Publications by authors named "Muto J"

Injury of the internal carotid artery (ICA), anterior cerebral artery (ACA), and middle cerebral artery (MCA) are rare but devastating complications during microsurgery of the anterior and middle cranial skull base. We systematically reviewed the current knowledge on ICA, ACA, and MCA injury during skull base microsurgery and performed a multicentric data collection to refine their management. A systematic review of ICA, ACA, and MCA injuries during direct microsurgical approaches to the anterior and middle cranial skull base was performed, using PRISMA-IPD guidelines and using a multicentric case collection.

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This correspondence discusses the recent findings by Straalen et al., highlighting molecular similarities and distinctions between palmoplantar pustulosis (PPP) and dyshidrotic palmoplantar eczema (DPE). The study emphasizes shared proinflammatory pathways and T-cell-related gene upregulation while detailing unique features such as neutrophil involvement in PPP and lipid antigen processing in DPE.

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Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) is a widely used scale to assess performance status. KPS ≥ 50% implies that patients can live at home. Therefore, maintaining KPS ≥ 50% is important to improve the quality of life of patients with glioblastoma, whose median survival is less than 2 years.

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  • Intraoperative real-time fluorescence navigation using indocyanine green (ICG) has been successfully used for various brain tumors but has not been explored for radiation-induced brain necrosis, which poses surgical challenges due to its diffuse nature.
  • A study involved four patients with necrotic brain tissues, who received ICG before surgery; near-infrared fluorescence was used to locate the necrotic areas, providing a clear visual contrast during resection.
  • The findings indicate that ICG fluorescence imaging effectively identified radiation-induced necrotic tissues during surgery, marking a significant advancement in surgical techniques for this condition.
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Background: In recent years, achieving a sustainable society has become an international challenge. The medical field is also being called upon to contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, awareness of the SDGs in Japan is low, and relevant efforts in the healthcare sector are particularly lagging behind.

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  • The study investigates the best surgical options for pancreatic neck cancer, comparing pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) and distal pancreatectomy (DP) among 462 patients treated from 2012 to 2022.
  • It identifies lymph node station #11p as having the highest rate of metastasis (28.6%) and shows that PD with #11p dissection offers better survival outcomes compared to DP, despite no significant survival differences overall between the two procedures.
  • Researchers found that larger tumor size (≥2 cm) correlates with worse prognosis, highlighting the importance of lymph node dissection in surgical planning for pancreatic neck cancer.
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The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that countries adopt the reference level of 100 Bq m-3 for indoor radon gas. Adopting the reference level requires a preliminary assessment of the indoor radon concentration. In the preliminary investigation, a cut-off value is useful, which is a value for selecting samples that can be reliably determined to be below the reference level (in this paper, the WHO reference level) using a straightforward method.

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Background: Pleural mesothelioma, characterized by a dismal prognosis even with multimodal therapy, has seen emerging interest in immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) due to their demonstrated efficacy. Here, we present a case of epithelioid-type pleural mesothelioma with chest wall invasion treated with definitive ICI therapy, resulting in a remarkable pretreatment effect.

Case Presentation: A 46-year-old man was diagnosed with an abnormal chest shadow on a medical check, and a computed tomography scan showed pleural thickening at the dorsal right upper chest wall.

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  • - The study focuses on how trehalose, a nonreducing disaccharide, impacts skin barrier function and addresses skin problems like atopic dermatitis (AD) by regulating skin-barrier-related genes in keratinocytes.
  • - It found that trehalose can counteract the negative effects of Th2 cytokines (IL-4/IL-13), which typically impair skin barrier function by downregulating important proteins and antimicrobial peptides.
  • - Trehalose achieves this by inhibiting IL-33 expression, activating Nrf2 for antioxidant defense, and preventing the activation of signaling pathways that worsen skin barrier dysfunction, suggesting its potential as a therapeutic agent for AD.
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Background And Objectives: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported cadaveric feasibility study of leader-follower type robotic-assisted middle cerebral artery (MCA)-radial artery-internal carotid artery anastomosis in the neurovascular surgery field using the da Vinci Xi system (da Vinci Surgical System; Intuitive Surgical, Inc.). Vascular suturing is a necessary skill in neurosurgery; however, the learning curve for deep and high-flow bypasses is severely low.

