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Oxidative stress is one of the main mechanisms associated with the rupture of the defense mechanisms of the colonic epithelial barrier; it reduces the tissue content of the claudin-3 and occludin proteins, which are the main constituents of intercellular tight junctions. Sucralfate (SCF) has antioxidant activity and has been used to treat different forms of colitis.
This study aimed to measure the tissue claudin-3 and occludin content of the colon mucosa without fecal transit, subjected to intervention with SCF.
Thirty-six rats were subjected to left colon colostomy and distal mucous fistula. They were divided into two groups according to euthanasia that was performed 2 or 4 weeks after the intervention. Each group was divided into three subgroups according to the enema applied daily: saline alone, SCF at 1 g/kg/day, or SCF at 2 g/kg/day. Colitis was diagnosed by the histological analysis adopting the previous validate scale. The tissue expression of both proteins was identified by immunohistochemical technique. The content of proteins was quantified by computer-assisted image analysis.
The inflammatory score was high in colonic segments without fecal transit, and enemas with SCF reduced the inflammatory score in these segments, mainly in those animals submitted to intervention with SCF in greater concentration and for a longer period of intervention. There was an increase in tissue content of claudin-3 and occludin, related to SCF concentration. The tissue content of both proteins was not related to the intervention time.
Enemas with SCF reduced the inflammation and increased the tissue content of claudin-3 and occludin in colonic mucosa without fecal stream.
Salvage surgery (SS) is defined as surgical resection after the failure of the first treatment with curative intent.
The aim of this study was to report the experience of a reference center with SS for stomach adenocarcinoma.
This is a retrospective study of patients with gastric cancer (GC) operated on between 2009 and 2020.
Notably, 40 patients were recommended for salvage gastrectomy with curative-intent treatment. For analysis purpose, patients were divided into two groups: 23 patients after endoscopic resection and 17 patients after gastrectomy. In the first group, all patients underwent R0 resection, their average hospital length of stay (LOS) was 15.7 days, and 2 (8.6%) patients had major complications. During the average follow-up of 37.2 months, there was only one recurrence. The median overall survival (OS) was 46 months. In the postgastrectomy group, 9 (52.9%) patients were rescued with curative intent, the average hospital LOS was 12.2 days, and 3 (17.6%) had major complications. In a mean follow-up of 22 months, five patients relapsed. Median OS and disease-free survival were 24 and 16.5 months, respectively.
SS in GC offers the possibility of long-term disease control and increased survival rate with an acceptable complication rate.
Ductal adenocarcinoma of the pancreas is the fourth most common cancer-associated cause of death in the Western world. The presence of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) can be considered a potential prognostic factor, as these cells represent tumor progression, allowing monitoring of therapeutic efficacy.
The objectives of this study were to explore the morphological, molecular, and phenotypic characteristics of CTCs from the blood of patients with pancreatic carcinoma and to correlate the findings with response to treatment, progression-free survival, overall survival (OS), and deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
Peripheral blood (10 mL) was analyzed before the beginning of treatment after 60 and 120 days. CTCs were detected by using ISET® and characterized by immunocytochemistry. For microRNAs (miRNAs) analysis, peripheral leukocytes from the same patients and healthy individuals (controls) were collected in parallel at baseline. The expression of miRNAs was evaluated (in pool) using TaqMan® Array Human MicroRNA Cards v2.0.
Only nine patients were included. The proteins, namely, matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP2) and TGFβ-RI, were highly expressed (77.7%) in CTCs at baseline; at the first follow-up, MMP2 was predominant (80%) and, at the second follow-up, MMP2 and vimentin were predominant (50%). Circulating tumor microemboli (CTMs) were found in two patients and both presented DVT. The miR-203a-3p was highly expressed in CTCs. The miR-203a-3p is involved in the stimulation of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and is related to worse OS in pancreatic cancer (TCGA data).
Due to the low number of patients and short follow-up, we did not observe a correlation between CTCs and response to treatment. However, there was a correlation between CTM and DVT and also miR-203a-3p was highly expressed in CTCs, corroborating the findings of EMT proteins. This study opens the perspectives concerning the dynamic change in the pattern of proteins expressed along with treatment and the use of miRNAs as new targets in pancreatic carcinoma.
Obesity is a disease characterized by an excessive accumulation of body fat, which is harmful to health, and it has grown significantly in the past years in the majority of countries. The surgery should be recommended to those patients with obesity who did not succeed in conservative clinical therapy after a rigorous analysis by a multidisciplinary team.
The aim of this study was to compare metabolic results, weight loss, and parameters associated with obesity in the preoperative and postoperative periods of patients treated with bariatric surgery.
