Handling of human milk to prevent acquired cytomegalovirus infection in Japanese neonatal intensive care units: The first nationwide survey.

BACKGROUND: Human milk (HM) has been proven to provide immunological and nutritional advantages to neonates; however, acquired cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection can be associated with raw HM. In Japan, there are no standardized guidelines concerning HM handling. This cross-sectional survey was performed to reveal specific trends in HM handling in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in Japan. METHODS: A questionnaire was sent to 255 NICUs participating in the Japanese Neonatologist Association in May 2020. It involved HM handling practices, such as maternal screening, pasteurization, storage, and the workforce. RESULTS: Of 255 NICUs, 174 (67.8%) responded to the survey. Maternal CMV screening was carried out in 37 units (22.2%), and CMV inactivation in HM was performed in 44 units (26.5%). For CMV inactivation, a freeze-thawing method was employed in about 90% of units. In 70% of units providing CMV inactivation, CMV inactivation was conducted regardless of bodyweight and corrected gestational age of infants until the infants' discharge. Acquired CMV infection in preterm neonates was observed in 43 units (25.7%) in the survey period. CONCLUSION: A wide range of HM handling practices are used in Japanese NICUs. A national guideline for handling HM in NICUs should be created to promote the infection control of CMV.

Successful resection of bilateral parafalcine meningioma with unilateral interhemispheric and contralateral transfalcine approach under nonintubated spontaneous breathing conditions: illustrative case.

BACKGROUND: The best surgical approach for resecting bilateral parafalcine meningioma, as well as the optimal anesthesia and airway management for craniotomy in patients with interstitial pneumonia (IP) for preventing postsurgical exacerbation, remains unclear. OBSERVATIONS: A 66-year-old female with a history of multiple relapses of IP underwent craniotomy for resection of a 4.5-cm bilateral parafalcine meningioma located just beneath the inferior sagittal sinus. To avoid mechanical ventilation or high-concentration oxygenation, the entire procedure was performed under nonintubated spontaneous breathing conditions with a supraglottic airway/laryngeal mask airway (SGA/LMA) device. Half of the tumor was resected using the ipsilateral interhemispheric approach, while the remaining half was resected using the contralateral transfalcine approach (CTA). No brain retractors were required. Preoperative embolization contributed toward reducing blood loss and surgery duration. During most of the operation, additional oxygen administration was not required. The postoperative course was uneventful, without exacerbation of the IP. LESSONS: This case demonstrated the utility and feasibility of a unilateral interhemispheric approach combined with CTA for resection of a bilateral parafalcine meningioma. Additionally, this case provides an alternative method of airway and anesthesia management with an SGA/LMA device and nonintubated spontaneous breathing for the prevention of postoperative acute exacerbation of IP.

Predictability of the neurodevelopmental assessment based on the Kyoto Scale of Psychological Development 2001 at 18-24 months of corrected age and 3 years of age in identifying cognitive impairment at 6 years of age in very preterm infants: A retrospective study at a Japanese tertiary center.

BACKGROUND: It is unknown how accurately the current Japanese classification system for neurodevelopmental delay based on the assessment with the Kyoto Scale of Psychological Development (KSPD) at toddlerhood and pre-school periods predicts cognitive impairment at school age. METHODS: This single-center retrospective cohort study enrolled infants born at 22-29 weeks of gestational age. At 18-24 months of corrected age and 3 years of age, the patients were categorized according to the current Japanese criteria for neurodevelopmental delay based on their overall developmental quotient calculated using the KSPD-2001. Cognitive impairment at 6 years of age was classified according to the calculated or estimated full-scale intelligence quotient. The predictability of the current Japanese classification of neurodevelopmental delay for cognitive impairment at 6 years of age was investigated. RESULTS: Of 566 eligible patients, 364 (64 %) completed the protocol. The current classification for the neurodevelopmental delay showed significant agreement with the severity of cognitive impairment at 6 years of age. The sensitivity and specificity of the KSPD-2001-based assessment for any cognitive impairment at 6 years of age were 0.64 and 0.74 at 18-24 months of corrected age and 0.83 and 0.70 at 3 years of age. The corresponding sensitivity and specificity for moderate/severe cognitive impairment were 0.51 and 0.96 at 18-24 months of corrected age and 0.68 and 0.95 at 3 years of age. CONCLUSION: The KSPD-2001 is a useful tool to predict the severity of cognitive impairment at school age.

