The Efficacy of FOLFIRI Plus Ramucirumab in Recurrent Colorectal Cancer Refractory to Adjuvant Chemotherapy with Oxaliplatin/Fluoropyrimidine-Including Biomarker Analyses.

Background: FOLFIRI (5-FU + leucovorin + irinotecan) plus ramucirumab is one of the standards in second-line metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) patients progressing after treatment with oxaliplatin/fluoropyrimidine with bevacizumab, but there is no evidence on its efficacy without prior bevacizumab. Moreover, VEGF-D has not been confirmed as a predictive biomarker for ramucirumab's efficacy, either.

Methods: The RAINCLOUD study was a multicenter, single-arm, phase II trial conducted in Japan.

Current immunotherapy for thymic epithelial tumors: a narrative review.

Background And Objective: Thymic epithelial tumors (TETs) are the most common neoplasm of the prevascular mediastinal compartment and are characterized by their rarity and variable clinical presentation. The present study aimed to explore the current management of patients with TET with a special focus on immunotherapy for advanced disease.

Methods: Relevant studies published between 1981 and 2024 were searched in PubMed using search terms "Thymoma", "Thymic cancer", "Myasthenia gravis", "Radiation therapy", "Surgery", and "Immunotherapy".

Comparison of active learning algorithms in classifying head computed tomography reports using bidirectional encoder representations from transformers.

Purpose: Systems equipped with natural language (NLP) processing can reduce missed radiological findings by physicians, but the annotation costs are burden in the development. This study aimed to compare the effects of active learning (AL) algorithms in NLP for estimating the significance of head computed tomography (CT) reports using bidirectional encoder representations from transformers (BERT).

Methods: A total of 3728 head CT reports annotated with five categories of importance were used and UTH-BERT was adopted as the pre-trained BERT model.

Severe Delayed-Onset Meningitis Developed One Year After a Basilar Skull Fracture Without a Cerebrospinal Fluid Leak: A Case Report.

Traumatic cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage from skull base fractures increases the risk of bacterial meningitis, which is associated with a high mortality rate in adults, and commonly results in severe neurological outcomes. While most cases of CSF leakage occur within three months post-injury and generally resolve spontaneously, delayed-onset meningitis remains a challenging complication. Herein, we report a rare case of severe bacterial meningitis with an intraventricular abscess one year following a frontal skull base fracture, despite no CSF leak.

A Japanese man with community-onset carbapenem-resistant Stutzerimonas nitrititolerans bacteremia and a sacral pressure ulcer: a case report.

Background: Stutzerimonas is a recently proposed genus comprising strains formerly classified as Pseudomonas stutzeri. The genus includes at least 16 identified species. Stutzerimonas nitrititolerans, previously known as Pseudomonas nitrititolerans, was initially isolated from a bioreactor.

Real-time computed tomography fluoroscopy-guided dye marking prior to robotic pulmonary resection.

Background: The detection of tumor localization is difficult in robotic surgery because surgeons have no sense of touch and rely on visual information. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of preoperative CT-guided dye marking of lung nodules prior to robotic surgery.

Methods: Patients undergoing CT-guided dye marking prior to robotic surgery at our hospital between September 2019 and April 2024 were retrospectively analyzed.

Validity and reliability of the Japanese version of the ACE tool for assessing evidence-based medicine competencies in medical practitioners and students: An evaluation in an online setting.

Introduction Evidence-based medicine (EBM) competency is crucial for healthcare professionals; however, validated tools to assess EBM skills in Japanese are scarce. This study aimed to develop and validate a Japanese version of the Assessing Competency in EBM (ACE) tool. Methods We translated the ACE tool into Japanese, following international standards, and distributed it online to 99 healthcare professionals and students.

Phase I study of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy with S-1 for clinically resectable type 4 or large type 3 gastric cancer in elderly patients aged 75 years and older (OGSG1303).

Purpose The prognosis for type 4 and large type 3 gastric cancer (GC) is extremely poor, especially in elderly patients (≥ 75 years). To improve the prognosis of these types of GC, we performed a phase I study to determine the recommended dose (RD) of S-1 combined with neoadjuvant radiotherapy. Methods Patients with clinically resectable type 4 and large type 3 GC were enrolled to successive cohorts in a conventional 3 + 3 design.

Outcomes of Surgical Resection of Primary Lung Cancer After Pancreatic Cancer.

Objective: This study aimed to elucidate the therapeutic significance of lung resection for primary lung cancer after pancreatic cancer surgery in contemporary cases.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included patients who had lung nodules and performed pulmonary resection after pancreatic cancer surgery at seven hospitals affiliated with the Thoracic Surgery Study Group of Osaka University between January 2009 and December 2021. Patients in which surgery was performed for biopsy purposes, those with a history of other cancers with potential for lung metastasis, patients who did not give their consent for enrollment, and patients determined to be ineligible by the attending physician were excluded from the study.

Clinical Outcomes and Risk Factors for Viabahn Stent Graft Occlusion in the Treatment of Visceral Arterial Injuries in Cancer Patients.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes of placing Viabahn stent grafts in visceral arterial injuries and identify the risk factors associated with stent graft occlusion.

