Characteristics of lung resistance and elastance associated with tracheal stenosis and intrapulmonary airway narrowing in ex vivo sheep lungs.

Background: Understanding the characteristics of pulmonary resistance and elastance in relation to the location of airway narrowing, e.g., tracheal stenosis vs.

Rho-Kinase Inhibition of Active Force and Passive Tension in Airway Smooth Muscle: A Strategy for Treating Airway Hyperresponsiveness in Asthma.

Rho-kinase inhibitors have been identified as a class of potential drugs for treating asthma because of their ability to reduce airway inflammation and active force in airway smooth muscle (ASM). Past research has revealed that, besides the effect on the ASM's force generation, rho-kinase (ROCK) also regulates actin filament formation and filament network architecture and integrity, thus affecting ASM's cytoskeletal stiffness. The present review is not a comprehensive examination of the roles played by ROCK in regulating ASM function but is specifically focused on passive tension, which is partially determined by the cytoskeletal stiffness of ASM.

Critical roles of airway smooth muscle in mediating deep-inspiration-induced bronchodilation: a big stretch?

Background: Deep inspiration (DI) has been shown to induce bronchodilation and bronchoprotection in bronchochallenged healthy subjects, but not in asthmatics. Strain-induced relaxation of airway smooth muscle (ASM) is considered one of the factors responsible for these effects. Other factors include the release or redistribution of pulmonary surfactant, alteration in mucus plugs, and changes in airway heterogeneity.

Treatment with Sotrovimab and Casirivimab/Imdevimab Enhances Serum SARS-CoV-2 S Antibody Levels in Patients Infected with the SARS-CoV-2 Delta, Omicron BA.1, and BA.5 Variants.

Background: The neutralizing ability of sotrovimab and casirivimab/imdevimab against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is attenuated in the subvariant BA.5. However, the efficacy of sotrovimab in the clinical setting remains to be investigated.

Successful treatment with atezolizumab combination chemotherapy in a patient with high-grade fetal adenocarcinoma of the lung: A case report.

High-grade fetal lung adenocarcinoma (H-FLAC) is a rare tumor, with little known of its response to chemotherapy with or without an immune checkpoint inhibitor or of its molecular profile. We report the first case of a 56-year-old man with stage IV H-FLAC who was successfully treated with carboplatin plus nab-paclitaxel in combination with atezolizumab. In addition, the tumor was found to be positive for amplification of the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 gene.

The safety and efficacy of durvalumab consolidation therapy in the management of patients with stage III non-small-cell lung cancer and preexisting interstitial lung disease.

Background: Some lung cancer patients have preexisting interstitial lung disease (ILD), which is considered a risk factor for lung cancer treatment. This study investigated the safety and efficacy of durvalumab consolidation therapy for patients with stage III non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and preexisting ILD.

Methods: Fifty consecutive patients who were judged to be tolerable to concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) for stage III NSCLC were enrolled.

Aluminium Gauze Reduces SARS-CoV-2 Viral Load in Non-Woven Masks Worn by Patients with COVID-19.

Background: Aluminium reduces severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) survival in experimental settings. It is unknown whether adding an aluminium gauze to a mask reduces the SARS-CoV-2 RNA load in the mask and whether SARS-CoV-2 is detectable in the breath that permeates through such a mask in clinical settings.

Methods: Patients admitted to Kishiwada City Hospital, Osaka, Japan, between July 2021 and September 2021 were enrolled in the study.

Efficacy of the combination of baricitinib, remdesivir, and dexamethasone in hypoxic adults with COVID-19: A retrospective study.

Background: Remdesivir with dexamethasone and remdesivir with baricitinib are effective in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. However, there has been few evidence regarding the efficacy of the combination of baricitinib, remdesivir, and dexamethasone in hypoxic COVID-19 patients.

Methods: Consecutive patients who required oxygen therapy at the time of admission and received remdesivir and dexamethasone at Kishiwada City Hospital between March 1, 2021 and May 31, 2021 were retrospectively analyzed.

