The Personalized Inherited Signature Predisposing to Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer in Non-Smokers.

Lung cancer (LC) continues to be an important public health problem, being the most common form of cancer and a major cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Despite the great bulk of research to identify genetic susceptibility genes by genome-wide association studies, only few loci associated to nicotine dependence have been consistently replicated. Our previously published study in few phenotypically discordant sib-pairs identified a combination of germline truncating mutations in known cancer susceptibility genes in never-smoker early-onset LC patients, which does not present in their healthy sib.

RoboticAssisted (RATS) versus Video-Assisted (VATS) lobectomy: A monocentric prospective randomized trial.

Introduction: The study aim is to compare Video-Assisted (VATS) and Robotic-Assisted (RATS) lobectomy in the effort to identify advantages and limits of robotic procedures considering the high costs and specific surgeon training.

Materials And Methods: This is a monocentric prospective randomized trial in which patients suitable for mini-invasive lobectomy were randomized 1:2 in two groups: Group A, RATS (25 patients), and Group B, VATS (50 patients). The two groups were compared in terms of perioperative and postoperative results with a mean follow up of 37.

A Strange Case of Traumatic Pleural Effusion: Pleural Empyema Due to , a Case Report.

Background: Actinomycosis by is rare and scarcely reported in the literature. The lung is the main organ involved. Penicillin and amoxicillin are the first-choice treatments.

A framework to quantify flow through coral reefs of varying coral cover and morphology.

Flow velocities within coral reefs are greatly reduced relative to those at the water surface. The in-reef flow controls key processes that flush heat, cycle nutrients and transport sediment from the reef to adjacent beaches, all key considerations in assessments of reef resilience and restoration interventions. An analytical framework is proposed and tested with a suite of high-resolution numerical experiments.

The Overweight Paradox: Impact of Body Mass Index on Patients Undergoing VATS Lobectomy or Segmentectomy.

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of BMI on perioperative outcomes in patients undergoing VATS lobectomy or segmentectomy. Data from 5088 patients undergoing VATS lobectomy or segmentectomy, included in the VATS Group Italian Registry, were collected. BMI (kg/m) was categorized according to the WHO classes: underweight, normal, overweight, obese.

Comparison of perioperative outcomes of robotic-assisted versus video-assisted thoracoscopic right upper lobectomy in non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: Robotic-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS) has been widely used in the treatment of lung cancer. The perioperative outcomes of right upper lobectomy (RUL) using RATS and video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) were retrospectively investigated and compared. We aimed to summarize a single-center experience of RATS and 4-port unidirectional VATS in RUL, and to discuss the safety and the essentials of the surgery.

On predicting particle capture rates in aquatic ecosystems.

Recent advances in understanding the capture of moving suspended particles in aquatic ecosystems have opened up new possibilities for predicting rates of suspension feeding, larval settlement, seagrass pollination and sediment removal. Drawing on results from both highly-resolved computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations and existing experimental data, we quantify the controlling influence of flow velocity, particle size and collector size on rates of contact between suspended particles and biological collectors over the parameter space characterising a diverse range of aquatic ecosystems. As distinct from assumptions in previous modeling studies, the functional relationships describing capture are highly variable.

Age and Clinical Presentation for Primary Spontaneous Pneumothorax.

Primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) is a commonly known condition due to the accumulation of air in the pleural space in otherwise healthy people, without apparent underlying lung disease. To date, the exact pathogenesis of PSP is unclear, but it still represents a public health issue. We performed a review of the literature concerning the epidemiology of PSP, examining age of onset and presentation symptoms, in order to assess the possible correlation between these characteristics and its occurrence.

Robotic surgery vs. open surgery for thymectomy, a retrospective case-match study.

The robotic approach in the treatment of thymus diseases has been described in many papers, but few studies have compared the early outcome of patients after robotic and open transsternal procedure. Our study aims to confirm the non-inferiority of the robotic technique in terms of feasibility, safety and postoperative patient recovery compared to the open standard. This is a retrospective cohort study in which we compare 114 patients who underwent thymectomy for a thymus disease at our thoracic surgery unit.

Epidemiology and management of primary spontaneous pneumothorax: a systematic review.

Unlabelled: Primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) is one of the most common thoracic diseases affecting adolescents and young adults. Despite the high incidence of PSP and the availability of several international guidelines for its diagnosis and treatment, a significant behavioural heterogeneity can be found among those management recommendations. A working group of the Italian Society of Thoracic Surgery summarized the best evidence available on PSP management with the methodological tool of a systematic review assessing the quality of previously published guidelines with the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) II.

Kelp beds as coastal protection: wave attenuation of Ecklonia radiata in a shallow coastal bay.

Background And Aims: Coastal protection from erosion and flooding is a significant ecosystem service provided by vegetated marine systems. Kelp beds are a dominant habitat-forming species on temperate reefs worldwide. While they are valued as hotspots of biodiversity, there is a paucity of information that supports their use in nature-based coastal defence.

