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Background and Objectives: Immune check inhibitor (ICI) colitis is one of most common and adverse side effects of ICI. However, there was no case report of ulcerative colitis (UC)-mimicking colitis after atezolizumab use in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) to our knowledge. Materials and Methods: We would like to introduce the case of a patient with Stage IV HCC who complained of abdominal pain, diarrhea and rectal bleeding after two cycles of atezolizumab/bevacizumab chemotherapy and was then diagnosed with UC-mimicking colitis. Results: Endoscopy revealed typical findings of UC, suggesting diagnosis of UC-mimicking colitis. The patient was treated with systemic steroids and oral mesalamine, which significantly improved his symptoms, which were also supported by endoscopic findings. The patient resumed chemotherapy with atezolizumab and bevacizumab without any interruption to the chemotherapy schedule. Conclusions: Early endoscopic evaluation is pivotal to diagnosing UC-mimicking colitis. If diagnosed, UC-based treatments such as steroids and mesalamine should be strongly considered. Given previous reports of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) flare-ups after immunotherapy, routine lower endoscopy, performed together with upper endoscopy before atezolizumab/bevacizumab therapy, is promising to patients.

Susanne Prothon,1 Ulrika Wählby Hamrén,1 Ulrika Tehler,2 Esther Yoon,3 Henrik Forsman,4 Cecilia Arfvidsson,5 Ajay Aggarwal,6 Yingxue Chen7 1Clinical Pharmacology, ADME, and AI, Clinical Pharmacology & Safety Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden; 2Early Product Development, Pharmaceutical Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden; 3Early Phase Clinical Unit, PAREXEL, Glendale, CA, USA; 4Research and Early Development, Respiratory, Inflammation and Autoimmune (RIA), BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden; 5Clinical Sample and Bioanalytical Science, Clinical Pharmacology & Safety Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden; 6Research and Early Development, Respiratory, Inflammation and Autoimmune (RIA), BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Boston, MA, USA; 7Clinical Pharmacology, ADME, and AI, Clinical Pharmacology & Safety Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Boston, MA, USACorrespondence: Susanne ProthonClinical Pharmacology, ADME, and AI, Clinical Pharmacology & Safety Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Pepparedsleden 1, Mölndal 431 83, SwedenEmail susanne.prothon@astrazeneca.comIntroduction: AZD7594 is a non-steroidal, selective, glucocorticoid receptor modulator (SGRM), currently in development for the treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. This paper reports a randomized placebo-controlled dose escalation study in healthy Japanese male subjects.Methods: Inhaled AZD7594 was administered as one single dose at day 1 (day 1–4), with subsequent multiple daily doses (day 5–16) via a multiple-dose dry powder inhaler for 12 days of once-daily treatment. At each dose level, subjects were randomized to AZD7594 (n=7) or placebo (n=2). The safety, pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) of AZD7594 were evaluated.Results: Inhaled AZD7594 was safe and well tolerated up to and including the highest dose 1600 μg tested. Plasma exposure suggested dose-proportional PK. The urinary excretion of AZD7594 was negligible (

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is a polymer widely used for fabrication and prototyping of microfluidic chips. The porous matrix structure of PDMS allows small hydrophobic molecules including some fluorescent dyes to be readily absorbed to PDMS and results in high fluorescent background signals, thereby significantly decreasing the optical detection sensitivity. This makes it challenging to accurately detect the fluorescent signals from samples using PDMS devices. Here, we have utilized polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) to inhibit absorption of hydrophobic small molecules on PDMS. Nile red was used to analyze the effectiveness of the inhibition and the absorbed fluorescence intensities for 3% and 6% PTFE coating (7.7 ± 1.0 and 6.6 ± 0.2) was twofold lower compared to 1% and 2% PTFE coating results (17.2 ± 0.5 and 15.4 ± 0.5). When compared to the control (55.3 ± 1.6), it was sevenfold lower in background fluorescent intensity. Furthermore, we validated the optimized PTFE coating condition using a PDMS bioreactor capable of locally stimulating cells during culture to quantitatively analyze the lipid production using Chlamydomonas reinhardtii CC-125. Three percent PTFE coating was selected as the optimal concentration as there was no significant difference between 3% and 6% PTFE coating. Intracellular lipid contents of the cells were successfully stained with Nile Red inside the bioreactor and 3% PTFE coating successfully minimized the background fluorescence noise, allowing strong optical lipid signal to be detected within the PDMS bioreactor comparable to that of off-chip, less than 1% difference.

