Comprehensive data of 5085 patients newly diagnosed with colorectal liver metastasis between 2013 and 2017: Fourth report of a nationwide survey in Japan.

The Joint Committee for Nationwide Survey on colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM) was established to improve treatment outcomes in patients with CRLM. The aim of this study was to evaluate the transition in the characteristics and treatment strategies of patients with CRLM and to analyze the prognostic factors. The data of 5085 patients newly diagnosed between 2013 and 2017 were compared with those of 3820 patients from 2005 and 2007.

Therapeutic benefit of lymphadenectomy for older patients with urothelial carcinoma of the upper urinary tract: a propensity score matching study.

Objectives: Regional lymphadenectomy for urothelial carcinoma of the upper urinary tract is sometimes avoided in older patients to reduce surgical burden. We aimed to evaluate the therapeutic impact of lymphadenectomy in older patients undergoing curative therapy for upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma.

Methods: The patients with urothelial carcinoma of the upper urinary tract older than 75 years at the time of surgery and without lymph node or distant metastasis who underwent curative therapy at two tertiary hospitals between 1994 and 2019 were retrospectively analyzed.

Developing an instrument to self-evaluate the Discharge Planning of Ward Nurses.

Aims: To develop the Discharge Planning of Ward Nurses (DPWN), a Japanese self-evaluation instrument for ward nurses' discharge planning practices.

Design: Cross-sectional survey.

Methods: Participants were 624 ward nurses from six hospitals in Japan with a discharge planning department.

Human mesenchymal stem cell-engineered hepatic cell sheets accelerate liver regeneration in mice.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are an attractive cell source for cell therapy. Based on our hypothesis that suppression of Wnt/β-catenin signal enhances hepatic differentiation of human MSCs, we developed human mesenchymal stem cell-engineered hepatic cell sheets by a small molecule compound. Screening of 10 small molecule compounds was performed by WST assay, TCF reporter assay, and albumin mRNA expression.

Mutations of NOTCH3 in childhood pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Mutations of BMPR2 and other TGF-β superfamily genes have been reported in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). However, 60-90% of idiopathic PAH cases have no mutations in these genes. Recently, the expression of NOTCH3 was shown to be increased in the pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells of PAH patients.

Insertion/deletion polymorphism of the angiotensin-converting enzyme considerably changes postoperative outcome.

Study Objective: To evaluate the influence of insertion/deletion (ID) polymorphism of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene on clinical outcome of cardiac valve surgery.

Design: Prospective, blinded observational study.

Setting: Operating room and intensive care unit (ICU) of a university hospital.

The non-invasive cell surface modification of hepatocytes with PEG-lipid derivatives.

Hepatocyte-based therapies are promising regenerative approaches for liver diseases. In this study, we sought to develop a versatile method to modify the surface of hepatocytes by immobilizing synthetic polymers around the cells. The surface of murine primary hepatocytes was modified using poly(ethylene glycol)-phospholipids conjugate bearing FITC (FITC-PEG-lipid) in suspension.

Prognostic relevance of morphological types of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms of the pancreas.

Objective: The clinicopathological significance of four morphological types of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms of the pancreas (IPMNs; gastric, intestinal, pancreatobiliary and oncocytic) was assessed.

Design: Retrospective multicentre analysis of 283 surgically resected IPMNs.

Results: Of the 283 IPMNs, 139 were of the gastric type, 101 were intestinal, 19 were pancreatobiliary and 24 were oncocytic.

Bilateral endobronchial metastasis in postoperative stage I pulmonary adenocarcinoma.

We reported a case of bilateral endobronchial metastasis in postoperative synchronous adenocarcinoma. Twenty months ago, a 63-year-old man underwent combined operation. Biopsy was performed, histological diagnosis of pulmonary adenocarcinoma.

Alveolar cell senescence in patients with pulmonary emphysema.

Rationale And Objectives: The prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is age-dependent, suggesting an intimate relationship between the pathogenesis of COPD and aging. In this study we investigated whether the senescence of alveolar epithelial and endothelial cells is accelerated in emphysematous lungs.

Methods: Samples of lung tissue were obtained from patients with emphysema, asymptomatic smokers, and asymptomatic nonsmokers.

Oxidative stress increases Fas ligand expression in endothelial cells.

Background: Fas ligand (FasL) induces apoptosis in Fas-bearing target cells, such as leukocytes, and up-regulation of FasL expression on the endothelium may contribute to anti-inflammatory reactions that attenuate leukocyte extravasation during inflammation. Since oxidants generated during inflammation and cigarette smoking may modulate endothelial function, we examined the effect of H2O2 and cigarette smoke on endothelial FasL expression.

Methods: Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were exposed to nontoxic concentrations of H2O2 and cigarette smoke extracts (CSE).