Modeling Epithelial Homeostasis and Perturbation in Three-Dimensional Human Esophageal Organoids.

Esophageal organoids from a variety of pathologies including cancer are grown in Advanced Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium-Nutrient Mixture F12 (hereafter ADF). However, the currently available ADF-based formulations are suboptimal for normal human esophageal organoids, limiting the ability to compare normal esophageal organoids with those representing a given disease state. We have utilized immortalized normal human esophageal epithelial cell (keratinocyte) lines EPC1 and EPC2 and endoscopic normal esophageal biopsies to generate three-dimensional (3D) organoids.

Modeling epithelial homeostasis and perturbation in three-dimensional human esophageal organoids.

Background: Esophageal organoids from a variety of pathologies including cancer are grown in Advanced Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium-Nutrient Mixture F12 (hereafter ADF). However, the currently available ADF-based formulations are suboptimal for normal human esophageal organoids, limiting the ability to compare normal esophageal organoids with those representing a given disease state.

Methods: We have utilized immortalized normal human esophageal epithelial cell (keratinocyte) lines EPC1 and EPC2 and endoscopic normal esophageal biopsies to generate three-dimensional (3D) organoids.

Epithelial overexpression of IL-33 induces eosinophilic esophagitis dependent on IL-13.

Background: Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is an increasingly common inflammatory condition of the esophagus; however, the underlying immunologic mechanisms remain poorly understood. The epithelium-derived cytokine IL-33 is associated with type 2 immune responses and elevated in esophageal biopsy specimens from patients with EoE.

Objective: We hypothesized that overexpression of IL-33 by the esophageal epithelium would promote the immunopathology of EoE.

Modeling Oral-Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma in 3D Organoids.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is prevalent worldwide, accounting for 90% of all esophageal cancer cases each year, and is the deadliest of all human squamous cell carcinomas. Despite recent progress in defining the molecular changes accompanying ESCC initiation and development, patient prognosis remains poor. The functional annotation of these molecular changes is the necessary next step and requires models that both capture the molecular features of ESCC and can be readily and inexpensively manipulated for functional annotation.

TYRO3 promotes chemoresistance via increased LC3 expression in pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is an aggressive malignancy with few treatment options, and improved treatment strategies are urgently required. TYRO3, a member of the TAM receptor tyrosine kinase family, is a known oncogene; however, the relationship between TYRO3 expression and PC chemoresistance remains to be elucidated. We performed gain- and loss-of-function experiments on TYRO3 to examine whether it is involved in chemoresistance in PC cells.

GPX4 Regulates Tumor Cell Proliferation Suppressing Ferroptosis and Exhibits Prognostic Significance in Gastric Cancer.

Background/aim: Gastric cancer (GC) is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) is a glutathione-dependent antioxidant enzyme known to regulate ferroptosis, which is a non-apoptotic form of cell death accompanied by iron-dependent accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). This study evaluated the expression and function of GPX4 in GC.

The Barthel Index for Predicting Postoperative Complications in Elderly Patients Undergoing Abdominal Surgery: A Prospective Single-center Study.

Background/aim: The Barthel index and Katz index are useful in assessing the physical function status of patients. We prospectively evaluated the relationship between the Barthel and Katz indices and postoperative complications in older patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery.

Patients And Methods: We enrolled 250 patients aged ≥65 years who underwent gastrointestinal surgery between September 2018 and April 2020.

Surgical Administration of Indocyanine Green in Hepatectomy for Improved Bile Leakage Detection.

Background/aim: Biliary fistulas (BFs) following hepatic resection are a complication of concern, and methods to completely prevent BFs after hepatic resection have yet to be developed. Our aim was to study the use of systemically administered indocyanine green (ICG) for preventing bile leakage (BL) from the cut surface of the liver.

Patients And Methods: The study sample comprised 26 patients who underwent hepatectomy without ICG (conventional observation group; CO-G) and 23 hepatectomy patients who underwent intraoperative detection of BL using systemically administered ICG (ICG observation group; IO-G).

