Transabdominal-pelvic-perineal (TAPP) anterolateral thigh flap: A new reconstructive technique for complex defects following extended abdominoperineal resection.

Background: Abdominoperineal resection (APR) following radiotherapy is associated with a high rate of perineal wound complications. The anterolateral thigh (ALT) flap, combined with the vastus lateralis (VL) muscle, can cover complex perineal and pelvic anteroposterior defects. This is used for the first time transabdominally through the pelvis and the perineum (TAPP) in the infero-posterior directions; this technique has been described and illustrated in this study.

Prospective Randomized Study to Compare Lymphocele and Lymphorrhea Control Following Inguinal and Axillary Therapeutic Lymph Node Dissection With or Without the Use of an Ultrasonic Scalpel.

Background: Many attempts to prevent lymphatic complications following therapeutic lymph node dissection (TLND) have included modifications in surgical techniques through the use of ultrasonic scalpels (USS) or lymphostatic agents. Previous randomized studies that enrolled heterogeneous groups of patients attempted to confirm the efficacy of such techniques. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of the USS following TLND.

Successful minimally invasive surgery for primary hyperparathyroidism: influence of preoperative imaging and intraoperative parathyroid hormone levels.

Purpose: Adenoma is the main parathyroid disorder leading to primary hyperparathyroidism (PHP). Minimally invasive parathyroidectomy (MIP) is recognized as a valid procedure for adenoma-related PHP. It requires precise preoperative localization combining Tc-99m-MIBI (methoxy-isobutyl-isonitrile) scintigraphy and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with x-ray computed tomography (CT) and intraoperative confirmation of successful excision by change in intact parathormone (iPTH) levels.

Multidisciplinary approach of lumbo-sacral chordoma: From oncological treatment to reconstructive surgery.

Lumbo-sacral chordoma is a rare, slow-growing tumor, arising from embryonic nothocordal remnants. Wide en bloc excision with clear margins remains mandatory to achieve satisfactory recurrence rates and disease-free survival. No chemotherapy has been demonstrated to be effective and radiotherapy is only marginally effective.

Chromatin Immunoprecipitation Assay: Examining the Interaction of NFkB with the VEGF Promoter.

The chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay is a versatile technique used to evaluate the association of proteins with specific DNA regions both in vivo and in vitro. This assay can be used to identify proteins associated with a specific region of the genome, or the opposite, to identify the many regions of the genome associated with a particular protein. The ChIP assay can also be used to analyze binding of transcription factors, transcription cofactors, DNA replication factors, and DNA repair proteins.

Induction of VEGF Secretion in Cardiomyocytes by Mechanical Stretch.

Cells respond to their environment by relaying mechanical force into biochemical stimuli that activate intracellular signal transduction pathways. Subjecting cells to in vitro mechanical stretch can mimic cellular responses to changes in the rigidity of the extracellular matrix. Here we describe an in vitro model system that mimics stretch overload in vivo.

Assessment of Myocardial Function in Children before and after Autologous Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation.

Background: Increased interest is focused on the long-term adverse effects of bone marrow transplantation. Subclinical cardiac involvement appears common in adults, but only a few reports have examined pediatric patients.

Materials And Methods: A prospective case-control study of 19 children with normal cardiac function undergoing autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) was performed.

Catecholamine metabolism in paraganglioma and pheochromocytoma: similar tumors in different sites?

Pheochromocytoma (PHEO) and paraganglioma (PGL) are catecholamine-producing neuroendocrine tumors that arise respectively inside or outside the adrenal medulla. Several reports have shown that adrenal glucocorticoids (GC) play an important regulatory role on the genes encoding the main enzymes involved in catecholamine (CAT) synthesis i.e.

Mid-gut ACTH-secreting neuroendocrine tumor unmasked with (18)F-dihydroxyphenylalanine-positron emission tomography.

Unlabelled: Ectopic ACTH Cushing's syndrome (EAS) is often caused by neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) of lungs, pancreas, thymus, and other less frequent locations. Localizing the source of ACTH can be challenging. A 64-year-old man presented with rapidly progressing fatigue, muscular weakness, and dyspnea.

Bit-1 is an essential regulator of myogenic differentiation.

Muscle differentiation requires a complex signaling cascade that leads to the production of multinucleated myofibers. Genes regulating the intrinsic mitochondrial apoptotic pathway also function in controlling cell differentiation. How such signaling pathways are regulated during differentiation is not fully understood.

Eculizumab to treat antibody-mediated rejection in a 7-year-old kidney transplant recipient.

We report on successful early eculizumab administration to treat acute antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR) in a highly sensitized kidney transplant recipient. The recipient is a 7-year-old boy who received, 6 months after a desensitization protocol with monthly intravenous immunoglobulin infusion, a second kidney transplant in the presence of low donor-specific antibodies (DSAs). Both pretransplant lymphocytotoxic and flow cytometric crossmatch were negative.

Mutations in PTRH2 cause novel infantile-onset multisystem disease with intellectual disability, microcephaly, progressive ataxia, and muscle weakness.

