Effectiveness and safety of treat-to-target strategy for methotrexate-naïve rheumatoid arthritis patients >75 years of age.

Objectives: To identify differences in effectiveness and safety of a treat-to-target (T2T) strategy comparing late-onset MTX-naïve RA patients (LORA) ≥75 or <75 years of age.

Methods: Treatment was adjusted to target low disease activity with conventional synthetic DMARDs followed by biologic DMARDs (bDMARDs) in LORA ≥75 years ( = 98, mean age 80.0 years) and LORA <75 years ( = 99) with moderate-high disease activity.

Anti-Inflammatory Effects of a Novel Nuclear Factor-B Inhibitory Derivative Derived from Pyrazolo[3,4-]Pyrimidine in Three Inflammation Models.

Nuclear factor-B (NF-B) plays a central role in inflammatory responses, and its physiologic functions are essential for cell survival and proliferation. Currently, drugs targeting NF-B inhibition have not yet been applied in clinical practice. We investigated the physiologic effect of a novel NF-B inhibitory compound, 1-pyrazolo[3,4-]pyrimidin-4-amine derivative (INH #1), on three inflammatory animal models.

Laparoscopic distal gastrectomy for gastric cancer in a patient with situs inversus: a case report.

Background: Situs inversus (SI) is a rare congenital condition characterized by organ transposition from their normal positions. Careful preoperative planning is important for the safe operation of patients with SI because only a few surgeons have operated on such patients. Here, we report the case of a patient with SI who underwent laparoscopic distal gastrectomy (LDG) with D2 lymph node dissection (LND) for advanced gastric cancer (GC).

[Laparoscopic Gastrectomy for Gastric Cancer with Adachi Type Ⅵ Vascular Anomaly-A Case Report].

We report a case of laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer with an anomalous celiac trunk categorized as Type Ⅵ- Group 24 in the Adachi classification. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy in an 81-year-old male revealed a shallow depressed lesion in the middle of the gastric body. Close examination led to diagnosis of cT1bN0M0, cStage Ⅰ gastric cancer, and laparoscopic distal gastrectomy was planned.

Chondroprotective effects of CDK4/6 inhibition via enhanced ubiquitin-dependent degradation of JUN in synovial fibroblasts.

Objective: Targeting synovial fibroblasts (SF) using a cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 inhibitor (CDKI) could be a potent therapy for RA via inhibition of proliferation and MMP-3 production. This study was designed to elucidate the mechanism of chondroprotective effects on SFs by CDK 4/6 inhibition.

Methods: CDK4/6 activity was inhibited using CDKI treatment or enhanced by adenoviral gene transduction.

Effectiveness and safety of treat-to-target strategy in elderly-onset rheumatoid arthritis: a 3-year prospective observational study.

Objectives: To evaluate 3-year outcomes of following a treat-to-target (T2T) strategy targeting low disease activity for patients with elderly-onset RA (EORA) and to confirm safety profile of T2T.

Methods: Treatment was adjusted to target low disease activity with conventional synthetic DMARDs, followed by biologic DMARDs (bDMARDs) in 197 MTX-naïve EORA patients (mean age 74.9 years) with moderate-to-high disease activity.

Identification of Compounds With Glucocorticoid Sparing Effects on Suppression of Chemokine and Cytokine Production by Rheumatoid Arthritis Fibroblast-Like Synoviocytes.

In recent years target based drug discovery has expanded our therapeutic armamentarium in the treatment of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Despite these advances and adverse effects, glucocorticoids remain reliable agents that are used in many of these diseases. The anti-inflammatory mechanisms of glucocorticoids include the suppression of transcription factor activity like nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB).

Cholecystitis with abdominal wall biloma after percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder aspiration: A case report.

Background: Abdominal wall biloma is an uncommon entity. We herein report an extremely rare case of cholecystitis with abdominal wall biloma after percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder aspiration (PTGBA).

Presentation Of Case: A 69-year-old woman was diagnosed with acute cholecystitis, and PTGBA was performed on Day 1.

[Two Cases of HER2-Positive Gastric Cancer with Multiple Liver Metastases Leading to Conversion Therapy with Chemotherapy].

