Phase II study of long-course chemoradiotherapy followed by consolidation chemotherapy as total neoadjuvant therapy in locally advanced rectal cancer in Japan: ENSEMBLE-2.

Aim: To evaluate the feasibility and safety of total neoadjuvant therapy with long-course chemoradiotherapy followed by consolidation chemotherapy in Japanese patients with locally advanced rectal cancer.

Methods: This prospective, multicenter, single-arm, phase II trial was conducted at 10 centers. The eligibility criteria included age ≥20 y, locally advanced rectal cancer within 12 cm of the anal verge, and cT3-4N0M or TanyN+M0 at diagnosis, enabling curative resection.

Role of gene expression in colorectal cancer: a comprehensive molecular profiling study.

Background: In patients with colorectal cancer (CRC), the therapeutic effects of conventional immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting the adaptive immune system are largely limited to those with microsatellite instability-high tumors. Meanwhile, new immunotherapies targeting the innate immune system are attracting increasing attention. CD47 is a representative innate immune checkpoint involved in the evasion of tumor cell phagocytosis by macrophages.

The role of external-beam radiotherapy for differentiated thyroid cancer.

The treatment options for differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) are surgery, thyroid stimulating hormone suppression, radioactive iodine, and multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors. The role of external-beam radiotherapy (EBRT) for DTC is controversial because of the lack of randomized controlled trials, but prospective single-arm studies and propensity score matching analyses have shown its efficacy and safety. This review discusses the role of EBRT after resection of gross disease, when there is a high risk of locoregional failure, as well as its role for locoregionally gross recurrent and unresectable disease.

YAP regulates HER3 signaling-driven adaptive resistance to RET inhibitors in RET-aberrant cancer.

Purpose: Rearranged during transfection (RET) aberrations represent a targetable oncogene in several tumor types, with RET inhibitors displaying marked efficacy. However, some patients with RET-aberrant cancer are insensitive to RET tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Recently, drug-tolerant mechanisms have attracted attention as targets for initial therapies to overcome drug resistance.

A Three-Year Follow-Up of a Patient With Large Vestibular Aqueduct Syndrome Who Underwent Bilateral Endolymphatic Duct Blockage Surgery.

Large vestibular aqueduct syndrome (LVAS) is a congenital malformation characterized by an abnormally large vestibular aqueduct, diagnosed primarily via CT scans. Patients with LVAS often experience progressive hearing loss and recurrent vertigo, with treatment strategies mirroring those for Meniere's disease. Traditional surgical interventions such as endolymphatic sac decompression (ESD) are common; however, the efficacy of endolymphatic duct blockage (EDB) as an alternative still remains under investigation.

A Case of Bilateral Idiopathic Temporal Cerebrospinal Fluid Leakage With Multiple Fistulas in the Middle and Posterior Cranial Fossae Closed Using the Transmastoid Approach.

Although idiopathic temporal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks are a relatively rare condition, its incidence has been increasing in the United States in recent years. Fistulas commonly occur in the middle cranial fossa (MCF), and the MCF approach is recommended for multiple or large fistulas. Here, we present a case of bilateral temporal CSF leaks and multiple fistulas.

Autophagy as a critical driver of metabolic adaptation, therapeutic resistance, and immune evasion of cancer.

Autophagy is a well-conserved intracellular degradation pathway. Besides its physiological role in normal cells, autophagy is activated in various cancer types and protects cancer cells from stresses such as nutrient deprivation, therapeutic insults, and antitumor immunity. Autophagy in cancer cells as well as normal cells in the host supports tumor metabolism, allowing for tumor growth under a nutrient-limited tumor microenvironment.

Risk factors for postoperative ileus after corrective spinal surgery: association with reduction in the retrocrural space area.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine whether a reduction in the retrocrural space (RCS) area is a risk factor for postoperative ileus (POI) in patients with adult spinal deformity (ASD) treated with spinal corrective surgery.

Methods: In total, 100 patients (mean age 67.5 ± 8.

