Objective Endoscopic band ligation (EBL) is commonly performed to treat colonic diverticular bleeding (CDB). However, EBL is not suitable for other disorders that cause acute lower gastrointestinal bleeding (ALGIB), and the safety and efficacy of the procedure are not well known. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of EBL for non-colonic diverticular bleeding (non-CDB) and investigate the application of EBL to ALGIB.

Methods This study was a retrospective evaluation of the success rate of EBL, the rate of early re-bleeding (within 30 days of the initial EBL), and complications such as perforation and abscess formation.

Patients Thirty patients who presented with non-CDB and underwent EBL as the first-line treatment in our hospital from June 2009 to December 2017 were included in the present study.

Results The success rate of EBL was 93% (28/30). The rate of early re-bleeding after EBL was 20% (6/30). Repeat EBL, endoscopic clipping, or conservative therapy was performed in the event of re-bleeding. No emergency surgery or interventional hemostatic treatments were required for hemostasis. No complications such as perforation or abscess formation were observed in any patient.

Conclusion Our results suggest that EBL is an effective and safe endoscopic treatment for non-CDB.

Objective The clinical characteristics and chest imaging findings of viral pneumonia and several interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) overlap, and viral pneumonia may be underrecognized and misdiagnosed as certain ILDs. To clarify the frequency of viral pneumonia among patients with acute progressive clinical courses that required a differential diagnosis between ILDs and pneumonia, and to determine the most frequent ILDs misdiagnosed in cases of viral pneumonia.

Patients and Methods We retrospectively analyzed patients hospitalized from 2010 to 2017 with an acute clinical course (≤30 days) who underwent bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) for the differential diagnosis of infection and ILDs. We performed a multiplex PCR for respiratory viruses using the patients' preserved BAL fluid. The final diagnosis was made by a multidisciplinary approach and after considering the PCR results. The diagnosis at discharge was compared to the final diagnosis.

Results Among the 109 patients, 53 were diagnosed with viral pneumonia. Viral pneumonia and other diseases showed some differences in symptoms and laboratory data; however, the differences were small or overlapped. Viral pneumonia was misdiagnosed on discharge as acute fibrinous organizing pneumonia, cryptogenic organizing pneumonia, or chronic eosinophilic pneumonia (AFOP/COP/CEP) (n=22), acute interstitial pneumonia (n=5), connective tissue disease-related ILDs (n=3), unclassifiable interstitial pneumonia (n=2), drug-induced ILD (n=1), and pneumonia (n=20).

Conclusion Approximately half of the patients who underwent BAL had viral pneumonia. The most common ILD-related misdiagnoses were AFOP/COP/CEP. Differences in symptoms and laboratory findings between viral pneumonia and other diseases were small, and viral pneumonia should be included in the differential diagnosis when physicians encounter cases in which the abovementioned ILDs are suspected.

A 53-year-old woman presented with repeated copious bloody stool. Small bowel capsule endoscopy revealed a submucosal tumor (SMT)-like lesion, with erosion of the surface, in the first third of the small bowel. Balloon-assisted small intestinal endoscopy also revealed a pulsatile SMT-like lesion with an exposed vessel on the surface. This unknown lesion was surgically resected. The histopathological findings of the resected SMT-like lesion showed a dilated artery with thrombosis blockage and recanalization. Since this case could not be classified as any of the small intestinal vascular lesion patterns endoscopically, its classification will require the accumulation of further cases.

Desmoid is a locally aggressive fibroblastic neoplasm, typically showing a heterogeneous solid mass, and its pathogenesis is multifactorial, including surgical scars. We herein report a rare case of an intra-abdominal desmoid, consisting of solid and cystic components covered with epithelial linings, that emerged after distal gastrectomy. The preoperative diagnosis was inconclusive, so laparotomy was performed. Histopathology of the solid component showed proliferating spindle cells, which were positive for beta-catenin in their nuclei. Clinicians need to bear in mind that desmoids can appear in a solid-cystic form, and immunostaining of beta-catenin should be applied for tumors that emerge around postoperative wounds.

