Delta-like 1 homolog (DLK1) as a possible therapeutic target and its application to radioimmunotherapy using I-labelled anti-DLK1 antibody in lung cancer models (HOT1801 and FIGHT004).

Objectives: Delta-like 1 homolog (DLK1) is a non-canonical Notch ligand known to be expressed in several cancers but whose role in lung cancer is not yet fully understood. We sought to confirm DLK1 expression in small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) and non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and to examine DLK1's clinical significance. Furthermore, we examined the possible utility of DLK1 as a novel target in radioimmunotherapy (RIT).

Factors associated with hepatocellular carcinoma occurrence after HCV eradication in patients without cirrhosis or with compensated cirrhosis.

The present study aimed to investigate the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and factors related to HCC occurrence after direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatment in the Fukushima Liver Academic Group (FLAG). We conducted a multicenter retrospective cohort study of 1068 patients without cirrhosis (NC) or with compensated liver cirrhosis (LC) who achieved a sustained virologic response (SVR). First, we compared the cumulative HCC incidence and survival rates in NC (n = 880) and LC (n = 188) patients without a history of HCC treatment.

Effects of sleep quality on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a cross-sectional survey.

Background: The effects of sleep quality on the risk of developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) remain uncertain. The purpose of this study was to clarify the association between sleep quality and NAFLD.

Methods: The data of 4828 participants who underwent health check-ups at four hospitals were analysed.

Detection of somatic mutation in surgically resected small-cell lung cancer by targeted exome sequencing: association with longer relapse-free survival.

Objectives: Few reports have explored clinical biomarkers, including those identified by targeted exome sequencing (TES) of surgically resected small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) and correlation with patient survival.

Patients And Methods: We collected formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor samples from 127 patients with SCLC who had undergone surgery and analysed nonsynonymous somatic gene mutation profiles by TES of 26 cancer-related genes using next-generation sequencing (NGS) and web databases (UMIN Registration No. 000010117).

The first case report of polymerase proofreading-associated polyposis in POLD1 variant, c.1433G>A p.S478N, in Japan.

Polymerase proofreading-associated polyposis, caused by germline variants in the exonuclease domains of POLD1 and POLE, is a dominantly inherited rare condition characterized by oligo-adenomatous polyposis and increased risk of colorectal cancer, endometrial cancer and brain tumours. We report the first Japanese case of polymerase proofreading-associated polyposis carrying a POLD1 variant. The proband was a Japanese woman who had undergone resections of early colorectal carcinomas repeatedly and a hysterectomy with bilateral oophorectomy for endometrial cancer, all of which were diagnosed within 2 years after the first colectomy at 49 year old.

Generalized peritonitis secondary to spontaneously perforated pyometra in elderly women:two cases with different clinical courses and surgical approaches and review of the literature.

We describe two cases of spontaneously perforated pyometra (SPP) in elderly women treated with two different surgical approaches. An 88-year-old woman underwent emergency laparotomy for presumed diagnosis of gastrointestinal (GI) tract perforation. During surgery, SPP and a tumor of the sigmoid colon were identified.

[Corticospinal Tract Mapping by Calculating the Ratio of Subcortical to Cortical Stimulation Intensity:A Technical Note].

Objective: Motor evoked potentials(MEPs)have been developed and utilized as safe surgical procedures. A correlation between the threshold intensity of direct stimulation MEPs and the distance of the corticospinal tract(CST)has been already established. However, MEPs are affected by anesthesia and patient-related conditions.

Predictive value of serum amyloid a levels for requirement of concomitant methotrexate in tocilizumab initiation: A analysis of the SURPRISE study.

To identify predictive factors for remission by tocilizumab monotherapy in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. This is a analysis of the SURPRISE study, a 2-year randomized, controlled study comparing the efficacy of tocilizumab with (ADD-ON) and without methotrexate (SWITCH). The primary endpoint was DAS28-ESR remission (<2.

An Unusual Presentation of Ovarian Fibroma Originating from an Autoamputated Ovary.

We describe an extremely rare case of an unusually presented ovarian fibroma adherent to the sigmoid colon originating from an autoamputated ovary. A 64-year-old woman was referred to our hospital with an abnormal shadow that was approximately 4 cm in diameter in the pelvic cavity detected on abdominal X-ray imaging. Computed tomography demonstrated an irregularly shaped tumor with calcification in the pelvic cavity.

Apolipoprotein B correlates with intra-plaque necrotic core volume in stable coronary artery disease.

Objective: To determine the relationship between plaque composition and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), apolipoprotein B (Apo-B), and Apo-A1 using virtual-histology intravascular ultrasound (VH-IVUS).

Methods: We assessed plaque composition in patients with stable coronary artery disease (SCD) admitted to our hospital for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) between November 1, 2012, and March 10, 2015. Before PCI, fibrous (FI), fibrofatty (FF), necrotic core (NC), and dense calcium (DC) regions were evaluated using VH-IVUS, and the contributions of each to the culprit lesion volume were recorded.

Validation of the fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index in the diagnosis of liver disease of rheumatoid arthritis patients treated with methotrexate.

To validate the usefulness of a hepatic fibrosis scoring system fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index to diagnose liver diseases in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients treated with methotrexate (MTX). The FIB-4 index (age(years) × AST(U/L)/platelet (PLT) (10/L) × √ALT(U/L)), proposed as a predictor for liver fibrosis in HIV/HCV coinfection, was evaluated in this study. RA patients on MTX treatment were screened by FIB-4 index values to detect fibrotic change in the liver.

A Novel Intraoperative Laser Light Imaging System to Simultaneously Visualize Visible Light and Near-Infrared Fluorescence for Indocyanine Green Videoangiography.

