H3K4me3 interactions with TAF3 regulate preinitiation complex assembly and selective gene activation.

Histone modifications regulate chromatin-dependent processes, yet the mechanisms by which they contribute to specific outcomes remain unclear. H3K4me3 is a prominent histone mark that is associated with active genes and promotes transcription through interactions with effector proteins that include initiation factor TFIID. We demonstrate that H3K4me3-TAF3 interactions direct global TFIID recruitment to active genes, some of which are p53 targets. Further analyses show that (1) H3K4me3 enhances p53-dependent transcription by stimulating preinitiation complex (PIC) formation; (2) H3K4me3, through TAF3 interactions, can act either independently or cooperatively with the TATA box to direct PIC formation and transcription; and (3) H3K4me3-TAF3/TFIID interactions regulate gene-selective functions of p53 in response to genotoxic stress. Our findings indicate a mechanism by which H3K4me3 directs PIC assembly for the rapid induction of specific p53 target genes.

The SYP123-VAMP727 SNARE complex delivers secondary cell wall components for root hair shank hardening in Arabidopsis.

The extended tubular shape of root hairs is established by tip growth and concomitant hardening. Here, we demonstrate that a syntaxin of plants (SYP)123-vesicle-associated membrane protein (VAMP)727-dependent secretion system delivers secondary cell wall components for hardening the subapical zone and shank of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) root hairs. We found increased SYP123 localization at the plasma membrane (PM) of the subapical and shank zones compared with the tip region in elongating root hairs. Inhibition of phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns)(3,5)P2 production impaired SYP123 localization at the PM and SYP123-mediated root hair shank hardening. Moreover, root hair elongation in the syp123 mutant was insensitive to a PtdIns(3,5)P2 synthesis inhibitor. SYP123 interacts with both VAMP721 and VAMP727. syp123 and vamp727 mutants exhibited reduced shank cell wall stiffness due to impaired secondary cell wall component deposition. Based on these results, we conclude that SYP123 is involved in VAMP721-mediated conventional secretion for root hair elongation as well as in VAMP727-mediated secretory functions for the delivery of secondary cell wall components to maintain root hair tubular morphology.

Patient Preference for Surgical Methods for Ipsilateral Breast Tumor Recurrence.

BACKGROUND: Mastectomy has been the standard surgical treatment for ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence (IBTR). Recently, there has been growing interest in repeat breast-conserving surgery (rBCS) for IBTR among breast surgeons; however, there is currently little information regarding patient preferences for surgical procedure for IBTR. The purpose of this study was to evaluate preference for surgical procedure (mastectomy vs. rBCS) among breast cancer patients who had undergone salvage surgery for IBTR. METHODS: Overall, 100 breast cancer patients who had undergone salvage surgery for IBTR were asked about their preferred surgical methods for IBTR and the reason. The association of patient preference and the reasons related to various clinical and pathological factors were assessed. RESULTS: Of the 100 respondents, only 11 patients (11%) preferred rBCS. Patients who had undergone rBCS and radiotherapy for IBTR were significantly more likely to prefer to undergo rBCS than other groups (p = 0.030). The most frequent reason for choosing rBCS was the patient's desire to minimize breast deformity and surgical wounds. CONCLUSIONS: Our study revealed that there is a low rate of patients who opt to undergo rBCS among patients who had undergone salvage surgery for IBTR. Discrepancies in perceptions regarding the surgical procedure for IBTR between patients and their surgeons may exist.

Long-Term Survival Outcomes and Risk Factors for Axillary and Locoregional Recurrence in Japanese Patients with Sentinel Node-Positive Breast Cancer Treated in Accordance with the ACOSOG Z0011 Strategy.

