Does prehabilitation before esophagectomy improve postoperative outcomes? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Esophagectomy for esophageal cancer is associated with high morbidity. It remains unclear whether prehabilitation, a strategy aimed at optimizing patients' physical and mental functioning prior to surgery, improves postoperative outcomes. A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the effect of prehabilitation on post-operative outcomes after esophagectomy.

A novel case of tracheal deviation secondary to percutaneous tracheostomy.

Background: This is a novel case of iatrogenic airway stenosis and tracheal deviation in a patient with previous percutaneous dilational tracheostomy.

Case Presentation: This 65-year-old male presented with a short segment of combined flap-valve stenosis and tracheomalacia, with right tracheal deviation distal to the stenosis. Clinical staging of the stenosis corresponded to a Cotton-Meyer grade III and McCaffrey stage III.

Management of severe asymmetric pectus excavatum complicating aortic repair in a patient with Marfan's syndrome.

We describe the case of a 28-year old man with Marfan's syndrome and severe pectus excavatum who required an aortic root replacement for an ascending aortic aneurysm. There was a near-vertical angulation of the sternum that presented challenges with opening and exposure of the heart during aortic surgery. Furthermore, removal of the sternal retractor after aortic repair resulted in sudden loss of cardiac output.

Thoracoscopic Nuss procedure for young adults with pectus excavatum: excellent midterm results and patient satisfaction.

Background: Chest wall remodeling by substernal placement of a Nuss bar is the treatment of choice for children with pectus excavatum; however, it has not yet gained widespread acceptance in adults. We demonstrate that thoracoscopic Nuss bar insertion in young adults is safe and leads to excellent results.

Methods: Adult patients who underwent thoracoscopic Nuss bar insertion at one institution between 2006 and 2012 were identified.

MicroRNA expression profiling of esophageal cancer before and after induction chemoradiotherapy.

Background: The prognosis for esophageal cancer is poor but may be improved by neoadjuvant therapy. A complete pathologic response (pCR) is associated with improved survival. We conducted a study to profile the expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) in esophageal cancer before and after induction therapy.

Primary tracheal Ewing's sarcoma.

Ewing's sarcoma is a malignant neoplasm usually occurring in the long and flat bones of children and adolescents. Extraskeletal Ewing's sarcoma is extremely rare, and we believe this has not been described previously in the trachea. We report a case of primary tracheal Extraskeletal Ewing's sarcoma that presented with acute airway obstruction.

Plk4 is required for cytokinesis and maintenance of chromosomal stability.

Aneuploidy is a characteristic feature of established cancers and can promote tumor development. Aneuploidy may arise directly, through unequal distribution of chromosomes into daughter cells, or indirectly, through a tetraploid intermediate. The polo family kinase Plk4/Sak is required for late mitotic progression and is haploinsufficient for tumor suppression in mice.

Acquired paralysis of the diaphragm.

Acquired DP in adults is multifactorial. Symptoms largely depend on whether or not the paresis is unilateral or bilateral and on the etiology, onset, progression, and presence of underlying pulmonary disease. UDP is a well-tolerated condition with a favorable prognosis.

Results of an aggressive approach to resection of locally recurrent rectal cancer.

Background: The value of resection for locally recurrent rectal cancer (LRRC) remains controversial. We analyzed outcomes of an aggressive approach to resection of LRRC.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of 52 consecutive patients who underwent resection of LRRC from September 1997 through August 2005.

Plk4 haploinsufficiency causes mitotic infidelity and carcinogenesis.

The polo-like kinase Plk4 (also called Sak) is required for late mitotic progression, cell survival and postgastrulation embryonic development. Here we identified a phenotype resulting from Plk4 haploinsufficiency in Plk4 heterozygous cells and mice. Plk4+/- embryonic fibroblasts had increased centrosomal amplification, multipolar spindle formation and aneuploidy compared with wild-type cells.

Sak/Plk4 and mitotic fidelity.

Sak/Plk4 differs from other polo-like kinases in having only a single polo box, which assumes a novel dimer fold that localizes to the nucleolus, centrosomes and the cleavage furrow. Sak expression increases gradually in S through M phase, and Sak is destroyed by APC/C dependent proteolysis. Sak-deficient mouse embryos arrest at E7.