Goldilocks principle of minimally invasive surgery for gastric subepithelial tumors

BACKGROUND

Minimally invasive surgery had been tailored to individual cases of gastric subepithelial tumors (SETs) after comparing the clinical outcomes of endoscopic resection (ER), laparoscopic resection (LR), and hybrid methods.

AIM

To study the use of Goldilocks principle to determine the best form of minimally invasive surgery for gastric SETs.

METHODS

In this retrospective study, 194 patients of gastric SETs with high probability of surgical intervention were included. All patients underwent tumor resection in the operating theater between January 2013 and December 2021. The patients were divided into two groups, ER or LR, according to the tumor characteristics and the initial intent of intervention. Few patients in the ER group required further backup laparoscopic surgery after an incomplete ER. The patients who had converted open surgery were excluded. A logistic regression model was used to assess the associations between patient characteristics and the likelihood of a treatment strategy. The area under the curve was used to assess the discriminative ability of tumor size and Youden's index to determine the optimal cut-off tumor size.

RESULTS

One-hundred ninety-four patients (100 in the ER group and 94 in the LR group) underwent tumor resection in the operating theater. In the ER group, 27 patients required backup laparoscopic surgery after an incomplete ER. The patients in the ER group had small tumor sizes and shorter procedure durations while the patients in the LR group had large tumor sizes, exophytic growth, malignancy, and tumors that were more often located in the middle or lower third of the stomach. Both groups had similar durations of hospital stays and a similar rate of major postoperative complications. The patients in the ER group who underwent backup surgery required longer procedures (56.4 min) and prolonged stays (2 d) compared to the patients in the LR group without the increased rate of major postoperative complications. The optimal cut-off point for the tumor size for laparoscopic surgery was 2.15 cm.

CONCLUSION

Multidisciplinary teamwork leads to the adoption of different strategies to yield efficient clinical outcomes according to the tumor characteristics.

Saline irrigation versus gauze wiping and suction only for peritoneal decontamination during laparoscopic repair for perforated peptic ulcer disease

The aim of current single-center study was to compare the short-term outcome of suction and gauze wiping alone versus the irrigation and suction technique for peritoneal decontamination among patients who underwent laparoscopic repair of PPU. Using data from our institution's prospectively maintained database, 105 patients who underwent laparoscopic repair were enrolled in this study. The participants were further divided into the group who received peritoneal irrigation (irrigation group, n = 67) and group who received gauze wiping and suction only (suction only group, n = 38). The irrigation group had a longer operative time (140 vs. 113 min, p = 0.0001), higher number of drainage tubes (38.8% vs. 0%, p < 0.0001) and a higher incidence of intra-abdominal abscess (10.4% vs. 0%, p = 0.0469) than the suction only group. Peritoneal irrigation may be associated with a prolonged operative time and a higher number of abdominal drains. Meanwhile, gauze wiping and suction may be sufficient for peritoneal decontamination during the laparoscopic repair of PPU as further infectious complications are not observed.

Ibrutinib in combination with nab-paclitaxel and gemcitabine for first-line treatment of patients with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma: phase III RESOLVE study

BACKGROUND

First-line treatment of metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) includes nab-paclitaxel/gemcitabine. Ibrutinib, a Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor, exhibits antitumor activity through tumor microenvironment modulation. The safety and efficacy of first-line ibrutinib plus nab-paclitaxel/gemcitabine treatment in patients with PDAC were evaluated.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

RESOLVE (NCT02436668) was a phase III, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Patients (histologically-confirmed PDAC; stage IV diagnosis ≥6 weeks of randomization; Karnofsky performance score ≥70) were randomized to once-daily oral ibrutinib (560 mg) or placebo plus nab-paclitaxel (125 mg/m²) and gemcitabine (1000 mg/m²). Primary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and investigator-assessed progression-free survival (PFS); overall response rate and safety were assessed.