Background: Intraoperative indocyanine green videoangiography (ICG-VA) has been reported to be utilized in various cerebrovascular surgeries, wherein the blood flow is noticeably shown in white with a black background. ICG flow alone, but not other structures, can be observed using ICG-VA. We developed a novel high-resolution intraoperative imaging system using laser light source for simultaneously visualizing both visible light and near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence images of ICG-VA.

Intraoperative Fluorescence Cerebral Angiography by Laser Surgical Microscopy: Comparison With Xenon Microscopy and Simultaneous Observation of Cerebral Blood Flow and Surrounding Structures.

Background: Laser surgical microscopes should enable uniform illumination of the operative field, and require less luminous energy compared with existing xenon surgical microscopes.

Objective: To examine the utility of laser illumination in fluorescence cerebral angiography.

Methods: Fluorescein sodium (fluorescein) was used as a fluorescent dye.

Tocilizumab discontinuation after attaining remission in patients with rheumatoid arthritis who were treated with tocilizumab alone or in combination with methotrexate: results from a prospective randomised controlled study (the second year of the SURPRISE study).

Objective: To evaluate the sustained remission and low disease activity after discontinuation of tocilizumab in patients with rheumatoid arthritis who were treated with tocilizumab alone or in combination with methotrexate.

Methods: The SURPRISE study was a 2-year, open-label randomised controlled study. Among patients who had been randomised to additional tocilizumab (ADD-ON) or switch to tocilizumab (SWITCH) in the first year, those who achieved remission based on the disease activity score for 28 joints (DAS28-ESR<2.

Uterine rupture at 33rd week of gestation after laparoscopic myomectomy with signs of fetal distress. A case report and review of literature.

Objective: We describe a case of uterine rupture (UR) during pregnancy after laparoscopic myomectomy (LM) and discuss the risk factors of UR.

Case Report: A 37-year-old woman with multiple myomas underwent laparoscopic myomectomy. Subserosal and intramural myomas were enucleated, and the myometrial wounds were repaired with single-layer suturing.

Surgical outcomes of total laparoscopic hysterectomy with 2-dimensional versus 3-dimensional laparoscopic surgical systems.

Three-dimensional (3D) laparoscopic surgical systems have been developed to account for the lack of depth perception, a known disadvantage of conventional 2-dimensional (2D) laparoscopy. In this study, we retrospectively compared the outcomes of total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH) with 3D versus conventional 2D laparoscopy. From November 2014, when we began using a 3D laparoscopic system at our hospital, to December 2015, 47 TLH procedures were performed using a 3D laparoscopic system (3D-TLH).

Utility and safety of a novel surgical microscope laser light source.

Objective: Tissue injuries caused by the thermal effects of xenon light microscopes have previously been reported. Due to this, the development of a safe microscope light source became a necessity. A newly developed laser light source is evaluated regarding its effectiveness and safety as an alternative to conventional xenon light source.

A Case of Paraneoplastic Limbic Encephalitis in a Patient with Invasive Thymoma with Anti-Glutamate Receptor Antibody-Positive Cerebrospinal Fluid: A Case Report.

Background: Thymoma is known to cause autoimmune neuromuscular disease. However, anti-glutamate receptor antibody limbic encephalitis (LE) with thymoma is relatively rare.

Case Presentation: A 68-year-old woman was admitted with progressive memory impairment and personality change.

Long-term recurrence-free survival of a patient with advanced pure primary ovarian squamous cell carcinoma treated with dose-dense paclitaxel combined with carboplatin.

We describe an extremely rare case of advanced pure primary ovarian squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), treated by adjuvant chemotherapy with dose-dense paclitaxel combined with carboplatin (dd-TC) plus the combination chemotherapy with irinotecan and cisplatin (CPT-P), with long-term recurrence-free survival. A 71-year-old woman complaining of lower abdominal pain was referred to our hospital and a 7-cm-diameter solid tumor was identified. She was diagnosed with a left ovarian tumor that was highly suspicious for malignancy based on ultrasonography, magnetic resonance imaging, and contrast-enhanced computed tomography.

Efficacy and tolerability of nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel in combination with carboplatin as a late-phase chemotherapy for recurrent and advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: A multi-center study of the Fukushima lung cancer association group of surgeons.

The present retrospective multi-center study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and feasibility of nanoparticle albumin-bound (nab)-paclitaxel plus carboplatin as a second or late-phase chemotherapy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A total of 25 patients with recurrent or advanced NSCLC who had received previous chemotherapy were treated with nab-paclitaxel (70-100 mg/m, intravenously) on days 1, 8 and 15 every 28 days with a carboplatin area under the concentration-time curve of 4-6 on day 1. The overall response rate, disease control rate, progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) and toxicities were statistically evaluated.

Expression of Notch1 and Numb in small cell lung cancer.

Notch signaling in tumorigenesis functions as an oncogene or tumor suppressor according to the type of malignancy. Numb represses intracellular Notch signaling. Previous studies have demonstrated that Notch signaling suppresses the proliferation of small cell lung cancer (SCLC) cell lines.

Immunohistochemical profiling of receptor tyrosine kinases, MED12, and TGF-βRII of surgically resected small cell lung cancer, and the potential of c-kit as a prognostic marker.

The limited number of available treatments for patients with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) has prompted us to further investigate the biology of SCLC by molecular profiling. We collected formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor samples from 127 patients with SCLC, who had undergone surgery at 16 institutions between January 2003 and January 2013, and analyzed the association between disease-specific survival and protein expression of c-kit, c-Met, epidermal growth factor receptor, human EGFR-related 2, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor II, anaplastic lymphoma kinase, mediator complex subunit 12 (MED12), and transforming growth factor beta receptor II (TGF-βRII) by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Of the 125 evaluable samples, all tumors expressed MED12, and 123 samples (98.