Safety and efficacy of 5-aminolevulinic acid phosphate/iron in mild-to-moderate coronavirus disease 2019: A randomized exploratory phase II trial.

Background: 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA), a natural amino acid that is marketed alongside sodium ferrous citrate (SFC) as a functional food, blocks severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) proliferation in vitro and exerts anti-inflammatory effects. In this phase II open-label, prospective, parallel-group, randomized trial, we aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of 5-ALA in patients with mild-to-moderate coronavirus disease 2019.

Methods: This trial was conducted in patients receiving 5-ALA/SFC (250/145 mg) orally thrice daily for 7 days, followed by 5-ALA/SFC (150/87 mg) orally thrice daily for 7 days.

Prognostic impact of postoperative infection after resection of biliary malignancy: A multicenter retrospective cohort study.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic impact of postoperative infections in patients who underwent resection for biliary malignancy, including intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, perihilar cholangiocarcinoma, distal cholangiocarcinoma, gallbladder carcinoma, and carcinoma of the ampulla of Vater.

Methods: This study was conducted in an 11-center retrospective cohort study. Patients with biliary tract cancer who underwent curative resection between April 2013 and March 2015 at 11 institutions in Japan were enrolled.

Survival impact of surgical site infection in esophageal cancer surgery: A multicenter retrospective cohort study.

Aim: This study was performed to evaluate the oncological impact of surgical site infection (SSI) and pneumonia on long-term outcomes after esophagectomy.

Methods: The Japan Society for Surgical Infection conducted a multicenter retrospective cohort study involving 407 patients with curative stage I/II/III esophageal cancer at 11 centers from April 2013 to March 2015. We investigated the association of SSI and postoperative pneumonia with oncological outcomes in terms of relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS).

Prognostic impact of postoperative infection in patients with pancreatic cancer: A multicenter cohort study.

Background: Postoperative infection after pancreatectomy in patients with pancreatic cancer often leads to poor prognosis. The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic effect of postoperative infection in patients with pancreatic cancer.

Methods: A multicenter cohort study was performed using a common database of patients with pancreatic cancer who underwent curative pancreatic resections between April 2013 and March 2015 at 15 high-volume centers in Japan.

Palliative stenting for malignant colorectal stenosis in the elderly.

Objectives: Self-expandable metal stents are widely used for the treatment of malignant colorectal stenosis (MCS). In elderly individuals with MCS, self-expandable metal stents are often used as a palliative treatment, but prophylactic stent placement is not recommended. We investigated the efficacy and safety of self-expandable metal stents for the elderly in a palliative setting, specifically in a prophylactic setting.

Needle Tip Detection Using Ultrasound Probe for Vertical Punctures: A Simulation and Experimental Study.

Current ultrasound-guided punctures are difficult to perform as they are performed at an angle to the ultrasound image of the affected area, resulting in longer puncture times, lower success rates, and higher unexpected injury rates. Vertical puncture techniques have also been investigated, but the principle of needle tip detection remains unclear. To optimize ultrasound probes for puncture, the principle of needle tip detection should be understood.

Feasibility and safety of hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy using 5-fluorouracil combined with cisplatin and mitomycin C in patients undergoing gastrectomy for advanced gastric cancer.

Background And Objectives: We conducted a dose-finding study for 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) administered with cisplatin (CDDP) and mitomycin C (MMC) to find an improved regimen for hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) for advanced gastric cancer (GC).

Methods: The appropriate HIPEC regimen previously determined in vitro was 5-FU (200 µg/mL), MMC (2 µg/mL), and CDDP (10 µg/mL) at hyperthermic conditions (42°C) for 30 min. This was a clinical study to determine the recommended dose of 5-FU in combination with MMC and CDDP at 42°C for 30 min and to evaluate HIPEC safety in patients at high risk of developing peritoneal metastases following GC surgery.

ABCG2 expression in colorectal adenocarcinomas may predict resistance to irinotecan.

Irinotecan is a key drug for patients with advanced and recurrent colorectal carcinoma. However, the efficacy of irinotecan is not sufficient; partly, as there is no useful marker to predict chemosensitivity to the drug. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether the expression levels of adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette sub-family G (WHITE) member 2 (Junior blood group) (ABCG2) in primary colorectal tumors predict chemoresistance to irinotecan.

Lymphoepithelial cyst with sebaceous glands of the pancreas: a case report.

Background: Lymphoepithelial cyst (LEC) of the pancreas is a rare benign tumor. LEC with sebaceous glands of the pancreas is extremely rare, and its histogenesis remains unclear.

Case Presentation: We present a 66-year-old man with an incidental finding of a cystic lesion at the neck of the pancreas.

Eotaxin-3 (CCL26) Expression in Human Pancreatic Myofibroblasts.

Objectives: Eosinophil infiltration is a histological feature of autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP). However, little is known about the mechanisms underlying eosinophilic infiltration. In this study, we aimed to investigate the expression of the eosinophil chemotactic protein, eotaxin-3, in human pancreatic myofibroblasts.

A multi-institution phase II study of gemcitabine/cisplatin/S-1 (GCS) combination chemotherapy for patients with advanced biliary tract cancer (KHBO 1002).

Purpose: Gemcitabine/cisplatin combination therapy has been the standard palliative chemotherapy for patients with advanced biliary tract cancer (BTC). We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of adding S-1 to gemcitabine/cisplatin combination therapy for patients with advanced BTC.

Methods: Patients with histologically or cytologically confirmed unresectable or recurrent BTC were eligible for inclusion.

Initial experiences with MR Image-guided laparoscopic microwave coagulation therapy for hepatic tumors.