RESULTS

In total, 424 patients were randomized (ibrutinib arm, n = 211; placebo arm, n = 213). Baseline characteristics were balanced across arms. After a median follow-up of 25 months, there was no significant difference in OS between ibrutinib plus nab-paclitaxel/gemcitabine versus placebo plus nab-paclitaxel/gemcitabine (median of 9.7 versus 10.8 months; P = 0.3225). PFS was shorter for ibrutinib plus nab-paclitaxel/gemcitabine compared with placebo plus nab-paclitaxel/gemcitabine (median 5.3 versus 6.0 months; P < 0.0001). Overall response rates were 29% and 42%, respectively (P = 0.0058). Patients in the ibrutinib arm had less time on treatment and received lower cumulative doses for all agents compared with the placebo arm. The most common grade ≥3 adverse events for ibrutinib versus placebo arms included neutropenia (24% versus 35%), peripheral sensory neuropathy (17% versus 8%), and anemia (16% versus 17%). Primary reasons for any treatment discontinuation were disease progression and adverse events.

CONCLUSIONS

Ibrutinib plus nab-paclitaxel/gemcitabine did not improve OS or PFS for patients with PDAC. Safety was consistent with known profiles for these agents.

Simulation study to demonstrate biases created by diagnostic criteria of mental illnesses: major depressive episodes, dysthymia, and manic episodes

OBJECTIVES

Composite diagnostic criteria alone are likely to create and introduce biases into diagnoses that subsequently have poor relationships with input symptoms. This study aims to understand the relationships between the diagnoses and the input symptoms, as well as the magnitudes of biases created by diagnostic criteria and introduced into the diagnoses of mental illnesses with large disease burdens (major depressive episodes, dysthymic disorder, and manic episodes).

SETTINGS

General psychiatric care.

PARTICIPANTS

Without real-world data available to the public, 100 000 subjects were simulated and the input symptoms were assigned based on the assumed prevalence rates (0.05, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5 and 0.7) and correlations between symptoms (0, 0.1, 0.4, 0.7 and 0.9). The input symptoms were extracted from the diagnostic criteria. The diagnostic criteria were transformed into mathematical equations to demonstrate the sources of biases and convert the input symptoms into diagnoses.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOMES

The relationships between the input symptoms and diagnoses were interpreted using forward stepwise linear regressions. Biases due to data censoring or categorisation introduced into the intermediate variables, and the three diagnoses were measured.

RESULTS

The prevalence rates of the diagnoses were lower than those of the input symptoms and proportional to the assumed prevalence rates and the correlations between the input symptoms. Certain input or bias variables consistently explained the diagnoses better than the others. Except for 0 correlations and 0.7 prevalence rates of the input symptoms for the diagnosis of dysthymic disorder, the input symptoms could not fully explain the diagnoses.

CONCLUSIONS

There are biases created due to composite diagnostic criteria and introduced into the diagnoses. The design of the diagnostic criteria determines the prevalence of the diagnoses and the relationships between the input symptoms, the diagnoses, and the biases. The importance of the input symptoms has been distorted largely by the diagnostic criteria.

Opportunities and Challenges From Leading Trends in a Biomonitoring Project: Canadian Health Measures Survey 2007-2017

Background: Biomonitoring can be conducted by assessing the levels of chemicals in human bodies and their surroundings, for example, as was done in the Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS). This study aims to report the leading increasing or decreasing biomarker trends and determine their significance.

Methods: We implemented a trend analysis for all variables from CHMS biomonitoring data cycles 1–5 conducted between 2007 and 2017. The associations between time and obesity were determined with linear regressions using the CHMS cycles and body mass index (BMI) as predictors.

Results: There were 997 unique biomarkers identified and 86 biomarkers with significant trends across cycles. Nine of the 10 leading biomarkers with the largest decreases were environmental chemicals. The levels of 1,2,3-trimethyl benzene, dodecane, palmitoleic acid, and o-xylene decreased by more than 60%. All of the 10 chemicals with the largest increases were environmental chemicals, and the levels of 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, nonanal, and 4-methyl-2-pentanone increased by more than 200%. None of the 20 biomarkers with the largest increases or decreases between cycles were associated with BMI.

Conclusions: The CHMS provides the opportunity for researchers to determine associations between biomarkers and time or BMI. However, the unknown causes of trends with large magnitudes of increase or decrease and their unclear impact on Canadians' health present challenges. We recommend that the CHMS plan future cycles on leading trends and measure chemicals with both human and environmental samples.

