The Effectiveness and Safety of the Short-Course Therapy in Liver Transplant Recipients With Uncomplicated Gram-Negative Bacteremia: A Retrospective Study.

Introduction: The appropriate duration of therapy for uncomplicated gram-negative bloodstream infection (GN-BSI) in liver transplant (LTx) recipients remains unknown. This study aims to explore the effectiveness of a short-course antimicrobial therapy.

Methods: This retrospective study was performed in a single LTx center in Japan.

Association between sex-specific criteria for visceral obesity and surgical site infection after gastrectomy.

Background: High visceral fat area (VFA), estimated by computed tomography (CT), is reportedly associated with surgical site infection (SSI) in patients who undergo gastrectomy for gastric cancer (GC). Given that fat distributions vary markedly according to sex, sex-specific definitions of visceral obesity should be applied. This study investigated the optimal sex-specific thresholds for VFA at the L3 level to assess the risk of SSI after gastrectomy.

Original articles: step-by-step decision-making for achieving oncologically acceptable but avoiding over-invasive surgery for gallbladder cancer.

Background: Gallbladder cancer is a malignancy with a highly dismal prognosis, requiring optimal surgical strategies to achieve effective outcomes. We aimed to evaluate the outcomes of our algorithm-based decision-making approach based on image T-factors and intraoperative pathology of regional lymph node metastases and the bile duct stumps in patients undergoing gallbladder cancer resection.

Methods: A prospectively maintained database of patients who underwent gallbladder cancer resection between April 2001 and June 2022 was reviewed.

Simple Trocar Placement for Robotic Liver and Pancreatic Surgery: Multiple Access Devices at 5-cm Single Umbilicus Incision with 2 Robotic Ports.

Background: Robotic trocars are recommended to be placed 6-8 cm apart, and assistant trocars are placed 7 cm away from the horizontal line of the robotic trocar placement. However, adhering to these rules may be difficult, particularly in lean patients. This study aims to demonstrate our standardized simple trocar placement, 5-cm single umbilicus incision + 2 ports for robotic liver resection (RLR) and robotic pancreaticoduodenectomy (RPD).

c-Met inhibitor upregulates E-cadherin, which is lost in portal vein tumor thrombus of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Aim: Portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an essential therapeutic and prognostic factor. E-cadherin plays a crucial role in adhesive properties and intercellular interaction in various cancer tissues, including HCC, but the expression profile and functional contribution of E-cadherin in PVTT remain unknown. This study aimed to analyze the expression of E-cadherin in the main tumor tissue and PVTT tissue of HCC, and evaluate the functional roles of E-cadherin in PVTT formation.

Integrating surgical complexity and nutritional parameters to enhance prediction of postoperative complications in liver resection.

Background: In patients undergoing liver resection, postoperative complications remain high. We hypothesized that the incidence of postoperative complications after liver resection would be predicted well by liver resection complexity and nutritional status.

Methods: We retrospectively assessed patients undergoing liver resection at The University of Tokyo Hospital from 2011 to 2021.

Occipital condyle syndrome due to small-cell lung carcinoma: A case report.

Skull base metastases, including those from small-cell lung carcinoma (SCLC), can present with various syndromes depending on the site of involvement, such as orbital syndrome, parasellar syndrome, middle fossa syndrome, jugular foramen syndrome, and occipital condyle syndrome (OCS). One such example is OCS, which consists of unilateral occipital headache accompanied with ipsilateral hypoglossal palsy. This case report describes a 51-year-old man initially diagnosed with OCS, which led to the discovery of systemic bone metastases from SCLC.

Pre-clinical and clinical evaluation of a surface plasmon field-enhanced fluorescence spectroscopy (SPFS) antigen test for detecting SARS-CoV-2.

Introduction: The diagnostic tools of nucleic acid amplification tests and antigen tests have been extensively employed for the detection of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Although the reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT)-PCR test has high sensitivity and specificity, it is a time-consuming and labor-intensive process. On the other hand, antigen tests are simple and prompt, however, their low sensitivity and potential for false positives have been identified as limitations.

Pulmonary Nocardiosis Due to Nocardia exalbida Infection Following Living-donor Liver Transplantation.

