Meeting Report of the 33rd Annual Meeting of the Academy of Surgical Research: Summary of Presentations,Labs, and Workshops,Focusing on Experimental Surgery,Las Vegas,NV, October 4–6, 2017

ABSTRACT

The 33rd Annual Meeting of the Academy of Surgical Research was held from October 4 to 6, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The meeting welcomed >160 participants from 27 different states and five countries representing the organization's diverse membership of technicians, veterinarians, medical doctors, and biomedical researchers. The Academy's annual meeting is focused on promoting the advancement of professional and academic standards, education, and research related to the art and science of experimental surgery. Presentations included four invited keynote speakers and 30 selected lectures and posters. A primary strength of the meeting was that lectures were complimented with practical sessions that included four wet lab and two dry lab half-day courses. Likewise, participants were brought together in workshops emphasizing research workflow from starting experimental design to readying results for publication. In this report, we present the highlights from this meeting and some selected abstracts that illustrate the diverse scientific expertise of the Academy and progress in surgical research.     

Patient’s anxiety and fear of anesthesia: effect of gender, age, education, and previous experience of anesthesia. A survey of 400 patients

Purpose

Patients express high anxiety preoperatively, because of fears related to anesthesia and its implications. The purpose of this survey was to gain insight into these fears and to study whether they are affected by patients’ sex, age, education, or previous experience of anesthesia.

Methods

Questionnaires with fixed questions were distributed to consenting, consecutive surgical patients before the pre-anesthetic visit. The questionnaires included patients’ demographics and questions related to their fears about anesthesia.

Results

Four-hundred questionnaires were collected and analyzed. Eighty-one percent of patients experience preoperative anxiety. The main sources of their anxiety were fear of postoperative pain (84 %), of not waking up after surgery (64.8 %), of being nauseous or vomiting (60.2 %), and of drains and needles (59.5 %). Patients are less concerned about being paralyzed because of anesthesia (33.5 %) or of revealing personal issues (18.8 %). Gender seems to affect patients fears, with women being more afraid (85.3 vs. 75.6 % of men, p = 0.014). The effects of patients’ age, level of education, and previous experience of anesthesia are minor, except for individual questions. Sixty-three percent of our patients (mostly women 67.4 vs. 57.4 % of men, p = 0.039) talk about these fears with their relatives, although a vast majority of 95.5 % would prefer to talk with the anesthesiologist and be reassured by him.

Conclusion

All patients, mostly women, express fears about anesthesia; this fear leads to preoperative anxiety. Slight differences are observed for some individual questions among patients of different sex, education level, and previous experience of anesthesia.     

Myofibroblasts, predictors of progression of mesangial IgA nephropathy?

The limited knowledge of the cellular mediators of renal scarringhampers progress in the management of progressive chronic renalfailure (CRF). We have studied 38 patients with biopsy-provenmesangial IgA nephropathy with emphasis on attempting to definethe role of myofibroblasts(-smooth muscle actin/SMA-positivecells) in renal scarring. In 18 untreated patients, correlationswere undertaken between known histological parameters of progressionas well as the presence of myofibroblasts in tissues and theclinical outcome. -SMA staining by an avidin-biotin-peroxidasemethod was confined to a large extent to the vascular smoothmuscle cells of normal kidneys but extended to the tubulointerstitiumand periglomerular space in scarred kidneys. Mild glomerularstaining was also noted. The interstitial immunostain followeda similar distribution to that of interstitial type III collagen.Morphometric analysis showed the interstitial SMA staining tobe a reliable histological predictor of outcome as it discriminatedbetween progressors and non-progressors (²=4.923, P=0.026).The intensity of the interstitial -SMA staining correlated withrenal functional outcome; inversely with the reciprocal of serumcreatinine slopes (r=-0.466, P<0.025) and positively withthe serum creatinine value at the end of the observation period(r=0.704, P<0.00l). Other histological parameters that correlatedwith outcome included the degree of tubulointerstitial (TI)inflammatory infiltrate (r=-0.425, P<0.05 with 1/Cr slopeand r=0.760, P< with serum creatinine) and the intensityof the TI staining for collagen IV (r=-0.567 and 0.667 respectively).In 20 patients treated with prednisolone and azathioprine, asecond renal biopsy showed the persistence of interstitial myofibroblastsin the absence of progressive fibrosis. In conclusion, stainingof renal biopsies of patients with mesangial IgA for -SMA-positivecells may identify the myofibroblasts as important mediatorsof TI scarring and have useful prognostic implications.     

