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Background: A nationwide survey was performed to clarify the recent status of acute liver failure (ALF) and late-onset hepatic failure (LOHF) in Japan.Methods: Two-step surveys for patients with ALF and LOHF meeting the Japanese diagnostic criteria were performed annually in 782 hospitals. The clinical features of the patients were then compared to those reported in previous surveys.Results: In total, 1554 and 49 patients with ALF and LOHF, respectively, who were seen between 2010 and 2015 were enrolled. The subjects were classified into 1280 patients with hepatitis (642 non-comatose and 638 comatose) and 323 patients without hepatitis (190 non-comatose and 133 comatose). Compared with patients seen between 1998 and 2009, an older patient age and a higher percentage of underlying extrahepatic disease were observed. Although hepatitis virus infection was the most frequent etiology, the percentage of patients with this etiology had decreased, compared with previous cohorts, while the percentages of patients with drug-induced liver injuries, autoimmune hepatitis, and an indeterminate etiology had increased. Liver transplantation was performed in 170 patients (10.6%), whereas artificial liver support with plasmapheresis and/or hemodiafiltration were performed for most of the comatose patients. The outcomes of comatose patients were unfavorable, similar to previous surveys, especially the outcomes of hepatitis B virus carriers, including those with de novo hepatitis B (survival rate of 5.4% without liver transplantation).Conclusion: Although the clinical features, including the etiologies, of patients with ALF and LOHF have changed, the outcomes of patients have not improved in recent years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To improve the therapeutic efficacy of sofosbuvir/ledipasvir (SOF/LDV) for the retreatment of patients after daclatasvir/asunaprevir (DCV/ASV), a customized therapy with or without lead‐in interferon (IFN)‐β injections was formulated according to the types of resistance‐associated substitutions (RAS) in the non‐structural protein (NS)5A region of genotype 1b hepatitis C virus (HCV). Methods: Thirty‐three patients failing prior DCV/ASV received SOF/LDV for 12 weeks. Patients with HCV carrying unfavorable NS5A‐RAS and/or those previously treated with simeprevir were given lead‐in IFN‐β injections twice a day for 2 weeks; sequential changes in the NS5A‐RAS during the injection period were evaluated using deep sequencing. Results: Lead‐in injections were not undertaken in 27 patients; a sustained viral response (SVR) was achieved in 26 patients, while viral relapse occurred in 1 patient with HCV carrying NS5A‐L28M/R30H/Y93H mutations. Among the 6 patients receiving lead‐in injections, viral relapse occurred in 2 patients who had an unfavorable IFN‐λ3‐related gene single nucleotide polymorphism allele; both patients had been previously treated with simeprevir, and HCV carrying NS5A‐L31V/Y93H mutations had emerged after DCV/ASV. Deep sequencing revealed no changes in the NS5A‐RAS profiles during the lead‐in injection period in either patient. In contrast, in a patient with a favorable allele who was infected with similar unfavorable HCV strains, NS5A‐L31/Y93 wild‐type strains appeared during the injection period, enabling an SVR. Conclusion: Using customized therapies based on the NS5A‐RAS profiles, a high SVR rate was obtained after SOF/LDV in patients failing prior DCV/ASV. Lead‐in IFN‐β injections did not improve the efficacy in patients with HCV carrying unfavorable NS5A‐RAS except in those with a favorable IFN‐λ3‐related gene allele. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To investigate whether magnifying endoscopy with narrow band imaging (ME-NBI) is useful for evaluating the area of superficial, depressed- or flat-type differentiated adenocarcinoma of the stomach., Methods: This procedure was performed in Saitama Medical University International Medical Center, Japanese Red Cross Kumamoto Hospital and Kitakyushu Municipal Medical Center. The subjects were 31 patients in whom biopsy findings, from superficial, depressed- or flat-type gastric lesion, suggested differentiated adenocarcinoma in the above 3 hospitals between January and December 2009. Biopsy was performed on the lesion and non-lesion sides of a boundary (imaginary boundary) visualized on ME-NBI. The results were pathologically investigated. We evaluated the accuracy of estimating a demarcation line (DL) on ME-NBI in comparison with biopsy findings as a gold standard., Results: The DL that could be recognized at 2 points on the orifice and anal sides of each lesion during ME-NBI was consistent with the pathological findings in 22 patients with 0-IIc lesions, 7 with 0-IIb lesions, and 2 with 0-IIb + IIc lesions, showing an accuracy of 100%., Conclusion: The results suggest the usefulness of ME-NBI for evaluating the area of superficial, depressed- and flat-type differentiated adenocarcinoma of the stomach.

