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Abstract Background and aim Ulcerative colitis (UC) is characterized by repeated relapse and remission. Because no fundamental therapeutic strategy has been established, the treatment goal is generally to maintain the remission phase for a long period after rapid remission induction. Granulocyte and monocyte adsorption (GMA) for UC is reportedly quite safe because it does not affect immunosuppression. Moreover, it is useful in combination with other remission induction therapy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the difference in efficacy by the timing of the addition of GMA with corticosteroids, calcineurin inhibitors, and anti‐cytokine therapy for active UC. Methods The study included 59 patients. Patients who started GMA of 5–11 days were in the early GMA combination group. Patients who started GMA 12 days or more were in the late GMA combination group. The primary endpoint was difference in the effect of additional GMA according to the timing of the intervention. The secondary endpoint was difference in the time to remission induction between the two groups. Results Of the 32 early GMA group patients, 24 achieved remission induction. Of the 27 late group patients, 18 achieved remission induction. No significant difference in induction rates was found (P = 0.481). The early group had shorter mean time to remission induction (P

Abstract Background Histopathology by pathologists is essential in the diagnosis of non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, auxiliary diagnostic procedures for malignant tumor have continued to evolve. Despite the poor prognosis of patients with NSCLC, the application of the latest procedures and technologies to the field of lung cancer has lagged. Mass spectrometry was used to detect trace amounts of peptides in human tissue with high accuracy. The aim of this study was to establish a method for diagnostic mass spectrometry to identify lymph node metastasis by detecting cytokeratin (CK)19, a useful biomarker in lung cancer. Methods We collected 81 lymph nodes with positive expression of CK19 in patients who underwent radical surgical resection in the Department of Thoracic Surgery at Iwate Medical University between May 2020 and December 2022. An X500R instrument was used for sample analysis. A positive result for lymph node metastasis as the detection at least two product ions (FGPGVAFR and ILGATIENSR) from CK19 was defined. Results Our study indicated a high diagnostic efficiency for mass spectrometry, with 87.5% sensitivity and 91.2% specificity. The mutual concordance of mass spectrometry methods and histopathological diagnosis was 90.1%. Conclusions Mass spectrometry offers high diagnostic accuracy and can be clinically applied to auxiliary diagnostic procedures for lymph node metastasis from NSCLC.

Background/Aims Endoscopic ultrasound gallbladder drainage (EUS-GBD) is gaining attention as a treatment method for cholecystitis. However, only a few studies have assessed the outcomes of permanent stenting with EUS-GBD. Therefore, we evaluated the clinical outcomes of permanent stenting using EUS-GBD. Methods This was a retrospective, single-center cohort study. The criteria for EUS-GBD at our institution are a high risk for surgery, inability to perform surgery owing to poor performance status, and inability to obtain consent for emergency surgery. EUS-GBD was performed using a 7-Fr double-pigtail plastic stent with a dilating device. The primary outcomes were the recurrence-free rate of cholecystitis and the late-stage complication-avoidance rate. Secondary outcomes were technical success, clinical success, and procedural adverse events. Results A total of 41 patients were included in the analysis. The median follow-up period was 168 (range, 10–1,238) days. The recurrence-free and late-stage complication-avoidance rates during the follow-up period were 95% (38 cases) and 90% (36 cases), respectively. There were only two cases of cholecystitis recurrence during the study period. Conclusions EUS-GBD using double-pigtail plastic stent was safe and effective with few complications, even in the long term, in patients with acute cholecystitis.

Abstract Background Pancreato‐biliary endoscopic procedures often need to be performed under deep intravenous sedation. The patients are at an increased risk of respiratory depression influenced by the anatomical dead space of the upper respiratory system. We aimed to evaluate the benefit of oxygen delivery through a single‐sided trans‐nasal catheter (TC) for patients undergoing pancreato‐biliary endoscopy. Methods Oxygen supplementation during the procedure was provided either by insertion of a single‐sided TC or insertion of a conventional nasal catheter (NC). A prospective, single‐blind, randomized controlled study was conducted in two groups. Results The number of patients who indicated a decrease in the peripheral transcutaneous oxygen saturation (SpO2; desaturation) was significantly lower in the TC group than in the counterpart (8/58; 13.8% vs. 26/58; 44.8% p < 0.001). The efficient oxygen delivery in the safe range was better conserved in the TC group than in the NC one. There was no adverse effect on both groups. The maximum SpO2 while the endoscopic procedure was significantly higher in the TC group (99.7% vs. 99.3% p = 0.016) and the minimum SpO2 was also significantly higher in the same group (97.7% vs. 94.1% p < 0.0001), which meant that the efficient oxygen delivery was better maintained in TC group than the NC group. Conclusions A single‐sided TC placed in the pharynx in patients undergoing pancreato‐biliary endoscopy prepares a superior condition of the patients for venous sedation, maintained hyper‐oxygen saturation and a relatively higher SpO2 level to be maintained in limited conditions to reduce the dead space with acceptable tolerance, as compared to the placement of a conventional NC.

