The Impact of Nociception Monitor-Guided Multimodal General Anesthesia on Postoperative Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Laparoscopic Bowel Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Excess surgical stress responses, caused by heightened nociception, can lead to elevated levels of postoperative inflammation, resulting in an increased incidence of complications after surgery. We hypothesized that utilizing nociception monitor-guided multimodal general anesthesia would exert effects on postoperative outcomes (e.g., serum concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP) after surgery, postoperative complications). METHODS: This single-center, double-blinded, randomized trial enrolled ASA class I/II adult patients with normal preoperative CRP levels, scheduled for laparoscopic bowel surgery. Patients were randomized to receive either standard care (control group) or nociception monitor-guided multimodal general anesthesia using the nociceptive response (NR) index (NR group), where NR index was kept below 0.85 as possible. The co-primary endpoint was serum concentrations of CRP after surgery or rates of 30-day postoperative complications (defined as Clavien-Dindo grades ≥ II). MAIN RESULTS: One hundred and four patients (control group, n = 52; NR group, n = 52) were enrolled for analysis. The serum CRP level on postoperative day (POD) 1 was significantly lower in the NR group (2.70 mg·dL-1 [95% confidence interval (CI), 2.19-3.20]) than in the control group (3.66 mg·dL-1 [95% CI, 2.98-4.34], p = 0.024). The postoperative complication rate was also significantly lower in the NR group (11.5% [95% CI, 5.4-23.0]) than in the control group (38.5% [95% CI, 26.5-52.0], p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Nociception monitor-guided multimodal general anesthesia, which suppressed intraoperative nociception, mitigated serum concentrations of CRP level, and decreased postoperative complications after laparoscopic bowel surgery.

[Sixteen Cases of Appendiceal Mucinous Neoplasm].

Appendiceal mucinous neoplasm is a relatively rare disease. It is classified as mucinous adenocarcinoma(MACA)and low- grade appendiceal mucinous neoplasm(LAMN). We retrospectively evaluated 16 cases of appendiceal mucinous neoplasm (LAMN: 13 cases, MACA: 3 cases)that were surgically resected in our hospital between January 2010 and July 2021. There were 7 men and 9 women, with a median age of 61 years(27-85 years). The most common chief complaint was abdominal pain(12 patients), while 3 cases were incidental findings following medical checkups for other diseases and without a chief complaint. Colonoscopy was performed for 9 cases. Of these, 5 revealed abnormal findings. The preoperative diagnosis was appendicitis in 7 patients and appendiceal tumor in 8 patients. The surgical procedures were planned for 8 cases and performed as emergencies in 8 cases. The procedures included laparoscopic surgery(n=6)and laparotomy(n=10). The resection range included appendectomy(n=9), partial cecal resection(n=4), and ileocecal resection(n=3). Surgical margins were negative in all cases. Metastases were not observed in patients who underwent lymph node dissections (2 patients with MACA and 1 patient with LAMN). The median follow-up was 17 months(1-43 months). Recurrence including peritoneal pseudomyxoma was not detected in any of the patients.

Ion-Pair-Enhanced Double-Click Driven Cell Adhesion and Altered Expression of Related Genes.

Bio-orthogonal ligations that crosslink living cells with a substrate or other cells require high stability and rapid kinetics to maintain the nature of target cells. In this study, we report water-soluble cyclooctadiyne (WS-CODY) derivatives that undergo an ion-pair enhanced double-click reaction. The cationic side chain of WS-CODY accelerated the kinetics on the azide-modified cell surface due to proximity effect. Cationic WS-CODY was able to crosslink azide-modified, poorly adherent human lung cancer PC-9 cells not only to azide-grafted glass substrates but also to other cells within 5-30 min. We discovered that cell-substrate crosslinking induced the ITGA5 gene expression, whereas cell-cell crosslinking induced the CTNNA1 gene, according to the adhesion partner. Ion-pair-enhanced WS-CODY can be applied to a wide range of cells with established azide modifications and is expected to provide a powerful tool to regulate cell-substrate and cell-cell interactions.

Neuroprotective effects of pravastatin in cerebral venous infarction in a rat model.

