Impact of long-term antiretroviral therapy on gut and oral microbiotas in HIV-1-infected patients.

In HIV-1-infected patients, antiretroviral therapy (ART) is a key factor that may impact commensal microbiota and cause the emergence of side effects. However, it is not fully understood how long-term ART regimens have diverse impacts on the microbial compositions over time. Here, we performed 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing of the fecal and salivary microbiomes in patients under different long-term ART. We found that ART, especially conventional nucleotide/nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI)-based ART, has remarkable impacts on fecal microbial diversity: decreased α-diversity and increased ß-diversity over time. In contrast, dynamic diversity changes in the salivary microbiome were not observed. Comparative analysis of bacterial genus compositions showed a propensity for Prevotella-enriched and Bacteroides-poor gut microbiotas in patients with ART over time. In addition, we observed a gradual reduction in Bacteroides but drastic increases in Succinivibrio and/or Megasphaera under conventional ART. These results suggest that ART, especially NRTI-based ART, has more suppressive impacts on microbiota composition and diversity in the gut than in the mouth, which potentially causes intestinal dysbiosis in patients. Therefore, NRTI-sparing ART, especially integrase strand transfer inhibitor (INSTI)- and/or non-nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI)-containing regimens, might alleviate the burden of intestinal dysbiosis in HIV-1-infected patients under long-term ART.

Factors Associated with Attrition: Analysis of an HIV Clinic in Japan.

This study evaluated the impact of a public medical interpreter on the follow-up clinic attendance rate of foreign-born people with HIV who live in Japan. Participants were patients who visited Nagoya Medical Center from 2009 to 2016. Lost to follow-up was defined as an absence from follow-up visits for more than six months without any notification. A log-rank test was conducted to compare the lost-to-follow-up rates by patients' nation of origin and medical interpreter use. Of the 931 participants, 114 were foreign patients, whose overall attendance rate at 5 years was 75.5%, which was significantly lower than that of Japanese patients (94.1%, p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in regular attendance with respect to medical interpreter use (p = 0.09). Social support in addition to a medical interpreter may be needed to improve attendance rates in the study population.

Feasibility study of ultrasound video bronchoscopy for sampling endobronchial lesions.

INTRODUCTION: Endobronchial biopsy using forceps is generally performed with a standard bronchoscope, while a needle is used with an endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) bronchoscope. An EBUS video bronchoscope, such as the EB-530US instrument (Fujifilm, Tokyo, Japan), provides good visibility and may, therefore, enable both forceps biopsies and needle aspirations to be performed. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of performing forceps biopsies and needle aspirations using the EBUS video bronchoscope for diagnosing endobronchial lesions. METHODS: Seventy patients with suspected endobronchial lesions based on a computed tomography scan were recruited and underwent forceps biopsy using the EB-530US EBUS bronchoscope. If the result of a rapid on-site cytological evaluation was negative, an additional needle aspiration of the same lesion or other target lesions was performed. The primary outcome was the completion rate of bronchoscopy, using only the EBUS bronchoscope without removal. RESULTS: In the 70 patients, forceps biopsies and/or needle aspirations using the EBUS video bronchoscope were performed and completed without removing the EBUS bronchoscope in 67 patients (95.7%). The remaining three patients required the removal of the EBUS bronchoscope from the trachea (blood clot obstruction of the working channel in one patient and change to a thin bronchoscope to sample an EBUS bronchoscope-inaccessible lesion in two others). The EBUS bronchoscope provided diagnostic material in 66 patients (94.3%). One case each of bleeding and pneumonia were observed (1.4%). CONCLUSION: Both forceps biopsy and needle aspiration are feasible using a Fujifilm EB-530US EBUS video bronchoscope.

Solvent-based paclitaxel or nab-paclitaxel for heavily treated relapsed/refractory small cell lung cancer: Retrospective single-institution observational study.

Treatment options for patients with relapsed/refractory small cell lung cancer (R/R SCLC) are limited, and the efficacy of salvage therapies for heavily treated patients should be assessed. Here, we evaluated the efficacy of paclitaxel (PTX) in R/R SCLC patients.A single-institute retrospective chart review was conducted. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS), whereas the secondary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS), overall response rate, disease control rate (DCR), and safety.Thirty-one patients (median age, 69 [range, 56-80] years) were analyzed. The median follow-up period was 122 (range, 28-1121) days. The median OS and PFS were 4.4 and 2.2 months, respectively. Adverse events of grade 3 or higher, other than hematological toxicity, were febrile neutropenia and neuropathy. Multivariate analyses identified the following independent predictors of poor OS: performance status and lactate dehydrogenase at the upper limit of normal.PTX monotherapy showed moderate efficacy with acceptable toxicity in heavily treated patients with R/R SCLC patients.

Silicone Y-stent Placement for a Secondary Right Carina.

Recently, several authors have reported stenting into the right upper lobe bronchus using bifurcated stents, but little has been reported on stenting into the right middle or lower lobe bronchus. We report a case with metastatic uterine leiomyosarcoma, who was successfully treated by rigid bronchoscopic intervention, including silicone Y-stenting on the carina between the right middle lobe bronchus and the lower lobe bronchus.

