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Daishi Shimada,1 Motoyasu Sagawa,2 Masafumi Seki1,3 1Division of Infectious Diseases, Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University Hospital, Sendai City, Japan; 2Division of Endoscopy, Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University Hospital, Sendai City, Japan; 3Division of Infectious Diseases and Infection Control, Saitama Medical University International Medical Center, Hidaka City, JapanCorrespondence: Masafumi Seki, Division of Infectious Diseases and Infection Control, Saitama Medical University International Medical Center, Yamane 1397-1, Hidaka City, Saitama, Japan, Tel +81-42-984-4392, Fax +81-42-984-0280, Email sekimm@saitama-med.ac.jpBackground: Higher rates of diagnosis of pulmonary Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare complex (MAC) disease by bronchoscopy (BS) in patients who could not diagnose by sputum cultures have been suggested, but the detailed utility of BS, especially in combination with anti-glycopeptidolipid-core IgA antibodies (anti-MAC Ab), is still unclear.Methods: A total of 111 patients at our hospital with suspected MAC who underwent BS because they were sputum-negative from April 2018 to March 2022 were analyzed prospectively. These patients were also divided into two groups, anti-MAC Ab-positive and anti-MAC Ab-negative, and compared.Results: A total of 111 patients underwent BS, though 95 (38.0%) of 250 enrolled patients were sputum smear/culture-positive. The age of the 111 patients was 69.14 (31.0– 89.0) years, and 90 (81.0%) were female; 69 (62.2%) of 111 patients were either smear-positive (n = 42, 37.8%) or culture-positive (n = 27, 24.3%) by BS. Of the total 111 patients, 69 (62.2%) were anti-MAC Ab-positive and 57 (82.6%) of 69 patients were also positive by BS. In contrast, only 12 (28.6%) of the 42 anti-MAC Ab-negative patients were positive by BS. The sensitivity and specificity of anti-MAC Ab for positive by BS were 82.6% and 71.4%, respectively, and the area under the curve (AUC) on receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was 0.807.Conclusion: BS and anti-MAC Ab showed similar usefulness to confirm the diagnosis in patients who could not be diagnosed by sputum examination, but pulmonary MAC disease was strongly suspected based on chest radiography/CT findings. These two examinations were correlated, and their combination appeared to provide more accurate diagnosis and earlier therapy.Keywords: anti-MAC antibody, bronchiectasis, bronchoscopy, nontuberculous mycobacteria, sputum

This single-arm multi-institutional prospective study aimed to evaluate the 10-year outcomes of sublobar resection for small-sized ground-glass opacity-dominant lung cancer. Among 73 patients prospectively enrolled from 13 institutions between November 2006 and April 2012, 53 ground-glass opacity-dominant lung cancer patients underwent sublobar resection with wedge resection as the first choice. The inclusion criteria were maximum tumor size of 8-20 mm; ≥ 80% ground-glass opacity ratio on high-resolution computed tomography; lower 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose accumulation than the mediastinum; intraoperative pathological diagnosis of adenocarcinoma in situ; and no cancer cells on intraoperative cut margins. The primary endpoint was a 10-year disease-specific survival. The 53 eligible patients had a mean tumor size of 14 ± 3.4 mm and a mean ground-glass opacity ratio of 95.9 ± 7.2%. Wedge resection and segmentectomy were performed in 39 and 14 patients, respectively. The final pathological diagnoses were adenocarcinoma in situ in 47 patients (88.7%) and adenocarcinoma with mixed subtype in 6 patients (11.3%). The 10-year disease-specific survival and overall survival were 100% and 96.2%, respectively, during a median follow-up period of 120 months (range, 37-162 months). Ground-glass opacity-dominant small lung cancer is cured by sublobar resection when patients are strictly selected by the inclusion criteria of this study., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Care management of home-based long-term care is vital for community-dwelling older adults. Regarding care planning, which is a part of care management, appropriate care plans according to individual conditions are extremely important for older adults to continue living independently in their familiar environment for as long as possible. We compared the use of care services in the last year of life between advanced and conventional care management. The results showed that among the older adults with a care-need level of 3, 4, or 5, the advanced care management group had a significantly higher rate of use of home-visit nursing services than the conventional care management group. These differences could be attributed to differences in the care planning knowledge, experience, and the training environment of the care managers' offices.

