Pemetrexed plus platinum as second-line treatment for patients with pleural mesothelioma treated with nivolumab plus ipilimumab.

There is limited evidence regarding the second-line treatment for patients with unresectable, advanced, or metastatic pleural mesothelioma receiving first-line nivolumab plus ipilimumab combination immunotherapy. Although chemotherapy with pemetrexed and a platinum-based agent is empirically administered as the second-line treatment in clinical practice, its effect in patients after nivolumab plus ipilimumab remains unclear. Therefore, this retrospective observational study aimed to elucidate the efficacy of pemetrexed plus platinum therapy as a second-line treatment for pleural mesothelioma after first-line nivolumab-ipilimumab immunotherapy.

[Lung Volume Reduction Surgery for Severe Emphysema].

Lung volume reduction surgery( LVRS) is performed in patients with severe emphysema who do not respond to medical therapy. We report two cases of LVRS that resulted in favorable outcomes. We used a method in which the cyst wall is incised, the cyst base is covered with fibrin glue and polyglycolic acid (PGA) sheets, and the cyst wall is resected using an automatic suturing device.

Nocturnal baricitinib administration leads to rapid drug responses in rheumatoid arthritis: a multicenter non-randomized controlled study.

Background: Inflammatory cytokine levels exhibit a circadian rhythm in sera, peaking from late night to early morning in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This cytokine kinetics is a recognized therapeutic target. This clinical study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of night-time baricitinib administration based on cytokine secretion.

Oral health-related quality of life in Sjögren's disease patients with unstimulated whole salivary flows ≥0.1 ml/min for whom no therapeutic approaches are provided in the EULAR recommendations.

Objectives: To assess the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in Sjögren's disease (SjD) patients with unstimulated whole salivary flow (UWSF) ≥0.1 ml/min for whom no preferred therapeutic approaches are provided in the European League Against Rheumatism recommendations.

Methods: Thirty-four SjD patients and 23 controls were enrolled in this study.

Association of Baseline Serum Soluble Tumour Necrosis Factor Receptor Levels with the Response of Rheumatoid Arthritis to Janus Kinase Inhibitor Therapy.

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate whether cytokines associated with tumour necrosis factor- (TNF-) and interleukin- (IL-) 6 signalling could predict rheumatoid arthritis (RA) clinical remission (CR) with Janus kinase inhibitor (JAKinib) treatment using the Simplified Disease Activity Index (SDAI).

Methods: Eighty-nine patients with RA treated with JAKinibs were enrolled, and their clinical data were collected retrospectively. CR was defined as an SDAI ≤ 3.

Pedicled Omentoplasty for Treatment of Rheumatoid Nodule Pneumothorax: A Case Report.

 No consensus exists regarding surgical intervention for rheumatoid nodule-related pneumothorax. Clinical policy decisions rely on individual clinicians' experience and are usually intractable.  A 50-year-old man with a difficult-to-treat rheumatoid arthritis-related pneumothorax was successfully treated with pedicle omentoplasty without recurrence at approximately 2 years posttreatment.

[COMPONENT ANALYSIS OF THREE ANISAKIASIS ALLERGY CASES IN OUR DEPARTMENT].

Reactivity to an anisakis allergen component was examined in three patients with a history of an anisakiasis anaphylaxis. Case 1, a 38-year-old man, allergic symptoms appeared 0.5 hours after ingestion, and the component Ani s 1 and 3 were positive.

Involvement of YKL-40-positive macrophages commonly identified in polymyositis and dermatomyositis in the pathogenesis of myositis: a retrospective study.

YKL-40 is implicated in inflammation and tissue repair, but no reports have investigated its involvement in myositis in polymyositis (PM) and dermatomyositis (DM). Therefore, we aimed to investigate the relationship between YKL-40 and PM/DM. We retrospectively enrolled 35 patients diagnosed with PM/DM along with 26 healthy controls (HCs).

Effective application of indocyanine green for visualization of the thoracic duct during video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for chylothorax: a case report.

Background: Chylothorax is an accumulation of typically milky-appearing lymphatic fluid within the pleural cavity. High-output chylothorax may lead to a severe risk of death if not treated promptly. Several studies have reported the effectiveness of indocyanine green (ICG) for chylothorax following lung cancer surgery, esophagectomy, and congenital and recurrent idiopathic chylothorax.

Delayed iatrogenic diaphragmatic hernia after thoracoscopic resection of diaphragm lipoma.

Background: Iatrogenic diaphragmatic hernias have been reported as a rare complication of thoracic and abdominal surgery. We herein report a case of delayed iatrogenic left diaphragmatic hernia after diaphragm pedunculated lipoma resection with minimally invasive surgery.

Case Presentation: A 72-year-old Japanese man was found to have an abnormal shadow by medical checkup X-ray and was admitted to our hospital.

Tocilizumab suppresses NF-kappa B activation via toll-like receptor 9 signaling by reducing cell-free DNA in rheumatoid arthritis.

Endogenous DNA is released into the bloodstream as cell-free DNA (cfDNA) following cell death and is associated with various pathological conditions. However, their association with therapeutic drugs against rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remains unknown. Therefore, we investigated the significance of cfDNA in RA treated with tocilizumab and tumour necrosis factor inhibitor (TNF-I).

Thoracoscopic and laparoscopic approach for pleuroperitoneal communication under peritoneal dialysis: a report of four cases.

