Incisional hernia after major pancreatic resection: long term risk assessment from two distinct sources - A large multi-institutional network and a single high-volume center.

Background: Post-operative incisional hernia (IH) is a common complication following abdominal surgery. Data regarding IH after major pancreatic surgery are limited. We aim to evaluate the long-term risk of IH following major pancreatic resection.

Preterm Infant's Heart Rate Variability Near Birth Predicts Autonomic Symptoms at Age 3 to 5 Years.

 To describe the autonomic function of premature infants born between 28 and 32 weeks of gestation, without medical risk factors, at the age of 3 to 5 years and to assess whether it's possible to predict the appearance of autonomic deficits in these children at this age range.  This follow-up study included 40 out of 55 premature infants born between weeks 28 and 32 during 2018 to 2020. During 2022 to 2023 parents were asked to report on medical and developmental follow-up and treatment, functional characteristics of the autonomic system, and the age at which walking was achieved.

Poptosis or Peptide-Induced Transmembrane Pore Formation: A Novel Way to Kill Cancer Cells without Affecting Normal Cells.

Recent advances in cancer treatment like personalized chemotherapy and immunotherapy are aimed at tumors that meet certain specifications. In this review, we describe a new approach to general cancer treatment, termed peptide-induced poptosis, in which specific peptides, e.g.

The Financial Implications of Pancreatic Surgery: The Hospital Is the Big Winner, Not the Surgeon!

Background: High-volume pancreatic surgery centers require a significant investment in expertise, time, and resources to achieve optimal patient outcomes. A detailed understanding of the economics of major pancreatic surgery is limited among many clinicians and hospital administrators. A greater consideration of these financial aspects may in fact have implications for enhancing clinical care and for a broader sustainability of high-volume pancreatic surgery programs.

Major Pancreatic Resection Increases Bone Mineral Density Loss, Osteoporosis, and Fractures.

Objective: To assess whether long-term survivors of pancreatic surgery show increased risk to develop impaired bone mineral density, osteoporosis, and vitamin D deficiency.

Background: Pancreatic resection poses a risk for malabsorption of fat-soluble vitamins and other micronutrients essential for bone mineralization. Here, we evaluated the long-term effects of pancreatic resection on bone mineral density (BMD) and its clinical sequelae.

Contemporary report of surgical outcomes after single-stage total pancreatectomy: A 10-year experience.

Background: Surgeons rarely perform elective total pancreatectomy (TP). Our study seeks to report surgical outcomes in a contemporary series of single-stage (SS) TP patients.

Methods: Between the years 2013 to 2023 we conducted a retrospective review of 60 consecutive patients who underwent SSTP.

International Expert Consensus on Defining Textbook Oncologic Outcomes in Cytoreductive Surgery and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy for Colorectal Peritoneal Metastasis.

Background: Textbook oncologic outcome (TOO) is a composite metric shown to correlate with improved survival after curative intent oncologic procedures. Despite increasing use among disciplines in surgical oncology, no consensus exists for its definition in cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC).

Study Design: An international consensus-based study employed a Delphi methodology to achieve agreement.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Is Associated with Worse Oncologic Outcomes in Early-Stage Resected Pancreatic and Periampullary Cancers.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the 3rd leading cause of cancer mortality in the United States. Hypoxic and hypercapnic tumor microenvironments have been suggested to promote tumor aggressiveness. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and oncologic survival outcomes in patients with early-stage PDAC and periampullary cancers.

Peptides That Block RAS-p21 Protein-Induced Cell Transformation.

This is a review of approaches to the design of peptides and small molecules that selectively block the oncogenic RAS-p21 protein in ras-induced cancers. Single amino acid substitutions in this protein, at critical positions such as at Gly 12 and Gln 61, cause the protein to become oncogenic. These mutant proteins cause over 90 percent of pancreatic cancers, 40-50 percent of colon cancers and about one third of non-small cell cancers of the lung (NSCCL).

Endocrinology specialty service for inpatients: an unmet growing need.

Background: There is recent concern regarding the documented mismatch between demand and supply, vis-à-vis the growing need for trained endocrinologists unmet by parallel rise in the world workforce of endocrinologist. Due to the increasing complexity of disease in inpatients, in recent years we have experienced a growing demand for inpatient endocrine consults. Surprisingly, the need for the endocrinology subspecialty in the overall care of inpatients in the current setting of general hospitals has received little attention.

Low molecular weight heparin for venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in general Intensive Care Unit patients: an anti-factor Xa level-based approach.

Background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality therefore prevention is imperative to reduce its burden. VTE prophylaxis in ICU patients is primarily pharmacological using low molecular weight heparin (LMWH). Plasma anti-factor Xa (anti-FXa) levels may be used to measure LMWH activity.

The pattern of peritoneal colorectal metastasis predicts survival after cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intra-peritoneal chemotherapy.

