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Animal models of human diseases are invaluable and inevitable elements in identifying and testing novel treatments for serious diseases, including severe infections. Planning and conducting investigator-initiated human trials are generally accepted as being enormously challenging. In contrast, it is often underestimated how much planning, including background and modifying experiments, is needed to establish a relevant infectious disease animal model. However, representative animal infectious models, well designed to test generated hypotheses, are useful to improve our understanding of pathogenesis, virulence factors and host response and to identify novel treatment candidates and therapeutic strategies. Such results can subsequently proceed to clinical testing if suitable. The present review aims at presenting all the pulmonary Pseudomonas aeruginosa infectious models we have knowledge of and the detailed descriptions of established animal models in our laboratory focusing on macrolide therapy are presented.

A 47-year-old man with ulcerative colitis was transferred to our hospital due to progressive dyspnea. Electrocardiography on admission showed ST elevation in leads II, III, aVF, and V5-V6. Coronary angiography revealed no remarkable coronary stenosis, and left ventriculography showed a depressed left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) of 23%. Although the patient received percutaneous cardiopulmonary support, his EF progressively decreased (7-15%), and both ventricular tachycardia (VT) and high-degree atrial-ventricular block occurred. An endomyocardial biopsy showed eosinophilic infiltration in the myocardium. Steroid therapy improved the patient's EF. However, his severe inferior wall hypokinesis and non-sustained VT remained after the abovementioned treatment.

Some patients with insulinoma present with neuropsychiatric symptoms and are often misdiagnosed with psychiatric disease. We present the case of a 72-year-old Japanese female who exhibited violent behavior while asleep and received a diagnosis of suspected rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD). She was admitted to the psychiatry ward after receiving levomepromazine 25 mg intramuscularly. The patient's blood glucose level was 27 mg/dL at the time of hospitalization, and a biochemical examination revealed that her insulin level was 9.1 µU/mL and C-peptide level was 2.16 ng/mL. A contrast-enhanced computed tomography revealed a mass 8 mm in diameter in the pancreatic head. The diagnosis was changed from RBD to insulinoma. The sleep behavior disorder disappeared after continuous glucose administration. After enucleation of the insulinoma, the administration of glucose was discontinued, and her blood glucose levels recovered. This case suggests that insulinoma should be considered by physicians and psychiatrists in the differential diagnosis of patients with symptoms presenting as RBD.

Aim Pneumonia in older adults is increasingly recognized as a healthcare issue in countries with an aging population. Long-term macrolide therapy reduces exacerbations of chronic respiratory diseases, but its effects on the prevention of pneumonia have not been determined. Methods We carried out a randomized, controlled trial to test the effect of long-term clarithromycin therapy on the prevention of pneumonia among older adults. People aged ≥65 years who had recovered from pneumonia within the previous 3 months were recruited and randomly allocated to a long-term, low-dose clarithromycin (CAM) therapy group (n = 13) or a control group (n = 15). Results Both groups were followed up until recurrence of pneumonia. The median follow-up period was 251 days (95% CI 171-330) in the CAM group and 132 days (95% CI 67-196) in the control group (P = 0.627). The recurrence rate of pneumonia was two out of 13 (15%) in the CAM group and five out of 15 (33%) in the control group (P = 0.268). The median time to recurrence of pneumonia was 315 days (95% CI 249-382) in the CAM group and 260 days (95% CI 184-335) in the control group (P = 0.260). None of the differences between groups were statistically significant. Conclusions No statistically significant suppressive effects of long-term, low-dose macrolide therapy on the development of pneumonia among older people were found in this small sample. A large-scale, randomized, controlled study is required. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2019; 19: 1006-1009.

