Ideal timing of early cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis: An ACS-NSQIP review.

Background: Current guidelines fail to specify optimal timing of early cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis. We hypothesized delaying operation past hospital day (HD) 2 would result in increased 30-day morbidity and mortality.

Methods: The ACS-NSQIP database was queried from 2012 to 2015 for all cholecystectomies for acute cholecystitis from HD 1-7.

Population-level outcomes of early versus delayed appendectomy for acute appendicitis using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program.

Background: The optimal timing of appendectomy for acute appendicitis has been analyzed with mixed results. We hypothesized that delayed appendectomy would be associated with increased 30-d morbidity and mortality.

Materials And Methods: The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was queried for all patients undergoing nonelective appendectomy from 2012 to 2015 with a postoperative diagnosis of appendicitis.

Effects of ketamine on endotoxin and traumatic brain injury induced cytokine production in the rat.

Background: Endotoxemia from lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induces systemic cytokine production, whereas traumatic brain injury (TBI) increases intracerebral cytokine production. In anesthetic doses, ketamine has potent anti-inflammatory properties. However, its anti-inflammatory effects at subanesthetic doses and its effects on TBI-induced inflammation have not been fully investigated.

Ketamine suppresses LPS-induced bile reflux and gastric bleeding in the rat.

Background: Although ketamine has many beneficial effects in a rat model of noninfectious inflammation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), its effects on gut ileus are unknown. We hypothesized that ketamine would improve LPS-induced ileus and therefore examined its effects on gastric emptying and intestinal transit as well as duodenogastric bile reflux and associated gastric bleeding.

Methods: Male rats received saline or ketamine (7 mg/kg ip) 1 hour before saline or LPS (20 mg/kg ip) for 5 hours.

Laparotomy attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced gastric bleeding in the rat.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) increases systemic inflammation and causes duodenogastric reflux of bile and gastric bleeding. Laparotomy prevents gastric injury from the luminal irritant bile, but its effects on LPS-induced gastric injury are unknown. We hypothesized that laparotomy would diminish inflammation and attenuate gastric bleeding caused by LPS.

Ketamine-induced hepatoprotection: the role of heme oxygenase-1.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) causes hepatic injury that is mediated, in part, by upregulation of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). Ketamine has been shown to prevent these effects. Because upregulation of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) has hepatoprotective effects, as does carbon monoxide (CO), an end product of the HO-1 catalytic reaction, we examined the effects of HO-1 inhibition on ketamine-induced hepatoprotection and assessed whether CO could attenuate LPS-induced hepatic injury.

Neurothekeoma.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate and share the experiences at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in diagnosing, treating, and following patients with neurothekeoma.