Comparison of outcomes of laparoscopic and open appendectomy in management of uncomplicated and complicated appendicitis.

Background: Several studies have demonstrated the superiority of the laparoscopic approach in uncomplicated and complicated appendicitis with conflicting results. As a result the role of laparoscopy in the management of appendicitis in general and complicated or perforated appendicitis, in particular, is still undefined.

Methods: A retrospective, observational study design was used to analyze multicenter outcomes using the University HealthSystem Consortium database.

Differences in outcomes of laparoscopic gastric bypass.

Background: Although several risk factors affecting weight loss outcomes with bariatric procedures have been identified, the effect of age, gender, race, and illness severity on postoperative outcomes of laparoscopic gastric bypass has not been extensively examined.

Methods: The University HealthSystem Consortium database is an administrative and financial database that provides information on the inpatient stay. A retrospective analysis of patient outcomes was performed using 4-year discharge data from the University HealthSystem Consortium database.

In vivo miniature robots for natural orifice surgery: State of the art and future perspectives.

Natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) is the integration of laparoscopic minimally invasive surgery techniques with endoscopic technology. Despite the advances in NOTES technology, the approach presents several unique instrumentation and technique-specific challenges. Current flexible endoscopy platforms for NOTES have several drawbacks including limited stability, triangulation and dexterity, and lack of adequate visualization, suggesting the need for new and improved instrumentation for this approach.

Primary and revisional laparoscopic adjustable gastric band placement in patients with hiatal hernia.

Background: Limited evidence exists regarding the outcomes of patients undergoing laparoscopic adjustable band placement (LAGB) with hiatal hernia (HH) and concomitant hiatal hernia repair (HHR). The present study evaluated the safety, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness of primary LAGB (pLAGB) and revisional LAGB (rLAGB) in patients with HH.

Methods: The University HealthSystem Consortium is an alliance of >100 academic medical centers and nearly 200 affiliate hospitals.

Reoperative laparoscopic paraesophageal herniorrhaphy can produce excellent outcomes.

Background: Patients undergoing laparoscopic paraesophageal herniorrhaphy present with various esophageal and extraesophageal symptoms. Given a recurrence rate of up to 44%, reoperative intervention is necessary on a number of patients. The goal of this study is to determine whether patients proceeding with reoperative laparoscopic paraesophageal herniorrhaphy experienced symptom resolution equal to or better than patients undergoing first-time repair.

Does illness severity matter? A comparison of laparoscopic esophagomyotomy with fundoplication and esophageal dilation for achalasia.

Introduction: There is scarce evidence regarding optimal treatment options for achalasia in patients with varying illness severity risk. The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare outcomes with laparoscopic esophagomyotomy with fundoplication (LM) and esophageal dilation (ED) for hospitalized patients with different illness severity.

Methods: The University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) is an alliance of more than 100 academic medical centers and nearly 200 affiliate hospitals.

Safety, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness of common laparoscopic procedures.

Background: Laparoscopic surgery has been shown to offer superior surgical outcomes for most abdominal surgical procedures. However, there is hardly any evidence on surgical outcomes with patient risk stratification. This study aimed to compare outcomes of common laparoscopic and open surgical procedures for varying illness severity.

Femoral artery complications after cardiac catheterization: a study of patient profile.

Background: Femoral artery complications after cardiac catheterization range from simple events to severe complications requiring invasive techniques or surgery with significant economic costs. This study evaluated early femoral arterial complications from percutaneous arterial access during diagnostic and interventional cardiac catheterizations in an era of widespread use of closure devices and intense anticoagulation.

Methods: Patients undergoing percutaneous cardiac catheterization via the femoral artery between August 2005 and December 2005 were identified using an ICD-9 patient database.

A malignant omental extra-gastrointestinal stromal tumor on a young man: a case report and review of the literature.

Background: Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) are uncommon intra-abdominal tumors. These tumors tend to present with higher frequency in the stomach and small bowel. In fewer than 5% of cases, they originate primarily from the mesentery, omentum, or peritoneum.

Localized reactive oxygen and nitrogen intermediates inhibit escape of Listeria monocytogenes from vacuoles in activated macrophages.

Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) evades being killed after phagocytosis by macrophages by escaping from vacuoles into cytoplasm. Activated macrophages are listericidal, in part because they can retain Lm in vacuoles. This study examined the contribution of reactive oxygen intermediates (ROI) and reactive nitrogen intermediates (RNI) to the inhibition of Lm escape from vacuoles.

The Listeria monocytogenes hemolysin has an acidic pH optimum to compartmentalize activity and prevent damage to infected host cells.

Listeria monocytogenes is a facultative intracellular bacterial pathogen that escapes from a phagosome and grows in the host cell cytosol. The pore-forming cholesterol-dependent cytolysin, listeriolysin O (LLO), mediates bacterial escape from vesicles and is approximately 10-fold more active at an acidic than neutral pH. By swapping dissimilar residues from a pH-insensitive orthologue, perfringolysin O (PFO), we identified leucine 461 as unique to pathogenic Listeria and responsible for the acidic pH optimum of LLO.