AIM: To evaluate the role of N-myc downstream- regulated gene 1 (NDRG1) expression in prognosis and survival of colorectal cancer patients with different ethnic backgrounds. METHODS: Because NDRG1 is a downstream ...AIM: To evaluate the role of N-myc downstream- regulated gene 1 (NDRG1) expression in prognosis and survival of colorectal cancer patients with different ethnic backgrounds. METHODS: Because NDRG1 is a downstream target of p53 and hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), we examined NDRG1 expression together with p53 and HIF-1α by irnmunohistochernistry. A total of 157 colorectal cancer specimens including 80 from Japanese patients and 77 from US patients were examined. The correlation between protein expression with clinicopathological features and survival after surgery was analyzed. RESULTS: NDRG1 protein was significantly increased in colorectal tumor compared with normal epithelium in both Japanese and US patient groups. Expression of NDRG1 protein was significantly correlated with lymphatic invasion, venous invasion, depth of invasion, histopathological type, and Dukes' stage in Japanese colorectal cancer patients. NDRG1 expression was correlated to histopathological type, Dukes' stage and HIF-1α expression in US-Caucasian patients but not in US-African American patients. Interestingly, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis demonstrated that NDRG1 expression correlated significantly with poorer survival in US-African American patients but not in other patient groups. However, in p53-positive US cases, NDRG1 positivity correlated significantly with better survival. In addition, NDRG1 expression also correlated significantly with improved survival in US patients with stages Ⅲ and IV tumors without chemotherapy. In Japanese patients with stages Ⅱ and Ⅲ tumors, strong NDRG1 staining in p53- positive tumors correlated significantly with improved survival but negatively in patients without chemotherapy. CONCLUSION: NDRG1 expression was correlated with various clinicopathological features and clinical outcomes in colorectal cancer depending on the race/ethnicity of the patients. NDRG1 may serve as a biological basis for the disparity of clinical outcomes of colorectal cancer patients with diffe展开更多
A 36-year-old woman was admitted to our department for close examination of a liver tumor that was found during a medical checkup. Abdominal US, CT and MRI showed a tumor in segment 7 (S7) of the liver. Although imagi...A 36-year-old woman was admitted to our department for close examination of a liver tumor that was found during a medical checkup. Abdominal US, CT and MRI showed a tumor in segment 7 (S7) of the liver. Although imaging suggested hepatocellular carcinoma, laboratory tests showed no abnormality in liver function, hepatitis virus markers were negative, and tumor markers including protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist Ⅱ (PIVKA-Ⅱ), α-fetoprotein (AFP), carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9), and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) were all within normal ranges. Upon aspiration biopsy of the liver, the histopathological diagnosis was moderately differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma. Therefore, right hepatectomy was performed. Although a part of the tumor was necrotic, about 60% of the viable part showed a clear-cell variant. Consequently, it was diagnosed as clear-cell hepatocellular carcinoma. It was noted that the background liver tissue was normal. This case is worthy of reporting because development of clear-cell hepatocellular carcinoma in the normal liver of a middle-aged woman is rarely seen.展开更多
AIM To investigate the location to which a pancreatic stent should be inserted to prevent post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography(ERCP) pancreatitis(PEP).METHODS Over a ten-year period at our hospital, 296...AIM To investigate the location to which a pancreatic stent should be inserted to prevent post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography(ERCP) pancreatitis(PEP).METHODS Over a ten-year period at our hospital, 296 patients underwent their first ERCP procedure and had a pancreatic stent inserted; this study included 147 patients who had ERCP performed primarily for biliary investigation and had a pancreatic stent inserted to prevent PEP. We dividedthese patients into two groups: 131 patients with a stent inserted into the pancreatic head(head group) and 16 patients with a stent inserted up to the pancreatic body or tail(body/tail group). Patient characteristics and ERCP factors were compared between the groups.RESULTS Pancreatic amylase isoenzyme(p-AMY) levels in the head group were significantly higher than those in the body/tail group [138.5(7.0-2086) vs 78.5(5.0-1266.5), P = 0.03] [median(range)]. No cases of PEP were detected in the body/tail group [head group, 12(9.2%)]. Of the risk factors for post-ERCP hyperamylasemia(≥ p-AMY median, 131 IU/L), procedure time ≥ 60 min [odds ratio(OR) 2.65, 95%CI: 1.17-6.02, P = 0.02) and stent insertion into the pancreatic head(OR 3.80, 95%CI: 1.12-12.9, P = 0.03) were identified as independent risk factors by multivariate analysis.CONCLUSION Stent insertion up to the pancreatic body or tail reduces the risk of post-ERCP hyperamylasemia and may reduce the risk of PEP.展开更多
In orchards, measuring crown characteristics is essential for monitoring the dynamics of tree growth and optimizing farm management. However, it lacks a rapid and reliable method of extracting the features of trees wi...In orchards, measuring crown characteristics is essential for monitoring the dynamics of tree growth and optimizing farm management. However, it lacks a rapid and reliable method of extracting the features of trees with an irregular crown shape such as trained peach trees. Here, we propose an efficient method of segmenting the individual trees and measuring the crown width and crown projection area (CPA) of peach trees with time-series information, based on gathered images. The images of peach trees were collected by unmanned aerial vehicles in an orchard in Okayama, Japan, and then the digital surface model was generated by using a Structure from Motion (SfM) and Multi-View Stereo (MVS) based software. After individual trees were identified through the use of an adaptive threshold and marker-controlled watershed segmentation in the digital surface model, the crown widths and CPA were calculated, and the accuracy was evaluated against manual delineation and field measurement, respectively. Taking manual delineation of 12 trees as reference, the root-mean-square errors of the proposed method were 0.08 m (R^(2) = 0.99) and 0.15 m (R^(2) = 0.93) for the two orthogonal crown widths, and 3.87 m2 for CPA (R^(2) = 0.89), while those taking field measurement of 44 trees as reference were 0.47 m (R^(2) = 0.91), 0.51 m (R^(2) = 0.74), and 4.96 m2 (R^(2) = 0.88). The change of growth rate of CPA showed that the peach trees grew faster from May to July than from July to September, with a wide variation in relative growth rates among trees. Not only can this method save labour by replacing field measurement, but also it can allow farmers to monitor the growth of orchard trees dynamically.展开更多
Dear editor,Lung carcinoma is responsible for the highest fatal-ity rate among cancer-related deaths globally,with lung adenocarcinoma(LADC)emerging as the prevailing sub-type.
