Calcifications and Cystic Morphology on Preoperative Imaging Predict Survival After Resection of Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors.

Background: Radiographic calcifications and cystic morphology are associated with higher and lower tumor grade, respectively, in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs). Whether calcifications and/or cystic morphology could be used preoperatively to predict post-resection survival in patients with PNETs remains elusive.

Methods: Patients undergoing curative-intent resection of well-differentiated PNETs from 2000 to 2017 at eight academic institutions participating in the US Neuroendocrine Tumor Study Group were identified.

Impact of Insurance Status on Survival in Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors.

Background: Insurance status predicts access to medical care in the USA. Previous studies have shown uninsured patients with some malignancies have worse outcomes than insured patients. The impact of insurance status on patients with gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs) is unclear.

Impact of perioperative blood transfusion on survival in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor patients: analysis from the US Neuroendocrine Study Group.

Background: Packed red blood cell (PRBC) transfusion has been associated with worse survival in multiple malignancies but its impact on pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs) is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of PRBC transfusion on survival following PNET resection.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study of PNET patients was performed using the US Neuroendocrine Tumor Study Group database.

Topical Vancomycin for Surgical Prophylaxis in Pediatric Craniofacial Surgeries.

Topical vancomycin has been demonstrated to be safe and effective for reducing surgical site infections (SSIs) following spine surgery in both adults and children, however, there are no studies of its efficacy in reducing SSIs in craniofacial surgery. The SSIs are one of the most common complications following craniofacial surgery. The complexity of craniofacial procedures, use of grafts and implants, long operative durations and larger surgical wounds all contribute to the heightened risk of SSIs in pediatric craniofacial cases.

Defining the Role of Lymphadenectomy for Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors: An Eight-Institution Study of 695 Patients from the US Neuroendocrine Tumor Study Group.

Background: Preoperative factors that reliably predict lymph node (LN) metastases in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNETs) are unclear. The number of LNs needed to accurately stage PanNETs has not been defined.

Methods: Patients who underwent curative-intent resection of non-functional PanNETs at eight institutions from 2000 to 2016 were analyzed.

Topical vancomycin surgical prophylaxis in pediatric open craniotomies: an institutional experience.

OBJECTIVETopical antimicrobial compounds are safe and can reduce cost and complications associated with surgical site infections (SSIs). Topical vancomycin has been an effective tool for reducing SSIs following routine neurosurgical procedures in the spine and following adult craniotomies. However, widespread adoption within the pediatric neurosurgical community has not yet occurred, and there are no studies to report on the safety and efficacy of this intervention.

Topical vancomycin for surgical prophylaxis in non-instrumented pediatric spinal surgeries.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Objective: To determine if topical vancomycin irrigation reduces the incidence of post-operative surgical site infections following pediatric spinal procedures. Surgical site infections (SSIs) following spinal procedures performed in pediatric patients represent a serious complication.

Diagnostic staging laparoscopy in gastric cancer treatment: A cost-effectiveness analysis.

Background And Objectives: Accurate preoperative staging helps avert morbidity, mortality, and cost associated with non-therapeutic laparotomy in gastric cancer (GC) patients. Diagnostic staging laparoscopy (DSL) can detect metastases with high sensitivity, but its cost-effectiveness has not been previously studied. We developed a decision analysis model to assess the cost-effectiveness of preoperative DSL in GC workup.

Cross-species conservation of complementary amino acid-ribonucleobase interactions and their potential for ribosome-free encoding.

The role of amino acid-RNA nucleobase interactions in the evolution of RNA translation and protein-mRNA autoregulation remains an open area of research. We describe the inference of pairwise amino acid-RNA nucleobase interaction preferences using structural data from known RNA-protein complexes. We observed significant matching between an amino acid's nucleobase affinity and corresponding codon content in both the standard genetic code and mitochondrial variants.