Near-Quantitative Aqueous Synthesis of Rotaxanes via Bioconjugation to Oligopeptides and Proteins.

In spite of widespread interest in rotaxane-based molecular machines and materials, rotaxanes have not been attached covalently to proteins. We describe the near-quantitative aqueous synthesis of [2]rotaxanes based on neutral and charged aqueous hosts-cucurbit[7]uril (CB7) and cyclobis(paraquat-p-phenylene) (CBPQT), respectively-using the thiol-ene addition of cysteine and maleimide as a stoppering protocol. After verifying the high efficiency of the reaction using glutathione (GSH) as an oligopeptide stopper, we have employed cytochrome C (CytC) as a protein stopper to produce the first well-characterized protein-rotaxane bioconjugates.

A rare case of perforated "sub-hepatic appendicitis" - a challenging differential diagnosis of acute abdomen based on the combination of appendicitis and maldescent of the caecum.

Unusual locations of the appendix vermiformis can result in delay in appropriate diagnosis and treatment of appendicitis. So an inflamed appendix in a sub-hepatic caecum caused by caecal maldescent for example can mimic cholecystitis, the pain being localized in the right upper quadrant. Here, we present a case of perforated sub-hepatic appendicitis with peritonitis, requiring open ileocaecal resection.

Adjuvant treatment for resected rectal cancer: impact of standard and intensified postoperative chemotherapy on disease-free survival in patients undergoing preoperative chemoradiation-a propensity score-matched analysis of an observational database.

Aims: Adjuvant chemotherapy for resected rectal cancer is widely used. However, studies on adjuvant treatment following neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) and total mesorectal excision (TME) have yielded conflicting results. Recent studies have focused on adding oxaliplatin to both preoperative and postoperative therapy, making it difficult to assess the impact of adjuvant oxaliplatin alone.

Spontaneous omental bleeding in a 20-year old patient with hemophilia A. A rare cause for emergency laparotomy.

Spontaneous intraabdominal hemorrhage is a very rare event even in patients with bleeding disorders like hemophilia. Nevertheless this rare case must be considered in patients with coagulopathies presenting with abdominal pain. Prompt radiologic imaging and surgical consultation are of highest priority.

Acinar cell carcinoma of the pancreas: a rare disease with different diagnostic and therapeutic implications than ductal adenocarcinoma.

Purpose: Acinar cell carcinoma (ACC) of the pancreas is a very rare cancer, constituting 1 % of all malignant non-endocrine pancreatic tumors. Only very limited data exist to guide treatment in patients with advanced ACC.

Methods: Between 2000 and 2015, 15 patients with ACC were diagnosed and/or treated at our high-volume comprehensive cancer center.

PHF20 Readers Link Methylation of Histone H3K4 and p53 with H4K16 Acetylation.

PHF20 is a core component of the lysine acetyltransferase complex MOF (male absent on the first)-NSL (non-specific lethal) that generates the major epigenetic mark H4K16ac and is necessary for transcriptional regulation and DNA repair. The role of PHF20 in the complex remains elusive. Here, we report on functional coupling between methylation readers in PHF20.

miR-221 Mediates Chemoresistance of Esophageal Adenocarcinoma by Direct Targeting of DKK2 Expression.

Background: Chemoresistance is a main obstacle to effective esophageal cancer (EC) therapy. We hypothesize that altered expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) play a role in EC cancer progression and resistance to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) based chemotherapeutic strategies.

Methods: Four pairs of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) cell lines and corresponding 5-FU resistant variants were established.

[Hospital volume effects in surgical treatment of gastric cancer : Results of a prospective multicenter observational study].

Background: The impact of hospital and surgeon volume on the treatment outcome based on data obtained from cohort and register studies has been controversially discussed in the international literature. The results of large-scale prospective observational studies within the framework of clinical healthcare research may lead to relevant recommendations in this ongoing discussion.

Material And Methods: Within the framework of the prospective multicenter German Gastric Cancer Study 2 (QCGC 2), from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2009 a total of 2897 patients with the histological diagnosis of gastric cancer from 140 surgical departments were registered and analyzed.

