Can Colorectal Surgery Be Performed as an Outpatient Surgery?

The potential to discharge patients safely within the same day after colorectal surgery has developed over time with concurrent advances in concepts of enhanced recovery pathways, along with minimally invasive techniques available to surgeons. The advent of planned same-day discharges after elective colectomy is made possible by research establishing improved length of stay with minimal morbidity in patients undergoing minimally invasive surgery and especially minimally invasive surgery in the setting of an enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol. In tracing the timeline of research and development of knowledge in this setting, the safety of outpatient colorectal surgery can be established.

Potentially Avoidable Admissions and Prolonged Hospitalization in Patients with Suspected Colon Cancer.

Background: Suspicion of cancer in the Emergency Department (ED) may lead to potentially avoidable and prolonged admissions. We aimed to examine the reasons for potentially avoidable and prolonged hospitalizations after admissions from the ED for new colon cancer diagnoses (ED-dx).

Methods: A retrospective, single-institution analysis was conducted of patients with ED-dx between 2017 and 2018.

Feasibility and Outcome of Routine Use of Concurrent Chemoradiation in HIV-positive Patients With Squamous Cell Anal Cancer.

Objectives: Clinical concerns about hematologic toxicities in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)+ patients with squamous cell anal cancer (SCAC) may lead to de-escalation of treatment intensity. The objective of this study is to evaluate clinical outcomes including toxicity following standard concurrent curative-intent chemoradiation for HIV+ and HIV- patients with SCAC.

Materials And Methods: Among 97 evaluable patients treated between 2009 and 2016 (median age 52.

Are you better off than you were 4 years ago? Measuring the impact of the ABS flexible endoscopy curriculum.

Introduction: In 2014, the ABS introduced the Flexible Endoscopy Curriculum (FEC). The FEC did not alter the minimum defined category case volumes for endoscopy; however, it did introduce specific cognitive and technical milestones for endoscopy training. It also mandated that residents pass the Fundamentals of Endoscopic Skills (FES) exam to qualify for board certification.

The Fuel Gauge: A Simple Tool for Assessing General Surgery Resident Well-Being.

Objective: Resident well-being is an increasingly relevant issue in medical education; however, there is no consensus on how to best measure well-being. The "fuel gauge," is a simple, easy-to-use tool developed to measure resident well-being and previously applied in an Internal Medicine Residency Program at our institution. The current study sought to evaluate its acceptability and usefulness in a surgery program.

Neurologic injuries following road traffic accidents in the Dominican Republic: Examining causes and potential solutions.

Road traffic accidents (RTAs) are the number one cause of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) worldwide. This study examines RTA-related TBIs in the Dominican Republic, a country in the Caribbean with the highest RTA fatality rate in the Western Hemisphere. We interviewed 117 adult patients or medical guardians of patients admitted to Hospital Traumatológico Dr.

A Phase I Clinical Trial of the Phosphatidylserine-targeting Antibody Bavituximab in Combination With Radiation Therapy and Capecitabine in the Preoperative Treatment of Rectal Adenocarcinoma.

Objectives: There is interest in improving the tumoricidal effects of preoperative radiotherapy for rectal carcinoma by studying new radiosensitizers. The safety and toxicity profile of these combination regimens needs rigorous clinical evaluation. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the toxicity of combining bavituximab, an antibody that targets exposed phosphatidylserine, with capecitabine and radiation therapy.

Tumor suppression by miR-26 overrides potential oncogenic activity in intestinal tumorigenesis.

Down-regulation of miR-26 family members has been implicated in the pathogenesis of multiple malignancies. In some settings, including glioma, however, miR-26-mediated repression of PTEN promotes tumorigenesis. To investigate the contexts in which the tumor suppressor versus oncogenic activity of miR-26 predominates in vivo, we generated miR-26a transgenic mice.

An essential mesenchymal function for miR-143/145 in intestinal epithelial regeneration.

Downregulation of the miR-143/145 microRNA (miRNA) cluster has been repeatedly reported in colon cancer and other epithelial tumors. In addition, overexpression of these miRNAs inhibits tumorigenesis, leading to broad consensus that they function as cell-autonomous epithelial tumor suppressors. We generated mice with deletion of miR-143/145 to investigate the functions of these miRNAs in intestinal physiology and disease in vivo.

Inhibition of prostate cancer cell growth by activated eosinophils.

Background: Host Immune response to prostate cancer primarily involves the CTL and NK effector cells. Recent immunotherapeutic strategies incorporating cytokine genes into the tumor cell and/or dendritic cells have had encouraging results. In this study, we describe the inhibitory activity of a third potential effector cell, the eosinophil, against DU 145 and PC-3 prostate tumor cells growth in vitro.

Activated eosinophils infiltrate MCF-7 breast multicellular tumor spheroids.

Background: Previous studies in our laboratory have shown that activated eosinophils and eosinophilic cell lines inhibit the in vitro growth of MCF-7 breast tumor cells. We have also shown that IL-4 and IL-5 partially inhibit MCF-7 growth in vitro. In this study MCF-7 multicellular tumor spheroids (MTS) were developed to study the effect of eosinophils and IL-4 on tumor growth.