Enhanced Recovery Program for Colorectal Surgery: a Focus on Elderly Patients Over 75 Years Old.

Background: An enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol can effectively improve perioperative outcomes in surgical patients by reducing complication rates and hospital stay. However, its application in elderly patients has yielded contradictory results. The aim of this study was to evaluate surgical outcomes in a cohort of elderly patients undergoing colorectal resection in our unit before and after the introduction of ERAS.

The prognostic role of perioperative allogeneic blood transfusions in gastric cancer patients undergoing curative resection: A systematic review and meta-analysis of non-randomized, adjusted studies.

The impact of allogeneic perioperative blood transfusions (APTs) on the prognosis of gastric cancer patients undergoing curative-intent gastrectomy is still a highly debated topic. Two meta-analyses were published in 2015, and new studies report conflicting results. A literature review was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, updated to March 1, 2016.

Surgical anatomy of gastric lymphatic drainage.

The lymphatic system of the stomach is a multidirectional and complex network composed of lymphatic nodes and vessels. Lymph node metastasis is the most important prognostic factor in curable gastric cancer and lymph node dissection is one of the main areas of surgical research in gastric cancer. Therefore the anatomical classification and embryological development of the gastric lymphatic system have been well described in the literature.

Neo-adjuvant chemo(radio)therapy in gastric cancer: Current status and future perspectives.

In the last 20 years, several clinical trials on neoadjuvant chemotherapy and chemo-radiotherapy as a therapeutic approach for locally advanced gastric cancer have been performed. Even if more data are necessary to define the roles of these approaches, the results of preoperative treatments in the combined treatment of gastric adenocarcinoma are encouraging because this approach has led to a higher rate of curative surgical resection. Owing to the results of most recent randomized phase III studies, neoadjuvant chemotherapy for locally advanced resectable gastric cancer has satisfied the determination of level I evidence.

Acute Liver Failure in an Adult, a Rare Complication of Alagille Syndrome: Case Report and Brief Review.

Alagille syndrome (AS) is an autosomal-dominant, multisystem disorder affecting the liver, heart, eyes, skeleton, and face. The manifestations are predominantly pediatric. Diagnosis is based on findings of a paucity of bile ducts on liver biopsy combined with ≥3 of 5 major clinical criteria.