Signet-ring cell carcinoma rarely occurs in gastric hyperplastic polyps, with only a few such cases reported. We treated a 76-year-old woman with a signet-ring cell carcinoma arising from a hyperplastic polyp. She had been diagnosed with a gastric hyperplastic polyp four years previously. A follow-up endoscopic examination revealed the lesion in the polyp. A biopsy showed signet-ring cell carcinoma. Hybrid endoscopic submucosal dissection with snaring and a histological examination revealed signet-ring cell carcinoma in a hyperplastic polyp. The polyp was completely excised, with no evidence of recurrence one year later. A hyperplastic polyp of the stomach may transform into adenocarcinoma of an undifferentiated type.

A 70-year-old woman was referred to our hospital due to symptoms of dry eyes, dry mouth, and epigastric pain. Computed tomography showed distal pancreatic swelling, liver edge dullness and surface irregularities. Serum anti-nuclear antibody titers, immunoglobulin G and IgG4 levels were elevated. Autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) was diagnosed based on endoscopic findings and a histopathological examination. Her AIP improved after starting prednisolone treatment. A liver biopsy revealed interface hepatitis with lymphoplasmacyte and IgG4-positive plasma cell infiltration. In addition, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) was diagnosed based on the presence of parenchymal steatosis, ballooning hepatocytes, and pericellular fibrosis. We experienced a unique liver disease case showing IgG4-related liver disease overlapping with NASH.

Osteoclast-like giant cell-type (OCGC) anaplastic carcinoma is a rare variant of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, and its imaging characteristics and progression pattern have not been fully clarified. The patient was a 73-year-old man who had been incidentally found to have a pancreatic head tumor. Computed tomography demonstrated a 3-cm marginally enhanced mass at the pancreatic head, continuing toward the duodenum. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging showed a retained diffusion capacity. Duodenoscopy revealed a 1.5-cm polypoid lesion, covered by a dirty coat, near the major papilla. Surgical material revealed OCGC pancreatic anaplastic carcinoma protruding to the duodenum, accompanied by multiple hemorrhagic foci and hemosiderin precipitations.

Treatment involving the insertion of an implantable cardioverter defibrillator and cardiac resynchronization therapy devices has markedly improved the prognosis of cardiac sarcoidosis. However, the prognosis remains poor in patients with advanced cardiac dysfunction or heart failure. We herein report the clinical course and histopathological findings of the autopsied heart of a patient with cardiac sarcoidosis with long-term refractory heart failure.

Pembrolizumab, or anti-programmed death receptor 1 antibody, is an immune checkpoint inhibitor that can cause immune-related adverse events. We herein report for the first time the progression of hypopituitarism and hypothyroidism after treatment with pembrolizumab in a patient with adrenal metastasis of non-small-cell lung cancer. Severe primary hypothyroidism occurred three weeks after the first administration of pembrolizumab. Four months after the discontinuation of pembrolizumab, isolated adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) deficiency was noted. Corticotropin-releasing hormone and rapid ACTH tests performed repeatedly showed that the patient's pituitary and adrenal function had been gradually deteriorating. It is important to diagnose adrenal insufficiency without delay in order to prevent adrenal crisis.

In type 2 diabetes mellitus, metformin suppresses excessive insulin secretion in relation to the intake of glucose. We herein report the case of a 45-year-old man with glucose-responsive insulinoma whose responsive hypoglycemia was alleviated by metformin. The patient had a history of a postprandial loss of consciousness, resulting in hospital admission. He refused surgery and diazoxide administration. A 75-g oral glucose tolerance test after metformin administration revealed the suppression of glucose-responsive insulin hypersecretion and responsive hypoglycemia. Pancreatic head duodenectomy was performed, which alleviated the symptoms. Metformin administration in patients with glucose-responsive insulinoma may therefore be effective for preventing responsive hypoglycemia and hyperinsulinemia.

