A 58-year-old male patient presented with acute alcohol-induced severe necrotizing pancreatitis. He reported a symptomatic acute necrotic collection in the pancreatic head. No improvements were observed despite one week of antimicrobial therapy. Endoscopic ultrasound-guided drainage via the superior duodenal angle was conducted and a lumen-apposing metal stent (LAMS) was placed. He had an obstructive jaundice progression 3 days postintervention. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiography showed that the cystic side flange of the LAMS caused the distal bile duct smooth stricture. The jaundice improved immediately after the placement of plastic stent in the bile duct, and the LAMS could be removed on the 15th day after placement. The plastic stent was removed after 4 months, and the biliary stricture improved, with no recurrence of jaundice. Here, we report a case of successful conservative treatment of a benign biliary stricture caused by the distal flange of the LAMS.

We present the case of a 76-year-old man who underwent preoperative endoscopic ultrasound-guided hepaticogastrostomy (EUS-HGS) for obstructive jaundice caused by pancreatic head cancer. The patient had obstructive jaundice and cholangitis during neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Transpapillary biliary drainage using endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography was attempted; however, it was unsuccessful because of duodenal tumor invasion. Therefore, EUS-HGS was performed. Jaundice and cholangitis improved promptly after EUS-HGS, and stent obstruction and migration were not observed before surgery. The stent was safely removed during surgery, and no postoperative complications occurred. Most studies of EUS-HGS for preoperative biliary drainage have been small and retrospective, and few have examined the safety of intraoperative stent removal. The fistula in our patient was promptly identified and the stent was safely removed despite the relatively limited field of view during robot-assisted laparoscopy.The promising findings of our case report can be used to inform EUS-based surgical strategies for biliary drainage with obstructive jaundice.

A 58-year-old male patient presented with acute alcohol-induced severe necrotizing pancreatitis. He reported a symptomatic acute necrotic collection in the pancreatic head. No improvements were observed despite one week of antimicrobial therapy. Endoscopic ultrasound-guided drainage via the superior duodenal angle was conducted and a lumen-apposing metal stent (LAMS) was placed. He had an obstructive jaundice progression 3 days postintervention. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiography showed that the cystic side flange of the LAMS caused the distal bile duct smooth stricture. The jaundice improved immediately after the placement of plastic stent in the bile duct, and the LAMS could be removed on the 15th day after placement. The plastic stent was removed after 4 months, and the biliary stricture improved, with no recurrence of jaundice. Here, we report a case of successful conservative treatment of a benign biliary stricture caused by the distal flange of the LAMS.

We present the case of a 76-year-old man who underwent preoperative endoscopic ultrasound-guided hepaticogastrostomy (EUS-HGS) for obstructive jaundice caused by pancreatic head cancer. The patient had obstructive jaundice and cholangitis during neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Transpapillary biliary drainage using endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography was attempted; however, it was unsuccessful because of duodenal tumor invasion. Therefore, EUS-HGS was performed. Jaundice and cholangitis improved promptly after EUS-HGS, and stent obstruction and migration were not observed before surgery. The stent was safely removed during surgery, and no postoperative complications occurred. Most studies of EUS-HGS for preoperative biliary drainage have been small and retrospective, and few have examined the safety of intraoperative stent removal. The fistula in our patient was promptly identified and the stent was safely removed despite the relatively limited field of view during robot-assisted laparoscopy.The promising findings of our case report can be used to inform EUS-based surgical strategies for biliary drainage with obstructive jaundice.

A 58-year-old male patient presented with acute alcohol-induced severe necrotizing pancreatitis. He reported a symptomatic acute necrotic collection in the pancreatic head. No improvements were observed despite one week of antimicrobial therapy. Endoscopic ultrasound-guided drainage via the superior duodenal angle was conducted and a lumen-apposing metal stent (LAMS) was placed. He had an obstructive jaundice progression 3 days postintervention. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiography showed that the cystic side flange of the LAMS caused the distal bile duct smooth stricture. The jaundice improved immediately after the placement of plastic stent in the bile duct, and the LAMS could be removed on the 15th day after placement. The plastic stent was removed after 4 months, and the biliary stricture improved, with no recurrence of jaundice. Here, we report a case of successful conservative treatment of a benign biliary stricture caused by the distal flange of the LAMS.

We present the case of a 76-year-old man who underwent preoperative endoscopic ultrasound-guided hepaticogastrostomy (EUS-HGS) for obstructive jaundice caused by pancreatic head cancer. The patient had obstructive jaundice and cholangitis during neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Transpapillary biliary drainage using endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography was attempted; however, it was unsuccessful because of duodenal tumor invasion. Therefore, EUS-HGS was performed. Jaundice and cholangitis improved promptly after EUS-HGS, and stent obstruction and migration were not observed before surgery. The stent was safely removed during surgery, and no postoperative complications occurred. Most studies of EUS-HGS for preoperative biliary drainage have been small and retrospective, and few have examined the safety of intraoperative stent removal. The fistula in our patient was promptly identified and the stent was safely removed despite the relatively limited field of view during robot-assisted laparoscopy.The promising findings of our case report can be used to inform EUS-based surgical strategies for biliary drainage with obstructive jaundice.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of a four-item questionnaire using a face rating scale to measure dental trait anxiety (DTA), dental trait fear (DTF), dental state anxiety (DSA), and dental state fear (DSF). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Participants were consecutively selected from patients undergoing scaling (S-group; n = 47) and implant placement (I-group; n = 25). The S-group completed the questionnaire both before initial and second scaling, whereas the I-group responded on the pre-surgery day (Pre-day), the day of implant placement (Imp-day), and the day of suture removal (Post-day). RESULTS: The reliability in the S-group was evaluated using the test-retest method, showing a weighted kappa value of DTA, 0.61; DTF, 0.46; DSA, 0.67; DSF, 0.52. Criterion-related validity, assessed using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory’s trait anxiety and state anxiety, revealed positive correlations between trait anxiety and DTA/DTF (DTA, ρ = 0.30; DTF, ρ = 0.27, ρ: correlation coefficient) and between state anxiety and all four items (DTA, ρ = 0.41; DTF, ρ = 0.32; DSA, ρ = 0.25; DSF, ρ = 0.25). Known-group validity was assessed using the initial data and Imp-day data from the S-group and I-group, respectively, revealing significantly higher DSA and DSF scores in the I-group than in the S-group. Responsiveness was gauged using I-group data, showing significantly lower DSA and DSF scores on post-day compared to other days. CONCLUSION The newly developed questionnaire has acceptable reliability and validity for clinical use, suggesting its usefulness for research on dental anxiety and fear and for providing patient-specific dental care.

