Technic for orthotopic hepatic transplantation in rats using cuffs for 3 vascular anastomoses

A technique for orthotopic hepatic transplantation in the rat uses polyethylene cuffs to re-establish vascular and biliary continuity. Introduction of the suprahepatic cuff into the intrahepatic vena cava of the receiver rat, after partial hepatectomy, reduces the duration of vascular clamping and improves survival of grafted rats (long-term survival: 70%). This technique is simple to reproduce after several weeks of training and can allow research teams to study immunologic mechanisms of tolerance or rejection of liver allografts in the pure strain rat.     

Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease: Medical or surgical treatment? Report of an interactive workshop

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is the most common disease of the upper gastrointestinal tract. With the introduction of proton pump inhibitors medical treatment of GERD has been significantly improved. However, the development of laparoscopic antireflux surgery resulted in an increasing interest of surgeons in this disease. An interactive meeting was organized in order to develop an agreement between gastoenterologists and surgeons regarding therapeutic decisions and this is the main topic of this paper.     

Beta-defensin genomic copy number is not a modifier locus for cystic fibrosis

Human beta-defensin 2 (DEFB4, also known as DEFB2 or hBD-2) is a salt-sensitive antimicrobial protein that is expressed in lung epithelia. Previous work has shown that it is encoded in a cluster of beta-defensin genes at 8p23.1, which varies in copy number between 2 and 12 in different individuals. We determined the copy number of this locus in 355 patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), and tested for correlation between beta-defensin cluster genomic copy number and lung disease associated with CF. No significant association was found.