Prevalence and long-term implications of preoperative anemia in patients undergoing elective general surgery: a retrospective cohort study at a university hospital.

Objective: The aim of this retrospective study was to assess the prevalence of anaemia in a cohort of patients undergoing elective general surgery at a university hospital. Furthermore, the authors investigated the influence of anaemia on short-term and long-term postoperative outcome.

Background: Awareness of the negative impact of preoperative anaemia on perioperative morbidity and mortality is rising.

Meeting actual benchmarks for short- and long-term outcomes after cytoreductive surgery for peritoneal surface malignancy at a newly established academic treatment center.

Background: Cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy is a curative treatment for selected patients with peritoneal surface malignancy. Reaching actual outcomes benchmarks is challenging given the complex nature of peritoneal surface malignancy surgery. The aim of this study was to assess how the benchmarks for morbidity and oncologic outcome can be reached at a newly established program for cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy.

Heparin-induced thrombocytopaenia diagnostic testing after adult cardiac surgery: a single-centre experience and development.

Objectives: To assess the incidence and outcome of heparin-induced thrombocytopaenia (HIT) in patients after cardiac surgery on cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and to review the time course of platelet counts and the use of different immunological diagnostic tests.

Methods: All patients ≥18 years of age who underwent CPB from 2006 to 2015 and who were postoperatively admitted to our cardiac intensive care unit (ICU) were included in this retrospective study. Screening for heparin/platelet factor-4 antibodies was performed using an antibody test, which was later replaced with a screening test specific for IgG antibodies without IgA/IgM cross-reactivity.

TP53 is not a prognostic marker-clinical consequences of a generally disregarded fact.

Technological progress within the last 15-20 years has significantly increased our knowledge about the molecular basis of cancer development, tumor progression, and treatment response. As a consequence, a vast number of biomarkers have been proposed, but only a small fraction of them have found their way into clinical use. The aim of this paper is to describe the specific demands a clinically relevant biomarker should meet and how biomarkers can be tested stepwise.

Circulating cell-free DNA in plasma of colorectal cancer patients - A potential biomarker for tumor burden.

Background: Measurement of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in plasma - the so called liquid biopsy - is a novel method for early detection of cancer. Necrotic cancer cells release various DNA fragments that can be detected in plasma or serum. The aim of our study was to investigate the concentration of circulating ALU115, LINE79 and LINE297 fragments in plasma from venous and arterial blood of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients before, during and 5 days after surgical intervention.

Influence of multiple stapler firings used for rectal division on colorectal anastomotic leak rate.

Background: Anastomotic leakage following colorectal resection remains one of the most significant complications with relevant morbidity and mortality. There is evidence that a higher number of stapler firings for rectal division can affect the leak rate in double stapling anastomosis. However, there are no data concerning compression anastomosis.

Epithelial splicing regulatory protein 1 and 2 paralogues correlate with splice signatures and favorable outcome in human colorectal cancer.

ESRPs are master splice regulators implicated in alternative mRNA splicing programs important for epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and tumor progression. ESRP1 was identified in some tumors as good or worse predictor of outcome, but in colorectal cancer (CRC) the prognostic value of ESRPs and relation with mesenchymal splice variants is not clear. Here, we studied 68 CRC cases, compared tissue expression of ESRPs with clinical data and with EMT gene splice patterns of conditional CRC cells with deficient ESRP1 expression.

Constipation is not associated with diverticular disease - Analysis of 976 patients.

Background: In the light of controversial data in the literature, the present study was designed to evaluate potential associations between colonic diverticular disease, constipation and quality of life.

Design: We prospectively enrolled 976 consecutive patients, who participated in the nationwide colorectal cancer screening program in four medical centers between 2008 and 2009. All patients underwent full colonoscopy and completed a standardized questionnaire.

Anastomotic leakage after low anterior resection for rectal cancer: comparison of stapled versus compression anastomosis.

Purpose: Surgical technique and perioperative management in rectal cancer surgery have been substantially improved and standardized during the last decades. However, anastomotic leakage following low anterior resection still is a significant problem. Based on animal experimental data of improved healing of compression anastomosis, we hypothesized that a compression anastomotic device might improve healing rates of the highest-risk anastomoses.