The Usefulness of Mandibular Anglectomy in Patients With Masticatory Muscle Tendon-Aponeurosis Hyperplasia: A Preliminary Single-Center Survey.

Objective Masticatory muscle tendon-aponeurosis hyperplasia (MMTAH) is a recently identified condition characterized by restricted mouth opening due to hyperplasia of the temporalis muscle tendon and masseter muscle aponeurosis. This study examines the treatment and clinical course of patients with MMTAH who underwent surgery at our hospital. Subjects and methods The study included 14 patients (four males and 10 females; mean age: 33.

Rapidly Expanding Fusiform Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm without Stenotic Lesion Caused by Fibromuscular Dysplasia: A Rare Case.

Fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) is an arterial disease characterized by fibrous arterial wall thickening and irregular proliferation and degeneration of smooth muscle cells in muscular arteries. Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) are rare, with only a few reported cases. A characteristic feature of AAA is an aneurysm protruding forward near the terminal aorta with stenosis.

Risk factors for early liver recurrence after pancreatic cancer resection.

Background: Liver recurrence after resection is one of the most common types of recurrence and is a risk factor for poor prognosis. The aim of this study was to identify risk factors for initial liver recurrence.

Methods: Total of 109 patients with resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma who underwent resection between 2015 and 2022 were included.

BMP3b regulates bone mass by inhibiting BMP signaling.

Bone morphogenetic protein 3b (BMP3b), also known as growth differentiation factor 10 (GDF10), is a non-osteogenic BMP highly expressed in the skeleton. Although in vitro studies have shown that BMP3b suppresses osteoblast differentiation, the physiological role of BMP3b in regulating bone mass in vivo remains unknown. Here, we show that BMP3b deletion in mice leads to a high bone mass phenotype via an unexpected novel mechanism involving de-repression of canonical BMP/Smad signaling.

A case of successful conversion surgery for unresectable gallbladder cancer treated with durvalumab in combination with gemcitabine plus cisplatin.

We report a rare case of a patient with initially unresectable gallbladder cancer who underwent conversion surgery with durvalumab in combination with gemcitabine plus cisplatin and achieved an R0 resection. A 68 year-old woman was found to have gallbladder cancer and multiple enlarged lymph nodes around the suprapancreatic rim and hepatic hilum invading the proper hepatic artery on computed tomography. The diagnosis was cT3cN2cM0, cStage IVB.

A case of MSI-high pancreatic body-tail cancer successfully treated with radical resection after pembrolizumab.

A 72-year-old woman was diagnosed with unresectable pancreatic body-tail cancer (cT4N1M1, cStage IV) with para-aortic lymph node metastasis. She underwent six courses of gemcitabine + nab-paclitaxel as first-line chemotherapy, 12 courses of oxaliplatin + irinotecan + levofolinate + fluorouracil as second-line chemotherapy, and five courses of albumin-suspended irinotecan + levofolinate + fluorouracil as third-line chemotherapy. After each chemotherapy regimen, the disease was determined to be progressive.

Application of Ultrasonic Bone Scalpel in Surgery for Masticatory Muscle Tendon-Aponeurosis Hyperplasia.

Masticatory muscle tendon-aponeurosis hyperplasia (MMTAH) is a disease that presents as a hard trismus due to hyperplasia of the masseter and temporalis aponeurosis. Standard surgical methods for MMTAH include masseter resection, temporalis aponeurosis, and coronoidectomy. The operation of resecting the tendon aponeurosis attached to the posterior surface of the coronoid process carries the risk of bleeding and nerve damage because it cannot be observed directly.

Generation of citric acid-hyperproducers independent of methanol effect by high-level expression of cexA encoding citrate exporter in Aspergillus tubingensis.

Methanol reportedly stimulates citric acid (CA) production by Aspergillus niger and A. tubingensis; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we elucidated the molecular functions of the citrate exporter gene cexA in relation to CA production by A.

Evaluating GPT-4V's performance in the Japanese national dental examination: A challenge explored.

Background/purpose: Rapid advancements in AI technology have led to significant interest in its application across various fields, including medicine and dentistry. This study aimed to assess the capabilities of ChatGPT-4V with image recognition in answering image-based questions from the Japanese National Dental Examination (JNDE) to explore its potential as an educational support tool for dental students.

Materials And Methods: The dataset used questions from the JNDE, which was conducted in January 2023, with a focus on image-related queries.

A case of BRCA1-mutated giant pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma successfully treated with modified FOLFIRINOX therapy and radical resection.

Pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma (PACC) is a rare type of pancreatic cancer; further, its pathogenesis and treatment strategies remain unclear. We report the case of a 70-year-old man who presented with a chief complaint of abdominal distention. Computed tomography scans revealed a large lobulated mass (tumor diameter: 150 mm) in the pancreatic body tail, which was diagnosed as a PACC through endoscopic ultrasonography fine needle aspiration.

Thoracoscopic enucleation of an esophageal glomus tumor in the prone position: a case report and literature review.

Background: Glomus tumors (GT) generally occur in the skin. However, esophageal GT, an extremely rare condition, has no established standardized treatment guidelines. Herein, we report the case of an esophageal GT successfully removed by thoracoscopic enucleation in the prone position using intra-esophageal balloon compression.

Giant retroperitoneal myolipoma mimicking liposarcoma: report of a resected case and review of the literature.

Myolipomas are rare tumors that are often difficult to differentiate from liposarcoma. Herein, we report a case of resected giant myolipoma preoperatively diagnosed as liposarcoma. A 63-year-old woman was suspected of having a large retroperitoneal liposarcoma on October 202X.

Novel choledochojejunostomy technique "T-shaped anastomosis" for preventing the development of postoperative cholangitis in pancreatoduodenectomy: A propensity score matching analysis.

Background: There have been few studies of countermeasures against postoperative cholangitis, a serious complication after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) that impairs quality of life.

Objective: To evaluate our recently developed, novel method of choledochojejunostomy with a larger anastomotic diameter, the "T-shaped anastomosis."

Methods: The study included 261 cases of PD.

Evaluating staging laparoscopy indications for pancreatic cancer based on resectability classification and treatment strategies for patients with positive peritoneal washing cytology.

Introduction: The prognosis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) in patients with positive peritoneal washing cytology (CY1) is poor. We aimed to evaluate the results of staging laparoscopy (SL) and treatment efficacy in CY1 patients based on a resectability classification.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 250 patients with PDAC who underwent SL before the initial treatment between 2017 and 2023 at the University of Toyama.

Fabrication of a Three-Dimensional Spheroid Culture System for Oral Squamous Cell Carcinomas Using a Microfabricated Device.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are considered to be responsible for recurrence, metastasis, and resistance to treatment in many types of cancers; therefore, new treatment strategies targeting CSCs are attracting attention. In this study, we fabricated a polyethylene glycol-tagged microwell device that enabled spheroid formation from human oral squamous carcinoma cells. HSC-3 and Ca9-22 cells cultured in the microwell device aggregated and generated a single spheroid per well within 24-48 h.

Horseshoe osteotomy maintains the nasal cavity and function after superior repositioning.

The aim of this prospective cohort study was to compare changes in nasal cavity and function between Le Fort I with and without horseshoe osteotomy after superior repositioning of the maxilla. The patients were divided into 2 groups, a Le Fort I alone (LF alone) group and a combination Le Fort I and horseshoe osteotomy (HS) group. The nasal cavity volume was measured using 3-dimensional computed tomographic images, and nasal resistance was assessed by anterior active mask rhinomanometry.

Efficacy of staging laparoscopy for resectable pancreatic cancer on imaging and the therapeutic effect of systemic chemotherapy for positive peritoneal cytology.

Background: The frequency and prognosis of positive peritoneal washing cytology (CY1) in resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (R-PDAC) remains unclear. The objective of this study was to identify the clinical implications of CY1 in R-PDAC and staging laparoscopy (SL).

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 115 consecutive patients with R-PDAC who underwent SL between 2018 and 2022.

Specific and sensitive loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method for Madurella strains, eumycetoma filamentous fungi causative agent.

Background: Filamentous fungi of the genus Madurella are the primary causative agents of mycetoma, a disease observed in tropical and subtropical regions. Since early diagnostics based on a morphological approach are difficult and have many shortcomings, a molecular diagnostic method suitable for rural settings is required. In this study, we developed the loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method to present a foundational technique of the diagnosis of Madurella spp.

Laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy for pancreatic tail cancer in a 100-year-old patient.

We present the case of a 100-year-old man with no specific symptoms. Computed tomography (CT) revealed a 34 mm tumor in the pancreatic tail, which was diagnosed as pancreatic cancer by biopsy. CT and magnetic resonance imaging showed that the tumor was resectable, and there were no noncurative factors on staging laparoscopy (cT3N0M0: cStage IIA).