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Purpose Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a malignant neoplasm of the pleura caused by asbestos exposure. For diagnosis of MPM, immunohistochemistry using multiple markers is recommended to rule out differential diagnoses, such as pulmonary adenocarcinoma. However, the specificity of currently used markers is not fully satisfactory. We previously developed a monoclonal antibody named S1, which recognizes 6-sulfo sialyl Lewis x, an L-selectin ligand expressed on high endothelial venules. During the screening process, we discovered that this antibody stained normal pleural mesothelium. This finding prompted us to hypothesize that the epitope recognized by S1 might serve as a new diagnostic marker for MPM. Methods To test this hypothesis, we immunostained human MPM (n = 22) and lung adenocarcinoma (n = 25) tissues using S1 antibody. Results 77.3% of MPM were S1 positive, and if limited to epithelioid type, the positivity rate was 100%, while that of lung adenocarcinoma was only 36.0%. Statistical analysis revealed a significant difference in the S1 positivity rate between each disease. Furthermore, immunohistochemistry using a series of anti-carbohydrate antibodies combined with glycosidase digestion revealed the structure of sulfated glycans expressed in MPM to be 6-sulfo sialyl N-acetyllactosamine attached to core 2-branched O-glycans. Conclusion We propose that the S1 glycoepitope could serve as a new diagnostic marker for MPM., Author(s): Koki Nakashima [sup.1] [sup.2], Yasuhiro Sakai [sup.3], Hitomi Hoshino [sup.1], Yukihiro Umeda [sup.2], Hiroto Kawashima [sup.4], Yoshitaka Sekido [sup.5], Tamotsu Ishizuka [sup.2], Motohiro Kobayashi [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.163577.1, [...]

The lack of attractive n-type thermoelectric materials greatly restricts their applications because most high-performance materials are p-type conductors, such as the kesterite compound Cu2ZnSnS4. This study reports high-quality n-type kesterite (Cu1−xAgx)2ZnSnS4 (CAZTS) single crystals that exhibit a record high dimensionless figure of merit value of 1.1 at approximately 800 K, primarily owing to Ag alloying, cation compositional optimization, and intrinsic low thermal conductivity. An n-type CAZTS-based single-leg device was fabricated using a Mo-barrier layer. The device exhibited a thermoelectric conversion efficiency of 3.4% at a temperature gradient of 473 K. This study provides insights into developing thermoelectric modules using environmentally friendly kesterite materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Recent studies have suggested enhanced therapeutic effects of subsequent chemotherapy after immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) treatment, highlighting the importance of subsequent treatment selection. Nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel (nab-PTX) is commonly used in subsequent chemotherapies; however, its efficacy as a subsequent treatment after ICI treatment has not been reported. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the efficacy and safety of nab-PTX using two prospective studies that we previously reported. The first study evaluated the efficacy and safety of nab-PTX as a second-line treatment after the failure of the first-line cytotoxic chemotherapy, excluding ICI (study 1; n = 32), and the other as a subsequent treatment after failure of ICI treatment, regardless of treatment line (study 2; n = 29). Results: The objective response rate was significantly higher in study 2 {55.2% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 28.1–79.6)} than in study 1 (28.1% [95% CI: 13.7–46.7]) (p = 0.04). Although the disease control rate was slightly higher in study 2 (86.2% [95% CI: 65.9–97.0]) than in study 1 (71.9% [95% CI: 53.3–86.3]), there was no significant difference (p = 0.2). The median progression-free survival was significantly longer in study 2 than in study 1 (3.9 months [95% CI: 2.0–5.5] in study 1 vs. 5.6 months [95% CI: 3.0–12.8] in study 2; hazard ratio [HR]: 0.46 [95% CI: 0.27–0.81], p = 0.006). The median overall survival was slightly longer in study 2 despite the greater number of patients who received nab-PTX in late treatment line, but there was no significant difference between study 1 and study 2 (10.9 months [95% CI: 5.1–16.8] in study 1 vs. 11.9 months [95% CI: 7.6–24.8] in study 2; HR: 0.77 [95% CI: 0.46–1.31], p = 0.34). Safety profiles did not differ between the patients in studies 1 and 2. Conclusion: Nab-PTX monotherapy may be an effective subsequent treatment option after ICI treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although transbronchial diagnostic procedures are sometimes difficult to perform because of the patient's respiratory or general conditions, endoscopic ultrasound with bronchoscope-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-B-FNA), a known transesophageal diagnostic procedure, might be useful for such cases. We conducted this prospective three-center observational study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of EUS-B-FNA in suspected lung cancer patients with poor respiratory or general conditions. Methods: Patients with suspected lung cancer with respiratory failure, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 2 or higher, or severe respiratory symptoms, were enrolled. The primary endpoints were the diagnostic yield of lung cancer and its safety, and the secondary endpoints were the success rate of molecular and programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) analyses, and the 6-month survival rate in patients with lung cancer. Results: We enrolled 30 patients, of which 29 were included in the analysis. Among them, 26 were eventually diagnosed with lung cancer. The diagnostic yield for lung cancer was 100% (26/26). There were no adverse events associated with EUS-B-FNA requiring procedure discontinuation. The success rates of molecular analysis for EGFR, ALK, ROS-1, and BRAF were 100% (14/14), 100% (11/11), 100% (9/9), and 75% (6/8), respectively. The success rate of the PD-L1 analysis was 100% (15/15). The 6-month survival rate in patients with lung cancer was 53.8% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 33.4–76.4), and the median overall survival (OS) was 196 days (95% CI: 142–446). Conclusions: EUS-B-FNA is a safe and effective diagnostic method, even in patients with suspected lung cancer with poor respiratory or general conditions. Trial registration: This clinical trial was registered at https://www.umin.ac.jp/ctr/index.htm (UMIN000041235, approved on 28/07/2020). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/aim: The efficacy of cytotoxic chemo-therapy has been reported to improve after immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) administration. We previously conducted a multicenter prospective clinical study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel (nab-PTX) after ICI treatment. In that study, some patients showed a long-term response to nab-PTX, which is not usually observed with single-agent chemotherapy. The present study aimed to evaluate the clinical characteristics of these patients., Patients and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed updated data from 29 patients enrolled in our clinical study who received nab-PTX monotherapy after ICI treatment. We defined a "long-term responder" as a patient who achieved a 1-year progression-free survival (PFS)., Results: Among the 29 patients, 10 (34.5%) were long-term responders, two of whom achieved a 5-year PFS. A key difference between long-term and non-long-term responders was that the long-term responders had a significantly higher number of patients with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group-performance status of 0 (70.0% versus 10.5%; p=0.002). Furthermore, median cycles of previous ICIs and median treatment cycles were significantly higher in long-term responders than in non-long-term responders (8 cycles versus 3 cycles; p=0.03) (5.9 months versus 2.0 months; p=0.02). In the 10 long-term responders, six patients required at least a one-stage dose reduction owing to adverse events, and four patients required a two-stage dose reduction., Conclusion: Nab-PTX administration after ICI treatment may elicit a long-term response. A long-term response can be achieved even with a dose reduction due to adverse events., (Copyright © 2024 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.)

