Publications by authors named "Yuzo Kodama"
Background: Liver fibrosis is caused by chronic toxic or cholestatic liver injury. Fibrosis results from the recruitment of myeloid cells into the injured liver, the release of inflammatory and fibrogenic cytokines, and the activation of myofibroblasts, which secrete extracellular matrix, mostly collagen type I. Hepatic myofibroblasts originate from liver-resident mesenchymal cells, including HSCs and bone marrow-derived CD45+ collagen type I+ expressing fibrocytes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground/aim: Atezolizumab plus bevacizumab (AteBev) is widely used as a first-line treatment for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, evidence regarding the optimal drug sequence following AteBev treatment is limited. This study aimed to compare the treatment outcomes between tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and durvalumab plus tremelimumab (DurTre) following AteBev treatment.
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- Gastrointestinal subepithelial lesions (SELs) can be benign or malignant, and diagnosing them accurately using endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle biopsy (EUS-FNB) is challenging, especially for smaller lesions (≤ 2 cm).
- A retrospective study indicated that over 50% of patients with SELs of this size were diagnosed as gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), highlighting the necessity of using effective EUS-FNB techniques.
- This multicenter study aims to compare the effectiveness of two types of EUS-FNB needles (22G Fork-tip vs. 22G Franseen) in obtaining adequate tissue samples from SELs ≤ 2 cm, with different endpoints focusing on sample quality and procedural outcomes.
Background/aims: Visualization of palisade vessels (PVs) in Barrett's esophagus is crucial for proper assessment. This study aimed to determine whether red dichromatic imaging (RDI) improves PV visibility compared with white-light imaging (WLI) and narrow-band imaging (NBI).
Methods: Five expert and trainee endoscopists evaluated the PV visibility in Barrett's esophagus using WLI, NBI, and RDI on 66 images from 22 patients.
Background: A serum biomarker for diagnosing ulcerative colitis (UC) remains to be established. Although we recently reported an anti-integrin αvβ6 antibody (V6 Ab) for diagnosing UC with high sensitivity and specificity, no large-scale validation study exists. This study aimed to validate the diagnostic value of V6 Ab for UC using a nationwide multicenter cohort study.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe started a registry for cases of immunoglobulin (Ig)G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) in December 2019 to clarify the clinical profile of IgG4-RD. In this study, clinical information from 854 cases registered by February 16, 2024 was analyzed from multiple perspectives. Diagnosis of IgG4-RD was made in 808 cases, comprising 638 definite, 38 probable, and 132 possible.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA 61-year-old woman who had been taking olmesartan for 7 years complained of epigastric pain, diarrhea, loss of appetite, and weight loss. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy revealed roughened mucosa and erosions in the stomach and duodenum. An endoscopic biopsy failed to identify the cause of the mucosal disorder.
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- The study aimed to validate anti-integrin αvβ6 autoantibodies as a diagnostic biomarker for primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) using a new ELISA Kit across multiple hospitals.
- The research involved 81 PSC patients and 358 controls, finding a strong correlation between two testing methods and demonstrating high sensitivity (82.7%) and specificity (94.4%) for diagnosing PSC.
- The presence of these autoantibodies was particularly pronounced in PSC patients without inflammatory bowel disease, highlighting their potential as a reliable biomarker for PSC.
Article Synopsis
- This study examines how pancreatic duct (PD) disruptions linked to pancreatic cancer are treated and their impact on prognosis.
- It analyzed 15 patients over 12 years, all successfully treated with endoscopic interventions like stenting and drainage, achieving both technical and clinical success without complications.
- The findings indicate that patients with PD disruption have similar survival rates to those without disruption when treated with surgery or chemotherapy, with median survival times of 74 months for resected cases and 9.6 months for non-resected cases.
Article Synopsis
- After esophagectomy, patients often experience anastomotic strictures that complicate food passage and increase the risk of aspiration pneumonia, potentially affecting quality of life and nutrition.
- A study of 188 patients who underwent minimally invasive esophagectomy identified that 23% developed strictures, with a significantly higher occurrence among those who had neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
- Early intervention—specifically within 69 days post-surgery—was found to be a crucial risk factor for requiring more than five balloon dilatations to treat strictures, indicating a need for careful treatment planning.
