Metformin may improve the outcome of patients with colorectal cancer and type 2 diabetes mellitus partly through effects on neutrophil extracellular traps.

Background: Although metformin reduces the risk of cancer-related mortality in patents with type 2 diabetes, the mechanism of its anti-cancer effects has not been fully understood.

Method: Impact of metformin on survival was examined in patients who underwent curative colectomy for colorectal cancer (CRC). The effects of metformin in neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) were examined with in-vitro experiments and multiplex immunohistochemistry of surgically resected CRC specimens.

Controlled release of hydrogel-encapsulated mesenchymal stem cells-conditioned medium promotes functional liver regeneration after hepatectomy in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.

Background: Globally, prevalence of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is increasing, and there is an urgent need to develop innovative therapies that promote liver regeneration following hepatectomy for this disease. Surgical excision is a key therapeutic approach with curative potential for liver tumors. However, hepatic steatosis can lead to delayed liver regeneration and higher post-operative complication risk.

Reduced Abundance of in Mucosa-associated Microbiota Is Associated with Distal Colorectal Cancer Metastases Possibly through an Altered Local Immune Environment.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to identify the microbiota whose decrease in tumor area was associated with the metastatic process of distal colorectal cancer (CRC).

Methods: Twenty-eight consecutive patients with distal CRC undergoing surgical resection in our hospital were enrolled. Microbiota in 28 specimens from surgically resected colorectal cancers were analyzed using 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid gene amplicon sequencing and the relative abundance (RA) of microbiota was evaluated.

Improved Preservation of Rat Small Intestine Transplantation Graft by Introduction of Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Secreted Fractions.

Segmental grafts from living donors have advantages over grafts from deceased donors when used for small intestine transplantation. However, storage time for small intestine grafts can be extremely short and optimal graft preservation conditions for short-term storage remain undetermined. Secreted factors from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) that allow direct activation of preserved small intestine grafts.

Preoperative osteopenia is associated with prognosis in patients after resection of esophageal cancer.

Background: Osteopenia reflects frailty and has been shown to be associated with outcomes in cancer patients. This study was undertaken to examine whether osteopenia is an independent prognostic factor in patients with esophageal cancer after resection.

Methods: A total of 214 patients who underwent surgery for esophageal cancer were analyzed retrospectively.

Preoperative Bone Loss Predicts Decreased Survival Associated with Microvascular Invasion after Resection of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background: Osteopenia is a well-known risk factor for survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma; however, it is unclear whether osteopenia can apply to both genders and how osteopenia is associated with cancer progression. The aim of this study was to elucidate whether osteopenia predicts reduced survival in regression models in both genders and whether osteopenia is associated with the pathological factors associated with reduced survival.

Methods: This study included 188 consecutive patients who underwent hepatectomy.

Changes in thoracic radio density after living donor liver transplantation.

Background: The outcomes after liver transplantation have greatly improved, which has resulted in greater focus on improving non-hepatic outcomes of liver transplantation. The present study aimed to evaluate thoracic spine radio density in children and adolescents after liver transplantation.

Methods: A total of 116 patients who underwent living donor liver transplantation were retrospectively analyzed.

Vagus nerve signal has an inhibitory influence on the development of peritoneal metastasis in murine gastric cancer.

The vagus nerve is the only pathway for transmitting parasympathetic signals between the brain and thoracoabdominal organs, thereby exhibiting anti-inflammatory functions through the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway. Despite often being resected during lymph node dissection in upper gastrointestinal cancer surgery, the impact of vagotomy on postoperative outcomes in gastric cancer patients remains unclear. Sub-diaphragmatic vagotomy was performed on C57BL/6 mice.

Metformin Alters Tumor Immune Microenvironment, Improving the Outcomes of Breast Cancer Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

This study investigated the clinical effect of metformin on breast cancer patients with preexisting type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We analyzed 177 patients with T2DM who underwent breast cancer surgery and assessed tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in patients who underwent tumor resection with or without metformin treatment using multiplex immunohistochemistry (IHC). Patients who received metformin either pre- or postoperatively exhibited reduced distant organ recurrence and improved postoperative recurrence-free survival compared to those of patients who did not.

Dietary polyamines promote intestinal adaptation in an experimental model of short bowel syndrome.

Intestinal adaptation does not necessarily recover absorptive capacity in short bowel syndrome (SBS), sometimes resulting in intestinal failure-associated liver disease (IFALD). Additionally, its therapeutic options remain limited. Polyamines (spermidine and spermine) are known as one of the autophagy inducers and play important roles in promoting the weaning process; however, their impact on intestinal adaptation is unknown.