Material And Method: This multicenter, retrospective study included 29 procedures performed on 26 patients who underwent Viabahn stent graft placement between December 2017 and November 2022. We evaluated technical and clinical success rates, periprocedural complications, and stent graft patency using contrast-enhanced computed tomography.

Subsequent development of cholangiocarcinoma caused by exposure to 1,2-dichloropropane and/or dichloromethane in the printing company in Osaka, Japan.

After the report of 17 patients with occupational cholangiocarcinoma caused by long-term exposure to high concentrations of 1,2-dichloropropane and/or dichloromethane in a printing company in Osaka in 2014, additional five patients were diagnosed to have such cholangiocarcinoma. Cholangiocarcinoma was detected during regular health examination or follow-up for liver dysfunction in four of the five patients. Nearly all five patients presented with clinicopathological findings such as an elevated γ-glutamyl transpeptidase activity at the diagnosis, regional dilatation of intrahepatic bile ducts without tumor-induced obstruction, chronic bile duct injury, and precancerous/early cancerous lesions (biliary intraepithelial neoplasia and intraductal papillary neoplasm of the bile duct) at various sites of the bile duct.

Short-term outcomes of a phase II trial of perioperative capecitabine plus oxaliplatin therapy for advanced gastric cancer with extensive lymph node metastases (OGSG1701).

Background: The prognosis of advanced gastric cancer (GC) with extensive lymph node (LN) metastasis treated with surgery alone remains poor. We conducted a multicenter phase II study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of perioperative capecitabine plus oxaliplatin (CapeOx) therapy in patients with advanced GC with extensive LN metastases.

Patients And Methods: Patients with histologically proven HER2-negative or unknown gastric adenocarcinoma with paraaortic LN (PALN) metastases and/or bulky LN metastases located at the celiac axis, common hepatic artery, and/or splenic artery were included in the study.

Prognostic impact of lateral sentinel lymph node biopsy using indocyanine green on oncological outcomes for clinical stage II/III lower rectal cancer without suspected lateral lymph node metastasis.

Purpose: Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) can detect occult nodal metastasis. We have previously reported the safety and feasibility of indocyanine green (ICG)-guided SLNB for clinical stage II/III lower rectal cancer (RC). However, little is known about the influence of lateral pelvic SLNB using ICG on oncological outcomes.

Tolerability and Safety Assessment of Adjuvant Chemoradiotherapy with S-1 after Limited Surgery for T1 or T2 Lower Rectal Cancer.

Background: The short-term outcomes of chemoradiotherapy (CRT) with S-1 (a combination of tegafur, gimeracil, and oteracil) following limited surgery for patients with T1 or T2 lower rectal cancer have shown encouraging results.

Objectives: This study was designed to delve deeper into the long-term outcomes of CRT with S-1 after limited surgery, with the goal of evaluating both the long-term efficacy and potential risks associated with this treatment approach in patients diagnosed with T1 or T2 lower rectal cancer.

Methods: This was conducted as a multicenter, single-arm, prospective phase II trial.

Combining biopsy needle and virtual bronchoscopy for tuberculosis-induced complete bronchial blockage.

Endobronchial tuberculosis (EBTB) presents significant clinical challenges, particularly when complete bronchial obstruction occurs. In this case, a young woman with right main bronchus occlusion due to tuberculosis (TB) was treated using a novel approach. Instead of using a traditional rigid bronchoscope, a flexible approach was adopted.

Mitochondria transfer-based therapies reduce the morbidity and mortality of Leigh syndrome.

Mitochondria transfer is a recently described phenomenon in which donor cells deliver mitochondria to acceptor cells. One possible consequence of mitochondria transfer is energetic support of neighbouring cells; for example, exogenous healthy mitochondria can rescue cell-intrinsic defects in mitochondrial metabolism in cultured ρ cells or Ndufs4 peritoneal macrophages. Exposing haematopoietic stem cells to purified mitochondria before autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation allowed for treatment of anaemia in patients with large-scale mitochondrial DNA mutations, and mitochondria transplantation was shown to minimize ischaemic damage to the heart, brain and limbs.

Oxaliplatin Added to Fluoropyrimidine/Bevacizumab as Initial Therapy for Unresectable Metastatic Colorectal Cancer in Older Patients: A Multicenter, Randomized, Open-Label Phase III Trial (JCOG1018).

Purpose: Doublet chemotherapy with fluoropyrimidine (FP) and oxaliplatin (OX) plus bevacizumab (BEV) is a standard regimen for unresectable metastatic colorectal cancer (MCRC). However, the efficacy of adding OX to FP plus BEV (FP + BEV) remains unclear for older patients, a population for whom FP + BEV is standard. We aimed to confirm the superiority of adding OX to FP + BEV for this population.

Late-onset Total Necrosis in Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator Flap after Contrast Enhanced Computed Tomography.

There seems to be an incessant debate regarding the duration of dependency of free flaps on pedicle vessels and the extent to which neovascularization from surrounding tissue contributes to the fortification of the free flaps. Although animal studies have suggested that pedicle vessels can be safely divided 5-8 days postoperatively without flap failure in fasciocutaneous flaps, recent clinical reports, particularly concerning the deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap, cast doubt on this assumption. This report highlights a singular case of delayed-onset total necrosis in a DIEP flap following a contrast enhanced computed tomography (CECT) scan conducted 48 days post reconstructive surgery.