Frailty Assessed by the Clinical Frailty Scale is Associated with Prognosis After Esophagectomy.

BACKGROUND: The Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) is a simple and validated tool for assessing frailty, and higher CFS scores are correlated with worse perioperative outcomes after cardiovascular surgery. However, the relationship between the CFS scores and postoperative outcomes after esophagectomy remain unclear. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed data from 561 patients with esophageal cancer (EC) who underwent resection from August 2010 to August 2020. We defined a CFS score of ≥4 as indicative of frailty; thus, patients were classified into frail patients (CFS scores of ≥4) and non-frail patients (CFS scores of ≤3). The Kaplan-Meier method was used to describe the overall survival (OS) distributions with the log-rank test. RESULTS: Of the 561 patients, 90 (16%) had frailty and 471 (84%) did not. Frail patients had a significantly older age, lower body mass index, higher American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status classification, and greater cancer progression than non-frail patients. The 5-year survival rate was 68% in non-frail patients and 52% in frail patients. OS was significantly shorter in frail than non-frail patients (p = 0.017 by log-rank test). In particular, OS was significantly shorter in frail patients with clinical stage I-II EC (p = 0.0024 by log-rank test) but was not correlated with frailty in patients with clinical stage III-IV EC (p = 0.87 by log-rank test). CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative frailty was associated with shorter OS after resection of EC. The CFS score may be a prognostic biomarker for patients with EC, especially early-stage EC.

Association between poor parent-daughter relationships and the risk of hyperglycemia in pregnancy: a hospital-based prospective cohort study in Japan.

BACKGROUND: Adverse child experiences (ACEs), childhood maltreatment and household dysfunction, are risk factors of hyperglycemia in pregnancy (HIP), including diabetes before pregnancy, gestational diabetes (GDM), and overt diabetes in pregnancy, through increased risk of unhealthy behaviors, obesity, and stress response system dysfunction. While ACEs are often difficult to be assessed in hospital settings, parent-daughter relationship, that is, pregnant women's relationship with their parents can be considered as a measurable maker for ACEs that may be associated with HIP. The purpose of this study is to examine the association between poor parent-daughter relationship and HIP. METHODS: Hospital-based prospective cohort study was conducted in Japan (N = 6,264). Women visiting participating 58 facilities for delivery between April 2019 and March 2020 were included. Parent-daughter relationship was assessed by a questionnaire asking whether participants were satisfied with their relationship with their parents. HIP was diagnosed based on the criteria used in Japan. A multiple logistic regression model was applied to adjust for covariates. RESULTS: Pregnant women who were not very satisfied and not satisfied at all with the relationship with their parents, and HIP were 343 (5.5%), 74 (1.2%), and 274 (4.4%), respectively. Pregnant women who were not very satisfied with their parent-daughter relationship showed a significant positive association with HIP in the crude model (odds ratio (OR): 1.71, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.11-2.63). When stratified by psychiatric disease history, we found a significant positive association among those without psychiatric disease history (OR: 1.77, 95% CI: 1.11-2.84), but not among those with psychiatric disease history (OR: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.16-2.28). CONCLUSIONS: Poor parent-daughter relationship was associated with the risk of HIP among pregnant women without psychiatric disease history, suggesting that this simple question could be used to estimate the risk of HIP when it was challenging to inquire directly about ACEs. Further research is needed to elucidate the mechanism of the association.

Textbook outcome contributes to long-term prognosis in older adults with gastric cancer.

PURPOSE: Textbook outcome (TO) is a composite quality measurement of short-term outcomes for evaluating surgical procedures. We investigated whether TO can be used to predict outcomes after curative gastric cancer (GC) surgery in older adults. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 492 consecutive patients who underwent curative gastrectomy for GC from 2005 to 2017. Among these, 141 advanced-age patients were eligible. The patients were divided into two groups: those who achieved TO (a-TO group) and those who failed to achieve TO (f-TO group). In accordance with previous reports, TO consisted of eight metrics. We evaluated the association between TO and long-term survival. RESULTS: TO was achieved 73 (52%) patients. The patients in the f-TO group had a significantly higher body mass index (P = 0.01), longer surgery time (P = 0.03), and more blood loss (P = 0.001). The metric with the lowest achievement rate was "no postoperative severe complication." The patients in the f-TO group had significantly shorter overall survival than those in the a-TO group (P = 0.03). Multivariable Cox regression analyses of overall survival revealed that an American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status classification of 3 (hazard ratio [HR], 3.28; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.79-5.98; P < 0.0001) and f-TO (HR, 1.92; 95% CI, 1.09-3.39; P = 0.02) were significantly associated with poor overall survival. CONCLUSION: TO can be used to predict outcomes after curative GC surgery in patients of advanced age.

