Efficacy and Safety of a Novel Tapered-Tip Sheath System for Biliary-Lesion Tissue Sampling: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background/aims: Pathological evaluation is crucial for diagnosing biliary lesions and determining appropriate treatment strategies. However, tissue sampling via the transpapillary route can be difficult. In this study, we aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of a novel tapered-tip sheath system for tissue sampling from biliary strictures.

Quantitative Live Imaging Reveals Phase Dependency of PDAC Patient-Derived Organoids on ERK and AMPK Activity.

Patient-derived organoids represent a novel platform to recapitulate the cancer cells in the patient tissue. While cancer heterogeneity has been extensively studied by a number of omics approaches, little is known about the spatiotemporal kinase activity dynamics. Here we applied a live imaging approach to organoids derived from 10 pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients to comprehensively understand their heterogeneous growth potential and drug responses.

Cholangiocyte organoids for disease, cancer, and regenerative medicine.

The biliary tract is a ductal network comprising the intrahepatic (IHBDs) and extrahepatic bile duct (EHBDs). Biliary duct disorders include cholangitis, neoplasms, and injury. However, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood.

Anti-integrin αvβ6 Antibodies Predict Pouchitis in Patients With Ulcerative Colitis After Restorative Proctocolectomy With Ileal Pouch-Anal Anastomosis.

Background: Pouchitis is the most common complication of restorative proctocolectomy (RPC) with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). We previously reported the presence of anti-integrin αvβ6 antibodies in the serum of patients with UC. This study investigated the association between anti-integrin αvβ6 antibodies and the development of pouchitis in patients with UC.

Retinoblastoma-binding Protein 9 Suppresses Intestinal Inflammation and Inflammation-induced Tumorigenesis in Mice.

Background & Aims: Retinoblastoma-binding protein 9 (RBBP9) was initially reported as cell cycle regulator via RB/E2F. Accumulating evidence has revealed the importance of RBBP9 in physiological and pathological states including inflammatory disease. However, the functional role of RBBP9 in ulcerative colitis (UC) and colitis-associated cancer (CAC) remains elusive.

A Case of Severe Post-Biopsy Bleeding and Perforation in Gastric Amyloidosis.

We herein describe a case of severe post-biopsy bleeding and perforation in gastric amyloidosis. A 70-year-old man who had been on dialysis underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy and biopsy was performed. Post-biopsy bleeding occurred, and three times of coagulation hemostasis and once clip hemostasis were performed.

Anti-integrin αvβ6 antibody as a biomarker for diagnosing ulcerative colitis: a nationwide multicenter validation study.

Background: A serum biomarker for diagnosing ulcerative colitis (UC) remains to be established. Although we recently reported an anti-integrin αvβ6 antibody (V6 Ab) for diagnosing UC with high sensitivity and specificity, no large-scale validation study exists. This study aimed to validate the diagnostic value of V6 Ab for UC using a nationwide multicenter cohort study.

Clinical profile of IgG4-related disease in Japan based on the rare disease data registry.

We started a registry for cases of immunoglobulin (Ig)G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) in December 2019 to clarify the clinical profile of IgG4-RD. In this study, clinical information from 854 cases registered by February 16, 2024 was analyzed from multiple perspectives. Diagnosis of IgG4-RD was made in 808 cases, comprising 638 definite, 38 probable, and 132 possible.

Development and validation of a claims-based algorithm to identify incidents and determine the progression phases of gastric cancer cases in Japan.

Background: Although health insurance claims data can address questions that clinical trials cannot answer, the uncertainty of disease names and the absence of stage information hinder their use in gastric cancer (GC) research. This study aimed to develop and validate a claims-based algorithm to identify and determine the progression phases of incident GC cases in Japan.

Methods: The gold standard for validation in this retrospective observational study was medical records of patients with incident GC who underwent specific treatments, defined by the claim codes associated with GC treatment.

A case of duodenal adenocarcinoma with a gastric phenotype demonstrating a rapidly progressive course.

We herein report a rare case of duodenal adenocarcinoma with a rapidly progressive course. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy revealed Brunner's gland hyperplasia in the bulbs of the duodenum three years prior to this presentation. Two years earlier, gastric foveolar metaplasia had been observed in the bulbs.

Acute tuft cell ablation induces malabsorption and alterations in secretory and immune cell lineages in small intestine.

Background & Aims: Intestinal tuft cells have recently been the interest of studies in several human gastrointestinal diseases. However, the impact of tuft cell deletion on intestinal physiological functions are not fully understood. This study investigated the effects of acute tuft cell loss on nutrient absorption and cell lineage differentiation.

Wnt-deficient and hypoxic environment orchestrates squamous reprogramming of human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

Human pancreatic cancer is characterized by the molecular diversity encompassing native duct-like and squamous cell-like identities, but mechanisms underlying squamous transdifferentiation have remained elusive. To comprehensively capture the molecular diversity of human pancreatic cancer, we here profiled 65 patient-derived pancreatic cancer organoid lines, including six adenosquamous carcinoma lines. H3K27me3-mediated erasure of the ductal lineage specifiers and hijacking of the TP63-driven squamous-cell programme drove squamous-cell commitment, providing survival benefit in a Wnt-deficient environment and hypoxic conditions.

Early detection of pancreatic cancer by comprehensive serum miRNA sequencing with automated machine learning.

Background: Pancreatic cancer is often diagnosed at advanced stages, and early-stage diagnosis of pancreatic cancer is difficult because of nonspecific symptoms and lack of available biomarkers.

Methods: We performed comprehensive serum miRNA sequencing of 212 pancreatic cancer patient samples from 14 hospitals and 213 non-cancerous healthy control samples. We randomly classified the pancreatic cancer and control samples into two cohorts: a training cohort (N = 185) and a validation cohort (N = 240).

Near-infrared photoimmunotherapy as a complementary modality to in situ vaccine in a preclinical pancreatic cancer model.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most refractory malignancies. In situ vaccines (ISV), in which intratumorally injected immunostimulatory adjuvants activate innate immunity at the tumor site, utilize tumor-derived patient-specific antigens, thereby allowing for the development of vaccines in patients themselves. Near-infrared photoimmunotherapy (NIR-PIT) is a novel therapy that selectively kills cancer cells exclusively in the NIR-irradiated region.

Explainable localization of premature ventricular contraction using deep learning-based semantic segmentation of 12-lead electrocardiogram.

Background: Predicting the origin of premature ventricular contraction (PVC) from the preoperative electrocardiogram (ECG) is important for catheter ablation therapies. We propose an explainable method that localizes PVC origin based on the semantic segmentation result of a 12-lead ECG using a deep neural network, considering suitable diagnosis support for clinical application.

Methods: The deep learning-based semantic segmentation model was trained using 265 12-lead ECG recordings from 84 patients with frequent PVCs.

Two Cases of Gastric Adenocarcinoma with Enteroblastic Differentiation which Demonstrated Rapid Progressive Courses.

We herein report two extremely rare cases of gastric adenocarcinoma with enteroblastic differentiation (GAED) that underscore the aggressive nature of GAED. Case 1: ESD was scheduled for early-stage gastric cancer, however, the tumor increased in size drastically and the morphology changed to type "0-I + IIc" in one month. Surgery was performed and the patient was diagnosed with GAED.