Effectiveness of a virtual reality-based interventional radiology simulator for medical student education.

Purpose: We developed an interventional radiology (IR) simulator using a virtual reality system (the VR-IR simulator) to teach IR procedures to medical students. In this study, we investigated the effectiveness of this teaching method.

Materials And Methods: All ninety-nine fifth-year medical students attended a conventional classroom lecture.

Reduction en masse of Inguinal Hernia in a 2-Month-Old Male Infant.

Reduction en masse is the reduction of the hernial sac into the preperitoneal space, with a loop of bowel remaining trapped at the neck of the hernial sac. This complication is rare, usually associated with inguinal hernias, and is characterized by the absence of a noticeable bulge in the groin. The patient was a 2-month-old male infant and presented with a nonreducible bulge in his left groin, and incarceration of the left inguinal hernia was diagnosed.

Achaete-scute family bHLH transcription factor 2 activation promotes hepatoblastoma progression.

Achaete-scute family bHLH transcription factor 2 (ASCL2) is highly expressed in hepatoblastoma (HB) tissues, but its role remains unclear. Thus, biological changes in the HB cell line HepG2 in response to induced ASCL2 expression were assessed. ASCL2 expression was induced in HepG2 cells using the Tet-On 3G system, which includes doxycycline.

Single-cell next-generation sequencing of circulating tumor cells in patients with neuroblastoma.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) derived from any tumor tissue could contribute to metastasis and resistance to cancer treatments. In this study, we performed single-cell next-generation sequencing of CTCs and evaluated their usefulness for characterizing tumor biology and the mechanisms of metastasis in neuroblastomas (NB). We aimed to isolate CTCs from 10 patients with NB at diagnosis before any treatments and four patients at relapse.

A new surgical technique for short bowel syndrome.

Objective: Short bowel syndrome (SBS) is a severe intestinal disease that causes malabsorption. Long-term parental nutrition therapy induces infection and liver failure. For the surgical management of intestinal rehabilitation, the intestinal loop lengthening method and serial transverse enteroplasty (STEP) method have been reported, although their effects have proven limited.

Determination of the umbilicus position in Japanese children.

Background: Although there have been many reports concerning the normal position of the umbilicus, the measurements were performed from the surface of the body in all cases. We examined computed tomography (CT) images to determine the accurate position of the umbilicus in children.

Methods: We retrospectively examined the CT data of 120 Japanese children (60 boys, 60 girls).

Feasibility of Real-Time Central Surgical Review for Patients with Advanced-Stage Hepatoblastoma in the JPLT3 Trial.

In the JPLT3 study, a real-time central surgical reviewing (CSR) system was employed aimed at facilitating early referral of candidates for liver transplantation (LTx) to centers with pediatric LTx services. The expected consequence was surgery, including LTx, conducted at the appropriate time in all cases. This study aimed to review the effect of CSR on institutional surgical decisions in cases enrolled in the JPLT3 study.

Single-cell DNA and RNA sequencing of circulating tumor cells.

Single-cell sequencing of circulating tumor cells can precisely represent tumor heterogeneity and provide useful information for cancer treatment and research. After spiking TGW neuroblastoma cells into blood derived from healthy volunteer, the cells were isolated by fluorescence-activated cell sorting. DNA and mRNA were amplified by four different whole-genome amplifications (WGA) and three whole-transcriptome amplifications (WTA) methods, followed by single-cell DNA and RNA sequencing.

Design of taste-masked swellable drug particles using dry-coating technology with mechanical curing.

A novel dry coating technique for fine particles that does not require any liquids has been developed. Swellable ordered-mixed drug particles (Swell-OM-spheres, SOS), using a modified starch as the core particle and a drug coating layer have been previously developed. In the present work, SOS particles were further processed to generate 100-μm taste-masking particles using an all dry coating processes.

The "Twitching Technique": A New Space-Irrespective Laparoscopic Ligation Technique Using a JAiMY Needle Holder.

