Extrahepatic Portal Venous Gas Is the Strongest Predictor of Mortality in Patients with Portal Venous Gas and Pneumatosis Intestinalis.

BACKGROUND: Very few studies have examined the association between contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) findings observed in portal venous gas (PVG) and pneumatosis intestinalis (PI) and the underlying diseases in these conditions. OBJECTIVES: In this study, we analyzed this association and report the findings for predicting mortality. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Overall, 50 patients diagnosed with PVG or PI, observed on contrast-enhanced CT, underwent treatment at our hospital. Based on the underlying disease, we divided the patients into three groups, those with ischemic disease, infectious disease, or gastrointestinal dilatation. Furthermore, cases that underwent surgical treatment or needed surgery but were inoperable were assigned to the high risk group (n=16) and patients who received conservative treatment were assigned to the low risk group (n=34). We reviewed the patients' medical charts, laboratory data, and CT images retrospectively, and analyzed the relationship between CT findings, underlying disease, and association with the high risk or low risk group in each case. RESULTS: Poor enhancement of the intestinal wall, mesenteric fat stranding, extrahepatic PVG, advanced age, and renal disease were significantly associated with ischemic disease (p=0.02, p=0.02, p=0.005, p=0.008 and p=0.049, respectively). PI alone was strongly associated with gastrointestinal dilatation (p=0.009). Patients in the low risk group had more favorable outcomes with conservative treatment. In multivariate analysis, extrahepatic PVG was the only factor associated with the high risk group (p=0.002). CONCLUSION: Extrahepatic PVG associated with ischemic disease was the strongest predictive factor of mortality. Other CT findings, though useful in diagnosing the underlying disease, were not significant predictive factors.

Identification of DNA Repair-related Genes as Biomarkers Reflecting MSI, TMB, and TIL in Colorectal Cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIM: There are no established biomarkers for immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) in colorectal cancer (CRC) with microsatellite stability (MSS) or proficient mismatch repair (pMMR). Therefore, this study aimed to identify biomarkers for ICI benefit in patients with pMMR by analyzing the down-regulated DNA repair-related genes involved in highly immunogenic and immune responses, and comparing their expression levels and clinical features. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Mismatch repair (MMR), tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL), and tumor mutation burden (TMB) were evaluated in 13 CRC cases and mRNA expression levels of 95 DNA repair-related genes were measured. DNA repair-related genes with reduced mRNA expression in the high immunogenicity and high immune response groups were identified. Then, the mRNA expression levels of the identified DNA repair-related genes were measured in 135 patients with CRC. Hierarchical cluster analysis was performed using the mRNA expression levels to compare the clinicopathological characteristics of each cluster. RESULTS: ATR, LIG4, and RAD52 mRNA levels were significantly down-regulated in the high immunogenicity group. GADD45B, SMUG1, and XRCC6 mRNA levels were significantly down-regulated in the high immune response group. Cases in the cluster with reduced mRNA expression of the six genes were pMMR cases. CD8 mRNA expression level was higher in this cluster than in the other clusters. CONCLUSION: Decreased mRNA expression levels of ATR, LIG4, RAD52, GADD45B, SMUG1, and XRCC6 genes were associated with high cytotoxic T cell and TMB levels, suggesting that these genes could serve as biomarkers for ICI efficacy in pMMR cases.

Guanylate binding protein 5 is an immune-related biomarker of oral squamous cell carcinoma: A retrospective prognostic study with bioinformatic analysis.

BACKGROUND: Cancer utilizes immunosuppressive mechanisms to create a tumor microenvironment favorable for its progression. The purpose of this study is to histologically characterize the immunological properties of the tumor microenvironment of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and identify key molecules involved in the immunological microenvironment and patient prognosis. METHODS: First, overlapping differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened from OSCC transcriptome data in public databases. Correlation analysis of DEGs with known immune-related genes identified genes involved in the immune microenvironment of OSCC. Next, stromal patterns of tumor were classified and immunohistochemical staining was performed for immune cell markers (CD3, CD4, Foxp3, CD8, CD20, CD68, and CD163), programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), and guanylate binding protein 5 (GBP5) in resected specimens obtained from 110 patients with OSCC who underwent resection. Correlations between each factor and their prognostic impact were analyzed. RESULTS: Among the novel OSCC-specific immune-related genes screened (including ADAMDEC1, CXCL9, CXCL13, DPT, GBP5, IDO1, and PLA2G7), GBP5 was selected as the target gene. Histopathologic analysis showed that multiple T-cell subsets and CD20-positive cells were less common in the advanced stages, whereas CD163-positive cells were more common in advanced stages. The immature type in the stromal pattern category was associated with less immune cell infiltration, lower expression of PD-L1 in immune cells, lower expression of GBP5 in the stroma, and shorter overall survival and recurrence-free survival. Expression of GBP5 in the tumor and stroma correlated with immune cell infiltration of tumors and PD-L1 expression in tumor and immune cells. Patients with low tumor GBP5 expression and high stromal expression had significantly longer overall survival and recurrence-free survival. CONCLUSIONS: The stromal pattern category may reflect both invasive and immunomodulatory potentials of cancer-associated fibroblasts in OSCC. GBP5 has been suggested as a potential biomarker to predict the prognosis and therapeutic efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Laparoscopic transabdominal approach for resection of presacral epidermoid cyst in an obese man: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Complete resection of presacral epidermoid cysts is recommended due to the potential for infection or malignancy. Transsacral and transabdominal approaches have been used to treat presacral tumors. However, there are no standard surgical approaches to resection. We present the case of a presacral epidermoid cyst in an obese male patient who underwent laparoscopic transabdominal resection. CASE PRESENTATION: A 44-year-old man was referred to our hospital for treatment of a cystic tumor on the pelvic floor. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography revealed a 45 × 40-mm tumor on the left ventral side of the rectum, right side of the ischial spine, dorsal side of the seminal vesicles, and in front of the 5th sacrum. Enhanced magnetic resonance imaging revealed a multilocular cystic tumor with high and low signal intensities on T2-weighted images. The tumor was diagnosed as an epidermoid cyst. We considered the transsacral or laparoscopic approach and decided to perform a laparoscopic-assisted transabdominal resection since the tumor was in front of away from the sacrum, and a transsacral approach would result in a larger scar due to poor visibility from the thickness of the buttocks. The entire tumor was safely resected under laparoscopic guidance, because the laparoscopic transabdominal approach can provide a good and magnified field of view even in a narrow pelvic cavity with small skin incisions, allowing safe resection of the pelvic organs, vessels, and nerves while observing the tumor contour. CONCLUSIONS: The laparoscopic transabdominal approach is an effective method for treating presacral tumors in obese patients.