Objectives: Pravastatin sodium is reported to have multiple beneficial effects in cerebral atherosclerosis and neuronal injury; however, the preventive effects on cerebral venous ischemia are still unknown. Herein, we aimed to examine the neuroprotective effects of transoral prior administration of pravastatin sodium against cerebral cortical venous ischemia with suppression of apoptosis. Methods: Thirty 8-week-old male Wistar rats were divided equally into two study groups (n = 15 vs. n = 15); the pravastatin group was fed 1% pravastatin sodium with their usual diet for 2 weeks, while the control group only received the usual diet. Two-vein occlusion (2VO) model was applied for this study, and two adjacent cortical veins in each animal were permanently occluded photochemically with rose bengal dye. During photo-thrombosis, regional changes of the cerebral blood flow (CBF) in area of the venous ischemia were recorded. At 48-h after 2VO, animals were euthanized using perfusion fixation, and we histologically measured ratios of infarcted area to contralateral hemisphere, and counted Bax- and Bcl-2-positive cells in the penumbra to investigate the implications for apoptosis. Results: The ratio of infarcted area was significantly decreased in the pravastatin group compared to the control group (P < 0.01). The number of Bax-positive cells also decreased significantly in the pravastatin group (P < 0.01). In contrast, immunolabeling for Bcl-2 was essentially negative in all areas in both groups. There were also no significant differences in regional CBF changes after 2VO between the two groups (P = 0.13). Conclusions: Pre-emptive administration of pravastatin sodium mixed in the food has neuroprotective effects against cerebral cortical venous ischemia with suppression of apoptosis associated with inhibition of Bax expression but has little influence on regional CBF.

Tranexamic acid and blood loss in pancreaticoduodenectomy: TAC-PD randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Tranexamic acid (TXA) may reduce intraoperative blood loss, but it has not been investigated in pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). METHODS: A pragmatic, multicentre, randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled trial was conducted. Adult patients undergoing planned PD for biliary, duodenal, or pancreatic diseases were randomly assigned to TXA or placebo groups. Patients in the TXA group were administered 1 g TXA before incision, followed by a maintenance infusion of 125 mg/h TXA. Patients in the placebo group were administered the same volume of saline as those in the placebo group. The primary outcome was blood loss during PD. The secondary outcomes included perioperative blood transfusions, operating time, morbidity, and mortality. RESULTS: Between September 2019 and May 2021, 218 patients were randomly assigned and underwent surgery (108 in the TXA group and 110 in the placebo group). Mean intraoperative blood loss was 659 ml in the TXA group and 701 ml in the placebo group (mean difference -42 ml, 95 per cent c.i. -191 to 106). Of the 218 patients, 202 received the intervention and underwent PD, and the mean blood loss during PD was 667 ml in the TXA group and 744 ml in the placebo group (mean difference -77 ml, 95 per cent c.i. -226 to 72). The secondary outcomes were comparable between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Perioperative TXA use did not reduce blood loss during PD. REGISTRATION NUMBER: jRCTs041190062 (https://jrct.niph.go.jp).

Removing part of the pancreas is an operation with a risk of major blood loss. Tranexamic acid is a drug thought to reduce blood loss. This study asked the question, 'Does tranexamic acid reduce blood loss during surgery on the pancreas?' Half of patients received tranexamic acid during surgery. The other half received only standard care. This study showed that tranexamic acid did not decrease the blood loss during the surgery and may have little effect in patients having a pancreaticoduodenectomy.

Breast angiosarcoma after primary breast cancer surgery: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: A potentially fatal disease of breast angiosarcoma (AS) can occur after breast cancer treatments, and previous studies have revealed that lymphedema is a risk factor of AS development. However, little is known, and there is no systematic review focusing on the relationship between lymphedema and breast AS. This systematic review aimed to evaluate all publications on breast AS after primary breast cancer surgery to identify prognostic factors and evaluate treatment modalities. METHODS: Databases were searched for articles with published individual patient data on prognostic factors, treatment, and follow-up of patients with breast AS after primary breast cancer surgery. Statistical analysis was performed to test the prognostic values of age, gender, location, tumor-node-metastasis classification of primary breast cancer (tumor and node), stage of primary breast cancer, treatment for primary breast cancer, breast cancer recurrence, post-operative lymphedema, latent period from primary breast cancer to AS, treatment for AS, AS recurrence, and time until death or last follow-up. RESULTS: Twenty articles were included, representing data on 41 patients. In these articles, 15 patients were referred to post-operative lymphedema. Eleven patients of them had post-operative lymphedema. As for this research, post-operative lymphedema was not a significant prognostic factor. AS recurrence was significant as a prognostic factor (P-value < 0.001) in univariate analysis for follow-up status; patients who had AS recurrence had a shorter time until death. CONCLUSION: In this systematic review, AS recurrence was of prognostic value for breast AS patients after primary breast cancer surgery. There are only a few articles that refer post-operative breast lymphedema.

