Anamorelin and Conduction Defects: A Literature Review and Analysis of the Japanese Pharmacovigilance Database.

Background/aim: Cancer cachexia is characterized by weight loss with a specific decrease in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue. In Japan, anamorelin, which has a novel mechanism of action, was approved in 2021 for the treatment of cancer cachexia. However, little information is available on its safety in routine clinical care, in particular the occurrence of conduction defects as adverse reactions.

Usefulness of participation of endoscopic surgical skill qualification system-qualified surgeons in laparoscopic high anterior resection.

Introduction: A technical qualification system was established by the Japanese Society of Endoscopic Surgery in 2004, and its effectiveness in low anterior resection (LAR) has been reported. We herein performed a subgroup analysis of the effectiveness of the participation of technically qualified surgeons in laparoscopy-assisted high anterior resection (HAR), a procedure used for the technical qualification of surgeons.

Methods: The EnSSURE study enrolled 3188 patients who underwent laparoscopic rectal resection for rectal cancer between January 2014 and December 2016 at 56 Japanese hospitals.

Factors influencing the prognosis of patients with acute cerebral infarction who received usual care: a multicenter prospective cohort study.

[Purpose] The prognostic factors for patients with acute stroke who received usual care (mobilization ≥48 h after admission) remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the prognostic factors that predict functional outcomes using evaluations performed immediately after onset in patients with acute cerebral infarction who received usual care from admission until discharge. [Participants and Methods] Participants with acute cerebral infarction admitted to five acute care hospitals in Tokyo and Saitama, Japan and prescribed physical therapy were included.

Predictive factors for walking in acute stroke patients: a multicenter study using classification and regression tree analysis.

[Purpose] Walking ability should be predicted as early as possible in acute stroke patients. The purpose is to construct a prediction model for independent walking from bedside assessments using classification and regression tree analysis. [Participants and Methods] We conducted a multicenter case-control study with 240 stroke patients.

Influence of patients' walking ability at one-week post-proximal femur fracture surgery on the choice of discharge destination in Japan.

[Purpose] With the innovation of healthcare delivery systems, a need for early determination of patients' discharge outcomes arises after proximal femur fracture surgery, to reduce the burden on healthcare infrastructure. Several studies have examined the extent of walking ability early in the postoperative period to predict the outcome destination. In this study, as an additional validation of these studies, we examined the effect of walking ability on the hospital discharge prognosis of patients in the first week after proximal femur fracture surgery in Japan.

Varicella-zoster virus-associated meningitis, encephalitis, and myelitis with sporadic skin blisters: A case report.

Background: Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) generally causes chickenpox at first infection in childhood and then establishes latent infection in the dorsal root ganglia of the spinal cord or other nerves. Virus reactivation owing to an impaired immune system causes inflammation along spinal nerves from the affected spinal segment, leading to skin manifestations (herpes zoster). Viremia and subsequent hematogenous transmission and nerve axonal transport of the virus may lead to meningitis, encephalitis, and myelitis.

R-CHOP Chemotherapy for Disseminated Complex Disease due to Anti-Interferon-Gamma Autoantibodies: A Case Report.

A 77-year-old Japanese man with disseminated complex (MAC) disease due to anti-interferon-gamma autoantibodies received rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisolone (R-CHOP) chemotherapy because of non-Hodgkin lymphoma complication. The hepatobiliary nodules due to MAC resolved with R-CHOP and multidrug antimycobacterial treatment. R-CHOP could serve as an alternative adjunctive therapy for patients with anti-interferon-gamma autoantibodies.

Advance ligation to facilitate pancreaticojejunostomy following pancreaticoduodenectomy by dilating the main pancreatic duct.

Background: Duct-to-mucosa pancreaticojejunostomy (PJ) after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) is technically challenging, particularly in cases of soft pancreas with a nondilated main pancreatic duct (MPD). We propose a novel procedure that involves ligating the pancreas in advance to allow for MPD dilation.

Methods: We compared the data of 16 patients who underwent PD followed by PJ with advance ligation (AL) for soft pancreas with a nondilated MPD with that of 17 patients who underwent a conventional procedure (conventional group) without AL at a single institution between January 2015 and April 2017.

Assembling a library of typical surgery video clips to construct a system for assessing the surgical difficulty of laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Background: To explore best practices for acute cholecystitis, it is necessary to construct a system to assess the difficulty of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) based on intraoperative findings. In this study, multiple evaluators assessed videos of LC to assemble a library of typical video clips for 25 intraoperative findings.

Methods: We have previously identified 25 items that contribute to surgical difficulty in LC.

Factors Influencing Sitting Ability During the Acute Post-Stroke Phase: A Multicenter Prospective Cohort Study in Japan.

Objectives: Sitting ability during the acute phase after stroke is a useful indicator of functional outcomes; however, factors that affect this ability have not been evaluated. Therefore, this study aimed to identify and evaluate factors that affect sitting ability in the acute phase after stroke.

Materials And Methods: This multicenter prospective cohort study included hemispheric stroke patients who underwent an inpatient rehabilitation program after acute stroke from five acute care hospitals.

