Diagnosis of Clinical Complete Response by Probe-Based Confocal Laser Endomicroscopy (pCLE) After Chemoradiation for Advanced Rectal Cancer.

Background: Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRxt) followed by radical surgery is the optimal treatment for advanced rectal adenocarcinoma. Patients with clinical complete response (cCR) may be followed closely without immediate surgery. Probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy (pCLE) is a real-time in vivo method that allows acquisition of optical biopsies with 1000 times magnification, evaluating both epithelial and vascular patterns.

Long-term survival after surgical treatment followed by adjuvant systemic therapy for primary duodenal melanoma.

Primary mucosal malignant melanomas of the gastrointestinal tract are rare tumors associated to poor prognosis. Primary duodenal involvement by pigmented lesions is even more uncommon, and only a few reports exist in the literature. We report the case of a patient with large primary duodenal melanoma that presented with upper intestinal obstruction and bleeding that was submitted to urgent pancreaticoduodenectomy followed by adjuvant systemic therapy with an oral alkylating agent (temozolomide) plus intravenous cisplatin.

SUBCUTANEOUS ONLAY LAPAROSCOPIC APPROACH (SCOLA) FOR VENTRAL HERNIA AND RECTUS ABDOMINIS DIASTASIS REPAIR: TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION AND INITIAL RESULTS.

Background: Diastasis of the rectus abdominis muscles (DMRA) is frequent and may be associated with abdominal wall hernias. For patients with redudant skin, dermolipectomy and plication of the diastasis is the most commonly used procedure. However, there is a significant group of patients who do not require skin resection or do not want large incisions.

Effect of chaotropes in Chagas disease and leishmaniasis cross-reacting serology assays for epidemiological surveys.

Introduction: Serological cross-reactivity between leishmaniasis and Chagas disease, especially at low titers, leads to difficulties of the seroepidemiological interpretation.

Methods: We have studied the ability of urea as a chaotrope to select high-avidity antibodies in IgG ELISA, thus reducing low-avidity IgG cross-reactivity in serologically positive samples in both assays.

Results: Using 0.

Torsion of a giant antimesenteric lipoma of the sigmoid: a rare cause of acute abdomen.

Lipomas of the gastrointestinal tract are uncommon benign tumors of mature adipocytes and may occur in any portion along the gut. Depending on location they may have a variety of clinical presentations and even simulate malignant neoplasms. We report a case of a 58-year-old woman who presented with acute pelvic pain.

Complete Response for More than 4 Years following Neoadjuvant FOLFOX and Cytoreductive Surgery with Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy for a Patient with Advanced Gastric Cancer with Extensive Peritoneal Carcinomatosis.

Background: Peritoneal carcinomatosis is usually a terminal disease with short median survival in patients with gastric cancer. Systemic FOLFOX is one of the most used regimens in the first-line treatment of metastatic gastric cancer. However, there is scarce evidence that cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and intraperitoneal heated chemotherapy (HIPEC) improves oncological outcomes of patients with advanced gastric cancer.

Association between histopathological alterations and diarrhea severity in acute intestinal graft-versus-host disease.

Gastrointestinal (GI) acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) remains one of the most important complications of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT). The diagnosis of this complication is largely dependent on clinical symptoms, but GI biopsies are warranted in most cases, due to the multitude of potential causes that coexist in patients with a clinical suspicion of this complication. In addition, several lines of evidence support that the GI is not only a target organ in aGVHD, but also a key mediator of the pathogenesis of this condition.

MAST CELLS DISTINGUISH EOSINOPHILIC ESOPHAGITIS IN PEDIATRIC PATIENTS.

Background:: Mast cells exert a substantial role in gastrointestinal allergic diseases. Therefore, it is reasonable to presume that mast cell may aid diagnosis in eosinophilic gastroenteropathy.

Objective:: To evaluate whether mast cell count in the esophageal epithelium can discriminate eosinophilic esophagitis, proton-pump inhibitor (PPI)-responsive eosinophilic esophagitis and gastroesophageal reflux esophagitis.

Guidelines for the management of neuroendocrine tumours by the Brazilian gastrointestinal tumour group.

Neuroendocrine tumours are a heterogeneous group of diseases with a significant variety of diagnostic tests and treatment modalities. Guidelines were developed by North American and European groups to recommend their best management. However, local particularities and relativisms found worldwide led us to create Brazilian guidelines.

Primary liposarcoma of the pancreas: A review illustrated by findings from a recent case.

Liposarcoma is the most common soft tissue sarcoma and accounts for 15%-20% of all mesenchymal malignancies. The tumor occurs most frequently in limbs and retroperitoneum, with only rare instances of visceral location reported. Pancreas is a very rare site of primary liposarcoma, with a total of seven cases reported since 1979 and only four of those in the English literature.

Synchronous resection of pancreatic serous cystadenocarcinoma and liver metastasis: First reported case and review of literature.

Cystic neoplasms account for approximately 10-20% of all pancreatic cysts and 1% of pancreatic cancers. Serous cystadenomas are considered benign tumors with almost no malignant potential, and thus the management is typically only observation with serial imaging. According to the current World Health Organization classification, cases with distant metastases are defined as serous cystadenocarcinomas.

Intramucosal carcinoma of the appendix arising from traditional serrated adenoma.

