Nodular-bronchiectatic pattern in pulmonary nocardiosis: Immune status and treatment outcomes in a multicenter retrospective study.

Background: Pulmonary nocardiosis is a rare opportunistic infection, with approximately 15 % of patients being immunocompetent. The isolation rate of Nocardia spp. has recently increased, indicating rising clinical concern.

Comparative analyses of erythroblast transformation specific-1 related gene expression before and after neoadjuvant bevacizumab therapy for newly diagnosed glioblastoma.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression of erythroblast transformation specific-1 related gene (ERG) in patients with glioblastoma (GB) before and after bevacizumab (Bev) therapy as a predictive and prognostic biomarker.

Methods: The present study used 58 GB tissues from 29 patients in 3 settings. Sixteen tumors were removed after neoadjuvant Bev administration (neoBev) and 13 represented newly diagnosed GB without previous Bev treatment (naïve Bev).

Renal Pelvic Cancer with Multiple Lung Metastases in a Patient with Polycystic Kidney Disease, Initially Diagnosed as Non-small Cell Lung Cancer: An Autopsy Case Report.

A 64-year-old man with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) on hemodialysis presented with multiple lung masses. A computed tomography (CT)-guided biopsy revealed non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A cavitary mass in the right lung indicated primary NSCLC (cT2N1M1a, stage IVA).

Significance and Priority of Surgical Resection as Therapeutic Strategy Based on Clinical Characteristics of Brain Metastases from Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Objective: To clarify a rational surgical priority, clinical characteristics were compared between brain metastases (BM) from renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and other cancers.

Methods: We reviewed 425 consecutive patients with BM who underwent treatments including surgery between January 2014 and December 2022. Primary cancers included lung (n = 220), breast (n = 46), digestive (n = 65), RCC (n = 25), and others (n = 69).

[THE EFFICACY OF BRONCHIAL THERMOPLASTY IN LONG-TERM MAINTENANCE OF ADULT PATIENTS WITH MODERATE TO SEVERE ASTHMA].

Background And Aims: Bronchial thermoplasty (BT) is a bronchoscopic treatment for adult patients with moderate to severe asthma. A systematic review was conducted to examine the efficacy of this treatment.

Methods: Randomized controlled comparing BT to a control in adult patients with moderate to severe asthma were added to the previously conducted systematic review.

Carbapenem vs. non-carbapenem antibiotics for ventilator-associated pneumonia: A systematic review with meta-analysis.

Background: Carbapenem is recommended as one of the first-line regimens for ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), but no recent systematic review has fully investigated its efficacy. This systematic review aims to evaluate the efficacy of carbapenem compared with non-carbapenem for VAP treatment.

Methods: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies comparing the efficacy and the safety between carbapenem and non-carbapenem with activity to Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the treatment for VAP.

COVID-19-Associated Pulmonary Aspergillosis Complicated by Severe Coronavirus Disease: Is Detection of Aspergillus in Airway Specimens Before Disease Onset an Indicator of Antifungal Prophylaxis?

A 55-year-old man was admitted for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related respiratory failure. He was treated with corticosteroids and tocilizumab in the intensive care unit.   was isolated from his sputum on admission.

X-ray Diffraction Analysis to Explore Molecular Traces of Eccentric Contraction on Rat Skeletal Muscle Parallelly Evaluated with Signal Protein Phosphorylation Levels.

We performed X-ray diffraction analyses on rat plantaris muscle to determine if there are strain-specific structural changes at the molecular level after eccentric contraction (ECC). ECC was elicited in situ by supramaximal electrical stimulation through the tibial nerve. One hour after a series of ECC sessions, the structural changes that remained in the sarcomere were evaluated using X-ray diffraction.

False-negative diagnosis of high anion gap in patients with end-stage kidney disease.

The traditional anion gap (AG) equation is widely used, but its misdiagnosis in end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients has not been investigated fully. Diagnostic accuracy to detect high AG was cross-sectionally evaluated using 3 AG equations in 1733 ESKD patients with an eGFR less than 15 mL/min/1.73 m.

The position of the vertebral artery V1 segment relative to the C7 vertebra.

Background: The vertebral artery (VA) usually enters the transverse foramen at the C6 level. Thus, surgeons prefer to insert pedicle screws (PSs) at C7, but this does not eliminate the risk of VA injury. We aimed to clarify anatomical features of the VA V1 segment at the C7 pedicle level, based on computed tomographic angiography (CTA) of 81 consecutive patients.

Idiopathic horseshoe-like macular tear: a case report.

Background: Although a few cases with idiopathic horseshoe-like macular tear have been reported, the mechanism remains unknown and a standard treatment has yet to be determined.

Objective: To report the outcome for a patient with idiopathic horseshoe-like macular tear who underwent vitreous surgery.

Case Report: A 65-year-old man with no previous injury or ophthalmic disease presented with abnormal vision in his left eye.

Advances in inducing adaptive immunity using cell-based cancer vaccines: Clinical applications in pancreatic cancer.

The incidence of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is on the rise, and the prognosis is extremely poor because PDA is highly aggressive and notoriously difficult to treat. Although gemcitabine- or 5-fluorouracil-based chemotherapy is typically offered as a standard of care, most patients do not survive longer than 1 year. Therefore, the development of alternative therapeutic approaches for patients with PDA is imperative.

Dendritic cell-based cancer immunotherapy for colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common cancers and a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Although systemic therapy is the standard care for patients with recurrent or metastatic CRC, the prognosis is extremely poor. The optimal sequence of therapy remains unknown.

A Prospective Study Evaluating Metabolic Capacity of Thiopurine and Associated Adverse Reactions in Japanese Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).

Azathioprine (AZA) is frequently used in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, toxic adverse reactions frequently develop and limit the clinical benefits. Currently, the precise mechanisms underlying thiopurine-related toxicity are not well understood.

Thiopurine S-methyltransferase and inosine triphosphate pyrophosphohydrolase genes in Japanese patients with inflammatory bowel disease in whom adverse drug reactions were induced by azathioprine/6-mercaptopurine treatment.

Background: The main cause of azathioprine (AZA)/6-mercaptopurine (6MP)-induced adverse reactions is a reduction in the activities of the metabolizing enzymes thiopurine S-methyltransferase (TPMT) and inosine triphosphate pyrophosphohydrolase (ITPA). Adverse reactions develop at a high frequency in Japanese patients at half the dose required for European and American patients; however, the association with TPMT and ITPA gene polymorphisms in Japanese has not been fully investigated.

Methods: Gene mutations of TPMT and ITPA, the major AZA/6-MP -metabolizing enzymes, were investigated retrospectively in 16 Japanese patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in whom AZA/6MP treatment induced adverse reactions.

[A case of widespread ileal stenosis caused by metastatic disseminated peritoneal carcinomatosis from lung cancer resected 8 years previously].

A 46-year-old man was admitted because of ileus. He had undergone an operation for lung carcinoma (stage IA) 8 years previously in another hospital. Because small bowel enema study showed widespread stricture of the ileum, we performed an operation.