Cultural Differences in the Perception of Daily Stress Between European Canadian and Japanese Undergraduate Students.

The current research examines cross-cultural differences in people's daily stress experiences and the role of social orientations in explaining their experiences. Using a situation sampling method, Study 1 collected European Canadian and Japanese undergraduates' examples of stressful interpersonal and non-interpersonal situations they experienced, measuring participants' perception of the intensity and frequency of each type of situation. Studies 2 and 3 examined the effects of culture on participants' reports of stress symptoms under the situations.

Successful laparoscopic lavage and drainage for intestinal perforation in a patient with COVID-19: A case report.

Introduction: Some patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have acute abdomen and need surgery. However, surgery in the acute phase of COVID-19 is associated with worse postoperative outcomes and an increased risk of mortality. We report a case of a patient with COVID-19 who developed intestinal perforation that was treated acutely with antibiotics and delayed surgical intervention.

Successful treatment with metronidazole and paromomycin for fulminant amoebic colitis during cytotoxic chemotherapy in a patient with small-cell lung cancer.

We report the case of a 64-year-old man with advanced small-cell lung cancer who developed fulminant amoebic colitis during cytotoxic chemotherapy. During the first cycle of carboplatin/etoposide treatment, febrile neutropenia and grade 4 neutropenia developed. Because diarrhea, abdominal pain, and bloody stool were observed, abdominal computed tomography was performed, showing intussusception, and extensive colectomy and colostomy were performed.

Post-COVID-19 interstitial lung disease presenting with profound hypoxemia: Report of three cases demonstrating a good response to high-dose corticosteroid therapy.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which leads to critical pneumonia, although the clinical courses vary. In some cases, COVID-19 pneumonia causes secondary pulmonary fibrosis, which can retain radiological changes and prolong respiratory symptoms. Interstitial lung disease (ILD) secondary to COVID-19 is thought to be caused by multiple pathologies, such as excessive cytokines and abnormal repair processes elaborated by lung cells (epithelium, mesenchyme, and alveolar macrophages) after lung injury rather than viral invasion itself.

Total Synthesis of Lamellarins G, J, L, and Z Using One-Pot Halogen Dance/Negishi Coupling.

A bottom-up synthesis of lamellarins G, J, L, and Z was achieved via one-pot halogen dance/Negishi coupling of a lithiated dibromopyrrole derivative. The easily accessible dibromopyrrole bearing an ester moiety underwent halogen dance smoothly at -78 °C within 10 min. The resultant α-pyrrolyllithium was transmetalated to the corresponding organozinc species, which was then coupled with an aryl iodide in the presence of catalytic palladium to provide the fully substituted pyrrole.

PD-L1 polymorphisms predict survival outcomes in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer patients treated with PD-1 blockade.

Background: We previously reported that PD-L1 polymorphisms are associated with the efficacy and immune-related adverse events of PD-1 blockade with nivolumab. However, the association between PD-L1 polymorphisms and survival outcomes under PD-1/PD-L1 blockade is still uncertain. Here, we aimed to investigate whether PD-L1 polymorphisms are associated with survival outcomes in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with nivolumab.

Culture and Business: How Can Cultural Psychologists Contribute to Research on Behaviors in the Marketplace and Workplace?

Cultural psychology has great potential to expand its research frameworks to more applied research fields in business such as marketing and organizational studies while going beyond basic psychological processes to more complex social practices. In fact, the number of cross-cultural business studies has grown constantly over the past 20 years. Nonetheless, the theoretical and methodological closeness between cultural psychology and these business-oriented studies has not been fully recognized by scholars in cultural psychology.

Convergent Total Synthesis of Lamellarins and Their Congeners.

A convergent total synthesis of lamellarins S and Z is described. The synthesis features a halogen dance of an easily accessible α,β-dibromopyrrole promoted by an ester moiety. The resultant β,β'-dibromopyrrole undergoes a ligand-controlled Suzuki-Miyaura coupling to provide a range of diarylated pyrrole derivatives.

Acquired Resistance to Alectinib in ALK-Rearranged Lung Cancer due to ABCC11/MRP8 Overexpression in a Clinically Paired Resistance Model.