Modified geriatric nutritional risk index in patients with pancreatic cancer: a propensity score-matched analysis.

Background: The modified nutritional geriatric risk index (mGNRI) was developed as a novel index and provides a more appropriate prognostic index than the original GNRI, which was reported to be a useful index for predicting prognoses for various malignancies. This study investigated the prognostic significance of the mGNRI compared with that of the GNRI in patients with pancreatic cancer and the association with psoas muscle volume (PMV) for survival outcomes.

Methods: This retrospective study included 137 patients who had undergone pancreatectomy for pancreatic cancer.

Influence of the water jet system cavitron ultrasonic surgical aspirator for liver resection on the remnant liver.

Background: Several methods, such as finger fracture, Pean crush, cavitron ultrasonic surgical aspirator (CUSA), and water jet (WJ), are used for hepatic parenchymal dissection in liver surgery. CUSA is the conventional method in Japan. WJ is a relatively novel method for parenchymal dissection.

Geriatric nutritional risk index as a prognostic factor in patients with recurrent pancreatic cancer.

The aim of this study is to investigate the prognostic significance of geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) at the time of recurrence in patients with recurrent pancreatic cancer, and the relationship between GNRI and skeletal muscle mass for survival outcomes after recurrence. This study enrolled 77 patients who developed postoperative recurrence. The skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) was used in this study.

Molecular mechanisms underlying the promotion of wound repair by coenzyme Q10: PI3K/Akt signal activation via alterations to cell membrane domains.

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) promotes wound healing and . However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the promoting effects of CoQ10 on wound repair remain unknown. In the present study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms through which CoQ10 induces wound repair using a cellular wound-healing model.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy after percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage for acute cholecystitis in a patient with a left ventricle assist device: A case report and brief review of the literature (with video).

For acute cholecystitis in patients with left ventricular assist devices, the use of percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage to calm inflammation before planned laparoscopic cholecystectomy may be helpful in safely adjusting anticoagulation and in performing safe laparoscopic cholecystectomy, as demonstrated in this case.

Circular stapling anastomosis with indocyanine green fluorescence imaging for cervical esophagogastric anastomosis after thoracoscopic esophagectomy: a propensity score-matched analysis.

Background: Thoracoscopic esophagectomy has been extensively used worldwide as a curative surgery for patients with esophageal cancer; however, complications such as anastomotic leakage and stenosis remain a major concern. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of circular stapling anastomosis with indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence imaging, which was standardized for cervical esophagogastric anastomosis after thoracoscopic esophagectomy.

Methods: Altogether, 121 patients with esophageal cancer who underwent thoracoscopic esophagectomy with radical lymph node dissection and cervical esophagogastric anastomosis from November 2009 to December 2020 at Tottori University Hospital were enrolled in this study.

The Significance of Surgical Intervention for Metasynchronous Liver Metastasis in Gastric Cancer: A Single-centre Analysis.

Background/aim: This study investigated the influence of surgery for metasynchronous liver metastasis in gastric cancer on prognosis.

Patients And Methods: A retrospective study was conducted involving 21 consecutive patients with gastric cancer with metasynchronous distant metastasis only in the liver after curative gastrectomy. The patients were divided into two groups: those who underwent hepatic resection and those who did not.

The impact of AMIGO2 on prognosis and hepatic metastasis in gastric cancer patients.

Background: Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignancies, and the liver is the most common site of hematogenous metastasis of GC. AMIGO2 is a type I transmembrane protein that has been implicated in tumour cell adhesion in adenocarcinomas; however, its importance in GC remains undetermined.

Methods: We analyzed AMIGO2 expression by immunohistochemistry using the specific monoclonal antibody for human AMIGO2 in 128 patients who underwent GC surgery to evaluate its relationship between various metastatic and clinical outcomes in GC.

Impact of skeletal muscle mass in patients with unresectable gastric cancer who received palliative first-line chemotherapy based on 5-fluorouracil.

