Impact of surgery on local and systemic responses of cytokines and adhesion molecules.

Background/aims: Operation may result in various kinds of biological responses in patients who undergo surgery. Recent studies revealed cytokine network is greatly involved in the biological response to surgical stress, as sepsis. Extended surgical injuries may result in a deregulated hyperinflammatory response.

Primary intrathoracic goiter.

Nodular goiter is a common disease in Taiwan, and substernal or intrathoracic goiters are not infrequent. However, intrathoracic goiters are mainly of the secondary type and primary intrathoracic goiters are rarely seen. We report a 55-year-old woman who was incidentally found to have an ectopic goiter located in the anterior upper mediastinum with the initial presenting symptom of productive cough.

Glutamine-supplemented total parenteral nutrition attenuates plasma interleukin-6 in surgical patients with lower disease severity.

Aim: Previous reports have shown that decrease in plasma glutamine (Gln) level following major surgery may contribute to the state of immunosuppression. Gln supplementation improves the depletion of body Gln pool, and may have indirect effect on reducing proinflammatory mediator release. This study evaluated whether the effect of Gln dipeptide-enriched total parenteral nutrition (TPN) on postoperative cytokine alteration depended on the disease severity of surgical patients.

Characteristics of thyroidectomy in Taiwan.

Background And Purpose: Thyroidectomy is a common treatment for thyroid disorders in Taiwan, and constitutes a significant percentage of medical expenses. This study investigated the characteristics of thyroidectomy in Taiwan.

Methods: A total of 21 senior general surgeons from 16 medical centers and 5 regional hospitals participated.

Operative strategy in follicular thyroid cancer.

Background And Purpose: Surgery is the main treatment for most thyroid cancers. However, the indications for subtotal or radical thyroidectomy in cases of follicular thyroid cancer remain controversial. This study examined the indications for subtotal thyroidectomy or radical total thyroidectomy in patients with follicular cancer.