Since inorganic nanoparticles have unique properties that differ from those of bulk materials, their material applications have attracted attention in various fields. In order to utilize inorganic nanoparticles for functional materials, they must be dispersed without agglomeration. Therefore, the surfaces of inorganic nanoparticles are typically modified with organic ligands to improve their dispersibility. Nevertheless, the relationship between the tail group structure in organic ligands and the dispersibility of inorganic nanoparticles in organic solvents remains poorly understood. We previously developed amphiphilic ligands that consist of ethylene glycol chains and alkyl chains to disperse inorganic nanoparticles in a variety of organic solvents. However, the structural requirements for amphiphilic ligands to "flexibly" disperse nanoparticles in less polar to polar solvents are still unclear. Here, we designed and synthesized several phosphonic acid ligands for structure-function relationship studies of flexdispersion. Dynamic light scattering analysis and visible light transmittance measurements revealed that the ratio of alkyl/ethylene glycol chains in organic ligands alone does not determine the dispersibility of the nanoparticles in organic solvents, but the arrangement of the individual chains also has an effect. From a practical application standpoint, it is preferable to design ligands with ethylene glycol chains on the outside relative to the particle surface., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Introduction: Healthy eating and weight control are recommended for cancer survivors; however, dietary interventions are not routinely offered to them. This study aimed to assess the effects of dietary interventions on survival, nutritional status, morbidity, dietary changes, health-related quality of life (QOL), and clinical measures in cancer survivors., Methods: Searches were conducted from October 1, 2018 to November 21, 2011 in the Medline, EMBASE, CENTRAL, Emcare, and DARE electronic databases. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that involved individuals diagnosed with cancer, excluding conference abstracts, case studies, other reviews, and meta-analyses, and screened the articles., Results: Eight studies were included in this meta-analysis. We observed significant improvements in QOL and clinical data in 3 of 6 studies and in one study, respectively, significant weight loss on anthropometry in 2 of 5 studies, and dietary improvement in 4 of 5 studies of adult cancer survivors. However, we did not observe any benefits of dietary intervention for cancer survivors with undernutrition., Discussion: Dietary interventions for adult cancer survivors might contribute to improving their nutritional status; however, further clarification requires a study that standardizes the intervention method. Furthermore, RCTs are required to determine the effects on cancer survivors with undernutrition., Competing Interests: There authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Pleomorphic adenomas occur primarily in the salivary glands, while the primary of the trachea is relatively rare. Depending on their location and size, they may elicit symptoms reminiscent of asthma and asphyxia. We performed a rigid bronchoscopic resection with a radiofrequency snare of a primary pleomorphic adenoma of the trachea with severe airway narrowing. In this case, the positive resection margins raised concerns about malignant transformation and local recurrence, but no recurrence has been observed seven years postoperatively. The low expression of Ki-67 on immunohistological examination may be one of the reasons for the absence of recurrence., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

We report two rare cases of cardiac tamponade after left upper lobectomy. Case 1:A 76-year-old man underwent thoracoscopic left upper lobectomy and lymph node dissection for lung cancer. The patient suddenly developed cardiac tamponade the day after surgery. Emergency surgery was performed to stop bleeding and confirm the source of bleeding, and dark red pericardial fluid and hematoma were observed in the pericardial sac. There was no postoperative recurrence of cardiac tamponade. He died 1 year and 2 months after the operation. Case 2:A 77-year-old woman underwent thoracoscopic left upper lobectomy and lymph node dissection for lung cancer. The patient did well until the 6th postoperative day. On the 7th postoperative day, she complained of sudden severe back pain, immediately after which she lost consciousness and went into cardiopulmonary arrest. The echocardiography revealed cardiac tamponade, and emergency pericardiocentesis was performed. The patient died without circulatory improvement despite drainage of approximately 200 ml of bloody pericardial fluid. The pathological findings of autopsy revealed penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer at the descending aorta. We speculated that severe back pain caused the afterload of left ventricle and the increase in left atrial pressure through mitral regurgitation, which might result in a bleeding from the staple-line of superior pulmonary vein in the pericardium.

