Surgical approach in thymectomy: Our experience and review of the literature.

Aim: Thymectomy is the main treatment for thymoma and patients with myasthenia gravis (MG). The traditional approach is through a median sternotomy, but, recently, thymectomy through minimally invasive approaches is increasingly performed. Our purpose is an analysis and discussion of the clinical presentation, the diagnostic procedures and the surgical technique.

Idiopathic pleural panniculitis with recurrent pleural effusion not associated with Weber-Christian disease.

A 82-year-old patient with dyspnea and a recurrent history of pleural effusion was admitted into our unit. He performed a Chest computed tomography showing right pleural effusion. Video-assisted thoracoscopy (VATS) exploratory showed parietal pleural thickening of adipose tissue.

Prenatal diagnosis, 3-D virtual rendering and lung sparing surgery by ligasure device in a baby with "CCAM and intralobar pulmonary sequestration".

Congenital cystic lung lesions are a rare but clinically significant group of anomalies, including congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation (CCAM), pulmonary sequestration, congenital lobar emphysema (CLE) and bronchogenic cysts. Despite the knowledge of these lesions increasing in the last years, some aspects are still debated and controversial. The diagnosis is certainly one aspect which underwent many changes in the last 15 years due to the improvement of antenatal scan and the introduction of 3-D reconstruction techniques.

Sternal reconstruction by extracellular matrix: a rare case of phaces syndrome.

Congenital defects of the sternum are rare and due to a failure of midline development and fusion of the sternal bones. Surgical correction of a sternal cleft should be preferred during infancy for functional reasons. Chest wall reconstruction represented a complex problem in the last decades.

Human lung cancer-derived immunosuppressive plasmacytoid dendritic cells release IL-1α in an AIM2 inflammasome-dependent manner.

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) highly populate lung tumor masses and are strictly correlated to bad prognosis, yet their role in lung cancer is controversial. To understand their role in lung cancer, we isolated pDCs from human samples of lung obtained from non-small cell lung cancer patients undergoing thoracic surgery. Tumor masses presented a higher percentage of pDCs than healthy tissues; pDCs were in the immunosuppressive phenotype, as determined by higher levels of CD33 and PD-L1.

Bacterial Epidemiology and Antimicrobial Resistance in the Surgery Wards of a Large Teaching Hospital in Southern Italy.

Objectives: Surgical infections represent an increasingly important problem for the National Health System. In this study we retrospectively evaluated the bacterial epidemiology and antimicrobial susceptibility of the microorganisms concerned as well as the utilization of antibiotics in the General and Emergency Surgery wards of a large teaching hospital in southern Italy in the period 2011-2013.

Methods: Data concerning non-duplicate bacterial isolates and antimicrobial susceptibility were retrieved from the Vitek 2 database.

Pharmacological inhibition of caspase-8 limits lung tumour outgrowth.

Background And Purpose: Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death worldwide. Despite advances in therapy, conventional therapy is still the main treatment and has a high risk of chemotherapy resistance. Caspase-8 is involved in cell death and is a recognized marker for poor patient prognosis.

The influence of body mass index and weight loss on outcome of elderly patients undergoing lung cancer resection.

Background: The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of nutritional status on outcome of elderly patients resected for lung cancer.

Materials And Methods: A total of 117 consecutive patients aged ≥ 70 years undergoing lung cancer resection were enrolled. In addition to routine preoperative evaluations, other variables such as body mass index, weight loss, serum albumin, lymphocytes, and transferrin were counted.

Quantitative assessment of emphysematous parenchyma using multidetector-row computed tomography in patients scheduled for endobronchial treatment with one-way valves†.

Objectives: To investigate the role of volume quantitative assessment using multidetector-row computed tomography to select patients scheduled for endobronchial one-way valves treatment.

Methods: Twenty-five consecutive patients (15 with heterogeneous emphysema and 10 with giant emphysematous bulla) undergoing endobronchial valves treatment were enrolled. All patients were studied pre- and postoperatively with standard pulmonary functional tests and quantitative volume assessment of target lobe and entire lung.

A simple technique to control placement of Dumon stent in subglottic tracheal stenosis.

Airway stenting is the chosen treatment for patients affected by subglottic tracheal stenosis and unfit for surgery. Among the different types of prostheses, the Dumon stent is a valid option especially in patients without tracheotomy. Insertion is usually achieved by pushing the stent off from a loader using a prosthesis pusher.

The value of matrix metalloproteinase-9 and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1 pathway in diagnosing indeterminate pleural effusion.

Objectives: Our aim was to determine the diagnostic value of the matrix metalloproteinase-9/vascular endothelial grow factor receptor-1 pathway in differentiating pleural effusions (PE) of varying origin.

Methods: In the last two years, 55 consecutive patients with exudative PE have been enrolled. In all patients, we measured PE levels of vascular endothelial grow factor receptor-1 (VEGFR-1) in soluble form, through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (results expressed in pg/ml) and western blot, and of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), through ELISA (results expressed in ng/ml).

Endobronchial treatment of giant emphysematous bullae with one-way valves: a new approach for surgically unfit patients.

Objective: We aimed to evaluate the feasibility and short-term efficacy of endobronchial treatment with one-way valves for giant emphysematous bulla in surgically unfit patients.

Methods: Nine consecutive patients with giant emphysematous bulla were enrolled in the last 3 years. Endobronchial valves were placed in the segmental bronchi to functionally isolate the airway that supplied the bulla, favouring the deflation of the bulla and its atelectasis.

Iatrogenic air leak successfully treated by bronchoscopic placement of unidirectional endobronchial valves.

This report describes a patient with persistent air leak after inadvertent placement of a chest drain in a bulla. Chest drain and suction failed to stop the air leak, whereas the surgical repair was judged to be excessively aggressive. In closure, two large endobronchial valves were sequentially positioned in the superior and inferior division of the left upper lobe to completely close it.

The serine protease HtrA1 is a novel prognostic factor for human mesothelioma.

Aims: The objective of our study was to analyze the potential prognostic value of the expression of the serine protease HtrA1 and of EGFR in 70 malignant mesotheliomas.

Materials & Methods: Immunohistochemistry was used to determine the expression of HtrA1 and EGFR. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to correlate expression of these molecular factors in combination with available clinicopathologic data to patient survival.