Textbook outcome contributes to long-term prognosis in elderly colorectal cancer patients.

PURPOSE: Textbook outcome (TO) has been used to define achievement of multiple "ideal" or "optimal" surgical and postoperative quality measures from the patient's perspective. However, TO has not been reported for their impact on survival in elderly, including CRC surgery. This study determined whether TO is associated with long-term outcomes after curative colorectomy in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). METHODS: Patient who underwent curative surgery over 75 years old for CRC between March 2005 and December 2016. TO included five separate parameters: surgery within 6 weeks, radical resection, Lymph node (LN) yield ≥ 12, no stoma, and no adverse outcome. When all 5 short-term quality of care parameters were realized, TO was achieved (TO). If any one of the 5 parameters was not met, the treatment was not considered TO (nTO). RESULTS: TO was realized in 80 patients (43.0%). Differences in surgical-related characteristics and pathological characteristics according to TO had no statistically significant differences in baseline characteristics, except for Lymph node dissection. The Kaplan-Meier curves for OS and RFS association between TO and nTO had significantly poor 5-year OS and 5-year RFS compared with the TO groups (OS, 77.8% vs. 60.8%, P < 0.01; RFS, 69.6% vs. 50.8%, P = 0.01). In the multivariate analysis, nTO was an independent predictive factor for worse OS (HR, 2.04; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.175-3.557; P = 0.01) and RFS (HR, 1.72; 95% CI, 1.043-2.842; P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: TO can be a useful predictor for postoperative morbidity and prognosis after curative colorectomy for CRC.

Predictive factors for vaginal delivery by induction of labor in uncomplicated pregnancies at 40-41 gestational weeks: A Japanese prospective single-center cohort study.

AIM: We investigated cervical parameters predictive of vaginal delivery in elective labor induction among women at 40-41 gestational weeks. METHODS: This Japanese prospective single-center cohort study was conducted between July 2019 and June 2020. We enrolled women with an uncomplicated singleton pregnancy who underwent labor induction at 40-41 gestational weeks. We analyzed background characteristics and cervical parameters, including Bishop score, cervical length, posterior cervical angle, and changes in cervical parameters before and after cervical dilatation. The endpoint was the rate of vaginal delivery. RESULTS: Of 142 eligible participants, all 24 multiparous women underwent vaginal delivery. Among the nulliparous women (n = 118), the following categories showed significantly higher rates of vaginal delivery: Bishop scores of ≥6 before and after dilatation, compared with Bishop score <6 (adjusted prevalence ratio (aPR) [95% confidence interval (CI)]; 1.58 [1.17-2.13] and 1.56 [1.13-2.14], respectively) and cervical length of <10 and 10-20 mm before dilation, compared with cervical length of >30 mm (aPR [95% CI]; 1.47 [1.00-2.15] and 2.13 [1.42-3.18], respectively). The posterior cervical angle and other background characteristics showed no significant associations. Furthermore, women with cervical lengths of ≥20 mm before and <20 mm after dilatation showed a higher rate of vaginal delivery, compared to cervical length of ≥20 mm even after dilatation (aPR [95% CI]; 1.95 [1.19-3.20]). CONCLUSIONS: High Bishop score, short cervical length, and changes in cervical length with dilatation are potential independent predictors of vaginal delivery following elective labor induction in nulliparous women at 40-41 gestational weeks.

"Welcome to OBGYN World!" A novel recruitment event for medical students organized by the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

"Welcome to OBGYN World!" A novel recruitment event for medical students organized by the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Since 2012, the number of doctors in Japan who specialize in obstetrics and gynecology has shown a decreasing trend. To increase the number of doctors majoring in obstetrics and gynecology, the Japanese Trainees in Obstetrics and Gynecology subcommittee developed a new recruitment event called Welcome to OBGYN World! (WOW!); the aim of this event was to focus on lower grades of medical students. The present report describes the content of WOW! and the results of a post-event questionnaire administered to participating students and tutors. WOW! was held online in order to avoid the risk of Coronavirus Disease 2019 infection for participants. Sixty of the 82 medical schools nationwide (73.2%) participated in this event. Overall, there were 285 participating students, ranging from first to fourth grade in medical school, and 106 tutors were involved to teach material at the event. In the post-event questionnaire survey, 97.6% (248/254) and 100% of the participants stated they now had a high degree of interest in obstetrics and gynecology and found the specialty attractive, respectively. Furthermore, 93.6% (90/94) of the tutors stated that WOW! had helped recruitment activities in their universities. Based on this outcome, members of the Japanese Trainees of Obstetrics and Gynecology subcommittee will now try to increase the number of doctors specializing in obstetrics and gynecology by holding WOW! annually.

