Having reached severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) endemicity worldwide, the number of pregnant women infected with SARS-CoV-2 and the resulting neonatal population born to these mothers have increased substantially. This study elucidated the clinical characteristics of neonates born to SARS-CoV-2-infected mothers at Nihon University Itabashi Hospital. Maternal background and neonatal clinical data were retrospectively retrieved from medical records. To prevent in-hospital transmission, all infected mothers underwent cesarean section. Each delivery was attended by two pediatricians (responsible for resuscitation and transport) and one midwife. After birth, neonates are placed in incubators and cared for in neonatal intensive care or growing care units, maintaining a rigorously enforced distance of at least 2 meters from other infants. Isolation was discontinued following two consecutive negative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT–PCR) tests, the second of which was conducted at 48 hours of life. Neonates were initially fed infant formula, with breastfeeding guidance provided upon discharge. Breastmilk was administered to preterm infants after the mothers' isolation period. During the study period, 48 SARS-CoV-2-positive mothers gave birth to 49 infants, including one set of twins. The median maternal age was 33 years, and 24 mothers (50%) were primiparous. Transmission among family members was the most common infection route (n = 32, 67%). Six mothers (12%) presented with moderate-to-severe symptoms. Twenty-seven neonates (55%) were male, and the median gestational age and birth weight were 38 weeks and 3,021 g, respectively. Eight neonates (16%) were born preterm. Respiratory distress syndrome was observed in four neonates (8%), and transient tachypnea of the newborn was observed in 12 (24%). All neonates tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 by RTPCR and antigen testing within 24 hours and by RT–PCR testing at 48 hours of life. The median age at discharge was 8 days. No vertical transmission was observed, regardless of the severity of the mothers' infections.

 A 78-year-old woman was referred to our hospital for jaundice. A 30 mm mass and biliary stricture were found in the hilar bile duct, and biopsy confirmed biliary carcinoma. As a metastatic lesion was found in the liver, the patient was diagnosed with unresectable disease. A plastic stent was inserted into the bile duct, and the patient was treated with gemcitabine plus cisplatin. After 11 courses of treatment, the stent was incidentally dropped. ERCP confirmed that the stenosis improved. Conversion surgery was planned because there were no cancer cells in biopsies from the bile duct, and S8 metastasis was undetected after chemotherapy. The tumor was resected via extrahepatic bile duct resection with lymph node dissection. Histopathological findings revealed a 10 mm intraepithelial carcinoma. The patient was discharged on postoperative day 11, and no signs of recurrence were observed for one year after surgery. We report a case of conversion surgery for initially unresectable hilar cholangiocarcinoma.

 A 72-year-old female was referred to our hospital for further investigation of her abdominal pain following the use of laxatives. Computed tomography (CT) revealed free air and ascites in the abdominal cavity, leading to a diagnosis of gastrointestinal perforation and generalized peritonitis, and emergency surgery was performed. The abdominal cavity contained yellow, turbid ascites, suggesting upper gastrointestinal perforation on the basis of its characteristics. However, the perforation site could not be identified during laparoscopic examination. Upon externalizing the small intestine through a small umbilical incision, two perforations aligned in the short axis of the intestinal tract were found approximately 30 cm from the terminal ileum, and these were closed by suturing. On the 7th postoperative day, CT revealed a high-absorption area containing air in the rectum, and the shape suggested a press-through package (PTP) sheet. Endoscopy was performed, and the PTP sheet was removed from the rectum. Although there have been multiple reports of gastrointestinal perforation due to PTP sheet ingestion in the esophagus, small intestine, and large intestine, the PTP is usually found embedded in the perforation site. PTP rarely occurs in the rectum after perforation in the ileum.