in TGF-β-dependent epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and fibroblast to myofibroblast differentiation.

Involvement of leukotriene B4 in dermatophyte-related itch in mice.

Background: Proteinase-activated receptor-2 (PAR2) is involved in dermatophyte-induced scratching and leukotriene B4 (LTB4) release from keratinocytes. We investigated whether PAR2-mediated LTB4 production is involved in dermatophyte-induced scratching.

Methods: Dermatophyte extract was injected intradermally and scratching was observed in mice.

Involvement of serine protease and proteinase-activated receptor 2 in dermatophyte-associated itch in mice.

We investigated the involvement of serine protease and proteinase-activated receptor 2 (PAR(2)) in dermatophyte-induced itch in mice. An intradermal injection of an extract of the dermatophyte Arthroderma vanbreuseghemii (ADV) induced hind-paw scratching, an itch-related behavior. ADV extract-induced scratching was inhibited by the opioid receptor antagonists naloxone and naltrexone, the serine protease inhibitor nafamostat mesylate, and the PAR(2) receptor antagonist FSLLRY-NH(2).

[Case of pulmonary dirofilariasis with cavity formation in a young woman].

A 22-year-old woman was referred to our hospital because of an abnormal shadow in her chest X-ray found on a medical examination. Chest CT showed a 16-mm nodule with cavity formation in the left lung. We did not reach a definitive diagnosis by blood test and bronchoscopy.