Transgenerational impacts of herbivory and inbreeding on reproductive output in Solanum carolinense.

Premise: Plant maternal effects on offspring phenotypes are well documented. However, little is known about how herbivory on maternal plants affects offspring fitness. Furthermore, while inbreeding is known to reduce plant reproductive output, previous studies have not explored whether and how such effects may extend across generations.

UTEP-EPW university-utility partnership: Concentrate enhanced-recovery reverse osmosis process for high water recovery from silica-saturated desalination concentrates.

Since the 1970s, The University of Texas at El Paso and El Paso Water have had a synergistic university-utility partnership, and in 2002, we began a sequence of investigations of enhanced recovery of water from silica-saturated reverse osmosis concentrate: (a) two-pass nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) treatment, (b) lime softening for silica removal, (c) vibratory shear enhanced processing (VSEP), (d) continuous-flow seawater RO treatment of brackish RO concentrate, and finally (e) high-recovery concentrate enhanced-recovery reverse osmosis (CERRO) process. Studies funded by El Paso Water, Texas Water Development Board, U.S.

Microlobectomy: A Novel Form of Endoscopic Lobectomy.

Objective: Microlobectomy is a novel form of videoscopic-assisted thoracic surgery lobectomy. Strict inclusion criteria consist of the following: no intercostal incisions greater than 5 mm, 12 mm subxiphoid port, subxiphoid removal of the specimen, total endoscopic technique with CO2 insufflation, vision through a 5-mm camera, stapling via the subxiphoid port, or with 5-mm stapling devices.

Methods: The combined early experiences of six hospitals from three countries were combined from September 2014 to May 2016.

A Glomus Tumor With Recurrence and Malignant Transformation in the Chest Wall: A Cautionary Tale of Seeding?

Glomus tumors are rare tumors most often occurring in the extremities of the limbs. We report a unique case of a glomus tumor, originally arising in the paraspinal region, which was excised and subsequently recurred in the chest wall with malignant transformation. The recurrence is likely to have been caused by wound seeding.

Intranodal Palisaded Myofibroblastoma Masquerading as N2 Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma.

Intranodal palisaded myofibroblastoma is a rare and benign tumor that usually presents in the inguinal region. We report the case of a 68-year-old woman with a right paratracheal mass and right upper lobe non-small cell lung carcinoma initially staged as T1b N2 M0. After mediastinal staging, the right paratracheal mass was found to be an intranodal palisaded myofibroblastoma, which had caused erroneous upstaging of the lung carcinoma to N2 disease.

Differential response to bacteria, and TOLLIP expression, in the human respiratory tract.

Objectives: The observation that pathogenic bacteria are commonly tolerated in the human nose, yet drive florid inflammation in the lung, is poorly understood, partly due to limited availability of primary human cells from each location. We compared responses to bacterial virulence factors in primary human nasal and alveolar cells, and characterised the distribution of Toll-interacting protein (TOLLIP; an inhibitor of Toll-like receptor (TLR) signalling) in the human respiratory tract.

Methods: Primary cells were isolated from nasal brushings and lung tissue taken from patients undergoing pulmonary resection.

Serial characterisation of monocyte and neutrophil function after lung resection.

Objectives: The primary aim of this prospective study was to perform a comprehensive serial characterisation of monocyte and neutrophil function, circulating monocyte subsets, and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid after lung resection. A secondary aim was to perform a pilot, hypothesis-generating evaluation of whether innate immune parameters were associated with postoperative pneumonia.

Methods: Forty patients undergoing lung resection were studied in detail.

The application of capnography to differentiate peri-chest tube air leak from parenchymal leak following pulmonary surgery.

Prolonged air leak is a common complication of pulmonary resection. However, while a bubbling chest drain is commonly related to parenchymal air leakage, it may also be caused by air entering the pleural cavity via an incomplete seal of the tissues at the chest tube insertion site. Examination alone is not sufficient to guide the surgeon as to which of the above complications is responsible for drain bubbling.

Innate immune responses after resection for lung cancer via video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery and thoracotomy.

Objective: Innate immune responses to pulmonary resection may be critical in the pathogenesis of important postoperative pulmonary complications and potentially longer-term survival. We sought to compare innate immunity of patients undergoing major pulmonary resection for bronchogenic carcinoma via video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) and thoracotomy.

Methods: Bronchoalveolar lavage was conducted in the contralateral lung before staging bronchoscopy and mediastinoscopy and immediately after lung resection.

Cross-sectional survey on lobectomy approach (X-SOLA).

Background: Lobectomy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) can be performed either through open thoracotomy or video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). To improve the understanding of current attitudes of the thoracic community toward VATS lobectomy, the Collaborative Research Group conducted the Cross-sectional Survey on Lobectomy Approach (X-SOLA) study. We surveyed a large cohort of lobectomy-performing thoracic surgeons to examine their adoption of VATS lobectomy and their opinions of this technique vs conventional open thoracotomy.

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery lobectomy at 20 years: a consensus statement.

Objective: Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lobectomy has been gradually accepted as an alternative surgical approach to open thoracotomy for selected patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) over the past 20 years. The aim of this project was to standardize the perioperative management of VATS lobectomy patients through expert consensus and to provide insightful guidance to clinical practice.

Methods: A panel of 55 experts on VATS lobectomy was identified by the Scientific Secretariat and the International Scientific Committee of the '20th Anniversary of VATS Lobectomy Conference-The Consensus Meeting'.

Histological evaluation of preoperative mediastinoscopy lymph node biopsies in non-small cell lung cancer.

Introduction: Despite the advent of PET scanning and endoscopic minimally invasive methods of sampling mediastinal lymph nodes, surgical assessment, particularly by mediastinoscopy, remains an important tool for staging non-small cell lung cancer.

Methods: We carried out a retrospective review of mediastinoscopic lymph node biopsies taken at The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh between 1996 and 2006 and performed additional histological investigations on select cases.

Results: In total, 89/802 (11%) patients had a negative mediastinoscopy but final resection stage of N2/N3.

In patients undergoing lung resection for non-small cell lung cancer, is lymph node dissection or sampling superior?

A best evidence topic in thoracic surgery was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was 'In patients undergoing lung resection for non-small cell lung cancer, is lymph node dissection or sampling superior?' Altogether 845 papers were found using the reported search, of which 14 represented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The authors, journal, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes and results of these papers are tabulated.

Can thoracoscopic Heller's myotomy give equivalent results to the more usual laparoscopic Heller's myotomy in the treatment of achalasia?

A best evidence topic in thoracic surgery was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was 'Can thoracoscopic Heller's myotomy (THM) give equivalent results to the more usual laparoscopic Heller's myotomy (LHM) in the treatment of achalasia?' Altogether, more than 478 papers were found using the reported search, of which eight represented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The authors, journal, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes and results of these papers are tabulated.

Mediastinal paraganglioma: time to panic?

Paragangliomas (extra-adrenal phaeochromocytomas) are tumours arising from extra-adrenal chromaffin tissue. The authors describe a case of a 54-year-old woman presenting with shortness of breath and chest pain. CT pulmonary angiogram demonstrated a mediastinal mass.

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery management of spontaneous pneumothorax--long-term results.

Objective: Although widely adopted, there is lack of immediate and long-term follow-up data for patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) management of pneumothorax. Therefore, we have reviewed our experience with both primary (PSP) and secondary (SSP) spontaneous pneumothorax to assess the perioperative outcomes and long-term efficacy associated with different VATS operative strategies.

Methods: A retrospective case series review was undertaken on all patients undergoing VATS procedures for PSP or SSP over a 17-year period.