Awake Surgery for Local Recurrence of Brain Metastasis in the Precentral Gyrus After Fractionated Stereotactic Radiotherapy: A Technical Case Report.

BACKGROUND: To avoid permanent neurologic deficits and preserve brain function, intraoperative electrical stimulation mapping (IESM) is essential for surgical resection. CASE REPORT: A 59-year-old right-handed woman with ovarian cancer who had undergone stereotactic radiotherapy for brain metastasis two years before, was introduced due to progressive left upper paresis. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a recurrence of the lesion. We performed awake surgery using IESM. Thus, the sensorimotor site was elicited on the precentral and postcentral gyrus. However, IESM elicited no disturbance of motor function on the surface of the posterior part of the precentral gyrus. We made a safe corticotomy on it, and performed the resection of recurrent BM. Preserving the motor and sensory function, we achieved the resection of BM. After surgery, she experienced a significant improvement in motor function. CONCLUSION: IESM is a useful tool to make a safe approach via the precentral gyrus avoiding permanent sensorimotor deficits.

Quantitative evaluation of the effects of interscalene block on physiological responses to the balance between nociception and anti-nociception among inpatients undergoing total shoulder arthroplasty under general anesthesia.

Although the suppression of physiological responses to the balance between nociception caused by surgical trauma and anti-nociception due to anesthesia during total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) is relevant for better perioperative managements, quantitative evaluations of the effects of ultrasound-guided interscalene brachial plexus block (ISB) on physiological responses have not been performed. Physiological responses were assessed using the nociceptive response (NR) index. In this multi-institutional observational study, associations between ISB and NR values were examined among inpatients undergoing TSA under general anesthesia between March 2019 and January 2021. The effects of ISB on acute postoperative pain and major complications within 30 days after surgery were also examined. NR values after skin incision clearly showed significant suppressions of physiological responses in patients undergoing TSA with ISB (n = 60), compared to those without ISB (n = 24). Acute postoperative pain on the day of surgery was also significantly less in patients with ISB than in those without ISB. Postoperative complications, classified by Clavien-Dindo grades, showed no significant differences between patients with and without ISB. A propensity score-matched sensitivity analysis confirmed the same results in patients with (n = 21) and without ISB (n = 21). In conclusion, suppression of physiological responses to the balance between nociception and anti-nociception by ISB can be quantitatively evaluated by NR index during TSA.

Investigations into the Potential of Using Open Source CFD to Analyze the Differences in Hemodynamic Parameters for Aortic Dissections (Healthy versus Stanford Type A and B).

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to develop a method to evaluate the effects of an aortic dissection on hemodynamic parameters by conducting a comparison with that of a healthy (nondissected) aorta. Open-source software will be implemented, no proprietary software/application will be used to ensure accessorily and repeatability, in all the data analysis and processing. Computed tomography (CT) images of aortic dissection are used for the model geometry segmentation. Boundary conditions from literature are implemented to computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to analyze the hemodynamic parameters. METHODS: A numerical simulation model was created by obtaining accurate 3-dimensional geometries of aortae from CT images. In this study, CT images of 8 cases of aortic dissection (Stanford type-A and type-B) and 3 cases of healthy aortae are used for the actual aorta model geometry segmentation. These models were exported into an open-source CFD software, OpenFOAM, where a simplified pulsating flow was simulated by controlling the flow pressure. Ten cycles of the pulsatile flow (0.50 sec/cycle) conditions, totaling 5 sec, were calculated. RESULTS: The pressure distribution, wall shear stress (WSS) and flow velocity streamlines within the aorta and the false lumen were calculated and visualized. It was found that the flow velocity and WSS had a high correlation in high WSS areas of the intermittent layer between the true and false lumen. Most of the Stanford type-A dissections in the study showed high WSS, over 38 Pa, at the systole phase. This indicates that the arterial walls in type-A dissections are more likely to be damaged with pulsatile flow. CONCLUSIONS: Using CFD to estimate localized high WSS areas may help in deciding to treat a type-A or B dissection with a stent graft to prevent a potential rupture.

Breast Cancer Treatment in a Patient with Decubitus Ulcer Infection Secondary to Spina Bifida: Surgical Resection versus Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy.