INTRODUCTION: In 2018, we reported the results of a study to assess the feasibility of applying the ACOSOG Z0011 criteria to Japanese patients with early-stage breast cancer (median follow-up, 3 years). Their results over the longer term can now be presented. Risk factors for axillary and locoregional recurrence in Z0011-eligible patients are unknown. METHODS: Long-term survival outcomes were investigated by analyzing data from patients enrolled in the feasibility study. Data from the feasibility study patients, and from patients eligible for the Z0011 strategy after its introduction into clinical practice, were subjected to multivariate logistic regression analysis to identify risk factors for axillary and locoregional recurrence. RESULTS: Regarding long-term outcomes for the feasibility study patients (n = 189), distant disease-free survival rates at 5 and 7 years were 90.4 ± 2.1% and 85.9 ± 2.6%, respectively, and overall survival rates at 5 and 7 years were 97.3 ± 1.2% and 95.3 ± 1.7%, respectively. Analysis of data from these patients plus the 93 who received Z0011 in clinical practice (total, n = 282) identified the following independent risk factors for axillary recurrence: absence of high axillary tangential irradiation (OR, 5.87 [95% CI, 1.09-31.35], p = 0.04) and number of positive sentinel lymph nodes (OR, 4.65 [95% CI, 1.11-19.48], p = 0.04). Only high Ki67 labeling index (OR, 5.92 [95% CI, 1.31-26.70], p = 0.02) was identified as an independent risk factor for locoregional recurrence. CONCLUSION: Long-term survival outcome results of the feasibility study show that the Z0011 strategy can be used to treat Japanese patients with early-stage breast cancer. Our findings regarding risk factors suggest that high axillary tangent irradiation is necessary for the prevention of axillary recurrence and that irradiation, including of the regional lymph nodes, should be considered, especially in patients with high Ki67 index values.

Prognostic impact of clinical and radiological factors on leptomeningeal metastasis from solid cancers.

PURPOSE: The number of leptomeningeal metastasis (LM) patients has increased in recent years, as the cancer survival rates increased. An optimal prediction of prognosis is essential for selecting an appropriate treatment. The European Association of Neuro-Oncology-European Society for Medical Oncology (EANO-ESMO) guidelines for LM proposed a classification based on the cerebrospinal fluid cytological findings and contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) pattern. However, few studies have validated the utility of this classification. This study aimed to investigate the prognostic factors of LM, including the radiological and cytological types. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the data of 240 adult patients with suspected LM who had undergone lumbar puncture between April 2014 and September 2021. RESULTS: The most common primary cancer types were non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (143 (60%)) and breast cancer (27 (11%)). Positive cytology results and the presence of leptomeningeal lesions on contrast-enhanced MRI correlated with decreased survival in all patients. Nodular lesions detected on contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance were a poor prognostic factor in cytology-negative patients, while contrast-enhanced patterns had no prognostic significance in cytology-positive patients. Systemic therapy using cytotoxic agents and molecular-targeted therapy after LM diagnosis correlated with prolonged survival, regardless of the cytology results. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor treatment and systemic chemotherapy after LM improved the survival of EGFR-mutated and wild-type NSCLC patients with positive cytology results. CONCLUSIONS: This study validated the efficacy of prognostication according to the EANO-ESMO guidelines for LM. Systemic therapy after LM diagnosis improves the survival of NSCLC patients.

Preliminary results from ASCENT-J02: a phase 1/2 study of sacituzumab govitecan in Japanese patients with advanced solid tumors.

BACKGROUND: Sacituzumab govitecan (SG) is a Trop-2-directed antibody-drug conjugate approved outside Japan for second-line and later metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (mTNBC), based on the ASCENT study (NCT02574455). We report SG safety and efficacy in an open-label, phase 1/2 bridging study in Japanese patients with advanced solid tumors (ASCENT-J02; NCT05101096; jRCT2031210346). METHODS: Phase 1 was a standard 3 + 3 design. Patients received intravenous SG 6 mg/kg, escalating to 10 mg/kg, on Days 1 and 8 per 21-day cycle; primary endpoints were safety, incidence of dose-limiting toxicity/toxicities (DLTs), and determination of the recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D). In the multicohort phase 2 study, patients in the mTNBC cohort with previously treated disease received SG at the RP2D; primary endpoint was independent review committee (IRC)-assessed objective response rate (ORR; RECIST v1.1). Safety was a secondary endpoint. RESULTS: In phase 1 (N = 15), one DLT (grade 3 elevated transaminases) occurred with SG 10 mg/kg; RP2D was SG 10 mg/kg regardless of UGT1A1 status. In phase 2, 36 patients with mTNBC received SG 10 mg/kg. At median follow-up of 6.1 months, IRC-assessed ORR was 25.0% (95% CI 12.1-42.2; P = 0.0077). Median progression-free survival was 5.6 months (95% CI 3.9-not reached [NR]); median overall survival was NR. No treatment-emergent adverse events led to discontinuation or death. CONCLUSIONS: SG RP2D was established as 10 mg/kg in Japanese patients. SG showed efficacy in Japanese patients with previously treated mTNBC, a manageable safety profile, and no new safety signals, consistent with the previous ASCENT study.

