A case of the usage of entecavir to prevent hepatitis B virus reactivation during chemotherapy in breast cancer patient

Hepatitis B virus(HBV)reactivation is a serious clinical problem for HBV infected patients, and one of its possible causes is chemotherapy for malignant disease. At the onset of active hepatitis, planned chemotherapy should be discontinued and acute or fetal fulminant hepatitis must be induced in some cases. Therefore, it is desirable to prevent virus reactivation during chemotherapy in HBV-positive patients. We report a case in which adjuvant chemotherapy for a breast cancer patient was accomplished safely by using entecavir. The patient was a 48-year-old woman with breast cancer whose HBV infection had been pointed out when she was 20 years old. Breast reconstruction was performed, followed by mastectomy. Pathological findings were invasive ductal carcinoma, three positive nodes, estrogen and progesterone receptor-positive, and HER2-negative. An adjuvant chemotherapy with anthracycline followed by taxane was planned. Blood chemistry revealed the seroconversion of HBV and the quantity of HBV-DNA was 2. 8 log copies/mL. Administration of the anti-virus agent, entecavir, was started three weeks before chemotherapy. The HBV-DNA was decreased under the titer of detection and no re-increase in HBV-DNA was found during chemotherapy. Planned chemotherapy was accomplished safely without HBV reactivation.     

Is home palliative care for head and neck cancer patients a possibility ?

It is likely that home palliative care for head and neck cancer patients could be treatable at general hospitals or clinics whereas combined joint efforts by medical cooperation from specialists, who are specialized in understanding of the singularity and how to cope with the symptoms, are existed.     

A long-term survival case in Jehovah 's witness with simultaneous liver metastases of colon cancer by synchronous liver resection followed by a successful size reduction with chemotherapy

A bloodless surgery was required in the case of simultaneous liver metastases of colon cancer, one of which invaded at the confluence of left hepatic vein and inferior vena cava. In order to assure the safety and curability, hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy aiming to size reduction was preceded to synchronous liver resection for a 53-year-old Jehovah's witness male. After gaining the reduction of tumor, synchronous liver resection was safely performed under a hemodilutional autotransfusion. The patient has been alive for 6 years under the withdrawal from chemotherapy.     

Immunogenic enhancement and clinical effect by type-I interferon of anti-apoptotic protein, survivin-derived peptide vaccine, in advanced colorectal cancer patients

We previously identified a human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A24-restricted antigenic peptide, survivin-2B80-88, recognized by CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). Subsequently, we attempted clinical trials with this epitope peptide alone for some malignancies, resulting in clinical and immunological responses, although their potential was not strong enough for routine clinical use as a cancer vaccine. In the current study, to assess whether immunogenicity of the survivin-2B80-88 peptide could be enhanced with other vaccination protocols, we performed clinical trials in advanced colon cancer patients with two vaccination protocols: (i) survivin-2B80-88 plus incomplete Freund's adjuvant (IFA); and (ii) survivin-2B80-88 plus IFA and a type-I interferon (IFN), IFNα. Our data clearly indicated that, although the effect of survivin-2B80-88 plus IFA was not significantly different from that with survivin-2B80-88 alone, treatment with the vaccination protocol of survivin-2B80-88 plus IFA and IFNα resulted in clinical improvement and enhanced immunological responses of patients. Tetramer analysis of survivin-2B80-88 peptide-specific CTL demonstrated that such CTL were increased at least twofold after vaccination with this protocol in four of eight patients. In these patients, enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot (ELISPOT) results were also enhanced. Subsequent study of single-cell clone separation by cell sorting of peptide-specific CTL showed that each CTL clone was indeed not only peptide-specific but also cytotoxic against human cancer cells in the context of the expression of both HLA-A24 and survivin molecules. Taken together, these results indicate that vaccination of colon cancer patients with survivin-2B80-88 plus IFA and IFNα can be considered to be a very potent immunotherapeutic regimen, and that this protocol might work for other cancers.     

The GPCR modulator protein RAMP2 is essential for angiogenesis and vascular integrity

Adrenomedullin (AM) is a peptide involved both in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases and in circulatory homeostasis. The high-affinity AM receptor is composed of receptor activity-modifying protein 2 or 3 (RAMP2 or -3) and the GPCR calcitonin receptor-like receptor. Testing our hypothesis that RAMP2 is a key determinant of the effects of AM on the vasculature, we generated and analyzed mice lacking RAMP2. Similar to AM-/- embryos, RAMP2-/- embryos died in utero at midgestation due to vascular fragility that led to severe edema and hemorrhage. Vascular ECs in RAMP2-/- embryos were severely deformed and detached from the basement membrane. In addition, the abnormally thin arterial walls of these mice had a severe disruption of their typically multilayer structure. Expression of tight junction, adherence junction, and basement membrane molecules by ECs was diminished in RAMP2-/- embryos, leading to paracellular leakage and likely contributing to the severe edema observed. In adult RAMP2+/- mice, reduced RAMP2 expression led to vascular hyperpermeability and impaired neovascularization. Conversely, ECs overexpressing RAMP2 had enhanced capillary formation, firmer tight junctions, and reduced vascular permeability. Our findings in human cells and in mice demonstrate that RAMP2 is a key determinant of the effects of AM on the vasculature and is essential for angiogenesis and vascular integrity.     

Intra-articular injection of hyaluronan diminishes loss of chondrocytes in a rat immobilized-knee model

Joint immobilization is a useful and common treatment modality in orthopedics. However, it also causes unfavorable outcome such as articular cartilage degeneration. Intra-articular injection of hyaluronan has been accepted as a treatment of osteoarthritis, but its effects on immobilized joint remain to be clarified. Hyaluronan is a polysaccharide, distributed ubiquitously in various tissues. In this study, we examined the effect of hyaluronan on the articular cartilage in immobilized joints. The unilateral knee joints of adult male rats were immobilized at 150 degrees in flexion with an internal plate and screws for 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, or 16 weeks (n = 84). Hyaluronan or saline (50 microl/each injection) was administered intra-articularly on the day of surgery and once a week. The articular cartilage from the medial midcondylar region of the knee was obtained, and divided into non-contact, contact and transitional areas (between the non-contact and the contact areas). In each area, a degree of degeneration was evaluated by histomorphometric grading, and measurements of thickness and number of chondrocytes. Histological grading scores in the hyaluronan group were smaller at 12 and 16 weeks compared with those in the saline group. The thickness of the articular cartilage increased in the transitional area in both groups. The number of chondrocytes in the contact and transitional areas gradually decreased, but their number in the hyaluronan group was greater at 12 and 16 weeks compared with that in the saline group. Hyaluronan showed chondroprotective effects on the articular cartilage in a rat immobilized-knee model.