Background: Peritoneal cancer index (PCI) has been used reliably to prognosticate patients with peritoneal metastasis, however, it fails to describe the patterns of peritoneal spread and to correlate these patterns to survival outcomes. We aim to define the scattered peritoneal spread (SPS) as a pattern associated with worse survival in colorectal peritoneal metastasis.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of metastatic colorectal cancer patients from a prospectively maintained database of peritoneal surface malignances (n = 280) between 2015 and 2020.

The impact of gastrointestinal anastomotic leaks on survival of patients undergoing cytoreductive surgery and heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy.

Background: Gastrointestinal (GI) leaks after cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (CRS/HIPEC) is a known life-threatening complication that may alter patients' outcomes. Our aim is to investigate risk factors associated with GI leaks and evaluate the impact of GI leaks on patient's oncological outcomes.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of perioperative and oncological outcomes of patients with and without GI leaks after CRS/HIPEC.

Israeli Position Paper: Triage Decisions for Severely Ill Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Joint Commission of the Israel National Bioethics Council, the Ethics Bureau of the Israel Medical Association and Representatives from the Israeli Ministry of Health.

Objectives: This document provides an English translation of the Israeli Joint Commission's national guidelines for triaging severely ill patients during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Methods: Four subcommittees of medical, legal, ethical-social, and religious experts developed the general principles and practical medical criteria for triaging scarce life-saving resources.

Results: The guidelines provide an overview of general principles as well as pragmatic medical criteria and a practical triage protocol to be followed should the healthcare system be overwhelmed due to COVID-19.

The transcriptional profile of circulating myeloid derived suppressor cells correlates with tumor development and progression in mouse.

Myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) play key roles in cancer development. Accumulation of peripheral-blood MDSCs (PB-MDSCs) corresponds to the progression of various cancers, but provides only a crude indicator. We aimed toward identifying changes in the transcriptional profile of PB-MDSCs in response to tumor growth.

CD11bLy6G myeloid-derived suppressor cells promote liver regeneration in a murine model of major hepatectomy.

Liver regeneration depends on sequential activation of pathways and cells involving the remaining organ in recovery of mass. Proliferation of parenchyma is dependent on angiogenesis. Understanding liver regeneration-associated neovascularization may be useful for development of clinical interventions.

Association between Elevated C-Reactive Protein and Manic Polarity in Acute Psychiatric Inpatients with Affective Symptomatology.

The interplay between the immune system and behaviour is of increasing interest in psychiatry research. Specifically, accumulating data points to a link between inflammation and psychopathology, including affective symptomatology. We investigated the association between inflammation and affective polarity in psychiatric inpatients who were hospitalized due to an affective exacerbation.

Augmented expression of RUNX1 deregulates the global gene expression of U87 glioblastoma multiforme cells and inhibits tumor growth in mice.

Glioblastoma multiforme is the most common and aggressive primary brain tumor in adults. A mesenchymal phenotype was associated with tumor aggressiveness and poor prognosis in glioblastoma multiforme patients. Recently, the transcription factor RUNX1 was suggested as a driver of the glioblastoma multiforme mesenchymal gene expression signature; however, its independent role in this process is yet to be described.

Resection of colorectal liver metastases in the elderly-Is it justified?

Background And Objectives: Liver resection of colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM) may necessitate large metabolic and physiologic reserve. As the population ages, resection of CRLM is increasingly required in the elderly. We assessed the safety and efficacy of these operations.

Laparoscopic versus open liver resection for metastatic colorectal cancer.

Background: Application of minimally invasive surgery for oncologic liver resection is still limited to expert centers. We describe our experience in laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) for colorectal liver metastases (CLM).

Patients And Methods: Between February 2010 and February 2015, 174 patients underwent resection of CLM.

Modular plasmonic antennas built of ultrathin silica-shell silver-core nanoparticles.

Dimers of metallic nanoparticles can serve as antennas to locally enhance optical fields through plasmonic excitations. Such dimeric structures can be particularly useful for sensing applications using surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). It has been challenging to devise a synthetic scheme that facilitates creating dimer antennas from different types of particles, at the same time allowing control over the size of the gap between the particles and enabling the introduction of any molecule into the gap.

Monitoring changes in heart rate, as an indicator of the cardiovascular autonomic nervous function, among patients at the sub-acute phase post-brain damage during a physiotherapy session: a preliminary investigation.

Objectives: To assess cardiovascular autonomic nervous system function of patients post-brain-injury in the sub-acute phase during a physiotherapy session (PTS).

Participants: Fourteen patients post-ischaemic stroke and 11 post-severe traumatic brain injuries.

Intervention: Continuous electrocardiogram recording at rest, during active cycling and during routine PTS.

Single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy maps the folding landscape of a large protein.

Proteins attain their function only after folding into a highly organized three-dimensional structure. Much remains to be learned about the mechanisms of folding of large multidomain proteins, which may populate metastable intermediate states on their energy landscapes. Here we introduce a novel method, based on high-throughput single-molecule fluorescence experiments, which is specifically geared towards tracing the dynamics of folding in the presence of a plethora of intermediates.