Accidental neck and chest penetration by a metal sliver derived from an axe for wood chopping: a case report.

Background: Penetrating neck and chest trauma is a very common entity in emergency medicine that usually requires surgical treatment. Our case report illustrates the case of a 27-year-old Arabian man with hemopneumothorax associated with pneumomediastinum due to an unusual occupational injury.

Case Presentation: A metal sliver, coming from an axe using for wood chopping, penetrated the neck of a 27-year-old Arabian man in the left supraclavicular region mimicking a gun bullet; the entrance hole was at the left pleural dome where the sliver had just penetrated the apex of the lung passing through the upper lobe of his left lung creating an exit wound in the dorsal segment of the same lobe arriving in the posterior thoracic wall.

Hyperthermic intrathoracic chemotherapy after extended pleurectomy and decortication for malignant pleura mesothelioma: an observational study on outcome and microcirculatory changes.

Background: In the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma the Hyperthermic Intra THOracic Chemotherapy (HITHOC) can improve the efficacy of pleurectomy and decortication with a local cytotoxic effect. However its biological impact in patient's hemodynamic and microcirculatory changes were rarely investigated. Aim of this study is to describe our experience with HITHOC after pleurectomy and decortication evaluating the role of sublingual video-microscopy in assessing the microcirculatory changes in the perioperative period.

From grey to green: Efficacy of eco-engineering solutions for nature-based coastal defence.

Climate change is increasing the threat of erosion and flooding along coastlines globally. Engineering solutions (e.g.

Omic Approach in Non-smoker Female with Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma Pinpoints to Germline Susceptibility and Personalized Medicine.

Purpose: Lung cancer is strongly associated to tobacco smoking. However, global statistics estimate that in females the proportion of lung cancer cases that is unrelated to tobacco smoking reaches fifty percent, making questionable the etiology of the disease.

Materials And Methods: A never-smoker female with primary EGFR/KRAS/ALK-negative squamous cell carcinoma of the lung and their normal sibswere subjected to a novel integrative "omic" approach using a pedigree-based model for discovering genetic factors leading to cancer in the absence of well-known environmental trigger.

Sludge accumulation and distribution impact the hydraulic performance in waste stabilisation ponds.

Waste stabilisation ponds (WSPs) are used worldwide for wastewater treatment, and throughout their operation require periodic sludge surveys. Sludge accumulation in WSPs can impact performance by reducing the effective volume of the pond, and altering the pond hydraulics and wastewater treatment efficiency. Traditionally, sludge heights, and thus sludge volume, have been measured using low-resolution and labour intensive methods such as 'sludge judge' and the 'white towel test'.

First case of combined robot-assisted thymectomy and transaxillary thyroidectomy: technique and robot-docking optimization.

Robot-assisted thymectomy and total transaxillary thyroidectomy represent two excellent therapeutic options for functional and oncological diseases of these two organs. We report the first case in literature of combined robot-assisted resection. The patient was positioned in supine position with the left arm raised cranially 90°-120° to expose the axillary area.

Long-Term Results and Prognostic Factors of Pulmonary Metastasectomy in Patients with Metastatic Transitional Cell Carcinoma.

 We wanted to assess the prognostic factors and the efficacy of the treatment in patients who underwent lung resections for transitional cell carcinoma metastases.  This is a retrospective, multicenter study. Between January 1995 and May 2014, 69 patients underwent lung metastasectomy with curative intent.

Prognostic factors and clinical outcome in patients with surgically resected peripheral N0 adenocarcinoma <3 cm.

Background: Many reports emphasize the role of sub-lobar resections in the treatment of small peripheral lung cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate a range of prognostic factors, including the extension of resection, which may affect the prognosis in a homogeneous group of patients.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records of 279 patients affected by N0 small peripheral adenocarcinoma (ADK) <3 cm that underwent surgery between 2000 and 2010.

The prognostic significance of proliferative indices in surgically resected IIIA-N2 non-small cell lung cancer after induction chemotherapy.

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the prognostic significance of Mib1 expression, Mitosis (Mi) and Apoptosis (Ai) in residual tumour cells after induction chemotherapy in surgically resected IIIA-N2 patients.

Methods: Between January 2002 and November 2008, we reviewed 50 consecutive patients (39 males) with histologically proven stage IIIA-N2 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), who underwent radical resection following induction chemotherapy. Five-year survival in the series was evaluated in relation to lymph node downstaging, histology, extent of resection, number of chemotherapy cycles, pT status, sex and age.

Canopy flow analysis reveals the advantage of size in the oldest communities of multicellular eukaryotes.

At Mistaken Point, Newfoundland, Canada, rangeomorph "fronds" dominate the earliest (579-565 million years ago) fossil communities of large (0.1 to 2 m height) multicellular benthic eukaryotes. They lived in low-flow environments, fueled by uptake [1-3] of dissolved reactants (osmotrophy).