Objective: To identify the cause of a so-far unreported phenotype of infantile-onset multisystem neurologic, endocrine, and pancreatic disease (IMNEPD).

Methods: We characterized a consanguineous family of Yazidian-Turkish descent with IMNEPD. The two affected children suffer from intellectual disability, postnatal microcephaly, growth retardation, progressive ataxia, distal muscle weakness, peripheral demyelinating sensorimotor neuropathy, sensorineural deafness, exocrine pancreas insufficiency, hypothyroidism, and show signs of liver fibrosis.

The methyltransferases enhancer of zeste homolog (EZH) 1 and EZH2 control hepatocyte homeostasis and regeneration.

To investigate the role of enhancer of zeste homolog (EZH) 1 and EZH2 in liver homeostasis, mice were generated that carried Ezh1(-/-) and EZH2(fl/fl) alleles and an Alb-Cre transgene. Only the combined loss of EZH1 and EZH2 in mouse hepatocytes caused a depletion of global trimethylation on Lys 27 of histone H3 (H3K27me3) marks and the specific loss of over ∼1900 genes at 3 mo of age. Ezh1(-/-),Ezh2(fl/fl)Alb-Cre mice exhibited progressive liver abnormalities manifested by the development of regenerative nodules and concomitant periportal fibrosis, inflammatory infiltration, and activation of A6-positive hepatic progenitor cells at 8 mo of age.

Resveratrol prevents tumorigenesis in mouse model of Kras activated sporadic colorectal cancer by suppressing oncogenic Kras expression.

Sporadic and non-hereditary mutations account for the majority of colorectal cancers (CRC). After the loss of adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) function and activation of the β-catenin/LEF signaling pathway, activating mutations in Kras are major drivers of sporadic CRC. Preventing the outgrowth of cells that develop sporadic mutations will decrease CRC.

The unresolved case of sacral chordoma: from misdiagnosis to challenging surgery and medical therapy resistance.

Purpose: A sacral chordoma is a rare, slow-growing, primary bone tumor, arising from embryonic notochordal remnants. Radical surgery is the only hope for cure. The aim of our present study is to analyse our experience with the challenging treatment of this rare tumor, to review current treatment modalities and to assess the outcome based on R status.

Detection and quantification of bacterial biofilms combining high-frequency acoustic microscopy and targeted lipid microparticles.

Background: Immuno-compromised patients such as those undergoing cancer chemotherapy are susceptible to bacterial infections leading to biofilm matrix formation. This surrounding biofilm matrix acts as a diffusion barrier that binds up antibiotics and antibodies, promoting resistance to treatment. Developing non-invasive imaging methods that detect biofilm matrix in the clinic are needed.

Accuracy of sentinel lymph node dissection for melanoma staging in the presence of a collision tumour with a lymphoproliferative disease.

Sentinel lymph node dissection (SLND) identifies melanoma patients with metastatic disease who would benefit from radical lymph node dissection (RLND). Rarely, patients with melanoma have an underlying lymphoproliferative disease, and melanoma metastases might develop as collision tumours in the sentinel lymph node (SLN). The aim of this study was to measure the incidence and examine the effect of collision tumours on the accuracy of SLND and on the validity of staging in this setting.

Berberine regulates AMP-activated protein kinase signaling pathways and inhibits colon tumorigenesis in mice.

Colorectal cancer, a leading cause of cancer death, has been linked to inflammation and obesity. Berberine, an isoquinoline alkaloid, possesses anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetes and anti-tumor properties. In the azoxymethane initiated and dextran sulfate sodium (AOM/DSS) promoted colorectal carcinogenesis mouse model, berberine treated mice showed a 60% reduction in tumor number (P = 0.

[Tumors of the musculoskeletal system: from the "lumps" to multidisciplinary care].

Management of musculoskeletal tumours usually begins with the appearance of a lump or bump, or the onset of unspecific symptoms. A poor initial work-up, a faulty biopsy or an inadequate resection may have a severe impact on the prognosis, including re-interventions, amputation, local recurrence or systemic spread of the disease. The patient with a suspicious lesion should be referred to a "sarcoma centers" where a planned and well-performed diagnostic work-up will allow a precise diagnosis in terms of histology and staging.

Diagnosis and workup of 522 consecutive patients with neuroendocrine neoplasms in Switzerland.

Background: Neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) are difficult to diagnose. We used SwissNET data to characterise NEN patients followed in the two academic centres of western Switzerland (WS), and to compare them with patients followed in eastern Switzerland (ES) as well as with international guidelines.

Method: SwissNET is a prospective database covering data from 522 consecutive patients (285 men, 237 women) from WS (n = 99) and ES (n = 423).

Targeting the mTOR pathway in hepatocellular carcinoma: current state and future trends.

Mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) regulates cell growth, metabolism and aging in response to nutrients, cellular energy stage and growth factors. mTOR is frequently up-regulated in cancer including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and is associated with bad prognosis, poorly differentiated tumors, and earlier recurrence. Blocking mTOR with rapamycin and first generation mTOR inhibitors, called rapalogs, has shown promising reduction of HCC tumor growth in preclinical models.