Cough Response to High-Dose Inhaled Corticosteroids in Patients with Chronic Cough and Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide Levels ≥ 25 ppb: A Prospective Study.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of high-dose inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) on chronic cough patients with elevated fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) levels. In a prospective study, adults with chronic cough and FeNO ≥ 25 ppb, without any other apparent etiology, received fluticasone furoate (200 mcg) for three weeks. Outcomes were evaluated using FeNO levels, cough severity, and Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ) before and after treatment. Of the fifty participants (average age: 58.4 years; 58% female), the treatment responder rate (≥ 1.3-point increase in LCQ) was 68%, with a significant improvement in cough and LCQ scores and FeNO levels post-treatment. However, improvements in cough did not significantly correlate with changes in FeNO levels. These findings support the guideline recommendations for a short-term ICS trial in adults with chronic cough and elevated FeNO levels, but the lack of correlations between FeNO levels and cough raises questions about their direct mechanistic link.

Hyaluronic acid-coated nanoparticles for targeted photodynamic therapy of cancer guided by near-infrared and MR imaging.

In this study, the multifaceted properties of hyaluronic acid (HA) were used for the targeted therapy of cancer by photodynamic therapy (PDT) guided by molecular imaging. Near-infrared (NIR) photosensitizers (Chlorin e6; Ce6) were encapsulated into poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles (PLGA NPs) coated with HA that can act as CD44 targeting ligand. The abundant carboxylate groups of HA also enabled the chelation of gadolinium ions (Gd3+), T1-weighted MRI contrast agents, on the surface of PLGA NPs. Through both in vitro and in vivo fluorescence and MRI signal analysis, we confirmed that the HA-Gd-Ce6-PLGA NPs (HAGCP-NPs) could efficiently target CD44-overexpressing A549 cancer cells. When an NIR laser was illuminated to irradiate A549 tumor-bearing mice, the groups treated with HAGCP-NPs showed remarkable delays in tumor growth or tumor regression. Taken together, the HAGCP-NPs are expected to be used as a theranostic platform for the dual modal (MR/NIR) imaging and PDT of cancer.

Non-invasive characterization of the adipogenic differentiation of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells by HS-SPME/GC-MS.

A non-invasive method to characterize human mesenchymal stromal cells during adipogenic differentiation was developed for the first time. Seven fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs), including methyl laurate, methyl myristate, methyl palmitate, methyl linoleate, methyl oleate, methyl elaidate and methyl stearate, were used for characterizing adipogenic differentiation using headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) which is a very simple and non-invasive method for the extraction of volatile compounds. Glassware was used for culturing mesenchymal stromal cells rather than the common plasticware to minimize contamination by volatile impurities. The optimal SPME fiber was selected by comparing diverse fibers containing two pure liquid polymers (PDMS and PA) and two porous solids (PDMS/DVB and CAR/PDMS). Using optimized procedures, we discovered that seven FAMEs were only detected in adipogenic differentiated mesenchymal stromal cells and not in the mesenchymal stromal cells before differentiation. These data could support the quality control of clinical mesenchymal stromal cell culture in the pharmaceutical industry in addition to the development of many clinical applications using mesenchymal stromal cells.

Secondary omental infarction related to open and laparoscopic-assisted distal gastrectomy: report of two cases.

Omental infarction occurring after open and laparoscopic-assisted distal gastrectomy with partial omentectomy for gastric cancer was a very rare disease in the past, but its incidence has increased as more partial omentectomies are now being performed. But there are few case reports or radiologic studies on its increasing incidence. It is necessary to differentiate omental infarction from carcinomatosis peritonei, since both have similar imaging findings. In this report, we describe two cases of omental infarction; each occurred after open and laparoscopic-assisted distal gastrectomy in early gastric cancer patients. Partial omentectomy was performed in both cases. Omental infarction following distal gastrectomy with partial omentectomy can be discriminated from carcinomatosis peritonei by comparing with different initial and follow up CT findings.