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Dear Editor, Following the publication of our preliminary investigation on down-regulated miRs in gastric cancers , we completed the analyses focusing on the 4 upregulated miRs (miR21, miR135b, miR196a, miR196b) on the same cohort of 117 non-cardial gastric cancer patients. The investigation was carried with the same identical experimental design and statistical analyses, as previously described.

Background: In the last decade, analysis of malignant cells and flora in gastric lavage (GL) has provided interesting data on pathogenesis of gastric cancer (GC). For this study, combining such two aspects into one cyto-microbiologic category, we tested the prognostic role of the presence/absence of cancer cells (GL1/GL0) and bacterial microbiota (MB1/MB0) in our GC population. Material and Methods: Between April 2012 and August 2019, 79 surgical patients with GC were prospectively investigated with the determination of GL MB. Results: Compared with GL1 MB0, GL1 MB1 strongly correlated with advanced GC, portended poorer overall survival (OS) (45.8 months vs 20.5 months, P = 0.049), and resulted a significant (P = 0.008) and an independent (P = 0.013) prognostic factor unfavorable for OS. Conclusion: In the light of our results, the cyto-microbiologic parameter of GL MB should be used to gain a better prognosis of GC patients. Administration of antimicrobial treatment for MB1 subjects should be entertained because it could reduce the risk of oncogenesis.

Background: A bilateral diaphragmatic rupture is a rare event that occurs in cases of blunt thoracic-abdominal trauma.Case Presentation: We report the case of a 56-year-old female patient with pelvic fracture and second-stage bilateral rupture of the diaphragm due to a car accident. After a chest and abdominal contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) scan, the patient underwent emergency suturing of the left hemidiaphragm. On postoperative day (POD) 4, a CT scan performed due to the sudden onset of dyspnea revealed rupture of the right hemidiaphragm, which was not detected on the preoperative CT scan. On POD 9, the right hemidiaphragm was repaired with mesh during a right thoracotomy. The patient recovered 14 days after surgery. However, the postoperative course was complicated by an asymptomatic COVID-19 infection that significantly delayed her discharge from the hospital.Conclusions: Difficulties in preoperative diagnosis and treatment, together with the lack of data in the literature, make this type of trauma a challenge for all acute care and general surgeons.

BACKGROUND/AIM Although genoproteomic and clinicopathological knowledge on Lynch syndrome (LS) and familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) has notably increased during the past two decades and even though surgery represents the mainstay of treatment for both conditions, as of 2019, the surgical choice in terms of timing and procedure still appears controversial in the absence of definitive guidelines. MATERIALS AND METHODS Data were retrospectively analyzed of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) surgically treated at our Institution between 1st January 2003 and 31st December 2018. Particular attention was given to patients with LS and FAP ≤45 years of age (young-onset CRC); for this category of patients, the surgical procedures performed were compared in terms of benefits and disadvantages. RESULTS A total of 1,878 primary CRCs were submitted to major surgery; young-onset malignancies accounted for 3.8% of all CRCs. Thirteen young-onset inherited CRCs were surgically removed from 11 patients with LS and two with FAP. Segmental colectomy and restorative proctocolectomy were the procedures most frequently performed in young patients with LS and FAP, respectively. CONCLUSION In the light of our retrospective results, we highlight the need for randomized controlled trials comparing the surgical options for LS- and FAP-related CRC developing in young patients. Defining the advantages and risks of each surgical option is of the utmost importance in order to improve prognosis of such patients and establish unanimous recommendations.

This paper aims to describe the etiology of bloodstream infections in COVID-19, Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital, Bergamo, Italy. Two periods were evaluated: February 22-May 21, 2019/2020. We considered: the number of patients and blood culture sets, species of isolates (bacteria, specifically those indicated by EARS criteria; CoNS; Candida albicans) and their antibiotic sensitivity. In 2020 Escherichia coli and Carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae disappeared. Candida albicans and MDR Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus faecium and Acinetobacter baumannii were largely present. The analysis shows: 1. BSIs number was the same; 2. In the first month of the COVID-19 period, BSIs were uncommon; 3. Microbial etiologies were different; 4. MDR isolates were less common.

Clear cell gastric cancer (CCGC) represents an extremely rare variant of adenocarcinoma of the stomach. It can be mistaken for a clear cell metastatic lesion arising from other anatomic parts, especially renal cell carcinoma.We describe the case of a 66-year-old woman who was operated for a pyloric adenocarcinoma which resulted to be a CCGC at definitive histology. Moreover, we offer a systematic review of the current pertinent literature on CCGC.Our case represents the 160th example of CCGC. Clear cell aspect is due to the intracytoplasmic accumulation of glycogen in most cases, followed by mucin, lipid or water; the reason of the underlying biochemical process is still unclear. Paralleling other epithelial clear cell malignancies (as ovarian, bladder, urothelial or pancreatic cancers), also CCGC shows a more aggressive clinical behavior over conventional neoplastic counterparts.Differently from clear cell carcinomas involving other organs, CCGC has been rarely investigated by the literature. Since, compared to non clear cell cancers, this particular phenotype of gastric cancer appears to be associated with poorer prognosis, further studies are needed in order to corroborate its real adverse prognostic significance and standardize the correct management and treatment.

