Advancement in the clinical management of intestinal pseudo-obstruction

Intestinal pseudo-obstruction is more commonly known in its chronic form (CIPO), a cluster of rare diseases characterized by gastrointestinal muscle and nerve impairment, so severe to result in a markedly compromised peristalsis mimicking an intestinal occlusion. The management of CIPO requires the cooperation of a group of specialists: the disease has to be confirmed by a number of tests to avoid mistakes in the differential diagnosis. The treatment should be aimed at relieving symptoms arising from gut dysmotility (ideally using prokinetic agents), controlling abdominal pain (possibly with non-opioid antinociceptive drugs) and optimizing nutritional support. Furthermore, a thorough diagnostic work-up is mandatory to avoid unnecessary (potentially harmful) surgery and to select patients with clear indication to intestinal or multivisceral transplantation

Essential oils in ocular pathology: an experimental study

Introduction: The antimicrobial activity of essential oils (EOs) has been known for ages; in particular, the EOs of Melaleuca alternifolia, Thymus vulgaris, Mentha piperita, and Rosmarinus officinalis have been used for the treatment of fungal and bacterial infections. Methodology: This study focused on the in vitro cytotoxicity to normal human conjunctiva cells and antimicrobial activity of 20 EOs. Results: The oils tested showed no cytotoxic effect at very low concentrations. Rosmarinus officinalis, Melaleuca alternifolia, and Thymus vulgaris L. red thyme geraniol sel oils had good antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative strains. Conclusions: The results of this study are of great interest and may have a major impact on public health, providing useful tips to optimize the therapeutic use of some natural drugs

Prognostic role of nodal ratio, LODDS, pN in patients with pancreatic cancer with venous involvement

Background: The UICC/AJCC TNM staging system classifies lymph nodes as N0 and N1 in pancreatic cancer. Aim of the study is to determine whether the number of examine nodes, the nodal ratio (NR) and the logarithm odds of positive lymph nodes (LODDS) may better stratify the prognosis of patients undergoing pancreatectomy combined with venous resection for pancreatic cancer with venous involvement. Methods: A multicenter database of 303 patients undergoing pancreatectomy in 9 Italian referral centers was analyzed. The prognostic impact of number of retrieved and examined nodes, NR, LODDS was analyzed and compared with ROC curves analysis, Pearson test, univariate and multivariate analysis. Results: The number of metastatic nodes, pN, the NR and LODDS was significantly correlated with survival at multivariate analyses. The corresponding AUC for the number of metastatic nodes, pN, the NR and LODDS were 0.66, 0.69, 0.63 and 0.65, respectively. The Pearson test showed a significant correlation between the number of retrieved lymph nodes and number of metastatic nodes, pN and the NR. LODDS had the lower coefficient correlation. Concerning N1 patients, the NR, the LODDS and the number of metastatic nodes were able to significantly further stratify survival (p = 0.040; p = 0.046; p = 0.038, respectively). Conclusions: The number of examined lymph nodes, the NR and LODDS are useful for further prognostic stratification of N1 patients in the setting of pancreatectomy combined with PV/SMV resection. No superiority of one over the others methods was detected

Prognostic Factors for Tumor Recurrence after a 12-Year, Single-Center Experience of Liver Transplantations in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background. Factors affecting outcomes after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have been extensively studied, but some of them have only recently been discovered or reassessed. Methods. We analyzed classical and more recently emerging variables with a hypothetical impact on recurrence-free survival (RFS) in a single-center series of 283 patients transplanted for HCC between 1997 and 2009. Results. Five-year patient survival and RFS were 75% and 86%, respectively. Thirty-four (12%) patients had HCC recurrence. Elevated preoperative alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels, preoperative treatments of HCC, unfulfilled Milan and up-to-seven criteria at final histology, poor tumor differentiation, and tumor microvascular invasion negatively affected RFS by univariate analysis. Milan and up-to-seven criteria applied preoperatively, and the use of m-TOR inhibitors did not reach statistical significance. Cox's proportional hazard model showed that only elevated AFP levels (Odds Ratio = 2.88; 95% C.I. = 1.43–5.80; P = .003), preoperative tumor treatments (Odds Ratio = 4.84; 95% C.I. = 1.42–16.42; P = .01), and microvascular invasion (Odds Ratio = 4.82; 95% C.I. = 1.87–12.41; P = .001) were predictors of lower RFS. Conclusions. Biological aggressiveness and preoperative tumor treatment, rather than traditional and expanded dimensional criteria, conditioned the outcomes in patients transplanted for HCC

Surgical Approach for Long-term Survival of Patients With Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma: A Multi-institutional Analysis of 434 Patients.

