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Objective We aimed to clarify clinical and laboratory characteristics of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients, and further explore the features to detect COVID-19 pneumonia at the first visit to community-based hospitals. Methods Diagnoses of COVID-19 were based on positive results from real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction testing of nasopharyngeal-swab specimens. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients showing positive results. The clinical characteristics and results of blood tests were compared between the patients with and without pneumonia. The risk factors associated with pneumonia were then evaluated by a multivariable analysis. Results The study cohort comprised 154 patients, including 117 patients (76.0%) with pneumonia at first visit. Significant differences were seen in age, the frequency of fever, tachycardia, desaturation (peripheral oxygen saturation ≤95%), any comorbidity, neutrocyte count and fraction, lymphocyte count and fraction, platelet count, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), C-reactive protein (CRP), and fibrinogen between the patients with and without pneumonia. Using a multivariable analysis, CRP ≥0.3 mg/dL and fibrinogen >400 mg/dL were found to be associated with the presence of pneumonia. Conclusion Community-based settings for screening COVID-19 patients should perform chest X-ray and blood tests for white blood cell fractions, fibrinogen, LDH, and CRP. Of these, elevations in the CRP and fibrinogen levels could be critically associated with the presence of COVID-19 pneumonia.

Case 1: A 65-year-old man with novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) complicated with acute respiratory failure. On admission, the patient was started on favipiravir and corticosteroid. However, due to a lack of significant improvement, he was introduced to mechanical ventilation and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Although iliopsoas hematoma occurred as a complication, the patient recovered. Case 2: A 49-year-old man with COVID-19 had been started on favipiravir and corticosteroid. Due to progressive respiratory failure, the patient underwent mechanical ventilation and ECMO. The patient recovered without complications. We successfully treated these severe cases with a multimodal combination of pharmacological and non-pharmacological supportive therapy.

Amid pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), vaccination is hailed as one of the most effective preventive measures. An mRNA vaccine termed BNT162b2 showed satisfactory safety and efficacy in the clinical trials but several issues including variability in the individual immune response or determination of target antibody titre that exerts sufficient immune protection needs to be assessed for planning a more efficient vaccination strategy. By monitoring IgG titres before and two months after the initial administration of BNT162b2 in 655 healthcare workers by Abbott IgG II quant that detects IgG against the receptor-binding domain in S protein of SARS-CoV-2, we confirmed that hypertension, dyslipidaemia, chronic kidney disease and use of immune suppressant in addition to male gender, advanced age, and absence of previous infection were significantly associated with low antibody response to the vaccination.

A 77-year-old man with a medical history of hypertension, dyslipidemia, angina pectoris, and internal carotid artery stenosis underwent laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy, D2 lymphadenectomy, and Billroth Ⅰ reconstruction for advanced gastric cancer. Hematologic examination revealed severe anemia on postoperative day 2, and abdominal CT scan detected contrast media leakage into the remnant gastric lumen. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed mucosal necrosis and ulceration of a large range. The patient recovered with conservative treatment and was discharged on postoperative day 18. Endoscopic balloon dilation was required to improve anastomotic stenosis after discharge, after which the patient received adjuvant chemotherapy. The stomach is resistant to ischemic changes because of the microvascular networks in the stomach wall; thus, gastric remnant necrosis after gastrectomy is rare. However, for patients with arterial sclerosis, such as in this case, physicians must consider the range of gastrectomy and reconstruction methods.

An 83-year-old woman visited our emergency department with a chief complaint of abdominal pain and vomiting. Abdominal computed tomography showed thickening of the wall of the small intestine in the right middle abdomen and marked bowel dilation and fluid retention in the oral side of the small intestine. The patient was diagnosed with adhesive bowel obstruction and hospitalized for conservative treatment. However, the treatment was unsuccessful, and laparoscopic surgery was performed. The intraoperative findings included thickening of the wall and hardening of the obstructed part, suggestive of an intestinal tumor; thus, this part was resected. A histopathological examination revealed diffuse infiltration of large-sized atypical lymphocytes in the tumor, and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma was diagnosed through immunochemical staining. The postoperative course was uneventful, and the lymphoma has not recurred. Intestinal malignant lymphoma rarely causes bowel obstruction without invagination. Here, we report this case and review the literature.

A 49-year-old Japanese male was managed by mechanical ventilation due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia. Favipiravir as an antiviral therapy, and anti-inflammatory treatment were administered. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in serum by the loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method on Day 9; favipiravir treatment was continued. On Day 13, negative serum RNA was confirmed, followed by mechanical ventilation was removed. On Day 23, LAMP negative was confirmed in nasopharynx, after that the patient discharged on Day 27. We could treat successfully for severe COVID-19 pneumonia based on the LAMP method. We consider this method will be useful in COVID-19 treatment.