Genetic engineering of mesenchymal stromal cells for cancer therapy: turning partners in crime into Trojan horses.

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are adult progenitor cells with a high migratory and differentiation potential, which influence a broad range of biological functions in almost every tissue of the body. Among other mechanisms, MSCs do so by the secretion of molecular cues, differentiation toward more specialized cell types, or influence on the immune system. Expanding tumors also depend on the contribution of MSCs to building a supporting stroma, but the effects of MSCs appear to go beyond the mere supply of connective tissues.

Does Certification as Bariatric Surgery Center and Volume Influence the Outcome in RYGB-Data Analysis of German Bariatric Surgery Registry.

Aim: To examine the association between the certification as bariatric surgery center and volume and patient outcome, data collected in the German Bariatric Surgery Registry were evaluated. All data were registered prospectively in cooperation with the Institute of Quality Assurance in Surgery at Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg.

Methods: Data collection began in 2005 for all bariatric procedures in an online database.

Stress-Related Job Analysis for Medical Students on Surgical Wards in Germany.

Objective: Working conditions in hospitals generate stress within all professional groups. The aim of this study was to find out how German medical students during their senior student clerkship in surgery perceive their own stress and the stress of surgical residents. This was measured using "Instrument zur stressbezogenen Arbeitsanalyse bei KlinikÃrztInnen (ISAK-K)," a validated questionnaire of the German statutory occupational accident insurance system (BGW).

[77-year-old man with rare Littré's hernia].

History And Clinical Findings: A 77-year-old man presented with acute pain and femoral swelling in his right groin.

Examinations: The clinical finding resulted in the suspicion of an irreducible, possibly incarcerated inguinal hernia. Transcutaneous ultrasound did not reveal any hints confirming the clinical suspicion.

Harnessing mesenchymal stem cell homing as an anticancer therapy.

Introduction: Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are non-hematopoietic progenitor cells that have been exploited as vehicles for cell-based cancer therapy. The general approach is based on the innate potential of adoptively applied MSC to undergo facilitated recruitment to malignant tissue. MSC from different tissue sources have been engineered using a variety of therapy genes that have shown efficacy in solid tumor models.

Verapamil inhibits tumor progression of chemotherapy-resistant pancreatic cancer side population cells.

Tumor side population (SP) cells display stem-like properties that can be modulated by treatment with the calcium channel blocker verapamil. Verapamil can enhance the cytotoxic effects of chemotherapeutic drugs and multidrug resistance by targeting the transport function of the P-glycoprotein (P-gp). This study focused on the therapeutic potential of verapamil on stem-like SP tumor cells, and further investigated its chemosensitizing effects using L3.

Isolated pulmonary metastases define a favorable subgroup in metastatic pancreatic cancer.

Purpose: Liver metastasis represents the first site of dissemination in >80% of metastatic pancreatic cancer (PC) patients. Pulmonary metastasis as first site of dissemination in PC is a rare event and might define a biologically distinct subgroup in metastatic PC.

Methods: Consecutive PC patients who were diagnosed or treated with isolated pulmonary metastases at our high-volume comprehensive cancer center were included in a prospectively maintained database between 2002 and 2015.

[Pylorus-preserving pancreatic head resection. Video article].

The pylorus preserving pancreatoduodenectomy (PPPD) is a surgical procedure for the treatment of pancreatic head cancer, distal bile duct tumors and malignancies of the duodenum. This surgical technique can also be applied to treat chronic pancreatitis. The perioperative mortality rate ranges between 3% and 5%.

Pancreaticoduodenectomy for adenocarcinoma of the pancreatic head is justified in elderly patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: The increasing elderly population is an inevitable trend worldwide in developed countries. Therefore, we aimed to assess the experience of a tertiary pancreatic center with a very homogenous population comprising only patients diagnosed with PDAC of the pancreatic head in patients older than 75 years of age compared to their younger counterparts regarding the benefit in life expectancy and tumor biological aggressiveness.

Methods: 300 patients underwent partial pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) or pylorus preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy (PPPD) for PDAC of the pancreatic head between 2002 and 2012 and were evaluated with regard to their co-morbidities, clinicopathological and perioperative variables, postoperative morbidity, mortality and long term survival.