Direct reprogramming of mouse fibroblasts into self-renewable alveolar epithelial-like cells.

Direct reprogramming is a breakthrough technology that can alter the fate of cells without the passage of stem cells. However, direct reprogramming of somatic cells into pulmonary alveolar epithelial cells has not yet been achieved. Here, we report the direct reprogramming of mouse tail tips and embryonic fibroblasts into induced pulmonary alveolar epithelial-like cells (iPULs) using four transcription factor-coding genes (Nkx2-1, Foxa1, Foxa2, and Gata6) and three-dimensional culture.

The relationship between long COVID, labor productivity, and socioeconomic losses in Japan: A cohort study.

Objectives: We examined shifts in labor productivity and their economic ramifications among adult patients with long COVID in Japan.

Methods: A total of 396 patients were categorized into three groups based on symptom progression: non-long COVID, long COVID recovered, and long COVID persistent. Patient-reported outcomes were assessed at three time intervals: 3, 6, and 12 months after COVID-19 diagnosis.

Sectm1a Depletion Promotes Neutrophil Recruitment during Pneumococcal Pneumonia.

Airway epithelial cells (AECs) play an essential role in the immune response during bacterial pneumonia. Secreted and transmembrane 1a (Sectm1a) is specifically expressed in AECs during early (SP) infection. However, its function remains largely unexplored.

Comparing minimum inhibitory concentrations of amikacin for pulmonary Mycobacterium avium complex disease: An analysis of culture media differences.

Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) is considered a paramount microbe, especially in East Asia, including Japan. The commonly used commercial Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MIC) assay using Middlebrook 7H9 (7H9) medium deviates from the latest Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. Alternatively, measurement with cation-adjusted Mueller-Hinton broth (CAMHB) that conforms to CLSI standards is not yet widely available.

Longitudinal significance of six-minute walk test in patients with nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease: an observational study.

Background: The long-term exercise tolerance changes in patients with nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease (NTM-PD) are of great interest because of its chronic course. This study aimed to characterize the associations between changes over time in six-minute walking test (6MWT) parameters and clinical parameters in patients with NTM-PD.

Methods: Overall, 188 patients with NTM-PD, visiting outpatient clinics at Keio University Hospital from April 2012 to March 2020 were included in the study.

Impact of upper and lower respiratory symptoms on COVID-19 outcomes: a multicenter retrospective cohort study.

Background: Respiratory symptoms are associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outcomes. However, the impacts of upper and lower respiratory symptoms on COVID-19 outcomes in the same population have not been compared. The objective of this study was to characterize upper and lower respiratory symptoms and compare their impacts on outcomes of hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

Effects of mild obesity on outcomes in Japanese patients with COVID-19: a nationwide consortium to investigate COVID-19 host genetics.

Background: Obesity is reported to be a risk factor for severe disease in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, there are no specific reports on the risk of severe disease according to body mass index (BMI) in Japan. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the effect of obesity stratified by BMI on the severity of COVID-19 in the general Japanese population.

Early-Phase Adverse Effects and Management of Liposomal Amikacin Inhalation for Refractory Complex Lung Disease in Real-World Settings.

Purpose: Amikacin liposome inhalation suspension (ALIS), which efficiently allows amikacin to reach the pulmonary periphery for effect while minimising systemic adverse effects, was recently approved for treating complex (MAC) infections. The international Phase 3 open-label clinical trials showed promising results, contributing to sputum culture conversion, but few studies have examined the efficacy and adverse effects of ALIS using real-world data. We identified the clinical outcome and adverse effects of ALIS in the early phase of treatment, for more effective and safe use in clinical practice.

U-shaped association between abnormal serum uric acid levels and COVID-19 severity: reports from the Japan COVID-19 Task Force.

Objectives: This study aimed to identify the relationship between abnormal serum uric acid levels or a history of hyperuricemia and COVID-19 severity in the Japanese population.

Methods: We included 1523 patients enrolled in the Japan COVID-19 Task Force cohort between February 2020 and May 2021. We compared the clinical characteristics, including co-morbidities, laboratory findings, and outcomes, particularly invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV), among patients with and without abnormal uric acid levels or a history of hyperuricemia.

Osteoporosis in nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Since nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease (NTM-PD) is common in middle-aged/elderly slender women at risk of osteoporosis, we hypothesized that NTM-PD could be associated with osteoporosis. The study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of osteoporosis in patients with NTM-PD compared with that in the general population and determine the factors associated with osteoporosis in the subjects, including the serum estradiol (E) and 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) levels.

Methods: We have recruited 228 consecutive adult patients with NTM-PD from a prospective cohort study at the Keio University Hospital, who had no history of osteoporosis or osteoporosis-associated bone fracture but underwent dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry-based bone mineral density (BMD) evaluation from August 2017-September 2019.

Laryngitis after inhalation of liposomal amikacin.

A 56-year-old woman with pulmonary complex disease was started on inhalation liposomal amikacin. One month later, she developed hoarseness and was diagnosed with laryngitis. The laryngitis healed immediately after treatment discontinuation, and no recurrence occurred even after resuming intermittent inhalation.

Clinical Characteristics of Patients with Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19): Preliminary Baseline Report of Japan COVID-19 Task Force, a Nationwide Consortium to Investigate Host Genetics of COVID-19.

Background And Design: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is having a devastating effect worldwide. Host genome differences between populations may influence the severity of COVID-19. The Japan COVID-19 Task Force is conducting host genome analysis of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 from more than 70 institutions nationwide in Japan.

Clinical Features and Prognosis of Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Pleuritis: A Multicenter Retrospective Study.

The clinical features and prognosis of nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) pleuritis and pleural effusion combined with NTM lung disease remain unclear. To investigate the clinical features and prognosis of NTM pleuritis. This retrospective observational study included patients with NTM pleuritis from January 2001 to June 2018 across eight hospitals in Japan.

Bendamustine increases interleukin-10 secretion from B cells via p38 MAP kinase activation.

We investigated the effects of bendamustine on B cell functions and explored potential clinical applications of the drugs to autoimmune diseases. Proliferation of Ramos cells, a human B cell line, was significantly inhibited by 25-100μM of bendamustine in a dose-dependent manner. Concordantly, IgM secretion from Ramos cells was significantly inhibited at these concentrations by up to 70%.