The Impact of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy on Margin Re-excision in Breast-Conserving Surgery.

Background: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) can improve cosmesis by reducing resection volume. Breast-conserving surgery (BCS) aims to achieve clear excision margins while optimizing cosmesis. However, the influence of NAC on margin re-excision after BCS is unclear.

Change of paradigm in treating elderly with breast cancer: are we undertreating elderly patients?

Developed countries face significant population ageing in the near future. Within 20 years, the average age will approach 50 years and the largest population cohort will be those over 65 years. The incidence of breast cancer increases with age, with a risk in women of 0.

Microbiota of human breast tissue.

In recent years, a greater appreciation for the microbes inhabiting human body sites has emerged. In the female mammary gland, milk has been shown to contain bacterial species, ostensibly reaching the ducts from the skin. We decided to investigate whether there is a microbiome within the mammary tissue.

Chylous ascites as a consequence of idiopathic pancreatitis.

Chylous ascites (chyloperitoneum) is a rare clinical condition, characterized by an accumulation of lymph fluid in the peritoneal cavity. Most commonly it is associated with abdominal malignancy (usually lymphoma). We present an unusual case of a woman who developed a persistent pseudocyst and recurrent chylous ascites following acute necrotizing pancreatitis.

Fatal cerebral air embolism following endoscopic evaluation of rectal stump.

A 63-year-old man underwent endoscopic evaluation of the rectal stump for rectal bleeding and suffered a massive cerebral air embolism with severe neurological impairment and subsequent death. The patient underwent a Hartmann's procedure 9 month previously for ischaemic bowel and was noted to have portal hypertension at laparotomy. We hypothesise that air entered the venous plexus around rectum and entered the azygos vein via a porto-systemic shunt and travelled retrogradely via the superior vena cava to the venous sinuses of the brain.

Bioluminescent bacterial imaging in vivo.

This video describes the use of whole body bioluminesce imaging (BLI) for the study of bacterial trafficking in live mice, with an emphasis on the use of bacteria in gene and cell therapy for cancer. Bacteria present an attractive class of vector for cancer therapy, possessing a natural ability to grow preferentially within tumors following systemic administration. Bacteria engineered to express the lux gene cassette permit BLI detection of the bacteria and concurrently tumor sites.

High resolution in vivo bioluminescent imaging for the study of bacterial tumour targeting.

The ability to track microbes in real time in vivo is of enormous value for preclinical investigations in infectious disease or gene therapy research. Bacteria present an attractive class of vector for cancer therapy, possessing a natural ability to grow preferentially within tumours following systemic administration. Bioluminescent Imaging (BLI) represents a powerful tool for use with bacteria engineered to express reporter genes such as lux.

Phrenic nerve block as a novel adjunct to the local treatment of bronchopleural fistula.

Bronchopleural fistula (BPF) is a life threatening complication after pneumonectomy with an incidence of about 2-5% and a mortality rate of up to 50%. Topical treatment such as fibrin glue has been previously described with limited success. We present a novel case in which blocking the phrenic nerve assisted in a successful topical closure of the BPF.

Bacteria as vectors for gene therapy of cancer.

Anti-cancer therapy faces major challenges, particularly in terms of specificity of treatment. The ideal therapy would eradicate tumor cells selectively with minimum side effects on normal tissue. Gene or cell therapies have emerged as realistic prospects for the treatment of cancer, and involve the delivery of genetic information to a tumor to facilitate the production of therapeutic proteins.