Recurrence Pattern, Treatment Modalities, and Prognostic Factors After Definitive Chemoradiotherapy for Recurrent Esophageal Cancer.

Background: Recurrent esophageal cancer (EC) has a poor prognosis. However, the recurrence patterns and therapeutic outcomes after definitive chemoradiotherapy (CRT) are not fully understood. We analyzed survival and prognostic factors associated with post-definitive CRT recurrent EC.

Enhancement of DNA hypomethylation alterations by gastric and bile acids promotes chromosomal instability in Barrett's epithelial cell line.

Gastric and bile acid reflux leads to chronic inflammation, resulting in methylation alterations in Barrett's esophagus (BE) together with chromosomal instability (CIN). We investigated DNA hypomethylation following acid exposure and confirmed its significance in BE-related carcinogenesis by inducing CIN in vitro. OACP4C, an esophageal cancer cell line, and CP-A, a non-dysplastic cell line originating from BE, were exposed to acidic conditions using deoxycholic acid.

A case of intraocular inflammation after intravitreal brolucizumab injection monitored by laser flare-cell photometer.

Purpose: To report the efficacy of combination therapy using intravitreal injection of brolucizumab (IVbr) and sub-Tenon's injection of triamcinolone acetonide (STTA) and of monitoring with a laser flare-cell photometer (LFP) in a case of polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) with intraocular inflammation (IOI).

Observations: A 72-year-old Japanese woman with PCV had her treatment switched to IVbr due to being refractory to aflibercept. Two weeks after starting IVbr, her visual acuity (VA) declined to 0.

Preoperative factors associated with shunt responsiveness in patients with idiopathic normal-pressure hydrocephalus.

Objective: We aimed to evaluate a possible association between preoperative factors (disease duration and vascular risk factors) and shunt responsiveness in patients with idiopathic normal-pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH).

Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study in a high-volume center for iNPH treatment in Japan and reviewed the clinical data of 107 consecutive patients with probable iNPH who underwent shunt surgery between January 1, 2018, and August 31, 2019, and were followed up for at least 12 months after surgery. Preoperatively, these patients underwent the timed up-and-go test (TUG) and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE); moreover, follow-up evaluations were performed 12 months postoperatively, at which TUG and MMSE scores were used as metrics for shunt responsiveness assessment.

Indications and Outcomes of a Hybrid Method Combining Laparoscopic and Anterior Approaches for Inguinal Hernia Repair.

Introduction Surgery for complex inguinal hernia (IH) (recurrent IH or IH after radical prostatectomy (RP)) may be difficult because of the presumed scar or adhesion in the retropubic space. A hybrid method combining the laparoscopic and anterior approaches (HLAA) in a bidirectional surgical technique may be an option in complex IH cases. Methods Patients at our institution who underwent IH repair for complex IH using HLAA from April 2018 to November 2019 were included.

Minimally invasive esophagectomy in the semi-prone position for corrosive esophagitis: a case report.

Treatment strategies for corrosive esophagitis include conservative treatment, such as balloon dilatation at the stenosis site, and surgical treatment. Esophagectomy for corrosive esophagitis is usually performed through the transthoracic or transhiatal approaches. Herein, we report a case of corrosive esophagitis treated with thoracoscopic esophagectomy with the patient in the semi-prone position.

Overexpression of satellite RNAs in heterochromatin induces chromosomal instability and reflects drug sensitivity in mouse cancer cells.

Overexpression of satellite RNAs in heterochromatin induces chromosomal instability (CIN) through the DNA damage response and cell cycle checkpoint activation. Although satellite RNAs may be therapeutic targets, the associated mechanisms underlying drug sensitivity are unknown. Here, we determined whether satellite RNAs reflect drug sensitivity to the topoisomerase I inhibitor camptothecin (CPT) via CIN induction.

Genome‑wide DNA hypomethylation drives a more invasive pancreatic cancer phenotype and has predictive occult distant metastasis and prognosis potential.

Genome‑wide DNA hypomethylation is the most common molecular feature in human cancers associated with chromosomal instability (CIN), which is involved in the mechanisms that regulate pancreatic cancer (PC) metastasis. It was investigated whether genome‑wide DNA hypomethylation affects the phenotype in PC via CIN , and its significance on the biological behavior of PC was verified. The relative demethylation level (RDL) of long interspersed nucleotide element‑1 (LINE‑1) in human PC cell lines was used to characterize DNA hypomethylation using methylation‑specific quantitative (q)PCR.

Progression of age-related macular degeneration in eyes with abnormal fundus autofluorescence in a Japanese population: JFAM study report 3.

Purpose: To evaluate the progression of early age-related macular degeneration to neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD), and identify the abnormal fundus autofluorescence (FAF) patterns and markers of choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in fellow eyes of patients with unilateral nAMD.

Methods: Sixty-six patients with unilateral nAMD who developed abnormal FAF in the fellow eyes were enrolled in this multicenter, prospective, observational study, and followed-up for 5 years. FAF images on Heidelberg Retina Angiogram Digital Angiography System (HRA) or HRA2 were classified into eight patterns based on the International Fundus Autofluorescence Classification Group system.

Effectiveness of non-exchangeable potassium quantified by mild tetraphenyl‑boron extraction in estimating radiocesium transfer to soybean in Fukushima.

