Furthermore, for Japan to take the lead in global collaborative research and development in the field of infectious diseases, it is necessary to develop further human resources and organization on a national basis. It is indispensable for Japan to establish a clinical trial system at the national level to prepare for future emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remains a threat worldwide over a year after the outbreak. Recently, several studies have reported that elevated serum troponin, which reflects myocardial injury, has a significant impact on worsening cardiovascular disease and the death of patients with COVID-19. In addition, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and echocardiography revealed abnormal myocardial findings in patients with COVID-19 who have recovered, as exemplified by a slight elevation of high-sensitivity troponin T (hsTnT). This editorial will discuss the impacts of SARS-CoV-2 on the heart of Japanese patients during infection and recovery and future perspectives.The rapid global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has posed a significant challenge to various countries in terms of the capacity of hospitals to admit and care for patients during the crisis. To estimate hospital capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic, clinicians working in tertiary hospitals around the world were surveyed regarding available COVID-19 hospital statistics. Data were obtained from 8 tertiary centers in 8 countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Turkey, Singapore, India, Pakistan, and Japan. The correlation between the number of patients with COVID-19 per 1 million population vs. the maximum number of inpatients with COVID-19 in a representative tertiary hospital in each country was determined, as was the correlation between COVID-19 deaths per 1 million population vs. the maximum number of patients with COVID-19 in the intensive care unit (ICU). What was noteworthy was that none of the 8 hospitals reduced emergency room (ER) activity even at the peak of the pandemic although treatment of patients without COVID-19 decreased by 0-70% depending on the extent of the epidemic. Although various measures are being actively implemented to slow the spread of the virus and reduce the strain on the health care system, the reality is that there are still a significant number of hospitals at risk of being overloaded in the event of a future surge in cases.Patients with acute colorectal obstruction due to malignancy in the right-sided colon are treated with primary resection and anastomosis. However, considering the generally poor status and prognosis, less-invasive, palliative treatment is desirable, particularly for unresectable malignancies. An ileostomy is useful, but the patient must manage the stoma, which worsens the quality of life. We developed a palliative surgical procedure, termed the "Separation surgery of the right-sided colon," for treating an obstruction due to unresectable right-sided colon cancer. We identified and divided the ileum and the transverse colon and anastomosed the upper ileum to the lower transverse colon. Then, we created a mucous fistula with the loose ends of the lower ileum and the upper transverse colon. We performed this procedure in five patients. Stoma pouches were unnecessary. No comorbidities were observed, including anastomotic leakage. The "Separation surgery of the right-sided colon" was useful as palliative surgery.The Deloyers procedure is performed after extended left colectomy, enabling the reach of the proximal colon to the rectum for anastomosis while preserving sufficient blood supply. We report a case of the Deloyers procedure performed safely under indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence guidance. A 50-year-old man with obesity (body mass index, 35.7 kg/m2) and a history of diabetes underwent an extended left hemicolectomy and ultralow anterior resection of the rectum as radical resection for transverse and sigmoid colon cancers and a lower rectal neuroendocrine tumor. Reconstruction was performed by the Deloyers procedure. A necessary length of the transverse colon with reduced blood flow was additionally resected under ICG fluorescence guidance, and a transanal hand-sewn coloanal anastomosis was performed. This is the first report in which the Deloyers procedure was performed successfully with the ICG fluorescence method. ICG fluorescence may be useful when combined with the Deloyers procedure.Here, we report our experience with a 5-mm trocar site hernia (TSH) near a stoma. This is the first report describing the relationship between TSH and extraperitoneal colostomy. A 72-year-old man underwent laparoscopic abdominoperineal resection with extraperitoneal sigmoid colostomy and partial hepatectomy for rectal cancer accompanied by synchronous liver metastasis (pT3N1aM1a Stage IVA Union for International Cancer Control [UICC] 8th edition). The surgical procedures were completely performed without morbidity. After 1 year, he presented to our hospital with sudden nausea. Computed tomography (CT) revealed small bowel obstruction due to a 5-mm TSH, 1 cm from the stoma. The patient underwent laparoscopic hernia repair. The incidence of a 5-mm TSH is low. However, an abdominal wall vulnerability caused by the extensive exfoliation of the retroperitoneum due to the construction of the colostomy was observed, and the extraperitoneal colostomy influenced the onset of the 5-mm TSH. When the port and hernia sites are located in close proximity to each other, even a 5-mm trocar site may increase the incidence of TSH.Anorectal melanoma (AM) is a rare and aggressive malignancy. Two main types of surgical approach for AM are abdominoperineal resection (APR) and wide local excision (WLE). Nine patients with AM underwent surgical treatment between July 2005 and October 2017 at our institution. Two of the patients were diagnosed with localized stage, four with regional stage, and three with distant stage. Laparoscopic APR was performed in six patients with localized and regional stages, whereas palliative APR and/or WLE were performed in those with distant metastasis. Both patients with localized stage lived without relapse for 6.8 years after surgery. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/rxdx-106-cep-40783.html One of the patients with regional stage had no relapse during 3.6 years of follow-up. The other three patients had recurrence and died between 6 and 32 months after surgery. The median overall survival (OS) of the cohort was 14.8 months, and the 5- and 10-year OS were 33.3% and 16.7%, respectively. The tumor at the regional stage could be removed through WLE, but preoperative diagnosis of lymph node metastasis is difficult in patients with AM.