Paraneoplastic neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder associated with malignant melanoma: A case report.

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSDs) are autoimmune demyelinating diseases involving the central nervous system, affecting the spinal cord and optic nerves. There are few reports of paraneoplastic NMOSD associated with malignant melanoma. Here, we report a rare case of anti-aquaporin 4 (AQP4) antibody-positive NMOSD associated with malignant melanoma. A 61-year-old Japanese woman was diagnosed with malignant melanoma and lung metastasis four years after a diagnosis of anti-AQP4 antibody-positive NMOSD. When diagnosing and treating patients with NMOSD, physicians should be aware of the development of malignancy for at least several years.

The overexpression of peroxiredoxin-4 affects the progression of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

BACKGROUND: Acute exacerbation of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (AE-IPF) is life-threatening. Several serum biomarkers, such as Krebs von den Lungen-6 (KL-6) and surfactant protein D (SP-D), are clinically used for evaluating AE-IPF, but these biomarkers are not adequate for establishing an early and accurate diagnosis of AE-IPF. Recently, the protective roles of the members of the peroxiredoxin (PRDX) family have been reported in IPF; however, the role of PRDX4 in AE-IPF is unclear. METHODS: Serum levels of PRDX4 protein, KL-6, SP-D and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in 51 patients with stable IPF (S-IPF), 38 patients with AE-IPF and 15 healthy volunteers were retrospectively assessed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Moreover, as an animal model of pulmonary fibrosis, wild-type (WT) and PRDX4-transgenic (Tg) mice were intratracheally administered with bleomycin (BLM, 2 mg/kg), and fibrotic and inflammatory changes in lungs were evaluated 3 weeks after the intratracheal administration. RESULTS: Serum levels of PRDX4 protein, KL-6, SP-D and LDH in patients with S-IPF and AE-IPF were significantly higher than those in healthy volunteers, and those in AE-IPF patients were the highest among the three groups. Using receiver operating characteristic curves, area under the curve values of serum PRDX4 protein, KL-6, SP-D, and LDH for detecting AE-IPF were 0.873, 0.698, 0.675, and 0.906, respectively. BLM-treated Tg mice demonstrated aggravated histopathological findings and poor prognosis compared with BLM-treated WT mice. Moreover, PRDX4 expression was observed in alveolar macrophages and lung epithelial cells of BLM-treated Tg mice. CONCLUSIONS: PRDX4 is associated with the aggravation of inflammatory changes and fibrosis in the pathogenesis of IPF, and serum PRDX4 may be useful in clinical practice of IPF patients.

[Factors Associated with Diagnostic Yield of Endobronchial Ultrasonography with a Guide Sheath for Peripheral Lung Cancer].

Endobronchial ultrasonography with a guide sheath (EBUS-GS) has recently been used for improved diagnostic yields for peripheral pulmonary lesions. This study retrospectively evaluated the factors related to the diagnostic yield of EBUS-GS for peripheral lung cancer. The medical records of 76 patients who had been diagnosed with lung cancer and had undergone bronchoscopy with EBUS-GS in our hospital between August 2014 and September 2015 were reviewed. The total diagnostic ratio of peripheral lung cancer was 71.1%. The following factors of the diagnostic yield were evaluated: location of pulmonary lesion; size; feature; bronchus sign; location of EBUS probe; EBUS detection; number of biopsies performed; procedure time; use of virtual bronchoscopic navigation; use of EBUS-guided transbronchial needle aspiration with EBUS-GS; CT slice thickness; operator's years of medical experience; and specialized training in bronchoscopy at the National Cancer Center. In all cases, lesion size ≧ 20 mm (80.8% vs. 50.0%, P = 0.006), EBUS probe location "within" (90.0% vs. 50.0%, P < 0.001), EBUS detection (80.7% vs. 28.6%, P < 0.001), number of biopsies ≧ 5 (78.0% vs. 47.1%, P = 0.013), and bronchoscopy training (81.6% vs. 60.5%, P = 0.043) significantly contributed to an increase in the diagnostic yield. Following a multivariate analysis, EBUS probe location "within" was found to be the most significant factor affecting the diagnostic yield (odds ratio 14.10, 95% CI 3.53-56.60, P < 0.001), and bronchoscopy training was the second most significant factor (odds ratio 6.93, 95% CI 1.86-25.80, P = 0.004). EBUS probe location "within" and bronchoscopy training are the most important factors for improved diagnostic yield by bronchoscopy with EBUS-GS for peripheral lung cancer.

[Efficacy and safety of levofloxacin in patients with nursing and healthcare-associated pneumonia].

Levofloxacin (LVFX) is one of respiratory quinolones with wide spectrum of antimicrobial efficacy for Gram-positive and -negative bacteria and also atypical bacteria, and 500 mg of intravenous LVFX infusion has recently been able to use once daily based on pharmacokinetics-pharmacodynamics in Japan. So far, there had been no reports of the prospective studies evaluating efficacy and safety of LVFX in patients with nursing and healthcare-associated pneumonia (NHCAP). This study was conducted to evaluate prospectively the efficacy and safety of LVFX in patients with NHCAP categories B and C (other antibacterial agents were allowed to use with LVFX) according to Japanese guideline for NHCAP by the Japanese Respiratory Society (JRS). LVFX 500 mg was intravenously administered once daily, and the clinical efficacy and safety were evaluated by clinical symptoms, peripheral blood laboratory findings and chest X-rays. Sixty-two patients (average age was 81.2 years old, female/male was 22/40) were firstly registered and evaluated for the safety of LVFX, and eventually 54 patients were enrolled for the evaluation of clinical efficacy of LVFX. The percentage of these 54 patients aged over 65 years old was 96.3%, NHCAP category B/C was 33/21. The efficacy of LVFX in all 54 patients evaluated was 85.2% (categories B/C of NHCAP was 81.8/90.5%). In addition, the efficacies of LVFX in each pneumonia severity category by A-DROP system by JRS in NHCAP patients were 100% in mild, 86.7% in moderate, 77.8% in severe/very severe. Nine patients (2 with liver dysfunction, 6 with renal dysfunction and 1 with thrombocytopenia) out of 62 patients were reported to have possible adverse effects of LVFX. All of the patients with liver and renal dysfunctions after starting LVFX administration demonstrated mild dysfunctions and continued LVFX treatment, and these dysfunctions normalized soon after cessation of LVFX. LVFX was changed to other antibacterial agent in one patient with thrombocytopenia, and also thrombocytopenia was normalized thereafter. In conclusion, LVFX is effective and relatively safe for categories B and C in patients with NHCAP.