[Contribution of Japanese researchers to progress in the field of pulmonary medicine: Hypersensitivity pneumonitis].
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Naohiko Inase.
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To elucidate the effect of in-phase chest wall vibration (IPV) during exercise, 17 COPD male patients performed two constant-load exercise tests on a cycle ergometer with and without IPV. The Borg dyspnea score significantly decreased from IPV (-) to IPV (+) (from 13.6+/-2.9 to 12.5+/-2.9, P<0.01). IPV elicited a significant increase in V(O(2)) (P<0.005) and significant decreases in both VE/V(O(2)) (P<0.05) and respiratory frequency (P<0.05), but it did not elicit any changes in VE. The change in Borg score between IPV (+) and IPV (-) showed a significant positive correlation with % predicted V(O(2),max) (r=0.71) and FEV(1)/FVC (r=0.69). Patients in the responsive group (n=11) showed significantly lower FEV(1) (P<0.05) and higher DeltaN(2)/L (P<0.01) than patients in the non-responsive group (n=6). We conclude that IPV reduces dyspnea and improves respiratory efficiency during aerobic exercise in severe COPD.
BACKGROUND: Interstitial pneumonia in polymyositis and dermatomyositis (PM/DM) is recognized to be a major complication of PM/DM. Rapidly progressive interstitial pneumonia (RPIP) in DM is frequently refractory to steroids and is the prognosis-determining factor in DM. Recently cyclosporine A (CyA) has emerged as an available treatment for interstitial pneumonia in PM/DM, but its efficacy on RPIP is unclear. AIM OF THE WORK: To evaluate the usefulness of CyA in the treatment of RPIP in DM. METHODS: We reviewed the medical charts of 10 cases with RPIP in DM to whom CyA was administered. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Combined administration of oral CyA and steroids with/without immuno-suppressants was likely to be beneficial in 4 of 10 cases that were refractory to the conventional preceding therapy. The values of PaO2/FIO2 when CyA were initiated were suggested to be a prognosis-determining factor for the outcome of the disease, showing that initiation of CyA should be considered in the early stage of RPIP in DM. The dosage of steroids was tapered in 3 out of 4 CyA-responsive cases without re-exacerbation. Therefore administration of CyA might be useful in lowering the dosage of steroids.
To achieve the specific expression of a transfected suicide gene in malignant mesothelioma cells, we applied the enhancer-promoter fusion sequence of the keratin 19 (K19) gene. Northern blot analysis of three mesothelioma cell lines demonstrated that K19 mRNA was expressed most abundantly in the H2052 mesothelioma cell line. Subsequently, in a luciferase reporting assay, K19 promoter (260 bp) exhibited higher promoter activity in H2052 cells than in the other two cell lines. In addition, ligation of a 3' enhancer (80 bp) of the K19 gene to upstream of the K19 promoter sufficiently enhanced the promoter activity. After transfecting an expression vector containing the K19 enhancer-promoter bound thymidine kinase gene (pK19-TK) into the H2052 cells, the pK19-TK transfected cells became more sensitive to GCV than non-transfected cells in vitro and in vivo. In a mouse peritoneal model of malignant mesothelioma, in vivo transfection of pK19-TK by cationic liposome and systemic administration of GCV inhibited the growth of peritoneal tumors. The K19 enhancer-promoter sequence seemed to be specific and efficient enough for the expression of the transfected suicide gene in malignant mesothelioma cells.
BACKGROUND: Factors predicting gefitinib sensitivity and adverse events in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remain controversial. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Correlations among clinicopathological characteristics, gefitinib sensitivity and adverse events were studied in 154 patients with NSCLC, whereas epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations were analyzed in 44 patients. RESULTS: Female, non-smoker, adenocarcinoma of stage I-II, and gefitinib effectiveness correlated with longer time to progression (TTP) and overall survival (OS), while the rate of interstitial lung disease in patients undergoing thoracic radiotherapy and stomatitis in females or those who never smoked were significantly higher. EGFR mutations were identified in 18 cases, and among 34 gefitinib-treated patients, 16 patients harboring mutations tended to do better, both in terms of TTP and OS. The results of the mutation analysis from surgical and non-surgical specimens were identical. CONCLUSION: Certain clinicopathological characteristics and EGFR mutations can be either predictive of gefitinib sensitivity or adverse events.