Antenatal corticosteroids in specific groups at risk of preterm birth: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to synthesise available evidence on the efficacy of antenatal corticosteroid (ACS) therapy among women at risk of imminent preterm birth with pregestational/gestational diabetes, chorioamnionitis or fetal growth restriction (FGR), or planned caesarean section (CS) in the late preterm period. METHODS: A systematic search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and Global Index Medicus was conducted for all comparative randomised or non-randomised interventional studies in the four subpopulations on 6 June 2021. Risk of Bias Assessment tool for Non-randomised Studies and the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool were used to assess the risk of bias. Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluations tool assessed the certainty of evidence. RESULTS: Thirty-two studies involving 5018 pregnant women and 10 819 neonates were included. Data on women with diabetes were limited, and evidence on women undergoing planned CS was inconclusive. ACS use was associated with possibly reduced odds of neonatal death (pooled OR: 0.51; 95% CI: 0.31 to 0.85, low certainty), intraventricular haemorrhage (pooled OR: 0.41; 95% CI: 0.23 to 0.72, low certainty) and respiratory distress syndrome (pooled OR: 0.59; 95% CI: 0.45 to 0.77, low certainty) in women with chorioamnionitis. Among women with FGR, the rates of surfactant use (pooled OR: 0.38; 95% CI: 0.23 to 0.62, moderate certainty), mechanical ventilation (pooled OR: 0.42; 95% CI: 0.26 to 0.66, moderate certainty) and oxygen therapy (pooled OR: 0.48; 95% CI: 0.30 to 0.77, moderate certainty) were probably reduced; however, the rate of hypoglycaemia probably increased (pooled OR: 2.06; 95% CI: 1.27 to 3.32, moderate certainty). CONCLUSIONS: There is a paucity of evidence on ACS for women who have diabetes. ACS therapy may have benefits in women with chorioamnionitis and is probably beneficial in FGR. There is limited direct trial evidence on ACS efficacy in women undergoing planned CS in the late preterm period, though the totality of evidence suggests it is probably beneficial. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42021267816.

A Small-for-Gestational-Age Infant with MIRAGE Syndrome Who Developed Heat Stroke and Rhabdomyolysis due to Severe Temperature Instability.

MIRAGE syndrome is characterized by myelodysplasia, infection, restriction of growth, adrenal hypoplasia, genital phenotypes, and enteropathy. This report describes heat stroke and rhabdomyolysis caused by anhidrosis as a symptom of MIRAGE syndrome in a small-for-gestational-age (SGA) female neonate born at 32 weeks of gestation (birth weight, 911 g [-3.8 SD]). She developed severe temperature instability with anhidrosis, growth failure, mild developmental delay, hypothyroidism, and intractable enteropathy. On day 156, her temperature reached 42.0°C; her fever persisted for 2 h with prolonged irritability. Her serum creatine kinase level increased to a peak value of 12,716 (normal range, 43-321) IU/L. The clinical feature was diagnosed as rhabdomyolysis caused by heat stroke, which resulted from physical exertion with anhidrosis. Her SAMD9 variant was c.2945G>A, p. (Arg982His). Neonatologists should be aware of MIRAGE syndrome as a differential diagnosis of SGA with temperature instability.

Albumin-derived Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio Score as a Marker of Nivolumab Treatment Sensitivity in Gastric Cancer: A Multicenter Study.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Establishment of powerful and easy-to-evaluate biomarkers that can predict immune checkpoint inhibitor sensitivity in patients with gastric cancer (GC) would be highly useful. The albumin-derived neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (Alb-dNLR) score reportedly is an excellent measure of both immunity and nutritional status. However, the association between nivolumab treatment sensitivity and Alb-dNLR in GC has also not been adequately investigated. This multicenter retrospective study was designed to evaluate the association of Alb-dNLR with therapeutic sensitivity of nivolumab in GC patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective multicenter study with patients from five sites. The data from 58 patients who received nivolumab for postoperative recurrent or unresectable advanced GC between October 2017 and December 2018 were analyzed. Blood tests had been performed before nivolumab administration. We analyzed the correlation between the Alb-dNLR score and clinicopathological factors, including best overall response. RESULTS: Of the 58 patients, 21 (36.2%) comprised the disease control (DC) group and 37 (63.8%) comprised the progressive disease (PD) group. The nivolumab treatment responses were subjected to receiver operating characteristic analysis. The cutoff value was set to 2.90 g/dl for Alb and to 3.55 for dNLR. All eight patients in the high Alb-dNLR group had PD (p=0.0049). The low Alb-dNLR group had significantly better overall survival (p=0.0023) and progression-free survival rates (p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: The Alb-dNLR score was a very simple and sensitive predictor of nivolumab therapeutic sensitivity and has very good biomarker properties.

