Long-term results of endosurgical and open surgical approach for Zenker diverticulum.

Aim: To assess the effectiveness of minimally invasive versus traditional open surgical approach in the treatment of Zenker diverticulum.

Methods: Between 1976 and 2006, 297 patients underwent transoral stapling (n = 181) or stapled diverticulectomy and cricopharyngeal myotomy (n = 116). Subjective and objective evaluations of the outcome of the two procedures were made at 1 and 6 mo after operation, and then every year.

Pseudoachalasia occurring after laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication and crural mesh repair.

Background: Benign esophageal pseudoachalasia is a rare condition.

Discussion: We report the case of a 70-year-old man who complained of severe dysphagia after laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication and crural mesh repair performed for long-standing gastroesophageal reflux disease. Severe dysphagia and nocturnal aspiration developed soon after the operation.

[Conservative and surgical treatment of esophago-gastric anastomotic leaks].

Objective: To evaluate the results of conservative and surgical management of esophago-gastric anastomotic leaks after esophagectomy for carcinoma.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective analysis of 510 patients subjected to esophagectomy and gastric pull-up with intra-thoracic or cervical anastomosis was performed.

Results: Twenty four cases (6.

Dynamic shear properties of the porcine molar periodontal ligament.

The role of the periodontal ligament (PDL) is to support the tooth during function and resist external forces applied to it. The dominant vertical component of these forces is associated with shear in the PDL. Little information, however, is available on the dynamic behavior of the PDL in shear.

The effect of removal of the disc on the friction in the temporomandibular joint.

Purpose: The amount of friction in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is dependent on the joint components, including the synovial fluid, disc, and articular surface cartilage. As friction in the TMJ is less than in other (discless) joints, we hypothesized that this is caused by the presence of the disc.

Materials And Methods: The frictional coefficient of the TMJ was first measured in the intact porcine joint (n = 10).

Effects of ultrasound on cementoblast metabolism in vitro.

Ultrasound (US) has been shown to alter cell/tissue functions. However the effects of US on cementoblasts are not known. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of US exposure on proliferation and metabolism of cementoblast (murine cementoblastic cell line [OCCM-30]) in vitro.

Dynamic compressive properties of the mandibular condylar cartilage.

The mandibular condylar cartilage plays an important role as a stress absorber during function. However, relatively little information is available on its dynamic properties under compression. We hypothesized that these properties are region-specific and depend on loading frequency.

Severe crowding and a dilacerated maxillary central incisor in an adolescent.

This study reports the treatment of an adolescent patient with dilacerated maxillary incisor. She complained of severe crowding with a high-positioned left upper canine. Her left central incisor had been impacted and moved to proper position at the age of eight years, resulting in a severe root dilaceration.

Platelet-derived growth factor enhances proliferation and matrix synthesis of temporomandibular joint disc-derived cells.

Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) is an essential signaling molecule for wound healing and tissue repair. This study was aimed at evaluating the effect of PDGF on the proliferation of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disc-derived cells and extracellular matrix synthesis. The number of cultured cells were counted by COULTER Z1.

Oxidative stress inhibits IFN-alpha-induced antiviral gene expression by blocking the JAK-STAT pathway.

Background/aims: Unresponsiveness to IFN-alpha is common in chronic hepatitis C. Since conditions associated with an increased oxidative stress (advanced age, steatosis, fibrosis, iron overload, and alcohol consumption) reduce the likelihood of response, we hypothesized that oxidative stress may affect the antiviral actions of IFN-alpha.

Methods: We examined in a human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line (Huh-7) the effect of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), as a generator of oxidative stress, on the IFN-alpha signaling pathway.

Fibroblast growth factor-2 augments recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2-induced osteoinductive activity.

The osteoinductive activity induced by recombinant human BMP-2 (rhBMP-2) blunts proportionately as the recipient ages. In order to compensate for this bluntness administration of fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) has been considered. The aim of this study was to determine whether FGF-2 administration augments osteoinductive activity caused by rhBMP-2 and to evaluate the effect of aging on bone formation induced by coadministration of rhBMP-2 and FGF-2.

Age-associated changes in viscoelastic properties of the bovine temporomandibular joint disc.

To test the hypothesis that compressive properties of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disc change with age, we investigated its viscoelastic properties and stress-relaxation behavior under compression. Compressive stress-relaxation tests were performed in different regions of bovine discs of various ages. For each disc, specimens were derived from three different regions (anterior, central, and posterior).

Insulin resistance is associated with steatosis in nondiabetic patients with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C.

Conflicting data exist regarding the relationship between hepatitis C virus genotype 1 and hepatic steatosis as well as the latter's role in the progression of fibrosis and treatment response. We assessed factors associated with hepatic steatosis in genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C and the impact of hepatic fat on fibrosis development and interferon responsiveness. Two hundred ninety-one non-diabetic patients with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C were examined for the presence of steatosis and its correlation with clinical, virological, and biochemical data, including insulin resistance (IR), evaluated by the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) score.

The effect of experimental cartilage damage and impairment and restoration of synovial lubrication on friction in the temporomandibular joint.