Superficial distribution of aromatic compounds and geomicrobiology of sediments from Suruí Mangrove, Guanabara Bay, RJ, Brazil

The distribution of selected aromatic compounds and microbiology were assessed in superficial sediments from Suruí Mangrove, Guanabara Bay. Samples were collected at 23 stations, and particle size, organic matter, aromatic compounds, microbiology activity, biopolymers, and topography were determined. The concentration of aromatic compounds was distributed in patches over the entire mangrove, and their highest total concentration was determinated in the mangrove's central area. Particle size differed from most mangroves in that Suruí Mangrove has chernies on the edges and in front of the mangrove, and sand across the whole surface, which hampers the relationship between particle size and hydrocarbons. An average @ 10% p/p of organic matter was obtained, and biopolymers presented high concentrations, especially in the central and back areas of the mangrove. The biopolymers were distributed in high concentrations. The presence of fine sediments is an important factor in hydrocarbon accumulation. With high concentration of organic matter and biopolymers, and the topography with chernies and roots protecting the mangrove, calmer areas are created with the deposition of material transported by wave action. Compared to global distributions, concentrations of aromatic compounds in Suruí Mangrove may be classified from moderate to high, showing that the studied area is highly impacted.     

Proceedings of the consensus conference on the role of sentinel lymph node biopsy in carcinoma of the breast April 19–22, 2001, Philadelphia,PA, USA

A consensus conference on the role of sentinel node biopsy in breast cancer was held in Philadelphia in April, 2001; the participants included many highly respected American and European investigators in this area. This report summarizes the deliberations of the group and promotes its current guidelines for the integration of this new technique into contemporary clinical practice.     

Epidemiology of assaultive injuries in areas of Sichuan province, China

An assault means that the physical force is used bya person or persons to inflict injury or death onanother and has been a focus of punishment inthis world. Assaultive injuries often result in temporaryor permanent disabilities, lead to traumatic death,es…     

Inventary of the Sponge Fauna of the cemitério Paleolake, Catalão, Goiás, Brazil

The Cemitério Paleolake, Catal?o, Goiás, is a lacustrine deposit that is rich in spicules of continental sponges. These spicules, which are present in three sections (1-3), were analyzed for the taxonomic identification of the species in order to reconstruct the late Quaternary palaeoenvironment. An indigenous assemblage of lentic sponges was found, consisting of Metania spinata (Carter 1881), Dosilia pydanieli Volkmer-Ribeiro (1992), Radiospongilla amazonensis Volkmer-Ribeiro and Maciel (1983), Trochospongilla variabilis Bonetto and Ezcurra de Drago (1973), Corvomeyenia thumi (Traxler 1895), Heterorotula fistula Volkmer-Ribeiro and Motta (1995), plus Corvoheteromeyenia australis (Bonetto and Ezcurra de Drago 1966), which here has its first record in an assemblage formed by biosiliceous deposits. Furthermore, at the base of the sections, spicules of sponges from lotic environments were detected, including Corvospongilla seckti Bonetto and Ezcurra de Drago (1966), Oncosclera navicella (Carter 1881) and Eunapius fragilis (Leidy 1851), which suggests a contribution from flowing water. We identified 25 spongofacies horizons caused by sponge assemblages typical of a lentic environment, dated from at least 39,700 years BP., and currently occurring in lakes typical of the Cerrado Biome.     

The Strongest Correlates of PTSD for Firefighters: Number,Recency, Frequency,or Perceived Threat of Traumatic Events?