Background and Objectives: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), which target immune checkpoints in cancer cells, are increasingly used as a mainstay in anticancer treatment. The combination of atezolizumab and bevacizumab is also a first-line treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, ICIs can cause immune-related adverse events (IrAEs) which range from mild to severe, potentially leading to the need for discontinuing immunotherapy. We report a case of a pneumothorax, a rare side effect caused by IrAEs. Materials and Methods: This paper reports a case of a 78-year-old male HCC patient who developed a recurrent pneumothorax, suspected to be an adverse effect of ICIs. Results: The patient was a current smoker with a 30 pack-year smoking history. Prior to initiating ICIs, a chest CT scan showed mild emphysema and fibrosis attributable to smoking. Following ICI treatment, the patient developed a recurrent pneumothorax. Further tests revealed no underlying cause for the pneumothorax other than the ICIs and smoking, and there were no signs of intrapulmonary metastasis or pneumonitis. Conclusions: When a pneumothorax occurs in a patient undergoing immunotherapy, it is important to consider it as a potential adverse effect of the treatment. Special attention should be given to the possibility that immunotherapy may exacerbate underlying lung conditions. Patients should be advised on the importance of smoking cessation. As there are currently no guidelines for resuming immunotherapy after a pneumothorax, it is crucial to weigh the risks and benefits and consider dose reduction or discontinuation of the medication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Immune check inhibitor (ICI) colitis is one of most common and adverse side effects of ICI. However, there was no case report of ulcerative colitis (UC)-mimicking colitis after atezolizumab use in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) to our knowledge. Materials and Methods: We would like to introduce the case of a patient with Stage IV HCC who complained of abdominal pain, diarrhea and rectal bleeding after two cycles of atezolizumab/bevacizumab chemotherapy and was then diagnosed with UC-mimicking colitis. Results: Endoscopy revealed typical findings of UC, suggesting diagnosis of UC-mimicking colitis. The patient was treated with systemic steroids and oral mesalamine, which significantly improved his symptoms, which were also supported by endoscopic findings. The patient resumed chemotherapy with atezolizumab and bevacizumab without any interruption to the chemotherapy schedule. Conclusions: Early endoscopic evaluation is pivotal to diagnosing UC-mimicking colitis. If diagnosed, UC-based treatments such as steroids and mesalamine should be strongly considered. Given previous reports of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) flare-ups after immunotherapy, routine lower endoscopy, performed together with upper endoscopy before atezolizumab/bevacizumab therapy, is promising to patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Lentibacillus species are gram variable aerobic bacteria that live primarily in halophilic environments. Previous reports have shown that bacteria belonging to this species are primarily isolated from salty environments or food. We isolated a bacterial strain CBA3610, identified as a novel species of the genus Lentibacillus, from a human fecal sample. In this report, the whole genome sequence of Lentibacillus sp. CBA3610 is presented, and genomic analyses are performed. Results Complete genome sequence of strain CBA3610 was obtained through PacBio RSII and Illumina HiSeq platforms. The size of genome is 4,035,571 bp and genes estimated to be 4714 coding DNA sequences and 64 tRNA and 17 rRNA were identified. The phylogenetic analysis confirmed that it belongs to the genus Lentibacillus. In addition, there were genes related to antibiotic resistance and virulence, and genes predicted as CRISPR and prophage were also identified. Genes related to osmotic stress were found according to the characteristics of halophilic bacterium. Genomic differences from other Lentibacillus species were also confirmed through comparative genomic analysis. Conclusions Strain CBA3610 is predicted to be a novel candidate species of Lentibacillus through phylogenetic analysis and comparative genomic analysis with other species in the same genus. This strain has antibiotic resistance gene and pathogenic genes. In future, the information derived from the results of several genomic analyses of this strain is thought to be helpful in identifying the relationship between halophilic bacteria and human gut microbiota.

Arsenic pollution is caused by industrial activities of human beings such as the mineral product manufacturing industry and metal industries. Arsenic pollution can cause nervous system and cardiovascular diseases in humans and destroy various water-based ecosystems. So far, different chemical analysis equipment is being utilized to carry out measurements of arsenic. However, conventional chemical analysis techniques are restricted by their needs for large or expensive equipment, which prevents convenient and rapid measurement. Here, we show that convenient measurements of arsenic can be conducted through the utilization of silica that has been modified with methylene blue molecules (MB-Silica). Several studies have reported that the interaction of methylene blue (MB) with arsenic in aqueous solution leads to color variations caused by oxidation-reduction reactions. Taking these alterations in colors into consideration, we have developed a convenient approach for arsenic detection by synthesizing MB-Silica. Furthermore, by varying the MB concentration during synthesis, arsenic ions can be detected with various concentration gradients, validating the feasibility of aqueous arsenic detection. Since the possibility of detecting arsenic using MB-silica, developed in this study, was successfully confirmed, it is anticipated that the MB-silica will be extensively used to detect arsenic in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]