Laparoscopic versus open hepatic resection in patients ≥75 years old: A NSQIP analysis evaluating 2674 patients.

Background: Previous studies report promising outcomes with minimally invasive (MIS) hepatectomy in elderly patients but remain limited by small size. This study aims to comparatively evaluate the demographics and outcomes of geriatric patients undergoing MIS and open hepatectomy.

Method: The 2016-2021 NSQIP database was evaluated comparing patients ≥75 undergoing MIS versus open hepatectomy.

The utility of self-expanding metal stents in benign biliary strictures- a retrospective case series.

Background: Benign biliary strictures can have a significant negative impact on patient quality of life. There are several modalities which can be utilized with the goal of stricture resolution. These techniques include balloon dilatation, placement of multiple plastic stents and more recently, the use of metal stents.

Predictors and Cumulative Frequency of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in High and Intermediate LI-RADS Lesions: A Cohort Study from a Canadian Academic Institution.

Background: The frequency and predictors of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) within each liver imaging reporting and data system (LI-RADS) category remains unclear. We sought to estimate the cumulative frequency of HCC in LI-RADS observations of high/intermediate category and identify clinical/radiographic features associated with HCC.

Methods: Our diagnostic imaging database was searched for computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging reports of patients with evidence of cirrhosis and liver observations.

Association of Immunologic Markers With Survival in Upfront Resectable Pancreatic Cancer.

This cohort study assesses the association of immunologic variables and survival in patients with resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

Immunoglobulin gene conversion: synthesizing antibody diversification and DNA repair.

Recent developments in the field of antibody (Ab) diversification have rapidly advanced our understanding of the molecular mechanism underlying these events. Key to these developments was the identification of activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) as the central regulator of secondary Ab diversification, and the elucidation of its primary function as a DNA deaminase. Incredibly, current literature suggests the existence of a shared pathway, common to all secondary diversification processes, from which the separate outcomes branch outwards at various points.

NHEJ-deficient DT40 cells have increased levels of immunoglobulin gene conversion: evidence for a double strand break intermediate.

Activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) likely initiates immunoglobulin gene-conversion (GC) by deaminating cytidines within the V-region of chicken B-cells. However, the intervening DNA lesion required to initiate GC remains elusive. GC could be initiated by a single strand break or a double strand break (DSB).