Publications by authors named "Oliver Owen Koch"

Impaired E-cadherin (Cdh1) functions are closely associated with cellular dedifferentiation, infiltrative tumor growth and metastasis, particularly in gastric cancer. The class-I carcinogen () colonizes gastric epithelial cells and induces Cdh1 shedding, which is primarily mediated by the secreted bacterial protease high temperature requirement A (HtrA). In this study, we used human primary epithelial cell lines derived from gastroids and mucosoids from different healthy donors to investigate HtrA-mediated Cdh1 cleavage and the subsequent impact on bacterial pathogenesis in a non-neoplastic context.

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Purpose: Robotic-assisted surgery is an alternative technique for patients undergoing minimal invasive cholecystectomy (CHE). The aim of this study is to compare the outcomes and costs of laparoscopic versus robotic CHE, previously described as the major disadvantage of the robotic system, in a single Austrian tertiary center.

Methods: A retrospective single-center analysis was carried out of all patients who underwent an elective minimally invasive cholecystectomy between January 2010 and August 2020 at our tertiary referral institution.

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Purpose: Electrocautery-enhanced lumen-apposing stents (EC-LAMS) were originally designed for the drainage of the gallbladder, bile duct, and pancreas pseudocysts. Throughout the years, several off-label indications were established. This study aims to evaluate the indication, safety, efficacy, and outcome of all LAMS implanted in a single tertiary referral center.

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Total neoadjuvant therapy (TNT)-the neoadjuvant employment of radiotherapy (RT) or chemoradiation (CRT) as well as chemotherapy (CHT) before surgery-may lead to increased pathological complete response (pCR) rates as well as a reduction in the risk of distant metastases in locally advanced rectal cancer. Furthermore, increased response rates may allow organ-sparing strategies in a growing number of patients with low rectal cancer and upfront immunotherapy has shown very promising early results in patients with microsatellite instability (MSI)-high/mismatch-repair-deficient (dMMR) tumors. Despite the lack of a generally accepted treatment standard, we strongly believe that existing data is sufficient to adopt the concept of TNT and immunotherapy in clinical practice.

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Purpose: Perioperative chemotherapy with FLOT constitutes a standard of care approach for locally advanced, resectable gastric or gastro-esophageal junction (GEJ) cancer. We aimed at investigating anthropometric, CT-based and FDG-PET-based body composition parameters and dynamics during this multidisciplinary approach and the impact on clinical outcomes.

Methods: This retrospective, single-center study was based on medical records and (FDG-PET)-CT images among gastric/GEJ cancer patients undergoing perioperative FLOT chemotherapy.

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Purpose: A few studies suggest that hormones play a role in the motility of the lower esophagus, but data is rare. In this prospective study we evaluated the correlation between hormones (TSH, fT3, fT4, calcitonin, gastrin, and VIP) and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), esophageal motility disorders, and gastrointestinal symptoms.

Methods: 100 consecutive patients with reflux symptoms and dysphagia were hospitalized for diagnostic evaluation.

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Background: Some medical disciplines have reported a strong decrease of emergencies during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic; however, the effect of the lockdown on general surgery emergencies remains unclear.

Methods: This study is a retrospective, multicenter analysis of general surgery emergency operations performed during the period from 1 March to 15th 2020 lockdown and in the same time period of 2019 in three medical centers providing emergency surgical care to the area Salzburg-North, Austria.

Results: In total 165 emergency surgeries were performed in the study period of 2020 compared to 287 in 2019.

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Background: AirSeal® is a valve-free insufflation system that enables a stable pneumoperitoneum with continuous smoke evacuation and CO recirculation during laparoscopic surgery. Comparative evidence on the use of AirSeal® and standard CO insufflator in laparoscopic general surgery procedures is scarce. The aim of this study was to compare surgical outcomes between AirSeal® and standard CO insufflators in patients undergoing the most frequently performed laparoscopic procedures.

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Background: The assessment of hiatal hernias (HH) is typically done with barium swallow X‑ray, upper endoscopy, and by high-resolution esophageal manometry (HRM). The aim of this study was to assess the clinical utility of these methods in terms of HH detection and their correlation to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

Methods: A retrospective comparative analysis of patients with symptoms of GERD was carried out.

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Several methods for assessment of methodological quality in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have been developed during the past few years. Factors associated with quality in laparoscopic surgery have not been defined till date. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between bibliometric and the methodological quality of laparoscopic RCTs.

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Background And Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the first human use of magnetic resonance-visible implants for intraperitoneal onlay repair of incisional hernias regarding magnetic resonance presentability.

Methods: Ten patients were surgically treated with intraperitoneally positioned superparamagnetic flat meshes. A magnetic resonance investigation with a qualified protocol was performed on postoperative day 1 and at 3 months postoperatively to assess mesh appearance and demarcation.

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The clinical effects of laparoscopy in the pulmonary function of obese patients have been poorly investigated in the past. A systematic review was undertaken, with the objective to identify published evidence on pulmonary complications in laparoscopic surgery in the obese. Outcome measures included pulmonary morbidity, pulmonary infection and mortality.

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Background: Obesity has been reported to adversely affect the outcome of laparoscopic antireflux surgery (LARS). This study examined pre- and postoperative clinical and objective outcomes and quality of life in obese and normal-weight patients following LARS at a specialized centre.

Methods: Prospective data from patients subjected to LARS (Nissen or Toupet fundoplication) for symptomatic gastroesophageal reflux disease in the General Public Hospital of Zell am See were analyzed.

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Background: Increasing life expectancy requires specific attention on geriatric patients. Data support a potential reduction of surgical morbidity for patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery as compared to conventional surgery. The aim of this study was to investigate the comparative effect of laparoscopic and open colorectal surgery on geriatric patients.

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Background: Seroma formation is a frequent postoperative complication following open ventral hernia repair (OVHR), especially in cases requiring wide subcutaneous dissection (WSD). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a new low-thrombin fibrin sealant for seroma prevention.

Methods: A total of 60 consecutive patients with median incisional hernias who required OVHR with WSD of at least 100 cm(2) were included in the prospective non-randomized study.

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Background: AirSeal is a novel class of valve-free insufflation system that enables a stable pneumoperitoneum with continuous smoke evacuation and carbon dioxide (CO₂) recirculation during laparoscopic surgery. Comparison data to standard CO₂ pressure pneumoperitoneum insufflators is scarce. The aim of this study is to evaluate the potential advantages of AirSeal compared to a standard CO₂ insufflator.

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Background: Gastrointestinal and abdominal bleeding can lead to life-threatening situations. Embolization is considered a feasible and safe treatment option. The relevance of surgery has thus diminished in the past.

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Background: Endoscopic grading of the gastroesophageal flap valve (GEFV) is simple, reproducible, and suggested to be a good predictor of reflux activity. This study aimed to investigate the potential correlation between grading of the GEFV and quality of life (QoL), gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms, esophageal manometry, multichannel intraluminal impedance monitoring (MII) data, and size of the hiatal defect.

Methods: The study included 43 patients with documented chronic GERD who underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, esophageal manometry, and ambulatory MII monitoring before laparoscopic fundoplication.

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