Effects of Casein-Derived Peptide Met-Lys-Pro on Systolic and Diastolic Blood Pressure: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Parallel-Group Study.

Hypertension is defined as a systolic blood pressure (SBP) of over 140 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of over 90 mmHg. Hypertension is widely known to be a factor affecting human health, so its prevention is considered important. We investigated the effect of casein-derived tripeptide Met-Lys-Pro (MKP) on blood pressure in a randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study.

Cocirculation of Genetically Distinct Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N5 and H5N1 Viruses in Crows, Hokkaido, Japan.

We isolated highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N5 and H5N1 viruses from crows in Hokkaido, Japan, during winter 2023-24. They shared genetic similarity with HPAI H5N5 viruses from northern Europe but differed from those in Asia. Continuous monitoring and rapid information sharing between countries are needed to prevent HPAI virus transmission.

A Rare Case of Pleural Epithelioid Mesothelioma With a Prominent Myxoid Stroma Reported With Morphology, Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization, and Ultrastructural Findings.

Herein, we report a rare case of pleural epithelioid malignant mesothelioma with a prominent myxoid stroma. To date, detailed morphological or molecular pathological findings have not been reported for this type of tumor. Hence, we aimed to describe the cytological, histological, immuno-cytohistological, electron-microscopic, and molecular pathological findings using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in such a case.

[A case in which endoscopic ultrasound-guided transrectal drainage was effective for pelvic abscess].

The patient, a 33-year-old female, presented to her local doctor with lower abdominal pain. She was referred to our hospital for a plain CT scan, which revealed signs of ileitis. Because acute appendicitis could not be ruled out, the patient was hospitalized.

Immunotherapy for esophageal cancer: Where are we now and where can we go.

Immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy has dramatically improved patient prognosis, and thereby transformed the treatment in various cancer types including esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in the past decade. Monoclonal antibodies that selectively inhibit programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) activity has now become standard of care in the treatment of ESCC in metastatic settings, and has a high expectation to provide clinical benefit during perioperative period. Further, anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) monoclonal antibody has also been approved in the treatment of recurrent/metastatic ESCC in combination with anti-PD-1 antibody.

Novel approach for detecting classical swine fever virus from swabs of wild boar cut tails using nested real-time PCR.

We devised a method to detect the classical swine fever virus (CSFV) in tail-wiped swabs from wild boars. The CSFV gene in swabs was detected with high sensitivity using nested real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which is a combination of reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) and real-time PCR. We compared CSFV gene detection from boar tissue using the conventional and our tail-wiped swab method.

Guidelines for Pathologic Diagnosis of Mesothelioma: 2023 Update of the Consensus Statement From the International Mesothelioma Interest Group.

Context.—: Mesothelioma is an uncommon tumor that can be difficult to diagnose.

Objective.

Thoracoscopic McKeown esophagectomy in a patient with an azygos lobe.

Background: The azygos lobe is a relatively rare anatomical variation, and there have been no reports, until date, of thoracoscopic McKeown esophagectomy for esophageal cancer in a patient with an azygos lobe. The azygos lobe can be diagnosed by chest X-ray or CT, and is usually not associated with any symptoms. However, surgeons should be aware that transthoracic surgical procedures in patients with an azygos lobe could be associated with a high risk of complications.

Double balloon enteroscopy in the detection and removal of jejunal anisakiasis: Case report.

A 53-year-old Japanese man presented to the emergency department with epigastric pain and bloating. Computed tomography revealed a thickening of the jejunal wall and proximal dilation. Double-balloon enteroscopy was performed to investigate the jejunal thickening, which revealed an anisakis larva in the jejunum with an associated ulcer.

Detailed clinical course of a patient with rapidly progressing sarcomatoid pleural mesothelioma without p16 deletion with systemic haematogenous metastasis to soft tissues.

