CXCL1 promotes cell migration in hepatocellular carcinoma by regulating the miR-30b-5p/ICAM-1 axis.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly lethal cancer with a growing global incidence and is often associated with poor prognosis due to its tendency to metastasize. Intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM) 1 is a transmembrane protein found in various cancer cells and is associated with the spread of cancer and poor prognosis. Chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 1 (CXCL1) is a chemokine that significantly affects the cell motility of various cancers.

Outcomes of the Nuss procedure in children with pectus excavatum: 14 years of experience.

Background: We aimed to assess the effectiveness of the Nuss procedure for pectus excavatum (PE) and explore the impacts of sex and age on outcomes.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 594 consecutive children ≤18 years of age who underwent the thoracoscopy-assisted Nuss technique between January 2006 and July 2019. The severity of pectus deformity was calculated according to the Haller index (HI).

Pectus excavatum repair after sternotomy: the Chest Wall International Group experience with substernal Nuss bars.

Objectives: Patients with pectus excavatum (PE) after prior sternotomy for cardiac surgery present unique challenges for repair of PE. Open repairs have been recommended because of concerns about sternal adhesions and cardiac injury. We report a multi-institutional experience with repair utilizing substernal Nuss bars in this patient population.

Cardiac injury protection from mouse bone marrow stromal cells with in utero transplantation followed by secondary postnatal boost.

Limited donor-cell engraftment to the injured tissue restricts therapeutic efficacy of stem cell transplantation. Herein, we proposed an alternative strategy by using in utero transplantation (IUT) to create mixed-chimerism environment in recipients and to facilitate donor-cell engraftment followed by postnatal secondary boost with the same cells. Mouse bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) were used as the xenogenic donor cells and given into rat fetus as an early exposure of IUT treatment.

Late-onset vital complication after the Nuss procedure for pectus excavatum.

The Nuss procedure is the most popular technique for correction of pectus excavatum recently. Life-threatening complications associated with the procedure are very rare. We report a 13-year-old boy who developed late-onset bilateral hemothorax with hypovolemic shock 5 months after the Nuss procedure.

A cross-sectional study of lung volume development in pectus excavatum patients: estimating the total lung volume from chest computed tomograph using 3-dimensional volumetric reconstruction.

Background/purpose: This study quantified the lung volume development of pectus excavatum (PE) patients using chest computed tomography (CT) 3-dimensional volumetric reconstructions. The technique permits current and retrospective analyses of data from different institutions.

Patients And Methods: We analyzed the records of PE patients who underwent chest CT preoperatively between 2005 and 2009 at 3 institutions.

Preputial flaps to correct buried penis.

The authors developed a preputial skin flap technique to correct the buried penis which was simple and practical. This simple procedure can be applied to most boys with buried penis. In the last 3 years, we have seen 12 boys with buried penis and have been treated by using preputial flaps.

Malignant transformation of a well-organized sacrococcygeal fetiform teratoma in a newborn male.

We report herein a case of a male newborn with a sacrococcygeal fetiform teratoma (FT). The baby presented with a large coccygeal teratoma. The preoperative diagnosis of FT was made by plain radiography, ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging.

A rare type of ileal atresia due to intrauterine intussusception.

Intrauterine intussusception is an extremely rare cause of intestinal atresia. We report on a full-term neonate with clinical manifestations of intestinal obstruction two days after birth. The prenatal sonography at the late stage of pregnancy did not show any abnormality.

Bacteriology and antibiotic susceptibility of community-acquired intra-abdominal infection in children.

Background And Purpose: Intra-abdominal infection can be a life-threatening condition in children, and aggressive treatment is usually needed. The treatment should include surgical correction and drainage, and administration of antimicrobials that are effective against both aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms. This study investigated the microbiological characteristics of intra-abdominal infection of children in Taiwan.

Calmette-Guérin bacillus sternal osteomyelitis diagnosed by DNA sequencing analysis of PNC A.

Sternal osteomyelitis is an uncommon complication of Calmette-Guérin bacillus vaccination. Herein we describe a 4-month-old Taiwanese infant with a growing parasternal mass resulting from sternal osteomyelitis. By using DNA sequencing analysis, we identified the etiology as Calmette-Guérin bacillus vaccination.

Unusual epithelium in a subpubic sinus.

A 5-year-old male presented with the history of whitish discharge from a midline sinus opening just above the pubis for 2 months. Attempted radiography of the sinus revealed a blind fistula and voiding cystourethrography was normal. The fistula was excised deep to the subpubic space without any evidence of connection to the lower urinary tract.