Alectinib is used as a first-line treatment for anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-rearranged non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Whereas other ALK inhibitors have been reported to be involved in resistance to ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, no data are available regarding the association between resistance to alectinib and ABC-transporters. To investigate whether ABC-transporters contribute to alectinib resistance, ABC-transporter expression in alectinib-resistant cell lines derived from a patient with ALK-rearranged NSCLC and from H2228 lung cancer cells was evaluated and compared with that in each parent cell type.

MCL1 inhibition is effective against a subset of small-cell lung cancer with high MCL1 and low BCL-X expression.

There have been few advances in the treatment of small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) because of the lack of targets. MCL1, a member of the anti-apoptotic BCL-2 family, may be a treatment target in several cancers, including SCLC. However, whether the expression profile of the anti-apoptotic BCL-2 family affects MCL1 inhibition strategy is unknown.

YAP1 mediates survival of ALK-rearranged lung cancer cells treated with alectinib via pro-apoptotic protein regulation.

Despite the promising clinical efficacy of the second-generation anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitor alectinib in patients with ALK-rearranged lung cancer, some tumor cells survive and eventually relapse, which may be an obstacle to achieving a cure. Limited information is currently available on the mechanisms underlying the initial survival of tumor cells against alectinib. Using patient-derived cell line models, we herein demonstrate that cancer cells survive a treatment with alectinib by activating Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1), which mediates the expression of the anti-apoptosis factors Mcl-1 and Bcl-xL, and combinatorial inhibition against both YAP1 and ALK provides a longer tumor remission in ALK-rearranged xenografts when compared with alectinib monotherapy.

Clinical impact of low serum free T4 in patients with non-small cell lung cancer treated with nivolumab.

Nivolumab improves the prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) but can cause immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Reports have indicated longer progression-free survivals (PFSs) in patients with irAEs than in those without irAEs. We reported associations between programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and PFS after nivolumab treatment.

Efficacy of Ceritinib After Alectinib for ALK-positive Non-small Cell Lung Cancer.

Background: Alectinib is a new standard treatment for treatment-naïve anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); however, resistance ultimately develops in almost all patients, and data regarding the efficiency of ceritinib for such patients are insufficient.

Patients And Methods: Patients with ALK-positive NSCLC treated at the Kyoto University Hospital from January 2012 to March 2017 were reviewed. Patients who were treated with ceritinib after alectinib were identified, and the efficacy of ceritinib after alectinib was retrospectively evaluated.

Alectinib Resistance in ALK-Rearranged Lung Cancer by Dual Salvage Signaling in a Clinically Paired Resistance Model.

The mechanisms responsible for the development of resistance to alectinib, a second-generation anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitor, are still unclear, and few cell lines are currently available for investigating ALK-rearranged lung cancer. To identify the mechanisms underlying acquired resistance to alectinib, two patient-derived cell lines were established from an alectinib-naïve ALK-rearranged lung cancer and then after development of alectinib resistance. The properties acquired during treatments were detected by comparisons of the two cell lines, and then functional analyses were performed.

Clinical impact of high serum hepatocyte growth factor in advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Activation of c-MET through hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) increases tumorigenesis, induces resistance, and is associated with poor prognosis in various solid tumors. However, the clinical value of serum HGF (sHGF) in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), especially those receiving cytotoxic chemotherapy, remains unknown. Here, we show that sHGF may be useful to predict tumor response and progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with advanced NSCLC.

Retrospective analysis of acute exacerbation of interstitial lung diseases with nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel in patients with advanced lung cancer with preexisting interstitial lung disease.

Lung cancer with preexisting interstitial lung disease (ILD) is difficult to treat due to the risk of acute exacerbation of ILD. Nanoparticle albumin-bound (nab-) paclitaxel improves the overall response rate and reduces neuropathy more efficiently compared with conventional solvent-based (sb-) paclitaxel in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. However, it is not known whether the risk of acute exacerbation of ILD with nab-paclitaxel is higher compared with that with sb-paclitaxel.