Rigid bronchoscopic intervention for endobronchial metastasis of renal cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Renal cell carcinoma is one of the major endobronchial metastases, and it occasionally causes life-threatening airway obstruction. Rigid bronchoscopy is useful as a palliative intervention; however, its utility for metastatic renal cell carcinoma has not been elucidated. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of rigid bronchoscopic treatment for endobronchial metastasis of renal cell carcinoma. METHODS: Among 550 patients who underwent rigid bronchoscopic intervention at a single center from January 2005 to June 2015, 9 with metastatic renal cell carcinoma were retrospectively reviewed. Procedures were performed with rigid and flexible bronchoscopes under general anesthesia. RESULTS: In total, 20 procedures were performed on 9 patients who underwent stent implantation. Bleeding was observed in 12 (60%) procedures while severe hypoxia was observed in 2 (10%). The required amount of supplemental oxygen successfully decreased after all the 10 procedures (100%) in patients who previously needed it. Median survival after the first procedure was of 260 days (range, 63-913 days). CONCLUSIONS: Rigid bronchoscopic intervention for endobronchial metastasis of renal cell carcinoma is feasible with safety and effectiveness for palliation of airway obstruction, if one prepares sufficiently for massive intraoperative bleeding.

Enlarging mediastinal/hilar lymphadenopathy with calcification.

A 77-year-old man was referred to our hospital due to enlarging mediastinal/hilar lymphadenopathy with calcification. Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) and bone marrow aspiration were performed. Subsequently, monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) associated with mediastinal amyloidosis was diagnosed. We hereby report a case in which EBUS-TBNA led to a successful diagnosis of amyloidosis.

Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration is useful as an initial procedure for the diagnosis of lymphoma.

BACKGROUND: The usefulness of endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) for evaluating hilar, mediastinal and central parenchymal lesions has been well established. However, its utility for diagnosing lymphoma is controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic utility of EBUS-TBNA for the definitive diagnosis of de novo lymphoma with subtype classification. METHODS: Patients with lymphoma who underwent EBUS-TBNA for diagnostic purposes at a single institution between March 2004 and May 2013 were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: Of the 971 patients who underwent EBUS-TBNA during the study period, 19 patients, who did not have a previous history of lymphoma, had a final diagnosis of lymphoma. EBUS-TBNA provided a diagnosis accompanied with subtype classification in 6 patients (32%), a suspicious but not definitive classification in 10 patients (53%), and a negative classification in 3 patients (16%). Immunohistochemical staining for definitive diagnosis was performed in 15 of 16 patients (94%), with suspicious results from routine hematoxylin and eosin staining. No procedure-related complications occurred. CONCLUSIONS: EBUS-TBNA is a useful initial diagnostic procedure, aiding decisions for the management of patients with suspected lymphoma, even though the sensitivity of EBUS-TBNA for diagnosing lymphoma with subtype classification was lower than previously reported.

Transbronchial vs transesophageal needle aspiration using an ultrasound bronchoscope for the diagnosis of mediastinal lesions: a randomized study.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to compare the tolerance, efficacy, and safety of endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) with transesophageal endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) with an endobronchial ultrasound scope for the first pathologic diagnosis of lesions accessible by both procedures. METHODS: Patients who had lesions accessible by both EBUS-TBNA and EUS-FNA were enrolled and were randomized to undergo either procedure. Patients quantified tolerance, and operators charted the quality of examination using a 100-mm visual analog scale (VAS). RESULTS: A specific diagnosis was made in 50 of 55 patients (91%) in the EBUS-TBNA group and in 48 of 55 patients (87%) in the EUS-FNA group (P = .76). Compared with EBUS-TBNA, EUS-FNA was associated with a shorter duration of procedure (median, 15.3 min vs 11.3 min; P < .001), lower doses of IV midazolam (mean, 4.4 mg vs 4 mg; P = .02) and intraairway lidocaine (mean, 303 mg vs 189 mg; P < .001), less frequent oxygen desaturations (23 of 55 vs two of 55, P < .001), and higher operator satisfaction (P < .001). There was no significant difference in patient tolerance according to the patients' VAS. Lymph node infection occurred in one patient in the EBUS-TBNA group and in two patients in the EUS-FNA group. CONCLUSIONS: Both EBUS-TBNA and EUS-FNA provide high accuracy with good tolerance, although the occurrence of infectious complications should be monitored carefully. EUS-FNA has the advantage of comparable tolerance with fewer doses of anesthetics and sedatives, a shorter procedure time, and fewer oxygen desaturations during the procedure. TRIAL REGISTRY: UMIN Clinical Trials Registry; No.: UMIN000005757; URL: http://www.umin.ac.jp/ctr/.

Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration in the diagnosis of small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Massive lymphadenopathy and direct mediastinal invasion are well-recognized phenomena in patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC). The aim of this study was to assess the utility of endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) in the diagnosis of SCLC. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 780 patients who underwent EBUS-TBNA at our institution from March 2004 to June 2012. Of these, 101 had a final diagnosis of SCLC. Excluding 3 patients with known SCLC who underwent EBUS-TBNA for staging purposes and including 2 patients who underwent EBUS-TBNA twice for the diagnosis of recurrence after achieving complete response by chemoradiation therapy during the study period, a total of 100 EBUS-TBNA procedures in 98 patients were analyzed. RESULTS: Other diagnostic tests prior to the initial EBUS-TBNA had failed to yield a diagnosis in 41 patients. The overall diagnostic yield of EBUS-TBNA for SCLC was 97% (97 of 100). Rapid on-site cytologic evaluation (ROSE) was performed at the operator's discretion in 77 procedures. ROSE did not have any impact on diagnostic yield (99% with ROSE vs. 90% without ROSE, p=0.1), but the use of ROSE was associated with fewer lesions (mean 1.1 with ROSE vs. 1.6 without ROSE, p<0.01) or aspirates (mean 2.3 with ROSE vs. 4.0 without ROSE, p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: EBUS-TBNA provided a high diagnostic yield in SCLC with or without ROSE. EBUS-TBNA can be recommended for patients suspected to have SCLC, even if other diagnostic tests have failed.