Characteristics and outcomes of cancer patients who develop pulmonary embolism: A cross-sectional study

Pulmonary embolism (PE), along with deep vein thrombosis, are collectively known as venous thromboembolism (VTE). Predisposing factors for PE include post-operative conditions, pregnancy, cancer and an advanced age; of note, a number of genetic mutations have been found to be associated with an increased risk of PE. The association between cancer and VTE is well-established, and cancer patients present a higher risk of a thrombotic event compared to the general population. In addition, PE is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality among cancer patients. The aim of the present study was to illustrate the clinical characteristics, laboratory findings, radiology features and outcomes of cancer patients who developed PE, collected from an anticancer hospital. For this purpose, adult cancer patients diagnosed with PE by imaging with computed tomography pulmonary angiography were enrolled. The following data were recorded: Demographics, comorbidities, type of cancer, time interval between cancer diagnosis and PE occurrence, the type of therapy received and the presence of metastases, clinical signs and symptoms, predisposing factors for PE development, laboratory data, radiological findings, electrocardiography findings, and the type of therapy received for PE and outcomes in a follow-up period of 6 months. In total, 60 cancer patients were enrolled. The majority of the cancer patients were males. The most common type of cancer observed was lung cancer. The majority of cases of PE occurred within the first year from the time of cancer diagnosis, while the majority of patients had already developed metastases. In addition, the majority of cancer patients had received chemotherapy over the past month, while they were not receiving anticoagulants and had central obstruction. A large proportion of patients had asymptomatic PE. The in-hospital mortality rate was 13.3% and no relapse or mortality were observed during the follow-up period. The present study demonstrates that elevated levels of lactic acid and an increased platelet count, as well as low serum levels of carcinoembryonic antigen, albumin and D-dimer, may be potential biomarkers for asymptomatic PE among cancer patients.     

European experience of laparoscopic major hepatectomy

Background/purpose

Laparoscopic hepatectomies have seen a worldwide proliferation. Major anatomic resections, which were initially considered unsuitable for laparoscopy, are currently confined to a few centers of expertise. The aim of this study was to discuss the current trends and techniques in laparoscopic major hepatectomy in Europe.

Methods

The prospective databases of ten European centers were combined to provide answers to a questionnaire that had been addressed to all European teams known to perform laparoscopic liver surgery.

Results

Between 1996 and 2011 a total of 2245 laparoscopic liver resections have been carried out, of which 495 (22 %) were major resections. The proportion of laparoscopic right and left hepatectomies varied between 4 and 40 % of all major hepatectomies of the same type. Benign, primary malignant and metastatic lesions were, respectively, 22.4, 19.6 and 58 % of all indications. The different techniques and approaches, as regards hand assistance, hepatic inflow and outflow control, liver mobilization and concomitant colectomies, are discussed.

Conclusions

To date, an important level of experience of laparoscopic liver resection has been accumulated in Europe, and experience of major hepatectomies is constantly increasing. However, they remain technically very demanding procedures which should be confined to expert surgeons who have already acquired considerable experience with simpler laparoscopic liver resections.     

Climatological variations in daily hospital admissions for acute coronary syndromes

OBJECTIVE: We examined the association between climatologic parameters and daily admissions for non-fatal acute coronary syndromes (ACS) to emergency units of hospitals in the greater Athens area, from January 2001 to August 2002. METHODS: Daily mean, maximum and minimum temperatures, relative humidity, wind speed, barometric pressure and a thermo-hydrological index (T.H.I.) were measured at the meteorological station of the Laboratory of Climatology of the Geology Department of the University of Athens. In addition, the daily number of admissions for acute myocardial infarction or unstable angina in the five major general hospitals in the greater Athens area was recorded. Generalized additive models (GAM) were applied to regress-time-series of daily numbers of outpatients with acute cardiac events against climatological variations, after controlling for possible confounders and adjustment for over dispersion and serial correlation. RESULTS: Five thousand four hundred fifty-eight Athenians with non-fatal acute cardiac events were admitted to the selected hospitals during the period of the study, 4093 (75%) males and 1365 (25%) females. There was a negative correlation between hospital admissions and mean daily temperature (MDT) with a 1 degrees C decrease in mean air temperature yielding a 5% increase in hospital admissions (P<0.05). This association was stronger in females and the elderly (P<0.01). Relative humidity was positively correlated with hospital admissions (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Despite the relatively short study period (<2 years), these findings suggest a significant association between cold weather and increased coronary heart disease incidence, especially in the elderly and females.     

Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt in cavernomatous portal vein occlusion

A 72-year-old patient with liver cirrhosis and cavernomatous portal vein occlusion presented with refractory ascites. We treated the patient with transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt: transjugular transhepatic puncture of an intrahepatic hilar collateral vein was performed; transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt was created between the right hepatic vein and the patent superior mesenteric vein using this hilar collateral vein as the connecting pathway. The ascites was resolved and the patient remains asymptomatic, while shunt patency is maintained 16 months after the intervention.     

Novel therapeutic protocol in the research of breast cancer treatment - Targeting the border

The complex signaling pathways and interactions inside and among cells which are responsible for the appearance and evolving of malignancy have a distinct and well separated border, the translation process, where the signals of a mutant and dysregulating genome are becoming specific proteins evolving to the malignant phenotype. We selected as translation target the Fragile X–Mental Retardation Protein (FMRP) of the breast cancer cell, a protein of whose role in translation has not clearly elucidated yet. Triple negative breast cancer cell lines (BCCL)-(BT20, MDA-MB-231, Hs578 T) were transfected by plasmid with mutant FMRP at progressively increased CGG triplets (from 45 to 200 repeats at a one by one CGG repeat step up process) and the production of the mutant protein was verified with the SUNSET method and Western blot analysis. Afterwards, the impact in proteinosynthesis inhibition and apoptosis induction of the transfected BCCL in relation to normal epithelial breast cell lines (NEBCL) was evaluated. Preliminary in vitro results showed slower rates of proteinosynthesis and higher apoptotic rate of the 78 CGG & 84 CGG repeat mutant FMRP transfected BCCL in compared to NEBCL, while for all other transfected BCCL no statistically significant differentiation was found.     

Greater Biosynthetic Liver Dysfunction in Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis Suggests Co-existent or Impending Cholangiocarcinoma

Background and Aim: Patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) who develop cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) have a median survival of less than 6 months. In half of cases, PSC and CCA will be diagnosed either concurrently or within a year of one another. The aim of the present study is to demonstrate that the degree of biochemical liver dysfunction is associated with concomitant or impending CCA. Methods: We did a chart review of patients diagnosed with PSC and CCA up to 18 months from presentation (“CCA” group) as well as patients with PSC that underwent transplantation with no sign of CCA in their explanted liver (“nCCA” group). Along with demographic data and follow-up length, we recorded their presenting liver function tests, including alanine and aspartate aminotransferases (ALT, AST), total bilirubin (TBil), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), international normalization ratio (INR), and serum Ca 19-9 levels. Differences between mean values of the two groups were analyzed with a student’s t-test. Results: Twenty-four patients were included. The “CCA” group consisted of eight patients, and the “non-CCA” group had 16 patients. There was no significant difference between the two groups in their presenting values of ALT, ALP, or serum Ca 19-9. However, the “CCA” group had significantly higher levels of AST, TBil, and INR. Conclusion: Patients with PSC and concurrent or impending CCA appear to exhibit significantly greater biochemical liver dysfunction than those who do not develop CCA. Therefore, newly-diagnosed PSC patients presenting with these findings may warrant more rigorous evaluation.     

Concomitant versus sequential therapy for the treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection: a Greek randomized prospective study

Objective: The objective of this study is to compare, in Greece, a region with >20% local resistance to clarithromycin, the efficacy rates of the concomitant versus the sequential H. pylori eradication therapy. Materials and methods: Our prospective randomized study included 364 patients with newly diagnosed H. pylori infection, randomized to receive a 10-day concomitant or 10-day sequential therapy. Treatment outcome was assessed by C¹³-urea breath test at least 4 weeks after therapy. Intention to treat (ITT) and per protocol (PP) analysis of the eradication rates were performed. Secondary end points included patient compliance and safety. Results: The concomitant therapy group achieved statistically significant higher eradication rates when compared with the sequential treatment group, both in the ITT and in the PP analysis (84.6% versus 70.9%, p?=?0.002, and 90.6% versus 78.1%, p?=?0.001, respectively), after adjusting for age, gender, smoking status, and the presence or not of ulcer and/or non-ulcer dyspepsia. Both groups displayed excellent compliance rates (99.5% for the concomitant therapy group and 96.2% for the sequential therapy group, p?=?0.067). Regarding treatment safety, major adverse events that led to the discontinuation of both regimens were few, with no statistical difference between the two groups (7.0% for the concomitant therapy group and 2.9% for the sequential therapy group). Conclusions: Concomitant therapy led to statistically significant higher eradication rates over sequential therapy. Both therapies showed excellent compliance and an acceptable safety profile. The 10-day quadruple concomitant scheme should be the adopted for first-line H. pylori eradication in Greece.