Medicine
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Laparoscopic right hemicolectomy with extracorporeal anastomosis is a widely used procedure; several authors have published their approach to intracorporeal anastomosis. In this paper, we present an approach developed by us and compare short-term outcomes with those of extracorporeal anastomosis in colon cancer patients. Retrospective review of colon cancer patients treated with laparoscopic right hemicolectomy either with intracorporeal anastomosis (TLG group) or extracorporeal anastomosis (LG group) at the Zhangjiagang Hospital Affiliated to Soochow University between January 2011 and October 2015. ⋯ Complications in the LG group included wound infection (4 patients), obstruction (1), and postoperative bleeding complications (1); however, only 1 patient developed complication (wound infection) in the TLG group. Total laparoscopic right hemicolectomy with 3-step stapled intracorporeal anastomosis for colon cancer is a safe and reliable procedure. Its advantages include short anastomosis time, less intraoperative blood loss, less postoperative pain, and early bowel function recovery.
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The worldwide prevalence and incidence of diabetes and obesity are increasing in pandemic proportions. This is particularly relevant for China, where an extremely large population is growing, aging, and urbanizing. We thus conducted a prospective study to examine the prevalence and incidence of impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and diabetes, the rate at which fasting blood glucose rises, and the major modifiable risk factors associated with these outcomes in a large Chinese population from the Kailuan prospective study. ⋯ We observed steady increases in fasting blood glucose with body anthropometrics and in every defined category of body mass index, including in those traditionally considered to be well within the "normal" range. In this large longitudinal study of Chinese adults, we observed a high prevalence and incidence of IFG and diabetes over 4 years of follow-up. Our findings are alarming for Chinese public health since steady rises in fasting blood glucose were seen across all permutations of body habitus, even apparently very lean individuals.
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Observational Study
Physician perspectives on de-intensifying diabetes medications.
Guidelines for diabetes care recommend that physicians select individualized glycemic goals based on life expectancy, diabetes duration, comorbidity, and resources/support. When patients have stable hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) levels, guidelines lack recommendations on when diabetes medications should be de-intensified. To understand physicians' perspectives on de-intensifying diabetes medications in patients with type 2 diabetes. ⋯ In multiple logistic regression, women physicians (odds ratio [OR] 3.0; confidence interval [CI] 1.1-8.2; P = 0.03) and physicians practicing fewer than 20 years (OR 2.8; CI 1.01-7.7; P = 0.048) were more likely to report de-intensifying diabetes medications. Individualizing glycemic goals and de-intensifying treatments are concepts well accepted by physicians in our sample. However, physicians vary considerably in reporting how they carry out recommendations to individualize and may be missing opportunities to stop or taper diabetes medications based on patients' individualized glycemic goals.
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Positron emission tomography/integrated computed tomography (PET/CT) provides the most accurate imaging modality for preoperative lung cancer staging. However, the diagnostic accuracy of maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) for mediastinal (N2) lymph nodes (LN) is unclear. We compared SUVmax, the ratio of LN to primary tumor SUVmax (SUVn/t), and SUVn/t multiplied by maximal tumor diameter (SUVindex) in terms of their abilities to predict mediastinal LN malignancy. ⋯ The differences between SUVindex and SUVn/t were significant, but there was no significant difference between SUVindex and SUVmax. There were no significant differences between smokers and nonsmokers in the AUCs for any of the methods for predicting LN malignancy (P values >0.05). SUVindex may be a predictor of mediastinal LN malignancy in lung cancer patients.
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The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of postoperative scheduled intravenous acetaminophen to reduce the opioid use and enhance recovery after gastrectomy. Opioid use is reportedly associated with delayed recovery of gastrointestinal (GI) peristalsis and postoperative nausea/vomiting (PONV) despite of acceptable efficacy for pain control. Of 147 and 96 consecutive patients who underwent gastrectomy for gastric cancer before and after introduction of postoperative scheduled intravenous acetaminophen, propensity score matched population was created and short-term clinical outcomes were compared. ⋯ Both daily and cumulative opioid use was significantly reduced in the A-group (P < 0.001). The time to first flatus and defecation was decreased in the A-group (P < 0.001 and P = 0.038, respectively). The incidence of PONV was significantly reduced from 26.0% to 12.5% after introduction of intravenous acetaminophen (P = 0.017), and hospital stay tended to be decreased in the A-group (13.2 vs 14.7 days, P = 0.069)Postoperative scheduled intravenous acetaminophen decreased opioid use and may be associated with enhanced recovery after gastrectomy.