Background/Aims: Symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a common gut-brain interaction disorder, deteriorate patients’ quality of life and increase medical needs; therefore, IBS represents a significant global burden. The estimated global prevalence is approximately 10%; however, accumulated evidence shows international heterogeneity. In this study, we have described and compared the prevalence of IBS in 3 East Asian countries: Japan (Tokyo and Fukuoka), China (Beijing), and South Korea (Seoul). Methods: We conducted an internet-based cross-sectional survey of the urban population aged > 20 years in the abovementioned countries. We recruited equal numbers of age- (20s-60s) and sex-matched participants (3910 residents). IBS was diagnosed according to the Rome III criteria, and the subtypes were analyzed. Results: The overall prevalence of IBS with 95% CI was 12.6% (11.6-13.7); the prevalence was significantly different across Japan, China, and South Korea (14.9% [13.4-16.5], 5.5% [4.3-7.1], and 15.6% [13.3-18.3], respectively) (P < 0.001). Furthermore, 54.9% of patients were male. IBS-mixed was the most prevalent subtype; the prevalence of other subtypes varied. Conclusions The overall prevalence of IBS in the 3 countries was slightly higher than the global prevalence, and it was significantly lower in China than in Japan and South Korea. IBS prevalence was the highest and lowest among individuals in their 40s and 60s, respectively. Male individuals had a higher prevalence of IBS with diarrhea. Further studies are needed to elucidate the factors associated with this regional heterogeneity.

PURPOSE: . The aim of this study was to introduce rating criteria to evaluate student performance in a newly developed, digital wax-up preclinical program for computer-aided design (CAD) of full-coverage crowns and preliminarily investigate the reliability and internal consistency of the rating system. MATERIALS AND METHODS: . This study, conducted in 2017, enrolled 47 fifth-year dental students of Okayama University Dental School. Digital wax-up training included a fundamental practice using computer graphics (CG), multipurpose CAD software programs, and an advanced practice to execute a digital waxup of the right mandibular second molar (#47). Each student’s digital wax-up work (stereolithography data) was evaluated by two instructors using seven qualitative criteria. The total qualitative score (0-90) of the criteria was calculated.The total volumetric discrepancy between each student’s digital wax-up work and a reference prepared by an instructor was automatically measured by the CAD software. The inter-rater reliability of each criterion was analyzed using a weighted kappa index. The relationship between the total volume discrepancy and the total qualitative score was analyzed using Spearman’s correlation. RESULTS: . The weighted kappa values for the seven qualitative criteria ranged from 0.62 - 0.93. The total qualitative score and the total volumetric discrepancy were negatively correlated (ρ = -0.27, P = .09, respectively); however, this was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION . The established qualitative criteria to evaluate students’ work showed sufficiently high inter-rater reliability; however, the digitally measured volumetric discrepancy could not sufficiently predict the total qualitative score.

Objective: To validate and recalibrate Charlson and Elixhauser comorbidity indices (CCI and ECI, respectively) in a Japanese hospital-based administrative database.Methods: In this retrospective, cohort study, derivation and validation cohorts were developed to include all hospitalizations for patients aged ≥ 18 years at admission and discharged in 2015 or 2016, respectively, from an administrative database based on 287 hospitals. Seventeen CCI and 30 ECI conditions were identified using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) -10 codes at admission or during the stay. Predictability for hospital death was evaluated using C statistics from multivariable logistic regression models including age, sex, and individual CCI/ECI conditions or the CCI/ECI score in the derivation cohort. After stepwise selection, weighted risk scores were re-assigned to each condition based on the odds ratios (CCI) or beta-coefficient (ECI), and these modified models were evaluated in the validation cohort.Results: The original CCI/ECI had good predictive abilities for hospital death: C statistics (95% confidence interval) for individual comorbidities and score models were 0.764 (0.762-0.765) and 0.731 (0.729-0.733) for CCI, and 0.783 (0.781-0.784) and 0.750 (0.748-0.752) for ECI, respectively. Modified CCI and ECI had 13 and 27 conditions, respectively, but maintained comparable predictive abilities: C statistics for modified individual comorbidities and score models were 0.761 (0.759-0.763) and 0.759 (0.757-0.760) for CCI, and 0.784 (0.782-0.785) and 0.783 (0.781-0.785) for ECI, respectively.Conclusions: The original and modified CCI/ECI models, with reduced numbers of conditions, had sufficient and comparable predictive abilities for hospital death and can be used in future studies using this administrative database.