Prophylactic Ureteral Catheters for Colectomy: A National Surgical Quality Improvement Program-Based Analysis.

Background: Despite improvement in technique and technology, using prophylactic ureteral catheters to avoid iatrogenic ureteral injury during colectomy remains controversial.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate outcomes and costs attributable to prophylactic ureteral catheters with colectomy.

Design: This was a retrospective study.

A nationwide evaluation of robotic ventral hernia surgery.

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine outcomes of robotic ventral hernia repair(RVHR) versus laparoscopic ventral hernia repair(LVHR).

Methods: The Nationwide Inpatient Sample was queried from October 2008 to December 2013 for ventral hernia repairs. Demographics, morbidity, mortality, and charges were compared between RVHR and LVHR.

Success of Minimally Invasive Pectus Excavatum Procedures (Modified Nuss) in Adult Patients (≥30 Years).

Background: Minimally invasive repair of pectus excavatum (MIRPE) has become standard for pediatric and young adult patients, but its use for older adults is controversial.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed electronic medical records of adults (≥18 years of age) who underwent MIRPE from January 1, 2010, through April 30, 2015, and collected demographic data, operative details, and information about outcomes. Cardiac function was measured before and after repair by intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography.

Astrocyte Reactivity: A Biomarker for Retinal Ganglion Cell Health in Retinal Neurodegeneration.

Retinal ganglion cell (RGC) loss in glaucoma is sectorial in nature and preceded by deficits in axonal transport. Neuroinflammation plays an important role in the pathophysiology of glaucoma in the retina, optic nerve and visual centers of the brain, where it similarly appears to be regulated spatially. In a murine model, we examined the spatial characteristics of astrocyte reactivity (migration/proliferation, hypertrophy and GFAP expression) in healthy retina, retina with two glaucoma-related risk factors (aging and genetic predisposition) and glaucomatous retina and established relationships between these reactivity indices and the spatial organization of astrocytes as well as RGC health.

Spatial regulation of interleukin-6 signaling in response to neurodegenerative stressors in the retina.

Neuroinflammation, defined as the induction of immune-related processes within the central nervous system, is recognized as a component of many neurodegenerative disorders, including glaucomatous degeneration of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). Previous work in vitro identified IL-6 as a potential neuroprotective factor for RGCs, particularly those challenged by glaucoma-related stressors. Here we examined the temporal and spatial characteristics of IL-6 signaling in response to two stressors related to RGC neurodegeneration: age and elevated intraocular pressure (IOP).