Association between Family History of Cancer and Lung Cancer Risk among Japanese Men and Women.

Although cigarette smoking is a major risk factor for lung cancer, genetic susceptibility may also affect lung cancer risk. To explore the role of genetic risk, this case-control study investigated the association between family history of cancer at several sites and lung cancer risk. A total of 1,733 lung cancer cases and 6,643 controls were selected from patients aged 30 years and over admitted to a single hospital in Japan between 1997 and 2009. Information on family history of cancer was collected using a self-administered questionnaire and odds ratios (ORs) were estimated by unconditional logistic regression. Family history of lung cancer in first-degree relatives was associated with an increased risk of lung cancer among both sexes. According to histology and type of relatives, a parental history of lung cancer was significantly associated with an increased risk of female adenocarcinoma (OR = 1.72). Stratification by smoking status revealed that this significant positive association in women was limited to ever-smokers (OR = 4.13). In men, a history of lung cancer in siblings was significantly associated with an increased risk of small cell carcinoma (OR = 2.28) and adenocarcinoma (OR = 2.25). Otherwise, positive associations between history of breast (OR = 1.99) and total (OR = 1.71) cancers in siblings and the risk of male adenocarcinoma were observed. These results suggest that inherited genetic susceptibility may contribute to the development of lung cancer. In men, shared exposure to environmental factors among siblings may also be responsible for the increase in lung cancer risk.

Alcohol Consumption and Breast Cancer Risk According to Hormone Receptor Status in Japanese Women: A Case-Control Study.

Alcohol consumption is a risk factor for breast cancer in Western countries, but few studies have evaluated the risk for Japanese women, who have a relatively low alcohol intake. This case-control study investigated the association of alcohol consumption with breast cancer risk according to estrogen-receptor and progesterone-receptor (ER/PgR) status in Japanese women. From female patients aged 30 years and over admitted to a single hospital in Japan between 1997 and 2011, 1,256 breast cancer cases (669 ER+/PgR+, 162 ER+/PgR-, 21 ER-/PgR+, 305 ER-/PgR-, and 99 missing) and 2,933 controls were selected. Alcohol-related measures were assessed using a self-administered questionnaire. Unconditional logistic regression analysis was performed. Alcohol-related measures were not associated with breast cancer risk among the women overall. Moreover, no association was observed between ever drinking and the risk of a concordant receptor subtype (ER+/PgR+ or ER-/PgR-). Conversely, ever drinking was inversely associated with the risk of discordant subtype (ER+/PgR-, odds ratio (OR) = 0.63, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.41-0.95; ER-/PgR+, OR = 0.44, 95% CI: 0.14-1.42). For ER+/PgR-, an inverse association with the amount of alcohol consumed per day was observed (P for trend = 0.04), and this inverse association was limited to premenopausal women. Alcohol consumption may have differential effects on concordant and discordant receptor subtypes of breast cancer. In view of the low frequency of discordant subtype in Japanese women and their relatively low alcohol intake, our findings may provide a clue for elucidating the etiology of breast cancer rather than for preventing discordant subtype.

[Evaluation of serum fibrosis markers in asbestos-exposed workers].

The usefulness of serum fibrosis markers to evaluate asbestos exposure was investigated. Subjects who underwent chest CT in screening for asbestos-exposed workers were divided in two groups, with or without pleural plaque findings, and they were compared in terms of serum fibrosis markers (Type IV collagen, Type III procollagen-N-peptide, Hyaluronic acid, KL-6, SP-D, SP-A). 8 younger cases, a case with elevated AST and a case with asbestosis of all the 43 cases who underwent chest CT were excluded. The remaining 33 cases were divided into on group of 17 cases with pleural plaque (plaque group) and the group of 16 cases without pleural plaque (normal group). Serum level of Type IV collagen in the plaque group was significantly higher than in the normal group (162 +/- 35 vs. 121 +/- 22, P < 0.01), and the mean was higher than the cut-off value (< or = 140 ng/ml). This result suggests that higher serum level of type IV collagen predicts the presence of pleural plaque. Though chest X-ray is inferior to CT in the detection of pleural plaque, result can be expected to improve by additional evaluation of serum level of Type IV collagen.

Multifocal pelvic abscesses and osteomyelitis from community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a 17-year-old basketball player.

A 17-year-old female basketball player suffered from cutaneous abscesses, which complicated into a systemic progression to osteomyelitis and simultaneous iliopsoas and piriformis abscesses, adjacent to the sacroiliac joint. The causative agent was community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus with multilocus sequence type 30, spa19, and SCCmecIVc. The clinical importance of this genotype is discussed.

Key adhesin gene in community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) possessing the Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) gene (luk(PV)) is associated with skin and soft tissue infections, osteomyelitis, and necrotizing pneumonia. There are geographically two types of CA-MRSA: one (sequence type ST30) that is worldwide (pandemic) and the other (sequence types, e.g., ST1, ST8 or ST80) that is continent-specific. The pandemic type, but not continent-specific type, possessed the bone sialoprotein-adhesin gene (bbp), which was associated with osteomyelitis. No recent hospital-acquired MRSA had the bbp gene, while past PVL-positive nosocomial outbreak-derived strains did possess it. The collagen-adhesin gene (cna) was associated with pandemic CA-MRSA, though with positive cases even in continent-specific CA-MRSA and PVL-negative Japanese region-specific CA-MRSA. Thus, the pandemic type is characterized by the combination of luk(PV) and bbp (and cna) genes. A specific real-time PCR assay for the bbp gene was developed, and dual assay for bbp and luk(PV) in one test tube became possible.

Central retinal vein occlusion caused by human herpesvirus 6.

We describe a 1-year-old girl with central retinal vein occlusion caused by human herpesvirus 6. She received systemic corticosteroid therapy. Although there was retinal recovery after the therapy, the visual acuity in her left eye still could not be measured.

A Panton-Valentine leucocidin (PVL)-positive community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strain, another such strain carrying a multiple-drug resistance plasmid, and other more-typical PVL-negative MRSA strains found in Japan.

Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) was collected from children with bullous impetigo in 2003 and 2004. One strain collected in 2003 was Panton-Valentine leucocidin (PVL) positive. In 2004, a multiple-drug-resistant PVL(+) CA-MRSA strain was isolated from an athlete with a cutaneous abscess. These strains were analyzed by multilocus sequence typing, spa typing, agr typing, coagulase typing, staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) typing, PCR assay for 30 virulence genes, drug susceptibility testing, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, and for plasmids. The two Japanese PVL(+) CA-MRSA strains belonged to the globally extant ("pandemic") sequence type 30 (ST30) with SCCmec IV. A transmissible, multiple-drug resistance plasmid emerged in such ST30 strains. The PVL(-) CA-MRSA strains ("domestic" CA-MRSA) accumulated for bullous impetigo, exhibiting new genotypes. Hospital-acquired MRSA of ST91 (but not pandemic ST5) shared common features with the PVL(-) CA-MRSA strain.