A 42-year-old man with asthma presented in 2007 with chest infiltration and productive cough. Pycnoporus sanguineus and Perenniporia tephropora were repeatedly isolated from sputum and bronchial washing fluids. Because we lacked immunologic evidence, we could not diagnose him with allergic bronchopulmonary mycosis (ABPM) due to these basidiomycetous fungi. At that time, serum-specific IgE and IgG against Schizophyllum commune findings were negative. Inhaled beclomethasone/salmeterol improved his condition. Seven years later, mucous plugs obtained via bronchoscopy at a relapse were compatible with allergic mucin. Because S. commune was isolated from mucous plugs and serum-specific IgG against S. commune turned positive, we diagnosed the patient with ABPM due to S. commune.

A 48-year-old woman with polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, M-protein, skin change (POEMS) syndrome suddenly presented with numbness of her right upper limb. Magnetic resonance imaging showed multiple acute infarctions in her left cerebrum, and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) showed multiple intra-cranial vascular lesions, which contrasted with previously normal MRA results obtained eight months prior to the stroke. After completing successful treatment for POEMS syndrome, there were no recurrent stroke episodes. A six-month follow-up scan showed that although the vascular lesions did not progress, they did not improve much either. POEMS syndrome is associated with the rapid extension of large blood vessels-vasculopathy-resulting in nearly irreversible brain lesions.

We herein report a 68-year-old man with neurologic immune-related adverse events (irAEs) who exhibited nivolumab-induced steroid-responsive progressive ataxia, tremor, and anti-thyroid antibodies. His symptoms matched abnormalities on N-isopropyl-p-(123I)-iodoamphetamine single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and dopamine transporter SPECT. Based on these clinical findings, we diagnosed the patient with a condition similar to the cerebellar type of Hashimoto's encephalopathy with nivolumab-induced anti-thyroid antibodies. Neurologic irAEs can be difficult to diagnose due to their varied clinical courses and lack of specific examinations. Therefore, a comprehensive approach, including assessments of autoantibodies and functional imaging, might be important for the diagnosis of neurologic irAEs.

We herein report the first pediatric case (a 13-year-old girl) of relapsing eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) successfully treated with mepolizumab (anti-interleukin-5). She was classified as having EGPA based on the presence of asthma, eosinophilia, pulmonary infiltrates, and extravascular eosinophil infiltration confirmed by a biopsy. She achieved remission after initial oral prednisolone (PSL) therapy, but EGPA relapsed during PSL tapering. Subsequent combined therapy with PSL and tacrolimus did not improve the recurrent disease. Intravenous methylprednisolone pulse therapy was started, followed by oral PSL. During PSL tapering, mepolizumab was added to the treatment, which resulted in sustained remission and successful PSL tapering.

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is a tick-borne infectious disease. A 91-year-old woman was admitted to our intensive-care unit with SFTS, and she developed dyspnea with wheezes 5 days after admission. Bronchoscopy showed scattered white mold in her central airway. An airway tissue biopsy and culture of bronchial lavage fluid revealed fungal hyphae in the necrotic tissue, confirmed as Aspergillus fumigatus. She was thus diagnosed with pseudomembranous aspergillus tracheobronchitis. She had no common risk factors for invasive aspergillosis (IA). Patients with SFTS, even those without apparent risk factors for IA, may be at risk of developing IA.

A 58-year-old man with Crohn's disease received adalimumab for 13 months after screening results for tuberculosis were found to be negative. He was diagnosed with de novo mediastinal lymph-node tuberculosis, which was proved to be bacteriologically identical to that of an individual with smear positive lung tuberculosis by a variable number of tandem repeat analyses. After initiating anti-tuberculosis therapy, the patient developed immune reconstitution syndrome, which was improved by the re-administration of adalimumab. Even in countries with an intermediate tuberculosis burden, including Japan, we need to be alert for de novo tuberculosis as well as its reactivation during tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitor therapy.