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Bile duct and anastomotic strictures and intrahepatic stones are common postoperative complications of congenital biliary dilatation (CBD). We performed double-balloon endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (DBERC) for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes after radical surgery. We focused on the effectiveness of DBERC for the treatment of postoperative complications of CBD patients. Bile duct and anastomotic strictures and intrahepatic stones are common postoperative complications of congenital biliary dilatation (CBD). We performed double-balloon endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (DBERC) for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes after radical surgery. We focused on the effectiveness of DBERC for the treatment of postoperative complications of CBD patients. This retrospective study included 28 patients who underwent DBERC (44 procedures) after radical surgery for CBD between January 2011 and December 2019. Strictures were diagnosed as “bile duct strictures” if endoscopy confirmed the presence of bile duct mucosa between the stenotic and anastomotic regions, and as “anastomotic strictures” if the mucosa was absent. The median patient age was 4 (range 0–67) years at the time of primary surgery for CBD and 27.5 (range 8–76) years at the time of DBERC. All anastomotic strictures could be treated with only by 1–2 courses of balloon dilatation of DBERC, while many bile duct strictures (41.2%) needed ≥ 3 treatments, especially those who underwent operative bile duct plasty as the first treatment (83.3%). Although the study was limited by the short follow-up period after DBERC treatment, DBERC is recommended as the first-line treatment for hepatolithiasis associated with biliary and anastomotic strictures in CBD patients, and it can be safely performed multiple times.

Urine is a complex liquid containing numerous small molecular metabolites. The ability to non-invasively test for cancer biomarkers in urine is especially beneficial for screening child patients. This study attempted to identify neuroblastoma biomarkers by comprehensively analysing urinary metabolite samples from children. A total of 87 urine samples were collected from 54 participants (15 children with neuroblastoma and 39 without cancer) and used to perform a comprehensive analysis. Urine metabolites were extracted using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry and analysed by Metabolon, Inc. Biomarker candidates were extracted using the Wilcoxon rank sum test, random forest method (RF), and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA). RF identified three important metabolic pathways in 15 samples from children with neuroblastoma. One metabolite was selected from each of the three identified pathways and combined to create a biomarker candidate (3-MTS, CTN, and COR) that represented each of the three pathways; using this candidate, all 15 cases were accurately distinguishable from the control group. Two cases in which known biomarkers were negative tested positive using this new biomarker. Furthermore, the predictive value did not decrease in cases with a low therapeutic effect. This approach could be effectively applied to identify biomarkers for other cancer types.

Currently, surgical staples are composed of non–biodegradable titanium (Ti) that can cause allergic reactions and interfere with imaging. This paper proposes a novel biodegradable magnesium (Mg) alloy staple and discusses analyses conducted to evaluate its safety and feasibility. Specifically, finite element analysis revealed that the proposed staple has a suitable stress distribution while stapling and maintaining closure. Further, an immersion test using artificial intestinal juice produced satisfactory biodegradable behavior, mechanical durability, and biocompatibility in vitro. Hydrogen resulting from rapid corrosion of Mg was observed in small quantities only in the first week of immersion, and most staples maintained their shapes until at least the fourth week. Further, the tensile force was maintained for more than a week and was reduced to approximately one-half by the fourth week. In addition, the Mg concentration of the intestinal artificial juice was at a low cytotoxic level. In porcine intestinal anastomoses, the Mg alloy staples caused neither technical failure nor such complications as anastomotic leakage, hematoma, or adhesion. No necrosis or serious inflammation reaction was histopathologically recognized. Thus, the proposed Mg alloy staple offers a promising alternative to Ti alloy staples.