Utility of urinary liver-type fatty acid-binding protein as a prognostic marker in adult congenital heart patients hospitalized for acute heart failure.

Progression to acute kidney injury (AKI) under treatment in adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) patients with heart failure is associated with poor prognosis, early detection and interventions are necessary. We aimed to explore the utility of urinary liver-type fatty acid binding protein (L-FABP) in ACHD patients hospitalized for acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). We prospectively evaluated hemodynamic, biochemical data, and urinary biomarkers including urinary L-FABP in ACHD patients hospitalized in our institution from June 2019 to March 2022. The primary outcomes were the development of AKI and death. AKI was defined as serum creatinine level increased by 0.3 mg/dl or more within 5 days after hospitalization. A total of 104 ADHF patients aged 31 (36-51) years were enrolled. 26 cases (25% of ADHF patients) developed AKI during hospitalization and 4 died after hospital discharge. Serum creatinine (sCr), serum total bilirubin, brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), and urinary L-FABP in AKI patients were significantly higher than in non-AKI patients, whereas systemic oxygen saturation of the peripheral artery (SpO2) and estimated glomerular filtration ratio in AKI patients were lower than non-AKI patients. There was no difference in the intravenous diuretic dose on admission and during hospitalization between the two groups. In the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, the maximum area under the curve (AUC) of urinary biomarkers in AKI patients was urinary L-FABP (AUC = 0.769, p < 0.001) with a cutoff value of 4.86 µg/gCr. Urinary L-FABP level on admission was associated with a predictor for AKI development during hospitalization after adjusting for sCr, BNP and SpO2. Urinary L-FABP was a useful predictor for the development of AKI in ACHD patients hospitalized for ADHF. Monitoring of urinary L-FABP allows us to detect a high-risk patient earlier than the conventional biomarkers.

Sphingadienine-1-phosphate levels are regulated by a novel glycoside hydrolase family 1 glucocerebrosidase widely distributed in seed plants.

Long-chain base phosphates (LCBPs) such as sphingosine-1-phosphate and phytosphingosine-1-phosphate function as abscisic acid (ABA)-mediated signaling molecules that regulate stomatal closure in plants. Recently, a glycoside hydrolase family 1 (GH1) ß-glucosidase, Os3BGlu6, was found to improve drought tolerance by stomatal closure in rice, but the biochemical functions of Os3BGlu6 have remained unclear. Here we identified Os3BGlu6 as a novel GH1 glucocerebrosidase (GCase) that catalyzes the hydrolysis of glucosylceramide to ceramide. Phylogenetic and enzymatic analyses showed that GH1 GCases are widely distributed in seed plants and that pollen or anthers of all seed plants tested had high GCase activity, but activity was very low in ferns and mosses. Os3BGlu6 had high activity for glucosylceramides containing (4E,8Z)-sphingadienine, and GCase activity in leaves, stems, roots, pistils, and anthers of Os3BGlu6-deficient rice mutants was completely absent relative to that of wild-type rice. The levels of ceramides containing sphingadienine were correlated with GCase activity in each rice organ and were significantly lower in Os3BGlu6-deficient rice mutants than in the wild type. The levels of LCBPs synthesized from ceramides, especially the levels of sphingadienine-1-phosphate, were also correlated with GCase activity in each rice organ and were significantly lower in Os3BGlu6-deficient rice mutants than in the wild type. These results indicate that Os3BGlu6 regulates the level of ceramides containing sphingadienine, influencing the regulation of sphingadienine-1-phosphate levels and subsequent improvement of drought tolerance via stomatal closure in rice.

Compensation and monitoring of transmitter and receiver impairments in 10,000-km single-mode fiber transmission by adaptive multi-layer filters with augmented inputs.