Rapid and accurate identification of non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) is important for a prompt start to antibiotic therapy. The aim of this study was to obtain accurate identification of NTM quickly by analyzing the performance of the MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry (MS) system VITEK® MS in identifying various NTM species from solid medium and MGIT 960 liquid medium. The study was performed in two phases: preliminary and perspective. Overall, 41/42 species and 33/34 species were correctly identified from the MGIT medium in the preliminary and perspective phases, respectively. The VITEK® MS system includes in its database part of the mycobacteria from the Mycobacterium fortuitum complex but is unable to discriminate among the various species belonging to the complex. Although the VITEK® MS system does not have the protein spectrum of Mycobacterium chimaera, it is not able to distinguish between Mycobacterium chimaera and Mycobacterium intracellulare. Since the VITEK® MS includes the separate protein spectrum of both M. chelonae and M. abscessus, it can discriminate between the two microorganisms. Thanks to these studies we show that the VITEK® MS system is a reliable method for identification of NTMs directly from MGIT liquid medium, instead of the use of solid media.

Il piede diabetico rappresenta una delle complicanze più severe del Diabete Mellito (DM) oltre che la prima causa di amputazione non traumatica degli arti inferiori; si stima, infatti, che ogni anno più di un milione di persone con DM siano sottoposte a trattamento demolitivo come conseguenza di questa condizione. Nonostante l’esistenza di linee guida nazionali ed internazionali sul management del piede diabetico, per alcuni aspetti gestionali le raccomandazioni proposte non raggiungono un forte livello di evidenza. Ciò rappresenta una potenziale fonte di incertezza decisionale, ma anche uno spunto da cui partire per chiarire aspetti legati al management del piede diabetico nella realtà italiana. L’obiettivo del presente documento è, quindi, quello di riadattare le raccomandazioni internazionali sulla gestione del piede diabetico alla luce dell’opinione di esperti italiani.

Diabetic foot infections (DFIs) are severe complications of long-standing diabetes, and they represent a diagnostic challenge, since the differentiation between osteomyelitis (OM), soft tissue infection (STI), and Charcot’s osteoarthropathy is very difficult to achieve. Nevertheless, such differential diagnosis is mandatory in order to plan the most appropriate treatment for the patient. The isolation of the pathogen from bone or soft tissues is still the gold standard for diagnosis; however, it would be desirable to have a non-invasive test that is able to detect, localize, and evaluate the extent of the infection with high accuracy. A multidisciplinary approach is the key for the correct management of diabetic patients dealing with infective complications, but at the moment, no definite diagnostic flow charts still exist. This review aims at providing an overview on multimodality imaging for the diagnosis of DFI and to address evidence-based answers to the clinicians when they appeal to radiologists or nuclear medicine (NM) physicians for studying their patients.

BACKGROUND/AIM As of 2020, adenocarcinoma arising in the ileocecal valve (ICV-A) has been examined along with cecal and right colon cancer (RCC) under the collective heading "ileocecal" tumor. We propose a new classification system for this cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS We retrospectively analyzed RCC patients from 2003 to 2019. The scheme was: i) Type I cancer for adenocarcinomas residing in ICV; ii) Type II, if they reside 1 to 5 mm from ICV; iii) Type III, 6 mm to 10 mm from ICV; iv) Type IV, at 1,1 to 5 cm; v) Type V, at more than 5 cm (ascending colon cancer). RESULTS Of 689 hemicolectomized patients, there were 91 (13.2%) Type I, 87 Type II (12.6%), 38 (5.5%) Type III, 157 (22.8%) Type IV and 314 (45.6%) Type V. Each type was associated with at least one clinicopathologic feature. CONCLUSION ICV-A was classified into five types (I-V) according to the distance from ICV. Further studies are needed in order to corroborate our findings.

Background/aim As of 2020, carbohydrate antigen 72.4 (Ca 72.4) has been rarely investigated in the gastric juice (GJ) of patients with gastric cancer (GC). Our aim was to analyze the significance and role of this tumor antigen in the GJ of our GC population. Patients and methods Between April 2012 and July 2013, 37 patients with operable GC were prospectively investigated to determine the GJ Ca 72.4 levels before surgical manipulation. Results GJ Ca 72.4 ≥6.49 ng/ml strongly correlated with the traditional categories of aggressive cancer (advanced tumor depth and stage, lymph node invasion and metastatic lymphatic ratio, indication to adjuvant treatment). It also associated with shorter survival (p=0.049) and is, thus, suggested as an independent factor of poor prognosis in GC patients (p=0.047). Conclusion The GJ Ca 72.4 parameter should be considered an indicator of an aggressive tumor phenotype and should be used in the prognostic assessment of GC patients.

