Recent temporal trends in hospital costs for non-surgical patients receiving implantable cardioverter defibrillators

Journal of Interventional Cardiac Electrophysiology - Many studies have analyzed the cost-effectiveness of implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), but hospital costs have not been as...     

Preoperative hyphema and raised intraocular pressure after peribulbar anesthesia in Fuchs’ heterochromic uveitis

We report a painless and progressive Fuchs’ heterochromic uveitis presenting with visual dimness. Examination revealed stellate keratic precipitates, light-colored iris, posterior subcapsular cataract, and normal intraocular pressure (IOP). Phacoemulsification was planned. After peribulbar anesthesia and digital massage, there was significant hyphema and increased IOP. Surgery was postponed until hyphema cleared and normal IOP occurred. Patient eventually gained visual acuity 6/6. The authors have stated that they do not have a significant financial interest or other relationship with any product manufacturer or provider of services discussed in this article. The authors also do not discuss the use of off-label products, which includes unlabeled, unapproved, or investigative products or devices.     

Management of complications of mesh surgery

Polypropylene mesh (PPM) has been used in abdominal sacrocoplopexies since the 1990's however following a patient led campaign controversy surrounds its use incontinence procedures, midurethral slings (MUS) and vaginal mesh prolapse repairs. The complication rates following mesh surgery may be as high as 10%. NHS England paused the vaginal insertion of polypropylene mesh in July 2018 pending a review by Baroness Cumberledge. This review will outline the assessment and basic management of complications of polypropylene mesh. This is a relatively new area of urogynaecological practice which non-specialist obstetric and gynaecology clinicians and GPs need to be aware of. Symptoms which could be due to mesh complications are vaginal discharge or bleeding, recurrent urinary tract infection, haematuria, dyspareunia and pelvic pain. Women presenting with any of the above symptoms should be asked if they have had previous surgery for stress incontinence or prolapse. The women may not recall having mesh inserted and may use different terms “sling” “net” or “tape”. They should be examined to both look and feel for PPM. Mesh complications should be managed by the designated mesh centres which are listed on the BAUS and BSUG websites. All mesh complications should be reported to the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) by the yellow card system. All mesh complications requiring further surgical intervention should be recorded on the British Society of Urogynaecology (BSUG) national database.     

Gene expression profiling of the tumor microenvironment during breast cancer progression

Introduction  

The importance of the tumor microenvironment in breast cancer has been increasingly recognized. Critical molecular changes in the tumor stroma accompanying cancer progression, however, remain largely unknown. We conducted a comparative analysis of global gene expression changes in the stromal and epithelial compartments during breast cancer progression from normal to preinvasive to invasive ductal carcinoma.     

Acute Liver Failure Due to Hepatitis E Virus Infection Is Associated with Better Survival than Other Etiologies in Indian Patients

Digestive Diseases and Sciences - Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a global disease and an important cause of acute liver failure (ALF) in the Indian subcontinent. The aim of this study was to assess the...     

Role of endoscopic therapy in early esophageal cancer

Esophageal carcinoma is a highly lethal cancer associated with high morbidity and mortality. Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and esophageal adenocarcinoma are the two distinct histological types. There has been significant progress in endoscopic diagnosis and treatment of early stages of cancer using resection and ablation techniques, as shown in several trials in the recent past. Earlier detection of esophageal cancer and advances in treatment modalities have lead to improvement in the 5-year survival from 5% to about 20% in the past decade. Endoscopic eradication therapy is the preferred modality of treatment in cancer limited to mucosal layer of the esophagus as there is very low risk of lymph node metastasis, leading to high cure rates, low risk of recurrence and with few adverse effects. The most common adverse events seen are strictures, bleeding and rarely perforation which can be endoscopically managed. In patients with recurrent advanced disease or invasive tumor, esophagectomy with lymph node dissection remains the mainstay of treatment. There is debate on post-endoscopic surveillance with some studies suggesting closer follow up with upper endoscopy every 6 mo for the first 1-2 years and then annually for the 3 years while others recommending the appropriate action only if symptoms or other abnormalities develop. Overall, the field of endoscopic therapy is still evolving and focus should be placed on careful patient selection using a multidisciplinary approach.