Fast Prediction for Resistance Spot Welding Deformation Using Inherent Strain Method and Nugget Model.

In a car body, there exist thousands of resistance spot welds, which may induce large deformation during the manufacturing process. Therefore, it is expected that automotive industries will develop a method and a computing system for the fast and simple prediction of its deformation. Although the inherent strain method has been used for the fast prediction of arc welding deformation, it has not been applied to resistance spot welding so far.

Changes in pelvic alignment in a woman before and after childbirth, using three-dimensional pelvic models based on magnetic resonance imaging: A longitudinal observation case report.

3-dimensional pelvic models based on magnetic resonance images (MRI) can be used to investigate accuracy and specifics of changing pelvic alignment during pregnancy and after childbirth. Few studies have investigated changes of pelvic alignment during pregnancy and after childbirth using three-dimensional pelvic models. This case report documents the changes of pelvic alignment during late pregnancy and after childbirth using MRI-based three-dimensional (3D) pelvic models.

Mobile-bearing insert used with total knee arthroplasty does not rotate on the tibial tray during a squatting activity: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is commonly performed around the world. Implant designs include fixed-bearing and mobile-bearing. Mobile-bearing design was developed as a rotating platform that allows axial rotation of the insert around the longitudinal axis.

Repeatability of quantification of extrusion of the medial meniscus in knee osteoarthritis using three-dimensional models.

Objective: Meniscal damage is one of risk factors for the development of knee osteoarthritis (KOA). Medial meniscal extrusion (MME) is associated with the progression of cartilage loss in the medial compartment. The objective of this study was to determine the intra-rater repeatability of our method of three-dimensionally analyzing MME in patients with KOA.

High validity of measuring the width and volume of medial meniscal extrusion three-dimensionally using an MRI-derived tibial model.

Background: Medial meniscal extrusion (MME) is an important marker of knee osteoarthritis (KOA) progression. The purposes of this study were: 1) to determine whether there are morphological differences between CT- and MRI-derived tibial plateau models; and 2) to determine whether measurement of MME volume and width using an MRI-derived tibial model is as accurate as measurements on a CT-derived tibial model.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study that enrolled ten participants with medial KOA (Kellgren-Lawrence grade 1 to 3).

The "right" way is not always popular: comparison of surgeons' perceptions during laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis among experts from Japan, Korea and Taiwan.

Background: Generally, surgeons' perceptions of surgical safety are based on experience and institutional policy. Our recent pilot survey demonstrated that the acceptable duration of surgery and criteria for open conversion during laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) vary among workplaces.

Methods: A web-based survey was distributed to 554 expert LC surgeons in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan.

Treatment of biliary tract stones after gastrectomy in the era of laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Background: The incidence of biliary tract stones has widely been reported to be high after gastrectomy. Treatment of biliary tract stones in post-gastrectomy patients was examined retrospectively, particularly minimally invasive therapy with laparoscopic cholecystectomy for gallbladder stones and endoscopic bile duct lithotomy for common bile duct stones.

Methods: Treatment of 122 post-gastrectomy patients with biliary tract stones was examined retrospectively from 1995 to April 2015.

What are the appropriate indicators of surgical difficulty during laparoscopic cholecystectomy? Results from a Japan-Korea-Taiwan multinational survey.

Background: Serious complications continue to occur in laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). The commonly used indicators of surgical difficulty such as the duration of surgery are insufficient because they are surgeon and institution dependent. We aimed to identify appropriate indicators of surgical difficulty during LC.

Long-term prognosis after resection of cryptogenic hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: We investigated the patterns and predictors of recurrence and survival in cryptogenic non-B, non-C, non-alcoholic hepatocellular carcinoma (CR-HCC). We compared the findings with those hepatitis virus B (B) and hepatitis virus C (C)-HCC. CR-HCC does not include HCC developed on NASH.

Liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma using a microwave tissue coagulator: Experience of 1118 cases.

Aim: To present our extensive experience of hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma using a microwave tissue coagulator to demonstrate the effectiveness of this device.

Methods: A total of 1118 cases (1990-2013) were reviewed, with an emphasis on intraoperative blood loss, postoperative bile leakage and fluid/abscess formation, and adaptability to anatomical resection and hepatectomy with hilar dissection.

Results: The median intraoperative blood loss was 250 mL; postoperative bile leakage and fluid/abscess formation were seen in 3.

Primary Adrenal Lymphoma Possibly Associated With Epstein-Barr Virus Reactivation Due to Immunosuppression Under Methotrexate Therapy.

Primary adrenal lymphoproliferative disorder (LPD) is an extremely rare disease that is widely known to be associated with methotrexate (MTX) use in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).A 70-year-old man was incidentally found to have a tumor at the dorsal part of the liver in a medical check-up. He had a history of RA treated with MTX.

Pancreaticogastrostomy in pure laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy--A novel pancreatic-gastric anastomosis technique.

Background: Although many surgical procedures are now routinely performed laparoscopically, pure laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy (LPD) is not commonly performed because of the technical difficulty of pancreatic resection and the associated reconstruction procedures. Several pancreatic-enteric anastomosis techniques for LPD have been reported, but most are adaptations of open procedures. To accomplish pure LPD, we consider it necessary to establish new pancreatic-enteric anastomosis techniques that are specifically developed for LPD and are safe and feasible to perform.