Prognostic value of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake in the bone marrow on pretreatment positron emission tomography/computed tomography in patients with esophageal cancer who underwent esophagectomy.

BACKGROUND: Increased 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake in the bone marrow (BM) on positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) clinically reflects increased BM metabolism owing to systemic inflammation, bacterial infection, anemia, and cytokine-producing tumors. The association between FDG uptake in the BM and prognosis after esophagectomy for esophageal cancer has not been investigated. METHODS: This study included 651 patients who underwent PET/CT before any treatment and McKeown esophagectomy for esophageal cancer between June 2007 and August 2021. The pretreatment degree of FDG uptake in the BM was evaluated using a visual assessment criterion. Patients were divided into low- and high-FDG uptake groups. We retrospectively investigated whether the degree of FDG uptake in the BM was associated with clinicopathological and surgical backgrounds, blood parameters, and prognosis. RESULTS: High FDG uptake in the BM was significantly associated with elevated white blood cell and neutrophil counts, increased C-reactive protein levels, decreased hemoglobin, serum albumin, and total cholesterol levels. High FDG uptake in the BM was an independent predictor of worse overall survival in clinical stages 0-II esophageal cancer (hazard ratio, 2.27; 95% confidence interval, 1.097-4.695; P = 0.027). Worse overall survival was also associated with advanced age, low American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status, an advanced clinical stage, and high intraoperative blood loss. CONCLUSION: Increased FDG uptake in the BM on pretreatment PET/CT may be a surrogate indicator of various clinically disadvantageous backgrounds and may act as a predictor of poor prognosis after esophageal cancer surgery.

Attitudes toward overtime work and self-training: A survey on obstetricians and gynecologists in Japan.

AIM: The Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare of Japan proposed a regulation of overtime work as a reform in work style. However, the regulation may deteriorate the quality of medical services due to the reduction in training time. Thus, the study aimed to reveal perceptions in terms of generation gaps in views on self-training and overtime work, among members of the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology (JSOG). METHODS: A web-based, self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted among members of the JSOG. In total, 1256 respondents were included in the analysis. Data were collected on age, sex, experience as a medical doctor, location of workplace, work style, the type of main workplace, and number of full-time doctors in the main workplace. The study examined the attitudes of the respondents toward overtime work and self-training. The respondents were categorized based on experience as a medical doctor. RESULTS: According to years of experience, 112 (8.9%), 226 (18.0%), 383 (30.5%), 535 (42.6%) doctors have been working for ≤5, 6-10, 11-19, and ≥ 20 years, respectively. Although 54.5% of doctors with ≤5 years of experience expected the regulation on working hours to improve the quality of medical services, those with ≥20 years of experience expressed potential deterioration. After adjusting for covariates, more years of experience were significantly related with the expectation of deterioration in the quality of medical services. CONCLUSIONS: The study revealed a generation gap in the views about self-training and overtime work among obstetricians and gynecologists in Japan.

The effect of parity, history of preeclampsia, and pregnancy care on the incidence of subsequent preeclampsia in multiparous women with SLE.

OBJECTIVES: To clarify the correlation between preeclampsia and parity and to identify protective factors against preeclampsia in multiparous women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). METHODS: We conducted a single-center, retrospective chart review study of 85 pregnant women. We used multiple logistic regression analysis to assess the association between parity and preeclampsia in women with SLE, and described the detailed clinical courses and management of four women with a history of severe preeclampsia and of a woman who experienced preeclampsia during her latest pregnancy. RESULTS: Multiparity was significantly associated with a low risk of preeclampsia (adjusted odds ratio: 0.08; 95% confidence interval: 0.01-0.95). One multiparous woman without a history of preeclampsia developed preeclampsia during her latest pregnancy; she had critical risk factors for preeclampsia, including chronic kidney disease and hypertension, and was not administered aspirin. In contrast, four multiparous women with a history of severe preeclampsia received adequate medications; they did not develop recurrent preeclampsia and delivered live newborns. CONCLUSIONS: Multiparity and maintenance therapy for SLE before and during pregnancy and preventive treatment for preeclampsia may improve outcomes in subsequent pregnancies.