Uptitration of Sacubitril/Valsartan and Outcomes in Patients With Heart Failure - Insight From the REVIEW-HF Registry.

Background: Guideline-directed medical therapy has become an important component of heart failure (HF) therapy, with sacubitril/valsartan as one of the recommended drugs; however, the real-world prognostic implications of sacubitril/valsartan uptitration are unclear.

Methods And Results: Patients with HF newly initiated on sacubitril/valsartan were registered in a retrospective multicenter study (REVIEW-HF). In all, 995 patients were divided into 3 groups according to the maximum dose achieved: high dose, sacubitril/valsartan 400 mg; intermediate dose, sacubitril/valsartan 200-<400 mg; and low dose, sacubitril/valsartan <200 mg.

Effectiveness of ultra-/very-high-frequency oscillations combined with helium-oxygen gas mixture in a rabbit model.

High-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) at frequencies of approximately 15 Hz is associated with optimal CO excretion. Higher frequencies using a nitrogen-oxygen gas mixture worsen CO excretion. An in vitro experiment using HFOV and a helium-oxygen gas mixture showed a significant increase in CO transport, which increased with increases in ventilation frequency.

Tasurgratinib in patients with cholangiocarcinoma or gastric cancer: Expansion part of the first-in-human phase I study.

Fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs) are a highly conserved family of transmembrane receptor tyrosine kinases with multiple roles in the regulation of key cellular processes. Specific FGFR mutations have been observed in several types of cancers, including gastric carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma. Dose escalation data of 24 Japanese patients with solid tumors treated with Tasurgratinib (previously known as E7090), a potent, selective FGFR1-3 inhibitor, was reported in a phase I, first-in-human, single-center study.

Initial Findings Concerning the Latest Self-Expandable Evolut FX Valve: A Report Using OCEAN-TAVI Registry Data.

Data concerning the clinical effect of the latest-generation self-expandable transcatheter heart valve (Evolut FX) remain limited. We aimed to assess the in-hospital outcomes of 3 bioprosthetic valves (Evolut EPO, PRO+, and FX). We analyzed data from a Japanese multicenter registry involving 634 consecutive patients who underwent transcatheter aortic valve replacement with Evolut FX up until October 2023.

The effect of subjective postural vertical on forward flexed posture in Parkinson's disease.

Background: We developed a novel method to measure the angle of subjective postural vertical (SPV) and showed that the SPV may be related to the exacerbation of the forward flexed posture.

Objectives: The present study prospectively tested the effects of the subjective postural vertical on the exacerbation of the forward flexion of trunk (FFT) through long-term observation of Parkinson's disease patients.

Methods: Evaluation of the posture included measuring FFT, the angle of lateral flexion of trunk, and the angle at the position that the patient subjectively perceived as the vertical position at a stationary upright position immediately after standing up at the time of initial observation, 6 months later, and 1 year later.

Accuracy of Cup Placement Angle, Leg Lengthening, and Offset Measurement Using an AR-Based Portable Navigation System: Validation in Supine and Lateral Decubitus Positions for Total Hip Arthroplasty.

: Total hip arthroplasty (THA) requires accurate implant placement to ensure optimal outcomes. In this study, the AR Hip navigation system, an imageless portable navigation tool using augmented reality (AR), was evaluated for measuring radiographic inclination (RI), anteversion (RA), leg lengthening (LL), and offset (OS) changes in supine and lateral decubitus THA. Notably, this is the first report to assess the accuracy of LL and OS measurements using AR technology.

Targeted nanopore sequencing using the Flongle device to identify mitochondrial DNA variants.

Variants in mitochondrial genomes (mtDNA) can cause various neurological and mitochondrial diseases such as mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, stroke-like episodes (MELAS). Given the 16 kb length of mtDNA, continuous sequencing is feasible using long-read sequencing (LRS). Herein, we aimed to show a simple and accessible method for comprehensive mtDNA sequencing with potential diagnostic applications for mitochondrial diseases using the compact and affordable LRS flow cell "Flongle.