Abstract We propose a scale-invariant derivative of the h-index as “h-dimension”, which is analogous to the fractal dimension of the h-index for institutional performance analysis. The design of h-dimension comes from the self-similar characteristics of the citation structure. We applied this h-dimension to data of 134 Japanese national universities and research institutes, and found well-performing medium-sized research institutes, where we identified multiple organizations related to natural disasters. This result is reasonable considering that Japan is frequently hit by earthquakes, typhoons, volcanoes and other natural disasters. However, these characteristic institutes are screened by larger universities if we depend on the existing h-index. The scale-invariant property of the proposed method helps to understand the nature of academic activities, which must promote fair and objective evaluation of research activities to maximize intellectual, and eventually economic opportunity.

Abstract Background Rapid intraoperative diagnosis for unconfirmed pulmonary tumor is extremely important for determining the optimal surgical procedure (lobectomy or sublobar resection). Attempts to diagnose malignant tumors using mass spectrometry (MS) have recently been described. This study evaluated the usefulness of MS and artificial intelligence (AI) for differentiating primary lung adenocarcinoma (PLAC) and colorectal metastatic pulmonary tumor. Methods Pulmonary samples from 40 patients who underwent pulmonary resection for PLAC (20 tumors, 20 normal lungs) or pulmonary metastases originating from colorectal metastatic pulmonary tumor (CRMPT) (20 tumors, 20 normal lungs) were collected and analyzed retrospectively by probe electrospray ionization‐MS. AI using random forest (RF) algorithms was employed to evaluate the accuracy of each combination. Results The accuracy of the machine learning algorithm applied using RF to distinguish malignant tumor (PLAC or CRMPT) from normal lung was 100%. The algorithms offered 97.2% accuracy in differentiating PLAC and CRMPT. Conclusions MS combined with an AI system demonstrated high accuracy not only for differentiating cancer from normal tissue, but also for differentiating between PLAC and CRMPT with a short working time. This method shows potential for application as a support tool facilitating rapid intraoperative diagnosis to determine the surgical procedure for pulmonary resection.

Pollen food allergy syndrome (PFAS) is caused by cross-reactivity with pollen; however, not all-pollen-sensitised individuals develop PFAS, and studies on the characteristics of PFAS development are limited in Japan. We investigated the prevalence and risk factors for the development of PFAS in Japanese children and adolescents sensitised to pollen and their association with pollen-specific IgE levels. The characteristics of PFAS were investigated in patients with allergies aged 3–18 years who visited Dokkyo Medical University Hospital between January 2016 and December 2019. Specific IgE levels for alder, Japanese cedar, ragweed, and orchard grass were measured in patients sensitised to any of the pollens. Patients were categorised into preschool (G1), elementary school (G2), and middle-high school (G3) groups. Overall, 600 patients were enrolled. The prevalence of PFAS was 8.5% in G1, 20% in G2, and 36.3% in G3. Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated strong associations between the risk of developing PFAS and older age (odds ratio (OR), 1.12; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.06–1.19; P