One of the major improvements for CdTe solar cells is the increase of the current density by enhancing the transparency of the buffer layer. CdS, with its 2.4 eV band gap, results in being opaque at low wavelength regions. For this reason, in order to gain in blue and UV light, extremely thin CdS has to be applied, if the buffer is not substituted with other materials. On the other hand, by thinning the CdS layer we create pinholes also due to the wide intermixing of CdTe and CdS layers and subsequently consumption of CdS. For this reason we have applied and compared different CdS post-deposition treatments in order to stabilize the layer and avoid excess intermixing. Treatments at temperatures above 500 °C in an argon and chlorine atmosphere on 80 nm thick CdS have led to the fabrication of more stable samples compared to untreated CdS, resulting in improved performance with a 10% increase in current density and a 5% increase in open circuit voltage and fill factor. Moreover, light transmission of the CdS treated layers from 300 to 450 nm is increased by about 10%. In this paper, a study of treated thin CdS with recrystallization treatments is presented; the layers have been analysed by means of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy. Finished CdTe devices made on thin CdS are characterized in terms of current-voltage and quantum efficiency.

Historically, analysis of intragastric exfoliative cytology (IEC) of gastric cancer (GC) was used with a diagnostic intent only. With the successful advent of endoscopic biopsy, the rate of detection of GC has improved worldwide and, as a consequence, IEC has been progressively abandoned. Today, however, there is a renewed interest in this field of research, as witnessed by several pertinent publications. As discussed in this review, in fact, currently the importance of analyzing IEC in patients with early and advanced GC seems to reside in its clinicopathological and prognostic significance. In fact, compared to non-sloughing tumors, GC exhibiting intragastric exfoliation was recently associated with an aggressive tumor phenotype (characterized by deeper infiltration of the gastric wall, lymph nodal or distant metastases, angiolymphatic and perineural invasion) and poorer prognosis. Adoption of IEC examination in routine practice might help identify patients at higher risk of developing local recurrence and peritoneal metastasis from early and advanced GC, optimizing their treatment and improving quality of life and life expectancy.

Background: Pemetrexed (PEM) is a new-generation multitargeted antifolate agent with a demonstrated broad-spectrum activity in several types of human cancers, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and mesothelioma. Major side effects include dose-limiting hematologic toxicities. PEM nephrotoxicity is well known; however, its frequency is considered to be low. Case Presentation: Here we report two cases of acute kidney injury (AKI) related to PEM administration (500 mg/m2) in patients with NSCLC. The first patient required hemodialysis treatment and was submitted to renal biopsy which showed acute tubular damage and interstitial edema without acute tubular necrosis. No other potential nephrotoxic agents were identified. The second patient developed AKI, not proven by biopsy and did not require renal replacement therapy. Both patients, on regular supplementation with folic acid and vitamin B12, concomitantly developed myelosuppression and even several months after PEM withdrawal, showed only a modest improvement of renal function. Conclusions: PEM is an antifolate antineoplastic agent with a broad-spectrum activity in locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC. It has been shown that PEM allows longer survival. The risk of acute or chronic kidney disease may be one of the prices to be paid for this success.

Objectives: To investigate gastric lavage (GL) cytopathology and immunometric analysis as novel clinicopathologic and prognostic parameters for gastric cancer (GC). Study Design: In 38 patients with gastric adenocarcinoma, we performed a cytopathologic analysis and an immunometric assay of GL using four tumor markers (CEA, CA 19.9, CA 72.4, and CA 50). The intragastric tumor marker levels were compared with a control group consisting of 41 non-GC patients to determine a statistically significant cutoff value. Results: GL cytopathology demonstrated the presence of cancer cells in 13 (34.2%) of the 38 GC patients: such a finding correlated to the parameters pT and pN with a statistically significant validity (p < 0.0267 and p < 0.0306, respectively). Measurement of intragastric CA 19.9 and CA 50 attained a statistically significant cutoff value (p < 0.002 and p < 0.0096, respectively), which was invalidated by the low sensitivity of the ROC curve analysis. Conclusions: In contrast to determination of its tumor markers, GL cytopathology correlated well with pT and pN staging parameters. Should this and other features be corroborated by future studies, the GL cytology test could be routinely used to detect aggressive types of GC even at early stages and result in important progress in the knowledge, staging, prediction, as well as management and follow-up of this inauspicious type of cancer.

