Objective: We assessed the effectiveness and appropriateness of our original off-the-job training (Off JT) system using data acquired from recruited medical students and doctors.Materials and Methods: We presented our original homebuilt Off JT system, which is simple and inexpensive. In our unique system, we performed anastomosis at the bottom of a plastic pot, which mimics the actual open surgical procedure at a deep site. There were four evaluation points: (A) operating time, (B) performance of anastomosis by semi-automatically analyzing the image with the coefficient of variation (standard deviation/length) of the “bite” and the “pitch,” (C) scoring of the total surgical skill evaluated by the trainers according to the Operative Performance Rating System (OPRS), and (D) the relationship of these three factors (A, B, and C).Results: The procedural time and coefficient of variation of the bite and pitch decreased and the OPRS score increased after training. There was a strong correlation between procedural time, anastomotic performance, and OPRS score.Conclusion: The effectiveness of our original homebuilt system was shown by reduced procedural time, improved anastomotic quality, and increased OPRS score.

InflammationNeointimal hyperplasia u-3 fatty acid Resolvin D1Protectin D1 isomer a b s t r a c t Background: Specialized proresolving mediators from u-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid may control resolution of inflammation. We evaluated the influence of two specialized proresolving mediators, resolvin D1 (RvD1) and protectin D1 isomer (PD1 iso) on neointimal hyperplasia after balloon injury.Materials and methods: Sprague Dawley male rats at 12-14 wk of age were injured as a model of balloon angioplasty. Then, 1 mg/rat of RvD1 or PD1 iso was administered intravenously via the tail vein immediately and 2 d after angioplasty. The proliferation of injured artery and the infiltration of leukocytes, monocytes, and macrophages at 3 d after injury were evaluated by immunostaining. The activity of the inflammatory transcription factor nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NFkB) in the injured artery at 3 d after injury was evaluated using an enzyme-linked immuno sorbent assay kit. The proliferation of the neointima was evaluated by calculating the ratio of the neointimal and medial areas using specimens at 14 d after injury.Results: RvD1 and PD1 iso attenuated proliferation of medial cells (P < 0.05) and infiltration of leukocytes (P < 0.05) and monocytes/macrophages (P < 0.01). Although both RvD1 and PD1 iso mitigated NFkB activity (P < 0.01), RvD1 attenuated this activity more strongly (P < 0.01). RvD1 decreased neointimal hyperplasia by 37.3% (P < 0.01), whereas PD1 iso decreased neointimal hyperplasia by 31.8% (P < 0.05) (RvD1 versus PD1 iso:Conclusions: RvD1 and PD1 iso reduced the activity of inflammatory transcription factor NFkB within the injured artery and attenuated inflammatory cell

Objective : To assess mechanisms underlying aneurysm formation using a simple electronic circuit model. Materials and Methods : We created a simple circuit model connecting the celiac artery (CA) to the superior mesenteric artery via the pancreaticoduodenal arcade. We retrospectively reviewed 12 patients with true pancreaticoduodenal artery aneurysms (PDAAs) who received open or endovascular treatment between 2004 and 2017. We set the resistance of each artery and organ voltage and calculated flow volume and rate in response to degrees of simulated CA stenosis from 0% to 99.9%. Results : Flow volume rates of the anterior pancreaticoduodenal artery and posterior pancreaticoduodenal artery decreased to zero when CA stenosis increased from 0% to 50% and then increased drastically, at which point flow direction reverted and the flow was up to three times the initial rate. The gastroduodenal artery (GDA) also showed reversed flow with severe CA stenosis. In 12 patients with PDAA, eight presented with a CA lesion, and the other patients presented with comorbidities causing the arteries to be pathologically fragile, such as Marfan syndrome, Behçet’s disease, and segmental arterial mediolysis. All four GDA aneurysms were not accompanied by CA lesions. Conclusion : The mechanism underlying CA-lesion-associated PDAA formation may be partially explained using our model.

The geometric analysis performed in this study revealed that ruptured AAAs had a smaller fillet radius and smaller aspect ratio than nonruptured AAAs did.

Lesser omental hernia is a rare type of hernia that can cause intestinal obstruction. To our knowledge, there are only 16 documented cases of lesser omental hernia, including the present case. The subject of this case report was a 42-year-old man with a history of total colectomy for colon perforation caused by Crohn's disease 15 years earlier, who presented with epigastralgia and vomiting. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) revealed a distended bowel loop ventral to the stomach and convergence of mesenteric vessels at the lesser curvature of the stomach. Based on a diagnosis of intestinal obstruction caused by a lesser omental hernia, he underwent emergency surgery, which revealed a 150-cm jejunal segment herniating through a 5-cm defect in the lesser omentum from the retrogastric space. We reduced the herniated loop and closed the hernial orifice successfully. We describe the characteristic CT findings, which allowed us to make the preoperative diagnosis, and speculate how the past total colectomy, in which the gastrocolic ligament was isolated and the transverse colon was resected, probably caused by this hernia. This case serves to demonstrate that lesser omental hernia could be a postoperative complication of total colectomy.