Structural Dynamics of Amyloid-ß Protofibrils and Actions of Anti-Amyloid-ß Antibodies as Observed by High-Speed Atomic Force Microscopy.

Amyloid-ß (Aß) aggregation intermediates, including oligomers and protofibrils (PFs), have attracted attention as neurotoxic aggregates in Alzheimer's disease. However, due to the complexity of the aggregation pathway, the structural dynamics of aggregation intermediates and how drugs act on them have not been clarified. Here we used high-speed atomic force microscopy to observe the structural dynamics of Aß42 PF at the single-molecule level and the effect of lecanemab, an anti-Aß PF antibody with the positive results from Phase 3 Clarity AD. PF was found to be a curved nodal structure with stable binding angle between individual nodes. PF was also a dynamic structure that associates with other PF molecules and undergoes intramolecular cleavage. Lecanemab remained stable in binding to PFs and to globular oligomers, inhibiting the formation of large aggregates. These results provide direct evidence for a mechanism by which antibody drugs interfere with the Aß aggregation process.

Patient characteristics, treatment patterns, and outcomes of hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative advanced breast cancer patients prescribed cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and 6 inhibitors: large-scale data analysis using a Japanese claims database.

PURPOSE: The aim was to understand real-world cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4 and 6 inhibitor use in Japan. METHODS: This retrospective observational study used a Japanese administrative claims database and included patients with presumptive hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative advanced breast cancer (ABC) prescribed CDK4 and 6 inhibitor therapy between December 2017 and March 2021. Patient characteristics, treatment patterns, and selected clinical and safety outcomes were descriptively summarized. Time to discontinuation (TTD) and chemotherapy-free survival (CFS) were examined using Kaplan-Meier estimates. RESULTS: The study cohort (N = 6442) was predominantly female (99.4%; median [range] age 64 [26-99] years) with records of metastases (79.6%) within 1 year prior to initiating CDK4 and 6 inhibitor therapy. In total, 4463 (69.3%) and 1979 (30.7%) were prescribed palbociclib and abemaciclib, respectively, as their first CDK4 and 6 inhibitor, most commonly in combination with fulvestrant (n = 3801; 59.0%). Overall, 3756 patients initiated a subsequent anticancer treatment, of whom 748 (19.9%) initiated a different CDK4 and 6 inhibitor in combination with the same or different endocrine therapy. Median TTD (95% confidence interval) was 9.7 (9.3, 10.1) months for the first CDK4 and 6 inhibitor therapy. Median CFS was 26.1 (24.6, 27.8) months. Incidence of clinically relevant diarrhea was higher after abemaciclib initiation (9.8%) than after palbociclib initiation (1.5%). More patients experienced dose reduction with palbociclib (69.3%) than with abemaciclib (53.0%). CONCLUSION: The data provide insights into current clinical practices for CDK4 and 6 inhibitor use in Japan that could help establish future treatment strategies for ABC.

Acquisition and processing of high-speed atomic force microscopy videos for single amyloid aggregate observation.

The structural dynamics of the amyloid protein aggregation process are associated with neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. High-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM) is able to visualize the structural dynamics of individual aggregate species that otherwise cannot be distinguished. HS-AFM observations also detect impurities in the sample, and thus, experiments require relatively high sample purity. To derive valid information regarding the structural dynamics of the sample from the high-speed AFM images, a correction of the influence caused by the drift of the stage (scanner) from all frames is required. However, correcting the HS-AFM videos that consist of a large number of images requires significant effort. Here, using HS-AFM observation of α-synuclein fibril elongation as an example, we propose an HS-AFM image processing procedure to correct stage drift in the x-, y-, and z-directions with the free software ImageJ. ImageJ with default settings and our plugins attached to this article can process and analyze image stacks, which allow users to easily detect and show the temporal change in sample structures. This processing method can be automatically applied to numerous HS-AFM videos by batch processing with a series of ImageJ macrofunctions.

