Adding a Wider Range and "Hope for the Best, and Prepare for the Worst" Statement: Preferences of Patients with Cancer for Prognostic Communication.

Introduction: Although various phrases to communicate prognoses based on a certain concept have been proposed, no study has systematically investigated preferences of patients with cancer for actual phrases. We investigated whether phrases with a wider range and additional "hope for the best, and prepare for the worst" (hope/prepare) statement would be more preferable and explored variables associated with patients' preferences.

Materials And Methods: In a cross-sectional survey, 412 outpatients with cancer self-assessed their preferences for 13 phrases conveying prognostic information (e.

Risk of lymph node metastasis in undifferentiated-type mucosal gastric carcinoma.

Background: Endoscopic resection (ER) has come to be recognized as a standard treatment for early gastric cancer (EGC). While its adoption is expanding, ER remains restricted to cases of EGC without lymph node metastasis for the treatment of local resection. On the other hand, histopathological analyses of surgically resected specimens of EGC have revealed the presence of lymph node (LN) metastasis in some cases of mucosal gastric cancer (MGC) and undifferentiated MGC (UD-MGC) is considered to have higher risk of nodal metastases than differentiated MGC (D-MGC).

Endoscopic screening using esophageal iodine staining and genotypes of ADH1B and ALDH2 in Japanese alcohol-dependent women.

Background: The presence of large or multiple esophageal distinct iodine-unstained lesions (DIULs) is a strong predictor of field cancerization in the upper aerodigestive tract. Several risk factors for DIULs, including genetic polymorphisms of alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenases (ADH1B, rs1229984; ALDH2, rs671), have been demonstrated in Japanese alcohol-dependent men. However, few evaluations of alcohol-dependent women have been conducted in this field.

Objective Ocular Discomfort: Noninvasive Evaluation by Functional Near-Infrared Ray Spectroscopy.

Purpose: Patients express their discomfort by subjective complaints, which may not clearly express the extent of their discomfort. This study noninvasively and objectively quantified ocular discomfort, a form of feeling, from the prefrontal cortex by functional near-infrared ray spectroscopy topography.

Methods: This case-controlled study enrolled six dry eye patients (male:female, 1:1; 51.

Renal Cell Carcinoma in a Horseshoe Kidney Treated with Laparoscopic Partial Nephrectomy.

Introduction: Horseshoe kidney is one of the most common congenital renal fusion anomalies. Due to its poor mobility and abnormal vasculature form, surgeons should pay close attention to all anatomical variations.

Case Presentation: An 83-year-old woman was referred to our hospital because of left renal tumor in a horseshoe kidney incidentally found by her previous hospital.

Presence of columnar-lined esophagus is negatively associated with the presence of esophageal varices in Japanese alcoholic men.

Aim: To determine whether the presence of columnar-lined esophagus (CLE) is associated with the presence of esophageal varices (EVs) in male Japanese alcoholics.

Methods: The subjects were 1614 Japanese alcohol-dependent men (≥ 40 years of age) who had undergone upper gastrointestinal endoscopic screening. Digitalized records of high-quality endoscopic images that included the squamocolumnar junction and esophagogastric junction were retrospectively jointly reviewed by four expert endoscopists for the purpose of diagnosing CLE.

A rare case of bilateral vagus nerve schwanomatosis.

Schwanomatosis is the third most common form of neurofibromatosis. Schwanomatosis affecting the vagus nerve is particularly rare. In this report, we describe an extremely rare case bilateral vagus nerve schwanomatosis in a 45-year-old male patient.

Characteristics of patients with increasing COPD assessment test scores within 3 years.

Background: The chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) Assessment Test (CAT) is a subjective measure of quality of life. The aim of this study was to examine the characteristics of COPD patients with increasing CAT scores within 3 years.

Methods: Keio University and its affiliate hospitals conducted an observational COPD cohort study over 3 years.

hsa-miR-346 is a potential serum biomarker of Mycobacterium avium complex pulmonary disease activity.

MicroRNA (miRNA) has been recently recognized as a biomarker of various diseases; however, there are no known miRNAs associated with Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) pulmonary disease. In addition, there are no known biomarkers to precisely reflect disease activity after the diagnosis of MAC pulmonary disease. Thus, we sought to identify a miRNA which is a candidate biomarker of MAC pulmonary disease activity.

Extraskeletal Chondroma of the Index Finger: A Case Report.

Extraskeletal chondroma is defined as a rare, benign, cartilaginous tumor arising from soft tissues such as tendons, tendon sheath synovia, and joint capsules with no continuity to the periosteum or bone cortex. In histopathologic findings, the tumor exhibits many lobular structures and some parts similar to hyaline cartilage. Therefore, it is sometimes difficult to differentiate this tumor from low-grade chondrosarcoma because of their similar histopathologic findings.

Endoscopic findings of laryngopharyngeal and esophageal involvement in autoimmune bullous disease.

Background And Aim: Autoimmune bullous disease (ABD) is induced by autoantibodies against cell adhesion molecules, and blistering may occur on the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose, mouth, oral cavity, laryngopharynx, and esophagus. Endoscopic prevalence and features of ABD-associated esophageal lesions are not well known. We conducted the present study to assess the endoscopic prevalence of ABD-associated mucosal lesions.

The Noninvasive Treatment for Sentinel Lymph Node Metastasis by Photodynamic Therapy Using Phospholipid Polymer as a Nanotransporter of Verteporfin.

. The usefulness of photodynamic therapy (PDT) for treating sentinel lymph node (SLN) metastasis was evaluated. .

Alcohol abstinence and risk assessment for second esophageal cancer in Japanese men after mucosectomy for early esophageal cancer.

Background: Alcohol consumption combined with inactive aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 (ALDH2) and the presence of multiple esophageal Lugol-voiding lesions (LVLs; dysplasia) are strong predictors for multiple development of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in East Asians. We invented a health risk appraisal (HRA) model for predicting the risk of ESCC based on drinking, smoking, dietary habits, and alcohol flushing, i.e.

Predictors of Delirium in Corticosteroid-Treated Patients with Advanced Cancer: An Exploratory, Multicenter, Prospective, Observational Study.

Background: Corticosteroids are often used to treat fatigue and anorexia, but occasionally produce delirium. Information on the predictors of delirium in corticosteroid-treated cancer patients remains limited.

Objective: To identify potential factors predicting the development of delirium in corticosteroid-treated cancer patients.

C-reactive protein, symptoms and activity of daily living in patients with advanced cancer receiving palliative care.

Background: The association between C-reactive protein (CRP) level, symptoms, and activities of daily living (ADL) in advanced cancer patients is unclear.

Methods: Secondary data analysis of a multicenter prospective cohort study consisted of 2426 advanced cancer patients referred to palliative care settings was conducted to examine the cross-sectional relationships between CRP level, symptoms, and ADL disabilities. Laboratory data, symptoms, ADL, and manual muscle testing (MMT) results were obtained at baseline.