Spina bifida (SB) is a congenital neural tube defect that often presents with neurological disability and decubitus ulcers. A 66-year-old woman with SB presented to our hospital with decubitus ulcers and was treated by a plastic surgeon. She was referred to our department because of a mass measuring 5 × 4 cm in the superolateral quadrant of the right breast. The size of the right axillary lymph node (LN) was 2 × 1 cm. A core-needle biopsy revealed an invasive ductal carcinoma. Total mastectomy and axillary LN dissection were planned. However, 2 days prior to surgery, the size of the mass and the LN rapidly increased to 7 × 4 cm and 3 × 2 cm, respectively. Furthermore, the enlarged LN was close to the thoracodorsal artery. Since complete resection was difficult, neoadjuvant chemotherapy was also administered. On day 11 of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, the patient was febrile and developed a decubitus ulcer infection at the buttock. The neutrophil count was within normal limits; thus, she was not diagnosed with febrile neutropenia. Follow-up computed tomography revealed a shrinking of the mass to 5 × 4 cm after the first cycle of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. After 17 days of antibiotic therapy and drainage, total mastectomy and axillary LN dissection were performed. Due to the risk of recurrence of infection, adjuvant chemotherapy was discontinued and hormone therapy was initiated. In conclusion, indications for chemotherapy should be carefully evaluated in SB patients with lower limb paralysis and decubitus ulcers.

[Case Report of an Elderly Patient with Interstitial Pneumonia Caused by the Administration of Trastuzumab plus Anastrozole for the Treatment of Inflammatory Breast Cancer].

An 83‒year‒old woman received trastuzumab plus anastrozole as first‒line chemotherapy for inflammatory breast cancer in her left breast. Following the treatment, the induration and redness in her breast gradually improved; however, 2 days after receiving the 5th course of chemotherapy, she developed dyspnea and was referred to the emergency room. Her SpO2 was 88%; her KL‒6 level had increased to 2,613 U/mL; and a chest CT scan showed ground‒glass opacity in the bilateral lung fields, yielding a diagnosis of interstitial pneumonia requiring steroid pulse therapy. The dyspnea improved immediately after steroid administration, and the patient was discharged 20 days after hospitalization. Thereafter, the steroid dosage was gradually lowered to 5 mg/day. We discontinued steroid therapy after a chest CT confirmed the reduction of ground‒glass opacity. However, she was later readmitted for interstitial pneumonia for which she was readministered steroid pulse therapy. Trastuzumab‒induced interstitial pneumonia is rare, but we must be aware of the possibility that patients may develop severe pulmonary disorders or experience cardiotoxic effects.

Pancreaticoduodenectomy with malrotation following reoperation due to torsion of efferent loop: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Malrotation is a congenital anomaly during the development of the embryonic intestine. Although it is generally considered a pediatric surgical condition, it can have significant implications for adult surgery in terms of reconstruction. CASE PRESENTATION: The patient was an 85-year-old man with pancreatic cancer and intestinal malrotation. He underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy with modified Child's reconstruction. Because the ascending colon and efferent loop twisted easily, we fixed the ascending colon to the abdominal wall. Thereafter, right twist and stenosis of the efferent loop occurred. On the 22nd day after the initial surgery, detorsion and Braun anastomosis were performed for efferent loop fixation. Postoperative oral intake was good, and the patient was discharged from our hospital on the 24th day after the reoperation. CONCLUSIONS: This is a rare case of pancreaticoduodenectomy with malrotation following reoperation due to a complication after Child's reconstruction. In similar cases of intestinal malrotation, it is important to consider avoiding coaxial positioning of intestinal parts and an upper abdominal space while selecting a reconstruction method.

[Liver Herniation through a Diaphragmatic Defect Mimicking Pleural Tumor;Report of a Case].

Liver herniation is rare and sometimes difficult to differentiate from pleural or diaphragmatic tumor. A 64-year-old woman was admitted due to a mass-like shadow in the right lower lung field. Computed tomography, coronal view, showed a well-defined mass forming an acute angle with the right diaphragm, mimicking pleural tumor. Video-assisted thoracic surgery was performed, revealing herniated liver through one of the multiple diaphragmatic defects, which was repositioned into the abdominal cavity, and the diaphragmatic defect was repaired. The patient recovered well and was discharged on postoperative day 5.

