Impelling Factors for Contracting COVID-19 Among Surgical Professionals During the Pandemic: A Multinational Cohort Study.

Background: Medical workers, including surgical professionals working in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) treating hospitals, were under enormous stress during the pandemic. This global study investigated factors endowing COVID-19 amongst surgical professionals and students.

Methods: This global cross-sectional survey was made live on February 18, 2021 and closed for analysis on March 13, 2021.

Three-dimensional laparoscopic approach to distal oesophageal diverticula: Single-centre experience.

Background: Epiphrenic oesophageal diverticula are rare and often asymptomatic. When symptoms are present, minimally invasive diverticulectomy is considered the gold standard of treatment. While there is an agreement on the pre-operative assessment, no consensus is achieved when it comes to surgical technique.

Precursor-derived in-water peracetic acid impacts on broiler performance, gut microbiota, and antimicrobial resistance genes.

Past antimicrobial misuse has led to the spread of antimicrobial resistance amongst pathogens, reportedly a major public health threat. Attempts to reduce the spread of antimicrobial resistant (AMR) bacteria are in place worldwide, among which finding alternatives to antimicrobials have a pivotal role. Such molecules could be used as "green alternatives" to reduce the bacterial load either by targeting specific bacterial groups or more generically, functioning as biocides when delivered in vivo.

Assessment and management after corrosive ingestion: when is specialist centre referral needed? A 10-year UK experience.

Background: Corrosive ingestion injuries are rare but clinically significant events, potentially associated with high morbidity and mortality. The low volume of cases limits guideline development. We report a 10-year experience of our tertiary centre focusing on cases requiring specialist care.

The global level of harm among surgical professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic: A multinational cross-sectional cohort study.

Background: Health care workers, including surgical professionals, experienced psychological burnout and physical harm during the coronavirus 2019 pandemic. This global survey investigated the coronavirus 2019 pandemic impact on psychological and physical health.

Methods: We conducted a global cross-sectional survey between February 18, 2021 and March 13, 2021.

A rare case of heterotopic pancreatitis and intestinal malrotation in a COVID-19 positive patient. COVID-19, causative or coincidence?

Introduction And Importance: Heterotopic pancreas (HP) is defined as the presence of pancreatic tissue without anatomical and vascular continuity with the main body of the pancreas. HP typically remains asymptomatic, however complications such as acute pancreatitis can arise. Gastrointestinal involvement with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is not uncommon and there are reported cases of associated pancreatitis.

Minimally invasive total adventitial resection of the cardia for tumours of the oesophagogastric junction.

Purpose: A cohort study analysing phases and outcomes of the learning curve required to master minimally invasive total adventitial resection of the cardia.

Methods: Data from 198 consecutive oesophagectomies performed by a single surgeon was collected prospectively. Patients' stratification reflected chronologically and technically the four main phases of the learning curve: open surgery (open total adventitial resection of the cardia (TARC), n = 45), hybrid Ivor Lewis oesophagectomy (HILO, n = 50), laparoscopic-thoracoscopic assisted (LTA, n = 56) and totally minimally invasive TARC (TMI TARC, n = 47).

Near-Infrared Fluorescence Cholangiography can be a Useful Adjunct during Emergency Cholecystectomies.

Emergency cholecystectomy is the gold standard treatment for acute cholecystitis according to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommendations. The procedure is feasible but carries a higher risk of iatrogenic injury to the bile duct, which should be considered preventable. Intraoperative fluorescence cholangiography following injection of indocyanine green (ICG) has been reported to aid identification of the extrahepatic bile duct.

Desmoplasia and Biophysics in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma: Can We Learn From Breast Cancer?

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) treatments have historically focused on targeting tumor cells directly. However, in pancreatic masses, the stroma encasing the malignant epithelial cells constitutes up to 80% to 90% of the tumor bulk. This extracellular matrix, which was previously neglected when designing cancer therapies, is now considered fundamental for tumor progression and drug delivery.

Functionalised thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) microparticles enabled for "click" chemistry.

Due to their homogeneity, tuneable properties, low cost and ease of manufacture, thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) polymeric microparticles are emerging as an exciting class of injectable device for the treatment of damaged tissue or complex diseases, such as cancer. However, relatively little work has explored enhancing surface functionalisation of this system. Herein, we present the functionalisation of TIPS microparticles with both small molecules and an antibody fragment of Herceptin™, via a heterobifunctional pyridazinedione linker capable of participating in SPAAC "click" chemistry, and compare it to the traditional method of preparing active-targeted microparticle systems, that is, physisorption of antibodies to the microparticle surface.

A novel adjuvant drug-device combination tissue scaffold for radical prostatectomy.

Prostate cancer is a leading cause of death in men and despite improved surgical procedures that aid tumor resection, the risk of recurrence after surgery as a result of positive resection margins remains significant. Adjuvant chemotherapy is often required but this is associated with toxicity. Improved ways of delivering highly toxic chemotherapeutic drugs in a more controlled and targeted manner after the prostate has been removed during surgery could reduce the risk of recurrence and avoid systemic toxicity.