Data on 225 Japanese patients with primary or essential thrombocythemia (ET) were analyzed in an attempt to characterize the clinical and laboratory features in subgroups with thrombosis (T), hemorrhages (H), thrombohemorrhagic events (TH) or a non-thrombohemorrhagic (O) group, and in order to examine survival and the incidence of blastic transformation in the entire group and in the different subgroups. Higher platelet and leukocyte counts were related to hemorrhage (H and TH), prolonged activated partial thromboplastin times and high LDH levels to H while elevated FDP levels were more frequently linked to T. Increased spontaneous platelet aggregation (SPA) was noted in 80.3% of the entire group, independent of whether there was a tendency for thrombohemorrhagic events or not. Bleeding time, as measured by the Duke method, and hemoglobin levels were not different in the various subgroups. Transformation occurred in 11 patients (1.9% per year); seven developed acute leukemia (myeloblastic 4, lymphoblastic 2, megakaryoblastic 1) at a rate of 1.2% per year; and 4 developed other types of chronic myeloproliferative disorders. Nineteen patients died (3.3% per year), six from leukemia (32%), 4 from bleeding (21%) and 9 from unrelated diseases (47%). Survival was estimated to be 65% at ten years, and was significantly longer in females, younger individuals, and the groups with lower leukocyte counts, but did not differ between the subgroups when platelet count and hemoglobin level were considered. Survival was similar in patients with platelet counts between 700-1000 × 10(9)/L and in those with an even higher platelet count. These findings suggest that (1) young female patients with low leukocyte counts may survive longer, (2) SPA is not indicative of either a thrombotic or an hemorrhagic tendency and (3) the limit of the platelet count for establishing the diagnosis of this disorder could perhaps be lowered to 700 × 10(9)/L.

Background and objective: More than 100 000 Japanese die of pneumonia every year. The number of people residing in nursing homes is increasing with the ageing of the population. In 2005, the American Thoracic Society/Infectious Diseases Society of America (ATS/IDSA) published important guidelines for the management of healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP). In Japan, however, the optimum strategy for management of HCAP is still unclear. The purpose of this study was to clarify the clinical features of patients with HCAP. Methods: Patients (n = 202) who were consecutively admitted with a diagnosis of acute pneumonia between October 2007 and September 2009 were retrospectively evaluated. Using the ATS/IDSA guidelines, patients were divided into three groups: a community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) group (n = 123), a nursing home-acquired pneumonia (NHAP) group (n = 46) and a HCAP other than NHAP (O-HCAP) group (n = 33). These groups were then compared with respect to laboratory data, microbiological findings and mortality. Results: Thirty-day mortality in the NHAP group (10.9%) tended to be higher than that in the CAP group (3.3%) or the O-HCAP group (0%). The pathogens most frequently identified were Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae in the CAP group, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae in the NHAP group, and S. pneumoniae and K. pneumoniae in the O-HCAP group. Conclusions: The NHAP group was clinically different from the O-HCAP group, based on bacteriological examination and mortality rates. In order to accurately diagnose, and formulate optimum treatment strategies for Japanese patients, the categories of HCAP, as specified in the ATS/IDSA guidelines, should not be applied directly either to patients with NHAP or those with O-HCAP.

This retrospective analysis investigated the prognostic value of monitoring the response to imatinib using peripheral blood (PB) samples and the impact of the response on outcome in 133 patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). We divided the response into 3 categories according to the results of neutrophil (N)-FISH and BCR-ABL transcript levels in PB; more than a 3-log reduction [major molecular response (MMR)], between a 2-log and 3-log reduction or negative with N-FISH [complete cytogenetic response equivalent (CCyRe)], N-FISH positive or less than a 2-log reduction (non-CCyRe). The median follow-up was 5.46 years. At 5 years, the overall survival (OS) rate and progression-free survival (PFS) rate were 94.4 and 92.0%, respectively. The estimated rate of the CCyRe and MMR were 81.7 and 67.1%, respectively. 106 patients achieving the CCyRe had significantly better OS and PFS than 27 patients without achieving the CCyRe. Patients with MMR had significantly better survival free from death, progression, imatinib withdrawal and a loss of the CCyRe, than patients whose response level remained in the CCyRe without achieving MMR until 18 months. Our observation suggests that the response level of the CCyRe on PB serve as a prognostic indicator, and achieving MMR provides stable long-term survival.

We clarified experimentally that an EA-DFB laser in which the EAM and DFB parts are coupled with a passive waveguide provides a large bandwidth, even when a large reverse bias is applied to the EAM. This allows the chip to operate in a negative-chirp condition. We fabricated an EA-DFB module terminated with a 50 Omega resistor through a dc-block capacitor to suppress the increase in dc current as the reverse bias increases. A module equipped with our new EA-DFB chip successfully transmitted data over a distance of 3 km at a rate of 40 Gbit/s and at a driving voltage as low as 2 V.

