Psychological distress caused by decreased physical activity (PA) is a growing concern among the elderly due to public health measures since the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). We aimed to (1) assess how public health restrictions impact PA, subjective well-being (SWB), and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of community-dwelling elderly, and (2) investigate risk factors that lead to a decline in PA. Self-administered questionnaires assessed the changes in PA, SWB, HRQoL. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify significant associated risk factors for decreased PA. Of 165 participants (valid response rate, 41.3%; mean age, 78.5 ± 8.0 years), 47.3% became less active, 23.0% became more active, and 29.7% maintained PA levels. There was a significant decrease in SWB at baseline and follow-up after COVID-19 restrictions in the less active group (p < 0.01). Higher levels of moderate or strenuous exercise/sports activity at baseline (odds ratio [OR], 1.12; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01–1.24), and lower mental component HRQoL scores at baseline (OR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.93–0.99) were associated with an increased risk of decreased PA. Public health restrictions impact the PA of the elderly, especially those who had higher levels of exercise/sports activity and lower HRQoL before COVID-19. Decreased PA was strongly associated with lower SWB.

We aimed to examine the effect of 2-year cognitive–motor dual-task (DT) training on cognitive functions and motor ability of healthy elderly people without marked cognitive impairment. From the 25 participants of our 12-week DT trial conducted in 2014, we recruited 8 subjects who voluntarily participated in a new DT training program once a week for 2 years (exercise (EX) group). Their cognitive functions were evaluated by the Modified Mini-Mental State (3MS) examination and the Trail Making Test, and results were compared with those of the 11 subjects who discontinued the training and did not perform any types of exercise for 2 years (non-exercise (NO) group). Subjects in the NO group showed deterioration in the 3MS examination results, especially in the cognitive domain of attention. Meanwhile, participation in DT training maintained the scores in almost all domains of cognitive function, as well as the total 3MS scores. However, both groups had impaired quadriceps muscle strength and motor ability after the 2-year observation period. These results suggest that participating in exercise program comprising DT training for 2 years may be beneficial for maintaining the broad domains of cognitive function in healthy elderly people, although further verification is needed.

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BackgroundMolecular targeted therapy including the use of monoclonal antibodies directed against the immune checkpoints PD‐L1 and PD‐1 receptor have remarkably improved the therapeutic response and survival of cancer patients. The tumor expression level of PD‐L1 can predict the response rate to checkpoint inhibitors. We evaluated whether the time interval between tumor tissue sampling/paraffinization and immunohistochemistry affects the staining level of PD‐L1 in non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).MethodsThis study comprised 137 patients with NSCLC. Tumors were stained with 22C3 or 28‐8 antibodies.ResultsThere was a significant correlation between the immunoreactivity rate of tumor tissues obtained using 22C3 and 28‐8 clones. No statistical difference in immunoreactivity between archival and recent samples stained either with 22C3 or 28‐8 antibodies was observed. The immunoreactivity rate achieved with 22C3 or 28‐8 antibodies significantly correlated with tumor histological type and size, but not with specimen storage time, age, gender, smoking history, clinical stage, or lymph node metastasis.ConclusionIn brief, the results of this study show that the time interval between tissue sampling/paraffinization and immunohistochemical analysis has no influence on the immunoreactivity rate of PD‐L1 in NSCLC.

Background Next‐generation sequencing (NGS) has been implemented in clinical oncology to analyze multiple genes and to guide targeted therapy; however, little is known about the performance of the Oncomine Dx Target Test compared with conventional single gene tests for detecting EGFR mutations. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of the Oncomine Dx Target Test compared with a PNA‐LNA PCR clamp test to detect EGFR mutations. Methods We retrospectively reviewed consecutive patients with non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) from whom FFPE samples were simultaneously submitted for the Oncomine Dx Target Test, and a PNA‐LNA PCR clamp test using the same specimen. We subsequently compared the analysis success rates and detection rates between the two tests. Results A total of 116 samples were identified. The success rates and detection rates of EGFR mutations in the total number of samples were 90% and 28%, respectively for the Oncomine Dx Target Test, and 100% and 35% for the PNA‐LNA PCR clamp test. The Oncomine Dx Target Test was unable to analyze three samples (2%) due to the samples not passing the nucleic acid concentration threshold, and nine (8%) samples had invalid results. The exon 19 deletion was not detected by the Oncomine Dx Target Test in four cases (4%). Conclusions The analytical performance of the Oncomine Dx Target Test analysis for EGFR mutations may not be comparable with conventional single gene tests due to both invalid and false‐negative results. Key points Significant findings of the study The success rate of the Oncomine Dx Target Test was significantly lower than the PNA‐LNA PCR clamp test. Among the samples successfully analyzed, four exon 19 deletions were not detected by the Oncomine Dx Target Test. What this study adds The analytical performance of the Oncomine Dx Target Test may not be comparable with conventional single gene tests. We should revise the sampling procedures, and review the sample quality assessment methods, to improve the analytical performance.

