Publications by authors named "Masaaki Ito"

Article Synopsis
  • - The study focuses on developing a deep learning model to automatically identify bleeding areas during laparoscopic hepatectomy, which can help improve safety in surgeries by enhancing hemostasis.
  • - Researchers used a dataset of 2203 annotated images from 44 laparoscopic videos, dividing them into training, validation, and test subsets, and employed a convolutional neural network for semantic segmentation.
  • - The evaluation metrics showed the model achieved precision of 0.76, recall of 0.79, and Dice coefficient of 0.77, indicating its potential for real-time alerts and training assessments in surgical practice.
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  • This study focused on creating a deep-learning model to recognize the surgical steps involved in laparoscopic right-sided colectomy (LAP-RC) using annotated video data.
  • A dataset of surgical videos was analyzed, breaking them down into various steps of the procedure, which were then classified for training and testing the model.
  • The model achieved an overall accuracy of 72.1% for eight steps and 82.9% for a simplified version with five steps, showing promise for aiding in the standardization of LAP-RC surgeries.
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Background: Lateral node metastasis confers a poor prognosis in rectal cancer. Several multidisciplinary treatments have been proposed with favorable outcomes. However, appropriate neoadjuvant/adjuvant treatments or follow-up plans based on information about the probable recurrence site have not been specified.

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The presence of anti-thyroid antibodies (ATAs) is a biomarker for the development of thyroid dysfunction induced by anti-programmed cell death-1 antibodies (PD-1-Abs). While patients with thyroid dysfunction reportedly showed better overall survival (OS), it remains unknown if ATAs at baseline can predict OS. Therefore, in this study, we examined the association of ATAs at baseline with OS in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with different levels of programmed cell death-1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) positivity associated with PD-1-Ab treatment efficacy.

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Objective: This study aimed to understand the effectiveness of regular care in reducing the incidence of severe peristomal skin disorders, as well as to identify their risk factors.

Summary Background Data: Peristomal skin disorders occur frequently in outpatient settings and require appropriate intervention. It remains, however, to be demonstrated when the need to follow up these patients decreases and whether assessing severity of peristomal skin disorders is useful.

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  • - This study reviews the evolution of rectal cancer surgery, focusing on the recent technique of transanal total mesorectal excision (TaTME) and its anatomical considerations for success.
  • - TaTME enhances visibility and maneuverability in the pelvis, aiming to improve tumor removal rates while preserving important nerve functions, which can help maintain urinary and sexual health post-surgery.
  • - Key anatomical landmarks and precise dissection techniques are critical for successful TaTME outcomes, making this approach a significant advancement in rectal cancer treatment.
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Background: There is an increasing demand for automated surgical skill assessment to solve issues such as subjectivity and bias that accompany manual assessments. This study aimed to verify the feasibility of assessing surgical skills using a surgical phase recognition model.

Methods: A deep learning-based model that recognizes five surgical phases of laparoscopic sigmoidectomy was constructed, and its ability to distinguish between three skill-level groups-the expert group, with a high Endoscopic Surgical Skill Qualification System (ESSQS) score (26 videos); the intermediate group, with a low ESSQS score (32 videos); and the novice group, with an experience of < 5 colorectal surgeries (27 videos)-was assessed.

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Objectives: To clarify whether self-expandable metallic stent (SEMS) placement for obstructive colorectal cancer (CRC) increases perineural invasion (PNI), thereby worsening the prognosis.

Methods: In total, 1022 patients with pathological T3 or T4 colon or rectosigmoid cancer who underwent resection were retrospectively reviewed. The study patients were divided into a no obstruction group (n=693), obstruction without stent group (n=251), and obstruction with stent group (n=78), and factors demonstrating an independent association with PNI, the difference in PNI incidence and severity between groups, and the association between PNI and the duration from SEMS placement to surgery were investigated.

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Purpose: Laparoscopic distal gastrectomy (LDG) is a difficult procedure for early career surgeons. Artificial intelligence (AI)-based surgical step recognition is crucial for establishing context-aware computer-aided surgery systems. In this study, we aimed to develop an automatic recognition model for LDG using AI and evaluate its performance.