Hernandezine(Her),a bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloid extracted from Thalictrum flavum,is recognized for its range of biological activities inherent to this herbal medicine.Despite its notable properties,the anti-cancer ...Hernandezine(Her),a bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloid extracted from Thalictrum flavum,is recognized for its range of biological activities inherent to this herbal medicine.Despite its notable properties,the anti-cancer effects of Her have remained largely unexplored.In this study,we elucidated that Her significantly induced cytotoxicity in cancer cells through the activation of apoptosis and necroptosis mechanisms.Furthermore,Her triggered autophagosome formation by activating the AMPK and ATG5 conjugation systems,leading to LC3 lipidation.Our findings revealed that Her caused damage to the mitochondrial membrane,with the damaged mitochondria undergoing mitophagy,as evidenced by the elevated expression of mitophagy markers.Conversely,Her disrupted autophagic flux,demonstrated by the upregulation of p62 and accumulation of autolysosomes,as observed in the RFP-GFP-LC3 reporter assay.Initially,we determined that Her did not prevent the fusion of autophagosomes and lysosomes.However,it inhibited the maturation of cathepsin D and increased lysosomal pH,indicating an impairment of lysosomal function.The use of the early-stage autophagy inhibitor,3-methyladenine(3-MA),did not suppress LC3II,suggesting that Her also induces noncanonical autophagy in autophagosome formation.The application of Bafilomycin A1,an inhibitor of noncanonical autophagy,diminished the recruitment of ATG16L1 and the accumulation of LC3II by Her,thereby augmenting Her-induced cell death.These observations imply that while autophagy initially plays a protective role,the disruption of the autophagic process by Her promotes programmed cell death.This study provides the first evidence of Her’s dual role in inducing apoptosis and necroptosis while also initiating and subsequently impairing autophagy to promote apoptotic cell death.These insights contribute to a deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying programmed cell death,offering potential avenues for enhancing cancer prevention and therapeutic strategies.展开更多
AIM: To evaluate the efficacy of endoscopic ultrasonography-guided fine needle aspiration(EUS-FNA) for grading pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors(PNETs).METHODS: A total of 22 patients were diagnosed with PNET by EUS-FN...AIM: To evaluate the efficacy of endoscopic ultrasonography-guided fine needle aspiration(EUS-FNA) for grading pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors(PNETs).METHODS: A total of 22 patients were diagnosed with PNET by EUS-FNA between October 2001 and December 2013 at Fukushima Medical University Hospital.Among these cases,we targeted 10 PNET patients who were evaluated according to the World Health Organization(WHO) 2010 classification.Surgery was performed in eight patients,and chemotherapy was performed in two patients due to multiple liver metastases.Specimens obtained by EUS-FNA were first stained with hematoxylin and eosin and then stained with chromogranin,synaptophysin,CD56,and Ki-67.The specimens were graded by the Ki-67 index according to the WHO 2010 classification.Specimens obtained by surgery were graded by the Ki-67 indexand mitotic count(WHO 2010 classification).For the eight specimens obtained by EUS-FNA,the Ki-67 index results were compared with those obtained by surgery.In the two cases treated with chemotherapy,the effects and prognoses were evaluated.RESULTS: The sampling rate for histological diagnosis by EUS-FNA was 100%.No adverse effects were observed.The concordance rate between specimens obtained by EUS-FNA and surgery was 87.5%(7/8).Fo r t h e t w o c a s e s t re a t e d w i t h c h e m o t h e ra p y,case 1 received somatostatin analog therapy and transcatheter arterial infusion(TAI) targeting multiple liver metastases.Subsequent treatment consisted of everolimus.During chemotherapy,the primary tumor remained unconfirmed,although the multiple liver metastases diminished dramatically.Case 2 was classified as neuroendocrine carcinoma(NEC) according to the Ki-67 index of a specimen obtained by EUS-FNA; therefore,cisplatin and irinotecan therapy was started.However,severe adverse effects,including renal failure and diarrhea,were observed,and the therapy regimen was changed to cisplatin and etoposide.TAI targeting multiple liver metastases was performed.Although the liver metastases diminished,the展开更多
Improving grain quality is a primary objective in contemporary rice breeding.Japanese modern rice breeding has developed two different types of rice,eating and sake-brewing rice,with different grain characteristics,in...Improving grain quality is a primary objective in contemporary rice breeding.Japanese modern rice breeding has developed two different types of rice,eating and sake-brewing rice,with different grain characteristics,indicating the selection of variant gene alleles during the breeding process.Given the critical importance of promptly and efficiently identifying genes selected in past breeding for future molecular breeding,we conducted genome scans for divergence,genome-wide association studies,and map-based cloning.Consequently,we successfully identified two genes,OsMnS and OsWOX9D,both contributing to rice grain traits.OsMnS encodes a mannan synthase that increases the white core frequency in the endosperm,a desirable trait for sake brewing but decreases the grain appearance quality.OsWOX9D encodes a grass-specific homeobox-containing transcription factor,which enhances grain width for better sake brewing.Furthermore,haplotype analysis revealed that their defective alleles were selected in East Asia,but not Europe,during modern improvement.In addition,our analyses indicate that a reduction in grain mannan content during African rice domestication may also be caused a defective OsMnS allele due to breeding selection.This study not only reveals the delicate balance between grain appearance quality and nutrition in rice but also provides a new strategy for isolating causal genes underlying complex traits,based on the concept of“breeding-assisted genomics”in plants.展开更多
Backgrounds: Health does not only physical health, therefore, we need to study it from various viewpoints. Many Japanese female complain of a Hie or a low back pain (LBP), which they reduce their subjective well-being...Backgrounds: Health does not only physical health, therefore, we need to study it from various viewpoints. Many Japanese female complain of a Hie or a low back pain (LBP), which they reduce their subjective well-being. We analyze. Those patients often have acupuncture therapy. In this study, we analyze the characteristics of Hie and LBP, the satisfaction level of alternative therapy and we pursue a tip to improve subjective well-being. Methods: Of 1000 women, Hie (+)/Hie (−) or LBP (+)/LBP (−), we compared their body temperature (BT) (axilla) and body mass index (BMI). Furthermore, the Chi test identified ten factors of “body” and seven “mind” information. Results: In the result of BT (axilla) while LBP indicated a significant difference. Both Hie and LBP showed difference in the opposite direction. Hie did now show such clear differences in “body” information. However, interestingly, all seven questions in the “mind” information showed statistical difference. Discussion and conclusion: One reason why those patients have acupuncture therapy may acupuncture therapy traditionally has not separate “mind” and “body” and it has the concept of “mind-body unity”. To improve subjective well-being, first we need to focus on “Mind” as well as “mind-body unity”. Mental-health support is important for patients with Hie or LBP to reduce physiological stress.展开更多
