Trends in the Management and Outcomes of Neuroendocrine Liver Metastases: A Three-decade, Multi-centre Observational Cohort Study.

Objective: To describe the evolution of management strategies for neuroendocrine liver metastases (NE LM) and trends in patient outcomes over the preceding 3 decades.

Summary Background Data: Liver metastases are common in neuroendocrine neoplasms and impair prognosis. A broad therapeutic armamentarium has evolved over recent decades but there remains uncertainty regarding optimal treatment selection and sequencing.

Robotic-assisted thoracoscopy in the management of mediastinal ectopic parathyroid adenoma: a case report.

Mediastinal ectopic parathyroid adenomas, a rare cause of primary hyperparathyroidism, has evolved significantly with the advent of robotic-assisted surgery. Traditional surgical approaches, while effective, may be associated with considerable morbidity and extended recovery periods. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness, precision, and postoperative outcomes of robotic thoracoscopy with parathyroidectomy in the management of mediastinal ectopic parathyroid adenomas.

Results of robotic liver surgery in association with IWATE criteria - the first 100 cases.

Background: Aim of the current study was to present the results of the implementation phase of a robotic liver surgery program and to assess the validity of the IWATE difficulty score in predicting difficulty and postoperative complications in robotic liver surgery.

Methods: Based on the prospective database of the Interdisciplinary Robotic Center of Ulm University Hospital, the first 100 robotic liver surgeries were identified and analyzed. Perioperative parameters (duration of surgery and blood loss) and postoperative parameters including morbidity, mortality, and length of hospital stay were assessed and the results were compared between different IWATE difficulty categories.

Use of virtual reality in port implantation to reduce perioperative anxiety and pain: protocol for a randomised controlled pilot trial at a single German university hospital (VIP-trial; DRKS00028508).

Introduction: Intravenous access port implantation is commonly performed under local anaesthesia, which offers advantages such as increased patient satisfaction and resource savings compared with general anaesthesia. However, patients may experience increased perioperative stress and anxiety in the operating room setting without general anaesthesia. Virtual reality (VR) distraction or hypnosis during surgery under local anaesthesia may help patients to auditorily and visually separate from their real environment and engage with a virtual environment through hypnorelaxing guidance.

Acinar cystic transformation of the pancreas-a rare case in a young patient.

Acinar cystic transformation (ACT) is a very rare transformation of the pancreas and has been described in less than 100 cases since its first report in 2002. The aim of this case report is to get a better understanding of this pancreatic transformation, which to date appears to be non-malignant. However, radical surgery was performed in most cases due to misinterpreting the initial diagnosis.

[Treatment concepts for hepatic echinococcosis].

The incidence of both cystic (CE) and alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is increasing in Germany. The CE can often be managed with drug treatment and interventional strategies. In contrast, AE shows characteristics of a malignant disease with a high morbidity and mortality.

Impact of perioperative steroid administration in patients undergoing elective liver resection: meta-analysis.

Background: Perioperative steroid administration may improve postoperative outcomes in major abdominal surgery by reducing the systemic inflammatory response. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the impact of perioperative steroid administration on outcomes after elective liver resection.

Methods: PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were systematically searched for randomized clinical trials (RCTs) comparing perioperative steroid administration with placebo, standard of care, or no steroids with respect to postoperative outcomes, particularly postoperative complications.

Robotic Liver Surgery for Alveolar Echinococcosis: A Single-Centre Experience.

Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is a rare disease caused by Echinococcosis multilocularis, which usually requires multidisciplinary management including surgery as the only curative approach. In recent years, minimally invasive strategies have been increasingly adopted for liver surgery. In particular, robotic surgery enables surgeons to perform even complex liver resections using a minimally invasive approach.

Multifocal neuroendocrine tumour of the small bowel presenting as an incarcerated incisional hernia: a surgical challenge in a high-risk patient.

Neuroendocrine tumours (NET) of the small bowel present significant clinical challenges, such as their rate of metastasis at initial presentation, common multifocality and understaging even with gold standard imaging. Here, we present a case of a high-risk surgical patient with a complex medical history initially presenting as an acute abdomen due to an incarcerated incisional hernia. He was found at emergency laparotomy to have three small NET deposits in a 30-cm segment of incarcerated ileum which was resected.

Proteasomal regulation of the hypoxic response modulates aging in C. elegans.

The Caenorhabditis elegans von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor homolog VHL-1 is a cullin E3 ubiquitin ligase that negatively regulates the hypoxic response by promoting ubiquitination and degradation of the hypoxic response transcription factor HIF-1. Here, we report that loss of VHL-1 significantly increased life span and enhanced resistance to polyglutamine and beta-amyloid toxicity. Deletion of HIF-1 was epistatic to VHL-1, indicating that HIF-1 acts downstream of VHL-1 to modulate aging and proteotoxicity.

Diverse contexts of zoonotic transmission of simian foamy viruses in Asia.

