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Jacobson Wilder posted an update 2 weeks, 5 days ago
Laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy (LPD) is a technically demanding procedure that is considered safe and feasible if performed in a high-volume institution, where surgeons and medical staff is appropriately trained. For this advanced abdominal procedure only few studies described a reproducible stepwise technique and a standard approach is still lacking.
The attached video reports all steps of our standardized LPD with pancreatojejunal and hepatojejunal anastomotic stent placement performed with a double approach. The laparoscopic demolitive phase, exactly as the laparotomic one, begins with the surgeon placed on the patient’s right side, while for the reconstructive one he moves between the patient’s legs. The main characteristic of this technique is an easy realization of the end-to-side biliary anastomosis with a Kehr’s “T” tube segment placement as internal biliary stent. This easy technical tip can facilitate the anastomosis realization that remains the most challenging step of this laparoscopic technique, especially in case of small common bile duct.
We consider that our standardized technique can be safely performed and it can facilitate the anastomosis execution, especially the hepatic-jejunal.
Despite our reproducible stepwise technique could help to minimize the learning curve for LPD, further randomized controlled trials are needed to validate the superiority of minimally invasive approach.
Despite our reproducible stepwise technique could help to minimize the learning curve for LPD, further randomized controlled trials are needed to validate the superiority of minimally invasive approach.
Microbiota has crucial biological importance for human well-being. Bidirectional interaction exists between microbiota and the host, and there have been no studies investigating this interaction in patients with acromegaly. We aimed to analyze the composition of microbiota in patients with newly diagnosed acromegaly.
Stool samples were obtained from the patients with newly diagnosed acromegaly in the Endocrinology Clinic of Erciyes University Medical School. The composition of microbiota was analyzed, and the results were compared to healthy volunteers matched to the patients in terms of age, gender and body mass index.
Seven patients (three male, four female) with a mean age of 48 ± 17.6 years were included in the study. The stool analysis revealed a significantly lower bacterial diversity in the patients with acromegaly. Bacteroidetes phylum was predominating in the patient group, and Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio was altered significantly. ATM inhibitor Bifidobacterium, Collinsella, Bacteroides, Butyricimonas, Clostridium, Oscillospira, and Dialister were predominating in the control group.
The gut microbiota is significantly altered in patients with newly diagnosed acromegaly. Further prospective studies are needed to elucidate the causative relationship between acromegaly, colorectal pathologies, and microbial alterations.
The gut microbiota is significantly altered in patients with newly diagnosed acromegaly. Further prospective studies are needed to elucidate the causative relationship between acromegaly, colorectal pathologies, and microbial alterations.Based on a computational analysis of a large dataset, this study explores if there is a significant longevity effect of intercessory prayer for a named individual’s well-being, if he receives a very high number of prayers per annum for an extended period. We relied on an observational cohort study, based on data from 1988 to 2018, including 857 Roman Catholic bishops, 500 Catholic priests, and 3038 male academics from six countries. We measured the covariance of the mean length of life, controlled for nationality. It was found that there is a main effect for occupation F(2, 4391) = 4.07, p = 0.017, ηp2 = 0.002, with pairwise comparisons indicating significant differences between the mean life duration of bishops (M = 30,489) and of priests (M = 29,894), but none between the academic teachers (M = 30,147) and either of the other groups. A comparison analysis between bishops from the largest and the smallest dioceses showed no significant difference t(67.31) = 1.61, p = 0.11. The first analysis proved that bishops live longer than priests, but due to a marginal effect size this result should be treated with caution. No difference was found between the mean length of life of bishops from the largest and the smallest dioceses.
Fibroblast activation protein-α (FAPα) is uniquely expressed in activated fibroblasts, including cancer-associated fibroblasts that populate tumor stroma and contribute to proliferation and immunosuppression. Radiolabeled FAPα inhibitors enable imaging of multiple human cancers, but time-dependent clearance from tumors currently limits their utility as FAPα-targeted radiotherapeutics. We sought to increase the area under the curve (AUC) by constructing a trifunctional ligand that binds FAPα with high affinity and also binds albumin and theranostic radiometals.
RPS-309 comprised a FAPα-targeting moiety, an albumin-binding group, and 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid (DOTA). Inhibition of recombinant human FAPα (rhFAPα) was determined by colorimetric assay. Affinity for human serum albumin (HSA) was determined by high-performance affinity chromatography. The tissue distribution of [
Ga]Ga-RPS-309 in SW872 tumor xenograft-bearing mice was imaged by microPET/CT and quantified by biodisture structure-activity relationship studies.