Tocolytic Therapy Inhibiting Preterm Birth in High-Risk Populations: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

This systematic review aimed to identify the benefits and possible harms of tocolytic therapy for preterm labour management in the context of pregnant women with extremely preterm birth, multiple gestations, or growth-restricted foetuses. A comprehensive search using MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, CINAHL, and the WHO Global Index Medicus databases was conducted from 10 to 15 July 2021. We included randomized controlled trials and non-randomized studies that assessed the effects of tocolysis compared with placebo or no treatment. We found 744 reports and, finally, nine studies (three randomized controlled trials and six cohort studies) pertaining to women with <28 weeks of gestation were included. No eligible studies were identified among women with a multiple pregnancy or a growth-restricted foetus. A meta-analysis of the trial data showed that there were no clear differences in perinatal death nor for a delay in birth. Non-randomized evidence showed that tocolysis delayed birth by 7 days, though there was no clear difference for preterm birth. In summary, it remains unclear whether tocolytic therapy for inhibiting preterm labour is beneficial for these subgroups of women and their newborns. Further well-designed randomized controlled trials and observational studies are needed to address the lack of evidence regarding tocolytic agents in these populations.

Examining the Efficacy of Nivolumab for Gastric Cancer Focusing on Using an Inflammation-based Prognostic Score: A Multicenter Retrospective Study.

BACKGROUND/AIM: To discover the positive therapeutic effects of nivolumab in patients with advanced gastric cancer (AGC), it is necessary to establish a useful biomarker to predict therapeutic efficacy. This multicenter retrospective study sought to evaluate the predictive impact of inflammation-based prognostic score (IBPS) on the therapeutic efficacy of nivolumab in patients with AGC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this retrospective study, we evaluated 58 AGC patients treated with nivolumab from October 2017 to November 2018 at five institutes. Patients were categorized follows: progressive disease (PD) or disease control (DC). Blood chemistry tests were performed immediately before and after two courses of nivolumab; the correlation between best overall response and IBPS was investigated. Transition of each blood serum marker was also assessed. RESULTS: Of 58 patients, 37 (63.8%) were in the PD group and 21 (36.2%) in the DC group. No positive correlation was noted between IBPS and therapeutic efficacy of nivolumab both immediately before and after two courses of nivolumab. However, the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) (p=0.045) and prognostic index (PI) (p=0.0042) before nivolumab and NLR (p=0.025), PI (p=0.0030) and Glasgow prognostic score (GPS) (p=0.043) after nivolumab were significantly correlated with treatment sensitivity. Furthermore, a decrease in PNI was an independent prognostic factor to predict nivolumab resistance on univariate analyses (p=0.0051). CONCLUSION: Although no association between IBPS and therapeutic sensitivity was found, it is important to focus on the transition of PNI to predict therapeutic efficacy of nivolumab.

Changes in In-Hospital Survival and Long-Term Neurodevelopmental Outcomes of Extremely Preterm Infants: A Retrospective Study of a Japanese Tertiary Center.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to elucidate whether the survival and long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes of extremely preterm infants have improved in a Japanese tertiary center with an active treatment policy for infants born at 22-23 weeks of gestation. STUDY DESIGN: This single-centered retrospective cohort study enrolled extremely preterm infants treated at Saitama Medical Center, Saitama Medical University, from 2003 to 2014. Patients with major congenital abnormalities were excluded. Primary outcomes were in-hospital survival and severe neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI) at 6 years of age, which was defined as having severe cerebral palsy, severe cognitive impairment, severe visual impairment, or deafness. We assessed the changes in primary outcomes between the first (period 1; 2003-2008) and the second half (period 2; 2009-2014) of the study period and evaluated the association between birth-year and primary outcomes using multivariate logistic regression models. RESULTS: Of the 403 eligible patients, 340 (84%) survived to discharge. Among 248 patients available at 6 years of age, 43 (14%) were classified as having severe NDI. Between the 2 periods, in-hospital survival improved from 155 of 198 (78%) to 185 of 205 (90%), but severe NDI increased from 11 of 108 (10%) to 32 of 140 (23%). In multivariate logistic regression models adjusted for gestational age, birthweight, sex, singleton birth, and antenatal corticosteroids, the aOR (95% CI) of birth-year for in-hospital survival and severe NDI was 1.2 (1.1-1.3) and 1.1 (1.0-1.3), respectively. CONCLUSION: Mortality among extremely preterm infants has improved over the past 12 years; nevertheless, no significant improvement was observed in the long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Changes in the Gustave Roussy Immune Score as a Powerful Prognostic Marker of the Therapeutic Sensitivity of Nivolumab in Advanced Gastric Cancer: A Multicenter, Retrospective Study.