This study investigated the potential of BioUnion filler containing glass ionomer cement (GIC) to enhance the properties of enamel surrounding restorations, with a specific focus on the effect on hardness. The hardness of the bovine enamel immersed in the cement was measured using Vickers hardness numbers. Following sliding and impact wear simulations, the enamel facets were examined using confocal-laser-scanning microscopy and scanning-electron microscopy. Surface properties were further analyzed using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD). A significant increase in Vickers hardness numbers was observed in the BioUnion filler GIC after 2 days. Furthermore, the mean depth of enamel facets treated with BioUnion filler GIC was significantly less than that of untreated facets. Characteristic XRD peaks indicating the presence of hydroxyapatite were also observed. Our findings imply that GIC with BioUnion fillers enhances the mechanical properties of the tooth surface adjacent to the cement.

Background: Perioperative factors are useful for predicting postoperative infectious complications (PIC) in gastric cancer. Specifically, postoperative inflammatory response indicators (PIRI), [C-reactive protein (CRP) level, body temperature (BT), and white blood cell (WBC) count], are widely used in clinical practice. We investigated predictive factors for PIC, including PIRI, to establish a simple and practical indicator of postoperative complications after gastrectomy., Methods: We retrospectively collected clinical data from 200 patients with fStage I-III gastric cancer. Univariate/multivariate analysis was performed to evaluate the relationship of predictive factors [host factors, clinicopathological factors, and PIRI (BT, WBC count, and CRP level on postoperative day (POD) 1 and 3) ]. Cut-off values of the predictive factors were analyzed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve modulated by the presence/absence of PIC Grade II, III (Clavien-Dindo classification)., Results: Age [Odds ratio (OR): 5.67], smoking history (OR: 3.51), and CRP level (OR: 5.65), WBC count (OR: 8.96), and BT (OR: 3.37) on POD3 were selected as independent factors from multivariate analysis. Cut-off values were 77 years, 14.8 mg/dL, 116.0×10 2 /μL, and 37.4°C, respectively., Conclusions: Predictive factors relative to PIC in gastric cancer were CRP level ≥ 14.8 mg/dL, WBC count ≥ 116.0×10 2 /μL, and BT ≥ 37.4°C all on POD3. Age ≥ 77 years, and history of smoking were relative to PIC, suggesting a simple and practical indicator applicable in clinical practice.

Aim: The long-term care (LTC) insurance system provides a combination of several services in Japan; therefore, it is important to clarify service utilization. Furthermore, it is important to consider multimorbidity among older adults, who frequently present several diseases. This study aimed to clarify LTC service utilization patterns, including those for newly added multifunctional services, and to describe the basic characteristics, including multimorbidity, of these patterns., Methods: We included 37 419 older adults in care need levels 1-5, living at home, who used LTC services in October 2017. We used LTC and medical claims data that were linked using unique identifiers from the National Health Insurance, Advanced Elderly Medical Insurance, and LTC Insurance of Shizuoka Prefecture in Japan. LTC service utilization patterns were identified using cluster analysis based on service fees. Multimorbidity was analyzed using the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) and compared characteristics in these patterns., Results: Six LTC service utilization patterns were identified: light use (51.0%), intensive use of day care (33.7%), intensive use of short stay (6.3%), intensive use of home help (5.1%), multifunctional LTC in small-group homes (MLS) use (3.7%), and MLS and home-visiting nurses (MLSH) use (0.2%). MLSH use had the highest CCI (3.6 ± 2.3). Intensive use of day care and short stay had the lowest CCI (2.6 ± 1.9)., Conclusions: The characteristics of multimorbidity differed by LTC service utilization patterns. Our findings are useful for considering service utilization that takes into account the characteristics of older adults. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2024; 24: 283-289., (© 2024 Japan Geriatrics Society.)