OBJECTIVES To examine the outcomes of a hepatectomy for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (IHC) and to clarify the prognostic impact of a lymphadenectomy and the surgical margin. Large series of patients who were surgically treated for IHC are scarce. Thus, prognostic factors and long-term survival after resection of IHC remain uncertain. DESIGN Prospective study of patients who were surgically treated for IHC. Clinicopathologic, operative, and long-term survival data were analyzed. SETTING Prospectively collected data of all consecutive patients with pathologically confirmed IHC who had undergone liver resection with a curative intent at 1 of 16 tertiary referral centers were entered into a multi-institutional registry. PATIENTS All consecutive patients who underwent a hepatectomy with a curative intent for IHC (1990-2008) were identified from a multi-institutional registry. RESULTS A total of 434 patients were included in the analysis. Most patients underwent a major or extended hepatectomy (70.0%) and a systematic lymphadenectomy (62.2%). The incidence of lymph node metastases (overall, 36.9%) increased with increased tumor size, with 24.4% of patients with a small IHC (diameter 643 cm) having N1 disease. Almost one-third of patients required an additional major procedure to obtain a R0 resection in 84.6% of the cases. In these patients, the median time of survival was 39 months, and the 5-year survival rate was 39.8%. Lymph node metastases (hazard ratio, 2.21; P < .001), multiple tumors (hazard ratio, 1.50; P = .009), and an elevated preoperative cancer antigen 19.9 level (hazard ratio, 1.62; P = .006) independently predicted an adverse prognosis. Conversely, survival was not influenced by the width of a negative resection margin (P = .61). The potential survival benefit of a lymphadenectomy was assessed with the therapeutic value index, which was calculated to be 5.9 points. CONCLUSIONS Survival rates after a hepatectomy with a curative intent for IHC at tertiary referral centers exceed the survival rates reported in most study series in single institutions, which strengthens the value of an aggressive approach to radical resection. Lymph node metastases and multiple tumors are associated with decreased survival rates, but they should not be considered selection criteria that prevent other patients from undergoing a potentially curative resection. Lymphadenectomy should be considered for all patients

The HAC Trial (Harmonic for Acute Cholecystitis) Study. Randomized, double-blind, controlled trial of Harmonic(H) versus Monopolar Diathermy (M) for laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) for acute cholecystitis (AC) in adults

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In the developmental stage of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) it was considered 'unsafe' or 'technically difficult' to perform laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis (AC). With increasing experience in laparoscopic surgery, a number of centers have reported on the use of laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis, suggesting that it is technically feasible but at the expense of a high conversion rate, which can be up to 35 per cent and common bile duct lesions.</p> <p>The HARMONIC SCALPEL(R) (H) is the leading ultrasonic cutting and coagulating surgical device, offering surgeons important benefits including: minimal lateral thermal tissue damage, minimal charring and desiccation.</p> <p>Harmonic Scalpel technology reduces the need for ligatures with simultaneous cutting and coagulation: moreover there is not electricity to or through the patient Harmonic Scalpel has a greater precision near vital structures and it produces minimal smoke with improved visibility in the surgical field.</p> <p>In retrospective series LC performed with H was demonstrated feasible and effective with minimal operating time and blood loss: it was reported also a low conversion rate (3.9%).</p> <p>However there are not prospective randomized controlled trials showing the advantages of H compared to MD (the commonly used electrical scalpel) in LC.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>Aim of this RCT is to demonstrate that H can decrease the conversion rate compared to MD in LC for AC, without a significant increase of morbidity.</p> <p>The patients will be allocated in two groups: in the first group the patient will be submitted to early LC within 72 hours after the diagnosis with H while in the second group will be submitted to early LC within 72 hours with MD.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00746850</p

Long term results of down-staging and liver transplantation for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma beyond the conventional criteria

The objective of the study is to evaluate 10 years of down-staging strategy for liver transplantation (LT) with a median follow-up of 5 years. Data on long-term results are poor and less information is available for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) non-responder patients or those ineligible for down-staging. The outcome of 308 HCC candidates and the long-term results of 231 LTs for HCC performed between 2003 and 2013 were analyzed. HCCs were divided according to tumor stage and response to therapy: 145 patients were T2 (metering Milan Criteria, MC), 43 were T3 successfully down-staged to T2 (Down-Achieved), 20 were T3 not fully down-staged to T2 (Down-not Achieved), and 23 patients were T3 not receiving down-staging treatments (No-Down). The average treatment effect (ATE) of LT for T3 tumors was estimated using the outcome of 535 T3 patients undergoing non-LT therapies, using inverse probability weighting regression adjustment. The 24-month drop-out rate during waiting time was significantly higher in the down-staging groups: 27.6% vs. 9.2%, p &lt; 0.005. After LT, the tumor recurrence rate was significantly different: MC 7.6%, Down-Achieved 20.9%, Down-not Achieved 31.6%, and No-Down 30.4% (p &lt; 0.001). The survival rates at 5 years were: 63% in Down-Achieved, 62% in Down-not Achieved, 63% in No-Down, and 77% in MC (p = n.s.). The only variable related to a better outcome was the effective down-staging to T2 at the histological evaluation of the explanted liver: recurrence rate = 7.8% vs. 26% (p &lt; 0.001) and 5-year patient survival = 76% vs. 67% (p &lt; 0.05). The ATE estimation showed that the mean survival of T3-LT candidates was significantly better than that of T3 patients ineligible for LT [83.3 vs 39.2 months (+44.6 months); p &lt; 0.001]. Long term outcome of T3 down-staged candidates was poorer than that of MC candidates, particularly for cases not achieving down-staging. However, their survival outcome was significantly better than that achieved with non-transplant therapies