Pancreatic undifferentiated carcinoma with osteoclast-like giant cells curatively resected after pembrolizumab therapy for lung metastases: a case report.

Background: Therapy targeting programmed death-1 or programmed death-1 ligand-1 (PD-1/PD-L1) has been developed for various solid malignant tumors, such as melanoma and non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but this approach has little effect in the treatment of pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic undifferentiated carcinoma with osteoclast-like giant cells (UCOGC) is a rare pancreatic malignancy having unique morphology and is considered a variant of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Although UCOGC has been reported to have better prognosis than conventional PDAC, the optimal treatment for UCOGC with distant metastases has not been determined.

Discrepancies in preferences regarding the care of terminal-phase pneumonia in elderly patients among patients, families, and doctors: A multicenter questionnaire survey in nagasaki, Japan.

Background: Before advance care planning, it is essential to understand the differences in preferences for medical care of terminal-phase pneumonia in elderly patients among the patients, their families, and their doctors. This study aimed to clarify these differences and investigate the actual care provided to elderly patients with pneumonia in nursing hospitals.

Methods: Multicenter questionnaire surveys of 179 patients admitted to nursing homes and long-term care beds in hospitals of three healthcare corporations, their families, and their physicians were conducted between January and August 2018.

Palliative Care for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Patients: Pulmonary Physicians' View.

Context: Although idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) has worse outcomes compared with most malignancies, patients with IPF receive poor access to optimal palliative care.

Objectives: This study aimed to characterize the practice of pulmonologists regarding palliative care and end-of-life communication for patients with IPF and identify perceived difficulties and barriers thereto.

Methods: Self-administered questionnaires were sent by mail to representative pulmonologists from Shizuoka prefecture, Japan.

Mechanical Thrombectomy for Large Vessel Occlusion via the Transbrachial Approach: Case Series.

Mechanical thrombectomy has become a standard treatment for acute ischemic stroke with large vessel occlusion. In aged patients, it is difficult to guide the catheter via the transfemoral approach due to vessel tortuosity and aortic elongation. We report our preliminary clinical experience using the transbrachial approach.

Comprehensive assessment of multiple tryptophan metabolites as potential biomarkers for immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

Purpose: Tryptophan metabolites have immunomodulatory functions, suggesting possible roles in cancer immunity.

Methods: Plasma tryptophan metabolites were measured using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry before immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Results: The 19 patients with NSCLC had significantly lower levels of tryptophan (p = 0.

Factors Influencing Functional Exercise Capacity After Lung Resection for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

We investigated, in patients who underwent lung resection for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the magnitude of early limitation in functional exercise capacity and the associations with pre- and postoperative factors. Consecutive patients with preoperative clinical stage I to IIIA NSCLC who underwent lung resection were prospectively enrolled. We measured functional exercise capacity (6-minute walk distance [6MWD]) and skeletal muscle strength (handgrip [HF] and quadriceps force [QF]) within 2 days prior to surgery and on day 7 postoperatively.

Parent Artery Occlusion for Treatment of a Traumatic Pericallosal Artery Aneurysm: Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Background: Traumatic intracranial aneurysms are rare complications after head trauma. This report describes the case of a patient with a traumatic pericallosal aneurysm.

Case Description: A 73-year-old man developed headache and lower limb paresis, and emergency computed tomography scan revealed a hematoma in the corpus callosum.

Assessment of Immune-Related Interstitial Lung Disease in Patients With NSCLC Treated with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: A Multicenter Prospective Study.

Introduction: Programmed cell death protein 1 immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have been reported to improve the survival of patients with NSCLC. On the expansion of clinical administration for a variety of cancers, immune-related adverse events have been typically recognized to be associated with ICIs, therefore, necessitating the monitoring and management of these patients. Among immune-related adverse events, immune-related interstitial lung disease (ir-ILD) is a serious complication that interrupts treatment and can occasionally be fatal.

Intravoxel incoherent motion magnetic resonance imaging for predicting the long-term efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer.

Objectives: Conventional evaluation of anti-tumor activity on the basis of tumor size is inadequate for immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). We therefore aimed to assess the usefulness of intravoxel incoherent motion magnetic resonance imaging (IVIM-MRI) for evaluation of the therapeutic efficacy of ICIs.

Materials And Methods: A chest IVIM-MRI was performed before and 2, 4, and 8 weeks after administration of ICIs in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.

Gamma Knife Surgery for Residual or Recurrent Craniopharyngioma After Surgical Resection: A Multi-institutional Retrospective Study in Japan.

Objective The optimal treatment for a craniopharyngioma has been controversial. Complete resection is ideal, but it has been difficult to obtain total resection in many cases because of intimate proximity to critical structures such as the optic pathway, hypothalamus, and pituitary gland. A growing number of studies have demonstrated the utility of radiosurgery in controlling residual or recurrent craniopharyngioma.

[Short-Term and Long-Term Outcomes of Colonic Stenting as a Bridge to Surgery for Obstructive Colorectal Cancer].

We examined the short-term and long-term outcomes in 50 patients who underwent stenting as a bridge to surgery(BTS) for obstructive colorectal cancer. The patients comprised 30 men and 20 women, with a mean age of 74.0 years.

[A Case of Resection of Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Carcinoma Detected Due to Acute Pancreatitis].

A 67-year-old man visiting our hospital with the chief complaint of sudden upper abdominal pain was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis. Based on computed tomography findings, intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm(IPMN)was suspected as the cause of the pancreatitis and detailed examination was conducted following its alleviation. Endoscopic retrograde and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography showed marked dilation of the main pancreatic duct, with a mural nodule inside the main pancreatic duct at the pancreatic head.

