Complex surgery for locally advanced bone and soft tissue sarcomas of the shoulder girdle

Surgical management of primary musculoskeletal tumors of the shoulder girdle is cognitively and technically demanding. Over the last decades, advances in the medical treatments, imaging and surgical techniques have fostered limb salvage surgery and reduced the need for amputation. Despite well-accepted general principles, an individualized approach is often necessary to accommodate tumor extension, anatomical challenges and patient characteristics. A combination of techniques is often required to achieve optimal oncologic and durable functional outcome. Goal of this article is to review approach and management of patients with locally advanced sarcomas of the shoulder girdle requiring major tumor surgery, to illustrate principles of surgical strategy, outcome and complications, and to provide useful guidelines for the treating physicians.     

Combination of ECMO and cytokine adsorption therapy for severe sepsis with cardiogenic shock and ARDS due to Panton–Valentine leukocidin—positive <Emphasis Type="Italic">Staphylococcus aureus</Emphasis> pneumonia and H1N1

Sepsis-induced cardiogenic shock in combination with severe acute respiratory failure represents a life-threatening combination that is often refractory to the conventional methods of treatment. We describe the case of a 33-year-old patient who developed acute cardiovascular collapse and ARDS secondary to superinfection of Panton–Valentine leukocidin—positive Staphylococcus aureus and H1N1 pneumonia who underwent successful combination therapy for severe sepsis-related cardiomyopathy and respiratory failure using extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and cytokine adsorption therapy.     

249 TP53 mutation has high prevalence and is correlated with larger and poorly differentiated HCC in Brazilian patients

Background  

Ser-249 TP53 mutation (249^Ser) is a molecular evidence for aflatoxin-related carcinogenesis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) and it is frequent in some African and Asian regions, but it is unusual in Western countries. HBV has been claimed to add a synergic effect on genesis of this particular mutation with aflatoxin. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of 249^Ser mutation in HCC from patients in Brazil.     

Gastrointestinal haemorrhage due to erosion of the duodenal wall by a biliary stent

Complications from improperly placed biliary stents are not uncommon. Free loose wires from the ends of an uncovered stent can irritate and damage adjacent mucosal surfaces. Effective management can be achieved via percutaneous placement of a second stent to alter the orientation of the original stent.     

Therapeutic action and underlying mechanisms of a combination of two pentacyclic triterpenes, α- and β-amyrin,in a mouse model of colitis

Background and purpose:

α- and β-amyrin are pentacyclic triterpenes found in plants and are known to exhibit pronounced anti-inflammatory effects. Here, we evaluated the effects of a 1:1 mixture of α- and β-amyrin (α,β-amyrin) on an experimental model of colitis in mice.

Experimental approach:

Colitis was induced in Swiss male mice by trinitrobenzene sulphonic acid (TNBS) and followed up to 72 h; animals were treated systemically with α,β-amyrin, dexamethasone or vehicle. Macro- and microscopic damage, myeloperoxidase activity and cytokine levels were assessed in colons. Histological sections were immunostained for cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), vascular endothelial growth factor, phospho-p65 nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and phospho-cyclic AMP response element-binding protein (CREB)

Key results:

TNBS-induced colitis was associated with tissue damage, neutrophil infiltration and time-dependent increase of inflammatory mediators. Treatment with α,β-amyrin (3 mg·kg⁻¹, i.p.) or dexamethasone (1 mg·kg⁻¹, s.c.) consistently improved tissue damage scores and abolished polymorphonuclear cell infiltration. α,β-Amyrin, like dexamethasone, significantly diminished interleukin (IL)-1β levels and partially restored IL-10 levels in colon tissues 72 h after colitis induction, but only α,β-amyrin reduced vascular endothelial growth factor expression by immunohistochemistry. The colonic expression of COX-2 at 24 h and that of phospho-NF-κB and phospho-CREB (peaking at 6 h) after colitis induction were consistently inhibited by both α,β-amyrin and dexamethasone.

Conclusions and implications:

Systemic administration of α,β-amyrin exerted a marked and rapid inhibition of TNBS-induced colitis, related to the local suppression of inflammatory cytokines and COX-2 levels, possibly via inhibition of NF-κB and CREB-signalling pathways. Taken together, our data suggest a potential use of α,β-amyrin to control inflammatory responses in bowel disease.     

Surgical outcome of scaphoid nonunions in heavy manual workers

The management of scaphoid nonunion in heavy manual workers is challenging. Symptoms appear earlier and manual labor-related stress at the operated nonunion site may worsen the postoperative outcome. This study involved 16 heavy manual workers with scaphoid nonunion (11 cases involving the dominant hand) treated by internal fixation and autologous bone grafting. The nonunion was in 12 patients in the waist, in 3 patients in the proximal, and in 1 patient in the distal pole of the scaphoid. Clinical and radiographic evaluation of union was done according to the criteria of Bynum et al. and Fernandez and Eggli. Pain, wrist motion, and grip strength were evaluated and compared to the contralateral side. At a mean follow-up of 24 months (range, 10 months to 6 years), the mean range of motion and the grip strength compared to the contralateral hand were 95% and 91%, respectively. Overall hand function was excellent in 13 patients, good in 2 patients, and fair in 1 patient. All except one patient were pain free and returned to their work without or with minimal complaints at an average of 3.4 months (range, 2-6 months), postoperatively. In 15 patients, scaphoid nonunions healed at a mean time of 64 days. One patient had a reoperation, and union was observed at 90 days after the second operation. In all patients, the radiolunate angle was restored to normal. One patient developed complex regional pain syndrome that resolved completely after 2 months with adequate intensive physical therapy. Clinical symptoms of scaphoid nonunions are more severe and appear earlier in heavy manual workers; in this group of patients, surgical treatment is necessary. The double-threaded screw provides adequate stabilization for union. Autologous cancellous bone graft, because of its plasticity and malleability to exactly fill the scaphoid defect, is recommended.