Background/aim Although reckoned necessary for survival benefit, neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) of gastric cancer (GC) patients has so far provided questionable results. Consequently, searching for new and clearer systems of response to NAC, post-NAC re-evaluation and prognostic prediction appears essential. The purpose of this study was to examine endogastric cytopathology and hemoglobin level count as new features, potentially useful for GC patients after NAC. Patients and methods Between April 2012 and October 2018, 21 of 116 patients with resectable GC received NAC and were investigated for the presence of free-floating malignant cells in their gastric lavage (yGL1) and the development of hypohemoglobinia (yAnemia). Results yGL1 and yAnemia were found in 11 and 12 patients, respectively. yGL1 correlated with the traditional parameters of tumor regression (p=0.0424). Both yGL1 and yAnemia were found to be independent predictive factors of overall and progression-free survival (p≤0.0364). Conclusion In the light of our results, the yGL1 and yAnemia appear two promising, simple and interesting clinicopathological features which should always be examined for better clarifying GC patients' response to NAC.

Background/aim Endoscopic vacuum-assisted closure therapy (EVAC) is a promising new technique for repairing upper gastrointestinal defects of different etiologies. As of 2018, however, no standardized recommendation exists. This article reviewed EVAC in treating anastomotic leakage following major resective surgery of esophageal (EC) and gastric cancer (GC). Materials and methods Only English-language literature was investigated. Only studies or data on EC and GC were included. Seven popular search engines (PubMed, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Google Scholar, ResearchGate, PubFacts) were utilized. Results A total of 29 studies (17 retrospective, six prospective and six case reports) with a total of 209 patients. Range of anastomotic leakage closure was 66.7-100%. Anastomotic stricture was the most frequent long-term related complication (18 cases). Conclusion EVAC appears to be an extremely useful treatment for postsurgical anastomotic leakage in patients with EC/GC. Almost all kinds of anastomotic leakage (silent to symptomatic, small to large) seem to be amenable to this technique.

Differently from other digestive malignancies, gastric cancer (GC) carcinogenesis seems more heterogeneous and unclear. This entails failing in identification of reliable serum tumor markers for screening early GC (EGC) as well as persisting ominous prognosis of this disease. Recently, investigation of human noncoding genome, especially long noncoding molecules (lncRNAs), has provided promising data. As for GC, however, since the current information on GC-specific lncRNAs is still scarce and comes largely from analyses performed on tissue or serum of affected patients, we decided to review the current literature dealing with expression of such molecules in the gastric juice (GJ) of GC patients. In the case of GC, in fact, several cytological and molecular works have already demonstrated GJ to be an interesting biological material for improving clinicopathologic and prognostic knowledge of this cancer. For this review, we burrowed into the literature on lncRNAs expressed in GJ of GC patients. PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar and ResearchGate were the search engines entertained. As of 2018, only seven studies have been reported. LINC00152, AA174084, UCA1, RMRP, ABHD11-AS1, LINC00982 and H19 were the GJ lncRNAs examined. Following our review, we can conclude that, due to their high specificity and reliability, GJ lncRNAs should deserve a prominent role in the field of GC research: importantly, they could be used for screening EGC, ameliorating the existing methods of staging (which are still far from being completely accurate), improving the prognostic capacity of the current diagnostic armamentarium and, finally, providing new and valuable therapeutic targets.

In addition to classical metastatic pathways, recently gastric cancer was described having an alternative route called "endoluminal exfoliation". Provisional analyses demonstrated, in fact, this kind of shedding is associated with several clinico-pathological features indicative of aggressive behavior and resulted to be an independent prognostic factor entailing poor prognosis. Compared with non-sowing counterparts, in fact, patients affected with exfoliating early and advanced gastric carcinomas met with shorter overall survival, disease free survival, progression free survival and time to tumor progression. In spite of these interesting results, however, the clinico-pathological and oncological significance of this unconventional metastatic route is still to be clarified. Such an investigation is further urged by the increasing widespread employment of minimally invasive treatments for gastric cancer which include a wide spectrum of intragastric interventions and maneuvers. Indeed, endoscopic mucosal resection, endoscopic submucosal dissection, endoscopic full-thickness resection, intragastric laparoscopic surgery and hybrid procedures all take place inside of the stomach. However, iatrogenic perforations can occur during execution of these treatments leading to spillage of malignant cells from gastric to the peritoneal cavity or trocar insertion sites. Furthermore, many other gastric conditions and interventions can collide with endogastric presence of floating cancer cells: spontaneous ulceration or perforation, laparotomy surgery, gastrointestinal occlusion, diverticula. Viability, migration and intraluminal transportability of the intragastric floating cancer cells represents another original and intriguing topic. All these considerations led us to entertain the hypothesis that removing the exfoliated cancer cells from the gastric lumen could save patients from the dreaded potential risk of spillage. Performing gastric lavage before starting any kind of tumor intervention could be the most appropriate procedure to adopt with prophylactic intent. Should our speculation prove to be clinically significant, preoperative gastric lavage should be pointed out as a simple but cogent method useful for preventing oncological mishaps such as spillage of gastric cancer cells and development of related recurrences or metastases.