BACKGROUND: Identification of positive biomarkers for the effects of nivolumab on patients with advanced gastric cancer (AGC) is significant. The Gustave Roussy Immune Score (GRIm-s) is associated with therapeutic resistance of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in other cancers. This multicenter, retrospective study was designed to analyze the association of GRIm-s with therapeutic sensitivity of nivolumab in patients with AGC. METHODS: We reviewed 58 patients with AGC treated with nivolumab from October 2017 to November 2018 at five participating institutions. We performed blood tests before the start of nivolumab and after administration of two courses. We evaluated the correlation between the best overall response and GRIm-s. Additionally, we focused on the changes in GRIm-s before the start of nivolumab and after administration of two courses. RESULTS: Of the 58 patients, 21 (36.2%) were classified into the disease control (DC) group and 37 (63.8%) into the progressive disease (PD) group. GRIm-s before nivolumab treatment did not correlate with the best therapeutic response (p = 0.086). However, GRIm-s after two courses of nivolumab showed that significantly more PD cases were in the high-risk group (p < 0.0001). After two courses of nivolumab, overall survival was significantly worse in the high-risk group (p < 0.0001). For progression-free survival, the high-risk group had a significantly worse prognosis both before (p = 0.04) and after two courses of nivolumab treatment (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: GRIm-s after two courses of nivolumab and its changes compared to pretreatment values proved beneficial in predicting nivolumab sensitivity.

Clinical features as potential prognostic factors in patients treated with nivolumab for highly pretreated metastatic gastric cancer: a multicenter retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Although nivolumab (anti-programmed cell death-1 antibody) is a promising approach for advanced gastric cancer (AGC), the response rate remains limited. The aim of this multicenter retrospective study was to determine if clinical features could serve as prognostic factors of the efficacy of nivolumab in patients with AGC. METHODS: Fifty-eight patients with AGC who were treated with nivolumab as a third or later line from October 2017 to December 2018 at any of five clinical sites were enrolled in the study. The correlation between the best overall response and clinical features was investigated. Overall survival and progression-free survival after initiation of nivolumab were calculated and clinical features that could be predictors of the prognosis were sought. RESULTS: The disease control rate (DCR) for nivolumab was 36.2% and was significantly correlated with performance status (p = 0.021), metastasis to one organ (p = 0.006), and grade 2 or higher immune-related adverse events (p = 0.027). There was also a significant association between response to nivolumab and ability to receive subsequent chemotherapy (p = 0.022). In the analysis of overall survival, the following variables were identified as being significantly associated with a poor outcome: Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status ≥1, prior treatment with trastuzumab, no immune-related adverse events, lack of a response to nivolumab, and inability to receive subsequent chemotherapy. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study suggest that nivolumab may be ineffective for AGC in patients with poor performance status and those with a history of treatment with trastuzumab.

Randomized Trial of Perfusion-Based Circulatory Management in Infants of Very Low Birth Weight.

OBJECTIVE: To establish the superiority of blood flow (BF)-based circulatory management over conventional blood pressure (BP)-based management strategies used for preventing intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) in infants of very low birth weight (VLBW). STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a nonblinded, single-centered randomized trial with the aim to prevent IVH by managing BF. Infants with VLBW were assigned randomly to a BF-based group or BP-based (BP group) circulatory management group. The incidence of IVH was the outcome of interest. The IVH also data were compared among healthy patients and patients responsive and unresponsive to the intervention. RESULTS: A total of 219 and 220 infants with VLBW were assigned to the BF and BP groups, respectively. The IVH incidence rate was lower in the BF group, but the difference was not statistically significant (BF group, 6.8% vs BP group, 10.9%; P = .14). In 21% of patients of the BP group and 20% of the BF group, the intervention failed. In BF group, the IVH incidence rate was significantly greater in infants with unsuccessful intervention when compared with healthy individuals (6% vs 23%, P = .001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed a correlation between low blood flow and IVH (aOR 3.24; 95% CI 1.49-7.08, P = .003) but not between low BP and IVH (P = .73). CONCLUSIONS: The BF management protocol did not significantly decrease the incidence of IVH. However, after further optimization, we speculate the treatment strategy holds promise in decreasing the incidence of IVH. Trial registration UMIN-CTR: UMIN000013296.