Firefighters experience a wide range of traumatic events while on duty and are at risk to develop psychopathology and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). According to cognitive models, the person's interpretation of the traumatic event is responsible for the development of PTSD rather than the traumatic event itself. This cross‐sectional study aimed to explore the contribution of perceived threat to explain PTSD symptoms in Portuguese firefighters, after adjusting for potential confounding factors. A sample of 397 firefighters completed self‐report measures of exposure to traumatic events, psychopathology, and PTSD. Perceived threat explained unique variance in PTSD symptoms, R² = .40, ΔR² = .02, F(10, 367) = 24.55, p < .001, Cohen's f² =.03, after adjusting for psychopathology, number, recency, and frequency of the events, and other potential confounding variables. The association between psychopathology and PTSD was also moderated by perceived threat, R² = .43, ΔR² = .03, F(11, 366) = 25.33, p < .001, Cohen's f² =.05. Firefighters may benefit from interventions that focus on perceived threat to prevent PTSD symptoms.     

Renal Production,Uptake, and Handling of Circulating αKlotho

αKlotho is a multifunctional protein highly expressed in the kidney. Soluble αKlotho is released through cleavage of the extracellular domain from membrane αKlotho by secretases to function as an endocrine/paracrine substance. The role of the kidney in circulating αKlotho production and handling is incompletely understood, however. Here, we found higher αKlotho concentration in suprarenal compared with infrarenal inferior vena cava in both rats and humans. In rats, serum αKlotho concentration dropped precipitously after bilateral nephrectomy or upon treatment with inhibitors of αKlotho extracellular domain shedding. Furthermore, the serum half-life of exogenous αKlotho in anephric rats was four- to five-fold longer than that in normal rats, and exogenously injected labeled recombinant αKlotho was detected in the kidney and in urine of rats. Both in vivo (micropuncture) and in vitro (proximal tubule cell line) studies showed that αKlotho traffics from the basal to the apical side of the proximal tubule via transcytosis. Thus, we conclude that the kidney has dual roles in αKlotho homeostasis, producing and releasing αKlotho into the circulation and clearing αKlotho from the blood into the urinary lumen.     

Outcome of simple decompression of the compressed ulnar nerve at the elbow – influence of smoking,gender, and electrophysiological findings

Background: Compression of the ulnar nerve at elbow is frequently treated with simple decompression. Knowledge about factors influencing results of surgery of the nerve is limited and contradictory. The primary aim was to evaluate outcome of simple decompression of the nerve using a QuickDASH questionnaire, and to investigate any influence of smoking, gender, and preoperative electrophysiological findings. A second aim was to estimate the relation between QuickDASH score and a clinical assessment of outcome by the surgeon.

Methods: Patients who were operated on with simple decompression of the ulnar nerve, excluding reoperations, from September 2009 to February 2011 were evaluated before and at 1 year after surgery using QuickDASH. Data were collected from medical records and from a self-reported health declaration.

Results: There were no differences in QuickDASH scores or change in total score between smokers and non-smokers or between women and men. Nerve pathology, assessed by preoperative electrophysiology, did not affect outcome. The surgeon’s assessment of outcome mirrored QuickDASH score. Among all patients, 12/33 (36%) did not have a decrease in QuickDASH score >8, which is considered as a minimal clinically important difference.

Conclusion: Smoking, gender, and preoperative electrophysiological findings do not affect outcome of surgery. There are a high number of patients who do not benefit from simple decompression of the ulnar nerve at the elbow. Patients who are planned for surgery should be informed that there is a risk for persistent problems. A simple outcome assessment by the surgeon mirrors QuickDASH score at 1 year.     

Therapeutic effect of p65 AS-ODN, a subset of NF-κB, on pancreatic cancer

核因子-κB(NF-κB)是细胞分裂和生存的关键调节因子,参与肿瘤发生、增殖、转移等多方面的调控环节,在胰腺癌的发生、发展过程中发挥着重要作用.     

Therapeutic effect of p65 AS-ODN, a subset of NF-κB, on pancreatic cancer

核因子-κB(NF-κB)是细胞分裂和生存的关键调节因子,参与肿瘤发生、增殖、转移等多方面的调控环节,在胰腺癌的发生、发展过程中发挥着重要作用.