BACKGROUND Walled-off necrosis(WON)is a late complication of acute pancreatitis possibly with a fatal outcome.Even for WON spreading to the retroperitoneal space,percutaneous endoscopic necrosectomy(PEN)can be an alte...BACKGROUND Walled-off necrosis(WON)is a late complication of acute pancreatitis possibly with a fatal outcome.Even for WON spreading to the retroperitoneal space,percutaneous endoscopic necrosectomy(PEN)can be an alternate approach to surgical necrosectomy,particularly for the older individuals or patients with poor condition because of WON.CASE SUMMARY An 88-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with a jaundice.Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography(ERCP)was performed to improve jaundice;however,post-ERCP pancreatitis developed.The inflammation of pancreatitis spread widely from the right retroperitoneal cavity to the pelvis,and WON was formed 4 wk later.A percutaneous drainage tube was placed into the WON under computed tomography guidance.However,the drainage did not ameliorate clinical symptoms including fever,which assured less invasive necrosectomy.A metallic stent for the upper gastrointestinal(GI)tract was placed from the percutaneous drainage route.An upper GI endoscope was inserted into the inside of the WON through the metallic stent,and the necrotic tissues were bluntly removed with a snare forceps.Ten times of these necrosectomies resulted in the near-complete removal of necrotic tissues.These procedures consequently abated his fever and remarkable improvement in blood tests.CONCLUSION PEN for WON occurring in the retroperitoneal space was safe and effective for very old individuals.展开更多
BACKGROUND The pathophysiology of Fabry disease(FD)-induced progressive vital organ damage is irreversible.Disease progression can be delayed using enzyme replacement therapy(ERT).In patients with classic FD,sporadic ...BACKGROUND The pathophysiology of Fabry disease(FD)-induced progressive vital organ damage is irreversible.Disease progression can be delayed using enzyme replacement therapy(ERT).In patients with classic FD,sporadic accumulation of globotriaosylceramide(GL-3)in the heart and kidney begins in utero;however,until childhood,GL-3 accumulation is mild and reversible and can be restored by ERT.The current consensus is that ERT initiation during early childhood is paramount.Nonetheless,complete recovery of organs in patients with advanced FD is challenging.CASE SUMMARY Two related male patients,an uncle(patient 1)and nephew(patient 2),presented with classic FD.Both patients were treated by us.Patient 1 was in his 50s,and ERT was initiated following end-organ damage;this was subsequently ineffective.He developed cerebral infarction and died of sudden cardiac arrest.Patient 2 was in his mid-30s,and ERT was initiated when the patient was diagnosed with FD,during which the damage to vital organs was not overtly apparent.Although he had left ventricular hypertrophy at the beginning of this treatment,the degree of hypertrophy progression was limited to a minimal range after>18 years of ERT.CONCLUSION We obtained discouraging ERT outcomes for older patients but encouraging outcomes for younger adults with classic FD.展开更多
BACKGROUND Osteochondroma is one of the most common benign bone tumors,and it may cause bone and joint deformities and limited range of motion of an adjacent joint.The pes anserinus region is one of the most frequent ...BACKGROUND Osteochondroma is one of the most common benign bone tumors,and it may cause bone and joint deformities and limited range of motion of an adjacent joint.The pes anserinus region is one of the most frequent sites of osteochondroma,but knee locking caused by osteochondromas in the pes anserinus region is extremely rare.CASE SUMMARY We describe a 13-year-old Japanese girl’s extra-articular knee locking that occurred when the semitendinosus tendon got caught in osteochondroma that had developed in the pes anserinus region.The osteochondroma was surgically resected.The postoperative outcome has been excellent,with no recurrence of knee locking or tumor one-year post-surgery.CONCLUSION When a young person develops knee locking,the possibility of extra-articular as well as intra-articular locking should be considered.Osteochondroma,one of the causes of extra-articular locking,can be treated with surgery with good postoperative results.展开更多
Myc belongs to a family of proto-oncogenes that encode transcription factors.The overexpression of c-Myc causes many types of cancers.Recently,we established a system for screening c-Myc inhibitors and identified anti...Myc belongs to a family of proto-oncogenes that encode transcription factors.The overexpression of c-Myc causes many types of cancers.Recently,we established a system for screening c-Myc inhibitors and identified antimycin A by screening the RIKEN NPDepo chemical library.The specific mechanism of promoting tumor cell metastasis by high c-Myc expression remains to be explained.In this study,we screened approximately 5,600 microbial extracts using this system and identified a broth prepared from Streptomyces sp.RK19-A0402 strongly inhibits c-Myc transcriptional activity.After purification of the hit broth,we identified compounds closely related to the aglycone of cytovaricin and had a structure similar to that of oligomycin A.Similar to oligomycin A,the hit compounds inhibited mitochondrial complex V.The mitochondria dysfunction caused by the compounds induced the production of reactive oxygen species(ROS),and the ROS activated GSK3α/βthat phosphorylated c-Myc for ubiquitination.This study provides a successful screening strategy for identifying natural products as potential c-Myc inhibitors as potential anticancer agents.展开更多
Cross entropy is a measure in machine learning and deep learning that assesses the difference between predicted and actual probability distributions. In this study, we propose cross entropy as a performance evaluation...Cross entropy is a measure in machine learning and deep learning that assesses the difference between predicted and actual probability distributions. In this study, we propose cross entropy as a performance evaluation metric for image classifier models and apply it to the CT image classification of lung cancer. A convolutional neural network is employed as the deep neural network (DNN) image classifier, with the residual network (ResNet) 50 chosen as the DNN archi-tecture. The image data used comprise a lung CT image set. Two classification models are built from datasets with varying amounts of data, and lung cancer is categorized into four classes using 10-fold cross-validation. Furthermore, we employ t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding to visually explain the data distribution after classification. Experimental results demonstrate that cross en-tropy is a highly useful metric for evaluating the reliability of image classifier models. It is noted that for a more comprehensive evaluation of model perfor-mance, combining with other evaluation metrics is considered essential. .展开更多
