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More than 40% of Japanese patients with multiple myeloma (MM) are over 75 years of age at diagnosis. Regardless of the treatment benefits, complications and relapses obstruct long-term survival. We conducted a phase II, open-label, single-arm, multicenter clinical trial to assess the efficacy and safety of alternating bortezomib-dexamethasone (Bd) and lenalidomide-dexamethasone (Ld) (Bd/Ld) treatment in MM patients aged over 75 years (MARBLE trial). Patients received Bd therapy from days 1 to 35 and Ld therapy from days 36 to 63. For Bd therapy, patients were administered bortezomib 1.3 mg/m2 and oral dexamethasone 20 mg on days 1, 8, 15, and 22. For Ld therapy, they were administered lenalidomide 15 mg from days 36 to 56 and dexamethasone 10 mg on days 36, 43, 50, and 57. They underwent six treatment cycles in total, each consisting of a 63-day regimen. In total, 10 patients were enrolled, with a median age of 81 years. Efficacy was not evaluated because the patients were fewer than planned. The overall response rate was 80.0% and complete response rate 40.0%. Seventy percent of patients completed the study treatment. Progression-free survival and overall survival at 2 years were 40.0% and 80.0%, respectively. Adverse events of grade 3 or higher, including anemia, decreased lymphocyte count, neutropenia, and hypokalemia, were observed in eight patients. Alternating chemotherapy with Bd/Ld might be feasible, but its efficacy should be verified further., This is an Open Access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. To view the details of this license, please visit (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Rationale: We present the first case of a patient with severe aortic stenosis who developed anaphylactic shock and was successfully treated with adrenaline and landiolol, a highly selective β1-receptor blocker, to prevent disruption of the myocardial oxygen supply–demand balance caused by tachycardia. Patient concerns: An 86-year-old woman was scheduled for simultaneous anterior–posterior fixation for a burst fracture of the 12th thoracic vertebra; 200 mg sugammadex, a neuromuscular blocking agent antagonist, was administered postoperatively, and she was extubated without complications. However, 6 min after extubation, her blood pressure decreased abruptly to 55/29 mm Hg, and her heart rate increased to 78 bpm. Then, we intervened with fluid loading, an increased dose of noradrenaline, and phenylephrine administration. However, her blood pressure did not increase. Diagnoses: A general observation revealed urticaria on the lower leg; thus, we suspected anaphylactic shock due to sugammadex administration. Interventions: We carefully administered 2 doses of 0.05 mg adrenaline and simultaneously administered landiolol at 60 μg/kg/min to suppress adrenaline-induced tachycardia. Adrenaline administration resulted in a rapid increase in blood pressure to 103/66 mm Hg and a maximum heart rate of 100 bpm, suppressing excessive tachycardia. Outcomes: The patient's general condition was stable after the intervention, and circulatory agonists could be discontinued the following day. She was discharged from the intensive care unit on the fourth postoperative day. Lessons: Landiolol may help control the heart rate of patients with aortic stenosis and anaphylactic shock. The combined use of landiolol and adrenaline may improve patient outcomes; however, their efficacy and risks must be evaluated by studying additional cases.

Alignment of the deduced amino acid sequences of the full-length B2L gene. Amino acids identical to the pseudocowpox virus strain YG2828 at given positions are represented by dots. (PPTX 73Â kb)

Analysis was made of the α-Galactosidase A gene from two patients with Fabry disease using PCR-SSCP (Single Strand Conformation Polymorphism) analysis followed by direct nucleotide sequence analysis. Through PCR-SSCP analysis, we found that the patients' PCR products derived from the exon 7 gave aberrantly moving patterns. Direct nucleotide sequence analysis disclosed two new, previously undescribed point mutations in exon 7. One hemizygote had an A-to-C transition at codon 410 in exon 7 which substituted proline (CCA) for threonine codon (ACA). Another unrelated hemizygote had another different point mutation in exon 7. It showed T-to-C and C-to-T transitions at codon 388 substituting proline (CCT) for leucine codon (CTC). The former mutation was also found in another male member of the patient's family, and his daughter was heterozygous for this mutation. The present findings also indicate heterogeneities of molecular lesions in that there are few common mutations in Fabry disease.