Splenectomy has opposite effects on the growth of primary compared with metastatic tumors in a murine colon cancer model.

The spleen is a key source of circulating and tumor-infiltrating immune cells. However, the effect of splenectomy on tumor growth remains unclear. At 3 weeks after splenectomy, we subcutaneously injected LuM1 cells into BALB/c mice and evaluated the growth of primary tumors and lung metastases at 4 weeks after tumor inoculation.

[Intraperitoneal Transfer of miR-29b Containing Exosome Suppresses the Development of Peritoneal Metastases from Gastric Cancer].

Although miR-29b levels in peritoneal exosomes was markedly reduced in patients with peritoneal metastases(PM), their role has not been fully clarified. Bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells(BMSC)were transfected with miR-29b- integrating lentivirus and exosomes isolated from culture supernatants using ultracentrifugation. The effects of the exosomes on human peritoneal mesothelial cells(HPMC)were examined in vitro.

Combined Intraperitoneal Paclitaxel and Systemic Chemotherapy for Patients with Massive Malignant Ascites Secondary to Pancreatic Cancer: A Report of Two Patients.

The prognosis of patients with peritoneal metastases from pancreatic cancer is poor, largely due to massive ascites, which precludes systemic treatment. Two patients with a poor performance status and malignant ascites were treated with cell-free and concentrated ascites reinfusion therapy followed by combined chemotherapy with intraperitoneal paclitaxel, intravenous gemcitabine, and nab-paclitaxel. These patients achieved a survival of 19 and 36 weeks with a relatively good quality of life.

Phase II Study of Intraperitoneal Administration of Paclitaxel Combined with S-1 and Cisplatin for Gastric Cancer with Peritoneal Metastasis.

Background: Intraperitoneal chemotherapy is promising for gastric cancer with peritoneal metastasis. Although a phase III study failed to show a statistically significant superiority of intraperitoneal paclitaxel combined with S-1 and intravenous paclitaxel, the sensitivity analysis suggested clinical efficacy. Thus, attempts to combine intraperitoneal paclitaxel with other systemic therapies with higher efficacy have been warranted.

Remnant liver function is associated with long-term survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing hepatectomy.

It is important to assess the prognosis and intervene before and after surgery in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. This study aims to elucidate the association of outcomes and residual liver function after hepatectomy. A total of 176 patients who underwent the initial resection for hepatocellular carcinoma between January 2011 and March 2021 at Jichi Medical University were included.

[A case of recurrent stroke with carotid-web despite dabigatran treatment successfully treated by carotid endarterectomy].

We present a case of a 41-year-old female presenting with recurrence of ischemic stroke on subtherapeutic doses of dabigatran. She had a history of embolic stroke of undetermined sources at the age of 40, and underwent implantable cardiac monitor implantation and had started dabigatran. One year after the first ischemic stroke, she presented with sudden dysarthria and left hemiparesis and was admitted to our hospital.

Intraperitoneal paclitaxel combined with FOLFOX/CAPOX plus bevacizumab for colorectal cancer with peritoneal carcinomatosis (the iPac-02 trial): study protocol of a single arm, multicenter, phase 2 study.

Background: The safety of intraperitoneally administrated paclitaxel (op PTX) was demonstrated in the phase I trial of ip PTX combined with conventional systemic chemotherapy for colorectal cancer with peritoneal carcinomatosis. Moreover, the median survival time was 29.3 months, which was longer than that observed in previous studies.

Efficacy and safety of surgical energy devices for axillary node dissection: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Various surgical energy devices are used for axillary lymph-node dissection. However, those that reduce seroma during axillary lymph-node dissection are unknown. We aimed to determine the best surgical energy device for reducing seroma by performing a network meta-analysis to synthesize the current evidence on the effectiveness of surgical energy devices for axillary node dissection for breast cancer patients.

Intraperitoneal transfer of microRNA-29b-containing small extracellular vesicles can suppress peritoneal metastases of gastric cancer.

Small extracellular vesicles (sEV) contain various microRNAs (miRNAs) and play crucial roles in the tumor metastatic process. Although miR-29b levels in peritoneal exosomes were markedly reduced in patients with peritoneal metastases (PM), their role has not been fully clarified. In this study, we asked whether the replacement of miR-29b can affect the development of PM in a murine model.

Osteopenia Is Associated with Shorter Survival in Patients with Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma.

Background: The prognostic importance of osteopenia in patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) undergoing hepatectomy is unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of osteopenia on survival in patients with ICC.

Methods: A total of 71 patients who underwent hepatectomy at Jichi Medical University between July 2008 and June 2022 were included in this study.