Objective: To clarify whether perioperative immunonutrition is effective in adult patients with or without malnutrition undergoing elective surgery for head and neck (HAN) or gastrointestinal (GI) cancers., Background: It is important to avoid postoperative complications in patients with cancer as they can compromise clinical outcomes. There is no consensus on the efficacy of perioperative immunonutrition in patients with or without malnutrition undergoing HAN or GI cancer surgery., Materials and Methods: We searched MEDLINE (PubMed), MEDLINE (OVID), EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science Core Selection, and Emcare from 1981 to 2022 using search terms related to immunonutrition and HAN or GI cancer. We included randomized controlled trials. Intervention was defined as immunonutritional therapy including arginine, n-3 omega fatty acids, or glutamine during the perioperative period. The control was defined as standard nutritional therapy. The primary outcomes were total postoperative and infectious complications, defined as events with a Clavien-Dindo classification grade ≥ II that occurred within 30 days after surgery., Results: Of the 4825 patients from 48 included studies, 19 had upper GI cancer, 9 had lower, and 8 had mixed cancer, whereas 12 had HAN cancers. Immunonutrition reduced the total postoperative complications (relative risk ratio: 0.78; 95% CI, 0.66-0.93; certainty of evidence: high) and infectious complications (relative risk ratio: 0.71; 95% CI, 0.61-0.82; certainty of evidence: high) compared with standard nutritional therapy., Conclusions: Nutritional intervention with perioperative immunonutrition in patients with HAN and GI cancers significantly reduced total postoperative complications and infectious complications., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

There is no consensus on the efficacy of perioperative immunonutrition in patients with upper gastrointestinal (GI) cancer surgery. We clarified the impact of perioperative immunonutrition on postoperative outcomes in patients with upper GI cancers. We searched MEDLINE (PubMed), MEDLINE (OVID), EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science Core Selection, and Emcare from 1981-2022 using search terms related to immunonutrition and upper GI cancer. We included randomized controlled trials. Intervention was defined as immunonutritional therapy, including arginine, n-3 omega fatty acids, or glutamine during the perioperative period. The control was defined as standard nutritional therapy. The primary outcomes were infectious complications, defined as events with a Clavien-Dindo classification grade ≥ II that occurred within 30 days after surgery. After screening, 23 studies were included in the qualitative synthesis and in the quantitative synthesis. The meta-analysis showed that immunonutrition reduced infectious complications (relative risk ratio: 0.72; 95% confidence interval: 0.57-0.92; certainty of evidence: Moderate) compared with standard nutritional therapy. In conclusion, nutritional intervention with perioperative immunonutrition in patients with upper GI cancers significantly reduced infectious complications. The effect of immunonutrition for upper GI cancers in reducing the risk of infectious complications was about 30%.