Rationale and Objectives Nocardiosis is difficult to diagnose, and the diagnosis is thus frequently delayed. High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) findings of patients with pulmonary nocardiosis have been documented in few reports. Our study objective was to assess HRCT findings of patients with pulmonary nocardiosis. Materials and Methods This was a retrospective study of 20 consecutive patients with pulmonary Nocardia infections who underwent HRCT of the chest at our institutions from January 2011 to August 2014. After the exclusion of two patients with concurrent infections, the study group comprised 18 patients (11 men, 7 women; age range, 39–83 years; mean, 67.9 years) with pulmonary Nocardia infections. Parenchymal abnormalities, enlarged lymph nodes, and pleural effusion were evaluated on HRCT. Results Underlying conditions included respiratory disease ( n = 6, 33.3%), collagen diseases ( n = 5, 27.8%), and diabetes mellitus ( n = 4, 22.2%). All patients showed abnormal HRCT findings, including the presence of a nodule/mass ( n = 17, 94.4%), ground-glass opacity ( n = 14, 77.8%), interlobular septal thickening ( n = 14, 77.8%), and cavitation ( n = 12, 66.7%). Pleural effusion was seen in two patients. There were no cases of lymph node enlargement. Conclusions Among the HRCT findings in patients with pneumonia, a nodule/mass with interlobular septal thickening and/or cavitation are suggestive of pulmonary nocardiosis.

SummaryDiffuse panbronchiolitis (DPB) is a distinctive form of small airway disease, which is characterized by chronic inflammation with lymphocyte infiltration around bronchioles. The aim of this study was to evaluate the importance of factors related to apoptosis in peribronchiolar lymphocytes of DPB. We employed immunohistochemical methods for the localization of Bax (a promoter of apoptosis), Bcl-2 (an inhibitor of apoptosis), and caspase-3 (a key executioner molecule of apoptosis) in lung tissues of five patients with DPB. In all patients, immunostaining for Bax was almost completely absent in accumulated lymphocytes around the bronchioles and in lymphocytes of the parafollicular area that correspond to a zone populated by T cells. In contrast to the reaction for Bax, Bcl-2 immunoreactivity was uniformly strong in all of the patients. The pattern of staining for caspase-3 was similar to that for Bax in all of the patients. In normal lung tissue, a few lymphocytes showed negative immunostaining for Bcl-2 and a positive reaction for caspase-3. Our results suggest that Bcl-2 protein may provide T-lymphocyte survival and hypercellularity in the bronchioles, thereby contributing to the progression of DPB.

Objective In the current studies, we investigated the clinical effects of long-term macrolide antibiotic therapy for patients with chronic small airway disease (CAD) that clinically and radiologically mimics but is pathologically distinct from diffuse panbronchiolitis (DPB).Patients and Methods Twenty-one Japanese patients were selected on the basis of clinical criteria for DPB and were categorized as DPB or CAD following histological evaluation of surgical lung biopsies. All patients received long-term macrolide therapy, and therapeutic results were compared for the DPB and CAD groups.Results Clinical, laboratory, radiological, and bacterial features, as well as neutrophilia in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were strikingly similar in both groups. Long-term treatment with macrolides improved the clinical symptoms and PaO2 in both groups. There was a significant improvement in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), vital capacity (VC), and %VC in patients with DPB but not in patients with CAD. Neutrophilia in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was also reduced following therapy in DPB patients but was refractory in CAD patients.Conclusion Based on the different responses to macrolides, CAD might be associated with conditions distinct from those of DPB. Nevertheless, low-dose macrolide therapy may be applied in CAD to achieve clinical improvement, such as in respiratory symptoms and PaO2.

Suppression of endotoxin release and subsequent production of inflammatory cytokines is crucial in the treatment of septic shock. We investigated the effect of clindamycin (CLI) on endotoxic shock induced in mice byEscherichia colilipopolysaccharide (LPS). Mice were treated with CLI (160 to 600 mg/kg) or saline and then injected withE. coliLPS andd-(+)-galactosamine intraperitoneally 0.5 h after CLI administration. Pretreatment with CLI significantly improved survival in a dose-dependent manner (CLI, at 160, 300, and 440 mg/kg) and significantly lowered the peak concentrations of tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin-1β(IL-1β) in serum. However, the peak concentrations of IL-6 in the sera of CLI-treated mice were higher than in control mice. Our findings suggest that CLI alters LPS-induced inflammatory cytokine production and suppresses endotoxin-induced mortality in this murine model.