Case 1: A 69-year-old man underwent chemotherapy with capecitabine plus cisplatin plus trastuzumab to treat advanced gastric cancer that was diagnosed as cStage IV adenocarcinoma(T3N2M1[P0, CYX, H1]). After 12 courses, liver metastases were absent on computed tomography images. The patient underwent total gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy.

The effects of bolus supplementation of branched-chain amino acids on skeletal muscle mass, strength, and function in patients with rheumatic disorders during glucocorticoid treatment.

Objectives: To test the effects of bolus supplementation of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) on skeletal muscle mass, strength, and function in patients with rheumatic disorders taking glucocorticoid (GC).

Methods: Patients with rheumatic disorders treated with prednisolone (≥10 mg/day) were randomized to ingest additional daily 12 g of BCAA (n = 9) or not (n = 9) for 12 weeks. At baseline, and 4, 8, and 12 weeks, they underwent bioelectrical impedance analysis, muscle strength and functional tests, and computed tomography analysis for cross-sectional area of mid-thigh muscle.

Pancreas-sparing total duodenectomy for Spigelman stage IV duodenal polyposis associated with familial adenomatous polyposis: experience of 10 cases at a single institution.

Duodenal cancer is a leading cause of death in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). In patients with Spigelman's classification (SC) stage IV duodenal polyposis (DP), careful endoscopic surveillance by specialists or surgical intervention is mandatory. We herein report the surgical and pathological outcomes of FAP patients with SC stage duodenal polyposis undergoing pancreas-sparing total duodenectomy (PSTD), which has been rarely reported but seems optimal in such patients.

[A Case of Pelvic Schwannoma, Mimicking Metastasis of Rectal Carcinoma].

Introduction: Schwannoma in the lateral lymph node region is extremely rare; however, this tumor has been reported to have relatively high SUV on PET-CT, suggestive of malignancy.

Case: A 67-year-old man with advanced lower rectal cancer had a small nodule with FDG accumulation (SUVmax 2.6) near the left internal iliac artery.

[A Case of NET G1 of Vater's Papilla in Familial Adenomatous Polyposis-Associated Duodenal Adenomatous Polyposis].

Introduction: Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is characterized by the development of duodenal polyposis (DP), which later develops into colonic adenomatous polyps and, eventually, colorectal cancer. Neuroendocrine tumors (NET) are rare in FAP and reports of pancreas-preserving total duodenectomy (PPTD) to treat NET are limited.

Case: A 62-year-old.

[Minilaparotomy in Pancreas-Preserving Total Duodenectomy for Familial Adenomatous Polyposis Associated with Spigelman Stage Ⅳ Duodenal Polyposis].

Introduction: Reports on pancreas-preserving total duodenectomy (PPTD) for duodenal polyposis (DP) in familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) patients are rare. We herein report a case of PPTD performed by minilaparotomy for DP in an FAP patient.

Case: A 27-year-old female FAP patient was diagnosed with Spigelman classification (SC) stage Ⅳ DP on gastroduodenoscopy.

[A Case of Carcinoma of the Uterine Body, Right Ovary, and Duodenum in a Patient with Familial Adenomatous Polyposis].

We report a case of 4 carcinomas of the uterine body, right ovary, and duodenum in a patient with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). Her mother's family line carries FAP. She underwent proctocolectomy with ileoanal anastomosis for FAP when she was 20 years old.

[Efficacy of oxaliplatin-based adjuvant chemotherapy in stage II and III colorectal cancer with perforation].

This retrospective study evaluated the efficiency of oxaliplatin-based (Oxa-based) adjuvant chemotherapy for colorectal cancer with perforation. The study included 38 patients who underwent surgery for perforation associated with StageII and III colorectal cancer between April 1998 and March 2013. Patients with operative mortality were excluded from the study.

[Is PCI effective in predicting prognosis in the era of oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy in stage IV colorectal cancer with peritoneal dissemination ?].

Purpose: Peritoneal dissemination is expected to be present in P1, P2, and P3 according to the 8th edition of colon cancer handling convention. The peritoneal carcinomatosis index (PCI) plays a central role in classification of peritoneal metastases.

