Annals of translational medicine
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The main challenge of stroke research is to translate promising experimental findings from the bench to the bedside. Many suggestions have been made how to achieve this goal, identifying the need for appropriate experimental animal models as one key issue. ⋯ Non-invasive in vivo imaging allows studying the macrosphere model from the very onset of ischemia up to late remodeling processes in an intraindividual and longitudinal fashion. Such a design of pre-clinical stroke studies provides the basis for a successful translation into the clinic.
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Single-port video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) has been increasingly applied in clinical settings in the past two years along with the improvements in both endoscopic instruments and surgical skills. Our center began to perform single-port VATS lobectomy in May 2014 and had performed this procedure in 121 patients till January 2015. The surgical incision (3.5-4.5 cm in length) was created in the 4(th) or 5(th) intercostal space at the anterior axillary line at the diseased side. ⋯ The surgical steps of single-port VATS lobectomy were same as those of the triple-port VATS lobectomy. There was no fixed mode in handling the three major structures of the pulmonary lobes, and the resection sequence can be scheduled based on the development status of pulmonary fissures and on the difficulties in dissecting the relevant structures. We believe the single-port VATS lobectomy is a safe and feasible procedure and warrants further clinical applications after finishing these surgeries.
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Prostate cancer (PC) is usually characterized by an excellent prognosis, largely due to little biological aggressiveness and the power of hormonal deprivation therapy. In spite of these favorable characteristics, however, a significant quota of patients does not respond to androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and develop a progressive disease. Castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) is defined by disease progression in spite of ADT. ⋯ False positivity to SSTRs expression was considered those localizations with a suspicious uptake not confirmed by other radiologic procedures. On the other hand, metastatic lesions lacking the radiopharmaceutical's uptake were considered not SSTRs expressing metastases. The preliminary results in 6 of the 67 patients scheduled by our phase III trial showed metastases with a variable SSTRs expression in 2 patients.
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The management of surgical and medical intraoperative emergencies are included in the group of high acuity (high potential severity of an event and the patient impact) and low opportunity (the frequency in which the team is required to manage the event). This combination places the patient into a situation where medical errors could happen more frequently. Although medical error are ubiquitous and inevitable we should try to establish the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes needed for effective team performance and to guide the development of a critical event. ⋯ Its use in a surgical environment is through the crisis resource management (CRM) principles. The CRM tries to develop all the non-technical skills necessary in a critical situation, but not only that, also includes all the tools needed to prevent them. The purpose of this special issue is to appraise and summarize the design, implementation, and efficacy of simulation-based CRM training programs for a specific surgery such as the non-intubated video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery.
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Performing awake thoracic surgery (ATS) is technically more challenging than thoracic surgery under general anesthesia (GA), but it can result in a greater benefit for the patient. Local wound infiltration and lidocaine administration in the pleural space can be considered for ATS. More invasive techniques are local wound infiltration with wound catheter insertion, thoracic wall blocks, selective intercostal nerve blockade, thoracic paravertebral blockade and thoracic epidural analgesia, offering the advantage of a catheter placement which can also be continued for postoperative analgesia.