Concurrent presentation of an intraductal tubulopapillary neoplasm and intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm in the branch duct of the pancreas, with a superior mesenteric artery aneurysm: a case report

Background

Since the concept of intraductal tubulopapillary neoplasm (ITPN) was introduced in the current World Health Organization classification of tumors, the number of reports of ITPN occurrence has increased gradually. However, ITPN is usually located in the main pancreatic duct, with few reports of a branch duct ITPN. As a result, imaging protocols for the diagnosis of a branch duct ITPN have not been established.

Case presentation

We report a case of a concurrent presentation of a branch duct ITPN and intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) in the head of the pancreas, with a superior mesenteric artery (SMA) aneurysm. Initially, the cystic masses in the pancreatic head were diagnosed as branch duct IPMNs, with treatment consisting of a pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy, in combination with an aneurysmectomy performed for treatment of the SMA aneurysm. Pathological examination confirmed these cysts were a combination of branch-type ITPN and IPMN. The patient recovered from the treatment without complication, with no evidence of recurrence over a period of 34 months post-surgery.

Conclusion

This case report of a synchronous presentation of an ITPN and IPMN indicates the difficulty in differentiating these two types of neoplasms in the branch duct of the pancreatic head.

Impact of resection and ablation for single hypovascular hepatocellular carcinoma ≤2 cm analysed with propensity score weighting

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Small hypovascular hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) ≤2 cm is biologically less aggressive than hypervascular one, however, the optimal treatment is still undetermined. The efficacy of surgical resection (SR), radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI) was evaluated.

METHODS

The 853 (SR, 176; RFA, 491; PEI, 186) patients were enrolled who met Child-Pugh A/B, single hypovascular HCC ≤2 cm pathologically proven, available tumour differentiation and absence of macrovascular invasion and extrahepatic metastasis. Overall and recurrence-free survivals were compared in original and a propensity score weighted pseudo-population with 732 patients.

RESULTS

The median follow-up time and tumour size were 2.8 years and 1.47 cm respectively. In original population, multivariate Cox regression showed no significant difference for overall survival among three groups. In pseudo-population, Cox regression also revealed no significant difference for overall survival among them, although SR (HR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.36-0.86) and RFA (HR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.57-1.00) groups had significantly lower recurrence than PEI group. The overall survival rates at 3 and 5 years for the SR, RFA and PEI groups were 94%/70%, 90%/75% and 94%/73% respectively. Corresponding recurrence-free survival rates were 64%/54%, 59%/41% 48%/33% respectively. Subgroup analysis revealed no significant survival benefit of SR compared with non-SR. No treatment-related death occurred.

CONCLUSIONS

For patients with single hypovascular HCC ≤2 cm, no significant difference for overall survival was first identified among 3 treatment groups. The SR or RFA could be recommended, and PEI would be alternative to RFA.

Patient Registration and Treatment Allocation in Multicenter Clinical Trials Using a FAX-OCR System

This article describes the design and results of implementation of an automated patient registration and freatment allocation system (RETAS) used in multicenter clinical trials. RETAS was developed using a FAX-OCR system by which handwritten Japanese and English characters, as well as numericals and forms with check boxes, are sent from participating institutions by Fax, processed using an optical character reader, and then transmitted to a host computer at a statistical center. Based on the facsimile data, RETAS can automatically review eligibility, collect patient identification data and provide a randomized treatment allocation. RETAS permits uninterrupted, unattended operation at a statistical center, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Therefore, it drastically decreases the workload of personnel at the statistical center needed to support central telephone registration coverage. Consequently, staff members are free to focus on patient registration, treatment allocation, and follow-up of patients. The treatment allocation procedure in this system is based on Pocock and Simon’s minimization method combined with Zelen’s method for institution balancing. By this system it was possible to balance treatment numbers for each level of various prognostic factors over an entire trial and, at the same time, balance the allocation of treatments within an institution. The system currently supports the protocol of a clinical trial for Adjuvant Chemo-Endocrine Therapy for Breast Cancer in West Japan.

Aqueous and Vitreous Penetration of Levofloxacin after Topical and/or Oral Administration

PURPOSE

To investigate the aqueous and vitreous penetration of levofloxacin, the drug was administered topically and/or orally to patients undergoing vitrectomy.

METHODS

Thirty-six patients undergoing initial vitrectomy with phacoemulsification and aspiration (PEA) were enrolled, and were divided randomly into three groups. Group 1 was treated with topical application of levofloxacin (three times on the day before surgery and seven times on the day of surgery), Group 2 received oral administration of levofloxacin (200 mg twice on the day before surgery and 200 mg at 3 hours before surgery), and Group 3 received both topical and oral levofloxacin according to the above schedules. The concentration of levofloxacin was measured in aqueous humor and vitreous fluid samples obtained during surgery.