Article Synopsis
- Focal pancreatic parenchymal atrophy (FPPA) and upstream pancreatic atrophy (UPA) may signal early pancreatic cancer, complicating surgery decisions due to tumor spread alongside the main pancreatic duct.
- A study involving 32 patients revealed that those with FPPA or UPA had significantly longer cancer extensions compared to patients without atrophy, emphasizing the importance of preoperative imaging.
- The findings suggest that identifying FPPA and UPA can help predict cancer spread and guide more effective surgical resection strategies in early pancreatic cancer cases.
Human pancreatic cancer is characterized by the molecular diversity encompassing native duct-like and squamous cell-like identities, but mechanisms underlying squamous transdifferentiation have remained elusive. To comprehensively capture the molecular diversity of human pancreatic cancer, we here profiled 65 patient-derived pancreatic cancer organoid lines, including six adenosquamous carcinoma lines. H3K27me3-mediated erasure of the ductal lineage specifiers and hijacking of the TP63-driven squamous-cell programme drove squamous-cell commitment, providing survival benefit in a Wnt-deficient environment and hypoxic conditions.
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- - The study develops a risk-scoring system to identify patients who may need additional hospital-specific care (HIC) after undergoing a procedure called peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) for esophageal issues.
- - It analyzed data from 589 patients over eight years, finding that 8.5% experienced HIC, with four key factors included in the scoring: age, nutritional status, surgical site complications, and pneumonia.
- - The scoring system showed strong predictive ability and is useful for optimizing patient discharge decisions post-surgery.
Pancreatic cancer is one of the most refractory malignancies. In situ vaccines (ISV), in which intratumorally injected immunostimulatory adjuvants activate innate immunity at the tumor site, utilize tumor-derived patient-specific antigens, thereby allowing for the development of vaccines in patients themselves. Near-infrared photoimmunotherapy (NIR-PIT) is a novel therapy that selectively kills cancer cells exclusively in the NIR-irradiated region.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Repeat endoscopic submucosal dissection for metachronous recurrence of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma close to previous endoscopic submucosal dissection scars is challenging. Therefore, this study evaluated the efficacy and safety of repeat endoscopic submucosal dissection for recurrent esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
Methods: The study included 1680 patients.
A 71-year-old woman diagnosed with unresectable locally advanced pancreatic cancer was initially treated with gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel as first-line therapy. The tumor exhibited no significant progression; however, after 12 cycles, the patient developed drug-induced interstitial pneumonia, leading to the discontinuation of gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel therapy. Following recovery from pneumonia, S-1 therapy was initiated as second-line treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground/aim: Sorafenib and lenvatinib have long been used as a first-line treatment for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Along with the development of systemic chemotherapy for HCC, the concept of conversion hepatectomy has recently become widespread. The present study aimed to assess the clinical outcomes of sorafenib and lenvatinib for HCC regarding the possibility of conversion hepatectomy in clinical practice.
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- A study evaluated the safety and effectiveness of same-day sodium picosulfate plus magnesium citrate (SP + MC) bowel preparation for colonoscopy in 145 Japanese patients, as Japan currently only approves day-before and split-dose methods.
- Out of 137 patients who had colonoscopies, 97.1% achieved adequate bowel cleansing, with a high mean Boston Bowel Preparation Score, and only five patients experienced minor adverse events.
- The majority of patients were satisfied with the same-day preparation method, with 99.2% expressing a preference for its use in future colonoscopies, indicating it’s a safe and effective option.
Article Synopsis
- The use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has led to increased incidents of ICI-induced liver injury, making it a significant concern for healthcare providers. !* -
- Severe liver injuries often require corticosteroid treatment, necessitating thorough evaluations including clinical assessments, blood tests, imaging, and sometimes liver biopsies for accurate diagnosis. !* -
- Distinguishing between types of liver injury, such as acute hepatitis-like effects and cholangitis, is crucial for effective treatment, with non-hepatocellular injuries often responding poorly to corticosteroids, highlighting the need for interdisciplinary cooperation in diagnosis and management. !*