Multiple Types of Taste Disorders among Patients with COVID-19.

Objective Based on the increasing incidence of smell and taste dysfunction among coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients, such issues have been considered an early symptom of infection. However, few studies have investigated the type of taste components that are most frequently affected in COVID-19 patients. This study investigated the difference in frequencies of the types of taste component disorders among hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Methods In this retrospective, single-center, observational study, patients' background characteristics, clinical course, laboratory and radiological findings, and details on taste and/or smell disorders were collected and analyzed from medical records. Patients A total of 227 COVID-19 patients were enrolled, among whom 92 (40.5%) complained of taste disorders. Results Multiple types of taste disorders (hypogeusia/ageusia and hypersensitivity, or hypersensitivity and changing tastes) were reported in 10 patients. In particular, 23 patients reported hypersensitivity to at least 1 type of taste, and 2 patients complained of a bitter taste on consuming sweet foods. Impairment of all taste components was found in 48 patients (52.2%). The most frequent taste disorder was salty taste disorder (81 patients, 89.0%). Hypersensitivity to salty taste was most frequently observed (19 patients, 20.9%). Conclusion Patients with COVID-19 develop multiple types of taste disorders, among which salty taste disorder was the most frequent, with many patients developing hypersensitivity to salty taste. As smell and taste are subjective senses, further studies with the combined use of objective examinations will be required to confirm the findings.

Management of skin sarcoidosis with minocycline monotherapy.

A 46-year-old woman with severe skin sarcoidosis, mainly on the back of the trunk, persisting for >15 years, was followed up without systemic treatment. In 2014, she was started on minocycline monotherapy owing to worsening of the skin sarcoid lesions. Surprisingly, after approximately 1 year of the monotherapy, nearly all skin lesions resolved with only light residual scars, despite the poor efficacy of the monotherapy for pulmonary sarcoidosis. The patient's serum angiotensin-converting enzyme levels also decreased to the normal range. The presence of Propionibacterium acnes was confirmed when a retrospectively immunostained epithelioid granuloma, obtained from skin biopsy, demonstrated staining with monoclonal antibodies specific for P. acnes. Minocycline monotherapy, thus, appears to be a possible treatment modality for skin sarcoidosis.

Usual Interstitial Pneumonia Pattern in the Lower Lung Lobes as a Prognostic Factor in Idiopathic Pleuroparenchymal Fibroelastosis.

BACKGROUND: Idiopathic pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis (IPPFE) is a rare interstitial pneumonia that is characterized by stiffness in both the upper lobes and pleura, which is evident on high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) of the chest. However, prognostic factors for IPPFE have not been identified yet. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the clinical prognostic factors affecting survival in patients with IPPFE. METHODS: Between April 2009 and September 2017, we enrolled 36 patients who were clinically diagnosed with IPPFE, using HRCT. These patients were classified as either short survival (dead within 12 months from the diagnosis of IPPFE) or long survival (survived for greater than 12 months) groups. We retrospectively analyzed the clinical characteristics, serum markers, pulmonary function test results, and HRCT findings. RESULTS: Twelve patients were classified into the short survival and 24 were categorized into long survival categories. At the time of diagnosis, the incidence of coexistence of a usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) pattern in the lower lobes on HRCT in the short survival was significantly higher than that in the long survival. Multivariate analysis revealed that a UIP pattern in the lower lobes on HRCT was the only independent variable for poor prognosis. The median survival time from diagnosis in patients with IPPFE was 24 months. Of these patients with IPPFE, the survival time with a UIP pattern was significantly shorter than in those without a UIP pattern. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that a UIP pattern in the lower lobes at the time of diagnosis was an independent prognostic factor for IPPFE.

A Case of a Pregnant Woman Diagnosed as Having ALK-rearranged Lung Adenocarcinoma.

A 28-year-old woman who was 34 weeks pregnant was admitted with complaints of cough and blood-stained sputum. After delivery of the baby at 37 weeks gestation, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a tumor in the right lung and a 15-mm brain metastasis. A diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma was made, cT4N3M1b (stage IV disease) by pleural fluid cytology. Additional testing for anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) fusion protein showed a strongly positive result, which was then confirmed by fluorescence in situ hybridization. The patient was started on treatment with alectinib, and the tumor and brain metastasis had almost vanished by 2 months after the start of this treatment. In the literature, there are 59 reports of lung cancer diagnosed during pregnancy, including two cases of cancer with expression of ALK fusion protein and five cases showing epidermal growth factor receptor mutation. The type of mutation should be taken into consideration while selecting for the appropriate therapeutic strategy.