[Esophagogastric Junctional Cancer Complicated by Follicular Lymphoma-A Case Report].

A 59-year-old female was referred to our hospital due to abnormal upper gastrointestinal(GI)findings in July 2019. Endoscopy showed an advanced type Ⅱ tumor at the esophagogastric junction. The bioptical diagnosis was adenocarcinoma. Computed tomography(CT)and positron emission tomography(PET)revealed a swollen lymph node and abnormal accumulation. Total gastrectomy and Roux-en-Y reconstruction were performed. The final diagnosis was esophagogastric junctional cancer and follicular lymphoma. The chance of encountering double cancer is likely to increase. It is vital to prioritize treatment and determine an appropriate treatment plan according to the clinical stage and prognosis in patients with double cancer.

Factors affecting the provision of analgesia during childbirth, Japan.

Japan's universal health-care system means that it is a very safe country in which to give birth. Perinatal outcomes in Japan are excellent, with low infant mortality and neonatal mortality. However, childbirth remains a challenge for many Japanese women, who are faced with a scarcity of places to give birth, limited availability of analgesia and social norms that favour natural birth. The number of birth facilities in Japan continues to decrease as fewer children are born. The numbers of qualified medical staff remain inadequate, with a continuing lack of female physicians, perpetuated by a pervasive negative gender bias. Recruitment efforts are underway, but few doctors want to specialize in obstetrics or gynaecology. Furthermore, around half of female obstetricians and gynaecologists in Japan's male-dominated medical system stop practising when they have their own children. The difficulty of obtaining analgesia during labour is another problem. Although low uptake of labour pain relief in Japan is said to be due to cultural influences, the root of the problem is a lack of qualified anaesthesiologists and the inflexibility of a system that will not allow other staff to be trained to administer labour analgesia. Problems with labour anaesthesia have been linked to 14 maternal deaths since 2010. Japanese policy-makers need to act to renovate the nation's obstetric facilities, reorganize regional perinatal care systems, train more obstetricians and anaesthesiologists, promote task-shifting and better integrate biomedical and traditional, non-medical care for pregnant women.

Le système de soins de santé universel du Japon en fait un pays très sûr pour les accouchements. Les résultats en matière de santé périnatale au Japon sont excellents, avec une mortalité infantile et une mortalité néonatale faibles. Néanmoins, l'accouchement reste problématique pour de nombreuses Japonaises, qui doivent faire face à un manque d'établissements adaptés pour les accouchements, à une disponibilité limitée de l'analgésie et à des normes sociales qui favorisent les accouchements naturels. Le nombre de maternités au Japon ne cesse de baisser, à mesure de la diminution du nombre de naissances. Les effectifs en personnel médical qualifié restent inappropriés, avec une pénurie persistante de femmes médecins, perpétuée par des préjugés négatifs généralisés liés au genre. Des efforts de recrutement sont en cours, mais peu de médecins souhaitent se spécialiser en obstétrique ou en gynécologie. Par ailleurs, dans le système médical japonais dominé par les hommes, près de la moitié des femmes obstétriciennes et gynécologues cessent de pratiquer dès qu'elles ont elles-mêmes des enfants. La difficulté à bénéficier d'une analgésie obstétricale pendant l'accouchement constitue un autre problème. Même si, au Japon, le faible recours au soulagement de la douleur pendant le travail est généralement imputé à des influences culturelles, le fond du problème est une pénurie d'anesthésistes qualifiés et le manque de souplesse d'un système qui ne permet pas de former d'autres professionnels de santé pour pouvoir pratiquer l'analgésie obstétricale. Les problèmes liés à la réalisation d'une analgésie obstétricale ont donné lieu à 14 décès maternels depuis 2010. Au Japon, les décideurs politiques doivent agir pour rénover les installations obstétricales du pays, réorganiser les systèmes régionaux de santé périnatale, former davantage d'obstétriciens et d'anesthésistes, promouvoir le transfert des tâches et mieux intégrer les soins biomédicaux et les soins traditionnels, non médicaux, pour les femmes enceintes.