Laparoscopic intracorporeal sutures and knots require advanced techniques in children. The JAiMY needle holder (Endocontrol Company, Grenoble, France), a flexible jaw with both clockwise and anticlockwise revolving functions, enables the placement of sutures in very small working spaces. Using this tool, a novel new ligation method, which we named "twitching technique," can be performed.

Features and Techniques of Laparoscopic Percutaneous Extraperitoneal Closure for Ovarian Hernia.

Purpose: The purpose of this report was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the simple laparoscopic percutaneous extraperitoneal closure (LPEC) method for treating ovarian hernia patients, including newborns and low-birth-weight infants.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the cases of ovarian hernia that were treated in our institution from May 2012 to September 2017.

Results: Thirty-four infants were included in this study (right side, n = 8; left side, n = 22; bilateral, n = 4).

Transumbilical Surgery for Duodenal Stenosis in a Child with Situs Inversus: The First Report.

. Situs inversus is a rare congenital anomaly with a reported incidence of only 1 in 5,000 to 10,000 live births. Congenital duodenal stenosis complicated with situs inversus is an even rarer entity.

A morphological study of the removed livers from patients receiving living donor liver transplantation for adult biliary atresia.

Background: In liver transplantation (LT) for adult biliary atresia (BA), we often encounter a cirrhotic deformation of the native liver. We aimed to investigate a morphological study of the removed livers and the patient's clinical status.

Methods: We examined 8 BA patients who had undergone LT in adulthood at our hospital.

Neonatal appendicitis mimicking intestinal duplication: a case report.

Introduction: Acute appendicitis is a common disease in older children but rare in neonates.

Case Presentation: We report the case of a 2-day-old Asian baby who suffered from neonatal appendicitis mimicking intestinal duplication. Laparoscopic appendectomy was successfully performed after the trans-umbilical division of adhesions, and the postoperative course was uneventful.

Outcome of modified portal vein anastomosis for recipients with portal vein thrombosis or stenosis before living donor liver transplantation.

Background: Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) or stenosis (PVS) often requires challenging techniques for reconstruction in living donor liver transplantation (LDLT).

Materials And Methods: A total of 57 LDLTs were performed between October 1996 and December 2010. There were 16 cases (28%) with PVT/PVS that underwent modified portal vein anastomosis (m-PVa).

Synchronized expressions of hepatic stellate cells and their transactivation and liver regeneration during liver injury in an animal model of cholestasis.

Background: There is much known about hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) during liver injury. However, some aspects remain unclear, such as the natural expression levels of HSCs during the days to weeks after liver injury. Does liver regeneration start the same time as the injury process?

Methods: Fifty-four male Wistar rats aged 7 to 8 weeks, weighing 200 to 320 g each were subjected to bile duct ligation (BDL).

Intracranial hemorrhage associated with vitamin K-deficiency bleeding in patients with biliary atresia: focus on long-term outcomes.

Background And Aim: The prophylactic oral administration of vitamin K to newborns has markedly reduced the incidence of vitamin K deficiency (VKD); however, intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) is still one of the complications found in biliary atresia (BA) patients and is associated with VKD bleeding. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the incidence and long-term outcome of ICH in patients with BA who previously received prophylactic vitamin K during the neonatal period.

Methods: Eighty-eight consecutive infants with BA were treated and followed up at Kyushu University Hospital from 1979 to 2009.

Ischemic preconditioning and remote ischemic preconditioning have protective effect against cold ischemia-reperfusion injury of rat small intestine.

Purpose: To investigate the protective effect of ischemic preconditioning (IPC) and remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) against cold ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) associated with small bowel transplantation (SBT).

Methods: Male Lewis rats weighing 200-300 g were used for this study. The rats were assigned to three groups: control, ischemic preconditioning (IPC), or remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC).

Association of lymphocyte crossmatch and the outcome of intestinal transplantation in swine.

Background: The effect of preformed antidonor antibodies have been demonstrated in various types of solid organ transplantation. However, the significance of anti-donor antibodies in intestinal transplantation remains unclear. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact that the extent of T cell crossmatch has on the outcome of swine intestinal transplantation.