This was a retrospective, descriptive, cross-sectional, and quantitative study through consultation medical records. Data were collected from May to September 2020 from individuals treated with bariatric surgery in a period of 15 years (from 2003 to 2018). A comparative and descriptive statistical analysis of anthropometric, metabolic, biochemical, and associated morbidities was performed.
The majority of patients were female (68.50%). In both sexes, the highest prevalence was found in the age group of 30-39 years and more than half had grade III obesity. The surgical technique used was gastroplasty with Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. After 4 months, there was a significant reduction in the lipid profile, anthropometric parameters, and liver enzymes in both sexes, which remained decreasing till the end of the first year, with marked improvement in the metabolic syndrome (MS).
The positive impact resulted from gastroplasty in terms of weight loss, reduction of body mass index, and lipid profile is quite relevant after 4 months and it is maintained until 1 year after the procedure, showing benefits in reducing the risk factors of the MS.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is considered a public health problem, mainly in severely obese patients.
The aim of the present study was to investigate different biochemical-based scores available and determine which one could best serve as an NAFLD predicting tool in a severely obese population.
This was a cross-sectional study involving severely obese patients. All patients were evaluated with serum laboratory parameters for 1 week before biopsy, and all patients were treated with intraoperative liver biopsy, during bariatric surgery.
A total of 143 severely obese patients were included. The median body mass index (BMI) was 48 kg/m2 (35-65). Diabetes mellitus was present in 36%, and steatosis was present in 93% (severe steatosis in 20%). Only aspartate transaminase (AST) to platelet ratio index (APRI=0.65 (95% CI: 0.55-0.8) and homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR=0.7 (95% CI: 0.58-0.82) showed significant capacity for the prediction of severe steatosis. Hepatic steatosis index (HSI), NAFLD fibrosis score (NAFLDS), alanine aminotransferase (ALT)/AST, and fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) were not able to correctly predict severe steatosis on liver biopsy. APRI showed high specificity of 82% and low sensitivity of 54%. In contrast, HOMA-IR showed high sensitivity of 84% and low specificity of 48%.
NAFLDS, FIB-4, AST/ALT, and HSI have no utility for the evaluation of severe steatosis in severely obese patients. Diabetes and insulin-resistance-related biochemical assessments, such as HOMA-IR, can be used as good screening tools for severe steatosis in these patients. APRI score is the most specific biochemical diagnostic tool for steatosis in severely obese patients and can help clinicians to decide the need for bariatric or metabolic surgery.
The incidence of abdominal hernia in cirrhotic patients is as higher as 20%; in cases of major ascites the incidence may increase up to 40%. One of the main and most serious complications in cirrhotic postoperative period (PO) is acute kidney injury (AKI).
To analyze the renal function of cirrhotic patients undergoing to hernia surgery and evaluate the factors related to AKI.
Follow-up of 174 cirrhotic patients who underwent hernia surgery. Laboratory tests including the renal function were collected in the PO.AKI was defined based on the consensus of the ascite´s club. They were divided into two groups: with (AKI PO) and without AKI .
All 174 patients were enrolled and AKI occurred in 58 (34.9%). In the AKI PO group, 74.1% had emergency surgery, whereas in the group without AKI PO it was only 34.6%.In the group with AKI PO, 90.4% presented complications, whereas in the group without AKI PO they occurred only in 29.9%. Variables age, baseline MELD, baseline creatinine, creatinine in immediate postoperative (POI), AKI and the presence of ascites were statistically significant for survival.
There is association between AKI PO and emergency surgery and, also, between AKI PO and complications after surgery. The factors related to higher occurrence were initial MELD, basal Cr, Cr POI. The patients with postoperative AKI had a higher rate of complications and higher mortality.
Multimodal therapy with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy, followed by esophagectomy has offered better survival results, compared to isolated esophagectomy, in advanced esophageal cancer. In addition, patients who have a complete pathological response to neoadjuvant treatment presented greater overall survival and longer disease-free survival compared to those with incomplete response.
To compare the results of overall survival and disease-free survival among patients with complete and incomplete response, submitted to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy, with two therapeutic regimens, followed by transhiatal esophagectomy.
Retrospective study, approved by the Research Ethics Committee, analyzing the medical records of 56 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus, divided into two groups, submitted to radiotherapy (5040 cGY) and chemotherapy (5-Fluorouracil + Cisplatin versus Paclitaxel + Carboplatin) neoadjuvants and subsequently to surgical treatment, in the period from 2005 to 2012, patients.
