Living Donor Liver Transplantation with Small Left Lobe Grafts: Prospective Validation of Utility of Splenectomy in Selected Recipients.

BACKGROUND We previously reported that the Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD) score and donor age are risk factors for small-for-size syndrome in adult living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) involving small grafts. Since April 2021, we have performed splenectomy as a portal inflow modulation in LDLT using small grafts according to the presence of risk factors. In this study, we evaluated the validity of our splenectomy strategies for optimizing graft outcomes.

Living Donor Liver Transplantation Using Right Posterior Section Graft in a Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Hepatitis C Virus-Coinfected Patient With Hemophilia: A Case Report.

Background: Liver transplantation is an important treatment option for liver cirrhosis in patients with HIV/HCV coinfection. In Japan, the limited number of deceased donors may force the selection of living donor liver transplantation. Appropriate graft selection is the key to success.

Arterial Reconstruction Using the Right Gastroepiploic Artery in Living Donor Liver Transplantation: A Single-Center Experience.

BACKGROUND Recipient hepatic arteries are generally used for arterial reconstructions in living donor liver transplantation. When the hepatic arteries are not feasible, the right gastroepiploic artery is one of the options for arterial reconstructions. In this study, we evaluate the feasibility of using the right gastroepiploic artery and report the analyzed retrospective patient outcomes.

[A Case of Pathological Complete Response after Nivolumab Therapy in Unresectable Advanced Gastric Cancer].

A 70-year-old man was admitted to a local hospital with epigastric pain and diagnosed with type-2 gastric cancer. Contrast-enhanced CT scan showed metastases in S3 and S8 of the liver, and the tumor was classified as type cT4aN2H1, cStage ⅣB. Nivolumab monotherapy was initiated after failure of treatment with S-1 plus oxaliplatin and ramucirumab.

Efficacy of secukinumab in Takayasu arteritis with myocardial infarction complicated with generalized pustular psoriasis: A case report.

Rationale: Takayasu arteritis (TAK) is an autoimmune disease that causes chronic inflammation targeting the aortic wall. Since many patients are resistant to steroid treatment, multiple immunosuppressants or interleukin-6 (IL-6) suppression therapy have served as treatment alternatives. However, there are very few reports on the effectiveness of biologics against inflammatory cytokines upstream of IL-6.

Successful treatment of anti-signal recognition particle antibody-positive myositis with intravenous cyclophosphamide: A case report.

Myositis-specific autoantibodies play an important role on the disease phenotype of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs). Anti-signal recognition particle (SRP) antibody-positive patients with IIMs may present with severe myopathy and highly elevated serum creatine kinase levels. These patients are often resistant to immunosuppressive therapy, but there is no established treatment strategy.

Seroprevalence in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients with Interstitial Lung Disease.

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is complicated with interstitial lung disease (ILD). Gastroesophageal reflux disease is prevented by infection and is a predisposing factor for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. However, the prevalence of infection in RA patients with ILD has not been sufficiently investigated.

Idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease diagnosed after lower extremity venous thrombosis mimicking immunoglobulin G4-related disease - A case report.

It is difficult to distinguish idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease (iMCD) from immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD). A 47-year-old man was diagnosed with venous thrombosis in the right lower extremity. Multiple lymphadenopathies and splenomegaly were incidentally detected.

Serum Anti-Aminoacyl-Transfer Ribonucleic Acid Synthetase Antibody Levels Are Involved in Rheumatoid Arthritis Complicated with Interstitial Lung Disease.

A common complication in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is interstitial lung disease (ILD). Antibodies (Abs) to anti-aminoacyl-transfer ribonucleic acid synthetase (ARS) are linked to ILD in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM). There have been limited studies of anti-ARS Abs in RA.

Elderly-onset familial Mediterranean Fever Carrying MEFV Exon 10 Variants in a Japanese Patient: A Case Report.

Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is the most prevalent hereditary autoinflammatory disease and is caused by the MEFV gene. In patients carrying MEFV exon 10 variants, FMF usually develops at an early age. A 76-year-old Japanese man presented with a periodic fever lasting 2-3 days, chest pain, and abdominal pain.

Clinical significance and therapeutic implication of CD200 in pancreatic cancer.

Background: CD200, a negative regulator of T cells as well as a marker for cancer stem cells, represents a significant prognostic factor and potential therapeutic target in certain cancers. However, its clinical significance remains unknown in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).

Methods: CD200 was assessed in 220 resected PDAC patients who underwent surgery with or without neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NACRT).

Identification of novel cytokine to judge the diagnosis and clinical phenotype of adult-onset Still's disease.

This study aimed to identify biomarkers to distinguish adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) and to predict disease phenotypes. In total, 49 patients diagnosed with AOSD and 200 patients with common diseases (controls) were included in the analysis. The levels of 69 cytokines were analyzed using a multi-suspension cytokine array.

A prospective randomized controlled study evaluating efficacy of Daikenchuto in the treatment of postoperative abdominal pain and bloating following hepatectomy.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of TJ-100 TSUMURA Daikenchuto (DKT) Extract Granules in preventing post-hepatectomy digestive symptoms and the effects on small intestinal mucosal atrophy.

Methods: Eligible patients were randomly assigned to the DKT therapy and usual care groups in a 1:1 ratio. The DKT therapy group was administered DKT for 14 days after surgery or until the day of discharge if the patient left the hospital before 14 days, and the usual care group did not receive DKT.

Open Abdominal Management for Damage Control in Liver Transplantation: A Single-center Experience.

Background: Patients undergoing liver transplantation are in a state of coagulopathy before surgery because of liver failure. Intraoperative hemorrhage, massive transfusions, and post-reperfusion syndrome further contribute to coagulopathy, acidosis, and hypothermia. In such situations, temporary cessation of surgery with open abdominal management and resuscitation in the intensive care unit (ICU), which is commonly used as a damage control strategy in trauma care, may be effective.

Association of rare single nucleotide variant MUC5B rs35705950 with interstitial lung disease in Japanese rheumatoid arthritis.

Objectives: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is sometimes complicated by interstitial lung disease (ILD) with a poor prognosis. A single nucleotide variant (SNV) in MUC5B was associated with ILD in European RA patients. However, associations of this SNV were not found in Japanese RA patients, because its frequency in Japanese populations is very low.

Incidence Rates of Infections in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Treated with Janus Kinase or Interleukin-6 Inhibitors: Results of a Retrospective, Multicenter Cohort Study.

This study aimed to compare the incidence rates (IRs) of infections, including herpes zoster (HZ), in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients treated with Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKis) or interleukin-6 inhibitors (IL-6is). We retrospectively analyzed 444 RA patients treated using IL-6is ( = 283) or JAKis ( = 161). After adjusting for clinical characteristic imbalances by propensity score matching (PSM), we compared the IRs of infections including HZ between the JAKi and IL-6i groups.