TLL1 variant associated with development of hepatocellular carcinoma after eradication of hepatitis C virus by interferon-free therapy.

Background: The aim of this study is to ascertain whether the TLL1 variant at rs17047200 is associated with the development of HCC after achieving sustained virological response (SVR) by interferon (IFN)-free therapy for chronic hepatitis C (CHC).

Methods: A total of 1029 Japanese CHC patients with the following inclusion criteria were enrolled: (i) achieved SVR by IFN-free therapy, (ii) followed up at least 1 year from the end of treatment (EOT) (median 104 weeks), (iii) no history of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by 1 year from the EOT.

Results: Nineteen patients developed HCC (HCC group) and 1010 did not (non-HCC group).

Repression of IGF-I-induced osteoblast migration by (-)-epigallocatechin gallate through p44/p42 MAP kinase signaling.

Polyphenolic compounds in beverages may have benefits in the prevention of osteoporosis. It has been demonstrated previously that insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) could stimulate the migration of osteoblasts. In the present study, it was investigated whether chlorogenic acid, a major polyphenol in coffee, and (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a major polyphenol in green tea, could affect this IGF-I-stimulated migration of osteoblast-like MC3T3-E1 cells.

Impact of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle biopsy on the diagnosis of subepithelial tumors: A propensity score-matching analysis.

Background And Aim: Immunohistological evaluations are essential for diagnosing subepithelial tumors (SET). However, endoscopic ultrasound-guided sampling using fine-needle aspiration (FNA) needles is limited in its ability to procure core tissue for immunostaining. Fine-needle biopsy (FNB) needles may mitigate this limitation.

Time-resolved magnetic resonance angiography as a follow-up method for visceral artery aneurysm treated with coil-embolisation.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to assess the feasibility and usefulness of time-resolved magnetic resonance angiography (TR-MRA) for follow-up of visceral artery aneurysms (VAAs) after embolotherapy.

Material And Methods: Twenty-one VAAs (11 splenic, six renal, three internal iliac, and one superior pancreaticoduodenal artery aneurysms) in 18 patients (median age, 64 years; range, 36-88 years) previously treated by embolisation with platinum coils, were evaluated. The mean size of the aneurysm was 10.

The relationship between the expression of thymidylate synthase, dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase, orotate phosphoribosyltransferase, excision repair cross-complementation group 1 and class III β-tubulin, and the therapeutic effect of S-1 or carboplatin plus paclitaxel in non-small-cell lung cancer.

Previous studies have reported that the expressions of specific proteins may predict the efficacy of chemotherapy agents for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. The present study evaluated the expression of proteins hypothesized to be associated with the effect of chemotherapeutic agents in 38 NSCLC patients with pathological stage II and IIIA. The subjects received carboplatin plus paclitaxel (CP) or S-1 as adjuvant chemotherapy following complete resection.

The utility and efficacy of self-expandable metal stents for treating malignant gastric outlet obstructions in patients under best supportive care.

Purpose: Self-expandable metallic stents (SEMSs) may be used to effectively palliate malignant gastric outlet obstructions (GOOs), but their utility and efficacy in patients under best supportive care (BSC) have not been explored.

Method: In this multicenter retrospective study, we reviewed data on patients under BSC who underwent endoscopic SEMS placement to treat malignant GOO without chemotherapy. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of the procedure.

The absence of class III β-tubulin is predictive of a favorable response to nab-paclitaxel and gemcitabine in patients with unresectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

The combined administration of nab-paclitaxel and gemcitabine (nab-P + Gem) is a standard chemotherapy for unresectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (UR-PDAC); thus, a predictive biomarker to identify patients best suited for nab-P + Gem therapy would be useful. Class III β-tubulin (TUBB3) has been reported to be a predictive marker for taxane resistance in various tumors. However, the correlation between TUBB3 expression and the response to nab-P + Gem in patients with UR-PDAC has not been evaluated.

Case of epidermolysis bullosa acquisita with concomitant anti-laminin-332 antibodies.

Subepidermal autoimmune blistering disease including bullous pemphigoid, pemphigoid gestationis, mucous membrane pemphigoid, anti-laminin-γ1 pemphigoid, linear immunoglobulin A bullous disease and epidermolysis bullosa acquisita (EBA), are all characterized by direct immunofluorescence microscopy or immunoglobulin deposition on the basement membrane zone. Among them, EBA is a rare acquired subepidermal autoimmune blistering disease of the skin and mucous membranes reactive with type VII collagen, a major component of the epidermal basement membrane zone. Anti-laminin-332-type mucous membrane pemphigoid has pathogenic autoantibodies against laminin-332, which is a basement membrane heterotrimeric protein composed of α3, β3 and γ2 laminin chains.

Diagnostic utilities of a fully automated molecular test for toxigenic Clostridium difficile.

Laboratory underdiagnosis of toxigenic Clostridium difficile can lead to inappropriate management of C. difficile infection (CDI). A fully automated molecular test (FAMT), BD MAX, and enzyme immunoassays for C.

Covered duodenal self-expandable metal stents prolong biliary stent patency in double stenting: The largest series of bilioduodenal obstruction.

Background And Aim: Endoscopic biliary and duodenal stenting (DS; double stenting) is widely accepted as a palliation therapy for malignant bilioduodenal obstruction. The aim of the current study was to investigate the patency and adverse events of duodenal and biliary stents in patients with DS.

Methods: Patients who underwent DS from April 2004 to March 2017 were analyzed retrospectively with regard to clinical outcomes and predictive factors of recurrent biliary and duodenal obstruction (recurrent biliary obstruction [RBO] and recurrent duodenal obstruction [RDO]).