In this paper, we present highly reliable high-temperature spot-size converter integrated laser diodes (LDs) fabricated using a full-wafer process with dry etching and MOVPE. The lasers lase at 150°C and operate stably for 10,000 h at 85°C and 10 mW. The median lifetime is estimated to be over 10 5 h. We also demonstrate a novel screening test procedure for a bar configuration of LDs, which can greatly reduce optical module cost.

We demonstrate 1.55-/spl mu/m buried-heterostructure (BH) vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) on a GaAs substrate. Thin-film wafer-fusion technology enables InP-based BH VCSELs to be fabricated on GaAs/AlAs distributed Bragg reflectors. Detailed investigations of the device resistance are also described. As a result of introducing BH and obtaining low device resistance, the threshold current density under CW operation shows the independence of mesa size due to a strong index guide and small noneffective current. A 5-/spl mu/m VCSEL exhibits a record threshold current of 380 /spl mu/A at 20/spl deg/C. This VCSEL also operates with single transverse mode up to the maximum optical output power.

We demonstrated a 25-Gb/s direct modulation up to 85degC with a 1.3- mum InGaAlAs ridge-waveguide multiple-quantum-well distributed-feedback laser. The dependence of the relaxation oscillation frequency on current was 3.3 GHz/mA1/2, and this is the highest value ever reported for 200-mum-long lasers in the 1.3-mum wavelength region. The alpha parameter was around 2.7 at 25degC, and an error-free operation after a 10-km single-mode fiber transmission was obtained up to 85degC.

We have demonstrated an optical transceiver diode integrated with a spot-size converter. We clarify that the design of a detection layer is essential for the temperature- and polarization-insensitive characteristics of the responsivity. Because the detection layer was introduced, 0.65 dB of responsivity deviation was obtained in the wide temperature range of -10/spl deg/C-85/spl deg/C with a high laser performance. A spot-size converter enables the coupling loss to be 1.8 dB for a flat-end optical fiber. The frequency response was also obtained up to 1 GHz in both laser and detector modes.

The device structure and performance of 1.3-/spl mu/m narrow beam superluminescent diodes (NB-SLD's), which consist of a spot-size converter and a new type rear absorbing region, are reported. A butt-jointed selectively grown spot-size converter (SSC) is employed to realize the narrow beam characteristics. The rear absorbing region is designed as a taper structure with a part of the region is inclined from the active-stripe axes. In order to investigate the effects of both SSC length and active-region length on device performance, two types of NB-SLDs, whose SSC and active-region lengths differ, are fabricated. An electrode to sweep out photoexcited carriers in the absorption region is formed on one device. By comparing the characteristics of these devices, we clarify that a 500-/spl mu/m-active-region device is suitable for high-output power operation, and a 400-/spl mu/m-active-region device is suitable for realizing short coherent length. The light-output power is 13.9 mW at 200-mA-injection current for the former device, and the full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of the spectrum is 62.6 nm (calculated coherence length is 26.5 /spl mu/m) for the latter device. Very small spectral modulation index (0.015 at 5 mW-output power) is attained by grounding the absorption-region electrode. For the SSC length, a 300-/spl mu/m SSC device shows very narrow far-field patterns (FFPs) and very good fiber-coupling characteristics. The FWHM of horizontal and vertical FFPs are 8.9 and 10.6/spl deg/, respectively. Because of this narrow beam divergence, the coupling efficiency of -1.9 dB to a flat-end 4-/spl mu/m spot-size fiber is obtained without lenses. The alignment tolerance of this device to the fiber for both horizontal and vertical direction is more than 3 /spl mu/m at a loss of when -1 dB from the optimum coupling.

