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Yuki Yamanashi,1,* Mika Ohmichi,2,3,* Yusuke Ohmichi,2,3 Tatsunori Ikemoto,1 Young-Chang Arai,4 Yohei Maruyama,3 Shun Otsuka,3 Shuichi Hirai,3 Munekazu Naito,3 Masataka Deie1 1Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Aichi Medical University, Nagakute, Aichi, Japan; 2Department of Anatomy II, Kanazawa Medical University, Kahoku, Ishikawa, Japan; 3Department of Anatomy, Aichi Medical University, Nagakute, Aichi, Japan; 4Institute of Physical Fitness, Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, Aichi Medical University, Nagakute, Aichi, Japan*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Yusuke OhmichiDepartment of Anatomy II, Kanazawa Medical University, Kahoku, Ishikawa, JapanEmail ohmy@kanazawa-med.ac.jpTatsunori IkemotoDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Aichi Medical University, Nagakute, Aichi, JapanEmail tatsunon31-ik@umin.ac.jpObjective: To explore whether methotrexate (MTX) prevents joint destruction and improves pain-related behaviors in the acute phase of knee osteoarthritis (OA) induced by monosodium iodoacetate (MIA) in a rat model.Methods: Twenty of 25 male Wistar rats (10– 14 weeks old) received 3 mg MIA via intra-articular injection into their right knee and were then administered a vehicle control (n=10) or 3 mg/kg MTX orally weekly (n=10). We assessed differences in pain-related behavior, spontaneous lifting behavior, micro-computed tomography (CT), histopathology, and expression of pain- and inflammatory-related genes using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) between the two groups for 4 weeks. Five rats were used as untreated controls to assess pain- and inflammatory-related mRNA expression in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and knee joints using RT-qPCR.Results: Joint destruction and mechanical hyperalgesia were observed in the vehicle group. Decreases in mechanical pain thresholds for the knee joint and calf muscles were improved after MTX administration; however, joint damage assessed by micro-CT and histopathology was not significantly inhibited by MTX administration, while upregulation levels of transient receptor potential cation channel, subfamily V, member 1 (TRPV-1) (P< 0.01) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) (P=0.02) mRNA in the DRG and nerve growth factor NGF mRNA (P=0.03) in the affected knee joints were significantly suppressed in the MTX group compared with the vehicle group at week 4.Conclusion: Our results imply that MTX administration improves pain-related behaviors and suppresses expression of pain-related mRNAs in the DRG and knee joint; however, MTX is not expected to prevent cartilage degeneration in MIA-induced OA in rat knee.Keywords: knee osteoarthritis, methotrexate, monosodium iodoacetate, inflammation

Tomohito Tanaka,1 Shunsuke Miyamoto,1 Shinichi Terada,1 Yuhei Kogata,1 Hiroshi Sasaki,1 Satoshi Tsunetoh,1 Takashi Yamada,2 Masahide Ohmichi11Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Osaka Medical College, Takatsuki, Japan; 2Department of Pathology, Osaka Medical College, Takatsuki, JapanPurpose: Although laparoscopic radical hysterectomy (LRH) has been performed for patients with cervical cancer because of its minimal invasiveness, a recent large prospective study showed that LRH was associated with a lower rate of disease-free survival and overall survival. However, the reason for these results is not apparent. The aim of this study was to evaluate the tumor spillage during LRH with vaginal closure without the use of a manipulator.Patients and methods: Twenty-four patients with cervical cancer underwent total LRH with vaginal closure. To evaluate the leakage of cancer cells during surgery, peritoneal cytology was performed before and after hysterectomy.Results: Among 24 patients with cervical cancer, 2 had stage IA2 disease, 19 had stage IB1 disease and 3 had stage IIA1 disease. Two patients had lymph node metastasis. The median tumor size on final pathology was 9 mm. No cancer cells were identified before or after hysterectomy in any patients.Conclusion: Total LRH with vaginal closure did not increase the propensity for tumor spillage in the peritoneal cavity.Keywords: cervical cancer, laparoscopy, radical hysterectomy, vaginal closure

This article, published in the journal Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology, discusses a study on fetal breathing movements in cases where the mother received magnesium sulphate treatment. The researchers collected data from 80 fetal examinations and divided the videos into still images to develop a diaphragm detection model. They found that fetal breathing movements tended to decrease in cases where magnesium sulphate was administered. The study suggests that perinatal management should consider the impact of magnesium sulphate treatment on fetal well-being. [Extracted from the article]

Objectives: Although patients with gynecological malignancies now survive longer due to advances in early diagnosis and therapy, major issues still remain regarding the quality of life for the survivors. Surgical menopause increases the risk of atherosclerosis; however, few studies have investigated the influence of platinum-based adjuvant chemotherapy. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of platinum-based chemotherapy on atherosclerosis. Methods: This study enrolled 47 women (26 with ovarian cancers and 21 with endometrial cancers) who underwent surgical treatment, with or without platinum-based adjuvant chemotherapy, according to established protocols between 2007 and 2009. Arterial stiffness was measured by brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) performed before surgery, and subsequently at 12 months after treatment. The flow-mediated dilatation of the brachial artery was measured before and immediately following chemotherapy to evaluate the vascular endothelial damage. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were used to evaluate cisplatin-induced vascular endothelial dysfunction in vitro. Results: Although there were no significant differences in the baPWV associated with surgical treatment, platinum-based chemotherapy was associated with an increased baPWV. Significant decreases of flow-mediated dilatation were observed immediately following chemotherapy. An in vitro examination demonstrated that cisplatin attenuated nitric oxide production via inhibition of Akt-eNOS cascades in HUVECs. Conclusions: This research suggests that platinum-based chemotherapy directly induces vascular endothelial dysfunction and may be a risk factor for the development of atherosclerosis. Therefore, gynecologic cancer survivors should be educated about these potential risks, and informed regarding lifestyle modifications that may benefit their general health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We counted the red heat maps in images using Grad-CAM, and the reddest point in the thigh and the upper arm were (B). EP33.05: Visualisation of assessments of explainable AI: determination of difference between the upper arm and thigh in fetal ultrasound using Grad-CAM Explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) is essential for its clinical application. [Extracted from the article]