Pre-treatment Tumor Size and Tumor Growth Rate as Prognostic Predictors for Patients With Recurrent/Metastatic Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck Treated With Nivolumab.

Background/aim: The prognosis of recurrent/metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (R/M SCCHN) is poor, although immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), such as nivolumab, have been shown to prolong survival. We investigated the factors that predict the efficacy of nivolumab when selecting an appropriate treatment strategy for patients with R/M SCCHN.

Patients And Methods: Forty-four Japanese patients with R/M SCCHN treated with nivolumab between May 2017 and October 2021 were analyzed.

Pancreas transplantation improves the quality of life of Japanese type 1 diabetes patients with diabetic kidney disease.

Objectives: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) patients with diabetic kidney disease-induced kidney failure have a significantly impaired quality of life (QOL), resulting in a high level of physical, mental, and social anxiety. In this study, we evaluated the QOL of T1DM patients on the list for pancreas transplantation (PTx) at their registration, and determined whether PTx improved their QOL.

Methods: There were 58 patients (men/women, 22/36; mean age, 42.

Impact of B Cell Depletion on COVID-19 in Kidney Transplant Recipients.

Kidney transplant recipients are patients at high risk for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) due to being on immunosuppressive therapy. B cell depletion therapy, including rituximab, is an important strategy for ABO-incompatible transplants. However, knowledge about the effect of B cell depletion therapy on COVID-19 is lacking.

An Examination of Packing Methods for Grafts to Prevent Freezing Injury during Transportation for Liver Transplantation.

Background: University of Wisconsin solution (UW) may freeze at temperatures below -0.7 °C, damaging the graft. The present study assessed the effectiveness of the liver graft package protocol, which recommends filling a package with sufficient liquid to prevent grafts from sustaining freezing injury.

Outcomes of Pancreas Transplantation for Lower-Ranked Candidates.

Background: To perform more pancreas transplantation (PTx), our center sometimes performs pancreas transplantation for candidates ranked sixth place or lower. In this study, we analyzed the outcomes of PTx performed in our center to compare the outcomes of higher- and lower-ranked candidates.

Methods: Seventy-two cases in which PTx was performed at our center were divided into 2 groups according to the candidate's rank.

An Examination of Donor Factors That Impact the Results of the Glucagon Stimulation Test as an Assessment of the Pancreatic Graft Endocrine Function.

Objectives: Delta C-peptide derived by the glucagon stimulation test is a reliable value for the evaluation of the pancreatic endocrine function after pancreas transplantation. We examined the associations between delta C-peptide as pancreatic graft endocrine function and donor background factors.

Methods: Sixty-five cases of pancreatic transplantation from brain-dead donors, which were performed in our facility, were enrolled in this study.

Evaluation of the Efficacy and Effects of Common Hepatic Artery Reconstruction in Pancreas Transplantation: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Maintenance of postoperative graft flow is important in pancreas transplantation. In Japan, reconstruction of the common hepatic artery is performed primarily to increase perfusion in the pancreatic head. We investigated the effects of common hepatic artery reconstruction on patient and graft survival and endocrine functions.

The History of Clinical Islet Transplantation in Japan.

Islet transplantation shows the promise of being capable of relieving glucose instability and improving QOL of patients with type 1 diabetes that cannot be controlled due to severe hypoglycemia unawareness. In Japan, following the first human islet isolation from a donor after cardiac death in 2003 and the first clinical islet transplantation in 2004, islet transplantation was performed for the improvement of type 1 diabetes as a single-center trial in several centers. Although it was discontinued due to the possibility of contamination of collagenase by bovine brain component in 2007, the phase II clinical trial of islet transplantation started using ATG induction and a TNF-α inhibition protocol in 2012.

Septic shock as a trigger of arterial stress-induced premature senescence: A new pathway involved in the post sepsis long-term cardiovascular complications.

Background: Major adverse cardiovascular events among sepsis survivors is an emerging health issue. Because endothelial senescence leads to vascular dysfunction and atherothrombosis, sepsis could be associated to vascular stress-induced premature senescence and thus with long-term cardiovascular events.

Materials & Methods: Adult Wistar male rats were submitted to cecal ligation and puncture, or a SHAM operation.

Analysis of risk factors for donation after circulatory death kidney transplantation in Japan.

Background: In Japan, donations after circulatory death kidney transplantation are widely performed due to legislation delays. The number of donations after brain death kidney transplantations is increasing, but the target remains unmet. We reviewed the outcomes of donation after circulatory death in Japan.

Outcomes of pancreas transplantation in older versus younger recipients: a comparative analysis.

Purpose: The feasibility of pancreas transplantation (PT) in older recipients remains a matter of debate. We examined the influence of recipient age on PT outcomes and identified the prognostic factors for older recipients.

Methods: We compared the outcomes of PT in recipients aged < 50 years (younger group; n = 285) with those in recipients aged ≥ 50 years (older group; n = 94).

A Translational Investigation of IFN-α and STAT1 Signaling in Endothelial Cells during Septic Shock Provides Therapeutic Perspectives.

Septic shock and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) are known to be characterized by an endothelial cell dysfunction. The molecular mechanisms underlying this relationship are, however, poorly understood. In this work, we aimed to investigate human circulating IFN-α in patients with septic shock-induced DIC and tested the potential role of endothelial Stat1 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 1) as a therapeutic target in a mouse model of sepsis.

Impact of the revision of the law on pancreatic transplants in Japan-An analysis of the Japanese Pancreas Transplants Registry.