Comparison of Effective Imaging Modalities for Detecting Gastric Neoplasms: A Randomized 3-Arm Phase II Trial.

INTRODUCTION: The early detection of gastric neoplasms (GNs) leads to favorable treatment outcomes. The latest endoscopic system, EVIS X1, includes third-generation narrow-band imaging (3G-NBI), texture and color enhancement imaging (TXI), and high-definition white-light imaging (WLI). Therefore, this randomized phase II trial aimed to identify the most promising imaging modality for GN detection using 3G-NBI and TXI. METHODS: Patients with scheduled surveillance endoscopy after a history of esophageal cancer or GN or preoperative endoscopy for known esophageal cancer or GN were randomly assigned to the 3G-NBI, TXI, or WLI groups. Endoscopic observations were performed to detect new GN lesions, and all suspected lesions were biopsied. The primary endpoint was the GN detection rate during primary observation. Secondary endpoints were the rate of missed GNs, early gastric cancer detection rate, and positive predictive value for a GN diagnosis. The decision rule had a higher GN detection rate between 3G-NBI and TXI, outperforming WLI by >1.0%. RESULTS: Finally, 901 patients were enrolled and assigned to the 3G-NBI, TXI, and WLI groups (300, 300, and 301 patients, respectively). GN detection rates in the 3G-NBI, TXI, and WLI groups were 7.3, 5.0, and 5.6%, respectively. The rates of missed GNs were 1.0, 0.7, and 1.0%, the detection rates of early gastric cancer were 5.7, 4.0, and 5.6%, and the positive predictive values for the diagnosis of GN were 36.5, 21.3, and 36.8% in the 3G-NBI, TXI, and WLI groups, respectively. DISCUSSION: Compared with TXI and WLI, 3G-NBI is a more promising modality for GN detection.

Surgical management of secondary acquired cholesteatoma depends on its characteristics.

OBJECTIVE: Cholesteatoma secondary to tympanic perforation, known as "secondary acquired cholesteatoma" may progress slower than a retraction pocket cholesteatoma, with less bone destruction and fewer intracranial complications. However, complete surgical removal remains difficult because the pathological epithelium on the marginal side of the extension is not covered by the subepithelial layer of the cholesteatoma matrix, making the boundary with the middle ear mucosa difficult to identify. Therefore, considering the pathophysiology of secondary acquired cholesteatoma, suitable preoperative evaluation and surgical techniques are required. In this study, we aimed to evaluate (i) the extension of secondary acquired cholesteatoma according to the size and location of tympanic membrane perforation; and (ii) the microscopic surgical outcomes, including the rate of residual cholesteatoma, requirement for specialized surgical management, and changes in hearing. METHODS: This retrospective study included data of cases with secondary acquired cholesteatoma (n = 66; 66 ears of 64 patients, 2 patients had bilateral ear involvement), including those who underwent a staged operation (n = 25). RESULTS: The perforation level of the tympanic membrane was associated with the cholesteatoma extension. When the cholesteatoma extended around the stapes, staged operation was chosen. Six cases of spontaneous resolution of stapes lesions at the time of staged surgery were observed. A significant postoperative improvement in hearing was observed; however, five cases experienced sensorineural hearing loss. CONCLUSION: Surgery, including staged surgery of the stapes lesions, along with careful observation of the perforation, is required in secondary acquired cholesteatoma. For lesions that are visible yet challenging to remove, it is imperative to exercise prudent judgment, taking into account the possibility of spontaneous resolution.