Retrospective study on the effectiveness of medroxyprogesterone acetate in the treatment of ER-positive/HER2-negative post-menopausal advanced breast cancer: an additional analysis of the JBCRG-C06 Safari study.

BACKGROUND: Only old evidence exists to back up the use of medroxyprogesterone acetate. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the factors that influence the time to treatment failure of medroxyprogesterone acetate in real-world settings as late-line treatment. METHODS: This was a cohort study that used the database of the Safari study on oestrogen receptor-positive post-menopausal advanced breast cancer (UMIN000015168). We created Kaplan-Meier curves for time to treatment failure with medroxyprogesterone acetate. Further, univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using a Cox hazard model of the clinicopathological factors involved in the time to treatment failure of medroxyprogesterone acetate. RESULTS: From the 1031 patients in the Safari study, 279 patients were selected as the population for the analysis of effectiveness of medroxyprogesterone acetate monotherapy. In the analysis of medroxyprogesterone acetate by treatment line, the median time to treatment failure was 3.0 months for third-line treatment and 4.1 months for fourth and subsequent treatment lines. In cases where medroxyprogesterone acetate was used as a third-line or later endocrine treatment, multivariate analysis showed that the length of the disease-free interval was correlated with the length of time to treatment failure of medroxyprogesterone acetate (P = 0.004). With medroxyprogesterone acetate monotherapy as the fourth-line or later treatment, 20% of the patients achieved a time to treatment failure of 12 months or longer. CONCLUSION: In actual clinical practice, patients treated with medroxyprogesterone acetate alone as the fourth or subsequent treatment lines showed a time to treatment failure of 4 months, suggesting that there is merit in using medroxyprogesterone acetate even in late treatment lines, especially in patients with long disease-free interval and those who are difficult to treat using other antineoplastic agents.

Dynamics of oligomer and amyloid fibril formation by yeast prion Sup35 observed by high-speed atomic force microscopy.

The yeast prion protein Sup35, which contains intrinsically disordered regions, forms amyloid fibrils responsible for a prion phenotype [PSI+]. Using high-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM), we directly visualized the prion determinant domain (Sup35NM) and the formation of its oligomers and fibrils at subsecond and submolecular resolutions. Monomers with freely moving tail-like regions initially appeared in the images, and subsequently oligomers with distinct sizes of ∼1.7 and 3 to 4 nm progressively accumulated. Nevertheless, these oligomers did not form fibrils, even after an incubation for 2 h in the presence of monomers. Fibrils appeared after much longer monomer incubation. The fibril elongation occurred smoothly without discrete steps, suggesting gradual conversions of the incorporated monomers into cross-ß structures. The individual oligomers were separated from each other and also from the fibrils by respective, identical lengths on the mica surface, probably due to repulsion caused by the freely moving disordered regions. Based on these HS-AFM observations, we propose that the freely moving tails of the monomers are incorporated into the fibril ends, and then the structural conversions to cross-ß structures gradually occur.

Molecular Dynamics Mappings of the CCT/TRiC Complex-Mediated Protein Folding Cycle Using Diffracted X-ray Tracking.