●AIM:To evaluate the effect of background diseases and number of previous intravitreal aflibercept injections(IVAIs)on immediate intraocular pressure(IOP)increase and vitreous reflux(VR)rate and to evaluate the corre...●AIM:To evaluate the effect of background diseases and number of previous intravitreal aflibercept injections(IVAIs)on immediate intraocular pressure(IOP)increase and vitreous reflux(VR)rate and to evaluate the correlation of both age and axial length with immediate IOP increase and VR rate.●METHODS:This study included 105 patients with cystoid macular edema secondary to retinal vein occlusion,35 patients with diabetic macular edema,69 patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration(nAMD),and 12 patients with myopic choroidal neovascularization,which underwent first-time IVAI.The correlation of immediate IOP increase and VR rates with the four background diseases was investigated.Moreover,the correlation of age with immediate IOP increase and VR rate as well as correlation of axial length with immediate IOP increase and VR rate were evaluated.Further,54 patients with nAMD were treated with IVAI>10 times(multiple IVAIs).Moreover,the correlation of immediate IOP increase and VR rates with first-time and multiple IVAIs in nAMD was determined.●RESULTS:The immediate IOP increase(P=0.16)and VR rates(P=0.50)were almost similar among the four background diseases.The immediate postinjection IOP and age,VR rate and age,immediate postinjection IOP and axial length,or VR rate and axial length were not correlated in the four background diseases.The immediate IOP increase(P=0.66)and VR rates(P=0.28)did not significantly differ between first-time and multiple IVAIs in nAMD.●CONCLUSION:Background diseases and number of previous IVAIs have no effect on immediate IOP increase and VR rate.Further,age and axial length have no correlation on immediate IOP increase and VR rate.展开更多
This study evaluates the performance and reliability of a vision transformer (ViT) compared to convolutional neural networks (CNNs) using the ResNet50 model in classifying lung cancer from CT images into four categori...This study evaluates the performance and reliability of a vision transformer (ViT) compared to convolutional neural networks (CNNs) using the ResNet50 model in classifying lung cancer from CT images into four categories: lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC), large cell carcinoma (LULC), and normal. Although CNNs have made significant advancements in medical imaging, their limited capacity to capture long-range dependencies has led to the exploration of ViTs, which leverage self-attention mechanisms for a more comprehensive global understanding of images. The study utilized a dataset of 748 lung CT images to train both models with standardized input sizes, assessing their performance through conventional metrics—accuracy, precision, recall, F1 score, specificity, and AUC—as well as cross entropy, a novel metric for evaluating prediction uncertainty. Both models achieved similar accuracy rates (95%), with ViT demonstrating a slight edge over ResNet50 in precision and F1 scores for specific classes. However, ResNet50 exhibited higher recall for LULC, indicating fewer missed cases. Cross entropy analysis showed that the ViT model had lower average uncertainty, particularly in the LUAD, Normal, and LUSC classes, compared to ResNet50. This finding suggests that ViT predictions are generally more reliable, though ResNet50 performed better for LULC. The study underscores that accuracy alone is insufficient for model comparison, as cross entropy offers deeper insights into the reliability and confidence of model predictions. The results highlight the importance of incorporating cross entropy alongside traditional metrics for a more comprehensive evaluation of deep learning models in medical image classification, providing a nuanced understanding of their performance and reliability. While the ViT outperformed the CNN-based ResNet50 in lung cancer classification based on cross-entropy values, the performance differences were minor and may not hold clinical significance. Therefore, it may be p展开更多
BACKGROUND Independent avulsion fractures with anterior cruciate ligament(ACL)or posterior cruciate ligament(PCL)attachment are relatively common among tibial intercondylar eminence fractures,and their postoperative o...BACKGROUND Independent avulsion fractures with anterior cruciate ligament(ACL)or posterior cruciate ligament(PCL)attachment are relatively common among tibial intercondylar eminence fractures,and their postoperative outcomes are generally favorable.Conversely,huge avulsion fractures of the intercondylar eminence containing the attachment site of both the ACL and the PCL are extremely rare,and the reported clinical outcomes are poor.CASE SUMMARY We describe a 30-year-old Japanese male's huge avulsion fracture of the intercondylar eminence of a tibia containing the attachment site of both the ACL and PCL,together with a complete tear of the medial collateral ligament and a partial tear of both the medial and lateral menisci caused by a fall from a high place.All of these injuries were treated surgically,with anatomical reduction and stable fixation.The limb function at 1 year post-surgery was excellent(Lysholm score:100 points).CONCLUSION Although this patient's complete surgical repair was complex,it should be performed in similar cases for an excellent final clinical outcome.展开更多
BACKGROUND The treatment for ampullary cancer is pancreatoduodenectomy or local ampullectomy.However,effective methods for the preoperative investigation of hilar biliary invasion in ampullary cancer patients have not...BACKGROUND The treatment for ampullary cancer is pancreatoduodenectomy or local ampullectomy.However,effective methods for the preoperative investigation of hilar biliary invasion in ampullary cancer patients have not yet been identified.AIM To determine the necessity of and an appropriate method for investigating hilar biliary invasion of ampullary cancer.METHODS Among 43 ampullary cancer patients,34 underwent endoscopic treatment(n=9)or surgery(n=25).The use of imaging findings(thickening and enhancement of the bile duct wall on contrast-enhanced computed tomography,irregularity on endoscopic retrograde cholangiography,thickening of the entire bile duct wall on intraductal ultrasonography(IDUS),and partial thickening of the bile duct wall on IDUS)and biliary biopsy results for diagnosing hilar biliary invasion of ampullary cancer was compared.RESULTS Hilar invasion was not observed in every patient.Among the patients who did not undergo biliary stent insertion,the combination of partial thickening of the bile duct wall on IDUS and biliary biopsy results showed the highest accuracy(100%)for diagnosing hilar biliary invasion.However,each imaging method and biliary biopsy yielded some false-positive results.CONCLUSION Although some false-positive results were obtained with each method,the combination of partial thickening of the bile duct wall on IDUS and biliary biopsy results was useful for diagnosing hilar biliary invasion of ampullary cancer.However,hilar invasion of ampullary cancer is rare;therefore,the investigation of hilar biliary invasion of ampullary cancer might be unnecessary.展开更多
AIM: To evaluate the feasibility of using an automatedspring-loaded needle device for endoscopic ultrasound(EUS)-guided abdominal paracentesis(EUS-P) to see if this would make it easier to puncture the mobile and lax ...AIM: To evaluate the feasibility of using an automatedspring-loaded needle device for endoscopic ultrasound(EUS)-guided abdominal paracentesis(EUS-P) to see if this would make it easier to puncture the mobile and lax gastric wall for EUS-P.METHODS: The EUS database and electronic medical records at Fukushima Medical University Hospital were searched from January 2001 to April 2011. Patients with a history of cancer and who underwent EUS-P using an automated spring-loaded needle device with a 22-gauge puncture needle were included. The needle was passed through the instrument channel and advanced through the gastrointestinal wall under EUS guidance into the echo-free space in the abdominal cavity and ascitic fluid was collected. The confirmed diagnosis of malignant ascites included positive cytology and results from careful clinical observation for at least 6 mo in patients with negative cytology. The technical success rate, cytology results and complications were evaluated.RESULTS: We found 11 patients who underwent EUS-P with an automated spring-loaded needle device. In 4 cases, ascites was revealed only with EUS but not in other imaging modalities. EUS-P was done in 7 other cases because there was minimal ascitic fluid and no safe window for percutaneous abdominal aspiration. Ascitic fluid was obtained in all cases by EUS-P. The average amount aspirated was 14.1 mL(range 0.5-38 mL) and that was sent for cytological exam. The etiology of ascitic fluid was benign in 5 patients and malignant in 6. In all cases, ascitic fluid was obtained with the first needle pass. No procedure-related adverse effects occurred.CONCLUSION: EUS-P with an automated springloaded needle device is a feasible and safe method for ascites evaluation.展开更多