Development of interstitial pneumonia during treatment with eribulin: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Eribulin is typically used to treat patients with advanced breast cancer, and anti-cancer agents often cause the development of interstitial pneumonia in Japanese patients with advanced cancer. However, few case reports have addressed eribulin-induced interstitial pneumonia. Herein, we report a rare case of interstitial pneumonia-specifically, organized pneumonia-during treatment with eribulin in a patient with advanced breast cancer. CASE PRESENTATION: A 52-year-old Japanese woman was diagnosed as having advanced breast cancer 3 years before the admission described in the present report. She had received eribulin as third-line chemotherapy. Five days after her second treatment with eribulin, she was admitted to our hospital with dyspnea and dry cough. Upon admission, a chest computed tomography scan showed consolidation, with air bronchograms along the bronchovascular bundle of both lower lobes. The patient's serum levels of sialylated carbohydrate antigen Krebs von den Lungen-6 were high, as were her surfactant protein-D levels. There was no evidence of heart failure, renal failure, or infection. Based on the clinical cause, as well as on the findings of organized pneumonia, the patient was diagnosed as having interstitial pneumonia and treated with corticosteroids. After the initiation of steroid treatment, her respiratory condition and chest radiological findings improved. CONCLUSIONS: This case reveals an association between eribulin treatment and interstitial pneumonia. To our knowledge, this is the first case report to describe eribulin-induced organized pneumonia. Clinicians should be aware that interstitial pneumonia can develop during treatment with anti-cancer agents.

Surfactant protein-D predicts prognosis of interstitial lung disease induced by anticancer agents in advanced lung cancer: a case control study.

BACKGROUND: Interstitial lung diseases induced by anticancer agents (ILD-AA) are rare adverse effects of anticancer therapy. However, prognostic biomarkers for ILD-AA have not been identified in patients with advanced lung cancer. Our aim was to analyze the association between serum biomarkers sialylated carbohydrate antigen Krebs von den Lungen-6 (KL-6) and surfactant protein D (SP-D), and clinical characteristics in patients diagnosed with ILD-AA. METHODS: Between April 2011 and March 2016, 1224 advanced lung cancer patients received cytotoxic agents and epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors at Juntendo University Hospital and Juntendo University Urayasu Hospital. Of these patients, those diagnosed with ILD-AA were enrolled in this case control study. ΔKL-6 and ΔSP-D were defined as the difference between the levels at the onset of ILD-AA and their respective levels prior to development of ILD-AA. We evaluated KL-6 and SP-D at the onset of ILD-AA, ΔKL-6 and ΔSP-D, the risk factors for death related to ILD-AA, the chest high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) findings, and survival time in patients diagnosed with ILD-AA. RESULTS: Thirty-six patients diagnosed with ILD-AA were enrolled in this study. Among them, 14 patients died of ILD-AA. ΔSP-D in the patients who died was significantly higher than that in the patients who survived. However, ΔKL-6 did not differ significantly between the two groups. Moreover, ΔSP-D in patients who exhibited diffuse alveolar damage was significantly higher than that in the other patterns on HRCT. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to set the optimal cut off value for ΔSP-D at 398 ng/mL. Survival time for patients with high ΔSP-D (≥ 398 ng/mL) was significantly shorter than that for patients with low ΔSP-D. Multivariate analysis revealed that ΔSP-D was a significant prognostic factor of ILD-AA. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first research to evaluate high ΔSP-D (≥ 398 ng/mL) in patients with ILD-AA and to determine the risk factors for ILD-AA in advanced lung cancer patients. ΔSP-D might be a serum prognostic biomarker of ILD-AA. Clinicians should evaluate serum SP-D during chemotherapy and should carefully monitor the clinical course in patients with high ΔSP-D.

Lung metastases from cutaneous adenoid cystic carcinoma 23 years after initial treatment.

Cutaneous adenoid cystic carcinoma (CACC) is an extremely rare neoplasm of head and neck region, and is characterized by propensity for local recurrence and perineural invasion. Late distant metastases occur usually to lungs. Although patients with lung metastases from CACC cannot be cured, long-term survival may be possible due to its slow-growing malignancy. We report a case of a 69-year-old female with lung metastases from CACC 23 years after initial surgery of scalp nodule.