Geometrical pH mapping of Microfluids by principal-component-analysis-based xyz-spectrum conversion method.

The absorption spectra of bromothymol blue (BTB) solution introduced in microfluidic devices were reproduced by principal component analysis (PCA)-based xyz-spectrum conversion methods for geometric mapping of the pH values of fluids. We fabricated PDMS-made microfluidic devices with a channel depth of 1 mm to overcome the lower detection limits of transmittance image acquisition. Aqueous solutions of pH indicators under various pH conditions were hydrodynamically introduced into the channel, and RGB values of the region of interest (ROI) were obtained via image analysis. The xyz values were then converted into absorption spectral data of the pH indicator using the PCA-based spectral reproduction previously proposed by the authors. The high reproducibility of the spectra was confirmed to be comparable to that of the conventional method using a spectrophotometer. We applied the present method to elucidate the pH gradient at an aqueous biphasic interface in the microfluidic channels generated by contacting multiple laminar flows of two or three buffered solutions. We confirmed that the pH gradient ranged from approximately 70 to 140 µm, which is consistent with the results reported using other approaches. The results demonstrate the applicability of the present method to the fluctuation field in micro/nanospaces to acquire spectrophotometric information in the order of milliseconds without monochromating equipment.

Ibudilast Suppresses MUC5AC Mucus Production through Inhibition of ERK1/2 Phosphorylation.

Mucus hypersecretion is a hallmark of respiratory diseases, and excess airway mucus can worsen these conditions. Therefore, it is important to control the production of airway mucus in the treatment of respiratory diseases. The phosphodiesterase inhibitor ibudilast has been reported to be effective in treating sputum and postnasal drip in patients with chronic airway inflammation. On the basis of the hypothesis that ibudilast could inhibit mucus production in the airway, in the present study, we examined the effects of ibudilast on the production of MUC5AC, a major protein component of mucus. In in vitro studies using NCI-H292 cells, ibudilast suppressed MUC5AC production induced by various stimuli. In addition, ibudilast inhibited extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 phosphorylation and MUC5AC gene transcription. Furthermore, it attenuated MUC5AC production and Muc5ac mRNA expression in lipopolysaccharide-treated mice in vivo. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that ibudilast has an inhibitory effect on mucus production, which could at least partly be attributed to the inhibition of ERK1/2 phosphorylation and the repression of MUC5AC gene transcription.

Risk Factors for Postoperative Liver Enzyme Elevation After Laparoscopic Gastrectomy for Gastric Cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG) is more frequently associated with postoperative liver enzyme elevation (PLEE) than open gastrectomy in phase III clinical trials for Japanese gastric cancer patients. The aim of this study was to determine the risk factors for PLEE after LG for gastric cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study enrolled 153 consecutive patients with gastric cancer who underwent LG. The patient characteristics, the liver retraction method [silicone disc (SD) or Nathanson liver retractor (NLR)], and perioperative outcomes were compared between patients with and without PLEE. RESULTS: PLEE was observed in 26 patients (17%). The patients with PLEE exhibited longer operative times (p=0.005) and more frequent use of the NLR for liver retraction (p=0.022). In the multivariate analysis, liver retraction using the NLR (p=0.003) and aberrant left hepatic artery (ALHA) ligation (p=0.042) were independent risk factors of PLEE. CONCLUSION: Liver retraction with the SD during LG was shown to be the safer method that is less likely to cause postoperative liver dysfunction. ALHA preservation may contribute to avoiding postoperative liver dysfunction.

Dataset for reproducing absorption spectra of methyl orange from the RGB values of microscopic images.