基金Supported by grant numbers ES00260 (Costa and Tchou-Wong),ES05512 (Costa), ES10344 (Costa) and T32-ES07324 (Costa and Tchou-Wong) from the National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences and CA16087 (Costa) from the National Cancer Institute, as well as DK63603 (Tchou-Wong) and CA101234 (Tchou-Wong) from the National Institutes of Health
文摘AIM: To evaluate the role of N-myc downstream- regulated gene 1 (NDRG1) expression in prognosis and survival of colorectal cancer patients with different ethnic backgrounds. METHODS: Because NDRG1 is a downstream target of p53 and hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), we examined NDRG1 expression together with p53 and HIF-1α by irnmunohistochernistry. A total of 157 colorectal cancer specimens including 80 from Japanese patients and 77 from US patients were examined. The correlation between protein expression with clinicopathological features and survival after surgery was analyzed. RESULTS: NDRG1 protein was significantly increased in colorectal tumor compared with normal epithelium in both Japanese and US patient groups. Expression of NDRG1 protein was significantly correlated with lymphatic invasion, venous invasion, depth of invasion, histopathological type, and Dukes' stage in Japanese colorectal cancer patients. NDRG1 expression was correlated to histopathological type, Dukes' stage and HIF-1α expression in US-Caucasian patients but not in US-African American patients. Interestingly, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis demonstrated that NDRG1 expression correlated significantly with poorer survival in US-African American patients but not in other patient groups. However, in p53-positive US cases, NDRG1 positivity correlated significantly with better survival. In addition, NDRG1 expression also correlated significantly with improved survival in US patients with stages Ⅲ and IV tumors without chemotherapy. In Japanese patients with stages Ⅱ and Ⅲ tumors, strong NDRG1 staining in p53- positive tumors correlated significantly with improved survival but negatively in patients without chemotherapy. CONCLUSION: NDRG1 expression was correlated with various clinicopathological features and clinical outcomes in colorectal cancer depending on the race/ethnicity of the patients. NDRG1 may serve as a biological basis for the disparity of clinical outcomes of colorectal cancer patients with diffe
文摘A 36-year-old woman was admitted to our department for close examination of a liver tumor that was found during a medical checkup. Abdominal US, CT and MRI showed a tumor in segment 7 (S7) of the liver. Although imaging suggested hepatocellular carcinoma, laboratory tests showed no abnormality in liver function, hepatitis virus markers were negative, and tumor markers including protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist Ⅱ (PIVKA-Ⅱ), α-fetoprotein (AFP), carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9), and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) were all within normal ranges. Upon aspiration biopsy of the liver, the histopathological diagnosis was moderately differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma. Therefore, right hepatectomy was performed. Although a part of the tumor was necrotic, about 60% of the viable part showed a clear-cell variant. Consequently, it was diagnosed as clear-cell hepatocellular carcinoma. It was noted that the background liver tissue was normal. This case is worthy of reporting because development of clear-cell hepatocellular carcinoma in the normal liver of a middle-aged woman is rarely seen.
文摘AIM To investigate the location to which a pancreatic stent should be inserted to prevent post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography(ERCP) pancreatitis(PEP).METHODS Over a ten-year period at our hospital, 296 patients underwent their first ERCP procedure and had a pancreatic stent inserted; this study included 147 patients who had ERCP performed primarily for biliary investigation and had a pancreatic stent inserted to prevent PEP. We dividedthese patients into two groups: 131 patients with a stent inserted into the pancreatic head(head group) and 16 patients with a stent inserted up to the pancreatic body or tail(body/tail group). Patient characteristics and ERCP factors were compared between the groups.RESULTS Pancreatic amylase isoenzyme(p-AMY) levels in the head group were significantly higher than those in the body/tail group [138.5(7.0-2086) vs 78.5(5.0-1266.5), P = 0.03] [median(range)]. No cases of PEP were detected in the body/tail group [head group, 12(9.2%)]. Of the risk factors for post-ERCP hyperamylasemia(≥ p-AMY median, 131 IU/L), procedure time ≥ 60 min [odds ratio(OR) 2.65, 95%CI: 1.17-6.02, P = 0.02) and stent insertion into the pancreatic head(OR 3.80, 95%CI: 1.12-12.9, P = 0.03) were identified as independent risk factors by multivariate analysis.CONCLUSION Stent insertion up to the pancreatic body or tail reduces the risk of post-ERCP hyperamylasemia and may reduce the risk of PEP.
基金This study was partially funded by the“Collaboration Research Program of IDEAS”,Chubu University(IDEAS 201603 and IDEAS201702)the CREST Program“Knowledge Discovery by Constructing AgriBigData”(JPMJCR1512)the SICORP Program“Data Science-based Farming Support System for Sustainable Crop Production under Climatic Change”of the Japan Science and Technology Agency.
文摘In orchards, measuring crown characteristics is essential for monitoring the dynamics of tree growth and optimizing farm management. However, it lacks a rapid and reliable method of extracting the features of trees with an irregular crown shape such as trained peach trees. Here, we propose an efficient method of segmenting the individual trees and measuring the crown width and crown projection area (CPA) of peach trees with time-series information, based on gathered images. The images of peach trees were collected by unmanned aerial vehicles in an orchard in Okayama, Japan, and then the digital surface model was generated by using a Structure from Motion (SfM) and Multi-View Stereo (MVS) based software. After individual trees were identified through the use of an adaptive threshold and marker-controlled watershed segmentation in the digital surface model, the crown widths and CPA were calculated, and the accuracy was evaluated against manual delineation and field measurement, respectively. Taking manual delineation of 12 trees as reference, the root-mean-square errors of the proposed method were 0.08 m (R^(2) = 0.99) and 0.15 m (R^(2) = 0.93) for the two orthogonal crown widths, and 3.87 m2 for CPA (R^(2) = 0.89), while those taking field measurement of 44 trees as reference were 0.47 m (R^(2) = 0.91), 0.51 m (R^(2) = 0.74), and 4.96 m2 (R^(2) = 0.88). The change of growth rate of CPA showed that the peach trees grew faster from May to July than from July to September, with a wide variation in relative growth rates among trees. Not only can this method save labour by replacing field measurement, but also it can allow farmers to monitor the growth of orchard trees dynamically.
