Thoracic skeletal muscle mass predicts mortality in patients with surgery for pleural empyema: A case control study.

Background: This study investigated the role of the thoracic skeletal muscle mass as a marker of sarcopenia on postoperative mortality in pleural empyema.

Methods: All consecutive patients (n = 103) undergoing surgery for pleural empyema in a single tertiary referral center between January 2020 and December 2022 were eligible for this study. Thoracic skeletal muscle mass index (TSMI) was determined from preoperative computed tomography scans.

ERASURE: early autologous blood pleurodesis for postoperative air leaks-a randomized, controlled trial comparing prophylactic autologous blood pleurodesis versus standard watch and wait treatment for postoperative air leaks following thoracoscopic anatomic lung resections.

Background: The prolonged air leak is probably the most common complication following lung resections. Around 10-20% of the patients who undergo a lung resection will eventually develop a prolonged air leak. The definition of a prolonged air leak varies between an air leak, which is evident after the fifth, seventh or even tenth postoperative day to every air leak that prolongs the hospital stay.

An update on red blood cell transfusion in non-cardiac thoracic surgery.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate risk factors for red blood cell (RBC) transfusion in non-cardiac thoracic surgery.

Methods: All patients undergoing non-cardiac thoracic surgery in a single tertiary referral center between January and December 2021 were eligible for this study. Data on blood requests and perioperative RBC transfusion were retrospectively analyzed.

Successful resolution of ectopic Cushing syndrome by minimally invasive thoracoscopic resection of the neuroendocrine tumor of the thymus: a rare case report.

Background: Ectopic Cushing syndrome (ECS) is a sporadic condition. Even uncommon is an ECS that derives from a carcinoid tumor of the thymus. These tumors may pose several diagnostic and therapeutic conundrums.

Open redo thymectomy for a large recurrent thymoma in a patient with myasthenia gravis: a case report.

Thoracoscopic and robotic approaches are becoming increasingly popular for thymoma surgery. Yet open thymectomy must still be mastered today, as it may be the only viable option in challenging cases. In this study, we report a case of an extended local recurrence of myasthenia gravis associated thymoma and a history of previous sternotomy.

[Management of Chest Drains after Elective, Thoracoscopic, Anatomical Lung Resections. A Survey in Thoracic Surgical Departments in Germany].

Introduction: The increasing use of minimally invasive techniques along with the introduction of the "Enhanced Recovery After Surgery" (ERAS) guidelines have reduced the perioperative risk of anatomic lung resections. However, the prolonged postoperative air leak still remains one of the major postoperative issues. The purpose of this survey was to evaluate the perioperative management of chest drains and the current clinical practice in treating prolonged air leaks after elective, thoracoscopic, anatomic lung resections in Germany.

A Tuft Cell-Like Signature Is Highly Prevalent in Thymic Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Delineates New Molecular Subsets Among the Major Lung Cancer Histotypes.

Introduction: In-depth genomic characterization of thymic epithelial tumors (TETs), comprising thymomas and thymic carcinomas (TCs), failed to identify targetable mutations and suggested unique biology of TETs, including KIT expression in most TCs. Recently, tuft cell-like medullary thymic epithelial cells were identified in the murine thymus, and our reanalysis of the published gene expression data revealed that these cells express KIT. In addition, recently, a minor subset of SCLCs with tuft cell-like features was described.

Management of Progressive Pulmonary Nodules Found during and outside of CT Lung Cancer Screening Studies.

Although the effectiveness of screening for lung cancer remains controversial, it is a fact that most lung cancers are diagnosed at an advanced stage outside of lung cancer screening programs. In 2013, the U.S.

From diagnosis to therapy in lung cancer: management of CT detected pulmonary nodules, a summary of the 2015 Chinese-German Lung Cancer Expert Panel.

The first Chinese-German Lung Cancer Expert Panel was held in November 2015 one day after the 7th Chinese-German Lung Cancer Forum, Shanghai. The intention of the meeting was to discuss strategies for the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer within the context of lung cancer screening. Improved risk classification criteria and novel imaging approaches for screening populations are highly required as more than half of lung cancer cases are false positive during the initial screening round if the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) demographic criteria [≥30 pack years (PY) of cigarettes, age ≥55 years] are applied.

In vivo Quantification of the Effects of Radiation and Presence of Hair Follicle Pores on the Proliferation of Fibroblasts in an Acellular Human Dermis in a Dorsal Skinfold Chamber: Relevance for Tissue Reconstruction following Neoadjuvant Therapy.

Introduction: In neoadjuvant therapy, irradiation has a deleterious effect on neoangiogenesis. The aim of this study was to examine the post-implantation effects of neoadjuvant irradiation on the survival and proliferation of autologous cells seeded onto an acellular human dermis (hAD; Epiflex). Additionally, we examined the influence of dermal hair follicle pores on viability and proliferation.

Confocal laser scanning microscopy evaluation of an acellular dermis tissue transplant (Epiflex®).

The structure of a biological scaffold is a major determinant of its biological characteristics and its interaction with cells. An acellular dermis tissue transplant must undergo a series of processing steps, to remove cells and genetic material and provide the sterility required for surgical use. During manufacturing and sterilization the structure and composition of tissue transplants may change.

Acellular dermal matrix seeded with autologous fibroblasts improves wound breaking strength in a rodent soft tissue damage model in neoadjuvant settings.

Soft tissue defects following resectional surgery or trauma often result in deadspaces and require free or pedicled flaps. A programmed formation of filling tissue with enhanced biomechanical properties could be helpful. This study examined the effects on wound healing of acellular dermal matrix (ADM) seeded with autologous fibroblasts in a standardized rodent model.