In Asia, contact between persons and nonhuman primates is widespread in multiple occupational and nonoccupational contexts. Simian foamy viruses (SFVs) are retroviruses that are prevalent in all species of nonhuman primates. To determine SFV prevalence in humans, we tested 305 persons who lived or worked around nonhuman primates in several South and Southeast Asian countries; 8 (2.

Replicative aging in yeast: the means to the end.

Progress in aging research is now rapid, and surprisingly, studies in a single-celled eukaryote are a driving force. The genetic modulators of replicative life span in yeast are being identified, the molecular events that accompany aging are being discovered, and the extent to which longevity pathways are conserved between yeast and multicellular eukaryotes is being tested. In this review, we provide a brief retrospective view on the development of yeast as a model for aging and then turn to recent discoveries that have pushed aging research into novel directions and also linked aging in yeast to well-developed hypotheses in mammals.

Dietary restriction suppresses proteotoxicity and enhances longevity by an hsf-1-dependent mechanism in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Dietary restriction increases lifespan and slows the onset of age-associated disease in organisms from yeast to mammals. In humans, several age-related diseases are associated with aberrant protein folding or aggregation, including neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's diseases. We report here that dietary restriction dramatically suppresses age-associated paralysis in three nematode models of proteotoxicity.

Sensitive assays for simian foamy viruses reveal a high prevalence of infection in commensal, free-ranging Asian monkeys.

Foamy viruses (FV) are retroviruses that naturally infect many hosts, including most nonhuman primates (NHPs). Zoonotic infection by primate FV has been documented in people in Asia who reported contact with free-ranging macaques. FV transmission in Asia is a concern, given abundant human-NHP contact, particularly at monkey temples and in urban settings.

Kombucha, the fermented tea: microbiology, composition, and claimed health effects.

Kombucha is a slightly sweet, slightly acidic tea beverage consumed worldwide, but historically in China, Russia, and Germany. Kombucha is prepared by fermenting sweetened black tea preparations with a symbiotic culture of yeasts and bacteria. Potential health effects have created an increased interest in Kombucha.

The effect of lipids on bongkrekic (Bongkrek) acid toxin production by Burkholderia cocovenenans in coconut media.

Tempe bongkrek is an Indonesian food made by fermentation of coconut presscake or coconut milk residue Rhizopus oligosporus. Consumption of tempe bongkrek is associated with a food-borne human intoxication and significant numbers of deaths annually. The bacterium Burkholderia cocovenenans, which is the causative organism, produces two toxins, toxoflavin and bongkrekic acid (also commonly referred to as bongkrek acid).

Fermented foods, feeds, and beverages.

World population reached 5 billion people in 1986 and is expected to rise to 6 particularly severe in parts of Africa, particularly Ethiopia. Hunger and malnutrition accompany the poverty that is characteristic of the masses of the people in the developing world. Even in the United States, one of the most affluent countries, there has been a considerable increase in the number of homeless people including mothers and children living in the streets or in substandard housing.

Lactic acid fermentation in the production of foods from vegetables, cereals and legumes.

Lactic acid bacteria perform an essential role in the preservation and production of wholesome foods. Generally the lactic acid fermentations are low-cost and often little or no heat is required in their preparation. Thus, they are fuel-efficient.

Fermented foods, feeds and beverages.

There has been a proliferation of books and papers dealing with the indigenous fermented foods/beverages of the world. It is anticipated that these foods/beverages will play an ever-increasingly important role in feeding both the developing and the developed world as population increases from approximately 4.5 billion to 6 billion by the year 2000 and to 8 to 12 billion people in the 21st century.

Lignocellulolytic Enzymes Produced by Volvariella volvacea, the Edible Straw Mushroom.

Volvariella volvacea, commonly known as the straw or paddy mushroom, had the following growth characteristics: minimum temperature, 25 degrees C; optimal temperature, 37 degrees C; maximal temperature, 40 degrees C; pH optimum 6.0. Optimal pH for cellulase production was 5.

Fermentation of Soy Milk by Lactic Acid Bacteria. A Review.

Fermentation of soy milk with lactic acid bacteria offers a means of preserving soy milk and the possibility of modifying the characteristic flavor and texture to make it more acceptable to Western taste. It is possible to make soy milk yogurt-like products with acceptable texture and clean acid flavor. The choice of fermenting organisms is limited to those that can ferment the sugars typical of soy milk.

Production of higher alcohols during indonesian tapé ketan fermentation.

A study was made of the higher alcohols (fusel oils) produced during the Indonesian tapé ketan fermentation using Amylomyces rouxii as the principal mold, alone or in combination with yeasts belonging to genera commonly found in the tapé ketan fermentation (Endomycopsis, Candida, and Hansenula). Total fusel oils increased with length of fermentation. Fusel oils detected in the product distillate included isobutanol and isoamyl and active amyl alcohols.