A double-heterostructure (DH) laser with TM mode lasing has been achieved with a narrow active-layer width, and a laser-diode optical switch (LDSW) module with less than a 0.35-dB gain difference between the TE and TM modes over a wide wavelength range has been constructed by introducing a square bulk active layer formed by dry etching and regrowth. The polarization-insensitive width of a 0.3-/spl mu/m-thick DH laser is clarified to be between 0.30 and 0.35 /spl mu/m, since the 0.30- and 0.35-/spl mu/m-wide DH lasers lase in the TM mode and TE mode, respectively. The polarization-insensitive width of the fabricated 0.3-/spl mu/m-thick LDSW is estimated to be about 0.32 /spl mu/m for the fabricated LDSW with a trapezoidal active layer by measuring the single-pass gain and the gain difference between the TE and TM modes. This must be to within 0.01 /spl mu/m. A 0.35-/spl mu/m-wide, 300-/spl mu/m-long LDSW module has lossless gain in the wavelength range of 1.31 to 1.36 /spl mu/m at 20 mA. The gain difference between the TE and TM modes is as low as 0.35 dB, The rise and fall times are 1.0 and 0.55 ns, respectively. The bulk active-layer LDSW module is promising for use as a polarization-insensitive optical-gate switch in optical information systems.

A patient presented with chronic large granular lymphocyte leukemia associated with chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection (CAEBV). Cell cycle analysis revealed a minimal growth compatible with chronic lymphocytic leukemia After 5 months of treatment, the patient died from acute transformation of the leukemia. Cell harvested during chronic phase were analyzed for sensitivity to interleukin 2 (IL-2) and interferon alpha (IFN alpha) in vitro by means of surface phenotyping and cell cycle assay. IL-2 induced remarkable growth of the cells, whereas IFN alpha did not confer a growth advantage. Since IFN alpha was expected to have no growth induction effect on the leukemia cells, it was administered to the patient to treat the CAEBV.

Laser diodes monolithically integrated with spot-size converters operating at 1.3 /spl mu/m, and having an almost circular narrow emitted beam, have been successfully fabricated using 2 inch (50.8 mm) full wafer fabrication technology. The spot-size converters consist of a lateral taper, thin-film guiding layer and ridge structure. The epitaxial structure is designed to have wide fabrication tolerance with no deterioration of device characteristics. The investigation of the coupling-loss dependence on the dimension parameters in the spot-size converters confirms that this device has a wide fabrication tolerance for these parameters. Furthermore, butt-coupling loss to fibre as low as -1.3 dB is attained with alignment tolerance wide enough for passive alignment. The overall device is as short as 450 /spl mu/m, enabling high availability from one wafer.

To assess the consequence of second BMT (BMT2) for leukemia relapse after allogeneic BMT, we analyzed the clinical course of 66 recipients who were treated by BMT2 in Japan. Diagnoses included 29 ANLL, 27 ALL, six CML and four MDS. Durations between the first BMT (BMT1) to relapse and BMT1 to BMT2 were 13.5 +/- 13.7 months and 17.4 +/- 13.9 months, respectively. Donors for BMT2 were replaced in 11 cases. Thirty-one patients were in CR (or CP) at BMT2. Earlier deaths were observed in those who received BMT2 within 12 months after BMT1, mostly caused by regimen-related toxicity and infections. Overall leukemia-free survival rate was 28% at 2 years and 16% at 4 years. Factors influencing the poor prognosis after BMT2 were early (

Laser diodes integrated with spotsize converters by butt-joint technology combined with selective area metal organic vapor phase epitaxial (MOVPE) growth have been successfully fabricated. Satisfactory uniformity, reproducibility (>99%) and tolerance for low threshold current, a narrow emitted beam, and low optical coupling loss to fiber (

We clarified the degradation behaviors of semi-insulating buried heterostructure lasers in which mesa structures were fabricated by reactive ion etching (RIE) and then buried in semi-insulating Fe-doped InP grown by metal organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE). The degradation rate and mode correlated with the quality of the buried heterostructure (BH) interface. Based on the correlation, a condition for highly stable semi-insulating Fe-doped InP buried heterostructure (SIBH) lasers was demonstrated and confirmed experimentally and statistically.

Purpose: Frequently recurrent leukemia is encountered in childhood and is usually resistant to multidrug therapy. We evaluated the efficacy of differentiation induction therapy in a child with leukemia. Patient and Methods: We administered all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) alone, and then a combination of low-dose 1-β-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine (Ara-C), to a 7-year-old boy who had leukemia secondary to etoposide with chromosomal abnormality 11q23. Results: The patient exhibited a good response to ATRA, and had a complete remission after combination therapy of ATRA and low-dose Ara-C. Conclusion: Differentiation induction therapy with ATRA was effective in treating a patient with recurrence of leukemia without t(15;17) translocation, and which is resistant to conventional cytotoxic treatment.