基金This research was supported in part by the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development(AMED)(JP15ck0106096 to TK)Japan Science and Tech-nology Agency(JST)Core Research for Evolutionary Science and Technology(JPMJCR1689 to RH)+5 种基金Artifi-cial Intelligence,Big Data,IoT,Cyber Security Integration Project of the Public/Private R&D Investment Strategic Expansion Program(JPMJCR18Y4 to RH)the Japan Soci-ety for the Promotion of Science(JSPS)Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research(S)(17H06162 to HN),Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research(B)(20H03695 to KS),Grants-in-Aid for the Tailor-Made Medical Treatment Program(BioBank Japan Project)from the Japanese Ministry of Education,Culture,Sports,ScienceandTechnology(MEXT),Princess Takamatsu Cancer Research Fund,and National Cancer Center Research and Development Fund(NCC Biobank and NCC Core Facility).The J-MICC study was supported by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research for Priority Areas of Cancer(No.17015018 to KW)Innovative Areas(No.221S0001 to KW)from MEXTby JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research Grant(No.16H06277[CoBiA])The JPHC Study was supported by National Cancer Center Research and Development Fund since 2011(latest grant number:2020-J4)and a Grant-in-Aid for Cancer Research from the Ministry of Health,Labor and Welfare of Japan(1989-2010).ToMMoissupportedinpartbyMEXT-JSTand AMED(most recent grant numbers:JP20km0105001 and JP20km0105002)Iwate Tohoku Medical Megabank Orga-nization(Iwate Medical University)is supported in part by MEXT-JST and AMED(most recent grant numbers:JP20km0105003 and JP20km0105004).
文摘Dear editor,Lung carcinoma is responsible for the highest fatal-ity rate among cancer-related deaths globally,with lung adenocarcinoma(LADC)emerging as the prevailing sub-type.
基金This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI(Nos.20K10449 and 23K09645)。
文摘Hernandezine(Her),a bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloid extracted from Thalictrum flavum,is recognized for its range of biological activities inherent to this herbal medicine.Despite its notable properties,the anti-cancer effects of Her have remained largely unexplored.In this study,we elucidated that Her significantly induced cytotoxicity in cancer cells through the activation of apoptosis and necroptosis mechanisms.Furthermore,Her triggered autophagosome formation by activating the AMPK and ATG5 conjugation systems,leading to LC3 lipidation.Our findings revealed that Her caused damage to the mitochondrial membrane,with the damaged mitochondria undergoing mitophagy,as evidenced by the elevated expression of mitophagy markers.Conversely,Her disrupted autophagic flux,demonstrated by the upregulation of p62 and accumulation of autolysosomes,as observed in the RFP-GFP-LC3 reporter assay.Initially,we determined that Her did not prevent the fusion of autophagosomes and lysosomes.However,it inhibited the maturation of cathepsin D and increased lysosomal pH,indicating an impairment of lysosomal function.The use of the early-stage autophagy inhibitor,3-methyladenine(3-MA),did not suppress LC3II,suggesting that Her also induces noncanonical autophagy in autophagosome formation.The application of Bafilomycin A1,an inhibitor of noncanonical autophagy,diminished the recruitment of ATG16L1 and the accumulation of LC3II by Her,thereby augmenting Her-induced cell death.These observations imply that while autophagy initially plays a protective role,the disruption of the autophagic process by Her promotes programmed cell death.This study provides the first evidence of Her’s dual role in inducing apoptosis and necroptosis while also initiating and subsequently impairing autophagy to promote apoptotic cell death.These insights contribute to a deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying programmed cell death,offering potential avenues for enhancing cancer prevention and therapeutic strategies.
文摘AIM: To evaluate the efficacy of endoscopic ultrasonography-guided fine needle aspiration(EUS-FNA) for grading pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors(PNETs).METHODS: A total of 22 patients were diagnosed with PNET by EUS-FNA between October 2001 and December 2013 at Fukushima Medical University Hospital.Among these cases,we targeted 10 PNET patients who were evaluated according to the World Health Organization(WHO) 2010 classification.Surgery was performed in eight patients,and chemotherapy was performed in two patients due to multiple liver metastases.Specimens obtained by EUS-FNA were first stained with hematoxylin and eosin and then stained with chromogranin,synaptophysin,CD56,and Ki-67.The specimens were graded by the Ki-67 index according to the WHO 2010 classification.Specimens obtained by surgery were graded by the Ki-67 indexand mitotic count(WHO 2010 classification).For the eight specimens obtained by EUS-FNA,the Ki-67 index results were compared with those obtained by surgery.In the two cases treated with chemotherapy,the effects and prognoses were evaluated.RESULTS: The sampling rate for histological diagnosis by EUS-FNA was 100%.No adverse effects were observed.The concordance rate between specimens obtained by EUS-FNA and surgery was 87.5%(7/8).Fo r t h e t w o c a s e s t re a t e d w i t h c h e m o t h e ra p y,case 1 received somatostatin analog therapy and transcatheter arterial infusion(TAI) targeting multiple liver metastases.Subsequent treatment consisted of everolimus.During chemotherapy,the primary tumor remained unconfirmed,although the multiple liver metastases diminished dramatically.Case 2 was classified as neuroendocrine carcinoma(NEC) according to the Ki-67 index of a specimen obtained by EUS-FNA; therefore,cisplatin and irinotecan therapy was started.However,severe adverse effects,including renal failure and diarrhea,were observed,and the therapy regimen was changed to cisplatin and etoposide.TAI targeting multiple liver metastases was performed.Although the liver metastases diminished,the
文摘Improving grain quality is a primary objective in contemporary rice breeding.Japanese modern rice breeding has developed two different types of rice,eating and sake-brewing rice,with different grain characteristics,indicating the selection of variant gene alleles during the breeding process.Given the critical importance of promptly and efficiently identifying genes selected in past breeding for future molecular breeding,we conducted genome scans for divergence,genome-wide association studies,and map-based cloning.Consequently,we successfully identified two genes,OsMnS and OsWOX9D,both contributing to rice grain traits.OsMnS encodes a mannan synthase that increases the white core frequency in the endosperm,a desirable trait for sake brewing but decreases the grain appearance quality.OsWOX9D encodes a grass-specific homeobox-containing transcription factor,which enhances grain width for better sake brewing.Furthermore,haplotype analysis revealed that their defective alleles were selected in East Asia,but not Europe,during modern improvement.In addition,our analyses indicate that a reduction in grain mannan content during African rice domestication may also be caused a defective OsMnS allele due to breeding selection.This study not only reveals the delicate balance between grain appearance quality and nutrition in rice but also provides a new strategy for isolating causal genes underlying complex traits,based on the concept of“breeding-assisted genomics”in plants.
