The calcium scare��what would Austin Bradford Hill have thought?

Summary  

Detailed consideration of the suggested association between calcium supplementation and heart attacks has revealed weakness in the evidence which make the hypothesis highly implausible.     

Injury pattern of suicide bomb attacks in Pakistan

Purpose  

The aim of our study was to analyze the pattern of injuries, hospital care, and outcome of the victims of suicide bomb attacks in Pakistan.     

Functional outcome and quality of life in victims of terrorist explosions as compared to conventional trauma

Background  

Following trauma, the number of preventable deaths is low. Outcome should also be measured in terms of quality of life (QoL). Studies analyzing QoL in trauma patients have been published, but little is known about the long term QoL of victims of terrorist attacks.     

Short- and long-term outcomes following percutaneous cholecystostomy for acute cholecystitis in high-risk patients

Background  

Percutaneous cholecystostomy is a less invasive method to treat acute cholecystitis in patients who are critically ill or have serious medical comorbidities precluding the use of general anesthesia. It remains controversial whether interval cholecystectomy is warranted. The objectives of the study were to determine the success rate and complications of percutaneous cholecystostomy and the proportion of patients without recurrent attacks in whom interval cholecystectomy was not needed.     

Neurocentral Synchondrosis Screws to Create and Correct Experimental Deformity: A Pilot Study

Background  

Unilateral pedicle screw epiphysiodesis of the neurocentral synchondrosis (NCS) can produce asymmetric growth of the synchondrosis to create scoliosis in an immature animal model.     

Mechanically induced experimental knee osteoarthritis benefits from anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties of simvastatin via inhibition of matrix metalloproteinase-3

Background  

We investigated the anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effect of simvastatin on articular cartilage via the inhibition of matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3), a matrix-degrading enzyme, in a mechanically induced experimental osteoarthritis (OA) animal model.     

Rectovaginal fistula model in the New Zealand white rabbit

Introduction and hypothesis  

The purpose of this study was to create an animal model to study rectovaginal fistula repair.     

Telesurgical evaluation of stable thoracic trauma patients: a feasibility study

Background  

We evaluated a robotic telesurgical platform in managing thoracic trauma in an animal model.     

Microscopy of bacterial translocation during small bowel obstruction and ischemia in vivo – a new animal model

Background  

Existing animal models provide only indirect information about the pathogenesis of infections caused by indigenous gastrointestinal microflora and the kinetics of bacterial translocation. The aim of this study was to develop a novel animal model to assess bacterial translocation and intestinal barrier function in vivo.     

Preventing blood-induced joint damage with the use of intra-articular iron chelators: an experimental study in rabbits

Introduction  

This animal model was designed to evaluate the effect of intra-articular iron-chelator treatment in the prevention of blood-induced joint disease.     

Experimental metabolic surgery: justification and technical aspects

Background  

Metabolic surgery is a surgical strategy which has shown great potential in the treatment of diseases which may be associated with morbid obesity. It must be developed on the basis of both animal and clinical research. The objective of this study is to set out the various options in experimentation animals and the technical characteristics in operations, and the specific animal care undertaken by our group.     

Impact of pressure and gas type on adhesion formation and biomaterial integration in laparoscopy

Background  

Laparoscopic mesh repair of inguinal and incisional hernias has been widely adopted. Nevertheless, knowledge about the impact of pneumoperitoneum on mesh integration is rare. The present study investigates pressure and gas-dependent effects of pneumoperitoneum on adhesion formation and biomaterial integration in a standardized animal model.     

Feasibility of the transtracheal approach for the thoracic cavity in a large animal model

Background  

The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of a novel transtracheal endoscopic technique for thoracic evaluation and intervention in a large animal model.     

Chronic pancreatitis: modern surgical management

Introduction  

Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is a disease with enormous social and personal impact. It is most commonly caused by the abuse of alcohol combined with nicotine. CP is usually characterised by an inflammatory mass located in the pancreatic head. Its natural course is characterised by persistent or recurrent painful attacks as well as progressive loss of pancreatic function due to fibrosis of the parenchyma with consecutive endocrine and exocrine insufficiency.     

Effects of low power laser irradiation on bone healing in animals: a meta-analysis

Purpose  

The meta-analysis was performed to identify animal research defining the effects of low power laser irradiation on biomechanical indicators of bone regeneration and the impact of dosage.     

Humans, Mice, and Mechanisms of Intestinal Atresias: A Window into Understanding Early Intestinal Development

Introduction  

Intestinal atresias have long been hypothesized to result from either failure of recanalization of the intestinal lumen or in utero vascular accidents. Recent work in animal models is now calling for a reassessment of these widely held paradigms.     

Alterations in portal vein blood pH, hepatic functions, and hepatic histology in a porcine carbon dioxide pneumoperitoneum model

Background  

Intra-abdominal high pressure and acidosis by carbon dioxide (CO₂) pneumoperitoneum is known to affect various organ functions. In this study, changes in liver functions and liver histology were investigated during CO₂ pneumoperitoneum in a large animal model.     

The importance of precompression time for secure stapling with a linear stapler

Background  

One prerequisite for the safe stapling of anastomoses is the formation of perfectly aligned B-shaped staples. Using an animal model, this study investigated whether precompression enhances secure staple formation.     

Clinical impact of combined transplantation of autologous skeletal myoblasts and bone marrow mononuclear cells in patients with severely deteriorated ischemic cardiomyopathy

Purpose  

Simultaneous injection of autologous bone marrow cells and skeletal myoblasts has been demonstrated to improve cardiac function in animal models. We evaluated the potential application of this combination cell therapy in patients with severe ischemic cardiomyopathy who required left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation.     

Selective α1A-blocker improves bladder storage function in rats via suppression of C-fiber afferent activity

Purpose  

In the present study, we used animal models to investigate whether the selective α_1A-blocker silodosin exerts inhibitory effects on detrusor overactivity by modulating C-fiber afferent activity.