Since endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) was developed in the 1990s, EUS has become widely accepted as an imaging tool. EUS is categorized into radial and linear in design. Radial endoscopes provide cross-sectional imaging of the mediastinum, gastrointestinal tract, liver, spleen, kidney, adrenal gland, and pancreas, which has highly accuracy in the T and N staging of esophageal, lung, gastric, rectal, and pancreatic cancer. Tumor staging is common indication of radial-EUS, and EUS-staging is predictive of surgical resectability. In contrast, linear array endoscope uses a side-viewing probe and has advantages in the ability to perform EUS-guides fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA), which has been established for cytologic diagnosis. For example, EUS-FNA arrows accurate nodal staging of esophageal cancer before surgery, which provides more accurate assessment of nodes than radial-EUS imaging alone. EUS-FNA has been also commonly used for diagnose of pancreatic diseases because of the highly accuracy than US or computed tomography. EUS and EUS-FNA has been used not only for TNM staging and cytologic diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, but also for evaluation of chronic pancreatitis, pancreatic cystic lesions, and other pancreatic masses. More recently, EUS-FNA has developed into EUS-guided fine needle injection including EUS-guided celiac plexus neurolysis, celiac plexus block, and other "interventional EUS" procedures. In this review, we have summarized the new possibilities offered by "interventional EUS".

Recently, we reported a case of gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma presenting with unique vascular features. In the report, we defined the tree-like appearance (TLA) on the images of abnormal blood vessels which resembled branches from the trunk of a tree in the shiny mucosa, in which the glandular structure was lost. The 67-year-old female was diagnosed with gastric MALT lymphoma. The patient received eradication therapy for H. pylori. Conventional endoscopy revealed multiple ill-delineated brownish depressions in the stomach and cobblestone-like mucosa was observed at the greater curvature to the posterior wall of the upper gastric body 7 mo after successful eradication. Unsuccessful treatment of gastric MALT lymphoma was suspected on conventional endoscopy. Conventional endoscopic observations found focal depressions and cobblestone-like appearance, and these lesions were subsequently observed using magnified endoscopy combined with narrow band imaging to identify abnormal vessels presenting with a TLA within the lesions. Ten biopsies were taken from the area where abnormal vessels were present within these lesions. Ten biopsies were also taken from the lesions without abnormal vessels as a control. A total of 20 biopsy samples were evaluated to determine whether the diagnosis of MALT lymphoma could be obtained histologically from each sample. A positive diagnosis was obtained in 8/10 TLA (+) sites and in 2/10 TLA(-) sites. Target biopsies of the site with abnormal blood vessels can potentially improve diagnostic accuracy of gastric MALT lymphoma.

Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is an advanced therapeutic endoscopic technique, which allowsresection of larger superficial tumors in the esophagus, stomach, and colon. Precise diagnosis of the boundary between tumor and the non-tumorous surrounding portion is especially important before starting ESD, because too much resection can potentially take more time and can induce a higher complication rate, while too little resection can result in a non-curative resection. The boundary diagnosis is often difficult for early gastric cancer, mainly because of the underlying condition of chronic gastritis. Due to recent developments in endoscopy, including magnified endoscopy and narrow band endoscopy, the boundary diagnosis is becoming easy and more accurate.We have also applied magnified endoscopy combined with narrow band imaging to fresh specimens immediately after resection using thetiling method and XY stage.

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of endoscopic submucosal dissection for superficial esophageal squamous cell neoplasms., Methods: Between July 2007 and March 2009, 27 consecutive superficial esophageal squamous cell neoplasms in 25 enrolled patients were treated by endoscopic submucosal dissection. The therapeutic efficacy, complications, and follow-up results were assessed., Results: The mean size of the lesions was 21 ± 13 mm (range 2-55 mm); the mean size of the resection specimens was 32 ± 12 mm (range 10-70 mm). The en block resection rate was 100% (27/27), and en block resection with tumor-free lateral/basal margins was 88.9% (24/27). Perforation occurred in 1 patient who was managed by conservative medical treatments. None of the patients developed local recurrence or distant metastasis in the follow-up period., Conclusion: Endoscopic submucosal dissection is applicable to superficial esophageal squamous cell neoplasms with promising results.