Abstract Background Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) prevalence is lower in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) than in those without IBD, suggesting that H. pylori plays a protective role in IBD. It has been reported that IBD may occur due to H. pylori eradication; however, it is unclear whether H. pylori eradication increases the incidence of IBD. Moreover, the effect of H. pylori eradication on IBD activity is unclear. Case presentation An 11-year-old boy diagnosed with ulcerative colitis (UC) was in clinical remission, with treatment involving 5-aminosalicylic acid. Fecal calprotectin (FC) level had decreased to 33.2 mg/kg, indicating mucosal healing. At age 12, he experienced epigastric pain on an empty stomach, which was relieved with dietary intake. His FC level was elevated without UC symptoms, such as diarrhea and bloody stools. He was diagnosed with H. pylori duodenal ulcer. H. pylori eradication (clarithromycin and amoxicillin for 7 days and a proton-pump inhibitor) led to symptom improvement the day after treatment initiation. However, he developed diarrhea and his FC level remained high despite improvement in duodenal ulcer symptoms and endoscopic findings of H. pylori eradication. Colonoscopy results indicated UC relapse. Conclusions H. pylori eradication may worsen UC activity. However, further studies are required as this case report involved only one pediatric patient with increased UC activity after H. pylori eradication.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a disease characterized by relapsing eczema with pruritus as a primary lesion, which is frequently encountered in clinical practice. Skin barrier dysfunction leads to enhanced skin irritability to non-specific stimuli and epicutaneous sensitization. In the lesion site, a further inflammation-related reduction in skin barrier function, enhanced irritability and scratching-related stimuli deteriorate eczema, leading to vicious cycle of inflammation. The current strategies to treat AD in Japan from the perspective of evidence-based medicine consist of three primary measures: (i) the use of topical corticosteroids and tacrolimus ointment as the main treatment for the inflammation; (ii) topical application of emollients to treat the cutaneous barrier dysfunction; and (iii) avoidance of apparent exacerbating factors, psychological counseling and advice about daily life. The guidelines present recommendations to review clinical research articles, evaluate the balance between the advantages and disadvantages of medical activities, and optimize medical activity-related patient outcomes with respect to several important points requiring decision-making in clinical practice.

Abstract Social networks often has the graph structure of giant strongly connected component (GSCC) and its upstream and downstream portions (IN and OUT), known as a bow-tie structure since a pioneering study on the World Wide Web (WWW). GSCC, on the other hand, has community structure, namely tightly knitted clusters, reflecting how the networks developed in time. By using our visualization of enhanced multidimensional scaling (MDS) and force-directed graph drawing for large and directed graphs, we discovered that a bow-tie in the WWW usually has clusters, which are locally-located mini bow-ties that are loosely connected to each other, resulting in a formation of GSCC as a whole. To quantify the mutual connectivity among such local bow-tie, we define a quantity to measure how a local bow-tie connects to others in comparison with random graphs. We found that there are striking difference between the WWW and other social and artificial networks including a million firms’ nationwide supply chain network in Japan and thousands of symbols’ dependency in the programming language of Emacs LISP, in which a global bow-tie exits. Presumably the difference comes from a self-similar structure and development of the WWW speculated by others.

This paper analyzes Kanoko Okamoto's 1938 novel, Fifty-three Stages Tokaido ("Tokaido gojyusantsugi"), with a focus on the haiku of Basho. It investigates the narrator's memory of the haiku "Kogarashi no mi ha Chikusai ni nitaru kana", analyzes her experience rememberinrg the as similar to Chikusai, Basho, and the world of the haiku. The narrator remembers an individual memory, a trip she once took with her husband. In the novel, the narrator and her husband are on a trip to Kuwana, the place of Basho's travels in Winter Days ("Fuyu no hi"), which featured the people of Owari province. The narrator realizes that her experience is hers, but is also connected to dozens of related experiences, for example those of, Basho and Chikusai, among others. She seems to be in a good mood taravelling with her husband around Tokaido, as she collects memories and senses that these memories are linked to other memories of Tokaido. As a result, the narrator/protagonist realizes that her life is also original.

Background/AimsThere is no consensus for using endoscopic papillary large balloon dilation (EPLBD) in patients without dilatation of the lower part of the bile duct (DLBD). We evaluated the feasibility and safety of EPLBD for the removal of difficult bile duct stones (diameter ≥10 mm) in patients without DLBD.Methods : We retrospectively reviewed the records of 209 patients who underwent EPLBD for the removal of bile duct stones from October 2009 to July 2014. Primary outcomes were the clearance rate and additional mechanical lithotripsy. Secondary outcomes were the incidence of complications and recurrence rate.Results : Fifty-seven patients had DLBD (27.3%), and 152 did not have DLBD (72.7%). There were no significant differences in the overall success rate or the use of mechanical lithotripsy. Success rate during the first session and procedure time were better in the DLBD than the without-DLBD group (75.7% vs 66.7%, 48.1±23.0 minutes vs 58.4±31.7 minutes, respectively). As for complications, there were no significant differences in the incidence of pancreatitis, perforation or bleeding after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. The recurrence rate did not differ significantly between the two groups.Conclusion : sEPLBD is a useful and safe method for common bile duct stone removal in patients without DLBD.