RPS-309 is a high-affinity FAPα inhibitor with prolonged plasma residence. Introduction of the albumin-binding group did not compromise FAPα binding. Although initial tumor uptake was high and FAPα-specific, RPS-309 also progressively cleared from tumors. Nevertheless, RPS-309 incorporates multiple sites in which structural diversity can be introduced, and therefore serves as a platform for future structure-activity relationship studies.Latino immigrants are disproportionately impacted by substance use, HIV/AIDS, domestic violence, and mental health (SAVAME). The burden of these syndemic conditions is influenced by limited access to health and social services to prevent and treat these conditions. link2 The syndemic nature of these factors necessitates an integrated, coordinated approach to address them simultaneously. We analyzed characteristics of Latino-serving organizations in Philadelphia, PA, that provide SAVAME-related health and/or social services, and their interorganizational collaborations to meet the needs of Philadelphia’s Latino communities. We surveyed Latino-serving organizations (N=43) identified through existing resource directories and key informants. Network analyses identified patterns and density of collaborative ties (i.e., referrals, administrative, or planning/advocacy) across organizations and characterized these ties by type of service. link3 Density (expressed as percent of all possible ties) revealed a higher referral rate (40%) than administrative (29%) or planning (26%) coordination. Network sociograms display clusters of providers by geography. Examination of bonding (within-group) ties revealed comparable perceptions of high value among both South/Center Philadelphia (57%) and in North Philadelphia providers (56%), but bridging (between-group) ties suggest lower levels of high-value perceptions (24%). No evident clustering by type of service based on syndemic factor was observed. Density of bridging across types of providers was highest for referrals (38%) followed by planning (23%) and administrative coordination (20%). Interventions to promote collaboration between providers should focus on facilitating administrative and planning collaborations that leverage existing capacity of the network. Given the syndemic nature of these conditions, greater collaboration between providers of complementing SAVAME services is imperative.Bee bread (BB) is a bee product like propolis and honey. It is the main food for larvae and bees producing royal jelly in the hive. It also known as Perga. As with other bee products, it is increasingly popular due to its antioxidant properties. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of BB on MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells and the effects on these cells when administered together with Doxorubicin (DOX) and Cisplatin (CDDP), used in cancer treatment. The proliferation of the cells was determined by applying 5 mg/mL BB together with different concentrations of DOX and CDDP. In addition to these studies, the effect of DOX+BB and CDDP+BB combinations on the migration of MDA-MB-231 cells was determined by the wound healing method. The expression levels of Bid and Bcl-2 were determined by RtqPCR. According to these studies, as expected, BB did not show a significant toxic effect on MDA-MB-231 cells at different concentrations. BB significantly suppressed the effect of DOX and CDDP on the proliferation of MDA-MB-231 cells. BB with DOX and CDDP suppressed the proapoptotic Bid gene while overexpressing the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 gene, separately. Interestingly, BB blocked the migration of MDA-MB-231 cells by 50% even after 72 h. As a result, BB significantly reduced the toxicity of DOX and CDDP on MDA-MB-231 cells. The most interesting result of the study is that BB prevented the migration of cancer cells.Interferon regulatory factor-1 (IRF-1) is a vertebrate transcription factor that plays significant roles in cell cycle regulation, anti-viral response, tumor suppression and immune response. High-level expression of recombinant IRF-1 at 37 °C leads to the formation of insoluble aggregates (insoluble fraction) in Escherichia coli (E. coli), which usually devoid of biological activity. In this study, we use chemical additives such as mannitol, proline, L-arginine and CTAB (cetyl trimethly ammonium bromide) at the recommended concentration during cell lysis to aid in solubility at 37 °C. The use of additives resulted in the increased solubility of the recombinant glutathione S-transferase-linked human IRF-1, with L-arginine being most effective. Here, we developed an efficient process for the manufacturing of soluble IRF-1 with the aid of minimizing the formation of degradation products and optimizing protein purification conditions. This result was further confirmed by western blot with anti-GST and anti-IRF-1 polyclonal antibodies. The functionality of GST-huIRF-1 was attained by elerophoretic mobility shift assay study as a clear band shifting showed with virus response element-Interferon beta (VRE-IFNβ) promoter region. Taken together, the biological activity of purified GST-huIRF-1 was also optimized and confirmed by supershift assay concluded that GST-huIRF-1 interacts with the VRE motif of IFNβ promoter that reflected to require for IFNβ gene regulation. We describe a straightforward approach for the production of absolutely soluble and biologically active IRF-1 in E. coli. This method can be further used for the study of other recombinant proteins and this study will pave way for the analysis of IRF-1 function in vitro.This paper explores the relationship between renewable energy consumption, urbanization, human capital, trade, natural resources, and material footprint for BRICS countries from 1990 to 2016. We apply the cross-sectional dependency test to check the correlation among the cross-section. Then, we use the second-generation panel test like CADF and CIPS to check the stationary in the series. After that, we go for the panel cointegration test, i.e., Pedroni and Westerlund panel cointegration, to know the long-run relationship of the variables. The test results reject the null hypothesis of no cointegration among the variables and accept cointegration. The long-run results indicate that economic growth, natural resources, renewable energy, and urbanization have reduced the environmental quality for BRICS countries in case of material footprint employed to measure environmental degradation. However, foreign trade and human capital improve environmental quality. Based on the empirical results, the study recommended some important policy suggestions to achieve sustainable development in BRICS countries.