Long-Term Outcomes of Simultaneous Skin and Bowel Flaps for Esophageal Reconstruction.

Esophageal reconstruction can be performed with skin or bowel flaps. The choice of flap remains controversial, as the long-term outcomes of skin flaps cannot always be assessed in patients with limited life expectancies due to advanced malignancy, unlike the pediatric and benign cases which have had esophageal reconstruction using bowel flaps. We report the long-term clinical and histopathological outcomes in a series of 45 cases repaired with combined skin and bowel flaps.

A comparison of surgical outcomes between laparoscopic and open myomectomy in Southern Taiwan.

Objective: To compare operative data and operative and clinical outcomes of laparoscopic myomectomy (LM) with those of open myomectomy (OM).

Methods: In a retrospective study, the records of 81 women who underwent LM and 74 women who underwent at E-DA Hospital, Yan-Chau Shiang, Taiwan, from June 2004 to October 2007 were reviewed. Patient demographic, intraoperative, and postoperative data were compared between the 2 surgical groups.

Opiate-induced constipation related to activation of small intestine opioid μ2-receptors.

Aim: To investigate the role of opioid μ-receptor subtype in opiate-induced constipation (OIC).

Methods: The effect of loperamide on intestinal transit was investigated in mice. Ileum strips were isolated from 12-wk-old male BALB/c mice for identification of isometric tension.

Oleic acid activates peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor δ to compensate insulin resistance in steatotic cells.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is frequently associated with type 2 diabetes; however, this idea is challenged by recent studies because hepatic steatosis is not always associated with insulin resistance (IR). Oleic acid (OA) is known to induce hepatic steatosis with normal insulin sensitivity; however, the mechanism is still unknown. Previous studies depict that activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor δ (PPARδ) improves hepatic steatosis and IR, whereas the role of PPARδ in the improvement of insulin sensitivity by OA is unknown.

Combination of a free jejunal flap and a Roux-en-Y colojejunostomy for reconstruction of esophageal stricture secondary to a distant blast injury: a case report.

Pneumatic perforation of the esophagus caused by blast injury is very rare. Our patient presented with esophageal stricture in the context of a previous reconstruction of an esophageal rupture secondary to a distant air-blast injury. The ruptured esophagus was initially reconstructed with a left pedicled colon interposition in an antiperistaltic pattern.

Use of individual surgeon versus surgical team approach: surgical outcomes of laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass in an Asian Medical Center.

Background: Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) has been shown to improve both the health and the quality of life of morbidly obese patients. We compared the efficacy and safety of using a team approach to LRYGB versus an individual surgeon at a medical center.

Methods: Data were collected from 200 consecutive patients undergoing LRYGB for morbid obesity from August 2005 to February 2008.

The effect of surgeon empathy and emotional intelligence on patient satisfaction.

We investigated the associations of surgeons' emotional intelligence and surgeons' empathy with patient-surgeon relationships, patient perceptions of their health, and patient satisfaction before and after surgical procedures. We used multi-source approaches to survey 50 surgeons and their 549 outpatients during initial and follow-up visits. Surgeons' emotional intelligence had a positive effect (r = .

Decrease of plasma glucose by allantoin, an active principle of yam ( Dioscorea spp.), in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

The effect of allantoin, an active component of yam, on plasma glucose of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats (STZ-diabetic rats) is investigated. Allantoin decreased plasma glucose levels in a dose-related manner, which was reduced by pretreatment with naloxone or naloxonazine. A concomitant increase in plasma β-endorphin, detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, was observed.

Vasodilatation induced by sinomenine lowers blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

1. Sinomenine is an alkaloid with a wide range of pharmacological actions. In the present study, we investigated the effect of sinomenine on blood pressure and its possible mechanisms of action.

Acute Q fever hepatitis in patients with and without underlying hepatitis B or C virus infection.

Background: Although hepatitis is one of the major presentations of acute Q fever, the possible influence of viral hepatitis in Q fever has, to our knowledge, never been investigated. It is an important issue in regions where Q fever hepatitis and viral hepatitis are prevalent, such as Taiwan. We conducted a study to investigate the possible influence of viral hepatitis in cases of acute Q fever hepatitis.

A prospective, randomized trial of endoscopic hemoclip placement and distilled water injection for treatment of high-risk bleeding ulcers.

Background: Although endoscopic hemoclip therapy is widely used in the treatment of GI bleeding, there are few prospective trials that assess its efficacy. This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of hemoclip placement and distilled water injection for the treatment of high-risk bleeding ulcers.

Methods: Seventy-nine patients with major stigmata of ulcer hemorrhage were randomly assigned to either endoscopic hemoclip placement (n = 39) or injection with distilled water (n = 40).