Background: Pleuroperitoneal communication (PPC) is a rare complication of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) and often forces patients to switch to hemodialysis. Some efficiencies of video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) for PPC have been reported recently; however, there is no standard approach for these complications. In this case series, we present a combined thoracoscopic and laparoscopic approach for PPC in four patients to better assess its feasibility and efficiency.

Serum B cell activating factor (BAFF) as a biomarker for induction of remission with rituximab in ANCA-associated vasculitis.

We examined whether serum B cell activating factor (BAFF) is useful for predicting the remission of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) following rituximab treatment. We used the Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score (BVAS) 2008 version 3 for the evaluation of 27 patients with AAV 6 months after rituximab treatment. Those with BVAS = 0 achieved remission, whereas those with BVAS score > 0 did not achieve remission.

Increased Circulating Cell-Free DNA in Eosinophilic Granulomatosis With Polyangiitis: Implications for Eosinophil Extracellular Traps and Immunothrombosis.

Background: Endogenous DNA derived from nuclei or mitochondria is released into the blood circulation as cell-free DNA (cfDNA) following cell damage or death. cfDNA is associated with various pathological conditions; however, its clinical significance in antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis (AAV) remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical significance of cfDNA in AAV.

Relationship between anti-acetylcholine receptor antibodies and the development of post-thymectomy myasthenia gravis in patients with thymoma: a single-center experience.

Background: Approximately 15-29.6% of patients with thymoma have myasthenia gravis (MG). Some of these patients develop MG after thymectomy despite having no history of MG or related symptoms.

Cell-Free DNA in Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Endogenous DNA derived from the nuclei or mitochondria is released into the bloodstream following cell damage or death. Extracellular DNA, called cell-free DNA (cfDNA), is associated with various pathological conditions. Recently, multiple aspects of cfDNA have been assessed, including cfDNA levels, integrity, methylation, and mutations.

Expressions of circadian clock genes represent disease activities of RA patients treated with biological DMARDs.

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is the autoimmune disease representing the circadian variations of symptoms such as morning stiffness of joints or increased production of cytokines around midnight. Clock genes have been reported to affect on the pathogenesis of RA, however, the detailed relation between clock genes and disease activities of RA has remained unclear. In this study, 15 RA patients treated with biological disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) were enrolled (TNF inhibitor, 5; IL-6 inhibitor, 5; CTLA4-IgG, 5).

Methotrexate upregulates circadian transcriptional factors PAR bZIP to induce apoptosis on rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts.

Background: Effects of methotrexate (MTX) on the proliferation of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) synovial fibroblasts are incompletely understood. We explored actions of MTX in view of circadian transcriptions of synovial fibroblasts.

Methods: Under treatment with MTX, expression of core circadian clock genes, circadian transcriptional factor proline and acidic amino acid-rich basic leucine zipper (PAR bZIP), and proapoptotic molecule Bcl-2 interacting killer (Bik) was examined by real-time polymerase chain reaction.

TNF-α induces expression of the circadian clock gene Bmal1 via dual calcium-dependent pathways in rheumatoid synovial cells.

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α is responsible for expressions of several clock genes and affects joint symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with diurnal fluctuation. We tried to determine the mechanism involved in over-expression of Bmal1, induced by TNF-α, in primary cultured rheumatoid synovial cells. Cells were incubated with intra-cellular Ca chelator BAPTA-AM, calcineurin inhibitor FK506 and p300/CBP (CREB binding protein) inhibitor C646, respectively, or transfected with p300 and CBP small interfering RNA (siRNA) before stimulation with TNF-α.

Circulating cell free DNA: a marker to predict the therapeutic response for biological DMARDs in rheumatoid arthritis.

Aim: To evaluate the correlation between circulating cell-free DNA (ccfDNA) in plasma and clinical disease activities in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Method: The study group included 30 patients with RA who started biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) therapy. The concentration of ccfDNA in plasma was measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction at baseline to 24 weeks in every 4-week period from 30 patients and 21 healthy individuals.

Involvement of the circadian rhythm and inflammatory cytokines in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis.

Among the symptoms of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), joint stiffness is influenced by diurnal rhythm and reaches peak in the morning, which is a common complaint and reflects the circadian nature of disease manifestation. In addition, inflammatory cytokines, which reach peak secretion early in the morning are major players causing the morning stiffness. In this review, we explore the link between the circadian clock and inflammation, focusing on the interactions of various clock genes with the immune-pathways underlying the pathology of rheumatoid arthritis.

Shorter disease duration is important for tocilizumab to achieve Boolean remission.

Objective: To determine the optimal conditions for inducing rheumatoid arthritis (RA) into disease remission by tocilizumab (TCZ), we analyzed the TCZ therapy carried out in our facility.

Method: The study group comprised 116 patients with RA who started TCZ therapy at Kobe University Hospital and Konan-Kakogawa Hospital. The clinical response to TCZ was evaluated by the 2011 Boolean definition and the disease activity score of 28 joints erythrocyte sedimentation rate 4 (DAS28-ESR4).

Fat accumulation in Caenorhabditis elegans is mediated by SREBP homolog SBP-1.

Research into the metabolism of fats may reveal potential targets for developing pharmaceutical approaches to obesity and related disorders. Such research may be limited, however, by the cost and time involved in using mammalian subjects or developing suitable cell lines. To determine whether invertebrates could be used to carry out such research more efficiently, we investigated the ability of Caenorhabditis elegans (C.