Background: The mortality rate of patients with unresectable gastric cancer (UGC) has decreased with the development of chemotherapies and surgical techniques. However, the survival rate remains low. We retrospectively examined the prognostic significance of the pretreatment skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) and nutritional and inflammatory factors in patients with UGC.

Preoperative white blood cell count predicts anastomotic leakage in patients with left-sided colorectal cancer.

To determine whether preoperative white blood cell (WBC) counts reflect risk of anastomotic leak (AL) for patients with colorectal cancer (CRC), we retrospectively examined data from records of 208 consecutive patients who had undergone resections for left-sided CRC, including their clinicopathological parameters and preoperative laboratory data. The diagnostic value of WBC count for AL was evaluated and compared with those of neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-lymphocyte ratio, lymphocyte-monocyte ratio and platelet count × C-reactive protein level multiplier (P-CRP) value; optimal cut-off values were derived from receiver operating characteristic curves. AL was observed in 11 of the 208 patients (5.

Platelet-to-Lymphocyte Ratio Multiplied by the Cytokeratin-19 Fragment Level as a Predictor of Pathological Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Background: The standard treatment for resectable advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in Japan is surgery followed by neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and it is important to predict the effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy before treatment. Therefore, this study aims to extract conventional blood examination data, such as tumor markers and/or inflammatory/nutritional index levels, that can predict the pathological response of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma to neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of 66 patients with thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy, followed by curative esophagectomy at Tottori University Hospital between June 2009 and December 2019.

Human chromosome 3p21.3 carries TERT transcriptional regulators in pancreatic cancer.

Frequent loss of heterozygosity (LOH) on the short arm of human chromosome 3 (3p) region has been found in pancreatic cancer (PC), which suggests the likely presence of tumor suppressor genes in this region. However, the functional significance of LOH in this region in the development of PC has not been clearly defined. The human telomerase reverse transcriptase gene (hTERT) contributes to unlimited proliferative and tumorigenicity of malignant tumors.

Clinical Significance of Serum Antithrombin III Activity After Hepatectomy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background: As antithrombin III (AT-III) is produced in the hepatocytes, its serum activity decreases at the time of liver failure, in addition to ischemia reperfusion injury, vascular endothelial dysfunction, and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). Here, we examined whether the serum AT-III value after hepatectomy could be a prognostic factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods: Of 141 patients who underwent hepatectomy for HCC, data for 101 patients in whom serum AT-III activity was measured on the first postoperative day were extracted.

Evaluation of Blood Supply with Indocyanine Green Fluorescence in Resection for Concurrent Gastric and Pancreatic Cancer: A Case Report.

We present a rare case of concurrent resection of pancreatic and gastric cancer in which indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence was used to evaluate the remnant stomach. An 80-year-old man was referred with a tumor in the distal pancreas. Computed tomography showed a 25-mm mass in the pancreatic tail; endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration revealed adenocarcinoma.

Decreased mean platelet volume predicts poor prognosis in patients with pancreatic cancer.

Background: Decreased mean platelet volume (MPV) predicts poor prognosis in some cancers. However, its significance as a prognostic indicator in pancreatic cancer (PC) remains unclear.

Methods: A total of 91 PC patients who underwent pancreatectomy were included in this study.

Prognostic Significance of TYRO3 Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Expression in Gastric Cancer.

Background: Despite improved treatment for gastric cancer (GC), the prognosis of advanced disease remains poor. Further investigation of the oncogenic sequence for GC is needed.

Materials And Methods: The expression of TYRO3 protein tyrosine kinase in five GC cell lines was confirmed using western blotting.

Avoidance of bile duct injury during laparoscopic liver cyst fenestration using indocyanine green: A case report.

By administering ICG test immediately before laparoscopic liver cyst fenestration, the biliary tract can be easily identified and intraoperative bile duct damage and postoperative bile fistula formation can be avoided, as demonstrated in this case.