Organic ligands on the surface of nanocrystals (NCs) are extremely important in influencing various physical properties, such as dispersibility, electrical properties, and optical properties. Recent studies have revealed that a slight difference in the molecular structure of aliphatic organic ligands significantly affects the dispersibility of the NCs. On the other hand, the effects of the difference in the molecular structure of ligands on the excited-state dynamics of NCs remain elusive. In this study, we synthesized a series of colloidal ZnO NCs capped with different alkyl phosphonic acids and investigated their photophysical properties using emission decay measurements and transient absorption spectroscopy. The spectral shape and lifetime of the emission originating from the surface oxygen defects of ZnO NCs are almost the same irrespective of the alkyl phosphonic ligands used, indicating that the electronic states of the surface oxygen defects are not affected by the bulkiness of the ligand. On the other hand, the emission quantum yield correlates with the rate of carrier trapping by oxygen defects, suggesting that the rate of carrier trapping reflects the number of oxygen defects. Revealing the detailed relationship between molecular structures of organic ligands and the optical properties of NCs is important for advanced photofunctional superstructures using semiconductor NCs., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Background: Alcoholic steatohepatitis and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis-related liver cirrhosis (ASH/NASH-LC) are major causes of esophageal varices (EVs). However, the association between high visceral fat and exacerbation of EVs remains unclear. The aim of this study was to clarify the association of visceral fat and recurrence rate of EVs in ASH/NASH-LC and to identify independent predictors associated with recurrence., Methods: We retrospectively evaluated data from 94 patients who underwent endoscopic injection sclerotherapy for EVs with ASH/NASH-LC. Using the receiver operating characteristic curve for the cut-off value of visceral fat index (VFI; 46.4 cm 2 /m 2 ), we classified patients as having a high VFI (n = 53) or low VFI (n = 41). Propensity score matching was used to align for background factors, and the recurrence rate of EVs was compared between the two groups. Predictors associated with esophageal variceal recurrence were identified by multivariate analysis. The recurrence rate in patients with viral LC was also investigated., Results: In the overall analysis, the recurrence rate was significantly higher in the high VFI group than in the low VFI group (P = 0.023). The recurrence rate was also higher in the high VFI group than in the low VFI group after propensity score matching, in which 19 patients were matched in each group (P = 0.048). VFI and Child-Pugh score were independently associated with recurrence. Recurrence rates were comparable between the two groups in viral LC patients., Conclusions: Worsening of variceal recurrence was observed in high visceral fat patients in ASH/NASH-LC but not in viral LC. Furthermore, high visceral fat was an independent predictor associated with variceal recurrence.

Objective: To evaluate the current status and postoperative course of nutritional management in bridge to surgery(BTS) after colorectal stenting for malignant colorectal stenosis., Subjects and Methods: The study included 242 colorectal cancer cases, 27 cases with malignant colorectal stenosis who underwent BTS group, 24 cases with malignant colorectal stenosis who fasted until the day of surgery and consumed drinking water and Elenthal®(no oral intake group), and 191 cases with non-stenotic colorectal cancer (diet group). The study items selected were nutritional management methods before colorectal cancer resection, nutritional assessment, surgical factors, and postoperative course., Results: The BTS, no oral intake, and diet groups were compared in 27, 0, and 191 patients, respectively. In contrast, the intake of Elenthal® was compared in 4, 20, and 5 patients and total parenteral nutrition in 3, 15, and 1 patients, respectively. There were no differences in nutritional sufficiency during hospitalization. The Onodera Nutritional Index(PNI)was significantly lower in the BTS and no oral intake groups than the diet group at the first outpatient visit before surgery. The PNI was significantly lower in the no oral intake group than in the diet group immediately before surgery. Blood loss was higher in the BTS and no oral intake groups than in the diet group, but there was no difference in operative time. The postoperative course was poorer in the no oral intake group than in the diet group. However, there was no difference between the diet and BTS groups., Conclusion: In patients with obstructive colorectal cancer in whom BTS could be performed, the results suggest that preoperative nutritional management with a high sufficiency rate using the intestinal tract may lead to a postoperative course comparable to that in non-stenotic cases.