Two patients with hormone-refractory advanced prostate cancer were treated with high-dose chemotherapy and peripheral blood stem-cell transplantation. A satisfactory number of stem cells were collected by appropriately timed leukapheresis in these patients. The stem-cell samples collected from the first patient were positive for prostate-specific antigen messenger ribonucleic acid expression; such expression was not detected in the samples from the second patient. The first patient has remained in complete remission as of December 1995. The second patient died of the disease.

A new monolithically integrated opto-electronic device has been developed for fast wavelength switching in photonic packet switching. The integrated device, called a tunable duplex integrated light source comprises two distributed Bragg reflector lasers (DBR-LDs), two electroabsorption optical switches, a Y-shaped waveguide coupler, an electroabsorption modulator, and two thermal drift compensators (TDCs). The tuning range of the DBR-LDs is 3 nm, and the wavelength switching time of the optical switches is estimated to be 60 ps including a 50 ps rise time for the electrical pulse generator. The wavelength of a 10 Gb/s NRZ-modulated optical signal is switched without bit loss. Thermal crosstalk between the DBR-LDs, and wavelength drift of the DBR-LDs, which is due to a thermal transient, are effectively suppressed by thermal-drift-compensation operation using the TDCs.

Ten patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) were treated with all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA). Eight of 10 patients achieved complete remission (CR), and among the 8 newly diagnosed cases, 7 achieved CR. Five of 8 CR cases remained in CR after 8 to 30 months. Except for hypotension and a large gastric ulcer resulting from hyperhistaminemia, the adverse effects of ATRA were generally mild. Severe thrombotic tendency occurred in a patient treated with ATRA combined with tranexamic acid. Intensive chemotherapy consisting of daunorubicin (DNR) and other agents was scheduled for the patients who achieved CR with ATRA.

We report on an InP-based optical multiplexer integrated with high-speed multiquantum-well (MQW) electroabsorption modulators for 100 Gb/s transmission. The optical multiplexer is based on a multimode interference (MMI) splitter, a waveguide array, and a taper-type combiner designed using the beam propagation method (BPM). The modulators are integrated on the top of the optical multiplexer. The integrated device is fabricated by three step epitaxy using metal organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) and by dry etching. The static and dynamic performances are measured, leading to the generation and the modulation of a 100 GHz optical pulse train. This optical pulse train is also coded using a pseudorandom nonreturn to zero (NRZ) pattern.

PURPOSE We evaluated the changes in stem cells in peripheral blood and the optimal timing for harvesting peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs) following the administration of conventional cancer chemotherapy in patients with urological malignancies. PATIENTS AND METHODS We evaluated the changes in PBSCs after the administration of cancer chemotherapy in 12 patients with urological malignancies (6 testis cancer, 3 bladder cancer, 3 prostate cancer) using flowcytometry analysis of CD34, a marker of blood stem cell. We evaluated the optimal timing for PBSCs harvesting following the administration of conventional cancer chemotherapy in 6 patients with urological malignancies (2 patients with testis cancer, 3 patients with prostate cancer, 1 patient with bladder cancer) using flowcytometry analysis of CD34 and granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming units (CFU-GM) counts. PBSC samples from 2 patients with prostate cancer were analyzed by the reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method to detect prostate cancer cells. RESULTS The percentages of CD34-positive cells tended to increase in the peripheral blood during the period of convalescence that followed the induction of marked myelosuppression produced by the cancer chemotherapy. The peak in CD34-positive cells occurred between days 15 and 31 after beginning of cancer chemotherapy. The percentage of CD34-positive cells was increased in the mononuclear cells in harvested PBSCs. The percentages of CD34-positive cells in peripheral blood and in mononuclear cells harvested from PBSCs was correlated with the CFU-GM counts in harvested PBSCs. The CFU-GM counts peaked between days 16 to 31 following cancer chemotherapy. RT-PCR detected prostate-specific antigen (PSA) mRNA expression in PBSCs obtained from 1 of the 2 patients with prostate cancer. An amount of contamination with PSA mRNA reduced as chemotherapy was repeated. CONCLUSION A sufficient number of PBSCs can be harvested after conventional cancer chemotherapy without the need for special cytotoxic mobilization that may be delayed the patient's treatment. RT-PCR results suggested that the harvested PBSCs should be examined for tumor cell contamination in patients with metastasis in bone marrow. If a sufficient amount of PBSCs will be harvested, the PBSC samples from the patient with bone marrow metastasis after repeated chemotherapy should be used by priority for PBSC transplantation as of today.