Non-exchangeable K released from soil minerals can reduce radiocesium transfer to plants, as well as exchangeable K. We investigated the effect of non-exchangeable K on radiocesium transfer to soybean, and the non-exchangeable K extraction method most suitable for estimating the transfer risk. In Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, 106 soils were collected from 89 soybean fields during 2014-2018 to analyze non-exchangeable K contents using three methods: boiling nitric acid extraction, tetraphenyl‑boron extraction, and mild tetraphenyl‑boron extraction.

Long-term characteristics of exudative age-related macular degeneration in Japanese patients.

Purpose: The present study aimed to evaluate the clinical characteristics of exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in Japanese patients over a 10-year period and to compare the past our report.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 1,600 treatment-naïve patients (1,777 eyes) with exudative AMD. The 10 years were divided into 2-year phases I to V.

Optimal value of CA19-9 determined by KRAS-mutated circulating tumor DNA contributes to the prediction of prognosis in pancreatic cancer patients.

Despite the acceptance of carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) as a valuable predictor for the prognosis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), its cutoff value remains controversial. Our previous study showed a significant correlation between CA19-9 levels and the presence of KRAS-mutated ctDNA in the blood of patients with PDAC. Based on this correlation, we investigated the optimal cutoff value of CA19-9 before surgery.

Cranial Nerve Involvement and Dysautonomia in Post-COVID-19 Guillain-Barré Syndrome.

The clinical characteristics of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remain unclear due to the small number of cases. We herein report a case of a Japanese patient with post-COVID-19 GBS who presented with facial and limb muscle weakness, sensory deficits, and autonomic dysfunction. Nerve conduction studies revealed demyelination.

Superiority trial comparing intraoperative wound irrigation with aqueous 10% povidone-iodine to saline for the purpose of reducing surgical site infection after elective gastrointestinal surgery: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: Surgical site infection (SSI) is one of the most common complications after gastrointestinal surgery, with a reported incidence of approximately 10%-25%, which is higher than the rates after other types of surgery. Intraoperative wound irrigation (IOWI) is a simple intervention for SSI prevention, and recent studies have reported that IOWI with aqueous povidone-iodine (PVP-I) is significantly more effective at reducing the incidence of SSI than saline. However, the evidence level of previous trials evaluating the efficacy of aqueous PVP-I solution for preventing SSI has been low.

Intestinal perforation secondary to intestinal Burkitt lymphoma.

Introduction And Importance: Small intestinal perforation in patients with Burkitt lymphoma is extremely rare. We present the first report of such a case.

Case Presentation: A 53-year-old woman was admitted with abdominal pain and vomiting.

Efficacy and Safety of Low-Molecular-Weight Heparin on Prevention of Venous Thromboembolism after Laparoscopic Operation for Gastrointestinal Malignancy in Japanese Patients: A Multicenter, Open-Label, Prospective, Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: The risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) after surgery for malignancy in Japanese patients is unclear; therefore, standard prevention protocols have not been established, especially for minimally invasive procedures. We aimed to investigate the additional effect of low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) on prevention of VTE after laparoscopic surgery for gastrointestinal malignancy.

Study Design: From February 2013 to January 2017, 400 patients scheduled for laparoscopic surgery were included.

Three-year outcome of aflibercept treatment for Japanese patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

Background: To evaluate the three-year outcome after intravitreal aflibercept injection (IAI) for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD).

Methods: Forty-nine treatment-naïve nAMD patients (50 eyes) were enrolled in this prospective study. The eyes received IAI at two-month intervals in the first year.

The qualitative assessment of optical coherence tomography and the central retinal sensitivity in patients with retinitis pigmentosa.

Purpose: To analyze the relationships between qualitative and quantitative parameters of spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and the central retinal sensitivity in patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP).

Materials And Methods: Ninety-three eyes of 93 patients were finally enrolled, with a median age (quartile) of 58 (24.5) years.

Five-year follow-up of fundus autofluorescence and retinal sensitivity in the fellow eye in exudative age-related macular degeneration in Japan.

Purpose: To assess the 5-year change in abnormal fundus autofluorescence (FAF) patterns and retinal sensitivity in the fellow eye of Japanese patients with unilateral exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Methods: Patients with unilateral exudative AMD who developed abnormal FAF in the fellow eyes were enrolled. FAF imaging and microperimetry were performed at baseline and follow-ups.

Ileectomy performed on a case of adult intussusception due to inversion of Meckel's diverticulum.

We report a rare case of adult intussusception caused by an inverted Meckel's diverticulum with ectopic pancreatic tissue. A 43-year-old woman was referred to our hospital with complaints of abdominal distention, intermittent abdominal pain and nausea that she experienced 3 months ago. Abdominal computed tomography scans demonstrated ileo-ileal intussusception that contained a tumor with fat density as the lead point.

Longitudinal monitoring of KRAS-mutated circulating tumor DNA enables the prediction of prognosis and therapeutic responses in patients with pancreatic cancer.

Background: Liquid biopsies enable the detection of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA). However, the clinical significance of KRAS-mutated ctDNA for pancreatic cancer has been inconsistent with respect to its prognostic and predictive potential.

Methods And Findings: A total of 422 blood samples were collected from 78 patients undergoing treatments for localized and metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.