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  • Numerous antibody biomarkers exist for cancer and atherosclerosis-related diseases, highlighting the connections between conditions like acute ischemic stroke, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes mellitus.
  • The study identifies KIAA0513 as a potential common biomarker linked to these diseases, showing higher serum antibody levels in patients compared to healthy individuals.
  • The research suggests that serum anti-KIAA0513 antibody levels could effectively diagnose various conditions, indicating shared arterial changes associated with both atherosclerosis and cancer.
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Vaginal cuff dehiscence after total hysterectomy or total cystectomy had been increasing since laparoscopic or robotic surgery became a common surgery among gynecologists and urologists. A 52-yearold woman underwent laparoscopic radical total cystectomy for muscle invasive bladder carcinoma at Rakuwakai Otowa Hospital. She was emergently admitted with a fist-sized lump protruding from her vagina four months after surgery.

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Article Synopsis
  • * UreterNet uses a deep learning semantic segmentation algorithm to accurately recognize and label ureters in laparoscopic colorectal surgery videos, achieving decent performance metrics (precision of 0.712, recall of 0.722, and Dice coefficient of 0.716).
  • * The model shows promise in enhancing surgical safety through its noninvasive approach, but further research is needed to confirm its effectiveness in actually reducing ureteral injuries during surgery.
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  • A trial studying preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) followed by nivolumab for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) reported promising 3-year outcomes with 39 microsatellite stable (MSS) and 5 microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) patients.
  • For the MSS group, the 3-year relapse-free survival (RFS) rate was 79.5%, while the MSI-H group had a remarkable 100% RFS rate; overall survival (OS) rates were similarly high for both groups.
  • Key biomarkers like PD-L1 positivity and a high CD8+ T cell/effector regulatory T cell ratio appeared to contribute to better outcomes in MSS patients, highlighting potential prognostic indicators
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  • This study explores the link between fumarate hydratase (FH) autoantibodies and gastric cancer to assess their potential as biomarkers.
  • The analysis involved 116 gastric cancer patients and 96 healthy controls, revealing that serum FH autoantibody levels were significantly higher in cancer patients, even in early-stage cases.
  • Low levels of these antibodies correlate with poorer outcomes, such as distant metastasis and overall survival, suggesting they could serve as important indicators for early diagnosis and prognosis in gastric cancer.
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In social hymenopterans, monandry of the queen is an ancestral trait, and polyandry is a derived trait. Polyandry of the queen is the norm in a limited number of lineages, such as honeybees, leaf-cutting ants, Pogonomyrmex ants, and Vespula wasps, which presumably provide fitness advantages for the whole colony. The queen of the introduced bumblebee, Bombus terrestris, is polyandrous in Japan, whereas it is monandrous in native regions.

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Background: Most intraoperative adverse events (iAEs) result from surgeons' errors, and bleeding is the majority of iAEs. Recognizing active bleeding timely is important to ensure safe surgery, and artificial intelligence (AI) has great potential for detecting active bleeding and providing real-time surgical support. This study aimed to develop a real-time AI model to detect active intraoperative bleeding.

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The sigmoid colon simulator was designed to accurately reproduce the anatomical layer structure and the arrangement of characteristic organs in each layer, and to have conductivity so that energy devices can be used. Dry polyester fibers were used to reproduce the layered structures, which included characteristic blood vessels, nerve sheaths, and intestinal tracts. The adhesive strength of the layers was controlled to allow realistic peeling techniques.

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Inflammation is closely associated with cerebrovascular diseases, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancers, and it is accompanied by the development of autoantibodies in the early stage of inflammation-related diseases. Hence, it is meaningful to discover novel antibody biomarkers targeting inflammation-related diseases. In this study, Jumonji C-domain-containing 6 (JMJD6) was identified by the serological identification of antigens through recombinant cDNA expression cloning.

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To measure α-glucosidase activity, rat intestinal acetone powder is commonly used as a source of α-glucosidase, and the mutarotase-glucose oxidase (GOD) methods commonly used to quantitate glucose produced by enzymatic hydrolysis of the substrates. In this study, we compared human Caco-2 cell extracts with rat intestinal acetone powder extracts. We also compared high-performance anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection (HPAE-PAD) with the mutarotase-GOD method.

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Article Synopsis
  • A study in Norway found that many patients had local recurrence of rectal cancer after transanal total mesorectal excision, possibly due to cancer cells spilling during surgery.
  • The research involved 40 patients, whose surgical field was monitored for cancer cells through washing cytology at different stages of the operation.
  • Initial samples revealed a high presence of malignant cells, but significantly fewer were found later on, with no cancer cells detected in the final sample, suggesting the need for more in-depth studies.
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