We propose an adaptive multi-layer (ML) filter architecture to compensate for linear impairments that occur in transmitter (Tx) and receiver (Rx) components in ultra-long-haul optical fiber transmission systems, in which large chromatic dispersion (CD) accumulates in the received signal. The architecture consists of strictly linear (SL) and widely linear (WL) filter layers, and the coefficients of the ML filters are adaptively controlled by gradient calculation with back propagation and stochastic gradient descent. Static CD compensation is performed on the received signal and its complex conjugate before the adaptive ML filters. These augmented signals are then the inputs of the first 2×1 SL filter layer of the ML filters, for compensation of in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) impairments on the Rx side. Tx IQ impairments and polarization effects as well as Rx IQ impairments are adaptively compensated in the ML filters. By sweeping CD compensation filters before the ML filters, this architecture mitigates the computational complexity for back propagation of the ML filters especially for ultra-long-haul transmission, while mutual non-commutativity between the WL filter for IQ impairment compensation and the CD compensation filter is appropriately solved. We evaluated the proposed adaptive ML filter architecture with augmented inputs through both simulation and wavelength-division multiplexed transmission experiments of 32-Gbaud polarization-division-multiplexed 64-quadrature amplitude modulation-based probabilistic constellation shaped signals over 10,000 km of single-mode fiber (SMF). The results demonstrated that the proposed adaptive ML filter architecture effectively compensates for Tx and Rx IQ skews in ultra-long-haul SMF transmission, and that impairments can be monitored individually from the converged filter coefficients of the corresponding layers.

Fully automated microRNA quantification technique based on bioluminescent enzyme immunoassay.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are potential clinical biomarkers for the detection of various diseases. However, their quantification has not been implemented in clinical practice given the inconsistencies in their variable recovery rate and accuracy of the results. Thus, we utilized a technique based on bioluminescent enzyme immunoassay (BLEIA) to perform fully automated miRNA quantification using magnetic particles conjugated with antibodies targeting DNA-RNA hybrids, biotinylated DNA probes specific to miRNAs, and firefly luciferase-labeled streptavidin. This method enabled direct use of diluted serum and automation of all processes within 1 hr. The results revealed a wide linear range between 10 fmol/L and 1 nmol/L, high sensitivity with a detection limit of 6.3 fmol/L or below, high specificity with a false positive rate under 2.4%, and high reproducibility in intra- and inter-experimental observations (under CV 10% and r = 0.9965, respectively). Furthermore, a significant correlation was revealed between quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and BLEIA assay for the quantification of synthetic miRNA (r = 0.9993) and endogenous miRNA in healthy serums (r = 0.8203), respectively. Overall, we developed a fully automated miRNA quantification method based on BLEIA, which can be adopted in a clinical setting. However, further studies are needed to assess its clinical performance.

Comparison of the efficacy and safety of LBAL, a candidate adalimumab biosimilar, and adalimumab reference product in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis inadequately responding to methotrexate: a 52-week phase III randomised study.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the similarities between LBAL (adalimumab biosimilar candidate) and the adalimumab reference product (ADL) in terms of efficacy and safety, including immunogenicity, in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis despite methotrexate treatment. METHODS: This phase III, multicentre, randomised, double-blind, parallel-group, 56-week study was conducted in Japan and Korea. During the first 24 weeks, patients subcutaneously received 40 mg of LBAL or ADL every two weeks (LBAL and ADL groups). During the subsequent 28 weeks, the LBAL group patients and half of the ADL group patients received LBAL (L-L and A-L arms). The remaining ADL group patients continued to receive ADL (A-A arm). The primary efficacy endpoint was the change from baseline in disease activity score 28-erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR) at Week 24. American College of Rheumatology (ACR) response rates, adverse events (AEs), and anti-drug antibody (ADA) were also assessed. RESULTS: In total, 383 patients were randomised. The least squares (LS) mean changes from baseline in DAS28-ESR at Week 24 were -2.45 and -2.53 in the LBAL (n=191) and ADL (n=190) groups, respectively. The 95% confidence interval (CI; -0.139, 0.304) of the difference (0.08) was within the pre-specified equivalence margin (-0.6, 0.6). Up to Week 52, the decreases in DAS28-ESR were maintained in all three arms. No notable differences in ACR20/50/70 were observed. The AE and ADA incidences were comparable between the arms. CONCLUSIONS: LBAL was equivalent in efficacy and comparable in safety, including immunogenicity, to ADL. Switching from ADL to LBAL did not impact on efficacy and safety.