Usefulness of esophagogastroduodenoscopy and F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron-emission tomography in detecting synchronous multiple primary cancers with oral cancer.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to compare the value of screening for synchronous multiple primary cancers in other organs by esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) or F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron-emission tomography (PET-CT) in patients newly diagnosed with oral cancer.

Methods: We retrospectively examined consecutive Japanese patients who were diagnosed with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and were screened for synchronous multiple primary cancers in other organs by EGD and/or PET-CT between January 2010 and December 2015 at our institution. The study included 190 patients (106 males and 84 females) from 36 to 93 years of age (median age 68.

Prospective comparison of preference and efficacy of adalimumab and infliximab for treating ulcerative colitis naive to antitumor necrosis factor therapy.

There have been few reports on 2 tumor necrosis factor alpha inhibitors, infliximab and adalimumab, with respect to patient preference and efficacy in ulcerative colitis (UC).We used questionnaires to evaluate the preference and reasons for drug choice between infliximab and adalimumab in UC patients naive to antitumor necrosis factor alpha therapy. We also analyzed the efficacy of infliximab and adalimumab prospectively and endoscopically before treatment and at 14 and 54 weeks.

Multiparametric MRI for differentiation of borderline ovarian tumors from stage I malignant epithelial ovarian tumors using multivariate logistic regression analysis.

Objective: To assess the value of contrast-enhanced MRI, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) measurement, and CA-125 measurement for differentiating borderline ovarian tumors (BOTs) from stage I malignant epithelial ovarian tumors (MEOTs).

Material And Methods: This retrospective study included 43 patients with BOTs and 43 patients with stage I MEOTs who underwent contrast-enhanced MRI with DWI and CA-125 analysis. Two radiologists evaluated the MRI findings in consensus.

Clinical evaluation of sofosbuvir/ledipasvir in patients with chronic hepatitis C genotype 1 with and without prior daclatasvir/asunaprevir therapy.

Aim: This study explored treatment outcomes of sofosbuvir (SOF)/ledipasvir (LDV) therapy for chronic hepatitis C patients with and without prior daclatasvir (DCV)/asunaprevir (ASV) therapy.

Methods: Overall, 530 Japanese patients who were infected with hepatitis C virus genotype 1 received SOF/LDV therapy for 12 weeks, and resistance-associated variants (RAVs) in the hepatitis C virus non-structural protein (NS)5A and NS5B regions were assessed at baseline and virological relapse by direct sequencing.

Results: Sustained virological response (SVR) rates did not significantly differ between patients with and without NS5A Y93H/N (94.

Predictors of stent dysfunction after self-expandable metal stent placement for malignant gastric outlet obstruction: tumor ingrowth in uncovered stents and migration of covered stents.

Background: Endoscopic metallic stenting is widely accepted as a palliation therapy for malignant gastric outlet obstruction (GOO). However, the predictors of stent dysfunction have not been clarified. We aimed to evaluate the predictors, especially tumor ingrowth in uncovered self-expandable metallic stents (U-SEMS) and migration of covered self-expandable metallic stents (C-SEMS), which are the main causes related to the stent characteristics.

Predictors of outcomes in patients undergoing covered and uncovered self-expandable metal stent placement for malignant gastric outlet obstruction: a multicenter study.

Background And Aims: Uncovered self-expandable metal stents (U-SEMSs) and covered self-expandable metal stents (C-SEMSs) are available for palliative therapy for malignant gastric outlet obstruction (GOO). However, clinical differences and indications between the 2 types of SEMSs have not been elucidated.

Methods: We retrospectively compared 126 patients with U-SEMS and 126 patients with C-SEMSs with regard to clinical outcome and factors predictive of clinical improvement after SEMSs placement.

Efficacy of daclatasvir/asunaprevir according to resistance-associated variants in chronic hepatitis C with genotype 1.

Background: The present study explored the treatment outcome of daclatasvir (DCV) and asunaprevir (ASV) therapy combining oral direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) for chronic hepatitis C (HCV) including liver cirrhosis according to resistance-associated variants (RAVs) in NS3/NS5A region.

Methods: Overall, 641 patients enrolled in Japan with HCV-1b received DCV and ASV for 24 weeks. Baseline drug-resistant mutations L31F/I/M/V, Q54H, P58S, A92K, and Y93H in the HCV NS5A region and V36A, T54A/S, Q80K/L/R, R155K/T/Q, A156S/V/T, and D168A/E/H/T/V in the HCV NS3/4A region were assessed by direct sequencing.

A phase II prospective study of the trastuzumab combined with 5-weekly S-1 and CDDP therapy for HER2-positive advanced gastric cancer.

Background: We evaluated the efficacy and safety of 5-weekly S-1 and cisplatin combined with trastuzumab, a monoclonal antibody against human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 (HER2) for HER2-positive advanced gastric cancer (AGC).

Methods: This phase II study treatment consisted of S-1 (80-120 mg per day) orally on day 1-21, cisplatin (60 mg/m(2)) intravenously on day 8, and trastuzumab (8 mg/kg on day 1 of the first cycle, followed by 6 mg/kg every 3 weeks) intravenously. The primary end point was 1-year survival rate.

Labial salivary gland biopsy for diagnosing immunoglobulin light chain amyloidosis: a retrospective analysis.

Our goal was to evaluate the usefulness of labial salivary gland (LSG) biopsy for diagnosing immunoglobulin light chain (AL) amyloidosis, by comparing bone marrow and skin biopsies in the same patient population. This retrospective study included 34 consecutive patients who showed evidence of monoclonal proteins and symptoms considered to be due to amyloidosis, and who underwent a tissue biopsy from LSG between January 2005 and December 2012 at Nagoya City University Hospital. All samples of superficial tissues, including LSG, bone marrow, and skin, were independently evaluated as having amyloid deposits by a central review, which was blind to clinical information.