Sarcomatoid mesothelioma is difficult to differentiate from other mesotheliomas. Here, we describe the case of a man in his early 80s with sarcomatoid mesothelioma and a history of asbestos exposure. He initially presented with right-sided chest pain and was examined.

Sequencing methods for HA and NA genes of avian influenza viruses from wild bird feces using Oxford Nanopore sequencing.

We developed a method to determine the sequences of hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) from RNA extracted directly from wild bird fecal samples, using Nanopore Flongle. We determined the nucleotide sequences and subtypes of HA and NA in 16 and 15 samples respectively, using Flongle. The results of HA and NA subtyping determined by the conventional method were consistent with their subtypes determined by our method, thereby the applicability of this method in the identification of HA and NA subtypes.

Detection of H5N1 High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza Viruses in Four Raptors and Two Geese in Japan in the Fall of 2022.

In the fall of 2022, high pathogenicity avian influenza viruses (HPAIVs) were detected from raptors and geese in Japan, a month earlier than in past years, indicating a shift in detection patterns. In this study, we conducted a phylogenetic analysis on H5N1 HPAIVs detected from six wild birds during the 2022/2023 season to determine their genetic origins. Our findings revealed that these HPAIVs belong to the G2 group within clade 2.

Expression of laminin332 γ2 at the invasive front is associated with tumor budding and poor prognosis in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.

Laminin332 is a glycoprotein consisting of α3/β3/γ2 chains, of which the γ2 chain (Ln-γ2) is expressed in tumor cells at the invasive front in many types of malignant tumors. We have previously reported that Ln-γ2 is associated with tumor invasion of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) in vivo and in vitro. Recently, tumor budding (TB; invasion patterns in small clusters of less than five cancer cells in the stroma at the invasive front) has been reported to be a risk factor for lymph node metastasis in cSCC.

MMP-2 Regulation of Emmprin on Tumour Cells and CD73 on Fibroblasts During Tumour-Stromal Interaction.

Background/aim: We previously found that binding between CD73 and extracellular matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) inducer (emmprin) and suppression of CD73 in both tumour cells and fibroblasts suppressed MMP-2 production when co-cultured. However, the importance of CD73 expression in either fibroblasts or cancer cells for cancer invasion remains unknown. In this study, we used siRNA to separately down-regulate CD73 in individual cells, and then performed a 3D co-culture to investigate tumour invasion.

Current status and future perspectives for the treatment of resectable locally advanced esophagogastric junction cancer: A narrative review.

Incidence rates for esophagogastric junction cancer are rising rapidly worldwide possibly due to the economic development and demographic changes. Therefore, increased attention has been paid to the prevention, diagnosis, and the treatment of esophagogastric junction cancer. Although there are discrepancies in the treatment strategy between Asian and Western countries, surgery remains the mainstay of treatment for esophagogastric junction cancer.

Long-term outcomes of a phase II study of neoadjuvant imatinib in large gastrointestinal stromal tumors of the stomach.

Background: Neoadjuvant treatment is recommended for large GISTs due to their friability and risk of extensive operations; however, studies on the indications and long-term results of this approach are lacking.

Methods: Patients with large (≥ 10 cm) gastric GISTs were enrolled from multiple centers in Korea and Japan after a pathologic confirmation of c-KIT ( +) GISTs. Imatinib (400 mg/d) was given for 6-9 months preoperatively, and R0 resection was intended.

Phosphaturic mesenchymal tumor: A chondromyxoid fibroma-like type.

Phosphaturic mesenchymal tumor (PMT) is a rare neoplasm that causes tumor-induced osteomalasia (TIO) in most affected patients, usually through the production of fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23). This tumor is often misdiagnosed due to its relative rarity and its widely varied histomorphologic spectrum. Here we describe a case of a 78-year-old woman who presented with a left middle tumor without symptoms of TIO.

Identification and characterization of the genome of a papillomavirus from skin lesions of four-toed hedgehogs (Atelerix albiventris).

