Blood DNA virome associates with autoimmune diseases and COVID-19.

Aberrant immune responses to viral pathogens contribute to pathogenesis, but our understanding of pathological immune responses caused by viruses within the human virome, especially at a population scale, remains limited. We analyzed whole-genome sequencing datasets of 6,321 Japanese individuals, including patients with autoimmune diseases (psoriasis vulgaris, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) or multiple sclerosis) and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), or healthy controls. We systematically quantified two constituents of the blood DNA virome, endogenous HHV-6 (eHHV-6) and anellovirus.

Clinical and Genetic Profiles of 5q- and Non-5q-Spinal Muscular Atrophy Diseases in Pediatric Patients.

Background: Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a genetic disease characterized by loss of motor neurons in the spinal cord and lower brainstem. The term "SMA" usually refers to the most common form, 5q-SMA, which is caused by biallelic mutations in (located on chromosome 5q13). However, long before the discovery of , it was known that other forms of SMA existed.

Real-World Outcomes of Subsequent Chemotherapy after Progression Following Chemoradiation and Consolidative Durvalumab Therapy in Locally Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer: An Exploratory Analysis from the CRIMSON Study (HOPE-005).

Background: The optimal subsequent treatment strategy for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (LA-NSCLC) after chemoradiotherapy (CRT) and consolidative durvalumab therapy remains unknown. We aimed to determine the optimal subsequent treatment strategy for this clinical population.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively enrolled 523 consecutive patients with LA-NSCLC treated with CRT and analyzed the treatment outcomes of subsequent therapy after progression following CRT and consolidative durvalumab therapy.

Mechanisms of resistance and correlation between pre-treatment co-alterations and p-prognosis to osimertinib in chemo-naïve advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: Several patients treated with osimertinib experience progressive disease. The aim was to clarify the mechanisms underlying resistance to osimertinib.

Methods: ELUCIDATOR: A multi-centre, prospective, observational study involved chemotherapy-naive patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer receiving osimertinib.

X-Linked Myotubular Myopathy and Mitochondrial Function in Muscle and Liver Samples.

X-linked myotubular myopathy (XLMTM) is a rare congenital myopathy that commonly manifests with liver involvement. In most XLMTM cases, disease-causing variants have been identified in the myotubularin gene () on chromosome Xq28, which encodes myotubularin protein (MTM1). The impairment of mitochondrial respiratory chain (MRC) enzyme activity in muscle has been observed in the XLMTM mouse model.

Risk Stratification According to Baseline and Early Change in Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio in Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Treated with Chemoimmunotherapy: A Multicenter Real-World Study.

Background: Chemoimmunotherapy is a standard treatment for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, data on clinical predictive factors remain scarce.

Objective: We aim to identify clinical biomarkers in patients undergoing chemoimmunotherapy.

[Issues of transition support to adulthood and the practices of pediatric-adult healthcare transition in neurological diseases].

A workshop of the Special Committee on Measures for Transition from Pediatric to Adult Health Care, the Japanese Society of Neurology was held to discuss various issues and practices involved in healthcare transition. The following points were addressed: (1) the history of, and issues involved in, promoting support for patients requiring medical care, (2) cooperation between pediatric medical centers and university hospitals, (3) collaboration between pediatrics and neurology in medical and rehabilitation facilities, and (4) a questionnaire survey of members of the Japanese Society of Neurology. The reasons for extreme difficulties in pediatric-adult healthcare transition for patients with neurological diseases, especially those who require continuous intensive medical care over a long period of time, include the difference in the operating systems of pediatric and adult departments, in addition to the difference in the diseases treated during childhood and adulthood.

The diagnostic impact of fractional exhaled nitric oxide for asthmatic cough in nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease.

Background: Measurement of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) is a potentially useful diagnostic test for asthma. However, no study has explored the relationship between FeNO and respiratory symptoms of nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease (NTM-PD) complicated with asthma. The objective of this study was to assess the utility of measuring FeNO levels in patients with NTM-PD complicated by asthma.