Physical activity is considered a promising behavior to improve cognitive function and academic performance in adolescents. As evidence on the relationship of specific sports activity is not conclusive, this study aimed to determine the longitudinal relationships of different sports to academic performance in adolescents and evaluate the cardiorespiratory fitness mediation effect of these sports. We focused on the demands of complex motor skills and the differences between individual sports vs team sports. Four hundred and sixty-three 7th-grade students (227 girls and 236 boys) were followed up over 2 years. Data regarding participation in sports activities, types of sports activities, academic performance, and cardiorespiratory fitness were obtained at baseline and after a 2-year follow-up. Structural equation modeling revealed that participation in all sports activity was positively associated with improvement of academic performance from baseline to follow-up, and that these associations were mediated by cardiorespiratory fitness gains. Participation in sports activities that require more complex motor skills and individual sports activity was directly associated with an improvement of academic performance from baseline to follow-up. Furthermore, quitting sports activities was negatively associated with academic performance via a reversal in cardiorespiratory fitness gains. These findings indicate that participation in specific sports may have significant benefits for academic performance in adolescents. Although these relationships are presumably mediated by cardiorespiratory fitness, sports activities that require more complex motor skills and individual sports participation may be directly related to academic performance. Considering that quitting sports activities reversed these benefits, sustained participation in sports is important for academic success., (© 2020 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Purpose: We developed algorithms to identify patients with newly diagnosed cancer from a Japanese claims database to identify the patients with newly diagnosed cancer of the sample population, which were compared with the nationwide cancer incidence in Japan to assess the validity of the novel algorithms., Methods: We developed two algorithms to identify patients with stomach, lung, colorectal, breast, and cervical cancers: diagnosis only (algorithm 1), and combining diagnosis, treatments, and medicines (algorithm 2). Patients with newly diagnosed cancer were identified from an anonymized commercial claims database (JMDC Claims Database) in 2017 with two inclusions/exclusion criteria: selecting all patients with cancer (extract 1) and excluding patients who had received cancer treatments in 2015 or 2016 (extract 2). We estimated the cancer incidence of the five cancer sites and compared it with the Japan National Cancer Registry incidence (calculated standardized incidence ratio with 95% CIs)., Results: The number of patients with newly diagnosed cancer ranged from 219 to 17,840 by the sites, algorithms, and exclusion criteria. Standardized incidence ratios were significantly higher in the JMDC Claims Database than in the national registry data for extract 1 and algorithm 1, extract 1 and algorithm 2, and extract 2 and algorithm 1. In extract 2 and algorithm 2, colorectal cancer in male and stomach, lung, and cervical cancers in females showed similar cancer incidence in the JMDC and national registry data., Conclusion: The novel algorithms are effective for extracting information about patients with cancer from claims data by using the combined information on diagnosis, procedures, and medicines (algorithm 2), with 2-year cancer-treatment history as an exclusion criterion (extract 2).

The crystal structure and morphology of the Nd-rich phase in postannealed sintered Nd-Fe-B hard magnets using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was investigated. The results stated that the intragrain Nd-rich precipitates frequently disrupt magnetic domain wall arrangements, and that the magnetic interactions across thin amorphous Nd-rich phase are dominated by a simple dipole interaction.

Objective: This study aimed to clarify the effects of bridge to surgery(BTS)for malignant colorectal stenosis on the nutritional and immunological status., Subjects and Methods: A total of 19 patients with colorectal cancer who underwent BTS were included. We examined the technical success of stenting, clinical improvement, treatment progress after BTS, and nutritional and immunological status changes before and after BTS., Results: There were 19 technically successful cases and 18 clinically improved cases. One patient(Score 0)had an obstruction after BTS, which improved after stent repositioning. The CROSS Score before and after stenting improved in all patients. Scores 0 to 4 improved in 12 patients, Scores 0 to 3 in 5 patients, and Scores 3 to 4 in 2 patients. The median time to resume eating was 3 days, and the median surgery time was 25 days. The final diet before operation for colorectal consisted of a rokubugayu(rice gruel: polished rice content 12%)in 1 case, zengayu(rice gruel: polished rice content 20%)in 8 cases, soft diet in 5 cases, and regular diet in 5 cases. Before and after BTS, the nutritional and immunological status decreased significantly(p<0.05)with albumin levels ranging from 3.9- 3.5 g/dL, BUN/Cr from 24.8-12.5, and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio from 3.8-2.5; however, no significant fluctuations in the prognostic nutritional index were observed., Conclusion: BTS enabled the nutritional management using the intestinal tract and improved the patient's immune status.

