The number of deaths from colorectal cancer in Japan continues to increase. Colorectal cancer deaths exceeded 50,000 in 2016. In the 2019 edition, revision of all aspects of treatments was performed, ...with corrections and additions made based on knowledge acquired since the 2016 version (drug therapy) and the 2014 version (other treatments). The Japanese Society for Cancer of the Colon and Rectum guidelines 2019 for the treatment of colorectal cancer (JSCCR guidelines 2019) have been prepared to show standard treatment strategies for colorectal cancer, to eliminate disparities among institutions in terms of treatment, to eliminate unnecessary treatment and insufficient treatment and to deepen mutual understanding between healthcare professionals and patients by making these guidelines available to the general public. These guidelines have been prepared by consensuses reached by the JSCCR Guideline Committee, based on a careful review of the evidence retrieved by literature searches and in view of the medical health insurance system and actual clinical practice settings in Japan. Therefore, these guidelines can be used as a tool for treating colorectal cancer in actual clinical practice settings. More specifically, they can be used as a guide to obtaining informed consent from patients and choosing the method of treatment for each patient. Controversial issues were selected as clinical questions, and recommendations were made. Each recommendation is accompanied by a classification of the evidence and a classification of recommendation categories based on the consensus reached by the Guideline Committee members. Here, we present the English version of the JSCCR guidelines 2019.
Japanese mortality due to colorectal cancer is on the rise, surpassing 49,000 in 2015. Many new treatment methods have been developed during recent decades. The Japanese Society for Cancer of the ...Colon and Rectum Guidelines 2016 for the treatment of colorectal cancer (JSCCR Guidelines 2016) were prepared to show standard treatment strategies for colorectal cancer, to eliminate disparities among institutions in terms of treatment, to eliminate unnecessary treatment and insufficient treatment, and to deepen mutual understanding between health-care professionals and patients by making these Guidelines available to the general public. These Guidelines were prepared by consensus reached by the JSCCR Guideline Committee, based on a careful review of the evidence retrieved by literature searches, and in view of the medical health insurance system and actual clinical practice settings in Japan. Therefore, these Guidelines can be used as a tool for treating colorectal cancer in actual clinical practice settings. More specifically, they can be used as a guide to obtaining informed consent from patients and choosing the method of treatment for each patient. As a result of the discussions held by the Guideline Committee, controversial issues were selected as Clinical Questions, and recommendations were made. Each recommendation is accompanied by a classification of the evidence and a classification of recommendation categories based on the consensus reached by the Guideline Committee members. Here we present the English version of the JSCCR Guidelines 2016.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic disorder involving mainly the intestinal tract, but possibly other gastrointestinal and extraintestinal organs. Although etiology is still uncertain, ...recent knowledge in pathogenesis has accumulated, and novel diagnostic and therapeutic modalities have become available for clinical use. Therefore, the previous guidelines were urged to be updated. In 2016, the Japanese Society of Gastroenterology revised the previous versions of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD) in Japanese. A total of 59 clinical questions for 9 categories (1. clinical features of IBD; 2. diagnosis; 3. general consideration in treatment; 4. therapeutic interventions for IBD; 5. treatment of UC; 6. treatment of CD; 7. extraintestinal complications; 8. cancer surveillance; 9. IBD in special situation) were selected, and a literature search was performed for the clinical questions with use of the MEDLINE, Cochrane, and Igaku Chuo Zasshi databases. The guidelines were developed with the basic concept of the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) system. Recommendations were made using Delphi rounds. This English version was produced and edited based on the existing updated guidelines in Japanese.
Retroperitoneal fibrosis is characterized by fibrotic lesions around the abdominal aorta and common ileac artery causing ureteral obstruction. Secondary retroperitoneal fibrosis is associated with ...malignant disease, drugs, exposure to radiation and surgery. In contrast, the majority of retroperitoneal fibrosis is classified into idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis, for which immunological etiology has been suggested. Recently, idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis has been considered to be a spectrum of immunoglobulin G4‐related disease, a systemic inflammatory disease, the concept of which has been developed during the past decade. In the management of retroperitoneal fibrosis, assessment of systemic lesions associated with immunoglobulin G4‐related disease and the exclusion of secondary retroperitoneal fibrosis is mandatory. Histological examination of retroperitoneal lesions is desired for accurate diagnosis and management. Laparoscopic or open biopsy is often beneficial, although it is more invasive than needle biopsy. Treatment for idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis consists of meticulous glucocorticoid therapy based on that for immunoglobulin G4‐related disease, which is expected to be highly effective. Ureteral obstruction is usually managed with conservative procedures, such as ureteral stenting or percutaneous nephrostomy. The goal of treatment for retroperitoneal fibrosis should be freedom from the stent/nephrostomy with withdrawal of the glucocorticoid in addition to salvage of renal function; however, conservative management does not always provide favorable outcomes. In contrast, aggressive surgical treatment, such as ureterolysis, can achieve the goal; however, the procedure is associated with high morbidity. Establishment of a consensus about treatment for idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis, including the optimal indications for the invasive surgical procedure and conservative management, is desired.
