Efficacy and Safety of Durvalumab Plus Tremelimumab in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients With Portal Vein Thrombosis and High Tumor Burden: A Multicenter Retrospective Analysis.

Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of durvalumab and tremelimumab (Dur/Tre) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who had a tumor thrombus in the main portal vein trunk (Vp4) or high tumor burden (HTB).

Methods: A total of 309 patients with BCLC stage B or C HCC who received Dur/Tre between March 2023 and October 2024 were included. HTB was defined as the presence of at least one of the following radiological findings: ≥ 50% liver involvement by HCC, bile duct invasion, or the presence of Vp4.

Factors Associated with Anterior Tibial Subluxation in Anterior Cruciate Ligament-Deficient Knees.

Anterior tibial subluxation (ATS) in knee extension is observed in knees with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. Preoperative ATS adversely affects the postoperative anterior stability and increases the risk of early graft failure. To investigate the factors associated with preoperative ATS in knees with ACL injury.

Isolation of Nucleated Red Blood Cells With Intact Genomic DNA From Cord Blood by Applying G&T-Seq.

Purpose: Fetal cells in maternal blood are a pure source of fetal genomic DNA for noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT), if successfully isolated. We assessed whether single-cell genome and transcriptome sequencing (G&T-seq) can be applied to efficiently isolate fetal nucleated red blood cells (fNRBCs) suitable for genetic testing.

Methods: Using umbilical cord blood as a model, we isolated 165 single NRBC candidates from four samples and 12 single lymphocytes as controls from one sample.

Characterization of Malnutrition in Atrial Functional Mitral Regurgitation.

Background: In this study we sought to characterize the prevalence, clinical characteristics, and outcomes of malnutrition in patients with atrial functional mitral regurgitation (AFMR).

Methods: This multicentre, observational study included 802 patients diagnosed with AFMR. The eriatric utritional isk ndex (GNRI) was used as a nutritional risk metric.

Treatment response assessment in resistant oral squamous cell carcinoma applying F-FDG PET/CT with reference to the Lugano classification.

Objective: The present study examined the efficacy of the F-FDG PET/CT (18F-FDG PET)-based Lugano Classification for Oral Cancer (Lugano-OC) to stage treatment-resistant oral cancer and its utility for predicting treatment responses.

Patients And Methods: We included 29 oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients with disease progression post the primary treatment, who had F-FDG PET scans prior to secondary treatment initiation, and were evaluable via Lugano-OC between April 2013 and September 2022. To adapt Lugano-OC to the head and neck region, we designated the clavicle level, a regional lymph node in oral cancer, as the reference standard and visually evaluated 18F-FDG PET accumulation patterns.

Carbon-ion radiotherapy achieves outcomes equivalent to surgical resection for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Aim: This study aimed to compare the clinical outcomes of carbon-ion radiotherapy (CIRT) to those of surgical resection (SR) in patients with HCC.

Methods: This retrospective study included 116 and 947 patients initially receiving CIRT and SR in Japanese institutions from September 2010 and June 2022. We used inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) analysis to correct for imbalances in baseline patient characteristics between the 2 groups.

Fundus Blood Flow in Patients with Sellar Lesions with Optic Nerve Bending and Chiasmal Compression.

: Optic nerve bending and chiasmal compression impair vision in patients with sellar lesions; however, their effect on optic nerve head (ONH) blood flow remains unclear. This study used laser speckle flowgraphy to examine the relationship between clinical features and ONH blood flow in patients with optic nerve bending and chiasmal compression. : This retrospective study included 32 eyes (16 eyes with and 16 without optic nerve bending on the contralateral side) from 16 patients with sellar lesions.

Efficacy and Safety of the Combination of Durvalumab Plus Gemcitabine and Cisplatin in Patients with Advanced Biliary Tract Cancer: A Real-World Retrospective Cohort Study.

: The TOPAZ-1 phase III trial reported a survival benefit of using durvalumab, an anti-programmed death ligand 1 (anti-PD-L1) antibody, in combination with gemcitabine and cisplatin (GCD) treatment in patients with advanced biliary tract cancer. This retrospective study investigated the efficacy and safety of GCD treatment for advanced biliary tract cancer in real-world conditions. : The study subjects were 52 patients with biliary tract cancer who received GCD therapy between January 2023 and May 2024.