Background/aim Focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) is the second most common benign tumor of the liver. As of 2017, many clinical, radiological and surgical features have been largely documented. On the other hand, little is still known about the correlation of FNH with hepatocellular carcinoma, nor the preferable modality of treatment. Our aim was to elucidate the latter topic. Materials and methods We investigated the pertinent literature available as of 2017 through four popular search engines (PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus and Google Scholar). Four main approaches were selected: conservative treatment, surgery, radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and transarterial embolization (TAE). Results We found most works to be on conservative and surgical approaches. On the contrary, only one article has been published for RFA to date. Seventeen articles dealt with TAE. Conclusion TAE currently represents the most cogent and successful alternative to surgery.

Background/aim Although there is an increasing number of studies on laparoscopic resection of early gastric cancer (EGC), as of 2018 no standardized strategy exists. We reviewed available literature dealing with laparoscopic intragastric (intraluminal) surgery (LIGS) conducted for patients with EGC to better define indications, benefits and limitations of this particular minimally invasive technique. Materials and methods PubMed, MEDLINE, Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar and ResearchGate were the search engines investigated. Only LIGS for EGC was entertained; studies conducted for other gastric diseases were excluded. Suitable articles written in all languages were included in the review. Results As of 2018, we found 19 studies dealing with LIGS for EGC: studies on 72 humans and four pigs were identified. Among 72 human participants, there were 59 mucosal, five submucosal and one subserosal cancer. Conclusion Based on our review, LIGS appears as a cogent option to endoscopic resection for treating superficial EGC.

Background/aim Detecting free tumor cells in the peritoneal lavage fluid of gastric cancer patients permits to assess a more accurate prognosis, predict peritoneal recurrence and select cases for a more aggressive treatment. Currently, cytology and molecular biology comprise the two most popular methods of detection that are under constant study by researchers. Materials and methods We burrowed into the available literature comparing cytological with molecular detection of free intraperitoneal gastric cancer cells. PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus and Google Scholar were the search engines investigated. Results As of 2017, 51 dedicated studies have been published. Messenger RNA of carcinoembryonic antigen was the genetic target most frequently described. The genetic technique is usually superior to cytology in sensitivity (38-100% vs. 12.3-67% respectively), whereas cytological examination tends to show a slight pre-eminence in specificity (approximately 100%). Conclusion So far, given the imperfection of each method, employment of both cytology and molecular examination seem to be mandatory.

Background/aim To date, the combination of gastroscopy with biopsy remains the only test validated for screening gastric cancer (GC). Currently, analysis of circulating microRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) is providing interesting information on GC prognosis, but since these molecules are shared by several types of cancer, its clinical use could be questionable and difficult. MicroRNAs in gastric juice (GJ) could represent a cogent alternative to screening GC by biopsy. Materials and methods We investigated the pertinent literature dealing with GC GJ microRNAs through four popular search engines (PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus and Google Scholar). Results As of 2017, only four studies had been published and were all from Chinese experience. MiR-421, miR-129, miR-21, miR-106a and miR-133a were the five molecules studied in the GJ of the enrolled patients. Conclusion The GJ miRNA test is reliable and reproducible. The discussed GJ miRNAs appear to be new potential biomarkers for the screening of GC.

BACKGROUND/AIM Concerning gastric cancer (GC), nasogastric tube (NGT) is routinely employed for peri-operative decompression and palliative enteral nutrition. Additionally, we believe to have found a further application. PATIENTS AND METHODS Between April 2012 and April 2017, 96 GC patients received preoperative nasogastric lavage (GL). All samples were cytologically examined to detect the presence (GL1) or absence (GL0) of malignant cells. Data were analyzed with classificatory, staging and prognostic purpose. RESULTS GL1 was detected in 46 GC patients: association with tumor depth, lymph node and distant metastasis, lymphovascular and peri-neural invasion, diffuse type and signet-ring cells was significant (respectively p=0.0274, 0.0324, 0.0446, 0.0287

BACKGROUND/AIM Distal gastrectomy (DG) represents the only curative treatment for most mid-lower gastric cancers (GCs). As of 2017, however, no reconstructive modality to conduct after DG has gained unanimous consensus. Additionally, most authors have investigated Billroth 1 and Roux-en-Y (RY) rather than Billroth 2 (B2) reconstruction. We analyzed B2 and RY gastrojejunostomy to identify the preferable technique and augment the available information on B2 restoration. PATIENTS AND METHODS We retrospectively selected 132 GC patients who were consecutively submitted to DG at our institution between April 2005 and February 2016. B2 and RY anastomosis were accomplished as methods of reconstruction (respectively 36 and 96 cases). We compared these techniques in terms of clinicopathological, surgical, postoperative and oncologic outcomes. RESULTS Compared to RY gastrojejunostomy, B2 reconstruction was significantly associated with a greater mean number of harvested lymph nodes (26.03 vs. 21.65, p=0.045) but also with a longer hospital stay (22.8 vs. 15.7 days) (p=0.022) and higher readmission rate (28.57% vs. 3.1%, p

