Derived neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio has the potential to predict safety and outcomes of durvalumab after chemoradiation in non-small cell lung cancer.

The usefulness of the derived neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (dNLR) and its dynamics before/after durvalumab consolidation therapy to predict safety or efficacy remains unclear. We retrospectively reviewed patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer treated with durvalumab consolidation therapy after chemoradiotherapy (D group) or chemoradiotherapy alone (non-D group) at multiple institutions. We investigated the association between dNLR, or its dynamics, and pneumonitis, checkpoint inhibitor-related pneumonitis (CIP), irAEs, and efficacy. Ninety-eight and fifty-six patients were enrolled in the D and non-D groups, respectively. The dNLR at baseline was significantly lower in patients who experienced irAEs or CIP than in those who did not. The low dNLR group, 28 days following durvalumab consolidation therapy (dNLR28 ≤ 3), demonstrated longer progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) than the high dNLR group (dNLR28 > 3) (PFS, hazard ratio [HR] 0.44, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.22-0.88, p = 0.020; OS, HR 0.39, 95% CI 0.16-0.94, p = 0.037). Among patients with high dNLR at baseline (dNLR > 3), the dNLR28 ≤ 3 group showed longer PFS than the dNLR28 > 3 group (p = 0.010). The dNLR is a predictive factor for irAEs and CIP in patients receiving durvalumab consolidation therapy. The dNLR at 28 days after durvalumab consolidation therapy and its dynamics predict favorable outcomes.

[EFFECTIVENESS OF ADD-ON SUBLINGUAL IMMUNOTHERAPY FOR THE TREATMENT OF JAPANESE CEDAR POLLINOSIS-ASSOCIATED ALLERGIC ASTHMA IS IT POSSIBLE TO REDUCE THE DOSE OF INHALED CORTICOSTEROID BY ADDING SUBLINGUAL IMMUNOTHERAPY?]

BACKGROUND: This study investigated the effect of adjuvant sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) on inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) dose in patients with pollinosis-associated asthma. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated patients with cedar pollinosis-associated asthma who initiated pharmacotherapy with or without adjuvant SLIT therapy from December 2014 to December 2016 and who continued treatment for 3 years. Changes in ICS dose (fluticasone propionate or its equivalent), antihistamine use, leukotriene antagonist use and intranasal corticosteroid (INCS) use over the 3-year period were compared. RESULTS: The study included 36 and 35 patients in the add-on SLIT and standard treatment groups, respectively. At 3 years, the add-on SLIT group showed a significant decline in ICS dose (p = 0.024). Although leukotriene antagonist use and INCS use did not differ between the two groups, the percentage of patients using antihistamines at 3 years was significantly lower in the add-on SLIT group than in the standard treatment group (p = 0.009); one in three patients on adjuvant SLIT therapy was able to discontinue ICS treatment. Patients who discontinued ICS treatment were younger (44.6±13.3 years vs. 55.0±14.1 years, p = 0.042), had a higher FEV1% predicted (109.9±14.4 vs. 94.8±18.6, p = 0.02), and were on a lower treatment step (2.1±0.7 vs. 3.0±0.8, p = 0.002) than those who did not. CONCLUSION: The addition of SLIT to standard pharmacotherapy resulted in a significant reduction in ICS dose at 3 years.

Bubbling behavior of a fluidized bed of fine particles caused by vibration-induced air inflow.

We demonstrate that a vibration-induced air inflow can cause vigorous bubbling in a bed of fine particles and report the mechanism by which this phenomenon occurs. When convective flow occurs in a powder bed as a result of vibrations, the upper powder layer with a high void ratio moves downward and is compressed. This process forces the air in the powder layer out, which leads to the formation of bubbles that rise and eventually burst at the top surface of the powder bed. A negative pressure is created below the rising bubbles. A narrow opening at the bottom allows the outside air to flow into the powder bed, which produces a vigorously bubbling fluidized bed that does not require the use of an external air supply system.

RSS1 regulates the cell cycle and maintains meristematic activity under stress conditions in rice.

Plant growth and development are sustained by continuous cell division in the meristems, which is perturbed by various environmental stresses. For the maintenance of meristematic functions, it is essential that cell division be coordinated with cell differentiation. However, it is unknown how the proliferative activities of the meristems and the coordination between cell division and differentiation are maintained under stressful conditions. Here we show that a rice protein, RSS1, whose stability is controlled by cell cycle phases, contributes to the vigour of meristematic cells and viability under salinity conditions. These effects of RSS1 are exerted by regulating the G1-S transition, possibly through an interaction of RSS1 with protein phosphatase 1, and are mediated by the phytohormone, cytokinin. RSS1 is conserved widely in plant lineages, except eudicots, suggesting that RSS1-dependent mechanisms might have been adopted in specific lineages during the evolutionary radiation of angiosperms.