Is the NICE procedure the great equalizer for patients with high BMI undergoing resection for diverticulitis?

Background: By 2030, projections indicate that nearly half of USS adults will be obese, with 29 states exceeding a 50% obesity rate. High Body Mass Index (BMI) presents particular challenges in treating diverticulitis, including worsened symptoms and increased risk of surgical complications. The Robotic Natural orifice Intracorporeal Anastomosis with Transrectal Extraction (NICE) procedure has been developed for colorectal surgeries to tackle these challenges.

Segmental Colectomy in Ulcerative Colitis.

Background: Segmental colectomy in ulcerative colitis is performed in select patients who may be at increased risk for postoperative morbidity.

Objective: To identify patients with ulcerative colitis who underwent segmental colectomy and assess their postoperative and long-term outcomes.

Design: Retrospective case series.

How to do a laparoscopic-assisted endoscopic 'clean sweep' for small bowel polyp clearance in Peutz Jeghers syndrome.

We demonstrate the technical details of laparoscopic-assisted endoscopic 'clean sweep' for small bowel polyp clearance in Peutz Jeghers Syndrome. A 'clean sweep' reduces the risk for future recurrences but was previously performed with an open technique. A minimally invasive approach is safe, reduces bowel trauma and has good postoperative outcomes.

The impact of race and socioeconomic status on stage IV colorectal cancer survival.

Background: The aims of this study were to determine the impact of race and socioeconomics on survival in patients with stage IV colorectal cancer.

Methods: A prospective database of stage IV colorectal cancer patients treated at a multi-hospital health system from 2015 to 2019 was retrospectively analyzed. Univariate and multivariate survival analysis using log-rank Mantel-Cox test and Cox proportional hazard model were performed to determine the impact of race, socioeconomic factors, presentation, and treatment on overall survival.

Mesenteric Excision and Exclusion for Ileocolic Crohn's Disease: Feasibility and Safety of an Innovative, Combined Surgical Approach With Extended Mesenteric Excision and Kono-S Anastomosis.

Introduction: Ileocolic resection for Crohn's disease traditionally does not include a high ligation of the ileocolic pedicle, and most commonly is performed with a stapled side-to-side ileocolic anastomosis. The mesentery has recently been implicated in the pathophysiology of Crohn's disease. Two techniques have been developed and are associated with reduced postoperative recurrence: the Kono-S anastomosis that excludes diseased mesentery and extended mesenteric excision that resects diseased mesentery.

Associations between affect, craving, and smoking in Korean smokers: An ecological momentary assessment study.

Cigarette smoking remains the largest cause of preventable death in the United States and worldwide. In South Korea and other Asian countries, a large proportion of males smoke, increasing the need to examine cigarette smoking in these populations. Research suggests that the association between positive affect and negative affect, and between affect and craving, may differ across cultures, and that it is useful to examine these associations using Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA).

A Qualitative Study of the System-level Barriers to Bariatric Surgery Within the Veterans Health Administration.

Objective: To characterize system-level barriers to bariatric surgery from the perspectives of Veterans with severe obesity and obesity care providers.

Summary Of Background Data: Bariatric surgery is the most effective weight loss option for Veterans with severe obesity, but fewer than 0.1% of Veterans with severe obesity undergo it.

Muscarinic and Nicotinic Modulation of Neocortical Layer 6A Synaptic Microcircuits Is Cooperative and Cell-Specific.

Acetylcholine (ACh) is known to regulate cortical activity during different behavioral states, for example, wakefulness and attention. Here we show a differential expression of muscarinic ACh receptors (mAChRs) and nicotinic ACh receptors (nAChRs) in different layer 6A (L6A) pyramidal cell (PC) types of somatosensory cortex. At low concentrations, ACh induced a persistent hyperpolarization in corticocortical (CC) but a depolarization in corticothalamic (CT) L6A PCs via M 4 and M1 mAChRs, respectively.

Cigarette Smoking in South Korea: A Narrative Review.

Although the prevalence of cigarette smoking has declined in Western countries over the past few decades, a comparable decline among males has not been observed in Asian countries, especially in South Korea, where approximately 40%-50% of men and 4%-8% of women have been identified as smokers, and there is a pressing need to understand the background of cigarette smoking in these populations. The present study is a narrative review of the research literature on cigarette smoking in South Korea. First, we describe the social, economic, and cultural factors that impact cigarette smoking in South Korea.

Cochlear Microphonic and Summating Potential Responses from Click-Evoked Auditory Brain Stem Responses in High-Risk and Normal Infants.