Cumulative Dose Analysis in Adaptive Carbon Ion Radiotherapy for Locally Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

: This study aimed to assess the precision of dose delivery to the target in adaptive carbon ion radiotherapy (CIRT) for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (LA-NSCLC) in cumulative dosimetry. Forty-six patients who received CIRT were included (64 Gy[relative biological effectiveness, RBE] in 16 fractions) with treatment plan computed tomography (CT) and weekly CT scans. Offline adaptive radiotherapy (ART) was administered if the dose distribution significantly worsened.

Regulation of Energy and Cholesterol Metabolisms During Fetal Leydig Cell Differentiation by DHH, PDGF, and Ad4BP/SF-1.

Fetal Leydig cells (FLCs) are crucial for androgen production during fetal development. Their differentiation from progenitor cells is regulated by various factors, including Desert Hedgehog (DHH), Platelet-Derived Growth Factor (PDGF), and the transcription factor Ad4BP/SF-1 (NR5A1). Our previous research revealed significant upregulation of energy metabolism genes during FLC differentiation; however, the underlying regulatory mechanisms remain unresolved.

Frequency-specific neural abnormalities in congenital prosopagnosia revealed by magnetoencephalography during face perception.

Congenital prosopagnosia (CP) is characterized by lifelong impairment in face recognition despite intact basic visual processing. While previous studies have demonstrated preserved "core" face processing with disrupted information propagation to "extended" regions, the temporal dynamics of these deficits remain unclear. Here, we used magnetoencephalography (MEG) during a seeing-as-face task to investigate frequency-specific neural mechanisms in three individuals with CP compared to seventeen healthy controls.

Growth impairment in Japanese children with inflammatory bowel disease: A multicenter prospective cohort study.

Objectives: To investigate the prevalence and characteristics of growth impairment (GI) in children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Methods: In this prospective observational study, 402 children with ulcerative colitis (UC, n = 257) and Crohn's disease (CD, n = 145) were enrolled from the Japanese Pediatric IBD Registry (2012-2020). GI was defined by Paris classification criteria.

Clinical outcomes and prognostic factors of adjuvant radiotherapy for vulvar cancer: a Japanese Gynecologic Oncology Group nationwide survey study.

This study aimed to analyze the clinical outcomes and prognostic factors of postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) for vulvar cancer based on a retrospective Japanese nationwide survey. Data were collected from 108 institutions for patients diagnosed with vulvar cancer between January 2001 and December 2010. Patients with histologically confirmed squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, or adenosquamous carcinoma who underwent curative surgery and adjuvant radiotherapy were included in this study.

CNS prophylaxis with high-dose methotrexate and intrathecal chemotherapy improves survival in DLBCL with high CNS relapse risk.

Objective: Central nervous system (CNS) prophylaxis is recommended for patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) who are at high risk of CNS relapse. This study aimed to determine the impact of CNS prophylaxis on CNS relapse rates and overall survival (OS) in this patient population, as well as the optimal method for CNS prophylaxis.

Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of 178 patients with DLBCL at high risk of CNS relapse who were treated with rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisolone (R-CHOP) or its derivatives with (N = 60) or without (N = 118) CNS prophylaxis.

Impact of the Balloon Pulmonary Angioplasty on the Diagnosis of Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension: From the COMMAND VTE Registry-2.

Background: Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is the most serious long-term complication of acute pulmonary embolism (PE). Balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) has been an effective treatment for improving the prognosis of CTEPH patients.

Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of BPA at each institution on the rate of CTEPH diagnosis based on the observations suggesting that the emergence of effective treatments could draw attention to targeted diseases.

Comparison of the postoperative outcomes between the robotic transabdominal approach alone and the combined robotic transabdominal and conventional transanal approach for rectal cancer.

Purpose: We aimed to compare the safety, feasibility, required human resources, and surgical costs of a combined robotic transabdominal and conventional transanal (TaRob) approach with those of a robotic transabdominal approach alone for rectal cancer.

Methods: Forty-nine patients who underwent robotic surgery for rectal cancer were retrospectively enrolled and categorized into two groups: robotic transabdominal approach alone (Rob-alone, n = 29) and TaRob approach (TaRob, n = 20). Patient characteristics, short-term postoperative outcomes, human resources, and surgical costs were compared between the groups.

