Phase I/II study of intermitted erlotinib in combination with docetaxel in patients with recurrent non-small cell lung cancer (WJOG4708L).

Background: Preclinical data suggest sequential administration of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) following chemotherapy may improve efficacy. We hypothesized that intermittent delivery of EGFR-TKI following chemotherapy may increase efficacy.

Methods: This was a multicenter, single-arm phase I/II study to evaluate the efficacy of intermitted erlotinib in combination with docetaxel in patients with EGFR-negative NSCLC who failed one prior chemotherapy.

uPA Attenuated LPS-induced Inflammatory Osteoclastogenesis through the Plasmin/PAR-1/Ca(2+)/CaMKK/AMPK Axis.

Chronic inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and periodontitis-caused bone destruction, results from an increase of bone-resorbing osteoclasts (OCs) induced by inflammation. However, the detailed mechanisms underlying this disorder remain unclear. We herein investigated that the effect of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) on inflammatory osteoclastogenesis induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which is a potent stimulator of bone resorption in inflammatory diseases.

Induced pluripotent stem cells in reproductive medicine.

Despite recent advances in reproductive medicine, there are still no effective treatments for severe infertility caused by congenital absence of germ cells or gonadotoxic treatments during prepubertal childhood. However, the development of technologies for germ cell formation from stem cells in vitro, induction of pluripotency from somatic cells, and production of patient-specific pluripotent stem cells may provide new solutions for treating these severe fertility problems. It may be possible to produce germ cells in vitro from our own somatic cells that can be used to restore fertility.