Order-to-disorder structural transformation of a coordination polymer and its influence on proton conduction.

Accepted 14 Jul 2014.We observed an ordered-to-disordered structural transformation in a Cu(2+) coordination polymer and investigated its influence on the proton conductivity. The transformation generated highly mobile proton carriers in the structure. The resulting material exhibited a conductivity greater than 10(-2) S cm(-1) at 130 °C. The structural transformation and the conduction mechanism were investigated by EXAFS, TPD-MS and NMR

Severe esophagitis directly induced by accumulation of crizotinib-residue at the esophageal mucosa proven with polarizing microscope examination

Crizotinib demonstrates dramatic effects for the patients with echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like 4 (EML4)-anaplastic lymphoma kinase gene (ALK) fusion or c-ros oncogene 1 (ROS-1) fusion-positive lung cancer, with some characteristic toxicities. Although several studies reported that serious esophagitis was induced by crizotinib, the detailed mechanisms and ways to ameliorate the esophagitis have not been clarified. In this report, we report two cases with lung cancer who had been treated with crizotinib and developed severe esophagitis. Polarizing microscope examination clearly revealed that the accumulation of crizotinib-residue in the esophageal biopsy samples at the second anatomical narrowing of the esophagus in both cases. Since it seemed that the accumulation of crizotinib-residue in the esophageal mucosa directly caused the esophageal inflammation, we recommended taking crizotinib with a large amount of water (more than 200 ml) and to stay sitting upright for 30 minutes after intake. After that, the esophagitis gradually improved and the patients could continue taking crizotinib without dose reduction or withdrawal. Our experiences suggest that this crizotinib-induced esophagitis could be easily prevented by proper administration of crizotinib

Real-World Incidence of Febrile Neutropenia among Patients Treated with Single-Agent Amrubicin: Necessity of the Primary Prophylactic Administration of Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor

Background: Single-agent amrubicin chemotherapy is a key regimen, especially for small cell lung cancer (SCLC); however, it can cause severe myelosuppression. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the real-world incidence of febrile neutropenia (FN) among patients treated with single-agent amrubicin chemotherapy for thoracic malignancies. Patients and methods: The medical records of consecutive patients with thoracic malignancies, including SCLC and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), who were treated with single-agent amrubicin chemotherapy in cycle 1 between January 2010 and March 2020, were retrospectively analyzed. Results: One hundred and fifty-six patients from four institutions were enrolled. Their characteristics were as follows: median age (range): 68 (32–86); male/female: 126/30; performance status (0/1/2): 9/108/39; SCLC/NSCLC/others: 111/30/15; and prior treatment (0/1/2/3-): 1/96/31/28. One hundred and thirty-four (86%) and 97 (62%) patients experienced grade 3/4 and grade 4 neutropenia, respectively. One hundred and twelve patients (72%) required therapeutic G-CSF treatment, and 47 (30%) developed FN. Prophylactic PEG-G-CSF was not used in cycle 1 in any case. The median overall survival of the patients with FN was significantly shorter than that of the patients without FN (7.2 vs. 10.0 months, p = 0.025). Conclusions: The real-world incidence rate of FN among patients with thoracic malignancies that were treated with single-agent amrubicin chemotherapy was 30%. It is suggested that prophylactic G-CSF should be administered during the practical use of single-agent amrubicin chemotherapy for patients who have already received chemotherapy