文摘Backgrounds: Health does not only physical health, therefore, we need to study it from various viewpoints. Many Japanese female complain of a Hie or a low back pain (LBP), which they reduce their subjective well-being. We analyze. Those patients often have acupuncture therapy. In this study, we analyze the characteristics of Hie and LBP, the satisfaction level of alternative therapy and we pursue a tip to improve subjective well-being. Methods: Of 1000 women, Hie (+)/Hie (−) or LBP (+)/LBP (−), we compared their body temperature (BT) (axilla) and body mass index (BMI). Furthermore, the Chi test identified ten factors of “body” and seven “mind” information. Results: In the result of BT (axilla) while LBP indicated a significant difference. Both Hie and LBP showed difference in the opposite direction. Hie did now show such clear differences in “body” information. However, interestingly, all seven questions in the “mind” information showed statistical difference. Discussion and conclusion: One reason why those patients have acupuncture therapy may acupuncture therapy traditionally has not separate “mind” and “body” and it has the concept of “mind-body unity”. To improve subjective well-being, first we need to focus on “Mind” as well as “mind-body unity”. Mental-health support is important for patients with Hie or LBP to reduce physiological stress.
文摘BACKGROUND Walled-off necrosis(WON)is a late complication of acute pancreatitis possibly with a fatal outcome.Even for WON spreading to the retroperitoneal space,percutaneous endoscopic necrosectomy(PEN)can be an alternate approach to surgical necrosectomy,particularly for the older individuals or patients with poor condition because of WON.CASE SUMMARY An 88-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with a jaundice.Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography(ERCP)was performed to improve jaundice;however,post-ERCP pancreatitis developed.The inflammation of pancreatitis spread widely from the right retroperitoneal cavity to the pelvis,and WON was formed 4 wk later.A percutaneous drainage tube was placed into the WON under computed tomography guidance.However,the drainage did not ameliorate clinical symptoms including fever,which assured less invasive necrosectomy.A metallic stent for the upper gastrointestinal(GI)tract was placed from the percutaneous drainage route.An upper GI endoscope was inserted into the inside of the WON through the metallic stent,and the necrotic tissues were bluntly removed with a snare forceps.Ten times of these necrosectomies resulted in the near-complete removal of necrotic tissues.These procedures consequently abated his fever and remarkable improvement in blood tests.CONCLUSION PEN for WON occurring in the retroperitoneal space was safe and effective for very old individuals.
基金Supported by the Red Cross Hospital Research and Training Fund,Fukushima R.C.Hosp.No.57.
文摘BACKGROUND The pathophysiology of Fabry disease(FD)-induced progressive vital organ damage is irreversible.Disease progression can be delayed using enzyme replacement therapy(ERT).In patients with classic FD,sporadic accumulation of globotriaosylceramide(GL-3)in the heart and kidney begins in utero;however,until childhood,GL-3 accumulation is mild and reversible and can be restored by ERT.The current consensus is that ERT initiation during early childhood is paramount.Nonetheless,complete recovery of organs in patients with advanced FD is challenging.CASE SUMMARY Two related male patients,an uncle(patient 1)and nephew(patient 2),presented with classic FD.Both patients were treated by us.Patient 1 was in his 50s,and ERT was initiated following end-organ damage;this was subsequently ineffective.He developed cerebral infarction and died of sudden cardiac arrest.Patient 2 was in his mid-30s,and ERT was initiated when the patient was diagnosed with FD,during which the damage to vital organs was not overtly apparent.Although he had left ventricular hypertrophy at the beginning of this treatment,the degree of hypertrophy progression was limited to a minimal range after>18 years of ERT.CONCLUSION We obtained discouraging ERT outcomes for older patients but encouraging outcomes for younger adults with classic FD.
文摘BACKGROUND Osteochondroma is one of the most common benign bone tumors,and it may cause bone and joint deformities and limited range of motion of an adjacent joint.The pes anserinus region is one of the most frequent sites of osteochondroma,but knee locking caused by osteochondromas in the pes anserinus region is extremely rare.CASE SUMMARY We describe a 13-year-old Japanese girl’s extra-articular knee locking that occurred when the semitendinosus tendon got caught in osteochondroma that had developed in the pes anserinus region.The osteochondroma was surgically resected.The postoperative outcome has been excellent,with no recurrence of knee locking or tumor one-year post-surgery.CONCLUSION When a young person develops knee locking,the possibility of extra-articular as well as intra-articular locking should be considered.Osteochondroma,one of the causes of extra-articular locking,can be treated with surgery with good postoperative results.
基金supported by grants from JSPS/MEXT KAKENHI(JP19H05302 and JP21H00295 to N.W.)the MOST-RIKEN Collaboration Project(2021YFE0108000 to J.L.and N.W.)Translation Research Programs from Fukushima Prefecture(to K.S.).
文摘Myc belongs to a family of proto-oncogenes that encode transcription factors.The overexpression of c-Myc causes many types of cancers.Recently,we established a system for screening c-Myc inhibitors and identified antimycin A by screening the RIKEN NPDepo chemical library.The specific mechanism of promoting tumor cell metastasis by high c-Myc expression remains to be explained.In this study,we screened approximately 5,600 microbial extracts using this system and identified a broth prepared from Streptomyces sp.RK19-A0402 strongly inhibits c-Myc transcriptional activity.After purification of the hit broth,we identified compounds closely related to the aglycone of cytovaricin and had a structure similar to that of oligomycin A.Similar to oligomycin A,the hit compounds inhibited mitochondrial complex V.The mitochondria dysfunction caused by the compounds induced the production of reactive oxygen species(ROS),and the ROS activated GSK3α/βthat phosphorylated c-Myc for ubiquitination.This study provides a successful screening strategy for identifying natural products as potential c-Myc inhibitors as potential anticancer agents.
文摘Cross entropy is a measure in machine learning and deep learning that assesses the difference between predicted and actual probability distributions. In this study, we propose cross entropy as a performance evaluation metric for image classifier models and apply it to the CT image classification of lung cancer. A convolutional neural network is employed as the deep neural network (DNN) image classifier, with the residual network (ResNet) 50 chosen as the DNN archi-tecture. The image data used comprise a lung CT image set. Two classification models are built from datasets with varying amounts of data, and lung cancer is categorized into four classes using 10-fold cross-validation. Furthermore, we employ t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding to visually explain the data distribution after classification. Experimental results demonstrate that cross en-tropy is a highly useful metric for evaluating the reliability of image classifier models. It is noted that for a more comprehensive evaluation of model perfor-mance, combining with other evaluation metrics is considered essential. .
