Epidural analgesia? A prospective analysis of perioperative coagulation in cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy.

Background: Cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) is beneficial in peritoneal carcinomatosis. Epidurals provide excellent pain relief for laparotomies. Coagulopathy (platelet count <100 × 10/L, INR>1.

Surface anatomy as a guide to vertebral level for thoracic epidural placement.

Background: Precise placement of thoracic epidural catheters is required to optimize postoperative analgesia and minimize adverse effects. Previous research demonstrated that anesthesiologists are inaccurate when using surface anatomy to locate vertebral levels. In this study, we compared the accuracy of two different landmarks to identify the seventh thoracic (T7) spinous process.

Strain-dependent induction of enterocyte apoptosis by Giardia lamblia disrupts epithelial barrier function in a caspase-3-dependent manner.

We recently demonstrated that Giardia lamblia rearranges cytoskeletal proteins and reduces transepithelial electrical resistance. The effect of G. lamblia on enterocyte apoptosis is unknown, and a possible link between microbially induced enterocyte apoptosis and altered epithelial permeability has yet to be established.