[Advancing 131I-MIBG Therapy-New Horizons in Treating Malignant Pheochromocytoma and Paraganglioma].

131I-MIBG radionuclide therapy for the recurrence case of phaeochromocytoma and paraganglioma has been used in Europe from the 1980s, and in Japan from the 1990s by patient's expense. 131I-MIBG therapy for malignant phaeochromocytoma and paraganglioma became the insurance adaptation in Japan in 2022, however there are not enough number of the facilities that can enforce this treatment now. Because radioactivity is given by oneself after the treatment, the patient is hospitalized in the lead cover room that is a radiation therapy sickroom.

Proteome analysis of preserved formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded specimens to explore the pathogenesis of infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis.

Purpose: This study aimed to explore the mechanisms underlying the development of infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis (IHPS) using formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples.

Methods: Among 306 patients with IHPS diagnosed at our hospital since 1982, 4 cases (male: female = 3:1, age = 2 ± 1 months) had pyloric muscle samples preserved as FFPE. A control group of three cases (male: female; 1:2, age = 70 ± 96 months) was also included.

A phase I study of S-1 and cisplatin with concurrent hypofractionated carbon-ion radiotherapy for patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer.

Objectives: We conducted a phase I study to evaluate the recommended dose of S-1 in combination with cisplatin (SP) and concurrent carbon ion radiotherapy (CIRT) in patients with stage III locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (LA-NSCLC).

Materials And Methods: S-1 was administered orally twice daily after a meal for 14 consecutive days, and cisplatin was administered on days 1 and 8. The dose of each drug in this study was planned as follows: level 0, S-1-30 mg/m twice daily and cisplatin 40 mg/m; level 1, S-1-40 mg/m twice daily and cisplatin 40 mg/m.

Clinical characteristics of visual function, retinal ganglion cells, and nerve fiber layer in patients with adult craniopharyngioma.

Purpose: To investigate the relationship between visual function, optical coherence tomography (OCT) parameters, and optic nerve bending before and after tumor resection in adult patients with craniopharyngioma.

Study Design: Retrospective observational study.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 22 eyes of 11 adult patients with craniopharyngioma who underwent tumor resection surgery.

[Hemostasis].

Hemostasis is a critical skill in cerebellopontine angle (CPA) tumor surgery given its deep anatomical location, narrow surgical corridor, and proximity to vital neurovascular structures. Inadequate bleeding control can obscure the operative field, increase the risk of cranial nerve injury, and lead to life-threatening complications, such as brainstem infarction or cerebellar swelling. This article outlines the key principles of hemostasis at each step of CPA tumor resection, from the preoperative setting and craniotomy to tumor debulking and dissection.

Prognostic relevance of early clinical and laboratory findings in immune-mediated thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura.

Background: Immune-mediated thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (iTTP) is a life-threatening condition caused by a severe deficiency of a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin type 1 motif 13 due to autoantibodies. Despite modern treatments, including therapeutic plasma exchange, immunosuppression, and rituximab, early mortality-often due to cardiac and neurologic events-remains a concern.

Methods: We analyzed data from 125 patients between 2010 and 2023 in the Japanese thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) registry, examining demographics, electrocardiogram and transthoracic echocardiography findings, and neurologic symptoms.

ChatGPT's Role in Addressing the Real-World Concerns of Adolescents With Hearing Loss: Insights From Otolaryngologists With Lived Experience.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate ChatGPT-generated responses to psychosocial concerns of hearing-impaired adolescents, assessed by otolaryngologists with lived experiences, exploring artificial intelligence's (AI's) potential as complementary support when professional or peer assistance is unavailable.

Methods: Twenty scenario-based inquiries spanning 5 domains (interpersonal communication, education, emotional well-being, future aspirations, and hearing aid use) were submitted to ChatGPT-4o on August 25, 2024. Responses were evaluated by 6 board-certified otolaryngologists with lived experiences of adolescent hearing loss using 7 criteria: overall quality, empathy, medical consensus alignment, appropriateness, inquiry comprehension, harm, and age-appropriate comprehensibility.