Background: Examination of cochlear and neural potentials is necessary to assess sensory and neural status in infants, especially those cared for in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) who have high rates of hyperbilirubinemia and thus are at risk for auditory neuropathy (AN).

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine whether recording parameters commonly used in click-evoked auditory brain stem response (ABR) are useful for recording cochlear microphonic (CM) and Wave I in infants at risk for AN. Specifically, we analyzed CM, summating potential (SP), and Waves I, III, and V.

Feasibility of an Image-Based Mobile Health Protocol for Postoperative Wound Monitoring.

Background: Surgical site infection (SSI) is the most common nosocomial infection and the leading cause of readmission among surgical patients. Many SSIs develop in the postdischarge period and are inadequately recognized by patients. To address this, we developed a mobile health protocol of remote wound monitoring using smartphone technology.

Thirty-day readmission and mortality among Medicare beneficiaries discharged to skilled nursing facilities after vascular surgery.

Background: Readmission within 30 d of an acute hospital stay is frequent, costly, and increasingly subject to penalties. Early readmission is most common after vascular surgery; these patients are often discharged to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), making postacute care an essential partner in reducing readmissions. We characterize 30-day readmissions among vascular surgery patients discharged to SNF to provide evidence for this understudied segment of readmission after specialty surgery.

Long-Term Quality of Life Outcomes Following Nissen Versus Toupet Fundoplication in Patients with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease.

Introduction: Laparoscopic fundoplication is the gold standard treatment for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) refractory to medical management. Although many studies have compared Nissen fundoplication (NF) to Toupet fundoplication (TF), it is unclear which operation provides the best long-term reflux control. The objective of this study was to evaluate long-term quality-of-life (QoL) outcomes after NF versus TF.

Feasibility of Implementing a Patient-Centered Postoperative Wound Monitoring Program Using Smartphone Images: A Pilot Protocol.

Background: Surgical site infections (SSI) represent a significant public health problem as the most common nosocomial infection and a leading cause of unplanned hospital readmissions among surgical patients. Many develop following hospital discharge and often go unrecognized by patients. Telemedicine offers the opportunity to leverage the mobile technology to remotely monitor wound recovery in the transitional period between hospital discharge and routine clinic follow-up.

Evaluating Patient Usability of an Image-Based Mobile Health Platform for Postoperative Wound Monitoring.

Background: Surgical patients are increasingly using mobile health (mHealth) platforms to monitor recovery and communicate with their providers in the postdischarge period. Despite widespread enthusiasm for mHealth, few studies evaluate the usability or user experience of these platforms.

Objective: Our objectives were to (1) develop a novel image-based smartphone app for postdischarge surgical wound monitoring, and (2) rigorously user test it with a representative population of vascular and general surgery patients.

Inter-rater agreement and checklist validation for postoperative wound assessment using smartphone images in vascular surgery.

Objective: Surgical site infection (SSI) is the most common nosocomial infection, in vascular surgery patients, who experience a high rate of readmission. Facilitating transition from hospital to outpatient care with digital image-based wound monitoring has the potential to detect and to enable treatment of SSI at an early stage. In this study, we evaluated whether smartphone digital images can supplant in-person evaluation of postoperative vascular surgery wounds.

Contemporary real-world outcomes of surgical aortic valve replacement in 141,905 low-risk, intermediate-risk, and high-risk patients.

Background: The introduction of transcatheter aortic valve replacement mandates attention to outcomes after surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) in low-risk, intermediate-risk, and very high-risk patients.

Methods: The study population included 141,905 patients who underwent isolated primary SAVR from 2002 to 2010. Patients were risk-stratified by Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) predicted risk of mortality (PROM) <4% (group 1, n = 113,377), 4% to 8% (group 2, n = 19,769), and >8% (group 3, n = 8,759).

Postoperative warfarin following mitral valve repair or bioprosthetic valve replacement.

Background And Aim Of The Study: Short-term postoperative warfarin therapy has been used to decrease neurologic events following mitral valve repair or bioprosthetic replacement (MVR). The study aim was to compare the short- and long-term outcomes of patients undergoing mitral valve surgery with or without short-term postoperative warfarin.

Methods: A single academic US institution retrospective review was performed on discharged patients who underwent MVR between January 1996 and March 2010.

Use of transaortic, transapical, and transcarotid transcatheter aortic valve replacement in inoperable patients.

Background: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is an effective treatment in patients with severe aortic stenosis unsuitable for surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). This study evaluated the early experience with the posttrial application of TAVR, with specific focus on non-transfemoral (TF) access.

Methods: All patients who underwent posttrial TAVR at Emory University from November 2011 to April 2012 were reviewed.