The CCT/TRiC complex is a type II chaperonin that undergoes ATP-driven conformational changes during its functional cycle. Structural studies have provided valuable insights into the mechanism of this process, but real-time dynamics analyses of mammalian type II chaperonins are still scarce. We used diffracted X-ray tracking (DXT) to investigate the intramolecular dynamics of the CCT complex. We focused on three surface-exposed loop regions of the CCT1 subunit: the loop regions of the equatorial domain (E domain), the E and intermediate domain (I domain) juncture near the ATP-binding region, and the apical domain (A domain). Our results showed that the CCT1 subunit predominantly displayed rotational motion, with larger mean square displacement (MSD) values for twist (χ) angles compared with tilt (θ) angles. Nucleotide binding had a significant impact on the dynamics. In the absence of nucleotides, the region between the E and I domain juncture could act as a pivotal axis, allowing for greater motion of the E domain and A domain. In the presence of nucleotides, the nucleotides could wedge into the ATP-binding region, weakening the role of the region between the E and I domain juncture as the rotational axis and causing the CCT complex to adopt a more compact structure. This led to less expanded MSD curves for the E domain and A domain compared with nucleotide-absent conditions. This change may help to stabilize the functional conformation during substrate binding. This study is the first to use DXT to probe the real-time molecular dynamics of mammalian type II chaperonins at the millisecond level. Our findings provide new insights into the complex dynamics of chaperonins and their role in the functional folding cycle.

Comparison of the Molecular Motility of Tubulin Dimeric Isoforms: Molecular Dynamics Simulations and Diffracted X-ray Tracking Study.

Tubulin has been recently reported to form a large family consisting of various gene isoforms; however, the differences in the molecular features of tubulin dimers composed of a combination of these isoforms remain unknown. Therefore, we attempted to elucidate the physical differences in the molecular motility of these tubulin dimers using the method of measurable pico-meter-scale molecular motility, diffracted X-ray tracking (DXT) analysis, regarding characteristic tubulin dimers, including neuronal TUBB3 and ubiquitous TUBB5. We first conducted a DXT analysis of neuronal (TUBB3-TUBA1A) and ubiquitous (TUBB5-TUBA1B) tubulin dimers and found that the molecular motility around the vertical axis of the neuronal tubulin dimer was lower than that of the ubiquitous tubulin dimer. The results of molecular dynamics (MD) simulation suggest that the difference in motility between the neuronal and ubiquitous tubulin dimers was probably caused by a change in the major contact of Gln245 in the T7 loop of TUBB from Glu11 in TUBA to Val353 in TUBB. The present study is the first report of a novel phenomenon in which the pico-meter-scale molecular motility between neuronal and ubiquitous tubulin dimers is different.

Real-World Patient Characteristics, Treatment Patterns, and Outcomes of HR+, HER2- Early Breast Cancer Patients in Japan: An Analysis with National Database(NDB).

Real-world evidence for clinical outcomes and treatment patterns in patients with hormone receptor-positive(HR+)and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative(HER2-)early breast cancer(EBC)in Japan is limited. We aimed to provide recent evidence in this population using the National Database of Health Insurance Claims and Specific Health Check-ups of Japan(NDB). Adults ≥20 years old who were diagnosed with HR+/HER2- breast cancer and underwent breast resection surgery were followed up. Patient characteristics and treatment patterns were evaluated. Durations of overall post-operative endocrine therapy(ET)and luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone(LH-RH)agonist therapy, and time to metastasis/recurrence after surgery were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier method. Overall, 294,904 patients were included. Cyclophosphamide and tamoxifen were the most common peri-operative chemotherapeutic and ET drugs. Median(95% confidence interval[CI])duration of post-operative ET and LH-RH agonist therapy was 5.01(5.01-5.01)years and 2.13 (2.12-2.14)years, respectively. Five-year cumulative rate(95% CI)of any recurrence was 8.6%(8.5-8.7), visceral metastasis being the most common. Nation-wide treatment patterns were described, which were consistent with guideline recommendations for patients with HR+, HER2- EBC. Further discussion is required to delay metastasis/recurrence and improve clinical outcomes(Fig. 1: Plain language summary of the study).

[A Case of Chronic Expanding Hematoma of the Lower Abdomen after Reconstruction of Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator Flap for Breast Cancer].

A 49-year-old woman who had surgery for left breast cancer and subsequently underwent a two-stage deep inferior epigastric perforator(DIEP)flap reconstruction. One month postoperatively, she became aware of abdominal distention and visited a local hospital. CT scan revealed subcutaneous fluid accumulation with capsular formation in the lower abdomen. Imaging findings and physical examination showed no abdominal wall scar hernia. After multiple puncture aspirations, fluid accumulation was observed again, and the possibility of a chronic expanding hematoma was considered. Later, hematoma removal, including the capsules, was performed; pathological findings showed no evidence of malignancy. No fluid retention was observed postoperatively. In cases where imaging evaluation reveals hematoma formation with capsules, hematoma removal, including the capsules, should be performed to avert the possibility of a chronic expanding hematoma.