Aims: To evaluate how the frictional coefficient of the porcine temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is affected by an impairment of the synovial lubrication produced by an experimental abrasion of the articular cartilage and the application of hyaluronic acid (HA) with different molecular weights to the abraded cartilage surfaces.

Methods: Erosion of the articular cartilage was produced by scouring it with sandpaper. Impairment and restoration of synovial lubrication were modeled by washing the joint space with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and by the application of HA with different molecular weights.

Heartburn and multiple-site foregut perforations as primary manifestation of Crohn's disease.

Crohn's disease may affect any segment of the digestive tract, more commonly the distal ileum, colon and/or perianal region. There is an increasing number of reports dealing with foregut Crohn's disease. We present the case of a patient with a history of heartburn and multiple spontaneous perforations of the esophagus, duodenum and jejunum as a primary manifestation of Crohn's disease who required emergency surgical and endoscopic procedures.

Radio-frequency thermal ablation (RFTA) of small hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with cirrhosis. Experience at a single tertiary referral center.

Aim: Radio-frequency thermal ablation (RFTA) may prolong the survival of patients with small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) associated with cirrhosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate efficacy and safety of RFTA.

Methods: We performed the Kaplan-Meier analysis to estimate the survival rate in 69 consecutive patients with HCC (mean age 66+/-6.

[Bouveret's syndrome: a rare clinical variant of gallstone ileus].

Bouveret's syndrome is a rare complication of gallstone disease characterized by gastric outlet obstruction due to impaction of single or multiple gallstones which have migrated through a bilio-enteric fistula. The main symptoms are nausea, vomiting and epigastric pain. The diagnosis is achieved by plain film of the abdomen, ultrasonography and CT scan, which reveal aerobilia (an indirect sign of bilio-enteric fistula), and the obstructing gallstone.

An adult case of skeletal open bite with a large lower anterior facial height.

Control of the height of posterior dentoalveolar regions is of great importance for the correction of skeletal open bite. Traditionally, second premolar extraction facilitates the closure of open bite by inducing a counterclockwise mandibular rotation without molar intrusion. This article reports treatment for a 24-year six-month-old female patient with an open bite and large anterior facial height.

Bronchoesophageal fistula after endovascular repair of ruptured aneurysm of the descending thoracic aorta.

Aortoesophageal fistula secondary to thoracic aneurysm is rare and is usually fatal without prompt surgical intervention. A 79-year-old man with significant comorbidities and previous cancer surgery was admitted on an emergency basis because of the suspicion of a ruptured thoracic aortic aneurysm. Computed tomographic scan followed by angiography demonstrated a ruptured thoracic aneurysm with aortoesophageal fistula.

Treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma in compensated cirrhosis with radio-frequency thermal ablation (RFTA): a prospective study.

Background/aims: To assess the effectiveness and the safety of radio-frequency thermal ablation (RFTA) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) < or = 5 cm in compensated cirrhosis.

Methods: A cohort of 202 consecutive patients (165 Child-Pugh class A and 37 class B) was prospectively assessed. A single lesion was observed in 160/202 (79.

[Cushing disease resistent to conventional therapy: role of bilateral laparoscopic adrenalectomy].

Cushing's disease is the most frequent form of endogenous hypercortisolism in the adult. It is a rare disease, whose natural history is not well known, and has a tremendous impact on patients' quality of life. Trans-sphenoidal surgery is the first therapeutic option in the management of these patients, but it is associated with a 25% long-term recurrence rate.

Longitudinal measurements of tooth mobility during orthodontic treatment using a periotest.

The present study was designed to investigate the alteration of tooth mobility through orthodontic treatment using a Periotest. Eighty-three crowding cases without severe skeletal discrepancies were used as subjects. For each subject, the mobility of the central and lateral incisors on both arches (U1, U2, L1, and L2) was measured immediately before and after orthodontic treatment (T1 and T2 stages) and after retention (T3 stage) by use of a Periotest.

Protein folding: defining a "standard" set of experimental conditions and a preliminary kinetic data set of two-state proteins.

Recent years have seen the publication of both empirical and theoretical relationships predicting the rates with which proteins fold. Our ability to test and refine these relationships has been limited, however, by a variety of difficulties associated with the comparison of folding and unfolding rates, thermodynamics, and structure across diverse sets of proteins. These difficulties include the wide, potentially confounding range of experimental conditions and methods employed to date and the difficulty of obtaining correct and complete sequence and structural details for the characterized constructs.

Hyperthermia enhances CD95-ligand gene expression in T lymphocytes.

Hyperthermia represents an interesting therapeutic strategy for the treatment of tumors. Moreover, it is able to regulate several aspects of the immune response. Fas (APO-1/CD95) and its ligand (FasL) are cell surface proteins whose interaction activates apoptosis of Fas-expressing targets.

[Laparoscopic treatment of incisional hernia with Parietex mesh. Preliminary results and review of the literature].

Conventional surgery for incisional hernia carries a postoperative morbidity and recurrence rate of more than 12%. The aim of this study was to report our experience with the laparoscopic treatment of incisional hernia with the use of a composite mesh (Parietex, Sofradim, Celbio). The median duration of the operation was 135 minutes.