El sistema universal de atención sanitaria de Japón hace que sea un país muy seguro para dar a luz. Los resultados perinatales en Japón son excelentes, con baja mortalidad infantil y mortalidad neonatal. Sin embargo, el parto sigue siendo un problema para muchas mujeres japonesas, que se enfrentan a la escasez de lugares para dar a luz, la limitada disponibilidad de analgesia y las normas sociales que favorecen el parto natural. El número de centros de maternidad en Japón sigue disminuyendo a medida que nacen menos niños. El número de personal médico cualificado sigue siendo insuficiente, con una continua falta de mujeres médicas, perpetuada por un prejuicio de género negativo generalizado. Los esfuerzos de reclutamiento están en marcha, pero pocos médicos quieren especializarse en obstetricia o ginecología. Además, alrededor de la mitad de las obstetras y ginecólogas del sistema médico japonés dominado por los hombres dejan de ejercer cuando tienen sus propios hijos. La dificultad para obtener analgesia durante el trabajo de parto es otro problema. Aunque se dice que la baja aceptación del alivio del dolor del trabajo de parto en Japón se debe a influencias culturales, la raíz del problema es la falta de anestesiólogos calificados y la inflexibilidad de un sistema que no permitirá que otro personal esté capacitado para administrar la analgesia del trabajo de parto. Los problemas con la anestesia del trabajo de parto se han relacionado con 14 muertes maternas desde 2010. Los responsables de formular políticas en Japón deben actuar para renovar las instalaciones obstétricas del país, reorganizar los sistemas regionales de atención perinatal, capacitar a más obstetras y anestesiólogos, promover el cambio de tareas e integrar mejor la atención biomédica y la atención no médica tradicional para las mujeres embarazadas.

Pulse granuloma presenting as a complex pelvic cyst.

Pulse granuloma, a benign granulomatous lesion, develops due to foreign body reactions to food particles. This rare entity occurs occasionally in the abdominal cavity. However, it has never been reported as a pelvic mass or a recurrent case. A 37-year-old woman with a medical history of pelvic granulomatous lesions treated in Thailand, was admitted for abdominal pain. Imaging study revealed a pelvic complex cyst and disseminated nodules. Ovarian cancer or tuberculous peritonitis was suspected. The appearance at laparotomy was an inflammatory mass encased in adhesions; therefore, only biopsy was performed. The pathology diagnosis was pulse granuloma. The pathology report from Thailand was obtained only after her discharge, suggesting that the previous granulomatous lesion contained vegetable matter. This report demonstrates that pulse granuloma can present as a pelvic mass and may relapse. For complex cystic lesions with solid components in the pelvis, pulse granuloma should be considered as a differential diagnosis.

Choriocarcinoma with multiple lung metastases from complete hydatidiform mole with coexistent fetus during pregnancy.

Gestational trophoblastic neoplasm (GTN) is a serious morbidity of complete hydatidiform mole with coexistent fetus (CHMCF) and usually develops after termination of pregnancy. Here we report a case of choriocarcinoma derived from CHMCF during pregnancy. A 33-year-old multiparous woman with suspected CHMCF was admitted with a severe cough. Computed tomography revealed multiple lung metastases. Cesarean section and hysterectomy were performed at 31 weeks of gestation on diagnosis of high-risk GTN from International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) scoring. A live female infant weighing 1390 g was delivered. Choriocarcinoma was diagnosed from pathological findings. The patient received multi-agent chemotherapy and was discharged on the 40th postoperative day. In conclusion, CHMCF can result in high-risk GTN during pregnancy. For a suspected GTN, diagnosis from FIGO scoring should determine treatment strategy. If patients with CHMCF wish to continue their pregnancy, careful follow-up, including regular chest radiography and ultrasonography, is warranted.

[A Case of Mixed Adenoneuroendocrine Carcinoma(MANEC)of the Duodenum with Rapid Liver Metastases after Pancreatoduodenectomy].

A 62-year-old man presented at our hospitalwith generalfatigue and tarry stool. Gastrointestinalendoscopy revealed a tumor in the first portion of the duodenum. Histologically, biopsy specimens indicated adenocarcinoma, and a subtotal stomach- preserving pancreatoduodenectomy was performed. The finalhistol ogicaldiagnosis was mixed adenoneuroendocrine carcinoma(MANEC)of the duodenum. Liver metastases appeared rapidly within 3 months after surgery. We report on the management of a rare case of MANEC in the duodenum.