Panminerva medica
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Review Meta Analysis
C-Met as a potential novel prognostic marker in squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma of esophagus: evidence from a meta-analysis.
INTRODUCTIONː The prognostic value of c-Met in patients with esophageal cancer (EC) remains inconsistent and controversial. Our study aims to clarify the correlation between c-Met overexpression and clinical outcome in EC patients. EVIDENCE ACQUISITIONː We performed a comprehensive search of EMBASE, PubMed, Web of Science, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and Chinese Biomedical Database (CBM) (from inception to May 1, 2016) for published literature regarding the potential association between c-Met overexpression and clinical outcome in EC patients. ⋯ Additionally, further subgroup analyses according to publication year, ethnicity, the sample size, and statistical methodology all revealed a significant association between high expression of c-Met and OS in patients with EC. CONCLUSIONSː The current evidence indicated that c-Met overexpression is significantly associated with a poorer prognosis in EC. C-Met may serve as a potential novel prognostic biomarker for EC patients.
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Two critical functions for the control of intracranial fluids dynamics are carried on the venous side of the perfusion circuit: the first is the avoidance of cortical veins collapse during the physiological increases of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure in which they are immersed. The second, is the generation of an abrupt venous pressure drop at the confluence of the cortical veins with the dural sinuses that is required to allow a CSF outflow rate balanced with its production. There is evidence that both of these effects are ensured by a Starling resistor mechanism (a fluid dynamic construct that governs the flow in collapsible tubes exposed to variable external pressure) acting at the confluence of cortical veins in the dural sinus. ⋯ The loop may stabilize only when the maximum stretching allowed by the venous wall is reached. Then, a new relatively stable and self-sustaining balance state is achieved, at the price of a higher CSF and dural sinus pressure values. We propose that this model is crucially involved in Idiopatic Intracranial Hypertension pathogenesis with and without papilledema, a condition that could be described as a pathological new balance state, relatively stable, between intracranial and dural venous pressure, at higher absolute values.
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The discovery that the bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) lives in the stomach has rendered out-of-date the concept of inhospitality of the gastric environment. H. pylori is able to survive in this organ through mechanisms of acid resistance and colonization factors. The prevalence of H. pylori infection varies depending on age, socioeconomic class, and country. ⋯ For patients having previously received a clarithromycin-containing regimen, this drug should be avoided as a second-line therapy. In this case, the tailored therapy (to test clarithromycin susceptibility before prescribing drugs) or the so-called quadruple therapy, and triple levofloxacin-based therapy should be proposed. Rifabutin- and furazolidone-based treatments should be reserved for further treatment.
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Robot-assisted surgery emerged and evolved in order to increase the surgical precision and due to the need to overcome the drawbacks of conventional minimally invasive surgery. In thoracic surgery the first reported use of a robotic device was in a series of 12 patients with different lung pathologies with the assistance of the DaVinci Robotic Surgical System in 2002. The DaVinci system has been used for various procedures in the field of thoracic surgery since then. While its advantages for the resection of early stage thymoma have been well documented, its role in the treatment of lung cancer and other pathologies is still under investigation. ⋯ Although numerous studies have shown the feasibility and safety of robotic surgery for various procedures, they were not able to show superior postoperative outcomes in terms of morbidity and mortality in exchange for the higher costs of robotic surgery compared to conventional video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS), except for early-stage thymoma resection. Therefore, randomized control trials comparing robotic particularly with VATS, but also with open procedures are required to further evaluate this crucial topic.
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Meta Analysis
The association of HOTAIR expression with clinicopathological features and prognosis in gastric cancer patients.
A number of studies in gastric carcinoma have demonstrated that cancerous tissues have a significant higher HOTAIR level than that in noncancerous tissues. Overexpression of HOTAIR is associated with the development in gastric cancer. ⋯ There is an association between HOTAIR expression and clinicopathological features and prognosis in gastric cancer patients. High expression of HOTAIR in cancerous tissue could predict poor clinical outcome in gastric cancer, suggesting HOTAIR abundance may serve as a novel candidate biomarker for the clinical outcome in gastric cancers.