This is a long-term follow-up case report of a 71-year-old man with lung adenocarcinoma and choroidal metastasis harboring an epidermal growth factor receptor mutation. Blurry vision, caused by the choroidal metastasis, improved with first-line treatment with afatinib. Thereafter, osimertinib was administered as a second-line treatment, then chemotherapy containing pemetrexed plus bevacizumab as a third-line treatment. For 61 months, recurrence of choroidal metastasis was absent. Only a few reports of lung cancer with choroidal metastasis provide long-term follow-up of more than five years. Therefore, the clinical course of this patient may provide some insights for long-term management in such cases., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Nakashima et al.)

According to the current guidelines for acute pulmonary embolism in Japan, it is standard to perform surgical thrombectomy only after introducing percutaneous cardiopulmonary support (PCPS) for circulatory collapse. We experienced 2 cases of surgical thrombectomy without using PCPS. The 1st patient was a 49-year-old man. Computed tomography (CT) on admission revealed a thrombus in the main trunk of the pulmonary artery. He developed severe dyspnea and drop of consciousness after admission, and underwent emergency surgical thrombectomy. The 2nd patient was a 52-year-old man whose levels of consciousness and arterial oxygenation rapidly declined after admission. His CT revealed thrombi in the main trunk of the pulmonary artery, and he underwent emergency thrombectomy. Both patients had a history of diabetes and obesity. At our institute, we actively choose surgical thrombectomy for cases in which a thrombus is revealed in the main trunk of the pulmonary artery on CT and for cases in which abnormal symptoms and/or signs such as impaired consciousness and oxygenation develop.

It is reported that 20% of cardiac myxomas are located in the right atrium. An 81-year-old man presented with dyspnea, general fatigue and leg edema lasting for a year. Echocardiography revealed an 80 mm tumor occupying the right atrium and the right ventricle. At surgery, the tumor attached to the atrial septum was removed with the surrounding septal wall. As the tricuspid annulus was dilated, tricuspid annuloplasty with an artificial ring was also carried out. After coming off cardiopulmonary bypass, the patient developed pulmonary hypertension with the pulmonary arterial pressure being 80% of the systemic pressure, which subsided gradually day by day. Histopathological diagnosis was cardiac myxoma. Postoperative lung perfusion scintigraphy revealed postoperative multiple defects. It was considered that multiple tumor embolisms in the distal pulmonary artery caused postoperative pulmonary hypertension. Careful follow-up for remote recurrence would be essential.