Radiofrequency ablation versus microwave ablation for colorectal liver metastases: long-term results of a retrospective cohort surgical experience.

Background: Ablation is an alternative treatment modality for selected patients with colorectal liver metastases (CRLMs). Although initially widely performed via radiofrequency ablation (RFA), more recently, microwave ablation (MWA) is being preferred due to its perceived superiority in creating the ablation zones. The aim of this study is to compare the long-term efficacy of these two modalities performed surgically.

A comparison of three different microwave systems for laparoscopic liver tumor ablation.

Background: Our aim was to perform a comparison of three current microwave ablation (MWA) systems widely used for laparoscopic liver ablations in terms of ablation kinetics and geometry of ablation zones.

Methods: This was a retrospective, institutional review board-approved study comparing Emprint, Emprint HP, and NeuWave systems for laparoscopic liver ablation. Analyses were performed via Mann-Whitney U and χ tests.

Enhancement of soybean tolerance to water stress through regulation of nitrogen and antioxidant defence mechanisms mediated by the synergistic role of salicylic acid and thiourea.

Water stress (WS) poses a significant threat to global food and energy security by adversely affecting soybean growth and nitrogen metabolism. This study explores the synergistic effects of exogenous salicylic acid (SA, 0.5 mM) and thiourea (TU, 400 mg L), potent plant growth regulators, on soybean responses under WS conditions.

The utility of fluorescence imaging in detecting primary and metastatic small bowel carcinoid tumors.

Background: Our aim was to investigate utility of indocyanine green (ICG) and autofluorescence (AF) imaging in detection of small bowel primary and metastatic carcinoids.

Methods: Using Institutional Review Board approval, ICG and AF imaging of small bowel carcinoids was performed. Imaging findings were prospectively recorded in operating room and compared with conventional imaging, surgical exploration and pathologic findings.

Comparison of Perioperative Outcomes in Patients with Graves' Disease Undergoing Total Thyroidectomy With or Without Near Infrared Autofluorescence Imaging.

The impact of near-infrared autofluorescence (NIRAF) imaging on postthyroidectomy hypocalcemia is controversial. As patients with Graves' disease are at increased risk, our aim was to compare postoperative parathyroid function in these patients undergoing total thyroidectomy (TT) with or without NIRAF imaging. This was a retrospective "before and after" study, comparing outcomes of patients who underwent TT without or with NIRAF imaging at a single center.

The combined supplementation of melatonin and salicylic acid effectively detoxifies arsenic toxicity by modulating phytochelatins and nitrogen metabolism in pepper plants.

The main objective of the study was to assess if joint application of melatonin (MT, 0.1 mM) and salicylic acid (SA 0.5 mM) could improve tolerance of pepper plants to arsenic (As) as sodium hydrogen arsenate heptahydrate (0.

Gibberellic acid-induced generation of hydrogen sulfide alleviates boron toxicity in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) plants.

It was aimed to examine the role of gibberellic acid (GA) induced production of hydrogen sulfide (HS) in alleviating boron toxicity (BT) in tomato plants. Two weeks after germination, a solution consisting of GA (100 mg L) was sprayed once a week for 14 days to the leaves of cv. "SC 2121" of tomato under BT stress (BT; 2.

Circulating Tumor Cell Enrichment Technologies.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are responsible for the metastatic spread of cancer and therefore are extremely valuable not only for basic research on cancer metastasis but also as potential biomarkers in diagnosing and managing cancer in the clinic. While relatively non-invasive access to the blood tissue presents an opportunity, CTCs are mixed with approximately billion-times more-populated blood cells in circulation. Therefore, the accuracy of technologies for reliable enrichment of the rare CTC population from blood samples is critical to the success of downstream analyses.

Singulation for imaging ring arrays of capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers.

Singulation of MEMS is a critical step in the transition from wafer-level to die-level devices. As is the case for capacitive micromachined ultrasound transducer (CMUT) ring arrays, an ideal singulation must protect the fragile membranes from the processing environment while maintaining a ring array geometry. The singulation process presented in this paper involves bonding a trench-patterned CMUT wafer onto a support wafer, deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) of the trenches, separating the CMUT wafer from the support wafer and de-tethering the CMUT device from the CMUT wafer.

