Apoptotic death of renal tubular cells in experimental sepsis.

Background And Purpose: Renal dysfunction attributable to sepsis was long considered a result of hemodynamic instability and subsequent local ischemia. Recent data show that apoptosis may be implicated also. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of apoptosis and the expression of the bax, bcl-2, caspase-8, and cytochrome c proteins in the renal parenchymal cells of rats with sepsis.

Hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery with a Pfannenstiel incision in beta-thalassemia patients: initial experience.

Introduction: beta-Thalassemia patients have splenomegaly significant enough to require splenectomy; furthermore, these patients also often require concurrent procedures.

Methods: Between January and October 2005, seven patients with beta-thalassemia underwent hand-assisted laparoscopic splenectomy with cholecystectomy, appendectomy, and liver biopsy with the hand-port device introduced through a Pfannenstiel incision.

Results: The median age of the patients was 28 years, and the median spleen length was 23 cm.