The present dataset is related to the research paper entitled "Reproducing Absorption Spectra of pH Indicators from RGB Values of Microscopic Images" (Inagawa et al., 2020). The dataset contains microscopic images of aqueous methyl orange (MO), absorption spectra acquired with a spectrophotometer, loading spectra and calculation sheets for reproducing absorption spectra of aqueous MO from their RGB values of the microscopic images. The microscopic transmission images of the standard MO solutions at various pH conditions were acquired with a CMOS camera equipped with an invert microscope. Meanwhile, the loading spectra were obtained by principle component analysis of a series of absorption spectra of the standard solutions. The conversion matrix from RGB values in a region of interests (ROI) to score values were linear-algebraically determined from the RGB values and score values of the standard solutions. The absorption spectra of the sample solutions of which pH conditions are unknown were then reproduced by calculating the linear combination of the loading spectra with the score values obtained from the conversion process. Herein, the absorption spectra of MO are reproduced at various pH and ROI conditions.

Four stay-sutures method: a simplified hand-sewn purse-string suture in laparoscopic circular-stapled esophagojejunostomy.

Laparoscopic esophagojejunostomy is a challenging procedure because of its technical difficulty. We herein report a new method involving circular-stapled anastomosis using a hand-sewn suture with four stay-sutures and evaluate its outcomes. Esophagojejunostomy using this method was performed in 36 consecutive patients with clinical stage I gastric cancer at the authors' institutions. The key feature of our procedure was the placement of four full-thickness stay-sutures to anchor the esophageal stump prior to the hand-sewn purse-string suture. The median operation time and mean anvil fixation time were 315.5 and 21.9 min, respectively. The mortality rate was 0%, although anastomotic leakage following esophagojejunostomy was observed in 1 patient (2.8%), and anastomotic stenosis was observed in another patient (2.8%). Intracorporeal esophagojejunostomy using the four stay-sutures method appears to be safe and feasible. We believe that this method enables hand-sewn purse-string suturing to be performed more easily.

Intraoperative hemorrhage in revision total hip arthroplasty: a retrospective single-center study.

PURPOSE: The amount of intraoperative hemorrhages and factors associated with hemorrhages and transfusions during revision total hip arthroplasty (reTHA) have not been identified for Japanese patients. We aimed to clarify the amount of intraoperative hemorrhages, and to elucidate the factors associated with hemorrhages and transfusions during reTHA in Japanese patients. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed patients who underwent reTHA (n = 48) and primary total hip arthroplasty (pTHA) (n = 615) in a single hospital and extracted data regarding hemorrhage, transfusion, patient comorbidities, and surgical anesthesia. We defined massive blood loss (MBL) as a hemorrhage comprising more than half of the circulating blood volume within 3 h. The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were estimated using a multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: There was a significant difference in hemorrhages between reTHA and pTHA patients (1790 g versus 625 g; p < 0.001). Among patients with reTHA, MBL was significantly associated with younger age (OR 0.91; 95% CI 0.84-1.00; p = 0.04) and lower body mass index (BMI) (OR 0.69; 95% CI 0.53-0.91; p = 0.01). Although not significant, the incidence of MBL tended to be higher for patients with hyperlipidemia (OR 4.88; 95% CI 0.99-24.1; p = 0.051). Furthermore, the need for allogeneic transfusion was significantly associated with the number of prepared autologous blood packs (OR 0.15; 95% CI 0.07-0.55; p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: Although this study was limited by its small population and a possibility of underestimating the hemorrhage, hemorrhages in reTHA patients was two times greater than that in pTHA patients. Younger age and lower BMI increased the risk of MBL in reTHA. Preparing autologous blood decreased the risk of intraoperative allogeneic transfusion.

Retroperitoneal Liposarcoma with Multilocular Cysts.

In this study, we describe a 60-year-old man with a giant retroperitoneal liposarcoma with multilocular cysts. He was admitted to our hospital because of a 5-month history of abdominal distention. Abdominal computed tomography revealed a giant lobulated cystic mass occupying the retroperitoneal space that contained partially solid fat components. Magnetic resonance imaging indicated that this complex mass exhibited a low signal intensity on a T1-weighted image, whereas it exhibited a high and focally intermediate signal intensity on a T2-weighted image. This patient was diagnosed with a mucinous type of retroperitoneal sarcoma, which was then resected. During surgery, the tumor was isolated from the retroperitoneum and other organs, but the detachment was required only because of fixation around the left external iliac artery. The histological diagnosis was a well-differentiated liposarcoma with multilocular cysts that contained old bloody, serous, and mucinous fluids, which are a rare phenomenon in liposarcoma. This case indicates that retroperitoneal liposarcoma should also be considered as a differential diagnosis of retroperitoneal cystic mass.