Kazuya Monden

Preexisting interstitial lung disease is inversely correlated to tumor epidermal growth factor receptor mutation in patients with lung adenocarcinoma

INTRODUCTION Interstitial lung disease (ILD), especially idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, has been shown to be associated with lung carcinogenesis. However, an association between epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation status and preexisting ILD in patients with lung adenocarcinoma is unknown. METHODS Between January 2008 and April 2012, we analyzed 602 patients with lung adenocarcinoma. EGFR mutation status was analyzed using the peptide nucleic acid-locked nucleic acid polymerase chain reaction clamp method, and preexisting ILD was diagnosed based on clinical features, chest high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) findings, and histological findings. RESULTS There were 555 patients with pulmonary adenocarcinoma with tumor EGFR mutation data available for analysis. Of them, 31 patients (6%) had preexisting ILD, and EGFR mutations were detected in 246 of the 555 patients (46%). In the comparison between patients with EGFR mutations and those with wild-type EGFR, there was a significant inverse association between occurrence of tumors with EGFR mutations and ILD (1/246 vs. 30/309, P<0.001). Based on the multivariate analysis of age, gender, smoking status, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status, stage, and ILD, EGFR mutations were found to be independently associated with females (OR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.01-2.46; P=0.048), never-smokers (OR, 3.31; 95% CI, 2.12-5.20; P<0.001), and the absence of ILD (OR, 17.41; 95% CI, 3.54-315.34; P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS This study showed that patients with pulmonary adenocarcinoma and ILD had a lower probability of carrying tumor EGFR mutations.

A QoS-aware routing mechanism for multi-channel multi-interface ad-hoc networks

To accommodate real-time multimedia application while satisfying application QoS requirements in a wireless ad-hoc network, we need QoS control mechanisms. In this paper, we propose a new routing mechanism to support real-time multimedia communication by efficiently utilize the limited wireless network capacity. Our mechanism considers a wireless ad-hoc network composed of nodes equipped with multiple network interfaces to each of which a different wireless channel can be assigned. By embedding information about channel usage in control messages of OLSRv2, each node obtains a view of topology and bandwidth information of the whole network. Based on the obtained information, a source node determines a logical path with the maximum available bandwidth to satisfy application QoS requirements. Through simulation experiments, we confirmed that our proposal effectively routed multimedia packets over a logical path avoiding congested links. As a result, the load on a network is well distributed and the network can accommodate more sessions than QOLSR. We also conducted practical experiments using wireless ad-hoc relay nodes with four network interfaces and verified the practicality of our proposal.

Serum procalcitonin is a valuable diagnostic marker in acute exacerbation of interstitial pneumonia

Acute exacerbation (AE) of interstitial pneumonia (IP) is defined as a life‐threatening deterioration of IP without identifiable cause. We evaluated the diagnostic and prognostic role of serum procalcitonin (PCT) in AE‐IP.

Performance measurement of mobile ad hoc network for application to Internet-ITS (intelligent transportation system)

We evaluated the performance of an ad hoc network in a mobile environment in order to access its feasibility as an infrastructure for vehicle-to-Internet communication services. To realize this kind of service. The infrastructure should provide wide range where the service is available. We expected that by using an ad hoc network, spatial service range, connection time to the access point while driving, and amount of data transferred from the access point would be better than in existing public wireless LAN services. In the experiment, three cars acted as mobile nodes, and we measured the connection time to the access point and the amount of data that could be given via the access point. The result confirms the feasibility of using an ad hoc network as an infrastructure for vehicle-to-Internet communication services.

Proposal, Implementation, and Evaluation of a QoS-Aware Routing Mechanism for Multi-channel Multi-interface Ad-Hoc Networks

Without any control mechanism, a wireless ad-hoc network is easily congested and the perceived quality of applications considerably deteriorates. Therefore, we need QoS control mechanisms to accommodate real-time multimedia application such as video conferencing, VoIP (voice over IP), and remote monitoring while satisfying application QoS requirements. In this paper, we propose a new routing mechanism to support real-time multimedia communication by efficiently utilize the limited wireless network capacity. Our mechanism considers a wireless ad-hoc network composed of nodes equipped with multiple network interfaces to each of which a different wireless channel can be assigned. By embedding information about channel usage in control messages of OLSRv2, each node obtains a view of topology and bandwidth information of the whole network. Then, a source node determines a logical path on which application QoS requirements are satisfied. Through experiments on a simulator, our mechanism could achieve the packet delivery ratio of about 95 % at the end-to-end delay of about 10 ms. In addition, real-time traffic was more evenly distributed over the whole network.

