Role of dedicated port cleaning devices in laparoscopic surgery.

Background: Various techniques have been used to prevent smudge on a laparoscope when inserting through trocars; however, there has been no standardized method. The purpose of this study was to compare the performance of different cleaning techniques with or without using dedicated devices, and to evaluate the features of cleaning devices.

Methods: The smudge was created in the standard 12-mm and 5-mm ports using pseudo-blood, and port cleaning was attempted using 5 different methods: (1) a surgical gauze + surgical forceps, (2) a surgical gauze + laparoscopic forceps, (3) a small laparoscopic gauze + laparoscopic forceps, (4) a cylinder-type cleaner (Endo Wiper; Osaki Medical), and (5) a swab-type cleaner (Port Cleaner; Hakuzo Medical).

Three-dimensional semiquantitative evaluation of reactive emphysema in magnesium implant models.

Background: Magnesium alloys have great potentials as bioabsorbable implants, whereas the difficulty in evaluating hydrogen gas produced in the degradation process has hindered their research and development. In this study, we investigated the possibility of industrial microfocus X-ray computed tomography (micro-CT) for the precise evaluation of subcutaneous emphysematous changes in a rabbit implantation model.

Methods: Magnesium plates with/without porous venting were implanted under skin defects on the backs of rabbits.

Lipolysis-stimulated lipoprotein receptor promote lipid uptake and fatty acid oxidation in gastric cancer.

Background: Lipolysis-stimulated lipoprotein receptor (LSR), a lipid receptor, is associated with cancer progression. However, detailed effects on intracellular metabolism are unclear. We aimed to elucidate the mechanism of LSR-mediated lipid metabolism in gastric cancer.

Infection Affects the Tumor Immune Microenvironment of Esophageal Cancer Patients.

Background/aim: We herein examined T cell immunity in esophageal cancer patients with and without Helicobacter pylori infection to establish a foundation for immunotherapeutic strategies targeting esophageal cancer in the presence of H. pylori infection.

Materials And Methods: Twenty-six patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma between 2015 and 2017 were enrolled in the present study.

The impact of time to postoperative recurrence on the prognosis of patients with esophageal cancer post recurrence: exploratory analysis of OGSG 1003.

Background: The association between recurrence timing and prognosis in patients with locally advanced resectable esophageal cancer undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) followed by esophagectomy remains unclear. This study aimed to clarify this association using multicenter prospective clinical trial data.

Methods: Among 162 patients enrolled in a NAC phase II study comparing the efficacy of cisplatin and fluorouracil plus docetaxel with cisplatin and fluorouracil plus adriamycin, 64 patients with recurrence after R0 resection were included in this study.

Measuring serum and drainage fluid interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α levels for early detection of infectious complications after minimally invasive surgery for gastric cancer.

Objective: Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) are inflammatory cytokines produced in response to biological invasion or infection. Their levels are elevated in the blood and locally. We examined whether measuring IL-6 and TNF-α levels in serum or drainage fluid on postoperative day (POD) 1 could detect infectious complications after minimally invasive surgery for gastric cancer.

Pimitespib, a Novel Heat Shock Protein 90 Inhibitor, Is Effective in Treating Renal Cell Carcinoma by Anti-angiogenetic Signaling.

Background/aim: Most clear cell renal cell carcinomas (ccRCCs) have a dysfunctional von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor protein (VHL). Hypoxia-inducible factors 1 and 2 alpha (HIF1α and HIF2α) accumulate in ccRCC with dysfunctional VHL and up-regulate the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) pathway and tumor angiogenesis. Recently, pimitespib (PIM), a potent ATP-competitive inhibitor of heat shock protein 90 (HSP90), was developed.

Pancreas-left gastric artery angle predicts difficulty of suprapancreatic lymph node dissection in gastrectomy for gastric cancer: a cross-sectional study.

Purpose: Suprapancreatic lymph node dissection is one of the most challenging procedures performed in the treatment of gastric cancer. This study aimed to investigate whether the pancreas-left gastric artery angle (PLA) can be used to predict the difficulty of the procedure.

Methods: This was a single-center cross-sectional study.

