Acute appendicitis complicating De Garengeot's hernia treated with combined laparoscopic-open technique: a case series and literature review.

Unlabelled: An acute appendicitis in the context of a De Garengeot's hernia is a very rare event and represents a hard challenge for surgeons. As only few cases have been reported in literature, there is no consensus about its optimal surgical strategy of treatment. Here we present two consecutive cases of female patients presenting an uncommon acute appendicitis in a femoral hernia treated with a combined laparoscopic/open technique.

An unusual case of repeated splenectomy: traumatic rupture of an accessory spleen in a previously splenectomized patient.

Unlabelled: The traumatic rupture of an accessory spleen is a very rare condition and only few cases have been reported in the literature. We describe the case of a 51-year-old man undergone splenectomy for trauma several years before, who developed hemoperitoneum due to a laceration of a voluminous accessory spleen, following an accidental two-meter fall. As a conservative management of the injury was not possible, an accessory splenectomy was then required.

Laparoscopic transcystic exploration for single-stage management of common duct stones and acute cholecystitis.

Background: Common bile duct (CBD) stones are found in 10% of patients who undergo elective laparoscopic surgery for gallstone disease and in 10-20% of patients who present with acute cholecystitis (AC). For the latter, the role of laparoscopic transcystic exploration of the common duct (LTCE) as part of a single-stage procedure is still unknown.

Methods: This study, based on a "laparoscopy first" policy, included 201 subjects with cholecystocholedocholithiasis: 104 underwent a scheduled laparoscopic surgery (group A), and 97 where admitted for AC and had urgent laparoscopy (group B).

Recurrent retroperitoneal hemorrhage in a patient with tuberous sclerosis complex: a case report.

Background: Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is an autosomal dominant disorder. It is characterized by seizures, mental retardation and hamartomatous lesions, including facial angiofibroma, subependymal giant cell astrocytoma, cardiac rhabdomyoma and renal angiomyolipoma (AML). AMLs can bleed severely in the retroperitoneal space.

Variation and heritability in immune gene expression by diseased honeybees.

Social insects are frequent targets for pathogens and have consequently evolved diverse ways to minimize disease impacts, one of which is the innate immune response. Here, a 4-generation mating scheme was carried out to assess heritability and variation in a honeybee (Apis mellifera) immune trait, the production of the key antimicrobial peptide abaecin. Larval offspring from controlled crosses (n = 576 offspring from 36 singly inseminated queens) as well as offspring of field colonies (896 individuals in 53 colonies) were challenged individually with a widespread bee pathogen, the gram-positive bacterium Paenibacillus larvae.