For the treatment of pituitary dwarfism (called pituitary short stature in 1987 and renamed as growth hormone deficiency GHD in 1993), pituitary-derived human growth hormone (phGH) was approved in ...1975, and recombinant hGH (rhGH) was approved in 1988. Adult height in patients with isolated GH deficiency (IGHD) improved by 2000. However, this improvement was mainly due to the increase in height SDS at treatment initiation. Although the mean adult height in patients with idiopathic GHD has been reported to be approximately –1.0 SD or higher in Europe and the United States, the mean adult height of patients with idiopathic GHD in Japan has not improved as much as that in Europe and the United States after 2000. The possible reasons were: low therapeutic doses than those in Europe and the United States; changes in background factors, such as reduction in severe GHD; differences in response to GH between Caucasians and Japanese; and, no increase in height at puberty onset because delayed puberty was normalized by GH treatment. In the future, long-acting GH is expected to improve adult height in GHD patients in Japan.
In Japan, a pituitary-extracted human GH (phGH), Crescormon®, was approved for the treatment of pituitary dwarfism in 1975. The Study Group of Pituitary Dysfunction was organized by the Ministry of ...Health and Welfare (MHW) in 1973 and prepared the “Diagnostic Handbook: Pituitary Dwarfism” guidelines in 1974. Eligibility assessments for phGH treatment were conducted by the research group on pituitary dwarfism (later the Foundation for Growth Science FGS GH Treatment Eligibility Assessment Committee); however, there were 200–300 patients on the waiting list. GH treatment has been financially supported by the Grant-in-Aid Program for Chronic Diseases in Childhood, MHW, since 1974. In 1984, phGH was discontinued in the United States due to reports of the onset of Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease in patients treated with phGH. Japan approved the use of methionyl hGH in 1986 and recombinant hGH in 1988. As a result, the phGH disappeared from the market. The role of the Eligibility Assessment Committee of the FGS shifted to the provision of second opinions about diagnoses and treatment appropriateness. Since then, the indications for GH treatment of pediatric growth disorders have expanded to include other pediatric growth disorders such as Turner syndrome, achondroplasia/hypochondroplasia, etc.
A numerical model was developed for the Takigami geothermal reservoir. A conceptual model of the field was constructed, initial and boundary conditions were defined according to available data. For ...the optimum model, permeability values of assigned rock types, mass flow rates, enthalpies, and locations of recharge zones were estimated according to matching between computed temperature for wells and their temperature profiles before the exploitation. Observed and calculated temperature profiles confirmed the validity of the conceptual model. The best model could successfully reproduce the initial temperature profiles of 13 wells located mainly in the production area. A developed model was used as an initial model for future prediction of the reservoir performance. The prediction simulation was conducted by assuming two different development scenarios for the Takigami geothermal power plant. Scenario I was continuing the current power production. Scenario II was to investigate producing 8.6 MWe more electricity by employing bottoming binary cycle to the currently under operation single flash plant. Effects of production and reinjection temperatures under proposed development scenarios were evaluated. Simulation results indicated that most probably there is no direct interaction between reinjection and production zones in the Takigami reservoir, and installing a binary plant will not have any severe impact on reservoir performance.
•A numerical model was developed for the Takigami geothermal reservoir in Japan.•Two development scenarios were proposed for the Takigami geothermal reservoir.•The prediction simulation was conducted for proposed development scenarios.•Effects of production and reinjection temperatures were evaluated.
Abstract. In Japan, anabolic steroid hormone (ASH) treatment for Turner syndrome (TS) to promote growth had been provided before GH therapy for TS was approved. ASH effectively improved the adult ...height (AH) of TS patients without spontaneous puberty but decreased the AH of TS patients with spontaneous puberty. Although GH therapy for TS was approved in 1991, the approved dosage remained 0.5 IU/kg/wk for GH-deficient TS patients and improved AH by approximately 7 cm. However, AH did not reach -2 standard deviations in healthy girls. In 1999, the requirement of GH deficiency was removed and a dose of 1.0 IU/kg/wk was approved. Although an increase in AH was expected, no reports showed significant improvements in AH at a high dose of GH. GH + ASH combination therapy was reevaluated and recommended for TS patients with gonadal failure and an extremely short stature or those who respond poorly to GH therapy. Although early estrogen replacement therapy is recommended to improve psychological quality of life and prevent osteoporosis, it lowered AH even at a low dose of ethinyl estradiol (25 ng/kg/d). The initiation of ethynyl estradiol at an extremely low dose (1-5 ng/kg/d) at a relatively young age successfully improved AH.
In Japan, anabolic steroid hormone (ASH) treatment for Turner syndrome (TS) to promote growth had been provided before GH therapy for TS was approved. ASH effectively improved the adult height (AH) ...of TS patients without spontaneous puberty but decreased the AH of TS patients with spontaneous puberty. Although GH therapy for TS was approved in 1991, the approved dosage remained 0.5 IU/kg/wk for GH-deficient TS patients and improved AH by approximately 7 cm. However, AH did not reach –2 standard deviations in healthy girls. In 1999, the requirement of GH deficiency was removed and a dose of 1.0 IU/kg/wk was approved. Although an increase in AH was expected, no reports showed significant improvements in AH at a high dose of GH. GH + ASH combination therapy was reevaluated and recommended for TS patients with gonadal failure and an extremely short stature or those who respond poorly to GH therapy. Although early estrogen replacement therapy is recommended to improve psychological quality of life and prevent osteoporosis, it lowered AH even at a low dose of ethinyl estradiol (25 ng/kg/d). The initiation of ethynyl estradiol at an extremely low dose (1–5 ng/kg/d) at a relatively young age successfully improved AH.