Spontaneous pyogenic spinal epidural abscess.

Aim: Spontaneous pyogenic spinal epidural abscess (SEA) is a rare condition but might be devastating and fatal. Traditional treatment is surgical decompression and antibiotics. A retrospective study was designed to assess the eff ect of clinical findings and treatment methods on the outcome.

Thoracoscopic surgical approaches for treating various thoracic spinal region diseases.

Aim: Minimally invasive surgery is currently a goal for surgical intervention in the spine. The effectiveness of endoscopic thoracic spine surgery and technological improvements are two factors that are always under consideration in the practice of spinal surgery.

Material And Methods: We present twenty-five patients whose thoracoscopic spinal surgeries were performed between 2002 and 2008 for the treatment of various spinal diseases.

Idiopathic spinal cord herniation: case report and review of the literature.

Background: Idiopathic spinal cord herniation (ISCH) is a rare cause of progressive myelopathy frequently present in Brown-Séquard syndrome. Preoperative diagnosis can be made with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Many surgical techniques have been applied by various authors and are usually reversible by surgical treatment.

Long-term follow-up after open-window corpectomy in patients with advanced cervical spondylosis and/or ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament.

Study Design: Prospective study was performed in case with cervical spondylosis and ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL).

Objective: A novel anterior approach was defined and some patients were operated in this study. The late results of open-window corpectomy (OWC) were documented in a group of patients.

The results of beta-tricalcium phosphate coated hydroxyapatite (beta-TCP/HA) grafts for interbody fusion after anterior cervical discectomy.

Study Design: The efficacy of tricalcium phosphate and hydroxyapatite (beta-TCP/HA) grafts was studied after anterior cervical discectomy (ACD).

Objective: This study presents our observations about the efficacy of beta-TCP/HA grafts after ACD.

Summary Of Background Data: Especially in the last 2 decades, fusion materials such as autograft and allograft, as well as different kind of cages were used to maintain fusion after ACD.

Excision of an asymptomatic cervical intradural neurenteric cyst through the anterior approach: a study of two cases and a review of the literature.

Background: Spinal neurenteric cysts are very rare lesions, especially after the second decade of life. They account for 0.3% to 0.

Anterior cervical microdiscectomy with or without fusion.

Background: Anterior cervical microdiscectomy (ACD) is commonly applied in the surgical treatment of cervical disc herniation. However, following discectomy procedure to perform a fusion process is still controversial. Therefore, a controlled, multicentric, prospective, randomized study was designed.

Recurrent radiculopathy caused by epidural gas after spinal surgery: report of four cases and literature review.

Study Design: The article presents and discusses 4 cases in which symptomatic epidural gas developed after different surgeries on the lumbar spine.

Objective: To raise spinal surgeons' awareness of this potential problem.

Summary Of Background Data: Vacuum phenomenon (gas accumulation in an intervertebral disc) is relatively common.

Preserving the ligamentum flavum in lumbar discectomy: a new technique that prevents scar tissue formation in the first 6 months postsurgery.

Objective: Postoperative fibrosis is one of the most important causes of failed back surgery syndrome after lumbar disc surgery. Numerous natural and synthetic materials have been investigated as means to prevent or reduce postoperative scarring after these operations. Preservation of the ligamentum flavum for this purpose has not been studied in depth.

G protein mutations in pituitary tumors: a study on Turkish patients.

Activating mutations of the G proteins, Gsalpha (gsp) and Gi2alpha (gip) have been reported in subsets of pituitary tumors. The objective of the study was to assess the frequency of gsp and gip mutations in pituitary tumors from Turkish patients and to investigate the possibility of mutations of protein kinase A catalytic subunit (PKAC) that activates the downstream effectors of adenylyl cyclase. PCR-amplified genomic DNA was analyzed for the presence of mutations in codons 201 and 227 of Gsalpha, codon 179 and 205 of Gi2alpha and codon 196 of PKAC, by single strand conformation polymorphism analysis, allele-specific oligonucleotide hybridization and DNA sequencing.