Objective As of 2017, the pathobiology of gastric cancer (GC) is far from fully understood; consequently, new methods of basic and advanced research have been proposed and tested. The presence (GL1) vs absence (GL0) of malignant cells exfoliated in gastric lavage (GL) of GC patients was formerly evaluated with diagnostic intent but not for staging or prognostic assessment. We investigated this hitherto unreported application of cytopathology. Methods GL was preoperatively and prospectively collected from 80 GC patients and cytologically analysed. The results were compared with the classic clinicopathological features of GC and related to survival. The prognostic value of GL1 was assessed through univariate and multivariate analyses. Results GL1 was detected in 36 samples (45%) and correlated with advanced tumour depth (T3-T4), lymphatic metastasis (N+), distant metastasis (M1) and lymphovascular invasion (LVI1; P=.0317, .0024, .003 and .0028, respectively). Overall survival (OS) was significantly shorter for GL1 (23 months) vs GL0 patients (42 months; P=.005) and GL1 vs GL0 T1 subjects (12.6 vs 47.8 months, P=.0029). Univariate analysis revealed that GL1, N+, M1, LVI1 and advanced stage were significantly associated with OS. Multivariate analysis assessed GL1 as the only independent prognostic factor for worse OS and progression-free survival (P=.0013 and .0107). Conclusions In the present study, GL1 was correlated with advanced disease, aggressive tumour behaviour and poor prognosis. Although additional studies are needed to confirm these findings, the GL0/GL1 classification can be applied to GC patients to achieve higher accuracy in staging, prognostic stratification and treatment selection.

As of 2017, no serum tumor marker has shown high levels of sensitivity or specificity for early detection, classification, staging, prediction and prognosis of patients affected by gastric cancer. In this regard, since 1975 several authors have investigated the gastric juice or gastric lavage of patients with gastric adenocarcinoma in order to determine the concentrations of intragastric tumor markers and discover the perfect antigen for this cancer. To date, however, a systematic review of the literature on intragastric tumor markers is still unreported. After a thorough search, we found important as well as unimportant findings and have come to clearly defined conclusions. We believe that describing the current state of knowledge achieved by the scientific community in this particular field of research could augment information on the complex pathobiology of gastric cancer and entail a deeper understanding of its unpredictable malignant behavior.

Background/aim Grade C postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) is a life-threatening complication of pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD), with its surgical management remaining under debate. Occasionally, POPF is associated with a compromised anastomotic Roux-limb. Our series focused to this sort of grade C mixed fistula. Patients and methods Between April 2004 and March 2014, 5 out of 12 patients with grade C POPF were classified as grade C mixed POPFs. Surgery consisted of associating resection of the anastomotic jejunal segment with resection and closure of the pancreatic stump. Results Four patients suffered from a grade C mixed POPF discharging into a single dehiscent site; 1 patient was found with two dehiscent points in all (pancreatic anastomosis and jejunal rim). For all of them, the described surgical procedure resulted in complete recovery. Conclusion For grade C pancreatico-digestive POPF, resecting anastomotic jejunal segment during dismantling of the pancreatico-digestive anastomosis appears a very promising surgical technique.

BACKGROUND/AIM Early gastric cancer (EGC) is usually associated with excellent prognosis. Some cases, however, entail a poorer survival. Our aim was to assess if EGC exfoliating into gastric lavage (GL) has a more aggressive behavior than the non-exfoliative counterpart. PATIENTS AND METHODS Between April 2012 and April 2017, 96 gastric cancer patients were prospectively submitted to preoperative GL to detect the presence (GL1) or absence (GL0) of exfoliated malignant cells. RESULTS A total of 16 patients had EGC. T1b cases had significantly poorer overall (OS), progression-free (PFS) and disease-free survival (DFS) than their GL0 counterpart (16.3 vs. 61 months, p=0.0032). Similarly, the entire T1 class (T1a plus T1b EGCs) showed worse OS, PFS, DFS (15.5 vs. 61 months, p=0.0008) and time-to-tumor progression (17 vs. 61 months, p=0.0103). CONCLUSION In the case of EGC, the GL0-GL1 classification should become a routine clinical practice to identify the aggressive tumor phenotypes requiring for closer follow-up or additional treatment.