Bioinspired Soot-Deposited Janus Fabrics for Sustainable Solar Steam Generation with Salt-Rejection.

Inspired by lotus leaves, self-floating Janus cotton fabric is successfully fabricated for solar steam generation with salt-rejecting property. The layer-selective soot-deposited fabrics not only act as a solar absorber but also provide the required superhydrophobicity for floating on the water. With a polyester protector, the prepared Janus evaporator exhibits a sustainable evaporation rate of 1.

Oesophageal adenocarcinoma following gastric band surgery in two patients.

Oesophageal adenocarcinoma following gastric band surgery has only been reported three times previously. The incidence is higher in morbidly obese patients, and its pathogenesis is correlated to reflux-induced microenvironmental changes. Bariatric surgery is transformative and its potential benefit for a substantial population is huge.

Massive gastric dilatation leading to acute respiratory distress 1 year after a Nissen fundoplication.

Acute massive gastric dilatation (AMGD) is a recognised complication after Nissen fundoplication. A 63-year-old man recently presented to our emergency department in acute respiratory distress, acute abdominal pain and distension, having had an elective umbilical port incisional hernia repair a day prior. In the year preceding his presentation, the patient had undergone a laparoscopic paraoesophageal hiatus hernia repair and excision of sac, posterior cruropexy, dual mesh reinforcement of repair and 360° fundoplication, as a day case.

Uterocutaneous fistula due to held placenta in a low resource setting.

Postcesarean section complication rate is higher in LMIC (Low and Middle Income Countries) due to lack of resources and specialists availability. A completely or incompletely held infected placenta might underlie a dehiscent cesarean section wound. Humanitarian and local surgeons should consider this differential diagnosis and be ready to practice hysterectomies when needed.

Surgical consent in sub-Saharan Africa: a modern challenge for the humanitarian surgeon.

Surgical consent is one of the pillars of ethical conduct in Western world surgical practice. Recent studies have described the consenting processes for clinical trials in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), but only a few have explored its practice before surgical procedures. The recent World Medical Association (WMA) Declaration of Lisbon recommends autonomy and independent decision-making.

The Effect of Film Thickness on the Gas Sensing Properties of Ultra-Thin TiO₂ Films Deposited by Atomic Layer Deposition.

Analyte sensitivity for gas sensors based on semiconducting metal oxides should be highly dependent on the film thickness, particularly when that thickness is on the order of the Debye length. This thickness dependence has previously been demonstrated for SnO₂ and inferred for TiO₂. In this paper, TiO₂ thin films have been prepared by Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) using titanium isopropoxide and water as precursors.

Double-Wall Nanotubes and Graphene Nanoplatelets for Hybrid Conductive Adhesives with Enhanced Thermal and Electrical Conductivity.

Improving the electrical and thermal properties of conductive adhesives is essential for the fabrication of compact microelectronic and optoelectronic power devices. Here we report on the addition of a commercially available conductive resin with double-wall carbon nanotubes and graphene nanoplatelets that yields simultaneously improved thermal and electrical conductivity. Using isopropanol as a common solvent for the debundling of nanotubes, exfoliation of graphene, and dispersion of the carbon nanostructures in the epoxy resin, we obtain a nanostructured conducting adhesive with thermal conductivity of ∼12 W/mK and resistivity down to 30 μΩ cm at very small loadings (1% w/w for nanotubes and 0.

Pancreatic stellate cells regulate blood vessel density in the stroma of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

Background/objectives: The vascular heterogeneity of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has never been characterised. We analysed the heterogeneous vascular density of human PDAC along with its prognostic correlation.

Methods: Tissue Microarrays of 87 patients with different pancreatico-biliary pathologies were analysed in an automated manner (Ariol™) after CD31 staining to assess vascular density in juxta-tumoral and panstromal compartments.

Imbalance of desmoplastic stromal cell numbers drives aggressive cancer processes.

Epithelial tissues have sparse stroma, in contrast to their corresponding tumours. The effect of cancer cells on stromal cells is well recognized. Increasingly, stromal components, such as endothelial and immune cells, are considered indispensable for cancer progression.

ρ-Kinase inhibition reduces early microvascular leukocyte accumulation in the rat kidney following ischemia-reperfusion injury: roles of nitric oxide and blood flow.

Aim: To study whether microvascular leukocyte accumulation after rat renal ischemia and reperfusion (IR) is decreased by Rho kinase inhibition, independently of effects upon nitric oxide (NO) and renal blood flow.

Methods: Male Wistar rats were subjected to 60 min of ischemia by bilateral clamping and 60 min of reperfusion of the renal arteries, or a sham procedure. Haemodynamics were monitored and microsphere blood flow to the kidneys was measured.

Biomarkers of acute renal injury and renal failure.

Acute renal failure (ARF) is a frequent problem in the intensive care unit and is associated with a high mortality. Early recognition could help clinical management, but current indices lack sufficient predictive value for ARF. Therefore, there might be a need for biomarkers in detecting renal tubular injury and/or dysfunction at an early stage before a decline in glomerular filtration rate is noted by an increased serum creatinine.