Surgical Results of Microscopic Cervical Foraminotomy for Cervical Radiculopathy Presenting Drop Finger and Proposal of Classification Based on Drop Finger Patterns.

Introduction: In drop finger, the extension of the finger is limited, although the wrist can be flexed dorsally. There have been no well-organized reports on drop finger pattern caused by cervical nerve root disorder. Moreover, diagnosis and treatment are delayed because of the inability to distinguish cervical radiculopathy from peripheral nerve disease.

Clinical study of octacalcium phosphate and collagen composite in oral and maxillofacial surgery.

Octacalcium phosphate and its collagen composite have been recognized as bone substitute materials possessing osteoconductivity and biodegradation properties. We evaluated the effectiveness of octacalcium phosphate and its collagen composite used for bone augmentation in major oral and maxillofacial surgeries in a clinical trial. Octacalcium phosphate and its collagen composite were used in cases of sinus floor elevation in 1- and 2-stage, socket preservation, cyst, and alveolar cleft procedures.

Comparison of CT artifacts and image recognition of various fiducial markers including two types of thinner fiducial markers for CyberKnife treatment.

Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate computed tomography (CT) artifacts and image recognition of the CyberKnife system. Regarding fiducial markers, VISICOIL of 0.5 mm × 5.

Trichoblastic infundibular cyst should be renamed infundibular cyst with unique papillary projections.

Trichoblastic infundibular cyst (TBIC) was previously reported as a unique keratinous cystic lesion, which was characterized by the papillary projections of follicular germinative-like cells emanating from the cyst wall. Here, we report three additional cases of this cyst and discuss the pathogenesis of this unique entity. In all cases, a unilocular cyst contained keratin, and the cyst wall was composed of squamous epithelium.

Pulmonary Oligometastases Treated by Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy: A Nationwide Survey of 1,378 Patients.

Aim: This study was performed to confirm the superior overall survival (OS) after pulmonary oligo-recurrence compared to pulmonary sync-oligometastases in a large nationwide study.

Patients And Methods: Patients that met the following criteria were included: 1 to 5 lung-only metastases at the beginning of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) was performed between January 2004 and June 2015, and the biological effective dose (BED) of SBRT was 75 Gy or more. The parameters included in the analyses were age, gender, ECOG PS, primary lesion, pathology, oligoetastatic state, SBRT date, chemotherapy before SBRT, chemotherapy concurrent SBRT, chemotherapy after SBRT, maximum tumor diameter, number of metastases, field coplanarity, dose prescription, BED, OTT of SBRT.

Clinical Outcomes of Mechanical Thrombectomy for Acute Ischemic Stroke in Transfer Cases.

Objective: There are regional disparities in endovascular thrombectomy, and problems with emergency transport systems and hospital collaboration when transferring need to be addressed. In this study, the clinical outcomes of endovascular thrombectomy for transferred patients were analyzed.

Methods: Acute ischemic stroke patients who underwent endovascular thrombectomy between January 2016 and March 2019 were enrolled.

Clinical Results of Mechanical Thrombectomy in Nonagenarians with Acute Ischemic Stroke.

Objective: Multiple randomized trials have demonstrated the efficacy of mechanical thrombectomy (MT), but very elderly patients aged ≥90 years were excluded. It remains uncertain whether endovascular therapy is effective for nonagenarians. The objective of this study was to investigate the effectiveness and safety of MT in nonagenarians.

Fibrous Meningioma with Skull Invasion.

In patients with meningiomas, the presence of skull invasion is known to be a predictor of aggressive clinical behavior, which may negatively influence patient outcomes. In the present report, we discuss a case of fibrous meningioma with skull invasion. A 42-year-old woman was referred to our department presenting with hyperostosis in the right parietal bone.

Effect of PD-1 inhibitor on exhaled nitric oxide and pulmonary function in non-small cell lung cancer patients with and without COPD.

Background: Nivolumab, a programmed death 1 (PD-1) immune checkpoint inhibitor, has been shown to improve survival in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The possible involvement of PD-1 axis in the pathogenesis of inflammatory lung disease, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has also been reported. However, effects of PD-1 blockade on the respiratory system remain unknown.

The characteristics of the patients with radiologically severe cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament of the spine: A CT-based multicenter cross-sectional study.

Background: Ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament of the spine (OPLL) is characterized by heterotopic bone formation in the posterior longitudinal ligament of the spine. We know that the size and distribution of the ossified lesions in patients with OPLL are different in each case. However, the characteristics of the patients with radiologically severe cervical OPLL remain unknown.

Effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients undergoing radical cystectomy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer: a retrospective, multi-institutional study.

Objective: We evaluated the effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients undergoing radical cystectomy for urothelial bladder cancer.

Methods: We retrospectively examined 140 consecutive patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (clinical stage T2 to T4 and N0) who underwent radical cystectomy with or without neoadjuvant chemotherapy at four academic institutions between January 2006 and December 2016. Patients were categorized into the neoadjuvant chemotherapy group (those who underwent treatment with any neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimen; n = 69) and the non-neoadjuvant chemotherapy group (those who did not receive any neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimen; n = 71).

Effects of Surgery and Radiotherapy on Recurrent Skull Base Meningiomas: Clinical and Biological Analyses.

We reviewed the medical records of 392 patients who underwent initial surgery for skull base meningiomas between 1983 and 2008. Among them, 32 (8.2%) showed tumor recurrence.