Usefulness of Myelin Quantification Using Synthetic Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Predicting Outcomes in Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke.

Background: Synthetic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an innovative MRI technology that enables the acquisition of multiple quantitative values, including T1 and T2 values, proton density, and myelin volume, in a single scan. Although the usefulness of myelin measurement with synthetic MRI has been reported for assessing several diseases, investigations in patients with stroke have not been reported. We aimed to explore the utility of myelin quantification using synthetic MRI in predicting outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke.

Cellular Schwannoma Arising After the Resection of an Anterior Mediastinal Leiomyosarcoma.

Cellular schwannoma is a schwannoma subtype with histopathologic features resembling those of malignant tumors. We report a case of a cellular schwannoma arising at the resection margin of an anterior mediastinal leiomyosarcoma. An 88-year-old woman who had undergone resection of an anterior mediastinal leiomyosarcoma 2 years previously developed a mediastinal tumor at the resection margin, raising suspicion of leiomyosarcoma recurrence.

Effect of abdominal aortic calcification on long-term outcomes after the first liver resection in very old patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Aim: We previously reported that abdominal aortic calcification is associated with poor overall and recurrence-free survival after hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the effect of abdominal aortic calcification on cancer-specific prognosis in very old patients with several comorbidities remains unknown. This multicenter study aimed to evaluate the impact of abdominal aortic calcification on the cumulative recurrence rate and recurrence-free survival in patients with HCC aged >80 years.

Albumin-Butyrylcholinesterase as a Novel Prognostic Biomarker for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Post-hepatectomy: A Retrospective Cohort Study with the Hiroshima Surgical Study Group of Clinical Oncology.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the association between a new biomarker that incorporates albumin (Alb) and butyrylcholinesterase (BCHE) levels, as well as the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after hepatectomy.

Methods: The study enrolled 1712 patients who underwent primary hepatectomy for HCC between January 2003 and December 2019 at seven institutions belonging to the Hiroshima Surgical Study Group of Clinical Oncology. The entire dataset was randomly split into discovery and validation cohorts in a 7:3 ratio.

Fructose-bisphosphate Aldolase C Expression is Associated with Poor Prognosis and Stemness in Gastric Cancer.

Gastric cancer (GC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in Japan, underscoring the urgent need for deeper insights into its pathogenesis. Spheroids provide a more realistic and versatile model for studying cancers and cancer stem cells (CSCs). While fructose-bisphosphate aldolase C (ALDOC) has been identified in colorectal cancer spheroids, its role in GC has remained largely unexplored.

Predictors of tolerability for postoperative adjuvant S1 plus docetaxel chemotherapy for gastric cancer: a multicenter retrospective study.

Background: Adjuvant docetaxel plus S1 (DS) chemotherapy after gastrectomy with D2 lymph node dissection is the standard treatment for stage III gastric cancer in Japan; however, some patients are unable to receive adequate drug administration because of the deterioration of their conditions. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between tolerability for postoperative adjuvant DS chemotherapy and prognosis, and the factors affecting tolerability.

Methods: This retrospective study involved patients with stage III gastric cancer who underwent curative resection between 2018 and 2021 from a multicenter database.

Impact of Operating Table Height on the Difficulty of Mask Ventilation and Laryngoscopic View.

: Airway management techniques, including mask ventilation and tracheal intubation, are vital across medical settings. However, these procedures can be challenging, especially when environmental conditions are less than ideal. This study explores how the height of the operating table affects the difficulty of anesthesia techniques involving mask ventilation and tracheal intubation.

Urgent Contrast-Enhanced Computed Tomography before Early Colonoscopy in the Management of Colonic Diverticular Bleeding: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial.

Introduction: Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CE-CT) has been gaining attention as an initial investigation in the management of colonic diverticular bleeding (CDB), yet the role of CE-CT other than its diagnostic yield has not been adequately clarified. We aimed to determine whether the use of urgent CE-CT improves identification of stigmata of recent hemorrhage (SRH) in subsequently performed early colonoscopy (≤24 h of arrival) or other clinical outcomes of CDB.

Methods: We conducted a randomized, open-label, controlled trial at 23 institutions in Japan.

Evaluation of prognostic efficacy of liver immune status index in predicting postoperative outcomes in hepatocellular carcinoma patients: A multi-institutional retrospective study.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) ranks third in cancer-related deaths globally. Despite treatment advances, high post-hepatectomy recurrence rates (RR), especially with liver fibrosis and hepatitis C virus infection, remain challenging. Key prognostic factors include vascular invasion and perioperative blood loss, impacting extrahepatic recurrence.

A New Self-Expandable Metallic Stent with Low Axial Force and a High Axial Force Zero-Border Shows a Very Low Perforation Rate in Malignant Colorectal Obstruction: A Japanese Multicenter Prospective Study.

Recently, there has been a significant increase in the utilization of self-expandable metallic stents (SEMSs) for treating malignant colorectal obstructions through colorectal stenting. The mechanical properties of SEMSs are usually considered to affect clinical outcomes of patients with malignant colorectal obstructions. : This single-arm, prospective, multicenter study of SEMS with a lower axial force and high axial force zero-border included 200 patients with malignant colorectal obstruction.

