Low incidence of adhesion-related bowel obstruction after laparoscopic colorectal surgery

BACKGROUND: Postoperative adhesions are a major cause of morbidity, accounting for approximately 5% of the readmissions of surgical patients. Bowel obstruction is attributed to adhesions in more than half of the cases, many of which are following colon and rectal surgery. Laparoscopic surgery has the potential advantage of reduced adhesion formation owing to attenuated surgical trauma, less tissue handling, and smaller scars. However, the translation of these advantages to a reduced rate of bowel obstruction has not been sufficiently demonstrated. The aim of this study was to assess the rate of adhesion-related bowel obstruction after laparoscopic colon and rectal surgery. METHODS: Data regarding all cases of laparoscopic colon and rectal surgery were prospectively collected. Information relative to demographics, surgical procedures, and follow-up was analyzed, and patients who were readmitted for bowel obstruction were identified. RESULTS: Over a period of 8 years, 306 patients, at a mean age of 63 years, had a laparoscopic colon and rectal operation in our department-122 for benign conditions and 184 for malignant disease. The mean length of follow-up was 38 months. Six cases (2%) of bowel obstruction, which were unrelated to hernia or advanced cancer, were identified. Two patients had a history of open surgery, in addition to the laparoscopic procedure, so adhesions could be attributed solely to the laparoscopic procedure in 4 patients, which consisted of 1.3% of the total study group. Obstruction occurred within 2 weeks of surgery in 2 patients, and one early reoperation was required. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of adhesion ileus after laparoscopic colon and rectal surgery appears to be very low. This long-term benefit of laparoscopic surgery should be considered when comparing this technique to its open counterpart.     

High Cell Density Cultivation Process for the Expression of Botulinum Neurotoxin a Receptor Binding Domain

The receptor-binding domain of botulinum neurotoxin (H_C fragment), is a promising botulism vaccine candidate. In the current study, fermentation strategies were evaluated to upscale H_C fragment expression. A simple translation of the growth conditions from shake flasks to a batch fermentation process resulted in limited culture growth and protein expression (OD of 11 and volumetric protein yields of 123 mg/L). Conducting fed-batch fermentation with rich media and continuous nutrient supplementation significantly improved culture growth (OD of 40.3) and protein expression (1093 mg/L). A further increase in H_C fragment yield was achieved by high cell density cultivation (HCDC). The bacterium was grown in a defined medium and with a combined bolus/continuous feed of nutrients to maintain desired oxygen levels and prevent acetate accumulation. The final OD of the process was 260, and the volumetric yield of the H_C fragment was 2065 mg/L, which reflects improvement by an order of magnitude. Purified H_C fragments, produced by HCDC, exhibited typical biochemical and protective characteristics in mice. Taken together, the advancements achieved in this study promote large-scale production of the H_C fragment in E. coli for use in anti-botulism vaccines.     

Intra-oral Acantholytic Squamous Cell Carcinoma: 55 Cases. Is this Variant more Aggressive?

We aimed to collect and analyze available cases of intraoral acantholytic squamous cell carcinoma (aSCC), that consisted of the authors’ cases and cases derived from the existing literature, with an emphasis on the pathological staging and patient outcome. Our research question was whether aSCC is more aggressive than conventional SCC. The literature was searched for documented cases of aSCC involving the intra-oral mucosa, excluding those from the lips and tonsils, and seven new cases were added from our files. The authors compared the obtained aSCC data to existing data for conventional SCC. Fisher Exact or Pearson’s χ² tests were used for categorical variables. Fifty-five cases of intraoral aSCC were reviewed, of which 48 were retrieved from the literature. Analysis of the published cases was reinforced by contacting the authors of all the papers with incomplete data for further clarifications. The most common sites of aSCC were the tongue (24/55) and the maxilla/maxillary gingiva and/or palate (11/55). The overall survival rate was 36/53 (67.9%) with a mean follow-up period of 22 months against 62.5% for conventional SCC (p = 0.6). No statistically significant difference between the two variants of the tumor with respect to the oral cavity was detected. The differences in age, sex, survival rate, staging, and locations were not statistically significant. Based on the available data from 55 cases, there is no evidence to suggest that aSCC is more aggressive than conventional SCC in intraoral cases.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12105-021-01368-8.