The prepped vaginal canal may be a sterile conduit for ventral hernia mesh insertion: a prospective comparative study.

Background: Although still experimental, natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) aims to use the natural orifices for intraabdominal surgery. Pure transvaginal umbilical hernia repair has been reported. However, mesh protection devices were used to minimize mesh contamination during mesh insertion.

The identification of mycobacteria from solid media and directly from VersaTREK Myco bottles using the Sherlock Mycobacteria Identification HPLC system.

The Sherlock Mycobacteria Identification HPLC system correctly identified to the species level 61 (67.8%) of 90 isolates growing on solid media, and 73 (45.3%) of 161 isolates directly from positive VersaTREK Myco bottles.

[Open plastic correction of postoperative hernia].

Incisional hernia is a frequent complication of abdominal surgery. The use of prosthetic materials in open incisional hernia substantially repairs diminished rate of reherniation. The object of this study was the retrospective review of the first seventy open incisional hernia repairs performed at the Tbilisi Municipal Thoraco-Abdominal Clinic.

Antitumor effects of ajulemic acid (CT3), a synthetic non-psychoactive cannabinoid.

One of the endogenous transformation products of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is THC-11-oic acid, and ajulemic acid (AJA; dimethylheptyl-THC-11-oic acid) is a side-chain synthetic analog of THC-11-oic acid. In preclinical studies, AJA has been found to be a potent anti-inflammatory agent without psychoactive properties. Based on recent reports suggesting antitumor effects of cannabinoids (CBs), we assessed the potential of AJA as an antitumor agent.

Bone marrow accessory cells regulate human bone precursor cell development.

Objective: Much remains to be learned about the intimate relationship between bone marrow and its surrounding tissue: the bone. We hypothesized that bone marrow accessory cell populations might regulate the development of human bone precursor cells.

Materials And Methods: We used immunologic phenotyping, and isolation methods to fractionate subpopulations of nonadherent, low-density (NALD) human bone marrow cells.

Thrombopoietin requires additional megakaryocyte-active cytokines for optimal ex vivo expansion of megakaryocyte precursor cells.

Little is known concerning the interaction of thrombopoietin (TPO) with other megakaryocyte-active cytokines in directing the early events of megakaryocyte development. Culture of CD34(+) cells in interleukins (IL) -1, -6, -11, plus stem cell factor (SCF; S) results in a 10- to 12-fold expansion in total cell numbers, whereas total CD41(+) megakaryocytes are expanded approximately 120-fold over input levels. Addition of TPO to IL-1, -6, -11, S generates a biphasic proliferation of CD41(+) cells, accelerates their rate of production, and results in an ex vivo expansion of more than 200-fold.

Human hematopoietic progenitor cell isolation based on galactose-specific cell surface binding.

The ability to isolate functional populations of hematopoietic progenitor cells is important to the process of hematopoietic cell transplantation and to the understanding of hematopoietic cell biology in health and disease. We show that a subpopulation of human bone marrow hematopoietic cells bearing the pan-hematopoietic antigen CD34 also binds galactose-conjugated proteins. This lectin-positive sub-population represents approximately 0.

[Extrathoracic surgical emergencies in hospitalized patients with bronchopulmonary diseases. Analysis of the operative risk].

An experience of surgical non-thoracic emergencies in patients admitted for chronic lung disease is herein presented. Fifty-four patients out of 10457 admitted in the four Departments of Pneumology of the Binaghi Hospital (Cagliari) between 1-1-1985 and 31-3-1993, were referred to our Department of General Surgery due to non-thoracic surgical emergencies. There was a considerable delay in the referral (only 25% of patients within 12 hours from the onset of symptoms): indeed predominant respiratory symptoms, hypoxia and hypercapnia made these patients no responsive to symptoms of surgical emergency.

[Splenic metastases of pulmonary carcinoma. Apropos of a clinical case].

A case of single splenic metastasis from large cell anaplastic carcinoma of the lung is described. The patient first underwent pulmonary lobectomy and then splenectomy. He is still alive 42 months after the first operation and 41 after the second.