Rejected

Inguinal hernias are repaired using either open or minimally invasive surgical techniques. For both types of surgery it has been demonstrated that a higher annual surgeon volume is associated with a lower risk of recurrence. This present study investigated the volume-outcome implications for recurrence operations, surgical complications, rate of chronic pain requiring treatment, and 30-day mortality based on the hospital volume.

We present here our experience with 24 cases of pseudomyogenic hemangioendothelioma (PMHE) to further delineate its clinicopathological spectrum. There were 18 males and 6 females with a median age of 28 years (range 10~64 years). Most patients presented with erythematous nodules or papules, with or without pain. The majority (63%) occurred in the lower extremities, whereas a minority involved the trunk (25%), upper extremities (8%), and head and neck (4%). Six cases (25%) had a primary bone origin. With physical and radiological examinations, 16 cases (67%) manifested as multifocal disease, involving multiple tissue planes or different bones within the anatomic region. Six cases (25%) involved skin, soft tissue, and bone simultaneously. Histologically, all cases showed features consistent with a PMHE characterized by loose fascicles or sheets of plump spindled to epithelioid cells harboring brightly eosinophilic cytoplasm and vesicular nuclei. In addition, five cases (21%) contained a prominent myxoid matrix, and one case displayed perineural and intravascular invasion. The follow-up information available in 18 patients revealed local recurrence in 4 patients (22%) and persistent disease in 8 patients (44%), respectively. One patient developed bilateral pulmonary metastases which showed significant remission after systemic chemotherapy. None of the patients died of the disease. As the clinical appearance of PMHE can be deceptive, a radiological examination is essential in identifying an insidious multifocal disease. Although PMHE has a predilection for the distal extremities of young males, this rare tumor type could also occur in unusual sites and affect middle-aged adults of both genders. The striking myoid appearance in association with myxoid stromal change may represent a potential diagnostic pitfall. Biologically, PMHE has an indolent clinical behavior, albeit metastatic disease may occur in rare instance.

Despite constant improvements in diagnostic as well as interventional and surgical techniques, acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI) remains a life-threatening emergency with high mortality rates. The time to diagnosis of AMI is the most important predictor of patients' outcome; therefore, prompt diagnosis and intervention are essential to reduce mortality in patients with AMI. The present review was performed to analyze potential risk factors and to help find ways to improve the outcome of patients with AMI.

Paravertebral block (PVB) conducted by epidural catheter is a prevalent pain management for patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lobectomy. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of paravertebral block with a modified PVB (MPVB) catheter under surgeon's direct vision after video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy.

Artemisinin resistance is threatening malaria control. We aimed to develop and test a human model of artemisinin-resistant (ART-R) Plasmodium falciparum to evaluate the efficacy of drugs against ART-R malaria.

Randomized clinical trial.

Recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB) is a hereditary blistering disorder due to lack of type VII collagen (C7). At present, treatment is mainly supportive.

Isolated cerebral deep medullary vein thrombosis has been described in the setting of hemorrhagic periventricular white matter lesions in preterm and full-term neonates, but to the best of our knowledge, has never been reported in adults. We present two cases of isolated thrombosis of the superior striate vein occurring in adults that could be analogous to deep medullary vein thrombosis in that they involve deep cerebral veins only without thrombosis of the subependymal or internal cerebral veins.

Joint damage is the most frequent extraintestinal manifestation in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Therapy of pain syndromes involves exposure to its source, receptors, and peripheral fibers. Treatment of acute pain and inflammation involves the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and nonnarcotic analgesics. An alternative to obsolete analgesics is combined compositions. Experimental results clearly indicates that caffeine effectively enhances the peripheral analgesic activity when combined in an analgesic. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the peripheral analgesic activity of meloxicam, piroxicam, and their pharmacological combinations with caffeine.