In this letter, we report the single-mode operation of 1.55-/spl mu/m buried heterostructure vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) fabricated on a GaAs-AlAs distributed Bragg reflector using thin-film wafer fusion. A 7-/spl mu/m VCSEL exhibits a single transverse mode at up to about 0.1-mW maximum optical output power and 75/spl deg/C maximum operation temperature under continuous-wave operation.

We report a record low threshold current of 1.55-/spl mu/m vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL). Thin-film wafer-fusion technology enables InP-based buried heterostructure VCSELs to be fabricated on GaAs-AlAs distributed Bragg reflectors. Threshold current density is independent of mesa size, and a 5-/spl mu/m VCSEL exhibits a threshold current as low as 380 /spl mu/A at 20/spl deg/C and a single transverse mode up to the maximum optical output power under continuous-wave operation.

We herein report a Japanese family lineage, possibly demonstrating Birt-Hogg-Dube (BHD) syndrome. A 29-year-old nonsmoking woman was admitted to our hospital due to spontaneous pneumothorax. A chest CT showed multiple lung cysts, and breast cancer was simultaneously detected that needed priority surgical treatment. In the family history, the patient's father and half brother also experienced recurrent pneumothorax, and both had similar findings in their chest CT. In a genetic analysis of her half brother, the mutation of the BHD gene was identified. BHD syndrome is a rare autosomal and dominantly inherited disorder, which has three characteristics: multiple lung cysts that may be associated with pneumothorax, skin fibrofolliculomas, and renal neoplasm. For multiple-cystic disease of the lungs with an unknown etiology, or pneumothorax, as seen in a family history, it is necessary to consider the possibility of BHD syndrome.

Eight-channel wavelength-division-multiplexed (WDM) channel selectors were fabricated based on an monolithic integration of two arrayed-waveguide gratings and a semiconductor optical amplifier array on InP substrates. A compact device size of 5.2/spl times/3.6 mm/sup 2/ was achieved with a combination of deep-ridge waveguides and buried waveguides. The device can select an arbitrary signal from a WDM signal with a low crosstalk of less than -40 dB, and fiber-to-fiber zero insertion loss operations were also achieved.

A 35-year-old man developed invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) with severe neutropenia after umbilical cord stem cell transplantation for chronic myelogenous leukemia. Filamentous fungus isolated from his sputum was identified as Aspergillus terreus. Despite systemic amphotericin B (AMPH) administration, IPA progressed. However, intravenous administration of micafungin (MCFG) and oral itraconazole improved clinical data and symptoms, although he later died of massive hemoptysis. Examination of the in vitro susceptibility of this A. terreus isolate to MCFG revealed a good minimum inhibitory concentration and good time-kill assay results compared to AMPH. Thus, MCFG might be useful for IPA caused by A. terreus.

We demonstrate high-speed direct optical demultiplexing of nonreturn-to-zero (NRZ) signals using a side-injection light-controlled bistable laser diode integrated into the optical gate and bit memory regions. The 2.5-Gb/s demultiplexed output signals are each selected once every 4 bits from 10-Gb/s NRZ optical input signals by the modulator-mode subwaveguide region. Then each signal is regenerated and its bit-width is converted in the bistable region. All functions are integrated on a single chip.

We propose a method for evaluating the electrical properties of damage on the sidewalls of mesa structures. In the method, current flowing through the mesa sidewalls (Imesa) is obtained from the forward current–voltage characteristics for Schottky barriers formed on both the sidewalls of the mesa structures and (100) surface. In applying the method, to evaluate the damage on the sidewalls of InP mesa structures fabricated by reactive ion etching (RIE) with methane (CH4)/hydrogen (H2), we found that Schottky barrier height φ on the mesa sidewalls is increased by RIE. This suggests that an n-type damage layer is induced by RIE on the sidewalls. We also found that the extent of the damage on the mesa sidewalls is lower than that on (100) surface.