Immune microenvironment, homologous recombination deficiency, and therapeutic response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in triple-negative breast cancer: Japan Breast Cancer Research Group (JBCRG)22 TR.

BACKGROUND: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a biologically diverse disease, with characteristics such as homologous recombination deficiency (HRD), gene mutation, and immune reactions. Japan Breast Cancer Research Group 22 is a multicenter trial examining TNBC's response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) according to the HRD status. This translational research investigated the clinical significance of the immune microenvironment of TNBC in association with HRD, tumor BRCA1/2 (tBRCA1/2) mutation, and response to NAC. METHODS: Patients aged below 65 years with high HRD or germline BRCA1/2 (gBRCA1/2) mutation randomly received paclitaxel + carboplatin (group A1) or eribulin + carboplatin (A2), followed by anthracycline. Patients aged below 65 years with low HRD or those aged 65 years or older without gBRCA1/2 mutation randomly received eribulin + cyclophosphamide (B1) or eribulin + capecitabine (B2); nonresponders to the first four cycles of the therapy received anthracycline. A pathological complete response (pCR) was defined as the absence of residual cancer cells in the tissues. Pretreatment biopsy specimens were stained by multiplexed fluorescent immunohistochemistry using antibodies against CD3, CD4, CD8, Foxp3, CD204, and pan-cytokeratin. Immune cells with specific phenotypes were counted per mm2 in cancer cell nests (intratumor) and stromal regions. The immune cell densities were compared with clinicopathological and genetic factors including tumor response. RESULTS: This study analyzed 66 samples. T1 tumors had a significantly higher density of intratumoral CD8+ T cells than T2 or larger tumors. The tBRCA1/2 mutation or HRD status was not associated with the density of any immune cell. The density of intratumoral and stromal CD4+ T cells was higher in patients showing pCR than in those without pCR. In a multivariate analysis, intratumoral and stromal CD4+ T cell density significantly predicted pCR independent of age, chemotherapy dose, HRD status, and treatment groups (P = 0.009 and 0.0057, respectively). In a subgroup analysis, the predictive value of intratumoral and stromal CD4+ T cell density persisted in the platinum-containing chemotherapy group (A1+A2) but not in the non-platinum-containing group (B1+B2). CONCLUSIONS: Intratumoral and stromal CD4+ T cell density was an independent predictor of pCR in patients with TNBC. A larger study is warranted to confirm the results. TRIAL REGISTRATION: UMIN000023162.

Diacylglycerol kinase δ functions as a proliferation suppressor in pancreatic ß-cells.

Although an aberrant reduction in pancreatic ß-cell mass contributes to the pathogenesis of diabetes, the mechanism underlying the regulation of ß-cell mass is poorly understood. Here, we show that diacylglycerol kinase δ (DGKδ) is a key enzyme in the regulation of ß-cell mass. DGKδ expression was detected in the nucleus of ß-cells. We developed ß-cell-specific DGKδ knockout (ßDGKδ KO) mice, which showed lower blood glucose, higher plasma insulin levels, and better glucose tolerance compared to control mice. Moreover, an increased number of small islets and Ki-67-positive islet cells, as well as elevated cyclin B1 expression in the islets, were detected in the pancreas of ßDGKδ KO mice. DGKδ knockdown in the ß-cell line MIN6 induced significant increases in bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation and cyclin B1 expression. Finally, we confirmed that streptozotocin-induced hyperglycemia and ß-cell loss were alleviated in ßDGKδ KO mice. Thus, suppressing the expression or enzymatic activity of DGKδ that functions as a suppressor of ß-cell proliferation could be a novel therapeutic approach to increase ß-cell mass for the treatment of diabetes.

Quality of life and subjective symptom impact in Japanese patients with myotonic dystrophy type 1.

