A case of pulmonary pleomorphic carcinoma with preexisting interstitial pneumonia successfully treated with pembrolizumab

Pulmonary pleomorphic carcinoma is often refractory to chemotherapy and follows an aggressive clinical course. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized the treatment of advanced lung cancer, and a few cases with pleomorphic carcinoma have been reported to show tumor shrinkage after therapy with ICIs. When treating patients with ICIs, patient selection is essential, and monitoring and management of immune-related adverse events, including pneumonitis, are needed. We herein report a case of pulmonary pleomorphic carcinoma with preexisting interstitial pneumonia treated with pembrolizumab, antiprogrammed cell death 1 antibody. Our report highlights important considerations necessary when treating advanced pleomorphic carcinoma patients complicated with interstitial pneumonia. We also review the literature regarding the use of ICIs in such patients

Relationship between peripheral airway function and patient-reported outcomes in COPD: a cross-sectional study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Health status, dyspnea and psychological status are important clinical outcomes in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV₁) measured by spirometry, the standard measurement of airflow limitation, has only a weak relationship with these outcomes in COPD. Recently, in addition to spirometry, impulse oscillometry (IOS) measuring lung resistance (R) and reactance (X) is increasingly being used to assess pulmonary functional impairment.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We aimed to identify relationships between IOS measurements and patient-reported outcomes in 65 outpatients with stable COPD. We performed pulmonary function testing, IOS, high-resolution computed tomography (CT), and assessment of health status using the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), dyspnea using the Medical Research Council (MRC) scale and psychological status using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). We then investigated the relationships between these parameters. For the IOS measurements, we used lung resistance at 5 and 20 Hz (R5 and R20, respectively) and reactance at 5 Hz (X5). Because R5 and R20 are regarded as reflecting total and proximal airway resistance, respectively, the fall in resistance from R5 to R20 (R5-R20) was used as a surrogate for the resistance of peripheral airways. X5 was also considered to represent peripheral airway abnormalities.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>R5-R20 and X5 were significantly correlated with the SGRQ and the MRC. These correlation coefficients were greater than when using other objective measurements of pulmonary function, R20 on the IOS and CT instead of R5-R20 and X5. Multiple regression analyses showed that R5-R20 or X5 most significantly accounted for the SGRQ and MRC scores.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>IOS measurements, especially indices of peripheral airway function, are significantly correlated with health status and dyspnea in patients with COPD. Therefore, in addition to its simplicity and non-invasiveness, IOS may be a useful clinical tool not only for detecting pulmonary functional impairment, but also to some extent at least estimating the patient's quality of daily life and well-being.</p

VERTECS: 6U CubeSat Mission to Study Star-Formation History by Observation of Visible Extragalactic Background Light

We describe an astronomical 6U CubeSat mission VERTECS (Visible Extragalactic background RadiaTion Exploration by CubeSat). The scientific purpose of VERTECS is to reveal star-formation history of the universe by observation of the extragalactic background light (EBL) in visible wavelengths. Earlier observations by sounding rockets and infrared astronomical satellites have shown that the near-infrared EBL is several times brighter than the integrated light of known galaxies. As candidates for the excess light, first-generation stars in the early universe or low-redshift intra-halo light have been proposed, but it has not been concluded. Since these objects are expected to show different emission spectra in visible wavelengths, precise visible observation is important to reveal the origin of excess light. Since detection sensitivity of the EBL is determined by the product of telescope aperture and field of view, a small wide-field telescope system enables the EBL observation with high sensitivity. In VERTECS mission, we develop a 6U CubeSat equipped with a 3U size telescope optimized for observation of visible EBL. The telescope is composed of lens optics and a CMOS sensor of 3k times 3k array format, which is designed to observe the sky in four photometric bands in 400-800nm. The satellite bus is composed of on-board computer (OBC), electric power system (EPS), communication (COM), attitude determination and control system (ACDS), and thermal structure. Design of OBC and EPS is based on heritage of CubeSats developed at Kyushu Institute of Technology, but deployable solar array wings is added to EPS to supply sufficient power to the VERTECS subsystems. In COM system, S-band is used for command uplink and X-band is used for high-speed downlink of large-size images captured by the telescope. Since the EBL measurement need discrimination of the background light from discrete foreground stars, VERTECS requires 10 arcseconds pointing stability (1 sigma) over 1 minute exposure. In 2022, VERTECS was selected for JAXA-Small Satellite Rush Program (JAXA-SMASH Program), a new program that encourages universities, private companies and JAXA to collaborate to realize small satellite missions utilizing commercial small launch opportunities, and to diversify transportation services in Japan. We have been working on functionality and interface teast using Bread Board Model (BBM), and enviroonmental tests by using the satellite structure thermal model. Launch of the satellite is planned in FY2025. We aim at developing the satellite and obtaining scientific results much more quickly than recent large astronomical-satellite missions

Georg Heym in Selbstdarstellung und literarischer Überlieferung : über die Künstlerinszenierung im Frühexpressionismus

Der literarische Expressionismus entwickelte vielfältige Formen biographischer Darstellungen. Innerhalb dieses speziellen Gattungsbereichs ist die Vielzahl von Texten über den Berliner Frühexpressionisten Georg Heym besonders auffällig. Seine Freunde, vor allem aus dem Umkreis des "Neuen Clubs", erzählten - auch mehrere Jahrzehnte nach seinem Tod im Januar 1912 - immer wieder von ihm. Beweist dies jene dämonische Anziehungskraft eines Genies, die etwa Friedrich Schulze-Maizier in seinem Heym-Essay beschwor? Eine andere Deutung scheint mir möglich zu sein: Wie einige neuere literatursoziologisch fundierte Studien beleuchtet haben, brauchte der Expressionismus als eine subkulturelle Bewegung eine "alternative Absicherung in Anschluss an Organisationen oder individuelle Leitbilder", um sich vom herkömmlichen, repräsentativen Kunstsystem abzugrenzen. Die emsige und nachhaltige Erzähltätigkeit der Autoren des "Neuen Clubs" in Bezug auf Heym erscheint vor diesem Hintergrund als Bemühung um ein 'Leitbild', auf das diese Künstlergruppe ihre kollektive Identität begründen kann. Folglich ist die aus jenem frühexpressionistischen Literaturkreis überlieferte Figur von Heym in hohem Maß eine symbolische bzw. programmatisch inszenierte