Pancreatic cancer accompanied by a moderate-sized pseudocyst with extrapancreatic growth.

Background: Pancreatic cancer accompanied by a moderate-sized pseudocyst with extrapancreatic growth is extremely rare. Diagnosis of pancreatic cancer on preoperative imaging is difficult when the pancreatic parenchyma is compressed by a pseudocyst and becomes unclear. Despite advances in imaging techniques, accurate preoperative diagnosis of cystic lesions of the pancreas remains difficult.

Radiological Morphology of Colorectal Liver Metastases after Preoperative Chemotherapy Predicts Tumor Viability and Postoperative Outcomes.

Introduction: The computed tomography (CT) morphology after chemotherapy is reportedly correlated with the histopathologic response to chemotherapy and a better surgical outcome in patients with colorectal liver metastases (CLM). However, the true prognostic advantage of CT morphology remains uncertain.

Methods: The prognostic advantage of CT morphology was validated in 86 patients who underwent surgical resection for CLM after undergoing a 5-fluorouracil-based chemotherapy regimen with or without bevacizumab.

Surgical approach for hepatitis C virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatitis C is a strong prognostic factor for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Although liver resection and liver transplantation offer the chance of a cure for HCC, adequate management of co-existing infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) is important to enable better long-term outcomes after surgery for HCV-related HCC. For patients undergoing liver resection, perioperative anti-viral treatment is recommended, since a decreased HCV viral load itself is reportedly associated with a lower tumor recurrence rate and a longer overall survival.

Implication of an extremely high preoperative alpha-fetoprotein value (>4,000 ng/mL) for the long-term outcomes of hepatectomy for resectable hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: The implication of extremely high preoperative alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) values for the long-term outcomes of hepatectomy for resectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains uncertain.

Methods: A total of 762 hepatectomized HCC patients were divided into 3 groups according to preoperative AFP serum concentrations: 578 patients with AFP <100 ng/mL (low [LAP]), 147 patients with AFP 100-4,000 ng/mL (high [HAP]), and 37 patients with AFP ≥4,000 ng/mL (extremely high [EAP]). The clinicopathologic features and prognosis of the EAP group were compared with those of the other 2 groups to investigate their characteristics and whether the choice of hepatectomy was valid.

Recurrent common bile duct stones composed of ursodeoxycholic acid: a report of four cases.

Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) is often used to treat cholesterol gallstones. UDCA makes cholesterol stones soluble, thereby improving biliary emptying. Conversely, however, UDCA can also form stones via an unknown mechanism, as shown in a few previous reports of cholangitis caused by the formation of UDCA stones in the common bile duct (CBD).

Long-term survival after two surgical resections of peritoneal metastases from hepatocellular carcinoma with an interval of 4 years.

We propose that surgical resections of peritoneal metastases arising from hepatocellular carcinoma are an option for selected patients with controlled HCC in the liver, and without metastases in other organs, when the complete removal of such metastases can be achieved, especially in the case of patients with normal liver function.

The influence of histological differentiation grade on the outcome of liver resection for hepatocellular carcinomas 2 cm or smaller in size.

Background: Small hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) with poorly differentiated components (PDC) are reportedly at risk of dissemination and needle tract seeding after percutaneous radiofrequency ablation, although it is the preferred treatment for HCC ≤ 2 cm because of the low rate of vascular invasion. On the other hand, the clinical outcomes after hepatectomy for these tumors are still unclear because of their rarity.

Methods: A total of 233 cases of solitary HCC ≤ 2 cm were retrospectively reviewed and divided into two groups according to the presence of PDC: 199 without PDC (NP-HCCs) and 34 with PDC (P-HCCs).

Right hepatectomy for giant cavernous hemangioma with diffuse hemangiomatosis around Glisson's capsule.

Diffuse liver hemangiomatosis with giant cavernous hemangioma in adult is extremely rare. A 35 year-old woman presented to hospital with main complaint of epigastric pain and abdominal fullness. An enhanced computed tomography scan revealed a massive liver tumor in right lobe about 150 mm in size.

A prospective multicenter study of immediate function of 1-piece implants: a 3-year follow-up report.

Statement Of Problem: Although 1-piece implants are associated with positive clinical outcomes, including improved implant stability, overall survival rate, and marginal bone levels, a few studies have suggested that 1-piece implants have low success rates.

Purpose: This prospective multicenter study evaluated the efficacy of 1-piece implants placed in immediate function in private clinic-based and hospital-based settings with a focus on marginal bone level changes and esthetic outcomes over a 3-year follow-up period.

Material And Methods: A total of 93 one-piece implants (29 maxillary, 64 mandibular) were placed in 63 participants (25 men and 38 women) at 1 university hospital and 3 private clinics.

Hepatectomy for liver abscess caused by stones spilled during laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

An abdominal abscess caused by spilled stones is a serious complication of laparoscopic cholecystectomy that requires drainage or reoperation to remove the scattered stones. Herein, we report the case of a 50-year-old woman, who was on dialysis for renal failure. She underwent major hepatectomy for a liver abscess caused by stones spilled during laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

In hepatocellular carcinomas, any proportion of poorly differentiated components is associated with poor prognosis after hepatectomy.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) often consists of various differentiation components in a single tumor. However, the categorization of histologic grade in hepatectomy for those tumors has not been standardized. Some studies have determined the differentiation grade of the tumor according to its worst component, whereas others have determined it according to its predominant component.