文摘●AIM:To evaluate the effect of background diseases and number of previous intravitreal aflibercept injections(IVAIs)on immediate intraocular pressure(IOP)increase and vitreous reflux(VR)rate and to evaluate the correlation of both age and axial length with immediate IOP increase and VR rate.●METHODS:This study included 105 patients with cystoid macular edema secondary to retinal vein occlusion,35 patients with diabetic macular edema,69 patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration(nAMD),and 12 patients with myopic choroidal neovascularization,which underwent first-time IVAI.The correlation of immediate IOP increase and VR rates with the four background diseases was investigated.Moreover,the correlation of age with immediate IOP increase and VR rate as well as correlation of axial length with immediate IOP increase and VR rate were evaluated.Further,54 patients with nAMD were treated with IVAI>10 times(multiple IVAIs).Moreover,the correlation of immediate IOP increase and VR rates with first-time and multiple IVAIs in nAMD was determined.●RESULTS:The immediate IOP increase(P=0.16)and VR rates(P=0.50)were almost similar among the four background diseases.The immediate postinjection IOP and age,VR rate and age,immediate postinjection IOP and axial length,or VR rate and axial length were not correlated in the four background diseases.The immediate IOP increase(P=0.66)and VR rates(P=0.28)did not significantly differ between first-time and multiple IVAIs in nAMD.●CONCLUSION:Background diseases and number of previous IVAIs have no effect on immediate IOP increase and VR rate.Further,age and axial length have no correlation on immediate IOP increase and VR rate.
文摘This study evaluates the performance and reliability of a vision transformer (ViT) compared to convolutional neural networks (CNNs) using the ResNet50 model in classifying lung cancer from CT images into four categories: lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC), large cell carcinoma (LULC), and normal. Although CNNs have made significant advancements in medical imaging, their limited capacity to capture long-range dependencies has led to the exploration of ViTs, which leverage self-attention mechanisms for a more comprehensive global understanding of images. The study utilized a dataset of 748 lung CT images to train both models with standardized input sizes, assessing their performance through conventional metrics—accuracy, precision, recall, F1 score, specificity, and AUC—as well as cross entropy, a novel metric for evaluating prediction uncertainty. Both models achieved similar accuracy rates (95%), with ViT demonstrating a slight edge over ResNet50 in precision and F1 scores for specific classes. However, ResNet50 exhibited higher recall for LULC, indicating fewer missed cases. Cross entropy analysis showed that the ViT model had lower average uncertainty, particularly in the LUAD, Normal, and LUSC classes, compared to ResNet50. This finding suggests that ViT predictions are generally more reliable, though ResNet50 performed better for LULC. The study underscores that accuracy alone is insufficient for model comparison, as cross entropy offers deeper insights into the reliability and confidence of model predictions. The results highlight the importance of incorporating cross entropy alongside traditional metrics for a more comprehensive evaluation of deep learning models in medical image classification, providing a nuanced understanding of their performance and reliability. While the ViT outperformed the CNN-based ResNet50 in lung cancer classification based on cross-entropy values, the performance differences were minor and may not hold clinical significance. Therefore, it may be p
文摘BACKGROUND Independent avulsion fractures with anterior cruciate ligament(ACL)or posterior cruciate ligament(PCL)attachment are relatively common among tibial intercondylar eminence fractures,and their postoperative outcomes are generally favorable.Conversely,huge avulsion fractures of the intercondylar eminence containing the attachment site of both the ACL and the PCL are extremely rare,and the reported clinical outcomes are poor.CASE SUMMARY We describe a 30-year-old Japanese male's huge avulsion fracture of the intercondylar eminence of a tibia containing the attachment site of both the ACL and PCL,together with a complete tear of the medial collateral ligament and a partial tear of both the medial and lateral menisci caused by a fall from a high place.All of these injuries were treated surgically,with anatomical reduction and stable fixation.The limb function at 1 year post-surgery was excellent(Lysholm score:100 points).CONCLUSION Although this patient's complete surgical repair was complex,it should be performed in similar cases for an excellent final clinical outcome.
文摘BACKGROUND The treatment for ampullary cancer is pancreatoduodenectomy or local ampullectomy.However,effective methods for the preoperative investigation of hilar biliary invasion in ampullary cancer patients have not yet been identified.AIM To determine the necessity of and an appropriate method for investigating hilar biliary invasion of ampullary cancer.METHODS Among 43 ampullary cancer patients,34 underwent endoscopic treatment(n=9)or surgery(n=25).The use of imaging findings(thickening and enhancement of the bile duct wall on contrast-enhanced computed tomography,irregularity on endoscopic retrograde cholangiography,thickening of the entire bile duct wall on intraductal ultrasonography(IDUS),and partial thickening of the bile duct wall on IDUS)and biliary biopsy results for diagnosing hilar biliary invasion of ampullary cancer was compared.RESULTS Hilar invasion was not observed in every patient.Among the patients who did not undergo biliary stent insertion,the combination of partial thickening of the bile duct wall on IDUS and biliary biopsy results showed the highest accuracy(100%)for diagnosing hilar biliary invasion.However,each imaging method and biliary biopsy yielded some false-positive results.CONCLUSION Although some false-positive results were obtained with each method,the combination of partial thickening of the bile duct wall on IDUS and biliary biopsy results was useful for diagnosing hilar biliary invasion of ampullary cancer.However,hilar invasion of ampullary cancer is rare;therefore,the investigation of hilar biliary invasion of ampullary cancer might be unnecessary.
文摘AIM: To evaluate the feasibility of using an automatedspring-loaded needle device for endoscopic ultrasound(EUS)-guided abdominal paracentesis(EUS-P) to see if this would make it easier to puncture the mobile and lax gastric wall for EUS-P.METHODS: The EUS database and electronic medical records at Fukushima Medical University Hospital were searched from January 2001 to April 2011. Patients with a history of cancer and who underwent EUS-P using an automated spring-loaded needle device with a 22-gauge puncture needle were included. The needle was passed through the instrument channel and advanced through the gastrointestinal wall under EUS guidance into the echo-free space in the abdominal cavity and ascitic fluid was collected. The confirmed diagnosis of malignant ascites included positive cytology and results from careful clinical observation for at least 6 mo in patients with negative cytology. The technical success rate, cytology results and complications were evaluated.RESULTS: We found 11 patients who underwent EUS-P with an automated spring-loaded needle device. In 4 cases, ascites was revealed only with EUS but not in other imaging modalities. EUS-P was done in 7 other cases because there was minimal ascitic fluid and no safe window for percutaneous abdominal aspiration. Ascitic fluid was obtained in all cases by EUS-P. The average amount aspirated was 14.1 mL(range 0.5-38 mL) and that was sent for cytological exam. The etiology of ascitic fluid was benign in 5 patients and malignant in 6. In all cases, ascitic fluid was obtained with the first needle pass. No procedure-related adverse effects occurred.CONCLUSION: EUS-P with an automated springloaded needle device is a feasible and safe method for ascites evaluation.