Loxoprofen-induced interstitial pneumonia: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Loxoprofen is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug used in the treatment of many diseases. However, there are no case reports about loxoprofen-induced pneumonia. We have encountered a rare case of loxoprofen-induced pneumonia. CASE PRESENTATION: We report the case of a 71-year-old Japanese woman who was initially treated with loxoprofen for fever. She was admitted to our hospital because of worsening of her symptoms, including fever and dyspnea. Her symptoms improved after treatment with ceftriaxone. Seven days after admission, she again developed high fever. She was again treated with loxoprofen and levofloxacin. However, acute respiratory failure developed after initiation of loxoprofen treatment. Chest computed tomography showed peribronchovascular consolidation. She was diagnosed with loxoprofen-induced pneumonia for which she was administered steroids. After treatment, her dyspnea and radiological findings improved. CONCLUSIONS: The findings in this case report reveal an association between treatment with a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug and pneumonia. This rare case was diagnosed after accidental retreatment with loxoprofen. This is the first report of loxoprofen-induced pneumonia.

Pneumothorax developing for the first time in a 73-year-old woman diagnosed with Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome.

Spontaneous pneumothorax in the elderly commonly occurs due to underlying pulmonary diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, interstitial lung disease, lung cancer, etc. A 73-year-old woman developed pneumothorax for the first time that was a clinical clue to a diagnosis of Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome (BHDS), an autosomal dominant condition characterized by fibrofolliculomas of the skin, renal tumors and multiple lung cysts predisposing to pneumothorax. Although BHDS patients frequently develop pneumothorax during their twenties to forties, the present case indicates that BHDS should be considered as an underlying cause of pneumothorax in the elderly with undisclosed BHDS.

High prevalence of gene abnormalities in young patients with lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Recently, driver oncogenes in adenocarcinoma of the lung were identified, and several molecular target agents were introduced in the clinical setting. However, there are few reports on the frequency of gene abnormalities in young patients with lung cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twelve patients with lung adenocarcinoma aged 40 or younger at Juntendo University Urayasu Hospital or Juntendo University Hospital from July 2004 to March 2010 were analyzed for driver oncogene status including EGFR activating mutation, EML4-ALK fusion gene, and K-ras mutation. RESULTS: Four patients showed EGFR gene mutation. Five out of 7 EGFR mutation-negative patients showed positive results for EML4-ALK gene fusion. One case whose EGFR mutation was indeterminate. CONCLUSIONS: Driver oncogene including EGFR mutation and EML4-ALK fusion gene was identified in 9 of 12 cases (75%). Examination of gene abnormalities is essential in young patients with non-small cell lung cancer to provide the best treatment.

[Analysis of predominant bacterial species and clinical backgrounds in lung abscess patients].

We reviewed the clinicopathological characteristics of lung abscesses retrospectively. We analyzed 89 patients hospitalized from July 1984 to May 2009. Most were men (76/89). There were large proportions with alcohol consumption (29.2%) and dental caries or gingivitis (60.7%). Furthermore, those without other diseases accounted for only 13.5%. Predominant infectious species were clear in 43 cases (48.3%) including identification of bacteria. The identification rate of predominant bacteria improved from 38.5% to 56.0% after initiation of the introduction of expectoration culture, bronchoscopic specimen collection and gingival culture in 2003, facilitating clarification of the predominant bacteria. The Streptococcus anginosus group with predominant bacteria being slightly aerobic streptococci, anaerobic bacterium, and aerobic bacterium was detected in 10, 12, and 31 cases, respectively. The improvement in the identification rate of predominant bacteria was achieved by carrying out examination with close liaison with the staff of our inspection room. In selecting antimicrobials based on diagnostic significance, we should focus on positive identification of predominant bacteria, a factor which appears to have major clinical significance.

Wound-induced TGF-ß1 and TGF-ß2 enhance airway epithelial repair via HB-EGF and TGF-α.

The abundance of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-ß) in normal airway epithelium suggests its participation in physiological processes to maintain airway homeostasis. The current study was designed to address the hypothesis that TGF-ß1 and TGF-ß2 might contribute to normal reparative response of airway epithelial cells (AECs). Treatments with exogenous TGF-ß1 or TGF-ß2 significantly enhanced wound repair of confluent AEC monolayers. Mechanical injury of AEC monolayers induced production of both TGF-ß1 and TGF-ß2. Wound repair of AECs was significantly reduced by a specific inhibitor of TGF-ß type I receptor kinase activity. We investigated whether the TGF-ß-enhanced repair required epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) transactivation and secretion of EGFR ligands. Both TGF-ß1 and TGF-ß2 enhanced EGFR phosphorylation and induced production of heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (HB-EGF) and transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-α) in AECs. Moreover, treatment with a broad-spectrum metalloproteinase inhibitor or anti-HB-EGF and anti-TGF-α antibodies inhibited the wound repair and the EGFR phosphorylation by TGF-ß1 and TGF-ß2, indicating that the TGF-ß1 and TGF-ß2 effects on wound repair required the release of HB-EGF and TGF-α. Our data, for the first time, have shown that both TGF-ß1 and TGF-ß2 play a stimulatory role in airway epithelial repair through EGFR phosphorylation following autocrine production of HB-EGF and TGF-α. These findings highlight an important collaborative mechanism between TGF-ß and EGFR in maintaining airway epithelial homeostasis.

