Upper tract urothelial carcinoma following intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guérin therapy for nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer: Results from a multi-institutional retrospective study

Objectives

The aim of this study was to clarify the prognostic indicators for upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) following intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) therapy for nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC).

Linezolid versus vancomycin for nosocomial pneumonia due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in the elderly: A retrospective cohort analysis: Effectiveness of linezolid in the elderly

Objectives

Several reports have compared the efficacy of linezolid (LZD) in Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections with that of vancomycin (VCM); however, these two antibiotics for the treatment of nosocomial MRSA pneumonia in elderly patients has not been well evaluated. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of LZD compared with VCM for the treatment of elderly patients with nosocomial MRSA pneumonia in a retrospective chart review of a cohort.

Serum interleukin-18 concentrations in patients with inflammatory bowel disease

Elevated expression of interleukin (IL)-18 mRNA and protein in intestinal mucosa, attributable to activated monocytes and macrophages in that site, has been reported in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, changes in serum IL-18 concentrations in patients with IBD have not been reported. We measured bioactive IL-18 in serum from patients with IBD, using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Mean serum IL-18 concentrations in 5 patients with Crohn disease (CD) were 400 pg/mL, approximately 1.7 times higher than concentrations in 21 control subjects (p < 0.01). However, serum IL-18 was not increased in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). These results suggest that like other T-helper type 1 (Th1) cytokines IL-18 may play a key pathogenetic role in Th1-mediated disorders, such as CD. Regulation and expression of IL-18 appears to differ between CD and UC, and serum IL-18 may be a useful clinical marker for CD.     

Aerosolized anticoagulants ameliorate acute lung injury in sheep after exposure to burn and smoke inhalation

OBJECTIVE: Acute lung injury is a detrimental complication for victims of burn accidents. Airway obstruction plays an important role in pulmonary dysfunction in these patients. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that aerosolized anticoagulants will reduce the degree of airway obstruction and improve pulmonary function in sheep with severe combined burn and smoke inhalation injury by preventing the formation of airway fibrin clots. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, controlled, experimental animal study. SETTING: Investigational intensive care unit at a university hospital. SUBJECTS: Adult female sheep. INTERVENTIONS: After 7 days of surgical recovery, sheep were given a cutaneous burn (40% of total body surface, third degree) and insufflated with cotton smoke (48 breaths, <40 degrees C) under halothane anesthesia. After injury, sheep were placed on ventilators and resuscitated with lactated Ringer's solution. Sheep were randomly divided into five groups: sham, noninjured and nontreated (n = 6); control, injured and aerosolized with saline (n = 6); recombinant human antithrombin (rhAT) + heparin, injured and aerosolized with rhAT (290 units for each) and heparin (10,000 units for each) (n = 6); rhAT, injured and aerosolized with rhAT alone (290 units for each; n = 5); and heparin, injured and aerosolized with heparin alone (10,000 units for each; n = 5). rhAT and heparin were aerosolized every 4 hrs, starting at 2 hrs postinjury. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Cardiopulmonary hemodynamics were monitored during a 48-hr experimental time period. Control sheep developed multiple signs of acute lung injury. This pathophysiology included decreased pulmonary gas exchange and lung compliance, increased pulmonary edema, and extensive airway obstruction. These variables were stable in sham animals. The aerosolization of rhAT or heparin alone did not significantly improve deteriorated pulmonary gas exchange. However, aerosolization of these anticoagulants in combination significantly attenuated all the observed pulmonary pathophysiology. CONCLUSIONS: The results provide definitive evidence that aerosolized rhAT and heparin in combination may be a novel treatment strategy for pulmonary pathology in burn victims with smoke inhalation injury.     

The relationship between usual coffee consumption and serum C-reactive protein level in a Japanese female population

BACKGROUND: Usual coffee consumption may decrease insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes incidence, and reduce cardiovascular disease risk. As a mechanism, coffee-induced lower levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker for the development of these diseases, can be considered. The associations between coffee consumption and CRP should be established by studies on various populations, yet studies in Japanese people, who do not necessarily consume as much coffee daily, are limited. METHODS: In total, 459 community-living Japanese women, aged 23-83 years, were investigated. Clinical data including age, body mass index, blood pressure, HbA(1c), serum high sensitive CRP (hsCRP) and lifestyle habits, such as coffee consumption, were included in the analyses. All analyses were performed in two groups of the population, i.e., age < 60 and > or = 60 years. RESULTS: Significantly lower levels of hsCRP were observed in the group of > or = 1 cup/day than in that of < 1 cup/day in the respective groups of < 60 years (p = 0.001) and > or = 60 years (p < 0.0001). In multiple regression analysis, coffee consumption was significantly, independently and inversely correlated to log-hsCRP in the respective groups of < 60 years (p = 0.017) and > or = 60 years (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: It was noteworthy that the benefits of coffee consumption, even if > or = 1 cup/day, on serum hsCRP levels were confirmed in Japanese women, following similarly to other ethnic data.     

Genotype–phenotype relationships in familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with FUS/TLS mutations in Japan

Introduction: We investigated possible genotype–phenotype correlations in Japanese patients with familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (FALS) carrying fused in sarcoma/translated in liposarcoma (FUS/TLS) gene mutations. Methods: A consecutive series of 111 Japanese FALS pedigrees were screened for copper/zinc superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) and FUS/TLS gene mutations. Clinical data, including onset age, onset site, disease duration, and extramotor symptoms, were collected. Results: Nine different FUS/TLS mutations were found in 12 pedigrees. Most of the patients with FUS/TLS‐linked FALS demonstrated early onset in the brainstem/upper cervical region, and relatively short disease duration. A few mutations exhibited phenotypes that were distinct from typical cases. Frontotemporal dementia was present in 1 patient. Conclusions: This study revealed a characteristic phenotype in FUS/TLS‐linked FALS patients in Japan. FUS/TLS screening is recommended in patients with FALS with this phenotype. Muscle Nerve 54 : 398–404, 2016     

Grasping-forceps-assisted endoscopic submucosal dissection using a novel irrigation cap-knife for large superficial early gastric cancer

The technique of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) needs special skills and involves a long procedure. We therefore developed a new type of dissection knife, the irrigation cap-knife (the Kume cap-knife attachment, which uses a fixed snare), that facilitates ESD by just sliding over the muscle layer with a coagulating current. The ESD procedure using the irrigation cap-knife was performed in seven patients with intramucosal gastric cancer. The tumor was separated from the surrounding normal mucosa using the insulated-tip knife. Submucosal dissection was then performed by pushing our device along the muscle layer while applying a coagulating current, at the same time as a grasping forceps, deployed through the accessory channel, was used to push the lesion away from the muscle layer. The rate of en bloc resection was 100% (7/7). The irrigating cap-knife was extremely useful for ESD of large intramucosal cancers in the stomach.