Introduction. Serrated adenomas of the appendix are rare and usually found during appendectomy or autopsies. The preoperative diagnosis of these tumors is uncommon.

Effectiveness of the endotracheal tube cuff on the trachea: physical and mechanical aspects.

Introduction: The inflation pressure of the endotracheal tube cuff can cause ischemia of the tracheal mucosa at high pressures; thus, it can cause important tracheal morbidity and tracheal microaspiration of the oropharyngeal secretion, or it can even cause pneumonia associated with mechanical ventilation if the pressure of the cuff is insufficient.

Objective: In order to investigate the effectiveness of the RUSCH® 7.5 mm endotracheal tube cuff, this study was designed to investigate the physical and mechanical aspects of the cuff in contact with the trachea.

Focal prostatic atrophy: morphologic classification and immunohistochemistry.

Objective: To describe the morphology of focal prostatic atrophy and propose a comprehensive histologic classification for a proper diagnostic recognition.

Study Design: A broad immunohistochemical study was performed as an adjunct to its recognition as well as a contribution to pathogenesis.

Results: A morphologic continuum was seen on needle biopsies.

Defective apoptosis in intestinal and mesenteric adipose tissue of Crohn's disease patients.

Background: Crohn's disease (CD) is associated with complex pathogenic pathways involving defects in apoptosis mechanisms. Recently, mesenteric adipose tissue (MAT) has been associated with CD ethiopathology, since adipose thickening is detected close to the affected intestinal area. However, the potential role of altered apoptosis in MAT of CD has not been addressed.

Passiflora edulis peel intake and ulcerative colitis: approaches for prevention and treatment.

Inflammatory bowel disease is a chronic relapsing disease that affects millions of people worldwide; its pathogenesis is influenced by genetic, environmental, microbiological, and immunological factors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of short- and long-term Passiflora edulis peel intake on the antioxidant status, microbiota, and short-chain fatty acids formation in rats with 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulphonic acid-induced colitis using two "in vivo" experiments: chronic (prevention) and acute (treatment). The colitis damage score was determined using macroscopic and microscopic analyses.

Controversial predictors of biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy: a study from a Latin American (Brazilian) institution.

Purpose: To analyze controversial clinicopathologic predictors of biochemical recurrence after surgery: age, race, tumor extent on surgical specimen, tumor extent on needle biopsy, Gleason score 3 + 4 vs 4 + 3, and amount of extent of extraprostatic extension and positive surgical margins.

Materials And Methods: The needle biopsies and the correspondent surgical specimens were analyzed from 400 patients. Time to recurrence was analyzed with the Kaplan-Meier curves and risk of shorter time to recurrence using Cox univariate and multivariate analysis.

The value of the 2005 International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) modified Gleason grading system as a predictor of biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy.

Purpose: To compare time and risk to biochemical recurrence (BR) after radical prostatectomy of two chronologically different groups of patients using the standard and the modified Gleason system (MGS).

Methods: Cohort 1 comprised biopsies of 197 patients graded according to the standard Gleason system (SGS) in the period 1997/2004, and cohort 2, 176 biopsies graded according to the modified system in the period 2005/2011. Time to BR was analyzed with the Kaplan-Meier product-limit analysis and prediction of shorter time to recurrence using univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards model.

Adenocarcinoma on needle prostatic biopsies: does reactive stroma predicts biochemical recurrence in patients following radical prostatectomy?

Objective: There is evidence that reactive stroma in different cancers may regulate tumor progression. The aim of this study is to establish any possible relation of reactive stroma grading on needle prostatic biopsies to biochemical recurrence.

Materials And Methods: The study group comprised 266 biopsies from consecutive patients submitted to radical prostatectomy.

Rectal forceps biopsy procedure in cystic fibrosis: technical aspects and patients perspective for clinical trials feasibility.

Background: Measurements of CFTR function in rectal biopsies ex vivo have been used for diagnosis and prognosis of Cystic Fibrosis (CF) disease. Here, we aimed to evaluate this procedure regarding: i) viability of the rectal specimens obtained by biopsy forceps for ex vivo bioelectrical and biochemical laboratory analyses; and ii) overall assessment (comfort, invasiveness, pain, sedation requirement, etc.) of the rectal forceps biopsy procedure from the patients perspective to assess its feasibility as an outcome measure in clinical trials.

Animal model for training in sentinel lymph node biopsy of the stomach through combined methods.

Purpose: Create and validate a proposed animal model for training in sentinel lymph node biopsy of the stomach.

Methods: In thirty-two rabbits, through a laparotomy, they received a subserosal injection of 0.1 ml of phytate labeled with technetium-99m (0.

Prostate total tumor extent versus index tumor extent--which is predictive of biochemical recurrence following radical prostatectomy?

Purpose: It is controversial whether tumor extent in radical prostatectomies predicts biochemical recurrence following surgery. We compared the predictive value of total tumor extent vs dominant nodule (index tumor) extent.

Materials And Methods: A mean of 32 paraffin blocks was processed from prostate surgical specimens step sectioned at 3 to 5 mm intervals from 300 patients treated with radical retropubic prostatectomy.

Rare gastric inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor in an adult woman: a case report with review of the literature.

Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) of the stomach is extremely rare and its prognosis is unpredictable. We present a 37-year-old woman with a gastric IMT. She presented epigastric pain since 2 months, anemia and weight loss associated.