The coronavirus disease pandemic has led to college students spending more time at home. “Stay-at-home exercise” videos to mitigate inactivity are currently available on various digital platforms; however, it is unclear whether these videos lead to behavioral changes among college students. This study aimed to investigate the improvement in physical activity (PA) resulting from “stay-at-home exercise” among college students. Overall, 150 college students were recruited, and 125 students (control group: 65; intervention group: 60) who completed baseline surveys were analyzed. The preliminary outcomes were PA, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), subjective well-being (SWB), and psychological stress (K6). Mixed model repeated-measure analysis of variance compared the outcomes before and after the intervention. After 8 weeks of “stay-at-home exercise”, there was no significant interaction in PA (F = 0.02, P = 0.89); however, a significant interaction for the general health subscale of HRQoL (F = 9.52), SWB (F = 6.70), and K6 (F = 7.83) was detected (P < 0.05). On comparing the pre- and post-intervention results, we found that only distributing an 8-week streaming video of “stay-at-home exercise” did not increase the amount of physical activity among participants, but it did have a positive effect on their mental health during the pandemic.

Background The diagnostic yield of peripheral pulmonary lesions has significantly increased with the use of radial endobronchial ultrasound with guide sheath within the lesion. Here, we retrospectively evaluated factors leading to misdiagnosis of pulmonary malignant tumors using endobronchial ultrasound with the guide sheath within the lesion. Methods We assessed the final histopathological diagnosis of biopsy samples taken from 130 patients with lung malignant tumors that underwent endobronchial ultrasound with guide sheath within the lesion. Results Among 130 patients, 8 (6%) showed no definite malignant findings in biopsy samples but the presence of malignant cells (primary lung cancer 7, diffuse large B cell lymphoma 1) was subsequently confirmed by histopathological study of specimens taken by computed tomography-guided needle biopsy or surgery. Of the eight cases with diagnostic failure, the size of the biopsy sample was insufficient in five due to technical difficulties during the diagnostic procedure, and the diagnosis of malignant tumor was difficult in five cases because of extensive scarring tissue or central necrosis. Conclusions The results of this study showed that technical difficulties and/or pathological heterogeneity of the tumor might lead to failure to diagnose lung malignant tumor in cases using endobronchial ultrasound with guide sheath within the lesion.

There are cases of peripheral lung nodules that are difficult to approach despite using ancillary diagnostic devices during multimodal bronchoscopy. The use of ultrathin bronchoscopes has shown superiority over standard thin bronchoscopes. We retrospectively evaluated whether substitution of the thin-bronchoscope by the ultrathin device during multimodal bronchoscopy improves lesion ultrasound visualization and diagnostic yield in patients with difficult-to-approach pulmonary lesions. The study comprised 44 out of 338 patients that underwent multimodal bronchoscopy at Matsusaka Municipal Hospital. The thin-bronchoscope with an external diameter of 4 mm was substituted by the ultrathin-bronchoscope with an external diameter of 3 mm when the radial endobronchial ultrasound showed that the probe position was not within the target lesion. The median diameter of the pulmonary tumors was 17.5 mm (range: 6.0–5.2.0 mm). The endobronchial ultrasound showed the probe's position adjacent to the lesion in 12 cases and no visible lesion in 32 cases using a thin-bronchoscope. However, the endobronchial ultrasound views changed from adjacent to the lesion to within the lesion in nine cases, from no visible lesion to within the lesion in 17 cases, and from no visible lesion to adjacent to the lesion in nine cases after bronchoscope substitution. After substitution, the diagnostic yield was 80.8% in cases with the radial probe within the target lesion, 72.7% in cases with the probe adjacent to the target lesion, and 0% in cases with no visible lesion. The overall diagnostic yield was 65.9% after bronchoscope substitution. The substitution of the thin bronchoscope by the ultrathin device on a need basis improves the position of the radial endobronchial ultrasound probe and diagnostic yield of pulmonary lesions during multimodal diagnostic bronchoscopy.