Platelet volume indices correlate to severity of heart failure and have prognostic value for both cardiac and thrombotic events in patients with congenital heart disease.

Patients with heart failure (HF) reportedly have activated platelets with increased platelet distribution width (PDW) and mean platelet volume (MPV), which lead to thrombotic events. These platelet indices are easily measured by routine blood tests and have been proposed as potential markers of cardiac events. We performed the present study to clarify whether platelet indices correlate to the severity of HF and to the prognosis of patients with congenital heart disease (CHD). We performed a retrospective single-center study including 400 patients with CHD [median age, 34 years (range 12-76); 49% males] hospitalized between 2014 and 2017. We assessed their clinical data, correlation between platelet indices and severity of HF, and prognosis of HF-related hospitalization and thrombus formation. In multivariate analysis, a significant correlation was found between PDW and logBNP (log-transformed brain natriuretic peptide; r = 0.30, p < 0.001), as well as between MPV and logBNP (r = 0.24, p < 0.001). After treatment for heart failure, a significant reduction was found in PDW (average value before treatment: 14.2; after: 13.2, p = 0.017). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, PDW [hazard ratio (HR) 1.365; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.005-1.768] and MPV (HR 1.472; 95% CI 1.055-2.052) were predictors of HF-related hospitalization. Similarly, PDW (HR 1.998; 95% CI 1.461-2.630) and MPV (HR 1.792; 95% CI 1.155-2.781) were predictors of thrombus formation. Platelet volume indices correlate to severity of heart failure and have prognostic value for both cardiac and thrombotic events in patients with CHD.

A new method for the preparation of a purified glucosylceramide and ceramide from shiitake mushroom.

Ingestion of plant and fungal glucosylceramides is known to reduce colon carcinogenesis and skin barrier damage in mice and humans. However, such effects in animal experiments have not been revealed for plant and fungal ceramides because the content of ceramides contained in plants and fungi is so low that the large amount required for animal experiments is difficult to obtain. Noting that the fungus shiitake mushroom (Lentinula edodes) is rich in a glucosylceramide, (4E,8E)-N-d-2'-hydroxypalmitoyl-1-O-ß-d-glucopyranosyl-9-methyl-4,8-sphingadienine [Glc-d19:2(4E,8E,9Me)-h16:0], we developed a new method to purify this fungal glucosylceramide using ethanol precipitation and high-performance liquid chromatography. We also developed a new method to produce large amounts of a ceramide [d19:2(4E,8E,9Me)-h16:0] from this purified glucosylceramide using human glycoside hydrolase family 30 glucocerebrosidase (imiglucerase). These methods will be useful for elucidating the physiological function by ingestion of fungal ceramides in animal experiments.

Alteration of Oral and Perioral Soft Tissue in Mice following Incisor Tooth Extraction.

Oral and perioral soft tissues cooperate with other oral and pharyngeal organs to facilitate mastication and swallowing. It is essential for these tissues to maintain their morphology for efficient function. Recently, it was reported that the morphology of oral and perioral soft tissue can be altered by aging or orthodontic treatment. However, it remains unclear whether tooth loss can alter these tissues' morphology. This study examined whether tooth loss could alter lip morphology. First, an analysis of human anatomy suggested that tooth loss altered lip morphology. Next, a murine model of tooth loss was established by extracting an incisor; micro-computed tomography revealed that a new bone replaced the extraction socket. Body weight was significantly lower in the tooth loss (UH) group than in the non-extraction control (NH) group. The upper lip showed a greater degree of morphological variation in the UH group. Proteomic analysis and immunohistochemical staining of the upper lip illustrated that S100A8/9 expression was higher in the UH group, suggesting that tooth loss induced lip inflammation. Finally, soft-diet feeding improved lip deformity associated with tooth loss, but not inflammation. Therefore, soft-diet feeding is essential for preventing lip morphological changes after tooth loss.

