IBD: A Growing and Vulnerable Cohort of Hospitalized Patients with Clostridium difficile Infection.

The most recent nationwide data show a rising incidence of Clostridium difficile infection in hospitalized patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). We describe recent national trends with regard to incidence, mortality, and the rate of total colectomy. The Nationwide Inpatient Sample database identified patients admitted to hospitals in the United States with diagnoses of C.

Transition from Laparoscopic Totally Extraperitoneal Inguinal Hernia Repair to Robotic Transabdominal Preperitoneal Inguinal Hernia Repair: A Retrospective Review of a Single Surgeon's Experience.

Background: There is a paucity of literature comparing laparoscopic to robotic inguinal hernia repair. We present a single surgeon's transition from laparoscopic totally extraperitoneal (L-TEP) to robotic transabdominal preperitoneal (R-TAPP) inguinal hernia repair and compare outcomes from the two approaches.

Methods: This retrospective review and analysis of prospectively collected data compare outcomes during the transition from L-TEP to R-TAPP inguinal hernia repair by a single surgeon at one institution.

Stenting for obstructing colon cancer: fewer complications and colostomies.

Background And Objectives: Colonic stenting has been used in the setting of malignant obstruction to avoid an emergent colectomy. We sought to determine whether preoperative placement of a colonic stent decreases morbidity and the rate of colostomy formation.

Methods: Cases of obstructing sigmoid, rectosigmoid, and rectal cancer from January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2011, were identified in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database.

Laparoscopic vs open ventral hernia repair in the era of obesity.

Importance: This study analyzes a role of laparoscopy in obese patients with ventral hernia.

Objective: To evaluate the outcomes of laparoscopic compared with open ventral hernia repair (VHR) in obese patients.

Design: Retrospective cohort analysis.

A novel pleckstrin homology domain-containing protein enhances insulin-stimulated Akt phosphorylation and GLUT4 translocation in adipocytes.

Protein kinase B/Akt protein kinases control an array of diverse functions, including cell growth, survival, proliferation, and metabolism. We report here the identification of pleckstrin homology-like domain family B member 1 (PHLDB1) as an insulin-responsive protein that enhances Akt activation. PHLDB1 contains a pleckstrin homology domain, which we show binds phosphatidylinositol PI(3,4)P(2), PI(3,5)P(2), and PI(3,4,5)P(3), as well as a Forkhead-associated domain and coiled coil regions.

T cell receptor engagement leads to phosphorylation of clathrin heavy chain during receptor internalization.

T cell receptor (TCR) internalization by clathrin-coated vesicles after encounter with antigen has been implicated in the regulation of T cell responses. We demonstrate that TCR internalization after receptor engagement and TCR signaling involves inducible phosphorylation of clathrin heavy chain (CHC) in both CD4+ and CD8+ human T cells. Studies with mutant Jurkat T cells implicate the Src family kinase Lck as the responsible enzyme and its activity in this process is influenced by the functional integrity of the downstream signaling molecule ZAP-70.