A phase 3, randomized, double-blind, multicenter, placebo-controlled study of S-588410, a five-peptide cancer vaccine as an adjuvant therapy after curative resection in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: S-588410, a cancer peptide vaccine (CPV), comprises five HLA-A*24:02-restricted peptides from five cancer-testis antigens. In a phase 2 study, S-588410 was well-tolerated and exhibited antitumor efficacy in patients with urothelial cancer. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy, immune response, and safety of S-588410 in patients with completely resected esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

Nivolumab plus chemotherapy or ipilimumab versus chemotherapy in patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (CheckMate 648): 29-month follow-up from a randomized, open-label, phase III trial.

Background: First-line nivolumab plus chemotherapy and nivolumab plus ipilimumab both demonstrated significant overall survival (OS) benefit versus chemotherapy in previously untreated patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in the CheckMate 648 trial, leading to approvals of both nivolumab-containing regimens in many countries. We report longer-term follow-up data.

Methods: This open-label, phase III trial (NCT03143153) enrolled adults with previously untreated, unresectable, advanced, recurrent, or metastatic ESCC.

Use of current automatic smoke evacuation system in flexible gastrointestinal endoscopy: Its feasibility and potential usefulness.

Objectives: Flexible endoscopy does not have a system that can automatically evacuate surgical smoke generated in the gastrointestinal lumen. We aimed to investigate the feasibility and potential usefulness of automatic smoke evacuation systems in flexible endoscopy.

Methods: [Bench] After surgical smoke generated in the stomach was evacuated by the evacuator, the degree of residual smoke and gastric luminal collapse were evaluated to optimize the evacuator settings.

The role of anterior gastropexy in elderly Japanese hiatal hernia patients.

Purpose: As Japanese society ages, the number of surgeries performed in elderly patients with hiatal hernia (HH) is increasing. In this study, we examined the feasibility, safety, and potential effectiveness of the addition of anterior gastropexy to hiatoplasty with or without mesh repair and/or fundoplication in elderly Japanese HH patients.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 39 patients who underwent laparoscopic HH repair between 2010 and 2021.

Innovative device for surgical wound irrigation: a preclinical testing and pilot clinical validation study.

Introduction: Surgical site infection (SSI) poses a substantial postoperative challenge, affecting patient recovery and healthcare costs. While surgical wound irrigation is pivotal in SSI reduction, consensus on the optimal method remains elusive. We developed a novel device for surgical wound irrigation and conducted preclinical and clinical evaluations to evaluate its efficacy and safety.

Association between fibrosis around the tumor and postoperative infectious complication in patients with esophageal cancer who underwent preoperative therapy.

Background: Multidisciplinary treatment combining chemotherapy, chemo radiation therapy (CRT), and surgery has been utilized for advanced esophageal cancer. However, preoperative treatment could cause postoperative inflammation and complications. We hypothesized that fibrosis surrounding tumor tissue caused by preoperative treatment could induce postoperative systemic inflammation and influence postoperative complications.

Clinical Impact of Conversion Surgery After Induction Therapy for Esophageal Cancer with Synchronous Distant Metastasis: A Multi-institutional Retrospective Study.

Background: The standard treatment for advanced esophageal cancer with synchronous distant metastasis is systemic chemotherapy or immunotherapy. Conversion surgery is not established for esophageal cancer with synchronous distant metastasis. This study aimed to investigate the clinical impact of conversion surgery for esophageal cancer with synchronous distant metastasis after induction therapy.

A new scope warmer/cleaner for laparoscopic surgery: a disposable hot pack.

Background: Fogging and staining of a laparoscope lens negatively impact surgical visualization. We hypothesized that the disposable hot pack could not only warm but also clean laparoscopes. Hence, this study verified and developed the disposable hot pack with anti-fogging and cleaning function.

A case of Barrett's esophageal adenocarcinoma and severe scoliosis with successful salvage esophagectomy after definitive chemoradiotherapy.

Background: Severe scoliosis can cause reflux esophagitis, and is a risk factor for Barrett's adenocarcinoma of the esophagus. Severe scoliosis is associated with respiratory dysfunction, impaired operative tolerance, and anatomical difficulty in surgical manipulation, and is, therefore, considered a high surgical risk. In this report, we describe the case of a young patient with Barrett's esophageal adenocarcinoma with severe scoliosis who underwent salvage surgery after radical chemoradiotherapy.