Continuous versus interrupted abdominal wall closure after emergency midline laparotomy: CONTINT: a randomized controlled trial [NCT00544583].

Background: High-level evidence regarding the technique of abdominal wall closure for patients undergoing emergency midline laparotomy is sparse. Therefore, we conducted a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate the efficacy and safety of two commonly applied abdominal wall closure strategies after primary emergency midline laparotomy.

Methods/design: CONTINT was a multi-center pragmatic open-label exploratory randomized controlled parallel trial.

Mechanical ileus of the small bowel due to an inflamed Meckel's diverticulum with an enterolith - a case report with literature review.

Background: Meckel's diverticula result from incomplete obliteration and regression of the omphaloenteric duct and are the most common congenital intestinal malformations. Many Meckel's diverticula remain asymptomatic and are discovered as incidental findings. They present a diagnostic challenge.

Sclerosing angiomatoid nodular transformation of the spleen mimicking metastasis of melanoma: a case report and review of the literature.

Background: Sclerosing angiomatoid nodular transformation is a benign disorder of splenic tissue and is often mistaken as a potentially malignant entity in the diagnostic process. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of sclerosing angiomatoid nodular transformation mimicking metastasis of melanoma in the literature.

Case Presentation: A 43-year-old white man presented with a newly found splenic mass 4 years ago to our Department of Gastroenterology.

Localized retroperitoneal Castleman's disease: a case report and review of the literature.

Introduction: Castleman's disease, also known as angiofollicular lymph node hyperplasia, is a rare disease with two known expansion types, unicentric and multicentric, which play a major role in determining therapy. We focus here on the unicentric type, which can be treated and cured by surgery. To date, approximately 1000 cases of Castleman's disease have been reported in the literature.

Alveolar epithelial cells orchestrate DC function in murine viral pneumonia.

Influenza viruses (IVs) cause pneumonia in humans with progression to lung failure. Pulmonary DCs are key players in the antiviral immune response, which is crucial to restore alveolar barrier function. The mechanisms of expansion and activation of pulmonary DC populations in lung infection remain widely elusive.

Overdiagnosis of a typical carcinoid tumor as an adenocarcinoma of the lung: a case report and review of the literature.

Background: Overdiagnosis of bronchopulmonary carcinoid tumors together with overtreatment can cause serious postoperative consequences for the patient. We report of a patient with a typical bronchopulmonary carcinoid tumor, which was initially misdiagnosed and treated as an adenocarcinoma of the lung. GnrH receptors and the associated Raf-1/MEK/ERK-1/2-pathway are potential targets for analogs in cancer treatment.

Exudate macrophages attenuate lung injury by the release of IL-1 receptor antagonist in gram-negative pneumonia.

Rationale: Exudate macrophages are key players in host defense toward invading pathogens. Their antiinflammatory and epithelial-protective potential in gram-negative pneumonia, however, remains elusive.

Objectives: We investigated whether exudate macrophages contributed to preservation of alveolar epithelial barrier integrity and analyzed the molecular pathways involved.

Dramatic regression and bleeding of a duodenal GIST during preoperative imatinib therapy: case report and review.

Background: Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the most common mesenchymal tumors of the digestive tract. The majority of GISTs is located in the stomach. Only 3-5% of GISTs are located in the duodenum associated with an increased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding as primary manifestation.

Organ preservation solutions attenuate accumulation and nuclear translocation of hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha in the hepatoma cell line HepG2.

Hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) is a key transcription factor orchestrating hypoxic and inflammatory reactions. Here, we determined the impact of organ preservation solutions (Celsior; histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate solution, HTK; University of Wisconsin solution; UW), oxygen supply, and temperature on HIF-1alpha accumulation, recorded by Western blotting and immunocytochemistry, in the human hepatoma cell line HepG2. Generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), NO, and cell viability were concomitantly assessed.

Fumarate in the preservation solution aggravates chronic allograft nephropathy.

Data on a protective role of fumarate in acute ischemia of the rat heart led to the obvious hypothesis that addition of fumarate to the preservation solution for kidney transplantation may have beneficial value. This study was designed to test this hypothesis. Kidneys of Lewis or Fischer 344 rats were flushed with University of Wisconsin (UW) solution or UW solution containing 5 mM fumarate.

UW is superior to Celsior and HTK in the protection of human liver endothelial cells against preservation injury.

Celsior solution (CS), a new preservation solution in thoracic organ transplantation, was evaluated for its efficacy in cold preservation of human liver endothelial cells (HLEC) and was compared to University of Wisconsin solution (UW) and histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate solution (HTK, Custodiol). HLEC cultures were preserved at 4 degrees C in CS, UW, and HTK, for 2, 6, 12, 24, and 48 hours, with 6 hours of reperfusion. Levels of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT), and adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) were measured after each interval of ischemia and the respective phase of reperfusion.

Value of energy substrates in HTK and UW to protect human liver endothelial cells against ischemia and reperfusion injury.

Adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) depletion is a major cause of cellular injury during ischemia and reperfusion in organ transplantation. Therefore, histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate solution (HTK; alpha-ketoglutarate) and University of Wisconsin solution (UW; adenosine) were supplied with energy substrates to achieve graft viability. Nevertheless, their efficacy for maintaining the ATP level, particularly in human liver endothelial cells, was uncertain.

Celsior solution compared with University of Wisconsin solution (UW) and histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate solution (HTK) in the protection of human hepatocytes against ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Celsior, a new preservation solution in thoracic organ transplantation was evaluated for efficacy in cold preservation of human hepatocytes and compared with University of Wisconsin solution (UW) and histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate solution (HTK, Custodiol). Human hepatocyte cultures were preserved at 4 degrees C in Celsior, UW and HTK for 2, 6, 12, 24 and 48 h with 6 h of reperfusion. Levels of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH; cell necrosis), 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT; mitochondrial function), and adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP; loss of intracellular energy) were measured.