Ferroptosis is controlled by the coordinated transcriptional regulation of glutathione and labile iron metabolism by the transcription factor BACH1.

Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent programmed cell death event, whose regulation and physiological significance remain to be elucidated. Analyzing transcriptional responses of mouse embryonic fibroblasts exposed to the ferroptosis inducer erastin, here we found that a set of genes related to oxidative stress protection is induced upon ferroptosis. We considered that up-regulation of these genes attenuates ferroptosis induction and found that the transcription factor BTB domain and CNC homolog 1 (BACH1), a regulator in heme and iron metabolism, promotes ferroptosis by repressing the transcription of a subset of the erastin-induced protective genes. We noted that these genes are involved in the synthesis of GSH or metabolism of intracellular labile iron and include glutamate-cysteine ligase modifier subunit (Gclm), solute carrier family 7 member 11 (Slc7a11), ferritin heavy chain 1 (Fth1), ferritin light chain 1 (Ftl1), and solute carrier family 40 member 1 (Slc40a1). Ferroptosis has also been previously shown to induce cardiomyopathy, and here we observed that Bach1-/- mice are more resistant to myocardial infarction than WT mice and that the severity of ischemic injury is decreased by the iron-chelator deferasirox, which suppressed ferroptosis. Our findings suggest that BACH1 represses genes that combat labile iron-induced oxidative stress, and ferroptosis is stimulated at the transcriptional level by BACH1 upon disruption of the balance between the transcriptional induction of protective genes and accumulation of iron-mediated damage. We propose that BACH1 controls the threshold of ferroptosis induction and may represent a therapeutic target for alleviating ferroptosis-related diseases, including myocardial infarction.

Silencing of LRRFIP1 enhances the sensitivity of gemcitabine in pancreatic cancer cells by activating JNK/c-Jun signaling.

BACKGROUND: The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in cancer cells has been shown to closely associate with the survival and drug resistance of cancer cells. We recently provided evidence that Wnt signal activator leucine-rich repeat in flightless-1-interacting protein 1 (LRRFIP1) regulates EMT in pancreatic cancer. LRRFIP1 silencing inhibits the translocation of ß-catenin to the nucleus, which led to reverse EMT in cancer cells. It was suggested that LRRFIP1 was implicated in gemcitabine sensitivity by regulating EMT signaling. METHODS: Gemcitabine chemosensitivity was investigated in LRRFIP1-knockdown pancreatic cancer cells (PANC-1 and MIA Paca-2). In addition, the effects of LRRFIP1 knockdown on JNK/SAPK (stress activated-protein kinase) signaling and apoptosis were evaluated. RESULTS: LRRFIP1 silencing accelerates gemcitabine-induced caspase activity and cell death in pancreatic cancer cells. It was also revealed that gemcitabine-induced phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and c-Jun were increased in LRRFIP1 knockdown cells. The activation of JNK/c-Jun in LRRFIP1-knockdown cells was significantly diminished by the inhibition of Rac activity. It was confirmed that the acquisition of gemcitabine sensitivity by LRRFIP1 silencing largely depends on the stimulation of JNK/SAPK (stress activated-protein kinase) signaling. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that reversing EMT and transient activation of JNK might be essential for the gemcitabine sensitivity in LRRFIP1 knockdown pancreatic cancer cells. Our discoveries highlight the potential role of LRRFIP1 in the chemosensitivity related to the regulation of EMT signaling.