Role of multidrug resistance-associated protein 1 in the pathogenesis of allergic airway inflammation.

Multidrug resistance-associated protein 1 (MRP1) is a cysteinyl leukotriene (CysLT) export pump expressed on mast cells. CysLTs are crucial mediators in allergic airway disease. However, biological significance of MRP1 in allergic airway inflammation has not yet been elucidated. In this study, we sensitized wild-type control mice (mrp1(+/+)) and MRP1-deficient mice (mrp1(-/-)) to ovalbumin (OVA) and challenged them with OVA by aerosol. Airway inflammation and goblet cell hyperplasia after OVA exposure were reduced in mrp1(-/-) mice compared with mrp1(+/+) mice. Furthermore, CysLT levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) from OVA-exposed mrp1(-/-) mice were significantly lower than those from OVA-exposed mrp1(+/+) mice. Levels of OVA-specific IgE, IL-4, and IL-13 in BALF were also decreased in OVA-exposed mrp1(-/-) mice. IgE-mediated release of CysLTs from murine bone marrow-derived mast cells was markedly impaired by MRP1 deficiency. Our results indicate that MRP1 plays an important role in the development of allergic airway inflammation through regulation of IgE-mediated CysLT export from mast cells.

B7-H3 contributes to the development of pathogenic Th2 cells in a murine model of asthma.

B7-H3 is a new member of the B7 family. The receptor for B7-H3 has not been identified, but it seems to be expressed on activated T cells. Initial studies have shown that B7-H3 provides a stimulatory signal to T cells. However, recent studies suggest a negative regulatory role for B7-H3 in T cell responses. Thus, the immunological function of B7-H3 is controversial and unclear. In this study, we investigated the effects of neutralizing anti-B7-H3 mAb in a mouse model of allergic asthma to determine whether B7-H3 contributes to the development of pathogenic Th2 cells and pulmonary inflammation. Administration of anti-B7-H3 mAb significantly reduced airway hyperreactivity with a concomitant decrease in eosinophils in the lung as compared with control IgG-treated mice. Treatment with anti-B7-H3 mAb also resulted in decreased production of Th2 cytokines (IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13) in the draining lymph node cells. Although blockade of B7-H3 during the induction phase abrogated the development of asthmatic responses, B7-H3 blockade during the effector phase did not inhibit asthmatic responses. These results indicated an important role for B7-H3 in the development of pathogenic Th2 cells during the induction phase in a murine model of asthma.

[A case of non-small cell lung cancer accompanied with hemorrhage after chemotherapy including gemcitabine].

A 51-year-old man underwent left upper lobectomy due to pulmonary adenocarcinoma (cT2N1M0, stage IIB) in August, 2003. Since he turned out pT2N3M0 stage IIIB, he received combination chemotherapy with carboplatin and gemcitabine. During a second course chemotherapy, he was admitted again because of dyspnea and the deterioration of diffuse interstitial shadows in both lungs. He was treated with various antibiotics and corticosteroids. Unfortunately, he could not recover. An autopsy was performed. Microscopic features of the lung revealed diffuse alveolar damage and pulmonary hemorrhage. In this case, pulmonary hemorrhage should be considered as a complication of gemcitabine-induced lung injury.

[An elderly case of sarcoidosis with multiple pulmonary cysts].

We report an elderly case of sarcoidosis with multiple pulmonary cysts. An 80-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital for detailed examinations of multiple cysts in both lungs. Chest radiography and chest CT revealed multiple cystic lesions with thin walls which were clearly separated from normal lung. A transbronchial lung biopsy revealed epitheloid cell granuloma, indicating sarcoidosis. Although elderly cases of sarcoidosis with multiple pulmonary cysts are very rare, sarcoidosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis.

[Case of malignant lymphoma arising from the posterior mediastinum, with pleural effusion].

We report a rare case of malignant lymphoma arising from the posterior mediastinum with bilateral pleural effusion. A 71-year-old man was admitted to our hospital for evaluation of a posterior mediastinal tumor and bilateral pleural effusion revealed on a chest CT scan. Because no tumor tissue could be obtained by fiberbronchoscopy, video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery was performed. The tumor sample was composed of large, atypical lymphocytes positive for CD20 on immunohistochemical analysis. A diagnosis of diffuse large B cell lymphoma was made from the typical histological features. The patient was treated with combination chemotherapy (CHOP) and rituximab and improved dramatically.