Unusual association of Axenfeld-Rieger syndrome and wandering spleen: A case report

BACKGROUND

Axenfeld-Rieger syndrome (ARS) is an autosomal dominant genetic disease characterized by ocular developmental disorders and its association with torsion of wandering spleen (WS) has not been reported to date to the best of our knowledge. This study aimed to describe a rare case of ARS observed at our emergency department.

CASE SUMMARY

A 25-year-old female presented with a constant lower abdominal pain of increasing severity. Diagnostic computed tomography with intravenous contrast material showed a non-homogenously enhanced splenic parenchyma with a twisted vascular pedicle. Further, an emergent laparoscopic exploration was performed, and an ischemic spleen without its normal ligamentous attachments was noted. Notably, the spleen did not regain its normal vascularity after detorsion; thus, we performed the laparoscopic total splenectomy. The postoperative course was uneventful, and the patient was discharged on the 5^th postoperative day. This case demonstrates a rare association of WS and ARS.

CONCLUSION

Early diagnosis of WS in the emergency department is important to prevent pedicle torsion or splenic necrosis and to avoid splenectomy.

Clinical Outcomes of Laparoscopic Greater Curvature Plication and Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy: a Case-Matched Control Study

BACKGROUND

Laparoscopic greater curvature plication (LGCP) is a new bariatric procedure that is similar to laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) in that it uses a restrictive mechanism. Comparative studies between LGCP and LSG were still limited. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes of the two procedures based on the same clinical conditions.

METHODS

From January 2012 to December 2015, 260 patients with morbid obesity underwent LGCP and LSG in a single center. Data on patient demography, operation time, complications, hospital stay, body mass index loss, percentage of excess weight loss (%EWL), and improvement in comorbidities were collected. A propensity-matched analysis, incorporating pre-operative variables, was used to compare the short-term outcomes between LGCP and LSG.

RESULTS

Propensity matching produced 48 patients in each group. Patients who underwent LGCP were predominately female (75.5%, 41.1% of the LSG patients were female, p = 0.028). Baseline BMI and excess weight were significantly lower in the LGCP group (p < 0.001). The LSG group showed a greater decrease in excess body weight than the LGCP group (LSG, 47.36 ± 12.95% in 3 months, 57.97 ± 19.28% in 6 months, 66.28 ± 25.42% in 12 months; LGCP, 39.67 ± 12.58% in 3 months, 47.40 ± 19.30% in 6 months, 48.02 ± 20.17% in 12 months, p = 0.008, 0.032, 0.010). Perioperative complications and resolution of obesity-related comorbidities were not significantly different between the two groups.

CONCLUSION

LGCP and LSG are both feasible and safe procedures for surgical weight reduction. In short-term follow-ups, LSG demonstrates a better excess body weight reduction while having perioperative complications similar to LGCP.

Phase Ib safety and pharmacokinetic study of volociximab, an anti-α5β1 integrin antibody, in combination with carboplatin and paclitaxel in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer

BACKGROUND

This phase Ib study evaluated volociximab, an anti-α5β1 integrin antibody, in combination with carboplatin (Eli Lilly and Co., Indianapolis, IN) and paclitaxel (Taxol) in advanced, untreated non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Three cohorts were treated with volociximab (10, 20, or 30 mg/kg) for up to six 3-week cycles in combination with carboplatin-paclitaxel chemotherapy and continued as maintenance therapy for patients with stable disease (SD) or better. Dose-limiting toxic effects, adverse events (AEs), pharmacokinetics, and anti-volociximab antibodies were assessed.

RESULTS

A maximum tolerated dose was not reached up to the maximum planned dose of 30 mg/kg. In 29 patients who received volociximab, the most common grade≥3 AEs were neutropenia (24%), hyponatremia (17%), and fatigue (10%). Three patients experienced volociximab-related serious AEs. No hemorrhages were observed. Of 33 patients enrolled, 8 (24%) achieved a partial response and 17 (52%) had SD. The median progression-free survival was 6.3 months (95% confidence interval 5.5-8.1). Levels of potential biomarkers of angiogenesis or metastasis were reduced following six cycles of treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Volociximab combined with carboplatin and paclitaxel was generally well-tolerated and showed preliminary evidence of efficacy in advanced NSCLC.