Niraparib in Japanese patients with heavily pretreated, homologous recombination-deficient ovarian cancer: final results of a multicenter phase 2 study.

Objective: To evaluate the long-term efficacy and safety of niraparib in Japanese women with heavily pretreated ovarian cancer.

Methods: This was the follow-up analysis of a phase 2, multicenter, open-label, single-arm study in Japanese women with homologous recombination-deficient, platinum-sensitive, relapsed, high-grade serous epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer who had completed 3-4 lines of chemotherapy and were poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor naïve. Participants received niraparib (starting dose, 300 mg) once daily in continuous 28-day cycles until objective disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or consent withdrawal.

Transmembrane serine protease 4 expression in the prognosis of radical resection for biliary tract cancer.

Background: Recent advancements in biliary tract cancer (BTC) treatment have expanded beyond surgery to include adjuvant therapy, yet the prognosis remains poor. Identifying prognostic biomarkers could enhance the assessment of patients who have undergone radical resection for BTC.

Aim: To determine transmembrane serine protease 4 (TMPRSS4) utility as a prognostic biomarker of radical resection for BTC.

An atlas of the human liver diurnal transcriptome and its perturbation by hepatitis C virus infection.

Chronic liver disease and cancer are global health challenges. The role of the circadian clock as a regulator of liver physiology and disease is well established in rodents, however, the identity and epigenetic regulation of rhythmically expressed genes in human disease is less well studied. Here we unravel the rhythmic transcriptome and epigenome of human hepatocytes using male human liver chimeric mice.

Treatment of intractable isolated bile leakage occurring after right anterior sectionectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma: Right hepatico-jejunostomy.

Introduction: An isolated bile leakage is a relatively rare type of postoperative bile leakage. Most isolated bile leakages require invasive procedures such as surgical approaches.

Presentation Of Cases: The right hepatic duct was intraoperatively injured during right anterior sectionectomy.

Outcomes of Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension After Balloon Pulmonary Angioplasty and Pulmonary Endarterectomy.

Background: The contemporary outcome of balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) and pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) are unclear.

Objectives: This study aimed to clarify the characteristics and outcomes of CTEPH patients treated with BPA and PEA in Japan.

Methods: Among 1,270 participants enrolled between 2018 and 2023 in the CTEPH AC (Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension Anticoagulant) registry, a Japanese nationwide CTEPH registry, 369 treatment-naive patients (BPA strategy: n = 313; PEA strategy: n = 56) and 690 on-treatment patients (BPA strategy: n = 561; PEA strategy: n = 129) were classified according to the presence of prior reperfusion therapy.

Vertical margin distance in T1 colorectal carcinoma resected by endoscopic submucosal dissection affects prognosis after additional surgery.

Unlabelled: PURPOSE : A vertical margin (VM) distance of < 500 µm is a risk factor for recurrence in patients with T1 colorectal carcinoma (CRC) resected by endoscopy. We aimed to determine the effects of the VM distance on the recurrence and prognosis of T1 CRC.

Methods: We enrolled 168 patients with T1 CRC who underwent additional surgery after endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) at multiple centers between 2008 and 2016.

Discovering cancer stem-like molecule, nuclear factor I X, using spatial transcriptome in gastric cancer.

Gastric cancer (GC) is characterized by significant intratumoral heterogeneity, and stem cells are promising therapeutic targets. Despite advancements in spatial transcriptome analyses, unexplored targets for addressing cancer stemness remain unknown. This study aimed to identify Nuclear Factor IX (NFIX) as a critical regulator of cancer stemness in GC and evaluate its clinicopathological significance and function.

Japanese orthopaedic association (JOA) clinical practice guideline on the management of primary malignant bone tumors - Secondary publication.

Background: In Japan, there are currently no general guidelines for the treatment of primary malignant bone tumors. Therefore, the Japanese Orthopaedic Association established a committee to develop guidelines for the appropriate diagnosis and treatment of primary malignant bone tumors for medical professionals in clinical practice.

Methods: The guidelines were developed in accordance with "Minds Clinical Practice Guideline Development Handbook 2014″ and "Minds Clinical Practice Guideline Development Manual 2017".

Utility of Machine Learning in the Prediction of Post-Hepatectomy Liver Failure in Liver Cancer.

Background: Posthepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) is a serious complication associated with high mortality rates. Machine learning (ML) has rapidly developed and may outperform traditional models in predicting PHLF in patients who have undergone hepatectomy. This study aimed to predict PHLF using ML and compare its performance with that of traditional scoring systems.

Prediction of prognosis in glioblastoma with radiomics features extracted by synthetic MRI images using cycle-consistent GAN.

To propose a style transfer model for multi-contrast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images with a cycle-consistent generative adversarial network (CycleGAN) and evaluate the image quality and prognosis prediction performance for glioblastoma (GBM) patients from the extracted radiomics features. Style transfer models of T1 weighted MRI image (T1w) to T2 weighted MRI image (T2w) and T2w to T1w with CycleGAN were constructed using the BraTS dataset. The style transfer model was validated with the Cancer Genome Atlas Glioblastoma Multiforme (TCGA-GBM) dataset.