To develop polarization-insensitive semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) gates into more efficient and functional optical components by using hybrid integration with a planer lightwave circuit (PLC) platform, vertical tapered spot-size converters were integrated into a SOA gate with a narrow mesa-stripe structure of submicrometer width leading to low coupling loss (2.6 dB). Very-low polarization dependence of gain ( 30 dB) were achieved in a wide wavelength range (40 nm). High-speed (

The laser characteristics of 1.3 μm tensile-strained InGaAsP/InP multi quantum well (MQW) lasers were studied. The tensile strain of well layers ranged from 0.5% to 1.8%. The level of the strain dependence of the threshold current shows that the threshold current decreases drastically with increase in the tensile strain from 0.5% to 1.3%, while it stays almost constant in the 1.45%–1.8% range. Among all the samples, the 1.3% tensile-strained MQW laser shows superior performance in terms of minimum threshold current and maximum differential gain (∂g/∂N). The 1.3% tensile strain is the optimum level for the tensile-strained MQW buried-heterostructure lasers.

We retrospectively surveyed the data of 233 patients who underwent myeloablative allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) for non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Donors were HLA-matched relatives in 154 patients (66%) or unrelated volunteers in 60 (26%). Ninety patients (39%) were in complete remission. One hundred ninety-three (83%) received a total body irradiation (TBI)-based regimen, and 40 (17%) received a non-TBI-based regimen. Acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) occurred in 155 (67%) of the 233 evaluable patients; grade II to IV in 90 (39%), and grade III to IV in 37 (16%). Treatment-related mortality (TRM) was observed in 98 patients (42%), and 68% of them were related to GVHD. In a multivariate analysis, chemoresistance, prior autograft, and chronic GVHD were identified as adverse prognostic factors for TRM. Relapse or progression of lymphoma was observed in 21%. The 2-year overall survival rates of the patients with indolent (n = 38), aggressive (n = 111), and lymphoblastic lymphoma (n = 84) were 57%, 42%, and 41%, respectively. In a multivariate analysis, chemoresistance, prior autograft, and prior radiotherapy were identified as adverse prognostic factors for overall survival. Although myeloablative allo-HSCT represents an effective therapeutic option for patients with NHL, more work is still needed to decrease TRM and relapse. (Blood. 2006;108:382-389)

We demonstrated successful 3-km transmission using a 40-Gbit/s EA-DFB laser module with driving voltage as low as 2 V. The installed EA-DFB chip has an optimized device structure which is operatable under low chirp condition

We demonstrate optical response from a side-injection light-controlled bistable laser diode buried with semi-insulating InP using hydride vapor phase epitaxy. The buried surface around both the 〈110〉 and 〈−110〉 oriented mesas is flat. The bistable operation is obtained by applying control voltage to the saturable absorption region. After optimization of the device parameters, we obtained error-free operation at a bit rate as high as 2.5 Gbit/s.

We have fabricated 1.3-/spl mu/m InGaAsP DFB lasers with a simple buried structure using Ru-doped semi-insulating InP on a p-InP substrate for the first time. SIMS measurements revealed that the Ru-doped InP decreased Zn diffusion from the p-InP substrate in comparison with Fe-doped InP. The Ru-InP buried lasers showed good L-I characteristics and small-signal responses in a temperature range of 25 to 95 /spl deg/C. Clearly opened eyes for 10-Gb/s direct modulation of the Ru-InP buried lasers were obtained even at 85 /spl deg/C.

We report the high-temperature characteristics of 1.3-μm InGaAsP directly modulated lasers with a simple buried structure using Ru-doped semi-insulating InP. Clear eye openings under 10-Gbit/s direct modulations were obtained from 0°C to 100°C. (2 pages)

High-quality and high-reliability GaInAsP-InP Fabry-Perot-type buried heterostructure strained-multi-quantum-well lasers operating at 1.3 pm have been produced by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy growth and the dry-etching technique. We compare two types of chemical treatments to slightly etch damaged mesa-walls before regrowth after dry-etching. Slight chemical etching prevents Zn in the p-type buried layer from diffusing to the active layer during regrowth of buried hetero layers. Two step treatment using the combination of selective and unselective wet chemical etching produces a superior mesa-wall which has limited Zn-diffusion to the active layer. BH laser fabricated by MOVPE and the dry-etching technique is also confirmed as having high-reliability in practical usage.