Pregnancy Complications in Women with Weight Loss Surgery Compared to a Non-Surgical Population of Women with Obesity

Obesity Surgery - The objective of this study was to assess the effect of WLS on pregnancy and delivery complications in women who had WLS compared to women with obesity who did not undergo WLS. We...     

The pros and cons of digital health communication tools in neurosurgery: a systematic review of literature

Effective communication is critical in healthcare facilitation. Our aim is to illustrate the impact of digital communication tools in the field of neurosurgery based on the cumulative recently published reports to show an evidence-based review of both benefits and limitations. We performed a systematic review of records published from January 2003 to March 2018. A specific set of keywords such as “digital” and “communication” were used on PubMed database to conduct a thorough online search. 13 articles, out of 52, were comprehensively studied after complying with our inclusion and exclusion criteria. Many of the reviewed studies reported several applications of digital health communication tools in neurosurgery including 46% (6/13) in the Emergency Room and 23% (3/13) in the Operating Room. 38.5% (5/13) were applied in teaching hospitals. Reviewed studies were divided into two groups according to their applications (interventional (3/13) and non-interventional (10/13)). In the Emergency Room, digital health tools facilitated timely diagnosis and management, while in the operating room it permitted revolutionary robotic surgery. It showed potential for “no-risk learning” at academic institutions. While the fruitful impacts were convincing of the digital communication tools’ ability to enhance healthcare in neurosurgery, proper adherence to regulations against data loss and theft, two potential complications of digital tool misuse, must be maintained. Additionally, both time efficiency and the necessity of waiting for better implementation of communication tools proved to be obstacles to consistent digital tool integration.     

The Effect of Type of Femoral Component Fixation on Mortality and Morbidity after Hip Hemiarthroplasty: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

HSS Journal ® - Hip hemiarthroplasty is a well-established treatment of displaced femoral neck fracture, although debate exists over whether cemented or uncemented fixation is superior....     

The effect of interleukin-17F on vasculogenic mimicry in oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma

Oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide and is characterized by early metastasis and poor prognosis. Recently, we reported that extracellular interleukin-17F (IL-17F) correlates with better disease-specific survival in OTSCC patients and has promising anticancer effects in vitro. Vasculogenic mimicry (VM) is the formation of an alternative vasculogenic system by aggressive tumor cells, which is implicated in treatment failure and poor survival of cancer patients. We sought to confirm the formation of VM in OTSCC and to investigate the effect of IL-17F on VM formation. Here, we showed that highly invasive OTSCC cells (HSC-3 and SAS) form tube-like VM on Matrigel similar to those formed by human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Interestingly, the less invasive cells (SCC-25) did not form any VM structures. Droplet-digital PCR, FACS, and immunofluorescence staining revealed the presence of CD31 mRNA and protein in OTSCC cells. Additionally, in a mouse orthotopic model, HSC-3 cells expressed VE-cadherin (CD144) but lacked Von Willebrand Factor. We identified different patterns of VM structures in patient samples and in an orthotopic OTSCC mouse model. Similar to the effect produced by the antiangiogenic drug sorafenib, IL-17F inhibited the formation of VM structures in vitro by HSC-3 and reduced almost all VM-related parameters. In conclusion, our findings indicate the presence of VM in OTSCC and the antitumorigenic effect of IL-17F through its effect on the VM. Therefore, targeting IL-17F or its regulatory pathways may lead to promising therapeutic strategies in patients with OTSCC.     

Strength and duration of GIPC-dependent signaling networks as determinants in cancer

GIPC is a PDZ-domain containing adaptor protein that regulates the cell surface expression and endocytic trafficking of numerous transmembrane receptors and signaling complexes. Interactions with over 50 proteins have been reported to date including VEGFR, insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R), GPCRs, and APPL, many of which have essential roles in neuronal and cardiovascular development. In cancer, a major subset of GIPC-binding receptors and cytoplasmic effectors have been shown to promote tumorigenesis or metastatic progression, while other subsets have demonstrated strong tumor-suppressive effects. Given that these diverse pathways are widespread in normal tissues and human malignancies, precisely how these opposing signals are integrated and regulated within the same tumor setting likely depend on the strength and duration of their interactions with GIPC. This review highlights the major pathways and divergent mechanisms of GIPC signaling in various cancers and provide a rationale for emerging GIPC-targeted cancer therapies.