The present study describes the clinical and pathological characteristics of skin lesions in two four-toed hedgehogs (Atelerix albiventris). We performed inverse PCR to identify the genome of papillomavirus (PV) in the skin lesions and subsequently sequenced the full genome of the virus, which was tentatively named Atelerix albiventris papillomavirus 1 (AalbPV1). The overall sequences of the viral genomes of both four-toed hedgehogs were identical.

Multimodal Treatment Strategies to Improve the Prognosis of Locally Advanced Thoracic Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Narrative Review.

Esophageal cancer is the seventh most common malignancy and sixth most common cause of cancer-related death globally. Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) with aortic or tracheal invasion is considered unresectable, and has an extremely poor prognosis; its standard treatment is definitive chemoradiotherapy (dCRT). In recent years, induction chemotherapy (ICT) has been reported to yield high response rates for locally advanced ESCC, and the efficacy and safety of ICT followed by conversion surgery (CS) have been investigated.

Thoracoscopic esophagectomy for stenosis of thoracic esophagus due to acute esophageal necrosis associated with alcoholic ketoacidosis.

Acute esophageal necrosis (AEN) is a rare disease characterized by the appearance of diffuse black mucosa on upper gastrointestinal endoscopy; the condition often progresses to esophageal stenosis in the chronic phase. A 70-year-old man was admitted to a neighborhood hospital with the diagnosis of alcoholic ketoacidosis and an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy performed to investigate the symptom of esophageal tightness revealed AEN. The patient developed esophageal stenosis with scarring in the chronic phase and was referred to our hospital for surgery 6 months after the diagnosis of AEN.

Usefulness of NF2 hemizygous loss detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization in diagnosing pleural mesothelioma in tissue and cytology material: A multi-institutional study.

Objectives: BAP1, CDKN2A, and NF2 are the most frequently altered genes in pleural mesotheliomas (PM). Discriminating PM from benign mesothelial proliferation (BMP) is sometimes challenging; it is well established that BAP1 loss, determined by immunohistochemistry (IHC), and CDKN2A homozygous deletion (HD), determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), are useful. However, data regarding the diagnostic utility of NF2 FISH in PM is limited.

Detection of New H5N1 High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza Viruses in Winter 2021-2022 in the Far East, Which Are Genetically Close to Those in Europe.

Many high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) cases in wild birds due to H5N1 HPAI virus (HPAIV) infection were reported in northern Japan in the winter of 2021-2022. To investigate the epidemiology of HPAIVs brought to Japan from surrounding areas, a genetic analysis of H5 HPAIVs isolated in northern Japan was performed, and the pathogenicity of the HPAIV in chickens was assessed by experimental infection. Based on the genetic analysis of the hemagglutinin gene, pathogenic viruses detected in northern Japan as well as one in Sakhalin, the eastern part of Russia, were classified into the same subgroup as viruses prevalent in Europe in the same season but distinct from those circulating in Asia in winter 2020-2021.

Early Enhancement with Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasonography Relates to the Number of Small-Diameter Neovessels in the Carotid Plaque.

Background And Purpose: Intraplaque neovessels (INVs) have been recognized as a major cause of intraplaque hemorrhage and subsequent vulnerability of the carotid plaque. However, the exact mechanisms by which INVs cause intraplaque hemorrhage remain unclear. Various sizes of INVs coexist in carotid plaques pathologically, and we hypothesized that the size of INVs would be associated with carotid plaque histology, particularly in terms of intraplaque hemorrhage.

t(1;2)-Positive Localized Tenosynovial Giant Cell Tumor With Bone Invasion.

Background: Localized tenosynovial giant cell tumor (LTGCT) is one of the most common benign soft-tissue tumors of the foot. Although pressure erosion in the adjacent bone may be seen, intraosseous invasion of LTGCT is extremely rare. Recent molecular studies have identified the presence of pathognomonic translocation involving the colony stimulating factor 1 (CSF1) gene at 1p13.