Comparison of robotic and laparoscopic approaches in short- and long-term outcomes of lateral pelvic lymph node dissection for advanced rectal cancer: a Japanese multicenter study.

Background: Lateral pelvic lymph node dissection (LPND) is a challenging surgical technique with complex anatomy and narrow pelvic manipulation. The outcomes of robotic and laparoscopic surgery for LPND are still unclear.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 169 consecutive patients who underwent rectal cancer surgery with LPND between 2016 and 2023.

M2BPgs-HCC: An Automated Multilectin Bead Array Indicating Aberrant Glycosylation Signatures Toward Hepatitis C Virus-Associated Hepatocellular Carcinoma Prognosis.

Regular monitoring of patients with a history of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is critical for the detection and management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Mac-2 binding protein glycosylation isomer (M2BPGi) has been used to monitor fibrosis progression and predict HCC. However, HCC prediction based on M2BPGi has not been optimized.

Surgical risk and cause of death among octogenarian and nonagenarian patients with colorectal cancer: a Japanese multicenter study.

Background: The number of elderly people undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer has been increasing. We examine prognosis, including risks of surgery by age and cancer- and noncancer-related deaths.

Methods: This study retrospectively reviewed 1830 patients who underwent curative resection colorectal surgery.

Effect of endoscopic surgical skill qualification system for laparoscopic rectal surgery: Japanese multicenter analysis.

Background: Laparoscopic rectal surgery is often technically difficult. The Endoscopic Surgical Skill Qualification System (ESSQS) was established in Japan as an objective measure of skill for laparoscopic surgeons. However, the advantages of the ESSQS qualification for laparoscopic rectal surgery have been limited.

Preferable effect of CTLA4-Ig on both bone erosion and bone microarchitecture in rheumatoid arthritis revealed by HR-pQCT.

This exploratory study aimed to examine the impact of abatacept treatment on bone structure in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) using high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT). RA patients initiating either abatacept or newly introduced csDMARDs were enrolled in this prospective, non-randomized, two-group study. Bone structure in the 2nd and 3rd metacarpal heads was assessed using HR-pQCT at 0, 6, and 12 months after enrollment.

Phase II study of ramucirumab and docetaxel for previously platinum-treated patients with non-small cell lung cancer and malignant pleural effusion (PLEURAM study).

Background: The prognosis of patients with lung cancer and malignant pleural effusion (MPE) caused by carcinomatous pleurisy is poor. Chemical pleurodesis is commonly performed clinically, however, often has a high failure rate. Furthermore, prolonged sustained drainage and delayed introduction of systemic chemotherapy could increase the risk of worsening the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status (ECOG PS) in the treatment of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Factors involved in gastroesophageal varix-related events in patients with hepatitis C virus-related compensated and decompensated cirrhosis after direct-acting antiviral therapy.

Aim: The incidence of and factors involved in gastroesophageal varix-related events in hepatitis C virus-related cirrhosis patients, including decompensated cirrhosis, after direct-acting antiviral therapy are unclear.

Methods: We conducted a multicenter study using prospective data from 478 hepatitis C virus-related cirrhosis patients treated with direct-acting antiviral therapy from February 2019 to December 2021 at 33 Japanese hospitals. Gastroesophageal varices were classified as F1 (small-caliber), F2 (moderately enlarged), or F3 (markedly enlarged) according to the Japanese criteria.

Effects of paroxetine, a P2X4 inhibitor, on cerebral aneurysm growth and recanalization after coil embolization: the NHO Drug for Aneurysm Study.

Objective: Rupture of cerebral aneurysms has a poor prognosis, and growing aneurysms are prone to rupture. Although the number of coil embolization procedures is increasing worldwide, they are more prone to recurrence than clipping surgeries. However, there is still no drug that prevents aneurysm growth or recanalization after coil embolization.

Development of an estimation formula for preparation time of anesthesia induction and surgery accounting for clinical department factors in optimal surgery schedule management.

Efficient operating room management is essential and requires precise surgery scheduling. We hypothesized that an estimation formula for the preparation time for anesthesia induction and surgery could be developed by incorporating anesthesia and surgical factors, as well as the 'clinical department,' into the formula. This retrospective observational study analyzed 12,528 scheduled surgical cases.

Current status analysis of the prevalence and regional disparities of robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy in Japan using diagnosis procedure combination data.

The introduction of the "da Vinci S HD Surgical System" marked a significant shift towards robotic surgeries in Japan. However, initial high costs and lack of efficacy data posed barriers to its widespread adoption. By 2023, more than 570 da Vinci units were operational in Japan, highlighting the growing acceptance of robotic surgery despite these challenges.

Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Type 2 (HER2)-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer With HER2-Negative Conversion: A Case Report and Treatment With Cyclin-Dependent Kinase (CDK) 4/6 Inhibitor for the Luminal Type.

A 37-year-old woman was diagnosed with stage IIIA, estrogen receptor (ER)-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer. The patient received neoadjuvant chemotherapy with epirubicin and cyclophosphamide, followed by docetaxel, trastuzumab, and pertuzumab. The surgical specimen remained ER-positive/HER2-positive.

WONOEP appraisal: The role of glial cells in focal malformations associated with early onset epilepsies.

Epilepsy represents a common neurological disorder in patients with developmental brain lesions, particularly in association with malformations of cortical development and low-grade glioneuronal tumors. In these diseases, genetic and molecular alterations in neurons are increasingly discovered that can trigger abnormalities in the neuronal network, leading to higher neuronal excitability levels. However, the mechanisms underlying epilepsy cannot rely solely on assessing the neuronal component.

Laparoscopic colectomy for patients with poor American Society of Anesthesiology classifications.

Introduction: The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification is used to assess the fitness of a patient for surgery. Whether laparoscopic surgery is appropriate for colorectal cancer patients with poor ASA performance status (PS) remains unclear.

Methods: Among 4585 patients who underwent colorectal surgery between 2016 and 2023, this study retrospectively reviewed all 458 patients with ASA-PS ≥3.

Short-term outcomes of delta-shaped anastomosis versus functional end-to-end anastomosis using linear staplers for colon cancer.

Background: Several methods are used for reconstruction in colon cancer surgery, including hand-sewn or stapled anastomosis. However, few reports have compared short-term outcomes among reconstruction methods. This study compared short-term outcomes between delta-shaped anastomosis (Delta) and functional end-to-end anastomosis (FEEA).

TIGIT expression on neoplastic cells is a poor prognostic factor for adult T-cell leukaemia/lymphoma.

Adult T-cell leukaemia/lymphoma (ATLL) is an aggressive peripheral T-cell neoplasm with a poor prognosis. T-cell immunoreceptor with immunoglobulin and immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motif domains (TIGIT) is an immune checkpoint receptor expressed on T and natural killer cells. Although increased TIGIT expression in the tumour microenvironment is associated with poor prognosis in various neoplasms, its relevance in ATLL remains unknown.

RUNX1 expression is regulated by a super-enhancer and is a therapeutic target in adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma.

Super-enhancers (SEs) play an important role in regulating tumor-specific gene expression. JQ1, a Bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4) inhibitor, exerts antitumor effects by disrupting SE-mediated regulation of gene expression. We investigated the anti-adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) effects of JQ1.

The C-reactive protein-albumin-lymphocyte (CALLY) index is a useful predictor of postoperative complications in patients with a colonic stent for obstructive colorectal cancer: a Japanese multicenter study.

Purpose: The C-reactive protein-albumin-lymphocyte (CALLY) index is a novel score that offers a good reflection of nutritional status, inflammatory response, and immune system status. The CALLY index is reported to correlate with the prognosis of various carcinomas. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the association between the CALLY index and the short-term prognosis of obstructive colorectal cancer managed with a colonic stent.

Additional chemoradiotherapy for superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma after near-circumferential or full-circumferential noncurative endoscopic submucosal dissection: a retrospective study.

Background: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is a potentially efficient therapeutic intervention for superficial esophageal cancer. Additional treatment such as chemoradiotherapy (CRT) or esophagectomy is recommended in cases of muscularis mucosa invasion with positive resection margins or lymphovascular invasion or submucosal layer invasion, which are considered noncurative ESD, due to an increased risk of lymph node metastasis. However, the adequacy of additional CRT after near-circumferential or full-circumferential noncurative ESD has not been fully discussed.

Pre-Admission Predictors of Walking Independence in Critically Ill Patients.

Background: Recovery of walking independence in critically ill patients is required for safe discharge home. However, the pre-admission predictors affecting this outcome in this patient group are unknown. This study aimed to identify these predictors.

Effect of the lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio on the prognosis of patients with obstructive colorectal cancer with a colonic stent: a retrospective multicenter study in Japan.

Purpose: The prognostic value of the lymphocyte-to-monocyte (LMR) ratio has been reported for various cancers, including colorectal cancer (CRC). The insertion of colonic stents is considered effective for patients with surgically indicated obstructive CRC, but their LMR can vary depending on factors such as inflammation associated with stent dilation and improvement of obstructive colitis. However, the usefulness of the LMR in patients with obstructive CRC and colonic stents and the optimal timing for its measurement remain unclear.