The groups did not differ significantly in terms of gender, race, age, postoperative complications, disease-free survival and overall survival. The 5-year survival rate of patients with incomplete and complete response was 18.92% and 42.10%, respectively (p> 0.05). However, patients who received Paclitaxel + Carboplatin, had better complete pathological responses to neoadjuvant, compared to 5-Fluorouracil + Cisplatin (47.37% versus 21.62% - p = 0.0473, p <0.05).
There was no statistical difference in overall survival and disease-free survival for patients who had a complete pathological response to neoadjuvant. Patients submitted to the therapeutic regimen with Paclitaxel and Carboplastin, showed a significant difference with better complete pathological response and disease progression. New parameters are indicated to clarify the real value in survival, from the complete pathological response to neoadjuvant, in esophageal cancer.
Due to the longer life expectancy and consequently an increase in the elderly population, a higher incidence of gastric cancer is expected in this population in the coming decades.
To compare the results of laparoscopic GC surgical treatment between individuals aged<65 years (group I) and ≥ 65 years (group II), according to clinical, surgical, and histopathological characteristics.
A observational retrospective study was performed by analyzing medical charts of patients with gastric cancer undergoing total or subtotal laparoscopic gastrectomy for curative purposes by a single oncologic surgery team.
Thirty-six patients were included in each group. Regarding the ASA classification, 31% of the patients in group I was ASA 1, compared to 3.1% in group II. The mean number of concomitant medications in group II was statistically superior to group I (5±4.21 x 1.42±3.08, p<0.001). Subtotal gastrectomy was the most performed procedure in both groups (69.4% and 63.9% in groups I and II, respectively) due to the high prevalence of distal tumors in both groups, 54.4% group I and 52.9% group II. According to Lauren's classification, group I presented a predominance of diffuse tumors (50%) and group II the intestinal type (61.8%). There was no difference between the two groups regarding the number of resected lymph nodes and lymph node metastases and the days of hospitalization and mortality.
Laparoscopic gastrectomy showed to be a safe procedure, without a statistical difference in morbidity, mortality, and hospitalization time between both groups.
Gastric and esophagogastric junction adenocarcinoma are responsible for approximately 13.5% of cancer-related deaths. Given the fact that these tumors are not typically detected until they are already in the advanced stages, neoadjuvancy plays a fundamental role in improving long-term survival. Identification of those with complete pathological response (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is a major challenge, with effects on organ preservation, extent of resection, and additional surgery. There is little or no information in the literature about which endoscopic signs should be evaluated after NAC, or even when such re-evaluation should occur.
To describe the endoscopic aspects of patients with gastric and esophagogastric junction adenocarcinomas who underwent NAC and achieved pCR, and to determine the accuracy of esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) in predicting the pCR.
A survey was conducted of the medical records of patients with these tumors who were submitted to gastrectomy after NAC, with anatomopathological result of pCR.
Twenty-nine patients were identified who achieved pCR after NAC within the study period. Endoscopic responses were used to classify patients into two groups: G1-endoscopic findings consistent with pCR and G2-endoscopic findings not consistent with pCR. Endoscopic evaluation in G1 was present in an equal percentage (47.4%; p=0.28) in Borrmann classification II and III. In this group, the predominance was in the gastric body (57.9%; p=0.14), intestinal subtype with 42.1% (p=0.75), undifferentiated degree, 62.5% (p=0.78), Herb+ in 73.3% (p=0.68). The most significant finding, however, was that the time interval between NAC and EGD was longer for G1 than G2 (24.4 vs. 10.2 days, p=0.008).
EGD after NAC seems to be a useful tool for predicting pCR, and it may be possible to use it to create a reliable response classification. In addition, the time interval between NAC and EGD appears to significantly influence the predictive power of endoscopy for pCR.
Obesity and bariatric surgery may be related with mental and oral disorders.
To evaluate the impact of bariatric surgery on anxiety, initial dental caries lesion and gingival bleeding in obese patients.
Eighty-nine patients were divided in two groups: Control Group (CG) - obese patients and Experimental Group (EG) - patients submitted to bariatric surgery. EG was analyzed before and 12 months after bariatric surgery; for the CG, was respected an interval of 12 months between the evaluations. International Caries Detection and Assessment System, Gingival Bleeding Index and Trace-State Anxiety Inventory were used. Medical profile, anthropometrics data, sociodemographic and behavioral variables were considered.
There were no statistically significant differences between groups in evaluation times regarding to initial dental caries lesion and anxiety. However, the number of teeth with initial dental caries lesion (p=0.0033) and gingival bleeding (p<0.0001) increased significantly after bariatric surgery in EG.
These results reinforce the need for multi-professional team follow-up, including dental care, for both obese and bariatric patients.
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