Chemoradiotherapy with 3-weekly CDDP 80 mg/m2 for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: 5-year survival data from a phase 2 study

ObjectiveThe global standard for chemoradiation therapy (CCRT) for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma is cisplatin 100 mg/m2 administered once every three weeks, although cisplatin 80 mg/m2 is also widely used as an alternative treatment to reduce adverse events in Japan. We aimed to assess the long-term survival outcomes and late adverse events associated with CCRT with a 3-weekly cisplatin dose of 80 mg/m2.MethodsA phase 2 study on CCRT with a 3-weekly cisplatin dose of 80 mg/m2 was performed in 47 patients between April 2015 and December 2016 at four centers in Japan. Survival outcomes and late adverse events at 5 years after this phase 2 trial were investigated.ResultsThe median follow-up period was 61 months. The 5-year progression-free survival/overall survival of all 47 patients was 66.0%/76.6%, while that of patients with stage III, IV disease (UICC) was 65.6%/71.9%. Seventeen patients (36%) experienced dysphagia as a late adverse event. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed a significant association between acute mucositis/low body mass index (BMI) during CCRT and late dysphagia.ConclusionThe survival outcomes of CCRT with a 3-weekly cisplatin dose of 80 mg/m2 may be comparable to the previously reported dose of 100 mg/m2. Acute mucositis and low BMI at CCRT were risk factors for late dysphagia, indicating the importance of managing these conditions during CCRT to prevent late adverse events. Caution and care for acute mucositis and swallowing training in patients with low BMI may be important for preventing late-stage dysphagia

Synthesis, Structure, and Characterization of In10-Containing Open-Wells–Dawson Polyoxometalate

We have successfully synthesized K17{[{KIn2(μ-OH)2}(α,α-Si2W18O66)]2[In6(μ-OH)13(H2O)8]}·35H2O (potassium salt of In10-open), an open-Wells–Dawson polyoxometalate (POM) containing ten indium metal atoms. This novel compound was characterized by X-ray crystallography, 29Si NMR, FTIR, complete elemental analysis, and TG/DTA. X-ray crystallography results for {[{KIn2(μ-OH)2}(α,α-Si2W18O66)]2[In6(μ-OH)13(H2O)8]}17− (In10-open) revealed two open-Wells–Dawson units containing two In3+ ions and a K+ ion, [{KIn2(μ-OH)2}(α,α-Si2W18O66)]11−, connected by an In6-hydroxide cluster moiety, [In6(μ-OH)13(H2O)8]5+. In10-open is the first example of an open-Wells–Dawson POM containing a fifth-period element. Moreover, to the best of our knowledge, it exhibits the highest nuclearity among the indium-containing POMs reported to date

Changes in the function and phenotype of resident peritoneal macrophages after housing in an enriched environment.

Exposure to an enriched environment (EE) affects not only brain functions but also immune responses upon viral or bacterial infections. In this study, we examined changes in the phagocytic response and chemokine production of resident peritoneal macrophages after mice had been housed under EE conditions for 6 or 8 weeks, and then explored the possibility that EE could cause a change in the macrophage phenotype by means of flow cytometry as well as quantitative RT-PCR. The percentages of EE macrophages phagocytosing S. aureus and apoptotic neutrophils were significantly larger than those of standard environment (SE) macrophages. After coculturing with S. aureus, EE macrophages tended to produce greater amounts of chemokines such as MIP-2, KC and MCP-1 than SE ones, although the increases for MIP-2 and KC were not statistically significant. As compared with SE macrophages, EE macrophages included more CD40-positive cells (M1 marker), and expressed more mRNAs of IL-6 (M1 marker) and IRF4 (M2 marker), and less mRNA of CD38 (M1 marker), suggesting either the possibility that EE macrophages are a mixed population of M1 and M2 macrophages or the possibility that they are a unique population with a mixed M1 and M2 macrophage phenotype