Background: Epidural catheters are associated with certain risks such as accidental epidural catheter removal, including dislodgement and disconnection. Globally, neuraxial connector designs were revised in 2016 to provide new standardization aimed at decreasing the frequency of misconnections during the administration of medications. However, no studies have investigated accidental epidural catheter removal after the revised standardization. This study aimed to examine differences in dislodgement and disconnection rates associated with different catheter connector types, and to investigate the linear tensile strength required to induce disconnection., Methods: This retrospective cohort study included adult patients who underwent elective surgery and received patient-controlled epidural analgesia. Patients were divided into groups according to the type of catheter connection used: old standard, new standard, and new standard with taping groups. Furthermore, we prepared 60 sets of epidural catheters and connectors comprising 20 sets for each of the old, new, and taping groups, and used a digital tension meter to measure the maximum tensile strength required to induce disconnection., Results: This clinical study involved 360, 182, and 378 patients in the old, new, and taping groups, respectively. Dislodgement rates did not differ statistically among the three groups, while there was a significant difference in disconnection rates. Propensity score matching analysis for disconnection rates showed no difference between the old and new groups (2.8% vs. 4.5%, p = 0.574), while the new group had higher rates than the taping group (6.5% vs. 0%, p = 0.002). This laboratory study identified that a tensile strength of 12.41 N, 12.06 N, and 19.65 N was required for disconnection in the old, new, and taping groups, respectively, and revealed no significant difference between the new and old groups (p = 0.823), but indicated a significant difference between the new and taping groups (p < 0.001)., Conclusions: This clinical study suggested that dislodgement rates did not change among the three groups. Both clinical and laboratory studies revealed that disconnection rates did not change between the old and new connectors. Moreover, as a strategy to prevent accidents, taping the connecting points of the catheter connectors led to an increase in the tensile strength required for disconnection., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

It has been demonstrated that tumor cells express programed cell death protein 1 (PD-L1) to escape T lymphocytes that express programed cell protein 1 (PD-1), and PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint inhibitors have been regarded in lung cancer patients. CD80 and CD86 are members of B7 superfamily which regulates T lymphocyte activation and tolerance. However, immunolocalization of CD80 and CD86 has not been examined in the lung carcinoma tissues and their clinical significance remains unknown. Therefore, to clarify clinical significance of CD80 and CD86, we immunolocalized these in 75 non-small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLC) in this study. Immunoreactivities of CD80 and CD86 were mainly detected in tumor-infiltrating macrophages. Immunohistochemical CD80 status was high in 56% of NSCLC, and it was positively associated with stage, pathological T factor, distant metastasis, histological type and PD-L1 status. Moreover, multivariate analysis turned out that the CD80 status was an independent worse prognostic factor. CD86 status was high in 53% of the cases, but it was not significantly associated with any clinicopathological parameters. These findings suggest that CD80 is a potent worse prognostic factor possibly in association with escape from immune attack in NSCLC., Competing Interests: VThe authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest., (2022 The Japan Society of Histochemistry and Cytochemistry.)

Background/aim: We investigated the clinical efficacy of inflammation-based indexes in predicting unfavourable relapse-free survival (RFS) in patients with stage II/III colorectal cancer (CRC) receiving oxaliplatin-based adjuvant chemotherapy., Patients and Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on 45 patients who underwent curative resection for stage II/III CRC followed by oxaliplatin-based adjuvant chemotherapy after 8 weeks. Upon adjuvant chemotherapy initiation, all patients were evaluated for lymphocyte count (LC), neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), lymphocyte/monocyte ratio (LMR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (mGPS) and prognostic nutritional index (PNI), after which their correlation with relapse was analysed., Results: Univariate analysis identified LC <1,350/mm 3 , NLR ≥2.03, LMR <5.15, PLR ≥209, mGPS 2, and early discontinuation of chemotherapy within two months as significant risk factors for RFS. Multivariate analysis identified LMR <5.15, PLR > 209 and mGPS 2 as significant independent risk factors for unfavourable RFS., Conclusion: Measurement of LMR, PLR, and mGPS upon adjuvant therapy initiation can be a useful tool for predicting recurrence after curative surgery for stage II/III CRC., Competing Interests: All Authors have no conflicts of interest in relation to this study., (Copyright 2022, International Institute of Anticancer Research.)

