Publications by authors named "A Kechagias"

Although a lot of recent research revealed advantages of novel biopolymers' implementation as active food packaging polymers, there is not an equivalent effort from industry to use such films, probably because of the required cost to change the supply chain and the equipment. This study investigates the use of two natural abundant nanoclays, laponite (Lap) and montmorillonite (Mt), as eugenol slow-release carriers for enhancing the functionality of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) active packaging films. The target is to combine the spirit of the circular economy with the existent technology and the broadly used materials to develop a novel attractive product for active food packaging applications.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study focuses on developing a machine-learning model to predict anastomotic leakage (AL) after esophagectomy for esophageal cancer, as this complication poses significant risks post-surgery.
  • 471 patients' preoperative CT and clinical data were analyzed to create and test the model using an XGBoost algorithm, with performance metrics measured using ROC curves.
  • The model showed a noteworthy accuracy, achieving a 79.2% area under the curve, which can aid in identifying patients at risk of AL, particularly where clinical indicators suggest low probability.*
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Reasons for structural and outcome differences in esophageal cancer surgery in Western Europe remain unclear. This questionnaire study aimed to identify differences in the organization of esophageal cancer surgical care in Western Europe. A cross-sectional international questionnaire study was conducted among upper gastrointestinal (GI) surgeons from Western Europe.

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Article Synopsis
  • This study compares two surgical methods, Hartmann's procedure (HP) and resection with primary anastomosis (RPA), for treating acute left-sided colonic emergencies among 1215 patients from 204 centers globally.
  • Results showed that while HP was the more common treatment (57.3%), RPA was favored for younger patients with fewer health issues and those needing surgery sooner.
  • The study concluded that although HP is still widely used, RPA might be the better option, emphasizing the importance of patient characteristics and surgeon experience in determining treatment choice.
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Background: In elderly patients with external full-thickness rectal prolapse (EFTRP), the exact differences in postoperative recurrence and functional outcomes between laparoscopic ventral mesh rectopexy (LVMR) and perineal stapler resection (PSR) have not yet been investigated.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective multicenter study on 330 elderly patients divided into LVMR group (n = 250) and PSR (n = 80) from April 2012 to April 2019. Patients were evaluated before and after surgery by Wexner incontinence scale, Altomare constipation scale, and patient satisfaction questionnaire.

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