Technical Report and Surgical Outcomes of Needlescopic Totally Extraperitoneal Inguinal Hernia Repair: A Single-center, Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Technical difficulties in totally extraperitoneal inguinal hernia repair (TEP) may be strongly associated with poor operability in a limited operative field. Needlescopic instruments could be helpful in a limited space, and the aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of needlescopic TEP.

Materials And Methods: The study population constituted 150 consecutive patients undergoing needlescopic TEP, and we compared these patients with 151 consecutive patients who underwent conventional TEP regarding patients' demographic features and operative outcomes.

Clinical impact of pancreaticoduodenectomy for pancreatic cancer with resection of the secondary or later branches of the superior mesenteric vein.

Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility of pancreaticoduodenectomy with resection of the second jejunal vein (J2V) for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).

Methods: Among 114 patients with PDAC undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy with portal-superior mesenteric vein resection (PVR), surgical outcomes, and prognoses of 10 patients with resection of J2V or later branches of the superior mesenteric vein (J2VR) were compared to 104 patients with PVR above J2V (standard PVR). The reconstruction methods in the J2VR group were reviewed.

Open mesh removal combined with laparoscopic totally extraperitoneal inguinal hernia repair: A case report of a novel surgical technique for chronic postoperative inguinal pain.

A 74-year-old man presented for surgical treatment to alleviate chronic post-herniorrhaphy inguinal pain. Physical and imaging examinations suggested that his pain was due to his ilioinguinal nerve being entrapped by a meshoma composed of bilayer mesh and plug mesh. The patient strongly desired mesh removal, although it appeared challenging because of adhesion of the meshes from the previous herniorrhaphies.

Laparoscopic total extraperitoneal treatment for a hydrocele of the canal of Nuck located entirely within the inguinal canal: A case report.

A 43-year-old woman was diagnosed with a hydrocele of the canal of Nuck, for which laparoscopic total extraperitoneal excision was successfully undertaken. The hydrocele was located entirely within the inguinal canal and was barely visible at the internal inguinal ring, even with strong retraction. The inferior epigastric vessels were at risk of injury secondary to excessive tension when retracting the round ligament.

Clinical efficacy of bowel perfusion assessment during laparoscopic colorectal resection using laser speckle contrast imaging: A matched case-control study.

Introduction: Disadvantages of bowel perfusion assessment with indocyanine green fluorescence angiography include the need for a fluorophore and the subjective nature of the assessment. This study was performed to evaluate the clinical efficacy of bowel perfusion assessment using laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) during laparoscopic colorectal surgery.

Methods: The study population comprised the first 27 consecutive patients who underwent laparoscopic left-sided colorectal resection with intraoperative perfusion assessment using LSCI.

Scleroderma renal crisis with coexisting segmental arterial mediolysis presenting as intraperitoneal bleeding: a case report.

Background: Segmental arterial mediolysis is a rare nonarteriosclerotic and noninflammatory vascular disease that may cause intraperitoneal bleeding. Scleroderma renal crisis is a rare complication of systemic sclerosis, leading to severe hypertension and renal dysfunction. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of a patient with concurrent systemic sclerosis with scleroderma renal crisis and pathologically confirmed segmental arterial mediolysis.

The effect of night shift work on the expression of clock genes in beard hair follicle cells.

Objective: Shift work encompasses a broad range of work time arrangements. However, how shift work affects the circadian expression of clock genes remains to be explored. The objective of this study was to evaluate the pattern of clock gene expression in shift workers in the field.

Aortoenteric fistula following overlap esophagojejunal anastomosis using linear staplers for cancer of the esophagogastric junction: a case report.

Background: Aortoenteric fistula (AEF), occasionally reported as a fatal complication after aortic or other vascular procedures, is a communication between the aorta and the digestive tract. AEF as a fatal complication of overlap esophagojejunostomy after esophagogastrectomy has not been reported previously. Herein, we report a case of AEF after laparoscopic proximal gastrectomy and transhiatal lower esophagectomy for cancer of the esophagogastric junction, in which linear staplers were used for overlap esophagojejunostomy.

Laser Speckle Contrast Imaging for Intraoperative Quantitative Assessment of Intestinal Blood Perfusion During Colorectal Surgery: A Prospective Pilot Study.

Background: The main limitation of perfusion assessment with indocyanine green fluorescence angiography during colorectal surgery is that the surgeon assesses the quality of perfusion subjectively. The ideal intestinal viability test must be minimally invasive, objective, and reproducible. We evaluated the quantitativity and reproducibility of laser speckle contrast imaging for perfusion assessment during colorectal surgery.

Metachronous rectal metastasis from primary transverse colon cancer: a case report.

Background: Colorectal metastases from primary colorectal cancers are very rare, and little is known about their epidemiological aspects or the best diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. Herein, we report a case of a 65-year-old woman with suspected metachronous metastasis to the rectum from primary transverse colon cancer.

Case Presentation: The patient underwent a laparoscopic extended right hemicolectomy for primary transverse colon cancer.