The surgical management of pancreatic cancer

There have been significant advances made over the years in the areas of critical care, anesthesia, and surgical technique, which have led to improved mortality rates and survival after resection for pancreatic cancer. The standard of care is currently PD or PPPD for pancreatic cancers of the head, uncinate process, or neck and DP for pancreatic cancers of the body or tail. Resections are performed with the goals of negative margins and minimal blood loss, and referral to high-volume centers and surgeons is encouraged. However, 5-year survival rate after curative resection still remains at less than 20%. In an effort to improve survival and extend the limits of resectability, many centers have attempted extended lymphadenectomy and portal venous and even arterial resection and reconstruction. Extended lymphadenectomy has not led to improved survival for these patients. Portal vein resection has increased the number of patients amenable to resection, with equivalent survival rates compared with those of standard resections. Portal vein invasion is thus no longer considered a contraindication to resection at many large centers. Resection and reconstruction of involved arteries have been rarely performed and are currently not considerations for most patients. It is likely that future improvements in survival lie in the realm of adjuvant therapy. As chemotherapeutic and other tumor-directed agents continue to evolve and advance, this will hopefully lead to improved survival for patients undergoing surgical resection for pancreatic cancer.     

Resting energy expenditure in short-stature children

It is not clear what dietary intake standards should be used for children with abnormal body size. To investigate the energy requirements of short-stature children with no underlying diseases, their resting energy requirements (REE) were measured by indirect calorimetry. The short-stature group consisted of 30 prepubertal children with short stature and with no underlying diseases (age 6y±2) and the control group consisted of 13 age-matched children with standard stature. Fasting REE and the respiration quotient (RQ) with subjects in the supine position were measured by canopy indirect calorimetry. Actual measurements and body-size-adjusted REEs were compared between the groups. Also, REE measurements were compared with the basal metabolic rate (BMR) calculated using the Dietary Reference Intakes for Japanese (Dietary Reference Intakes). REE in the control group was significantly higher than that in the short-stature group. However, body-size-adjusted REEs were significantly higher for the short-stature group. When the actual REE was compared with the calculated BMR within both the control group and the short-stature group, which was acquired using the Dietary Reference Intakes, there was no difference within the control group but the actual REE measurements were significantly higher than the calculated BMR in the short-stature group. The same pattern was seen within the short-stature group when subjects were matched for height. There were no significant differences in RQ between the two groups.     

Correction to: Gene expression profiles of pro-inflammatory mediators in the conjunctiva of patients with epiblepharon

Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology - In the original publication, affiliations 1 and 4 are the same. Yuri Seo's affiliaiton should also be changed to Yongin...     

Suramin attenuates dystrophin‐deficient cardiomyopathy in the mdx mouse model of duchenne muscular dystrophy

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of suramin, an antifibrotic agent, on cardiac function and remodeling in mdx mice. Methods: mdx mice (8 months old) received intraperitoneal injections of suramin twice a week for 3 months. Control mdx mice (8 months old) were injected with saline. Results: Suramin improved the electrocardiography profile with the main corrections seen in S‐ to R‐wave ratio, PR interval, and Q amplitude, and a significant decrease in the cardiomyopathy index. Suramin decreased myocardial fibrosis, inflammation, and myonecrosis. Conclusions: These findings suggest that suramin may be a new adjunctive therapy to help improve cardiomyopathy in DMD. Muscle Nerve 48 : 911–919, 2013     

Acute limbic encephalitis with focal hyperperfusion on single photon emission computed tomography

Here we report an 11-year-old boy with acute encephalopathy with neuropsychiatric symptoms. The patient had mildly decreased consciousness, delirious behavior, and affective changes next day of fever onset. Hematologic, biochemical, and metabolic examinations were unremarkable. CSF analysis revealed cell counts of 278 cells/mm³ and a protein level of 87 mg/dL. Although MRI revealed no abnormal findings, an increase in regional cerebral blood flow was present in the bilateral frontal lobes, mesial temporal lobes, and basal ganglia on single photon emission computed tomography. The measurement of the concentrations of biomarkers such as cytokines in the patient’s serum and cerebrospinal fluid revealed elevated levels of IL-4 and TNF-α in the cerebrospinal fluid. Immunohistochemical studies applying control human brain sections did not demonstrate the presence of autoantibodies. We considered that innate immunity rather than autoantibody response may have contributed to the neuropsychiatric symptoms of our patient. These results suggest heterogeneity of patients with acute encephalopathy with neuropsychiatric symptoms.