フクシ キョウイク キャンプ ニ オケル キャンプ デノ セイカツ タイケン ガクシュウ ガ キャンプ ノ イメージ ニ オヨボス エイキョウ

本研究では、浦和大学短期大学部学生(117名)を対象とした、福祉教育キャンプにおけるキャンプでの生活体験学習がキャンブのイメージに及ぼす影響について検討した。実習前と比較して、実習後の刺激語(キャンプ)に対する反応語数は有意に増加した。実習前後の一般的な反応語は、テント、山、川およびキャンプファイヤー等であった。反応語の分類では、実習後に感情型、要素型、環境型が減少傾向を示した。一方、社交型(例えば、友達、友情、協力、笑顔など)は実習後有意に増加した。A study was carried out to examine the effects of welfare education camp on the image of camping in Urawa University Junior College students (n=117). The number of reactive words to the stimulus word (camp) in the post-camp significantly increased compared with the pre-camp. In the pre- and post-camp, common reactive words were the tent, the mountain, the river, and the campfire, etc. In the classification reaction words, the feelings type, the element type and the environmental type showed the decreasing tendency after practicing camping. On the other hand, the sociality type (for example, friend and friendship, cooperation, and smile, etc.) significantly increased in the post-camp

Three distinct mechanisms underlying human γδ T cell-mediated cytotoxicity against malignant pleural mesothelioma

IntroductionMalignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare and highly aggressive thoracic tumor with poor prognosis and limited therapeutic options. Although immune checkpoint inhibitors exhibit a promising effect in some patients with unresectable MPM in clinical trials, the majority of MPM patients show only modest response rates to the currently available treatments. It is thus imperative to develop novel and innovative therapeutic modalities for MPM, including immune effector cell-based therapies.Methodsγδ T cells were expanded using tetrakis-pivaloyloxymethyl 2-(thiazole-2-ylamino) ethylidene-1,1-bisphosphonate (PTA) and interleukin-2, and the therapeutic potential of γδ T cells was examined through analyzing cell surface markers and cellular cytotoxicity against MPM in vitro using a europium chelate-based time-resolved fluorescence assay system and a luciferase-based luminescence assay system.Results and discussionWe successfully expanded γδ T cells from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of healthy donors and MPM patients. γδ T cells expressed natural killer receptors such as NKG2D and DNAM-1 and exhibited a moderate level of cytotoxicity to MPM cells in the absence of antigens. The inclusion of PTA, (E)-4-hydroxy-3- methylbut-2-enyl diphosphate (HMBPP) or zoledronic acid (ZOL) induced a TCR-dependent cytotoxicity in γδ T cells and secreted interferon-γ (IFN-γ). In addition, γδ T cells expressing CD16 exhibited a significant level of cytotoxicity against MPM cells in the presence of an anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mAb, at lower concentrations than in clinical settings, whereas a detectable level of IFN-γ was not produced. Taken together, γδ T cells showed cytotoxic activity against MPM in three distinct mechanisms through NK receptors, TCRs and CD16. Since major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules are not involved in the recognition, both autologous and allogeneic γδ T cells could be used for the development of γδ T cell-based adoptive immunotherapy for MPM

Alleviation of lipopolysaccharide/d-galactosamine-induced liver injury in leukocyte cell-derived chemotaxin 2 deficient mice

Leukocyte cell-derived chemotaxin 2 (LECT2) is a secreted pleiotropic protein that is mainly produced by the liver. We have previously shown that LECT2 plays an important role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory liver diseases. Lipopolysaccharide/d-galactosamine (LPS/d-GalN)-induced acute liver injury is a known animal model of fulminant hepatic failure. Here we found that this hepatic injury was alleviated in LECT2-deficient mice. The levels of TNF-α and IFN-γ, which mediate this hepatitis, had significantly decreased in these mice, with the decrease in IFN-γ production notably greater than that in TNF-α. We therefore analyzed IFN-γ-producing cells in liver mononuclear cells. Flow cytometric analysis showed significantly reduced IFN-γ production in hepatic NK and NKT cells in LECT2-deficient mice compared with in wild-type mice. We also demonstrated a decrease in IFN-γ production in LECT2-deficient mice after systemic administration of recombinant IL-12, which is known to induce IFN-γ in NK and NKT cells. These results indicate that a decrease of IFN-γ production in NK and NKT cells was involved in the alleviation of LPS/d-GalN-induced liver injury in LECT2-deficient mice