Programmable Valve With Virtual off Function Is Useful for Chronic Subdural Hematoma After Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt Surgery.

Over-drainage after a ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt can often lead to chronic subdural hematoma; however, the treatment is unclear. Hematoma drainage is performed after physically stopping the shunt function, such as by ligating or removing the shunt system. However, shunt reconstruction is required after the subdural hematoma improves.

Efficacy and Safety of a Novel Tapered-Tip Sheath System for Biliary-Lesion Tissue Sampling: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background/aims: Pathological evaluation is crucial for diagnosing biliary lesions and determining appropriate treatment strategies. However, tissue sampling via the transpapillary route can be difficult. In this study, we aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of a novel tapered-tip sheath system for tissue sampling from biliary strictures.

Anti-integrin αvβ6 Antibodies Predict Pouchitis in Patients With Ulcerative Colitis After Restorative Proctocolectomy With Ileal Pouch-Anal Anastomosis.

Background: Pouchitis is the most common complication of restorative proctocolectomy (RPC) with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). We previously reported the presence of anti-integrin αvβ6 antibodies in the serum of patients with UC. This study investigated the association between anti-integrin αvβ6 antibodies and the development of pouchitis in patients with UC.

A rare case of acute obstructive suppurative pancreatic ductitis (AOSPD) which developed pyogenic spondylitis.

Acute obstructive suppurative pancreatic ductitis (AOSPD) is an acute suppuration of the pancreatic duct. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) drainage and intravenous antibiotics treatment is the mainstay of therapy. Herein we describe an extremely rare case of AOSPD leading to pyogenic spondylitis.

Pancreatic stent removal with a novel drill dilator.

Video 1Pancreatic stent removal with a novel drill dilator.

Epilepsy with Eyelid Myoclonia Complicated by Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Valproate Withdrawal, Vagus Nerve Stimulation, and Seizure Reduction.

Epilepsy with eyelid myoclonia is a childhood-onset generalized epilepsy, which is more common in women. Over 90% of the patients continue antiseizure medications, especially valproate, and more than 60% of cases are refractory. The efficacy of vagus nerve stimulation in treating eyelid myoclonia is still unknown.

ELF3 suppresses gallbladder cancer development through downregulation of the EREG/EGFR/mTOR complex 1 signalling pathway.

The prognosis of gallbladder cancer (GBC) remains poor, and a better understanding of GBC molecular mechanisms is important. Genome sequencing of human GBC has demonstrated that loss-of-function mutations of E74-like ETS transcription factor 3 (ELF3) are frequently observed, with ELF3 considered to be a tumour suppressor in GBC. To clarify the underlying molecular mechanisms by which ELF3 suppresses GBC development, we performed in vivo analysis using a combination of autochthonous and allograft mouse models.

Anti-integrin αvβ6 autoantibodies in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis.

Background: Patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) possess autoantibodies against biliary epithelial cells. However, the target molecules remain unknown.

Methods: The sera of patients with PSC and controls were subjected to enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays to detect autoantibodies using recombinant integrin proteins.

Exceptional Response of Pancreatic Acinar Cell Carcinoma and Bile Duct Cancer to Platinum-Based Chemotherapy in a Family With a Germline BRCA2 Variant.

Pancreatic cancer and its rare subtype, acinar cell carcinoma (PACC), frequently harbor germline and/or somatic variants in homologous recombinant genes, including BRCA2. Individuals possessing germline pathogenic BRCA2 variants are known to have a higher risk of developing various cancers, including breast, ovarian, pancreatic, and bile duct cancers (BDCs). It has been reported that tumors positive for BRCA1/2 variants are sensitive to platinum-based agents.

Innovative method for the diagnosis of bile duct lesions using a novel tapered-tip sheath system to facilitate biliary biopsies.

Background And Aims: Pathologic evaluation of bile duct lesions is crucial for a definitive diagnosis and determination of an appropriate therapeutic strategy; however, current methods are limited by several challenges. This study evaluated the impact of a novel tapered-tip sheath system on biliary stricture diagnosis.

Methods: This observational study evaluated 47 consecutive patients who underwent transpapillary biliary stricture biopsy using the novel tapered-tip sheath system from July 2020 to March 2022 compared with 51 historical control subjects undergoing conventional biopsies.

Context-Dependent Roles of Hes1 in the Adult Pancreas and Pancreatic Tumor Formation.

Background & Aims: The Notch signaling pathway is an important pathway in the adult pancreas and in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), with hairy and enhancer of split-1 (HES1) as the core molecule in this pathway. However, the roles of HES1 in the adult pancreas and PDAC formation remain controversial.

Methods: We used genetically engineered dual-recombinase mouse models for inducing Hes1 deletion under various conditions.

Effect of ice water injection toward the duodenal papilla for preventing post-ERCP pancreatitis: study protocol for a multicenter, single-blinded, randomized controlled trial (EUTOPIA study).

Background: Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is an essential procedure in the diagnosis and treatment of biliopancreatic diseases. The most common adverse event of ERCP is post-ERCP pancreatitis (PEP), which can sometimes be severe. Our previous study suggested that injecting ice water at the end of ERCP suppressed PEP, and we decided to investigate this effect in a multicenter randomized controlled trial.

Application of QUBO solver using black-box optimization to structural design for resonance avoidance.

Quadratic unconstrained binary optimization (QUBO) solvers can be applied to design an optimal structure to avoid resonance. QUBO algorithms that work on a classical or quantum device have succeeded in some industrial applications. However, their applications are still limited due to the difficulty of transforming from the original optimization problem to QUBO.

Pancreatic metastasis of malignant melanoma presenting as a tumor occluding the main pancreatic duct.

Metastasis to the pancreas is rare, especially for malignant melanoma. In these scarce cases, tumors normally present in the parenchyma of the pancreas. A 70-year-old woman was referred to our hospital for an asymptomatic pancreatic tumor detected by contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CE-CT).

Visualizing Invisible Phase Transitions in Blue Phase Liquid Crystals Using Early Warning Indicators.

Changes in the statistical properties of data as a system approaches a critical transition is studied intensively as early warning signals, but their application to materials science, where phase transitions-a type of critical transition-are of fundamental importance, are limited. Here, a critical transition analysis is applied to time-series data from a microscopic 3D ordered soft material-blue phase liquid crystals (BPLC)-and demonstrates that phase transitions that are invisible under ambient conditions can be visualized through the choice of appropriate early warning indicators. After discussing how a phase transition affects the statistical properties in a system with a Landau-de Gennes type free energy potential, the predicted changes are experimentally observed at the two types of phase transitions that occur in a BPLC: the isotropic to simple cubic, and simple cubic to body-centered cubic transitions.

Clinical impact of a novel device delivery system in the diagnosis of bile duct lesions: A single-center experience.

Background And Aim: Pathological evaluation is essential for the diagnosis of biliary tract diseases. However, existing evaluation methods have various challenges in terms of operability and diagnostic performance. The present study aimed to evaluate the feasibility, utility, and safety of a novel device delivery system for bile duct biopsy.