Analysis of perioperative glucose metabolism using an artificial pancreas.

Hyperglycemia associated with insulin resistance is common in surgical patients with and without diabetes and is associated with poor surgical outcomes. Several studies have recently shown that a closed-loop blood glucose monitoring system in the form of an artificial pancreas is safe and effective for surgical patients. In this study, we analyzed the risk factors for insulin resistance in patients using an artificial pancreas.

Pretreatment with a Phosphodiesterase-3 Inhibitor, Milrinone, Reduces Hepatic Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury, Minimizing Pericentral Zone-Based Liver and Small Intestinal Injury in Rats.

BACKGROUND Severe pericentral zone (zone 3)-based liver injury (LI) may become intractable, with allograft dysfunction after liver transplantation. The phosphodiesterase-3 inhibitor, milrinone, has been reported to attenuate hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). This study clarified how hepatic IRI involved zone 3-based LI, in which zone milrinone was effective, and whether milrinone could improve small intestinal injury (SII) with hepatic IRI.

Pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma of the liver in an adult: a rare case report.

Background: Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), a malignant neoplasm that normally differentiates to form striated muscle, is the most common type of childhood soft tissue sarcoma. However, it infrequently occurs in adults and is uncommon in the liver. We herein report a case of RMS of the liver in an adult.

Phase I study of weekly palliative chemotherapy with low-dose third-line paclitaxel for biliary tract cancer.

The prognosis of patients with unresectable and recurrent biliary tract cancer (BTC) is very poor. Although gemcitabine (GEM) plus cisplatin therapy is useful for unresectable cases, the median overall survival (OS) of the patients is <1 year, and third-line chemotherapy following failure of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and GEM plus cisplatin is currently unavailable. The clinical efficacy and basic effects of low-dose paclitaxel (PTX) therapy for patients with BTC was previously reported.

Successful treatment of unresectable gallbladder cancer with low-dose paclitaxel as palliative chemotherapy after failure of gemcitabine and oral S-1: A case report.

A 56-year-old female with metastatic gallbladder cancer involving the liver and stenosis of the hilar bile duct was treated with gemcitabine (1,000 mg/m(2)) plus S-1 (60 mg/m(2)). After 9 cycles of therapy, CT showed evidence of stable disease; however, the serum CEA level was increased. Therefore, the chemotherapy regimen was changed to weekly low-dose paclitaxel (60 mg/m(2)).

Giant serous microcystic adenoma of the pancreas safely resected after preoperative arterial embolization.

Serous microcystic adenomas are rare and account for 1-2% of all exocrine pancreatic tumors and 25% of all pancreatic cystic neoplasms. Recently, with advances in imaging techniques, these adenomas have been identified at an increasing frequency. A 63-year-old woman visited her doctor in 1999 due to a gastric deformity detected by upper gastrointestinal endoscopy.