[Pathophysiology of Respiratory Failure in Neuromuscular Diseases].

Based on a recent review by Krohn et al, the respiratory center and its regulatory mechanisms are described. Although the respiratory control centers in the medulla and pons ensure rhythmic respiration, maintaining and regulating respiration involves a complex network of peripheral chemoreceptors, vagal nerves, and central chemoreceptors. This review discusses the pathophysiology of respiratory disorders in neuromuscular diseases and evaluation and treatment methods based on the anatomy of the respiratory network.

Hematopoietic Prostaglandin D Synthase Is Increased in Mast Cells and Pericytes in Autopsy Myocardial Specimens from Patients with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

The leading cause of death for patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a progressive muscle disease, is heart failure. Prostaglandin (PG) D, a physiologically active fatty acid, is synthesized from the precursor PGH by hematopoietic prostaglandin D synthase (HPGDS). Using a DMD animal model ( mice), we previously found that HPGDS expression is increased not only in injured muscle but also in the heart.

Effectiveness and Safety of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors Alone or in Combination With Chemotherapy in Pulmonary Sarcomatoid Carcinoma.

Introduction: Pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma (PSC) is a rare subtype of lung cancer associated with poor prognosis and resistance to conventional chemotherapy. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), alone or in combination with chemotherapy, were found to have clinical benefits in PSC in recent studies. Nevertheless, because these studies included a small number of patients owing to disease rarity, larger studies are needed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of ICI-based therapy for PSC.

Real-world outcomes of nivolumab plus ipilimumab and pembrolizumab with platinum-based chemotherapy in advanced non-small cell lung cancer: a multicenter retrospective comparative study.

Introduction: Nivolumab plus ipilimumab with chemotherapy (NICT) and pembrolizumab with chemotherapy (PCT) are commonly used in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Compared with immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) monotherapy, ICI combination therapy can increase immune-related toxicity instead of prolonging survival. This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of NICT and PCT to decide on the favorable treatment.

Mixed squamous cell and glandular papilloma of the lung increased in twelve years -A case report.

We report the case of a 55-year-old man presented with a nodule in the right middle lung on computed tomography. The size of the nodule had increased at 12 years after the first visit. Consequently, the patient was diagnosed with a Mixed squamous cell and glandular papilloma (MSGP) by surgical resection.

Multicenter, Retrospective Study to Evaluate Necitumumab Plus Cisplatin and Gemcitabine After Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Advanced Squamous Cell Lung Cancer in Japan: The NINJA Study.

Introduction: Necitumumab plus gemcitabine and cisplatin (GCN) is a standard therapy for patients with advanced lung squamous cell carcinoma (LSqCC). However, the efficacy and tolerability of GCN in second-line or later treatment for patients previously treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) remain unknown.

Methods: This multicenter, retrospective, cohort study assessed the efficacy and tolerability of GCN initiated between November 1, 2019 and March 31, 2022 as second-line to fourth-line treatment in patients with advanced LSqCC who had been pretreated with ICIs.

Pneumonitis During Durvalumab Consolidation Therapy Affects Survival in Stage III NSCLC.

Introduction: Durvalumab consolidation therapy is the standard of care after concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for stage III NSCLC. Immune-related pneumonitis during durvalumab treatment is potentially fatal; however, information is lacking regarding the impact of pneumonitis on patient survival. This study investigates the effect of pulmonary and nonpulmonary immune-related adverse events (irAEs) on the efficacy of durvalumab treatment in patients with stage III NSCLC.

Anti-NF-κB peptide derived from nuclear acidic protein attenuates ovariectomy-induced osteoporosis in mice.

NF-κB is a transcription factor that is activated with aging. It plays a key role in the development of osteoporosis by promoting osteoclast differentiation and inhibiting osteoblast differentiation. In this study, we developed a small anti-NF-κB peptide called 6A-8R from a nuclear acidic protein (also known as macromolecular translocation inhibitor II, Zn2+-binding protein, or parathymosin) that inhibits transcriptional activity of NF-κB without altering its nuclear translocation and binding to DNA.