Pemetrexed monotherapy for chemo-naïve elderly (aged ≥80) patients with non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer: results from combined analysis of two single arm phase II studies (HANSHIN002 and 003)

PurposeThe aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate via combined analysis the efficacy and safety of pemetrexed monotherapy for chemo-naïve elderly patients aged ≥80 with non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).MethodsWe conducted a combined analysis from two phase II studies of pemetrexed for chemo-naïve elderly (aged ≥75) (n = 47) and performance status 2 (n = 28) patients with advanced non-squamous NSCLC. Population aged ≥80 (80+ Group) was compared to those aged 70–79 (70’s Group).ResultsWe analyzed a total of 66 patients (37 70s and 29 80+ Groups) after exclusion of 4 ineligible and 5 aged ≤69 patients. Overall response rate, disease control rate, median progression-free survival, and median overall survival of 70s vs. 80+ Groups were 13.5 vs. 13.8% [p = not significant (NS)], 67.6 vs. 58.6% (p = 0.608), 3.7 months vs. 4.2 months (p = 0.5588) and 18.5 vs. 13.5 months (p = 0.2621), respectively. Non-hematological and hematological toxicities ≥grade 3 of 70s vs. 80+ Groups were 24 vs. 35% (p = 0.4192) and 49 vs. 52% (p = NS), respectively. Dose reduction and/or delay due to toxicities of 70s vs. 80+ Groups was 19 vs. 28% (p = 0.7784). Febrile neutropenia and interstitial lung disease were not observed. Treatment-related death (bacterial pneumonia) was confirmed in one (3%) of 29 80+ Group patients.ConclusionsPemetrexed monotherapy demonstrated similar efficacy and safety between aged ≥80 and aged 70–79 populations. It could be a therapeutic option in clinical practice for elderly non-squamous NSCLC patients aged ≥80 without indications of carboplatin-based combination regimens or docetaxel monotherapy.

Mathematical Model and Performance Evaluation of AMI Applied to Mobile Environment

Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) will play an important role in order to realize the vision of a smart grid. An integral part of AMI is a set of smart meters, which measure and transmit power consumption data periodically with fixed intervals. If the bandwidth allocated to AMI is much more than the capacity necessary for collecting power consumption data, the remaining part of the bandwidth can be used for other types of communication. In this paper, we propose a mathematical model and evaluate the communication performance of AMI taking into account the variable number of smart meters, caused by the turn on/off of meters and mobility of meters across the AMI network coverage. We construct a discrete time Markov chain whose states are defined by the numbers of on-state meters and request-holding meters, deriving some performance measures.

Implementation and evaluation of multichannel multi-interface routing mechanism with QoS-consideration for ad-hoc networks

To accommodate real-time multimedia application while satisfying application-level QoS requirements in a wireless ad-hoc network, we need QoS control mechanisms. We proposed a new routing mechanism for a wireless ad-hoc network composed of nodes equipped with multiple network interfaces. By embedding information about channel usage in control messages of OLSRv2, each node obtains a view of topology and bandwidth information of the whole network. Based on the obtained information, a source node determines a logical path with the maximum available bandwidth to satisfy application-level QoS requirements. In this paper, we evaluated feasibility of the proposal through simulation and practical experiments and confirmed that our proposal effectively transferred multimedia packets over a logical path avoiding congested links. The load on a network is well distributed and the network can accommodate more sessions than OLSRv2 and QOLSR.

VLAN over multi-hop wireless LAN system

Recently, a multi-hop wireless LAN system that APs (Access Point) are connected by ad-hoc network technology each other without the need for any cable, is introduced to expand the coverage easily. And some WISPs (Wireless Internet Service Providers) announced that they will offer a public wireless LAN service in partnership with a company providing the physical wireless infrastructure. To realize that service, the VLAN technology is very useful. So we proposed VLAN over multi-hop wireless LAN system, VLAN information exchange protocol and developed the prototype system.