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  • A multicenter study by the Neurospinal Society of Japan examined treatment strategies for spinal cord astrocytomas (WHO grade II), aiming to determine the best methods and predictors for improved outcomes.
  • Out of 1033 patients with spinal cord intramedullary tumors, 57 had diffuse astrocytoma; their treatment approaches included surgery alone, or combined with radiation or chemoradiotherapy, with outcomes analyzed based on treatment type and tumor proliferation rates.
  • The findings indicated that surgery (with or without radiation) led to better survival rates compared to chemoradiotherapy, with a significant correlation between tumor resection extent and longer survival; an MIB-1 SI under 4.0%
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Japanese neurosurgery faces challenges such as a declining number of neurosurgeons and their concentration in urban areas. Particularly in rural areas, access to neurosurgical care for patients with conditions, such as stroke, is limited, raising concerns about the collapse of regional healthcare. Robot-assisted surgical technologies have advanced in recent years, contributing to the improved precision and safety of deep brain surgery.

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  • The study focused on glioblastoma, IDH-wildtype, examining survival rates and factors influencing long-term survival in patients diagnosed between 2000 and 2021.
  • The median overall survival was found to be 11.2 months, with only 17.6% of patients surviving 2 years and a mere 2.2% surviving 5 years.
  • Two key factors for improved survival included receiving standard combined chemoradiotherapy and having a methylated O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase promoter, along with age and specific imaging characteristics at diagnosis.
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  • Paradoxical eczema (PE) is a rare but serious side effect of biological treatments for psoriasis, notably in patients with a history of allergic conditions.
  • A case study details a woman in her 50s who developed severe PE after receiving secukinumab for generalized pustular psoriasis and asthma, leading to a hospitalization for her condition.
  • The patient's symptoms improved after switching to deucravacitinib, and the study suggests that immune factors like IL-17A and IL-22 might play a role in the development of PE, highlighting the need for caution when prescribing IL-17 inhibitors to at-risk patients.
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  • Cholinergic urticaria with hypohidrosis or anhidrosis (CUHA) causes symptoms like itching, tingling, and reduced sweating, negatively impacting quality of life.
  • Current treatments include antihistamines, steroids, and therapies to promote sweating, but the effectiveness of hot baths specifically needed assessment.
  • In a study with eight CUHA patients, hot baths improved symptoms for around half of the participants, suggesting it could be a viable treatment option without severe side effects.
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Psoriasis vulgaris, also known as plaque-type psoriasis, is the most common form of psoriasis. It is characterized by erythematous plaques covered with scales. Among the available treatments, the fully human monoclonal antibodies ustekinumab (UST) and guselkumab (GUS) have low immunogenicity.

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Various anomalies occurring before earthquakes are currently being studied to predict seismic events, with one of them being the radioactive element radon (Rn). Radon concentrations in the soil, water, and atmosphere fluctuate in response to crustal movement. Recent research has statistically detected anomalies by analyzing the fluctuations in radon concentrations before earthquakes and conducting quantitative evaluations of radon.

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Background: Climate change is a significant challenge that the medical community must address. Hospitals are large facilities with high water and energy consumption, as well as high levels of waste generation, which makes it important to pursue green hospital initiatives. Neurosurgery requires substantial energy for surgeries and tests.

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  • * Using a cadaver study, researchers successfully achieved optimal access and suturing for various deep-seated lesions without external incisions, demonstrating improved efficiency compared to traditional methods.
  • * The findings suggest that the transoral robotic approach is promising for neurosurgery, with a need for further refinement of instruments and additional studies to solidify its effectiveness for treating both benign and malignant conditions.
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Objective: Practical applications of nerve decompression using neurosurgical robots remain unexplored. Our ongoing research and development initiatives, utilizing industrial robots, aim to establish a secure and efficient neurosurgical robotic system. The principal objective of this study was to automate bone grinding, which is a pivotal component of neurosurgical procedures.

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Background And Objectives: Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) after supratentorial craniotomy is a poorly studied complication, for which there are no management guidelines. This study assessed the incidence, associated risk factors, and management of postoperative CVST after awake craniotomy.

Methods: This is an observational, retrospective, monocentric analysis of patients who underwent a supratentorial awake craniotomy.

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  • Sweat plays a crucial protective role for the body, and its dysfunction can lead to skin diseases like palmoplantar pustulosis (PPP), which is linked to decreased E-cadherin levels in skin lesions.
  • Research suggests that interleukin (IL)-1 in sweat may contribute to these changes, showing how inflammatory molecules affect skin health.
  • Advanced techniques, such as live imaging with a new fluorescent dye (JSAC) and the "LASER-snipe" method, allow scientists to study sweat-related processes and the onset of PPP in living tissues, providing insights for future research in skin disorders.
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