BACKGROUND: Although functional impairment in patients with myotonic dystrophy is an important determinant of the quality of life (QoL), patients' subjective evaluation of their symptoms may also affect their QoL. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between subjective symptom impact and the QoL of patients with myotonic dystrophy, after controlling for functional impairment. METHODS: Eligible patients with myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) were recruited from four hospitals in Japan. The subjective symptom impact of four symptoms (muscle weakness, fatigue, pain, and myotonia) and overall QoL were evaluated using the Individualized Neuromuscular Quality of Life (INQoL) questionnaire. Functional impairment was assessed using the modified Rankin Scale. RESULTS: Seventy-seven patients with DM1 were included in this study. Overall QoL was significantly associated with subjective symptom impact of muscular weakness, fatigue, pain, myotonia, swallowing difficulty, and droopy eyelids. In the regression models, disease duration (beta = 0.11) and moderate to severe functional impairment (beta = 0.33) explained a significant part of the overall QoL. Furthermore, muscular weakness, fatigue, and myotonia significantly explained additional variance of the overall QoL (beta = 0.17-0.43). CONCLUSIONS: Subjective symptom impact and functional impairment are independent features influencing the QoL of Japanese patients with DM1.

Factors associated with overall survival after recurrence in patients with ER-positive/HER2-negative postmenopausal breast cancer: an ad hoc analysis of the JBCRG-C06 Safari study.

BACKGROUND: The Safari study (UMIN000015168) was a retrospective, multicenter study in which 1072 consecutive cases of estrogen receptor-positive advanced breast cancer treated using 500 mg fulvestrant were registered. We previously reported the relationship between the patient factors and overall survival after the diagnosis using the same cases and the same factors for the analysis of time to treatment failure in patients with estrogen receptor-positive advanced breast cancer. The current study is an ad hoc analysis that focused on the relationship between the patient factors and overall survival after recurrence by adding factors generally associated with overall survival after recurrence. METHODS: The overall survival after recurrence in patients with estrogen receptor-positive human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative recurrent breast cancer was analyzed via univariate and multivariate analyses with a Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS: A total of 598 cases were used for the analysis of overall survival after recurrence. Multivariate analysis revealed that favorable overall survival (median, 6.4 years) was significantly correlated with long time from recurrence to fulvestrant use (≥3 years), low nuclear or histological grade (G3 vs. G1), long time to treatment failure of initial palliative endocrine therapy (≥12 months) and long time to initial palliative chemotherapy (≥2 years). CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that sequential endocrine monotherapy may be a useful treatment option for patients with estrogen receptor-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative recurrent breast cancer who have been successfully treated with initial long-term palliative endocrine therapy.

Evaluation of a newly proposed renal risk score for Japanese patients with ANCA-associated glomerulonephritis.

BACKGROUND: We determined the usefulness and prognostic ability of the renal risk score (RRS), proposed in Europe, for Japanese patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated glomerulonephritis (AAGN) and high myeloperoxidase (MPO)-ANCA positivity; these aspects remain to be verified. METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted on 86 Japanese patients with new, biopsy-confirmed AAGN. We calculated the RRS and analyzed the relationship between this classification, and clinicopathological features and prognosis. We also compared the predictive values between RRS for endpoints including renal death and conventional prognostic tools for patients with AAGN. RESULTS: There were 33, 37, and 16 patients in the low-, medium-, and high-risk groups, respectively. All patients were MPO-ANCA positive. The median follow-up period was 33 months; 16 (18.6%) patients progressed to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). In the high-risk group, 9/16 (56.3%) patients progressed to ESRD, and renal prognosis was significantly poorer than that in other groups (low-risk group, P < 0.001; medium-risk group, P = 0.004). In Cox multivariate regression analysis, RRS was an independent, poor renal prognostic factor (hazard ratio 5.22; 95% confidence interval 2.20-12.40; P < 0.001). The receiver-operating characteristic curves of the RRS for each endpoint were comparable with those of the 2010 histological classification and those of the severity classification of Japanese rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to report the usefulness of the RRS for predicting renal outcomes among Japanese patients with AAGN. Our predictive value of the RRS was comparable with that of conventional prognostic tools.