RESULTS

In Groups 1, 2, and 3, the mean levofloxacin concentration in aqueous humor was 0.765+/-0.624 micro g/mL, 1.279+/-0.440 micro g/mL, and 1.823+/-0.490 micro g/mL, respectively, while the mean levofloxacin concentration in vitreous fluid was <0.02 micro g/mL, 1.455+/-0.445 micro g/mL, and 1.369+/-0.530 micro g/mL, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Oral administration of levofloxacin at a dose of 400 mg/day was sufficient for the prophylaxis of ocular infections, because the drug concentrations in both aqueous humor and vitreous fluid were higher than the MIC90 values for major ocular pathogens. Topical application of levofloxacin achieved adequate drug levels in aqueous humor, but not in vitreous fluid, while combined topical and oral administration had an additive effect on the drug concentration in aqueous humor.

Work-sharing and male employees' mental health during an economic recession

Background

One approach to reducing occupational stress during an economic recession is to share work amongst employees. This may include reducing employees' working hours to avoid redundancies.

Aims

To examine whether work-sharing influenced the psychosocial work environment and depressive symptoms encountered by Japanese employees, and to determine which psychosocial factors predict employees' mental health during an economic recession.

Methods

A survey was performed in a Japanese manufacturing company at the beginning (T1) and end (T2) of a 6-month period during the 2008 economic recession using the validated Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) and Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS).

Results

Three hundred and thirty-six male employees completed the questionnaire. Twenty-four per cent of participants showed depressive symptoms at T1. Despite reductions in employees' working hours and job strain (P < 0.001), SDS scores showed no change after 6 months. Logistic regression analyses showed that low social support between the two surveys was associated with depressive symptoms at T2 after adjusting for demographic, lifestyle, workplace factors, scheduled working hours and depressive symptoms at T1.

Conclusions

Reductions in job strain did not affect employees' depressive symptoms. Employees with low social support during the study had a significantly higher risk of having depressive symptoms. These findings indicate that social and emotional support within the workplace is important during the work-sharing period.

Quantitative assessment of liver fibrosis reveals a nonlinear association with fibrosis stage in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Accurate staging of liver fibrosis is crucial to guide therapeutic decisions for patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Digital image analysis has emerged as a promising tool for quantitative assessment of fibrosis in chronic liver diseases. We sought to determine the relationship of histologic fibrosis stage with fiber amounts quantified in liver biopsy specimens for the better understanding of NAFLD progression. We measured area ratios of collagen and elastin fibers in Elastica van Gieson-stained biopsy tissues from 289 patients with NAFLD from four hospitals using an automated computational method and examined their correlations with Brunt's fibrosis stage. As a secondary analysis, we performed multivariable logistic regression analysis to assess the associations of the combined area ratios of collagen and elastin with noninvasive fibrosis markers. The combined fiber area ratios correlated strongly with Brunt's stage (Spearman correlation coefficient, 0.78; P < 0.0001), but this relationship was nonlinear (P = 0.007) with striking differences between stage 4 (median area ratios, 12.3%) and stages 0-3 (2.1%, 2.8%, 4.3%, and 4.8%, respectively). Elastin accumulation was common in areas of thick bridging fibrosis and thickened venous walls but not in areas of perisinusoidal fibrosis. The highest tertile of the combined fiber area ratios was associated with the fibrosis-4 index and serum type IV collagen 7s domain (7s collagen) levels, whereas the upper two tertiles of the fiber amounts significantly associated with body mass index, aspartate aminotransferase, and 7s collagen in the multivariable analysis. Conclusion: Quantitative fibrosis assessment reveals a nonlinear relationship between fibrosis stage and fiber amount, with a marked difference between stage 4 and stage 3 and much smaller differences among stages 0-3, suggesting a heterogeneity in disease severity within NAFLD-related cirrhosis. (Hepatology Communications 2018;2:58-68).

