Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on short-term postoperative outcomes for colorectal perforation: A nationwide study in Japan based on the National Clinical Database.

Aim: Possible negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on short-term postoperative outcomes for colorectal perforation in Japan were examined in this study.

Methods: The National Clinical Database (NCD) is a large-scale database including more than 95% of surgical cases in Japan. We analyzed 13 107 cases of colorectal perforation from 2019 to 2021.

The management and outcome of pediatric blunt chest-abdominal injuries.

Background: The aim of this study was to determine the frequency and nature of pediatric blunt chest-abdominal injuries (BCAIs) and to summarize their management, ranging from non-operative management (NOM), with or without angioembolization (AE), to surgical treatment.

Methods: This retrospective study included patients admitted to our hospital for BCAIs from January 1996 to December 2017. The age, injury pattern, organs of injury, outcome, and treatment were summarized.

Simulation-based training for determination of brain death by pediatric healthcare providers.

Background: Low competency for determination of brain death (BD) and unfamiliarity with Japanese BD (JBD) criteria among pediatricians were highlighted in previous nationwide studies. Because the JBD criteria were amended in 2010 to allow organ donation from pediatric brain-dead donors, we created a 2-day training course to assess knowledge and improve skill in the determination and diagnosis of pediatric BD.

Methods: The course consisted of two modules: a multistation round session and a group discussion session, and was bookended by a before and after 20-question test.

Thoracic lymphangiomatosis with massive chylothorax after a tumor biopsy and with disseminated intravenous coagulation--lymphoscintigraphy, an alternative minimally invasive imaging technique: report of a case.

Thoracic lymphangiomatosis in childhood is a rare disorder that frequently has poor response to medical therapy as well as a poor prognosis. This disease is often misdiagnosed, and a definitive diagnosis is usually delayed because of the rarity and slow course of the disease. No previous reports have so far described the usefulness of lymphoscintigraphy in the diagnosis of lymphangiomatosis, although some authors have reported the efficacy of lymphoscintigraphy for evaluating chylothorax.

The herbal medicine daikenchuto ameliorates an impaired anorectal motor activity in postoperative pediatric patients with an anorectal malformation--a pilot study.

Fecoflowmetry (FFM) has been introduced to simulate natural anorectal evacuation. So far, few reports have described the effect of the herbal medicine Daikenchuto (DKT) on impaired anorectal motor function. The aim of this pilot study was to assess anorectal motor function by FFM in postoperatively impaired patients with an anorectal malformation (ARM) before and after administration of DKT.

Mesenchymal hamartoma of the liver accompanied by a daughter nodule: report of a case.

Mesenchymal hamartoma of the liver (MHL) is an uncommon benign tumor found primarily in children younger than 2 years of age. We report a rare case of MHL with a daughter nodule and atypical histological findings in a 14-month-old girl. On admission, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and angiography showed a solid hypovascular mass with a central cystic area in the liver.

The fungal DNA examination is useful as a sensitive parameter for the initiation and the quit of antifungal therapy in immunocompromised pediatric patients after surgery.

The purpose of this study is whether the fungal deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) examination is useful as a sensitive parameter for pediatric surgical patients with mycosis. The eleven episodes of five cases (4 cases; progressive liver disease after biliary atresia operation, 1 case; short bowel syndrome and long term total parenteral nutrition with megacystis microcolon intestinal hypoperistalsis syndrome) with mycosis were divided into two groups according to the difference of therapeutic protocols. The sensitivity of fungal DNA examination, serum Candida antigen level, plasma beta-D glucan level, and blood culture were evaluated at the onset of infection and at the quit of antifungal medication under the protocols respectively.

Effects of a high-monounsaturated fat diet on glucose and lipid metabolisms in normal and diabetic mice.

The beneficial effects of high-monounsaturated fat (high-MUFA) diets on diabetic patients have been reported, whereas studies concerning the effects on animals have been few. Although experiments on animals should be useful in elucidating underlying mechanisms, it is not clear even whether there are benefits of a high-MUFA diet in animals. This study examined the short-term effects of a high-MUFA diet on normal and genetically diabetic mice.

Efficacy of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid enriched enteral nutrient solution in relieving oxidative stress in patients with severe psychophysiologic disorders.

It is not unusual for patients with severe motor and intellectual disabilities to present with eating and swallowing disorders, and such patients often require long term enteral nutrition. These patients tend to receive all their nutrients in the form of a single nutrient solution that is administered over a long period, and there are concerns about the impact of the composition of these nutrient formulas on patient health. Therefore, it is very important that adequate care be taken when selecting a nutrient formula for patients of this type.

The elongation of distal esophageal pouch by mechanical bougienage for a year resulted in a tension-free anastomosis in a patient with long gap esophageal atresia: a case report.

Despite the numerous approaches described for the management of neonates with "long gap" esophageal atresia, controversy still exists as to the preferred method. Delayed primary anastomosis is probably the most frequently adopted practice but often the native esophagus is abandoned. We report a case of a 2.

Cryptic t(12;15)(p13;q26) producing the ETV6-NTRK3 fusion gene and no loss of IGF2 imprinting in congenital mesoblastic nephroma with trisomy 11: fluorescence in situ hybridization and IGF2 allelic expression analysis.

In the present fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) study of six congenital mesoblastic nephromas (CMNs) using ETV6 and NTRK3 probes as well as a chromosome 15 painting probe, we identified a cryptic reciprocal translocation, t(12;15)(p13;q26), in one tumor, and an insertion, ins(12;15)(p13;q22q26), in another that were not previously identified by cytogenetic analysis. An interphase FISH study with the same probes detected the ETV6-NTRK3 fusion signal in all three cellular or mixed type tumors, but not in all three classical type tumors. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis detected the ETV6-NTRK3 fusion transcript in the three cellular or mixed type tumors, but not in the three classical type tumors.