Surgery
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Freehand real-time elastography (RTE) has seldom been used to visualize abdominal organs due to their complicated structure and difficulty in freehand compression. We describe a novel, intra-operative imaging system for performing freehand RTE of the liver. ⋯ Our new RTE system facilitated the successful freehand RTE of liver lesions in an intra-operative setting, enabling "visual palpation" during liver surgery and serving as a supportive modality for B mode IOUS.
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Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) has been frequently used for locally advanced esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC). It is therefore important to establish criteria for evaluating the response to NACT based on survival analysis. ⋯ By determining the optimal cutoff value based on survival analysis, we evaluated patient responses to NACT using PET. Such evaluation could be valuable in formulating treatment strategies for ESCC.
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Effect of early plasma transfusion on mortality in patients with ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm.
The ratio of red blood cell (PRBC) transfusion to plasma (FFP) transfusion (PRBC:FFP ratio) has been shown to impact survival in trauma patients with massive hemorrhage. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the PRBC:FFP ratio on mortality for patients with massive hemorrhage after ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (RAAA). ⋯ For RAAA patients requiring massive transfusion, more equivalent transfusion of PRBC to FFP (HIGH FFP) was independently associated with lower 30-day mortality. The lower incidence of colonic ischemia in the HIGH FFP group may suggest an additional benefit of early plasma transfusion that could translate into further mortality reduction. Analysis from this study suggests the potential feasibility for a more standardized protocol of initial resuscitation for these patients, and prospective studies are warranted to determine the optimum PRBC:FFP ratio in RAAA patients.
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Surgical lower extremity revascularization obligates ischemia-reperfusion, and local ischemia-reperfusion provokes systemic inflammation; perhaps counterintuitively, remote ischemic preconditioning elicits a constructive anti-inflammatory response. So, remote ischemic preconditioning will decrease graft-related complications after surgical infrainguinal revascularization.
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This study was designed to evaluate the wound healing effects of kiwifruit in the treatment of second-degree burn wounds in rats. ⋯ We suggest that the dramatic antibacterial, debridement, wound contracture, and angiogenic effect of kiwifruit induced a significant wound healing in burn ulcers and might be useful in treating chronic ulcers, such as bedsores.