Background: During the last few years, the gastric cancer nodal staging has been extensively revised. Lately, a new system emerged in this field with the purpose of implementing the prognostic stratification: the lymph-node ratio (LNR). The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of the LNR in relation to cancer survivors undergoing resection for gastric adenocarcinoma. Methods: Off 227 patients undergoing surgical resection for gastric cancer at our Department, 129 curative gastric resections with more than 15 nodes harvested were selected. The LNR was calculated and patients were stratified into 6 subgroups based on the ratio values. The subgroups were compared for data analysis. Survivals were calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method, and the mean follow-up period was 40 months. ROC curves were calculated in order to analyze the performance of the LNR system. Results: LNR stratification correlated with the stage of the disease, with the rate of patients undergoing chemotherapy and patients presenting with a relapse of disease at follow-up. Moreover, an increased ratio correlated with a worse overall, a disease-free and a disease-specific survival of the patients. The ROC curves documented a significant performance of the stratification system with the endpoints of disease-free and disease-specific survivals. Conclusion: LNR stratification correlated with cancer-related survivals in our case series. It is a reliable system that might improve current nodal staging and thereby the identification of patients with a higher risk of recurrence or cancer-related mortality.

We report a case of acute interstitial nephritis (AIN), most likely induced by rosuvastatin, in an 83-year-old male patient. The patient underwent angioplasty of the left internal carotid artery, after which he began a regimen of rosuvastatin (20 mg/day). After 3 weeks the patient was admitted to our unit for acute renal failure with mild proteinuria with negligible urinary sediment. A left kidney biopsy showed dense interstitial infiltrates, mainly composed of lymphocytes with evident tubulitis. Rosuvastatin withdrawal plus prednisolone (1 mg/kg/day) treatment, which was slowly tapered over a period of 4 weeks, allowed for a complete recovery of renal function. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of rosuvastatin-induced AIN. Acute renal failure is associated with a clear increase in morbidity, length of hospital stay and mortality. Moreover, since statins are among the most widely prescribed drugs in Western countries, we think that the risk of AIN should be taken into account as a possible side effect of rosuvastatin.

Background and Objectives Gastric cancers are usually characterized using Lauren's classification into intestinal and diffuse types. We previously documented the down-modulation of miR31, miR148a, miR204, and miR375 in gastric cancers. We aimed this manuscript to investigate these miRs with the end-points of diagnosis, Lauren's classification and prognosis. Methods A total of 117 resected non-cardial adenocarcinomas were evaluated for miRs' expressions. The performance of miRs’ expressions for cancer diagnosis was tested using ROC curves. Logistic regression was conducted with the end-point of Lauren's classification. Kaplan-Meier and Cox analyses were performed for OS, DFS, and DSS. miRs’ targets were reviewed using PRISMA method and BCL-2 was further investigated in cell lines. Results ROC curves documented that miRs’ down-modulation was significant in differentiating cancer versus normal tissues. Diffuse type cancers were associated with female sex, young age, and miR375 higher expression. We confirmed BCL-2 as a miR204 target. However, survival analyses confirmed the pathologic criteria (advanced stages, LNR, and low LNH) as the significant variables correlated to worse prognosis. Conclusions The down-modulation of miR31, miR148a, miR204, and miR375 is significantly associated with non-cardial gastric cancers and miR375 is specifically linked to Lauren's classification. Nevertheless, standard pathological features display as the independent variables associated with worse prognosis.

Although decreasing in the incidence over the last years, currently gastric adenocarcinoma represents the second cause of cancer related-death worldwide. Further knowledge and novel therapies are desperately needed in order to make the prognosis of these patients more acceptable. Infact, even though in recent years numerous staging parameters have been largely studied and unanimously recognized for their clinical and prognostic value, today too many shadows still exist around the capacity to predict exactly the natural history or post-treatment behavior of this cancer even among patients of the same stage. This study has identified the presence of isolated cancer cells as well as tumor markers (CEA, Ca 19.9, Ca 72.4 and Ca 50) from the gastric lavage of patients affected by gastric adenocarcinoma. Such findings led to the hypothesis that endoluminal exfoliation of neoplastic cells and the release of their products (tumor markers) into the gastric juice might be an expression of neoplastic behavior as well as aggressive malignancy. Should this hypothesis become a reality, some important progress could be made in the knowledge, staging, prediction as well as management and follow-up of this inauspicious type of cancer.

We would like offering our experience about a very rare and underestimated type of gastrointestinal lipoma, which is the lipoma with precancerous or frankly malignant features of the mucosal epithelium, the so-called atypical lipoma. So far, only few cases have been described in the world literature. Recently, we grappled with what we think the first case of atypical colonic lipoma presenting with adenocarcinomatous transformation of the overlying epithelium, as discussed in more detail below. We propose a new definition and classification for this kind of lesions and discuss about their diagnosis, treatment and prognosis.