We investigated the significance of transitions in the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio(NLR)before and after TACE for HCC could be a predictor of prognosis. The subjects were 108 patients with the first TACE performed from January 2010 to December 2019. NLR was calculated before and 1 month after TACE, and the relationship with therapeutic effect and prognosis was examined. When the transition of NLR before and after TACE was classified into 3 groups with a cut-off value of 5.0, group A(less than 5.0 after TACE): 52 cases(48.1%), group B(5.0 or more after TACE): 33 cases(30.6%)and C group(5.0 or more before and after TACE): 23 cases(21.3%). Median survival time were 25.0 months in group A, 18.5 months in group B, and 12.7 months in group C(p=0.0005). In multivariate analysis, treatment effect, NLR transition, AFP value, and serum albumin level were prognostic factors for HCC after TACE. Changes in NLR before and after TACE may help predict more detailed prognosis.

We report 4 cases of liver metastasis from renal cell carcinoma(RCC). Case 1: 72 years old, female. Pancreatic metastasis was resected 7 years after resection of left RCC, and hepatic posterior sectionectomy was performed for multiple liver metastases 2 years later. After that, multi-organ metastasis appeared and she died of the primary disease. Case 2: 72 years old, male. Liver metastasis and right RCC appeared 16 years after resection of left RCC, and hepatic posterior sectionectomy and partial resection of right kidney were performed. Nine months later, liver metastasis recurred and hepatic partial resection was performed. Case 3: 55 years old, male. After surgery for right RCC with tumor thrombus in the right atrium, multiple lung and liver metastases appeared, and hepatic central bisectionectomy was performed after chemotherapy. Case 4: 60 years old, male. Multiple pancreatic and lung metastases appeared 10 years after resection of left RCC, and most of them shrank or disappeared with chemotherapy. But increasing metastases appeared in the tail of pancreas and the right lobe of liver 16 months later, and hepatic subsegmentectomy and distal pancreatectomy were performed. Multidisciplinary treatment such as aggressive chemotherapy and excision is expected to improve the prognosis for liver metastasis from RCC.

This study was designed to evaluate the timing of administration of the bovine appeasing substance (BAS) on performance and physiological responses of Bos indicus feedlot cattle. Nellore bulls (n = 100) were ranked by initial body weight (BW; 341 ± 18.5 kg) and assigned to receive BAS (n = 50) or placebo (CON; n = 50) on day -2 of the experiment. Treatments (5 mL) were applied topically to the nuchal skin area of each bull. Bulls were loaded into commercial livestock trailers immediately after treatment administration, transported for 880 km, and unloaded on day -1 at a commercial feedyard. On day 0, bulls within each treatment were again assigned to receive, in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement, BAS or CON as described previously (25 bulls/treatment combination). Upon treatment administration on day 0, bulls were housed in 12 feedlot pens (3 pens/treatment) for a 108-d feeding period, which was divided into an adaptation (days 0-19), growing (days 20-60), and finishing (days 61-108) phases. Dry matter intake (DMI) was measured daily from days 0 to 108, whereas blood samples and hair from the tail switch were collected on days -2, 0, 19, 60, and 108. Administration of BAS prior to loading (day -2) improved ADG, FE, and DMI during adaptation and across the 108-d feeding period (P ≤ 0.08), resulting in greater (P = 0.03) hot carcass weight and dressing percentage upon slaughter on day 109. A treatment × day interaction was detected for serum glucose concentrations (P = 0.05), which was greater (P = 0.03) on day 60 of the feeding period in bulls receiving CON prior to loading. Administration of BAS at feedlot entry (day 0) improved DMI, ADG, and FE during adaptation (P ≤ 0.05), but it did not impact (P ≥ 0.18) performance and carcass traits during the 108-d feeding period. Bulls administered BAS prior to loading and at feedlot entry had less (P ≤ 0.05) mean serum cortisol concentrations across the 108-d feeding period (loading × feedlot entry interaction; P = 0.10) and greater (P ≤ 0.05) serum insulin concentration on day 60 (loading × feedlot entry × day interaction; P = 0.05). In summary, BAS administration prior to loading increased the overall feedlot performance of Nellore bulls. These outcomes were noted in bulls that received or not a second BAS administration at feedlot entry, suggesting that the benefits of BAS are exploited when this substance is administered before transport to the feedlot., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society of Animal Science. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)