Predictors of neo-aortic valve regurgitation in the long term after arterial switch operation.

Although arterial switch operations (ASOs) have been performed globally to repair d-transposition of the great arteries (d-TGA) in neonates and infants, few studies have been reported regarding the influence of the hemodynamics of patients with d-TGA who have undergone ASO on the development of neo-aortic valve regurgitation (AR). We aimed to investigate the relationship between the hemodynamics and development of AR after ASO in patients with d-TGA by catheter evaluation. This observational study screened 114 consecutive patients who underwent ASO for d-TGA or Taussig-Bing anomaly and who subsequently underwent catheter evaluations in our institution. We reviewed their records for the past 20 years and collected their first catheterization data post-ASO in early childhood. Thirty-six post-ASO patients who underwent catheter evaluations in both the early surgical and long-term phases were finally analyzed. Patients were divided into the following groups according to the presence of significant AR in the long-term phase: the AR group (n = 9 with AR ≥ grade II by the Sellers classification) and the non-AR group (n = 27 with AR < grade II). In the long-term phase, the diastolic blood pressure was significantly lower and the ascending aortic diameter was significantly larger in the AR group than in the non-AR group (p = 0.004 and p = 0.006, respectively). The systolic blood pressure (SBP) and pulse pressure (PP) were similar in both groups. Meanwhile, in the early surgical phase, SBP and PP were significantly higher in the AR group than in the non-AR group (p = 0.029 and p = 0.002, respectively). The receiver operating characteristic curve for late AR showed that the area under the curve for SBP and PP in the early surgical phase were 0.746 and 0.853, respectively. Even though sensitivity analysis was performed, SBP or PP greater than the cutoff value in the early surgical phase was identified as predictors for late AR. Our results suggested that high SBP or PP in the early surgical phase could influence the development of AR in the long term after ASO.

Direct LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis of plant glucosylceramide and ceramide species with 8E and 8Z isomers of the long chain base.

Glucosylceramides and ceramides with 8E and 8Z isomers of the long chain base are found in plants. These isomers have been difficult to quantify separately using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) because the isomers have the same retention time, their precursor and product ions have the same m/z values, and plant ceramide standards are not commercially available. Here we tested trial separations using various ODS columns and prepared plant ceramide standards generated by human glucocerebrosidase (imiglucerase) using commercially available plant glucosylceramide standards as the substrates. Consequently, we were able to quantify the isomers based on differences in retention times in a TSKgel ODS-120A column (Tosoh, Tokyo Japan) using LC-electrospray ionization-MS/MS (LC-ESI-MS/MS).

The Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) Score as a prognostic factor for obstructive colorectal cancer patients received stenting as a bridge to curative surgery.

PURPOSE: The Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) Score, originally developed as a nutritional screening tool, is a cumulative score calculated from the serum albumin level, total cholesterol level, and total lymphocyte count. Previous studies have demonstrated that the score has significant prognostic value in various malignancies. We investigated the relationship between the CONUT score and long-term survival in obstructive colorectal cancer (OCRC) patients who underwent self-expandable metallic colonic stent placement and subsequently received curative surgery. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 57 pathological stage II and III OCRC patients between 2013 and 2019. The associations between the preoperative CONUT score and clinicopathological factors and patient survival were evaluated. RESULTS: A receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed that the optimal cut-off value for the CONUT score was 7. A CONUT score of ≥ 7 was significantly associated with elevated CA19-9 level (p = 0.03). Multivariate analyses revealed that a CONUT score of ≥ 7 was independently associated with cancer-specific survival (hazard ratio [HR] = 10.2, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.2-85.9, p = 0.03) and disease-free survival (HR = 7.1, 95% CI 2.3-21.7, p = 0.0006). CONCLUSION: The results demonstrated that the CONUT score was a potent prognostic indicator. Evaluating the CONUT score might result in more precise patient assessment and tailored treatment.

[Study of Laparoscopic Surgery for Elderly Patients with Colorectal Cancer].