Validation and Potential of Albumin-Bilirubin Grade and Prognostication in a Nationwide Survey of 46,681 Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients in Japan: The Need for a More Detailed Evaluation of Hepatic Function

BACKGROUND/AIM

Recently, albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) scoring/grading, consisting of only albumin and total bilirubin, has been proposed. We examined the efficacy of this grading system for determining hepatic function in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

METHODS/MATERIALS

The prognoses of 46,681 HCC patients based on results obtained from a nationwide survey conducted in Japan from 2001 to 2007 were evaluated using (1) Japan Integrated Staging (JIS), consisting of Child-Pugh classification and TNM staging (TNM), (2) modified JIS (m-JIS), consisting of liver damage grading and TNM, and (3) ALBI-TNM (ALBI-T), consisting of ALBI grading and TNM, and the results were compared. A subanalysis was also performed to define a cutoff value for ALBI scores for a more detailed stratification of hepatic function.

RESULTS

ALBI-T, JIS, and m-JIS each showed good capacity for the stratification of prognoses. Although the Akaike information criterion for ALBI-T was nearly equal to that for JIS and m-JIS, the Kaplan-Meier curves and median survival times obtained with ALBI-T were always superior to the corresponding scores. When the indocyanine green retention test (<30%) was used as an additional cutoff value for ALBI score (-2.270, area under the curve 0.828) to divide ALBI grade into 4 levels (modified ALBI [mALBI] grade), mALBI grade was able to stratify the prognosis of patients at any TNM stage in order of grade. Modified ALBI-T (mALBI-T), using mALBI grading and TNM, produced a more detailed stratification for prognosis.

CONCLUSION

The predictive value for prognosis of ALBI-T was found to be equal to that of JIS and m-JIS. In addition, mALBI grading and mALBI-T, as proposed in the present study, might provide a more detailed assessment of the hepatic function and prognosis of HCC patients.

Liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma associated with hepatic vein invasion: A Japanese nationwide survey

Because of the rarity of hepatic vein tumor thrombus (HVTT) compared with portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, little is known about this disease entity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognosis of each treatment modality for HVTT through an analysis of data collected in a Japanese nationwide survey. We analyzed data for 1,021 Child-Pugh A hepatocellular carcinoma patients with HVTT without inferior vena cava invasion registered between 2000 and 2007. Of these patients, 540 who underwent liver resection (LR) and 481 who received other treatments were compared. Propensity scores were calculated, and we successfully matched 223 patients (49.0% of the LR group). The median survival time in the LR group was 2.89 years longer than that in the non-LR group (4.47 versus 1.58 years, P < 0.001) and 1.61 years longer than that in the non-LR group (3.42 versus 1.81 years, P = 0.023) in a propensity score-matched cohort. After curative resection, median survival times were similar between patients with HVTT in the peripheral hepatic vein and those with HVTT in the major hepatic vein (4.85 versus 4.67 years, P = 0.974). In the LR group, the postoperative 90-day mortality rate was 3.4% (16 patients). In patients without PVTT, the median survival time was significantly better than that in patients with PVTT (5.67 versus 1.88 years, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

LR is associated with a good prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma patients with HVTT, especially in patients without PVTT. (Hepatology 2017;66:510-517).

Perfusion MR Imaging Using a 3D Pulsed Continuous Arterial Spin-Labeling Method for Acute Cerebral Infarction Classified as Branch Atheromatous Disease Involving the Lenticulostriate Artery Territory

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Branch atheromatous disease is a stroke subtype considered a risk factor for early neurologic deterioration. Meanwhile, crossed cerebellar diaschisis is thought to be influenced by the degree and location of supratentorial perfusion abnormalities and is associated with the clinical outcome in the case of an ischemic stroke. In this article, our aim was to clarify the utility of using a whole-brain 3D pulsed continuous arterial spin-labeling method as an imaging biomarker for predicting neurologic severity in branch atheromatous disease.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Twenty-three patients with branch atheromatous disease in the lenticulostriate artery territory were enrolled. All patients underwent MR imaging, including DWI, 3D-TOF-MRA, and 3D-arterial spin-labeling. We measured the asymmetry index of CBF in the affected area (branch atheromatous disease), the asymmetry index of the contralateral cerebellar hemisphere (crossed cerebellar diaschisis), and the DWI infarct volume in the lenticulostriate artery territory. We also compared each parameter with the initial NIHSS score with the Pearson correlation coefficient.

RESULTS

Among the 23 patients, we found no correlation between NIHSS score and the asymmetry index of CBF in the affected area (branch atheromatous disease) (r = -0.027, P = .724), whereas the asymmetry index of the contralateral cerebellar hemisphere (crossed cerebellar diaschisis) and DWI infarct volumes were significantly correlated with NIHSS score (r = 0.515, P = .012; r = 0.664, P = .001, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with branch atheromatous disease, 3D-arterial spin-labeling can detect crossed cerebellar diaschisis, which is correlated with the degree of neurologic severity.