Background: In Japan, it has been about 10 years since the revision of the law on donating brain-dead organs. The present study compared the outcomes of pancreatic transplant before and after the revision of the law.

Methods: The 437 patients who had received pancreas transplantation were divided into two groups according to the time when pancreas transplantation was performed between era 1 (before the revision) and 2 (after the revision), and compared in the patient and pancreas graft survival.

Impact of Pancreas Transplantation on the Patient Survival-An Analysis of the Japanese Pancreas Transplants Registry.

Background: The impact of pancreas transplantation, including kidney transplantation on patients' life prognoses, is unclear in Japan. An analysis of the data of the Japan Pancreas Transplant Registry was performed to compare the patient survival between on the waiting list and after pancreas transplantation, and investigate the factors that affect the patient survival after pancreatic transplantation.

Methods: The life prognoses of 361 patients who underwent pancreas transplantation from 2000 to December 2018 were examined.

Are the outcomes of Japanese pancreas transplantation utilizing extended-criteria donors acceptable? A propensity score matching analysis for donors <50 or ≥50 years old.

In Japan, about 30% of pancreatic transplant donors are ≥50 years old, making them "extended-criteria donors (ECDs)." We analyzed 361 cases of transplantation involving donors from the Japanese pancreas transplantation registry to evaluate the acceptability of ECDs. The patient survival rates at 1, 5, and 10 years after transplantation were 96.

The Effects of Using Pancreases Obtained from Brain-Dead Donors for Clinical Islet Transplantation in Japan.

Background: The pool of brain-dead donors (BDDs) was increased with the revision to the relevant law in 2010, and islet transplantation from BDDs was started in 2013. The present study assessed the influence of using pancreases from BDDs on islet transplantation in Japan.

Methods: The donor information registered with the secretariat of islet transplants from 2012 was reviewed, and the results of 86 clinical islet isolations performed in Japan between 2003 and 2018 with non-heart-beating donors (NHBDs) ( = 71) and BDDs ( = 15) were investigated.

The Outcomes of Pancreatic Transplantation from Pediatric Donors-A Single Institution Experience.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the outcomes of pancreatic transplantation from pediatric donors younger than 15 years of age to the outcomes of pancreatic transplantation from adult donors.

Methods: Sixty patients underwent pancreatic transplantation in our facility from August 2012 to June 2019. These patients were divided into two groups according to the age of the donor: Cases in which the donor was younger than 15 years of age were classified into the PD group ( = 7), while those in which the donor was older than 15 years of age were classified into the AD group ( = 53).

Predictive Value of the Combination of Peripheral Blood Lymphocyte Count and Urinary Cytology in BK Polyomavirus-associated Nephropathy.

Background: Graft biopsy is the gold standard for diagnosis of BK polyomavirus-associated nephropathy (BKPyVAN), and polymerase chain reaction is the most specific screening technique. Development of a noninvasive, cost-effective marker for BKPyVAN is important.

Methods: We reviewed 492 adult kidney transplant patients.

The Validation of the Wheat Gluten ELISA Kit.

It is important to analyze the presence of wheat/gluten in food to avoid wheat allergy or celiac disease. The Wheat/Gluten ELISA kit was developed to measure total wheat protein or gluten content in wheat, barley, and rye cereals as raw materials, and processed foods. Validation as to whether this kit is suitable for quantifying total wheat protein/gluten was carried out.

Effects of preoperative plasma exchange therapy with albumin replacement fluid on blood coagulation in patients undergoing ABO-incompatible living-donor kidney transplantation using rotational thromboelastometry.

Background: ABO-incompatible living-donor kidney transplantation (LDKT) requires immunotherapy and plasma exchange therapy (PEX). PEX with albumin replacement fluid reportedly decreases fibrinogen levels. However, no reports have described the effects of PEX with albumin replacement fluid on blood coagulation parameters and blood loss during the perioperative period.

A harmonized immunoassay with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis in egg allergen determination.

Food allergy is a serious health issue worldwide. Implementing allergen labeling regulations is extremely challenging for regulators, food manufacturers, and analytical kit manufacturers. Here we have developed an "amino acid sequence immunoassay" approach to ELISA.

Histological Analysis in ABO-Compatible and ABO-Incompatible Kidney Transplantation by Performance of 3- and 12-Month Protocol Biopsies.

Background: ABO-incompatible (ABO-I) kidney transplantation (KTx) is an established procedure to expand living donor sources. Although graft and patient survival rates are comparable between ABO-compatible (ABO-C) and ABO-I KTx, several studies have suggested that ABO-I KTx is associated with infection. Additionally, the histological findings and incidence of antibody-mediated rejection under desensitization with rituximab and plasmapheresis remain unclear.

Temporal serum creatinine increase and exacerbation of tubulointerstitial inflammation during the first two months in resolving polyomavirus BK nephropathy.

Aim: Polyomavirus BK nephropathy (BKVN) is an important complication in kidney transplantation. After immunosuppressive agents are reduced, some patients experience a temporal increase in serum creatinine (sCr) before viral clearance. The histological characteristics of re-biopsies were therefore investigated to evaluate the time course of remission.

Improved design of hammerhead ribozyme for selective digestion of target RNA through recognition of site-specific adenosine-to-inosine RNA editing.

Adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) RNA editing is an endogenous regulatory mechanism involved in various biological processes. Site-specific, editing-state-dependent degradation of target RNA may be a powerful tool both for analyzing the mechanism of RNA editing and for regulating biological processes. Previously, we designed an artificial hammerhead ribozyme (HHR) for selective, site-specific RNA cleavage dependent on the A-to-I RNA editing state.