Case A 47‐year‐old man ingested 60 mL of a topical solution (3,000 mg minoxidil) and presented with prolonged hypotension. Treatment with dopamine hydrochloride and noradrenaline provided blood pressure control. Serum unchanged minoxidil concentrations at 4 and 16 h after ingestion were 4,994 and 33.9 ng/mL, respectively. Urine concentrations of unchanged minoxidil, minoxidil‐O‐glucuronide, and minoxidil‐N‐O‐sulfate at 16 h after ingestion were 360.4, 1,953, and 104.5 ng/mL, respectively. Outcome The serum unchanged minoxidil concentration rapidly decreased over a short interval. However, the patient needed to receive vasopressor support for the first 4 days after being admitted to the hospital. The urine minoxidil‐O‐glucuronide concentration was higher than the concentrations of unchanged minoxidil and minoxidil‐N‐O‐sulfate. Conclusion Although the serum concentration of unchanged minoxidil rapidly decreased, ingesting large amounts of a topical minoxidil solution can have serious and prolonged cardiovascular effects. Analyzing the minoxidil‐O‐glucuronide concentration in urine is useful for diagnosing minoxidil poisoning.

This paper analyzes the novel Levy Hideo wrote about 9.11, Chijinikudakete, focusing on the role of Basho’s haiku. What happens in this novel when Edward, the main character, remembers the haiku Shimajima ya Chijinikudakete natsu no umi) “All those islands! Broken into thousands of pieces, The summer sea)? What is broken into thousands of pieces? It is the sea, it is a building, and it is our words. Edward acquires multiplicity through remembering the haiku and listening to the sounds in the multilingual town he resides in, a provincial town where he has many hallucinations. This is his resistance to the hegemony of America because the United States unites to seek revenge for the terrorist attack. Edward’s weapons are words broken into thousands of pieces because they belong to daily life. But many of the words Edward hears don't belong to everyday life, for example, “avoid foreign entanglements,” “The evildoers shall be punished,” and “infidels.” He is confused by these words, but he listens to them, and he sees much life in these words and in his visions. What happens when Edward remembers Basho’s haiku? He translates English voices into Japanese, and he translates words into visions to resist unification.

Background and study aims: Several meta-analyses and randomized control trials have demonstrated the efficacy of rectal nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for preventing post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) pancreatitis (PEP). Diclofenac or indomethacin was administered at a dose of 100 mg in those studies, which may be too high for Asian population. In addition, rectal administration can be considered complicated. Patients and methods: This study was a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Patients with a PEP risk score ≥ 1 were randomly assigned to receive intravenous injection of 50 mg flurbiprofen axetil (flurbiprofen group) or saline only (placebo group). The primary outcome was reduced PEP. The secondary outcome was amylase level after 2 hours of ERCP as a predictor of PEP. (Clinical Trials.gov, ID UMIN000011322) Results: In total, 144 patients were enrolled from August 2013 to March 2015. We performed an interim analysis of the first 100 patients: 47 received flurbiprofen axetil and 53 received placebo. PEP occurred in 11 patients (11 %): 2 of 47 (4.3 %) in the flurbiprofen group and 9 of 53 (17 %) in the placebo group (P = 0.042). Relative risk reduction was 62.4 %. Hyperamylasemia did not differ significantly (17.0 % vs. 26.4 %, P = 0.109). This analysis resulted in early termination of the study for ethical reasons. Conclusions: Intravenous injection of low-dose flurbiprofen axetil after ERCP can reduce the incidence of PEP in high-risk patients

Background and study aims: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) may lead to a successful margin-negative resection in patients with initially unresectable locally advanced Klatskin tumor (IULAKT). Use of removable plastic stents is preferable for the safe implementation of NAC in patients with IULAKT to reduce the risk of recurrent cholangitis. Our aim was to evaluate the efficacy associated with the use of plastic stents placed across the stenosis and above the papilla (above stent) during NAC. Patients and methods: In this study, we stratified the patients into two groups chronologically with respect to the period of stent placement: above stent group (n = 17) and across stent group (n = 23) (plastic stent across the sphincter of Oddi). Results: The median stent patency period was 99 days in the above stent group and 31 days in the across stent group (P