A long-term survival case after resection of the pancreatic metastasis from lung cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Pancreatic metastasis from lung cancer is not an indication for surgical resection because patients with such a condition present with multiple-organ metastases. Therefore, the significance of resection in patients with pancreatic metastasis from lung cancer remains unclear. Here we report a case of a long-term survivor of pancreatic metastasis from lung cancer after pancreatectomy. CASE PRESENTATION: A 67-year-old woman presented with a pancreatic mass. She had undergone left lower lobectomy for stage IIIA lung adenocarcinoma 6 years prior to presentation. Following surgery, she received adjuvant treatment with gefitinib for 7 months. However, this treatment was discontinued due to its side effects. The patient received radiation therapy for mediastinal lymph node metastasis 2 years after resection and she became cancer-free. Six years after the initial pulmonary resection, the patient's tumor marker level increased, and abdominal computed tomography (CT) revealed a 20-mm tumor in the pancreatic tail. Positron emission tomography-CT revealed an abnormal uptake in the pancreatic tail. However, no other abnormal lesions were observed. The diagnosis was primary pancreatic cancer or metastasis from lung cancer. Distal pancreatectomy with lymph node dissection was performed, and the pathological diagnosis was metastasis from lung cancer. The patient survived for more than 5 years without recurrence but she died of acute renal failure after acquiring pneumonia. CONCLUSION: Surgical treatment should be considered for pancreatic metastasis from lung cancer if the disease is localized and the patient's condition is good. Additionally, combined therapy, including surgical resection, may be effective for repeated recurrence.

Long-term survival after surgical resection for recurrent hepatic and pulmonary metastases of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: a case report.

BACKGROUND: A few reports to date have described the effectiveness of surgical resection for recurrent intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). We report in this study a patient who achieved long-term survival after surgical resection for recurrent hepatic and pulmonary metastases of ICC. CASE PRESENTATION: A 62-year-old man was referred to our hospital for examination of a tumor in the left lobe of the liver. Computed tomography (CT) scans of the abdomen revealed a hypovascularized tumor, 30 mm in hepatic segment 2 (S2). The patient was diagnosed with a mass-forming type of ICC. A left lateral sectionectomy with regional lymph node dissection was performed. Histopathological examination showed moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma in the hepatic S2 with lymph node metastasis. There were two intrahepatic metastases around the main tumor. The pathological stage of the ICC was pT2pN1M0pStageIIIB. The patient did not receive adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery. Twelve months after surgery, liver lesions in S4/S8 and S7 were detected on CT scans. A partial hepatectomy was performed. The histopathological features were similar to those of the previous ICC. The patient did not receive adjuvant chemotherapy after the repeat hepatectomy. Four years and four months after this repeat hepatectomy, CT scans showed multiple nodes in S4 and S10 of the left lung and in S1 of the right lung. Wedge resection of the left upper lobe and sectionectomy in S10 of the left lung were performed. Histopathological findings of the resected lung nodules were compatible with metastatic ICC. The nodule in S1 of the right lung was too small to be diagnosed as metastasis; therefore, it was not resected. After pulmonary resection, the patient was treated with gemcitabine and cisplatin for 6 months. After chemotherapy, the size of the nodule in S1 increased gradually. One year and ten months after the pulmonary resection, we performed wedge resection of S1 of the right lung, and the histopathological findings were compatible with metastatic ICC. The patient is alive without evidence of disease 8 years after the initial surgery and 8 months after the last pulmonary resection. CONCLUSIONS: ICC with poor prognostic factors can frequently recur; however, surgical resection for recurrent ICC might, for selected patients, enable long-term survival.

Intraductal papillary neoplasm of the bile duct with rapidly progressive multicentric recurrence: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Knowledge on the pattern of recurrence and prognosis of intraductal papillary neoplasms of the bile duct (IPNB) is limited. Few studies have reported IPNB recurrence in the remnant intrahepatic bile duct, which is indicative of the true multicentricity of IPNB. Herein, we report a case of IPNB with rapidly progressive recurrence in the remnant intrahepatic bile duct and review the literature for discussing the prognosis of IPNB with multicentricity. CASE PRESENTATION: A 72-year-old male was diagnosed with IPNB in the hepatic duct of segment 3 that had spread to the left hepatic duct. The patient underwent left hepatectomy, total caudate lobectomy, and extra-hepatic bile duct resection with biliary reconstruction. Histologically, the tumor was IPNB with noninvasive adenocarcinoma with a negative surgical margin. Although dilatation of B8 and biliary enzyme elevation were observed beginning at 7-10 months postoperatively, there was no evidence of recurrence. At 17 months postoperatively, the recurrent tumor diffusely spread throughout the remnant intrahepatic bile duct. Internal drainage stents were placed within the intrahepatic bile ducts with relapsed IPNB to relieve jaundice, and a course of chemotherapy was considered. However, the patient did not receive any therapies up to his death at 21 months postoperatively because of rapid disease progression. CONCLUSION: According to a literature review, some cases of multicentric IPNB have shown rapidly progressive recurrence and poor prognosis. We should consider multicentricity of IPNB even a few months after curative resection, and narrow examinations should also be considered.