The number of elderly patients and colorectal cancer patients is increasing, so laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer in elderly patients is suspected to increase. In 456 patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer, we investigated whether laparoscopic surgery for elderly patients with colon cancer patients could be performed equally compared to non-elderly patients. Preoperative ASA-PS was slightly poorer in elderly patients. There was no significant difference in pStage. The 5-year overall survival rate was lower in the elderly, but there were no significant differences in blood loss, operation time, postoperative hospital stays and incidence of complications of Clavien-Dindo classification grade 3 or higher. It was suggested that laparoscopic surgery for elderly patients with colorectal cancer may be safely performed compared with non-elderly patients.

Wide range rate adaptation of QAM-based probabilistic constellation shaping using a fixed FEC with blind adaptive equalization.

We investigate the rate adaptability of quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM)-based probabilistic constellation shaping (PCS) using a fixed forward error correction (FEC) scheme over a wide range of information rates (IRs). Blind adaptive equalization that does not sacrifice any of the IRs was adopted. We show that the conventional decision directed least mean square (DDLMS) algorithm can cause a problem of mis-convergence when it is applied to the PCS of a low IR. To avoid the mis-convergence of DDLMS, we propose a DDLMS-based algorithm that simultaneously minimizes the error between the average symbol power of filter outputs and that of a transmitted PCS signal. Using this technique, we conducted a wavelength-division multiplexed transmission experiment with 32-Gbaud 16/64QAM-based PCS and a fixed FEC of a low-density parity-check code for DVBS-2, where the IR of PCS was optimized at each transmission distance. We confirmed that the data rate of PCS with a fixed FEC and DSP configuration could be improved up to 1.9 times compared with that of QAM-only rate adaptation and that 64QAM-based PCS could provide a wider range of transmission distance and IR while almost covering that of the 16QAM-based one.

Laser microprocessing of metal surfaces using a tightly focused radially polarized beam.

Tight focusing of a radially polarized beam is used for single-shot laser ablation of metals. The strong longitudinal field is generated at the focus, and its contribution to the ablation process is comprehensively examined for various metal materials. In the presence of the longitudinal field at the focus, a fabricated crater at the surface exhibits either a spot shape or a doughnut shape, depending on the material. The experimental results indicate that the strong longitudinal electric field on metal surfaces is capable of promoting material removal, which may provide a novel processing scheme in ultrafast laser microprocessing with enhanced spatial resolution.

Delivery mode and maternal and neonatal outcomes of combined spinal-epidural analgesia compared with no analgesia in spontaneous labor: A single-center observational study in Japan.

AIM: We aimed to assess the outcomes of combined spinal-epidural (CSE) analgesia compared with no analgesia in spontaneous labor. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study of deliveries between 2008 and 2014 comparing two groups based on the use of CSE analgesia in both nulliparous and multiparous women. Adjusted odds ratios (aOR) were calculated using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Among 5247 (3334 nulliparous, 1913 multiparous) singleton deliveries, 3041 (2045, 996, respectively) patients received CSE analgesia and 2206 (1289, 917, respectively) had no analgesia. CSE analgesia was associated with increased risk of oxytocin augmentation (P < 0.01), prolonged duration of labor (P < 0.01), instrumental delivery (aOR, 3.35; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.69-4.19 for nulliparous and aOR, 2.13; 95% CI, 1.32-3.53 for multiparous women), blood loss volume during vaginal delivery (P < 0.01), meconium-stained amniotic fluid (aOR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.02-1.51 and aOR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.01-1.93) and Apgar score less than 7 at 1 min (aOR, 1.85; 95% CI, 1.28-2.74 and aOR, 2.65; 95% CI, 1.35-5.61) in both nulliparous and multiparous women, respectively, and umbilical arterial blood gas pH less than 7.15 (aOR, 2.69; 95% CI, 1.35-5.75) and umbilical arterial blood gas pH less than 7.10 (aOR, 3.69; 95% CI, 1.11-16.69) in multiparous women. There was no significant difference in incidence of cesarean delivery or Apgar score less than 7 at 5 min. CONCLUSION: We observed several increased risks in obstetric and neonatal outcomes among pregnant women who received CSE analgesia during labor. Preparations for these risks are needed when administering CSE analgesia during labor.