The aim of this study was to investigate the usefulness of lubiprostone for bowel preparation and as a propulsive agent in small bowel endoscopy. Six healthy male volunteers participated in this randomized, 3-way crossover study. The subjects received a 24 μg tablet of lubiprostone 60 minutes prior to the capsule ingestion for capsule endoscopy (CE) and a placebo tablet 30 minutes before the capsule ingestion (L-P regimen), a placebo tablet 60 minutes prior to CE and a 24 μg tablet of lubiprostone 30 minutes prior to CE (P-L regimen), or a placebo tablet 60 minutes prior to r CE and a placebo tablet again 30 minutes prior to CE (P-P regimen). The quality of the capsule endoscopic images and the amount of water in the small bowel were assessed on 5-point scale. The median SBTT was 178.5 (117–407) minutes in the P-P regimen, 122.5 (27–282) minutes in the L-P regimen, and 110.5 (11–331) minutes in the P-L regimen (P=0.042). This study showed that the use of lubiprostone significantly decreased the SBTT. We also confirmed that lubiprostone was effective for inducing water secretion into the small bowel during CE.

Biological efficacy of a recombinant human hepatic cell line, glutamine synthetase transfected HepG2 (GS-HepG2), was examined with large-scale culture in a circulatory flow bioreactor and in pigs with ischemic liver failure. GS-HepG2 cells were cultured in a circulatory flow bioreactor from 5 × 107 to 4 × 109 cells for 109 days. The cells showed ammonia removal activity even under substrate (glutamic acid)-free medium, suggesting that the GS catalyzed the activity using intracellular glutamic acid that had been pooled during conventional culture. When GS-HepG2 bioartificial liver (BAL) was applied to pigs with ischemic liver failure, survival time was prolonged to 18.8 ± 6.1 h (mean ± SD, n = 4) from 13.8 ± 5.4 h (n = 6) and 10.7 ± 4.1 h (n = 6) (groups treated with cell-free BAL and treated with plasma exchange and continuous hemodia-filtration, respectively). Laboratory data indicated the tendency for improvement in increase of blood ammonia level and decline of blood coagulation indices in the GS-HepG2 BAL-treated group. The advantages and potential for the cell line as a bioreactor in BAL is also discussed, comparing to those of isolated porcine hepatocytes.

In this study, we report two cases of siblings diagnosed with primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) sharing an identical genotype yet exhibiting distinct phenotypes. A 13-year-old girl with acute pneumonia was admitted to our hospital. Chest and sinus radiography revealed situs inversus and bilateral maxillary sinusitis. Chest computed tomography revealed bronchiectasis. Her 6-year-old brother with acute bronchitis was admitted and was diagnosed with bronchial asthma due to recurrent wheezing. Unlike his sister, he did not have situs inversus. Both patients had a chronic wet cough and were diagnosed with bronchial asthma by their family doctor. The mean PCD rule (PICADAR) scores were 9 and 7, respectively. Genetic analysis confirmed the presence of the same homozygous mutation (c.546C > A,pTyr182Ter) in DNAI2. To date, there have been four reports of the same pathogenic variants but different PCD phenotypes. Pathological variants of DNAI2 cause the loss of the outer dynein arm, the absence of which results in a lack of primary ciliary movement involved in the left-right axis formation during the embryonic period. A lack of functional cilia results in randomized visceral asymmetry; hence, the same pathogenic variant may exhibit different phenotypes. PCD is often overlooked and is sometimes managed as bronchial asthma, as in these siblings. In our case, the PICADAR score was useful in predicting the clinical diagnosis of PCD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pseudohypoparathyroidism (PHP) is a rare disorder characterized by convulsions, tetany, and sensory abnormalities caused by hypocalcemia due to parathyroid hormone (PTH) resistance. Only few patients present with involuntary movements. We report the case of a 7-yr-old girl with PHP and involuntary movements triggered by running. Initially, she was suspected of having paroxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesia and was treated with carbamazepine (CBZ). Involuntary movements were reduced. However, 2 months post-treatment, she experienced convulsions during a fever. Blood tests and brain computed tomography revealed hypocalcemia, hyperphosphatemia, elevated intact PTH, and calcifications in the frontal cortex and basal ganglia. The patient showed no features of Albright's hereditary osteodystrophy. The involuntary movements disappeared after the discontinuation of CBZ and initiation of calcium and active vitamin D preparations. Methylation-specific multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification for the GNAS region and microsatellite analysis of chromosome 20 led to the diagnosis of PHP1B caused by epimutation. In 15 reported cases, with or without intracranial calcification, PHP-associated involuntary movements disappeared or became less severe with treatment for hypocalcemia; in eight of 11 cases, they were triggered by exercise or movement. PHP-associated hypocalcemia can trigger exercise-induced involuntary movements owing to lowered serum ionized calcium levels. In such patients, early blood tests are vital for the differential diagnosis of PHP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]