Patients And Methods: Peritoneal dissemination was examined during surgery in patients with colon cancer and peritoneal metastasis undergoing treatment with oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy.

[Detection of hepatic lymph node involvement by PET/CT in colorectal cancer patients with liver metastasis].

We investigated the clinical significance of hepatic lymph node (HN) metastasis in 50 patients with colorectal cancer metastases to the liver. Patients underwent preoperative positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT), and subsequently, resection of colorectal liver metastases with HN dissection from 2007 to 2013. In the present study, we evaluated whether PET/CT screening would be beneficial in diagnosing the HN metastases.

[Significance of preoperative radiotherapy and lateral lymph node dissection for locally advanced rectal cancer - a comparative study involving different hospitals].

The aim of this study was to compare the results between lateral lymph node dissection (LLND) alone, and preoperative radiotherapy (preRT) followed by LLND, for the treatment of locally advanced rectal cancer. This study assessed 44 consecutive patients with lower rectal cancer (clinical Stages II and III) without lateral lymph node metastasis by preoperative imaging at two hospitals. Twenty-five patients at one hospital received preoperative short-course radiation therapy (total 25 Gy) followed by a curative LLND operation (preRT group), and 19 patients at another hospital underwent a curative operation by LLND alone (non-preRT group).

Prognostic role of gastrectomy in patients with gastric cancer with positive peritoneal cytology.

This retrospective study identified the optimal treatment strategy for patients with gastric cancer with positive peritoneal cytology. We analyzed clinicopathologic and survival data for 54 patients who had undergone gastrectomy and/or chemotherapy for treatment of gastric cancer with positive peritoneal cytology with (n = 40) or without (n = 14) metastatic disease. The median overall survival did not differ significantly between patients with gastric cancer with positive peritoneal cytology with and without metastatic disease (19 versus 13 months, respectively).

Predicting the amount of intraperitoneal fluid accumulation by computed tomography and its clinical use in patients with perforated peptic ulcer.

The correlation between the amount of peritoneal fluid and clinical parameters in patients with perforated peptic ulcer (PPU) has not been investigated. The authors' objective was to derive a reliable formula for determining the amount of peritoneal fluid in patients with PPU before surgery, and to evaluate the correlation between the estimated amount of peritoneal fluid and clinical parameters. We investigated 62 consecutive patients who underwent emergency surgery for PPU, and in whom prediction of the amount of accumulated intraperitoneal fluid was possible by computed tomography (CT) using the methods described by Oriuchi et al.

Production of intraperitoneal interleukin-6 following open or laparoscopic assisted distal gastrectomy.

The interleukin (IL)-6 concentration in plasma or serum has been considered to represent the degree of stress resulting from surgery. However, IL-6 in peritoneal fluid has rarely been considered. The aim of this study was to assess the concentration and amount of IL-6 in peritoneal fluid as indicators of surgical stress.

[Significant prognostic factors in stage IV gastric cancer].

The aim of this study was to evaluate clinicopathological variables, including the granulocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio(G/L ratio), as prognostic factors for Stage IV gastric cancer patients. A total of 70 patients treated for Stage IV gastric cancer were enrolled in this study. Univariate analysis indicated that age ≥70 years, performance status >2, resection not being performed, chemotherapy not being administered, high C-reactive protein(CRP)levels, and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 levels were significantly associated with poor survival.

[Significance of the granulocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio as a prognostic predictor in patients with stage IV colorectal cancer undergoing chemotherapy].

The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical significance of the granulocyte-to-lymphocyte(G/L)ratio as a prognostic predictor in patients with Stage IV colorectal cancer. A total of 83 patients who underwent oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy for Stage IV colorectal cancer were enrolled in the study. Univariate analysis indicated that the G/L ratio; number of involved organs(more than one organ); performance status ≥1; noncurability; and levels of hemoglobin, C-reactive protein, albumin, alkaline phosphatase, carbohydrate antigen 19-9, and lactate dehydrogenase before chemotherapy were significant prognostic factors.