Nocardia exalbida, an uncommon Nocardia, was first identified in 2006. We herein report a 70-year-old man with pulmonary nocardiosis caused by N. exalbida after living-donor liver transplantation.

Genetic alteration of SLCO1B3 defines constitutional indocyanine green excretory defect in patients who underwent hepatectomy.

Aim: Constitutional indocyanine green (ICG) excretory defects must be distinguished when assessing liver function. The absence of OATP1B3 expression due to homogenous alterations in the SLCO1B3 gene has been recently reported to induce ICG excretory defects; however, its association with the clinical examinations and the clinical implications of heterogeneous SLCO1B3 gene alteration remain unclear.

Methods: OATP1B3 expression was evaluated in 49 patients who underwent hepatectomy after evaluation of the ICG retention rate at 15 min (ICGR15) and technetium-99 m-galactosyl serum albumin (99mTc-GSA) hepatic scintigraphy.

[Progress and Challenges in Epilepsy Treatment].

Neurologists have played an important role in the treatment of adult epilepsy for more than 60 years since the establishment of the Japanese Society of Neurology. The terminology used in epileptology in Japan is adopted from that used by the International League Against Epilepsy. The terminology for seizures observed in temporal lobe epilepsy has transitioned from psychomotor to complex partial and currently to focal impaired awareness seizures.

Integrated impact of multiple body composition parameters on overall survival in gastrointestinal or genitourinary cancers: A descriptive cohort study.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate if combining low muscle mass with additional body composition abnormalities, such as myosteatosis or adiposity, could improve survival prediction accuracy in a large cohort of gastrointestinal and genitourinary malignancies.

Methods: In total, 2015 patients with surgically-treated gastrointestinal or genitourinary cancer were retrospectively analyzed. Skeletal muscle index, skeletal muscle radiodensity, and visceral/subcutaneous adipose tissue index were determined.

The Role of Frequent Screening or Diagnostic Testing of Serum Cryptococcal Antigen in Liver Transplant Recipients: A Descriptive Epidemiology.

Background: Cryptococcosis is a notable infectious complication of liver transplantation. Currently, there is no recommendation for screening serum cryptococcal antigen (CrAg) levels in solid organ transplant recipients. We aimed to explore the role of serum CrAg in liver transplant recipients at an institution where posttransplant serum CrAg has been widely tested.

Biliary complications after adult-to-adult living-donor liver transplantation: An international multicenter study of 3633 cases.

In living-donor liver transplantation, biliary complications including bile leaks and biliary anastomotic strictures remain significant challenges, with incidences varying across different centers. This multicentric retrospective study (2016-2020) included 3633 adult patients from 18 centers and aimed to identify risk factors for these biliary complications and their impact on patient survival. Incidences of bile leaks and biliary strictures were 11.

Thick silk fibroin vascular graft: A promising tissue-engineered scaffold material for abdominal vein grafts in middle-sized mammals.

Abdominal vein replacement with synthetic tissue-engineered vascular grafts constructed from silk-based scaffold material has not been reported in middle-sized mammals. Fourteen canines that underwent caudal vena cava replacement with a silk fibroin (SF) vascular graft (15 mm long and 8 mm diameter) prepared with natural silk biocompatible thread were allocated to two groups, thin and thick SF groups, based on the graft wall thickness. The short-term patency rate and histologic reactions were compared.

IgG4-related pachyleptomeningitis with inflammatory pseudotumor.

•We report the first case of IgG4-related pachyleptomeningitis.•Our case showed also an inflammatory pseudotumor on the side ipsilateral to the pachyleptomeningitis.•The pachyleptomeningitis is probably due to inflammation from the dural pseudotumor spreading along the adjacent meninges.

The Effect of Renin-Angiotensin System Inhibitors in Patients Undergoing Pancreatic Cancer Resection.

Objectives: The local renin-angiotensin system promotes angiogenesis and proliferation via vascular endothelial growth factor or epidermal growth factor receptor expression. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the impact of angiotensin system inhibitors (ASIs) on long-term outcomes in patients undergoing surgical resection of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).

Methods: A single institutional retrospective analysis was performed using the medical records of patients who underwent pancreatic resection with curative intent for PDAC between January 2005 and December 2018.