The prognostic value of the prognostic nutritional index and inflammation-based markers in obstructive colorectal cancer.

PURPOSE: Inflammation-based markers predict long-term outcomes of various malignancies. We investigated the relationship between these markers and the long-term survival in obstructive colorectal cancer (OCRC) patients with self-expandable metallic colonic stents (SEMSs) who subsequently received curative surgery. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 72 consecutive pathological stage II and III OCRC patients between 2013 and 2019. The prognostic significance of the prognostic nutritional index (PNI), neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), lymphocyte-monocyte ratio (LMR), and platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) was evaluated. RESULTS: The overall survival (OS), cancer-specific survival, and disease-free survival (DFS) were significantly shorter in the PNI < 35 group than in the PNI ≥ 35 group (p = 0.006, p < 0.001, and p = 0.003, respectively), and multivariate analyses revealed the PNI to be the only inflammation-based marker independently associated with the survival. A PNI < 35 was significantly associated with an elevated CA 19-9 level (p = 0.04) and longer postoperative hospital stay (p = 0.03). Adjuvant chemotherapy was also significantly associated with the OS (p = 0.040) and DFS (p = 0.011) in multivariate analyses. CONCLUSION: The results showed that the PNI was a potent prognostic indicator. For OCRC patients, both systemic inflammation and the nutrition status seem to be important for predicting the prognosis, and administering adjuvant chemotherapy was very important.

Preoperative change of modified Glasgow prognostic score after stenting predicts the long-term outcomes of obstructive colorectal cancer.

PURPOSE: Inflammation-based markers predict the long-term outcomes of various malignancies. We investigated the relationship between the modified Glasgow prognostic score (mGPS) and the long-term outcomes of obstructive colorectal cancer in patients who underwent self-expandable metallic colonic stent placement and subsequently received curative surgery. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 63 consecutive patients with pathological stage II and III obstructive colorectal cancer from 2013 to 2018. The mGPS was calculated before stenting and surgery, and the difference of the scores was defined as the d-mGPS. RESULTS: All d-mGPS = 2 patients were > 70 years of age (p = 0.01). Postoperative complications were more common in the preoperative mGPS = 2 group (p = 0.02). The postoperative hospital stay was significantly longer in the mGPS = 2 group (p = 0.007). Multivariate analyses revealed that d-mGPS was an independent prognostic factor for overall survival (OS) (hazard ratio [HR] = 9.18, p = 0.004) and cancer-specific survival (HR = 9.98, p = 0.01). Preoperative mGPS = 2 was significantly associated with poor OS (HR = 5.53, p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: The results indicated that mGPS might serve as a valuable indicator of the immunonutritional status of preoperative patients, and a preoperative change of the status might affect the long-term outcomes of patients with obstructive colorectal cancer.

[A Case of Gastric Cancer That Pathological Completely Responded to Neoadjuvant S-1 plus Cisplatin Therapy].

A 67-year-old man with complaints of upper abdominal pain visited a clinic and was diagnosed with type 3 gastric cancer. Contrasted-enhanced CT revealed gastric wall thickening and extensive metastatic lymph nodes particularly around the celiac artery and also invasion to pancreas. He was diagnosed with cT4b, cN2, cM0, cStage ⅢB and we treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy(NAC)consisting of 4 courses of S-1 and cisplatin regimen. After the NAC, primary cancer and metastatic lymph nodes were reduced remarkably. A curative operation could be performed and the histopathological examination showed"Grade 3, pathological complete response".