Objectives: Influenza-like-illness (ILI) is a commonly used symptom categorization in seasonal disease surveillance focusing on influenza in community and clinical settings. However, SARS-CoV-2 often causes presentation with a similar symptom profile. We explore how SARS-CoV-2-positive individuals can influence surveillance trends for the World Health Organization, the United States Centre for Disease Control, and the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) ILI criteria.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction Acute cholecystitis is a common complication of gallstone disease. Likewise, gallbladder necrosis is a complication of cholecystitis associated with higher risks of morbidity and mortality. Identification of risk factors which portend to gallbladder necrosis is key in prioritizing the management of higher-risk patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Although survival of patients with oesophagogastric adenocarcinomas has improved over the years, rates of cancer recurrence remain high. There is limited research on predictors of early recurrence (ER), especially in patients receiving FLOT chemotherapy. The aim of this study was to investigate ER and survival rates and identify risk factors for ER.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To evaluate prognostic differences between minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) and open esophagectomy (OE) in patients with surgery after a prolonged interval (>12 wk) following chemoradiotherapy (CRT).
Background: Previously, we established that a prolonged interval after CRT before esophagectomy was associated with poorer long-term survival.
Methods: This was an international multicenter cohort study involving 17 tertiary centers, including patients who received CRT followed by surgery between 2010 and 2020.
Barrett's oesophagus is the only known precursor to oesophageal adenocarcinoma, a cancer with very poor prognosis. The main risk factors for Barrett's oesophagus are a history of gastro-oesophageal acid reflux symptoms and obesity. Men, smokers and those with a family history are also at increased risk.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPre-mRNA splicing by the spliceosome requires the biogenesis and recycling of its small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (snRNP) complexes, which are consumed in each round of splicing. The human U5 snRNP is the ~1 MDa 'heart' of the spliceosome and is recycled through an unknown mechanism involving major architectural rearrangements and the dedicated chaperones CD2BP2 and TSSC4. Late steps in U5 snRNP biogenesis similarly involve these chaperones.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Outcomes following esophagectomy for esophageal cancer have continued to improve over the last 30 years. Post-operative complications impact upon peri-operative and short-term survival but the effect on long-term survival remains debated. This study aims to investigate the effect of post-operative complications on long-term survival following esophagectomy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFT cells can express multiple inhibitory receptors. Upon induction of T cell exhaustion in response to a persistent antigen, prominently in the anti-tumor immune response, many are expressed simultaneously. Key inhibitory receptors are CTLA-4, PD-1, LAG3, TIM3, and TIGIT, as investigated here.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFT cells can express multiple inhibitory receptors. Upon induction of T cell exhaustion in response to persistent antigen, prominently in the anti-tumor immune response, many are expressed simultaneously. Key inhibitory receptors are CTLA-4, PD-1, LAG3, TIM3 and TIGIT, as investigated here.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To determine the impact of delayed surgical intervention following chemoradiotherapy (CRT) on survival from esophageal cancer.
Background: CRT is a core component of multimodality treatment for locally advanced esophageal cancer. The timing of surgery following CRT may influence the probability of performing an oncological resection and the associated operative morbidity.
Background: There are few data evaluating the extent of downstaging in patients with oesophageal adenocarcinoma and oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma and the difference in outcomes for a similar pathological stage in neoadjuvant-naive patients. The aim of this study was to characterize the prognostic value of downstaging extent in patients receiving neoadjuvant therapy for oesophageal cancer.
Methods: Oesophageal adenocarcinoma and oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients receiving either neoadjuvant chemotherapy or neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy between 2004 and 2017 were identified from the National Cancer Database.
Purpose: Prognosis of oesophageal cancer is primarily based upon the TNM stage of the disease. However, even in those with similar TNM staging, survival can be varied. Additional histopathological factors including venous invasion (VI), lymphatic invasion (LI) and perineural invasion (PNI) have been identified as prognostic markers yet are not part of TNM classification.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To identify prognostic factors associated with 90-day mortality in patients with oesophageal perforation (OP), and characterize the specific timeline from presentation to intervention, and its relation to mortality.
Background: OP is a rare gastro-intestinal surgical emergency with a high mortality rate. However, there is no updated evidence on its outcomes in the context of centralized esophago-gastric services; updated consensus guidelines; and novel non-surgical treatment strategies.
The 'no training today, no surgeons tomorrow' campaign on social media has been a rallying call for all surgeons worldwide to prioritize training as part of the COVID-19 pandemic recovery process. The campaign calls for all trainers to treat every case as a training opportunity. However, this raises some important questions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe tubulinopathies are an umbrella of rare diseases that result from mutations in tubulin genes and are frequently characterised by severe brain malformations. The characteristics of a given disease reflect the expression pattern of the transcript, the function of a given tubulin gene, and the role microtubules play in a particular cell type. Mouse models have proved to be valuable tools that have provided insight into the molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie the disease state.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFseaMass is an R package for protein-level quantification, normalization, and differential expression analysis of proteomics mass spectrometry data after peptide identification, protein grouping, and feature-level quantification. Using the concept of a blocked experimental design, seaMass can analyze all common discovery proteomics paradigms, including label-free (e.g.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: There is a paucity of data comparing open, robotic, and laparoscopic approaches on unilateral, non-recurrent inguinal hernias. Our study presents a large, retrospective triple-arm outcome analysis between robotic, laparoscopic, and open unilateral, non-recurrent inguinal hernia repairs at a single institution.
Methods: 706 patients who underwent elective, non-recurrent inguinal hernia repair performed by 8 general surgeons at a single institution from 2016 to 2019 were reviewed retrospectively.
Purpose: Surgical pyloroplasty or pyloromyotomy are often performed during esophagectomy with a view of improving gastric conduit drainage. However, the clinical importance of this is not clear, and some centers opt to omit this step. The aim of this meta-analysis is to compare the rates of pulmonary complications, anastomotic leak, mortality, delayed gastric emptying, and the need for further pyloric intervention, in patients undergoing esophagectomy with and without a drainage procedure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMuscle stem cells (MuSCs) are indispensable for muscle regeneration. A multitude of extracellular stimuli direct MuSC fate decisions from quiescent progenitors to differentiated myocytes. The activity of these signals is modulated by coreceptors such as syndecan-3 (SDC3).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Preoperative exercise training can improve cardiorespiratory fitness before major surgery. However, little is known about what influences participation and adherence in high-risk patient groups. We identified barriers and facilitators to uptake, engagement and adherence to a presurgical, home-based physical activity and exercise intervention called ChemoFit delivered during chemotherapy and before major oesophagogastric surgery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Treatment for locally advanced oesophagogastric adenocarcinoma involves neoadjuvant chemotherapy which has a negative impact on patient fitness. Using 'prehabilitation' to increase activity levels and fitness may affect physiology, postoperative outcomes and improve patient wellbeing and quality of life. The aims of the trial were to address the feasibility and acceptability of recruiting participants to a home-based prehabilitation programme and provide data to allow design of future studies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The evidence assessing the additional benefits of adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) following neoadjuvant therapy (NAT; i.e. chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy) and oesophagectomy for oesophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) are limited.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF