Potential asbestos exposure among patients with primary lung cancer in Japan.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the extent of asbestos exposure among patients with primary lung cancer in Japan. METHODS: A retrospective estimation of potential asbestos-exposed individuals, as determined by the presence of pleural plaques identified on chest computed tomography (CT), was conducted on 885 pathologically confirmed primary lung cancer patients (mean age 71.3 years, 641 males). All patients were diagnosed at 29 hospitals across Japan between 2006 and 2007. Since these hospitals belong to the Japan Federation of Democratic Medical Institutions (MIN-IREN), an organization of medical institutions for workers, the study subjects may contain a higher proportion of workers than the general population. RESULTS: Pleural plaques were identified in 12.8% of subjects (15.8% in males and 4.9% in females), consisting exclusively of cases older than 50 years. They were found most frequently on the chest wall pleura (96.5%), followed by the diaphragm (23.9%) and mediastinum (9.7%). Calcifications were seen in 47 cases (41.6%). The highest prevalence of pleural plaques was seen among workers from construction-related fields (37.7%). No distinct lung cancer histology was observed in patients with pleural plaques. Coexistence of pleural plaques and small irregular opacities was observed in 2.5% of subjects. CONCLUSION: In a Japanese population representing more workers than general Japanese, 12.8% of patients with primary lung cancer may have experienced asbestos exposure at some time in the past. Special medical attention should be paid to individuals with a history of employment in construction-related occupations, as workers in this sector showed the highest prevalence of pleural plaques.

Stabilizing Effects for Antibody Formulations and Safety Profiles of Cyclodextrin Polypseudorotaxane Hydrogels.

Antibodies often have poor physicochemical stability during storage and transport, which is a serious drawback for the development of antibody-based drugs. In this study, we prepared polypseudorotaxane (PPRX) hydrogels consisting of cyclodextrins (CyDs) and polyethylene glycol, and evaluated them as stabilizers for commercially available antibody-based drugs. α-CyD and γ-CyD formed PPRX hydrogels with polyethylene glycol (molecular weight 20,000 Da) in the presence of antibody-based drugs such as omalizumab, palivizumab, panitumumab, and ranibizumab. Importantly, both α- and γ-CyD PPRX hydrogel formulations provided high stabilizing effects (ca. 100%) to the all antibody-based drugs used in this study. Furthermore, approximately 100% of the binding activity of omalizumab to the immunoglobulin E receptor was retained after the release from the hydrogels. Plasma levels of omalizumab after subcutaneous injection of the γ-CyD PPRX hydrogel to rats were equivalent to those of omalizumab alone. According to the results of blood chemistry tests, the weights of organs and histological observations α- and γ-CyD PPRX hydrogels induced no serious adverse effects. These results suggest that CyD PPRX hydrogels are useful as safe and promising stabilizing formulations for antibody-based drugs.

The diagnostic value of endothelial function as a potential sensor of fatigue in health.

PURPOSE: Many epidemiological research studies have shown that vital exhaustion and psychosocial factors are associated with the occurrence of cerebrocardiovascular disease (CCVD). Fatigue is thought to induce endothelial dysfunction and may be linked to the occurrence of CCVD; however, no studies have investigated this potential link. We studied to determine the effect of fatigue on endothelial function in healthy subjects with no traditional CCVD risk factors or potential confounding factors to be controlled. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Peripheral arterial tonometry (PAT) was used to evaluate endothelial function. The influence of the following parameters on endothelial function was analyzed in 74 office workers without traditional CCVD risk factors at health check-ups: endothelial function before and after work, subjective fatigue, lifestyle factors such as sleeping time, and psychosocial factors such as depression and social support. RESULTS: Twenty-five subjects (33.8%) had low endothelial function; reactive hyperemia (RH)-PAT index <1.67, even though no abnormalities were reported in the health check-ups. There was no significant difference in endothelial function before versus after labor. Of note, endothelial function was associated with the individual's level of subjective fatigue (t = 2.98, P = 0.008) and showed a daily fluctuation, sometimes to a pathological degree (<1.67). CONCLUSION: We showed that, even in healthy people, endothelial function fluctuates diurnally, with an interaction between the individual's cognitive fatigue and the environment, sometimes to a pathological degree. Based on these findings, we suggest that endothelial function is an objective assessment tool of fatigue in healthy individuals.