A 63-year-old man was diagnosed with advanced sigmoid cancer of pT3, pN0, sM1c, sP3, fStage Ⅳ post-operation. After CAPOX plus Bmab as the first-line chemotherapy, he underwent IRIS plus Bmab as the second-line chemotherapy. After 1 course of IRIS plus Bmab, he was admitted to the hospital for fever, dyspnea, and general fatigue. The white blood cell count was 6.2×10 3/mL, and the C-reactive protein was elevated to 12.9 mg/dL. The PaO2 of the artery blood gas analysis in room air was 46.3 mmHg, suggesting respiratory failure. He was diagnosed with PCP based on the bilateral diffused ground-glass opacities on chest CT along with an elevated serum b-D-glucan. The treatment of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and steroid was then initiated. After the patient's clinical condition improved, he was discharged on day 27 post-admission.

A 66-year-old man was postoperatively diagnosed with pT4a, pN2, cM1a(H2), cP0, fStage Ⅳ, RAS wild type rectal cancer. He underwent SOX plus Bmab chemotherapy 4 weeks later. After 9 courses of SOX plus Bmab, he was admitted to the hospital for leg edema and proteinuria(4+). Because of severe proteinuria(14.7 g/day)and low protein(Alb 2.0 g/dL, TP 4.9 g/dL), he was diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome. His general condition improved on stopping chemotherapy and administration of conservative treatment, and he was discharged on day 20 after admission. The proteinuria improved 3 months later. He had been undergoing SOX chemotherapy for 4 months.

We report two cases that were diagnosed with either acute exacerbation of chronic heart failure or acute decompensated heart failure due to acute myocardial infarction; both cases exhibited computed tomography (CT) findings of the periportal collar sign in the liver and lymphedema in the hepatoduodenal ligament and retroperitoneal space. Both of these signs, particularly lymphedema in the hepatoduodenal ligament and anterior pararenal space, are considered very important CT findings when diagnosing acute decompensated heart failure.

33 Background: Elevated neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) reflects patients’ inflammation status and closely relates to tumor progression. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical significance of the preoperative NLR in patients who undergo an esophagectomy for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Methods: A total of 340 patients who underwent an esophagectomy for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma between 2003 and 2008 were retrospectively reviewed. The NLR ≥ 3 was considered to be elevated and the patients were divided into two groups. The overall and disease-free survival curves of the two NLR groups were determined using the Kaplan-Meier method and were compared using a log-rank test. A cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used for the univariate and multivariate analyses. Results: The study included 306 males and 34 females. Seventy-two patients (21%) had an elevated NLR. The 5-year overall survival for patients with high NLR was significantly worse than that for patients with normal NLR (41% vs 69%, p < 0.001). The 5-year disease-free survival for patients with high NLR was significantly worse than that for patients with normal NLR (41% vs 59%, p < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, a high NLR (HR 1.76, 95% CI 1.19-2.60, p = 0.005), an upper tumor location (HR 1.97, 95% CI 1.18-3.30, p = 0.010), an advanced T stage (HR 2.71, 95% CI 1.70-4.31, p < 0.001), and a larger number of metastatic lymph nodes (HR 4.38, 95% CI 1.18-3.30, p < 0.001) were independent predictors of poor overall survival. Conclusions: Our results suggested that the elevated preoperative NLR predicts poor overall and disease-free survival after an esophagectomy for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

118 Background: Emerging evidence suggests that sarcopenia might have an adverse impact on the survival of patients with cancer. We herein investigated the impact of sarcopenia on the long-term outcome of patients with esophageal cancer after curative surgery by analyzing the muscle cross-sectional area using computed tomography (CT). Methods: Sarcopenia was assessed in 204 patients undergoing a macroscopic curative esophagectomy for the resection of esophageal cancer between January 2005, and December 2008 at Tokai University Hospital by measuring the cross-sectional area of the psoas muscle at the level of the third lumbar vertebra on CT images obtained before surgery. The measured total psoas area (TPA) was normalized according to the patient’s height. Sarcopenia was defined as a TPA of ≤525 mm/m2 for men, and ≤375 mm/m2 for women. The impact of sarcopenia was assessed after controlling for clinical factors using multivariate modeling. Results: The median follow-up period was 60 months. The median patient age was 64 years; 184 (90%) patients were male and 20 (10%) were female. The median TPA was 580 mm/m2 for the men and 386 mm/m2 for the women. Sixty-nine (34%) patients had sarcopenia (TPA ≤525 mm/m2 for men, 375 mm/m2 for women ). The overall five-year survival rates were 33% for the patients with sarcopenia, and 66% for those without sarcopenia. In a multivariate analysis, a low body mass index (BMI ≤ 18.5 kg/m2; hazard ratio [HR], 1.87 [P = 0.028]), pathological stage of disease (HR for stage I, 1.587 in stage II [P = 0.219], 4.146 in stage III [P < 0.001], and 6.712 in stage IV [P < 0.001]), tumor location (HR of upper thoracic for middle and lower thoracic, 2.350 [P = 0.002]), and sarcopenia (HR, 1.858 [P= 0.006]) were independently associated with the overall mortality. Conclusions: Sarcopenia is associated with an increased risk of overall mortality in esophageal cancer after curative surgery independent of tumor-specific factors and the BMI. The development of effective interventions for sarcopenia warrants further study to improve the prognosis of patients with esophageal cancer.