Purpose: Percutaneous thermal ablation is used for treating hepatic tumors. Recent advances in laparoscopy and imaging modalities have led to the development of a novel image-guided minimally invasive loco-regional treatment. The aim of this trial was to apply laparoscopic assistance to magnetic resonance (MR) image-guided thermoablation instead of ultrasonography, because of its various advantages.

Minimally invasive surgery using the open magnetic resonance imaging system combined with video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for synchronous hepatic and pulmonary metastases from colorectal cancer: report of four cases.

Simultaneous resection of hepatic and pulmonary metastases (HPM) from colorectal cancer (CRC) has been reported to be effective, but it is also considered invasive. We report the preliminary results of performing minimally invasive surgery using the open magnetic resonance (MR) imaging system to resect synchronous HPM from CRC in four patients. All four patients were referred for thoracoscopy-assisted interventional MR-guided microwave coagulation therapy (T-IVMR-MCT) combined with video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS).

Resectable carcinoma developing in the remnant pancreas 7 years and 10 months after distal pancreatectomy for invasive ductal carcinoma of the pancreas: report of a case.

Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, which represents 90% of pancreatic cancers, is one of the most lethal and aggressive malignancies. Operative resection remains the only treatment providing prolonged survival, however, recurrence of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma occurs in up to 80% of patients with pancreatic cancer within 2 years of a potential curative resection. There are few reports of pancreatic carcinoma recurrence (primary second cancer) in the remnant pancreas after pancreatectomy.

Cell transplantation therapy for a rat model of secondary lymphedema.

Background: Although lymphedema is a progressive and lifelong condition, substantial advances in therapeutic intervention are limited. The development of a novel therapy for lymphedema is urgent for those patients suffering from it. The aim of this study was to investigate the usefulness of a new cell transplantation therapy in the rat tail model of secondary lymphedema.

Surgery-induced peritoneal cancer cells in patients who have undergone curative gastrectomy for gastric cancer.

Background: Some patients who undergo curative gastrectomy with lymph node dissection (LND) for gastric cancer (GC) show subsequent peritoneal metastasis. The source of these metastatic cells remains unclear.

Methods: Curative gastrectomy with LND was performed in 102 patients with GC.

Cetuximab as salvage monotherapy in chemotherapy-refractory metastatic colorectal cancer: A single-center report.

In July 2008, cetuximab, a monoclonal antibody against epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), was approved in Japan for clinical use against chemotherapy-refractory metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). At Shiga University of Medical Science, between December 2007 and April 2012, a total of 24 EGFR-positive mCRC cases were administered immunohistochemistry with cetuximab as salvage monotherapy. The safety, side-effects and clinical efficacy of the treatment, including response rate, time to treatment failure, progression-free and overall survival, K-ras mutation status and impact on outcome, were investigated.

Protein-bound polysaccharide-K augments the anticancer effect of fluoropyrimidine derivatives possibly by lowering dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase expression in gastrointestinal cancers.

Protein-bound polysaccharide-K (PSK) enhances the antitumor effect of anticancer drug when used clinically in combination with such drugs. PSK is known to act by immune-mediated mechanisms; however, the relationship between PSK and metabolic enzymes of anticancer drugs is unknown. We used the collagen gel droplet-embedded culture drug sensitivity test (CD-DST) clinically to evaluate the sensitivity of anticancer drugs.

Differences in chemosensitivity between primary and metastatic tumors in colorectal cancer.

Purpose: We retrospectively evaluated the in vitro chemosensitivity of primary site and metastatic site tumors in colorectal cancer.

Methods: Various resected tumor samples (33 from lymph nodes, 42 from liver, six from lung, and 68 primary tumors) were assessed via a collagen gel droplet-embedded culture drug sensitivity test to determine chemosensitivity to a single agent or a combination of agents.

Results: Sensitivity to combination chemotherapy was significantly higher than that of monotherapy in the primary site group, lymph node group, and liver group.

Utility of a microwave surgical instrument in sealing lymphatic vessels.

Background: This study assessed the ability of a novel microwave coagulation surgical instrument (MWCX) to seal lymphatic vessels when compared with LigaSure (Valleylab, Boulder, CO), the Harmonic Scalpel (HS; Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Cincinnati, OH), and electric cautery.

Methods: The burst pressure of pig inguinal lymphatic vessels was assessed after the sealing of vessels with each surgical instrument. The rate of lymphorrhea from pig mesenteric lymphatic vessels was also investigated using indocyanine green and visualized with the Photodynamic Eye system (Hamamatsu Hotoniks, Hamamatsu, Japan).

Prognostic impact of CD10 expression in clinical outcome of invasive breast carcinoma.

Background: Early diagnosis and treatment for breast cancers has greatly improved in recent years, however, subset of this disease with early recurrence have remained to be unpredictable. Several studies has addressed that strong CD10 expression in tumor stroma is associated with poor survival rate of breast cancers, but no correlation between CD10 expression and disease-free survival has been elucidated yet. For these reasons, this study with modified immunohistochemical (IHC) staining evaluated the expression of CD10 in invasive breast carcinomas (IBCs) and analyzed correlations between CD10 expression on tumor cells, stromal cells and myeloid-like cells with clinicopathological parameters and recurrence status.

Transmembrane mucin MUC1 overexpression and its association with CD10⁺ myeloid cells, transforming growth factor-β1 expression, and tumor budding grade in colorectal cancer.

The prognostic value of mucin expression has been reported in several studies. We examined the association between mucin expression and other previously reported prognostic factors, including infiltration of CD10⁺ myeloid cells, transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) expression, and tumor budding at invasion fronts. Immunohistochemical analysis of 206 colorectal samples was carried out to determine whether MUC1, MUC2, MUC4, and MUC5AC expression could predict the survival of colorectal cancer patients.