White blood cell (WBC) scintigraphy is considered the nuclear medicine imaging gold standard for diagnosing osteomyelitis in the diabetic foot. Recent papers have suggested that the use of F-18-FDG PET/CT produces similar diagnostic accuracy, but clear interpretation criteria have not yet been established. Our aim was to evaluate the role of sequential F-18-FDG PET/CT in patients with a high suspicion of osteomyelitis to define objective interpretation criteria to be compared with WBC scintigraphy. Methods: Thirteen patients whom clinicians considered positive for osteomyelitis (7 with ulcers, 6 with exposed bone) were enrolled. The patients underwent Tc-99m-exametazime WBC scintigraphy with acquisition times of 30 min, 3 h, and 20 h and sequential F-18-FDG PET/CT with acquisition times of 10 min, 1 h, and 2 h. A biopsy or tissue culture was performed for final diagnosis. Several interpretation criteria (qualitative and quantitative) were tested. Results: At final biopsy, 7 patients had osteomyelitis, 2 had soft-tissue infection without osteomyelitis, and 4 had no infection. The best interpretation criterion for osteomyelitis with WBC scintigraphy was a target-to-background (T/B) ratio greater than 2.0 at 20 h and increasing with time. A T/B ratio greater than 2.0 at 20 h but stable or decreasing with time was suggestive of soft-tissue infection. A T/B ratio of no more than 2.0 at 20 h excluded an infection. Thus, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy for osteomyelitis were 86%, 100%, 100%, 86%, and 92%, respectively. For F-18-FDG PET/CT, the best interpretation criterion for osteomyelitis was a maximal standardized uptake value (SUVmax) greater than 2.0 at 1 and 2 h and increasing with time. A SUVmax greater than 2.0 after 1 and 2 h but stable or decreasing with time was suggestive of a soft-tissue infection. An SUVmax less than 2.0 excluded an infection. F-18-FDG PET at 10 min was not useful. Using these criteria, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy for osteomyelitis were 43%, 67%, 60%, 50%, and 54%, respectively. Combining visual assessment of PET at 1 h and CT was best for differentiating between osteomyelitis and soft-tissue infection, with a diagnostic accuracy of 62%. Conclusion: F-18-FDG PET/CT, even with sequential imaging, has a low diagnostic accuracy for osteo-myelitis and cannot replace WBC scintigraphy in patients with diabetic foot.

Background Survival after resection of pancreatic adenocarcinoma is poor. Several prognostic factors such as the status of the resection margin, lymph node status, or tumor grading have been identified. Aim of the study was to evaluate the prognostic significance of the lymph node ratio (LNR) for resected pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Materials and Methods Data were collected from 101 patients who had undergone pancreatoduodenectomy for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Patients were divided into four groups according to the absolute LNR (0, 0–0.199, 0.2–0.399, >0.4). Kaplan–Meier and Cox proportional hazard models were used to evaluate the prognostic effect. Results The actuarial 3- and 5-year survival rates were 32 and 17%, respectively. The median survival was 19 months. Patients with LNR 0/0–0.199/0.2–0.399/>0.4 survived 40.2/30.5/18.1, and 13.6 months, respectively (P = 0.001). At the multivariate analysis, lymph node status was not found to be a significant prognostic factor; on the contrary LNR >0.2 (P = 0.007), positive resection margin (P = 0.001), and grading (P = 0.05) were significantly related to survival. Conclusion LNR is a more powerful predictor of survival than the lymph node status in patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy for ductal adenocarcinoma. J. Surg. Oncol. 2011; 104:629–633. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Background Solid-pseudopapillary neoplasms (SPNs) of the pancreas are infrequent tumors since, as of 2014, only 2744 patients have been described. Its rarity, unclear histogenesis, pleomorphic aspect on radiology (cystic, solid or mixed) and unpredictable biological behavior with an insidious high-grade malignant potential make SPN difficult to recognize preoperatively even in its target patient population which is predominantly composed of young women (about 87% of cases). Methods Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) showed to improve the preoperative diagnostic yield for this tumor and obviate the risks formerly given by percutaneous biopsy. Results In light of our experience, such a procedure could not be so innocuous as generally acknowledged. Conclusion We report the first case of rupture of pancreatic SPN following EUS-FNA and entertain both the actual and potential complications ensuing from this type of mishap.

Left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy (H) and hypertension are prevalent in children with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and after renal transplantation. Severe hypertension prior to renal transplantation has traditionally been an indication for native kidney nephrectomy. The impact of nephrectomy on cardiovascular disease has not been well documented. We retrospectively evaluated echocardiographic and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) data in 67 young adults who had undergone transplantation in the pediatric age with a mean follow-up of 10.4 years. Unilateral or bilateral nephrectomies had been performed in 32 patients. The number of antihypertensive drugs used prior to transplantation was significantly higher in the nephrectomized groups. At follow-up the amount of antihypertensive medications was similar between groups and no significant differences were observed in mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) or LV mass index (LVMi). LVH was observed in 50% of non-nephrectomized patients, 45.4% of patients with unilateral nephrectomy, and 44.4% of patients without native kidneys (p = n.s.). In conclusion, unilateral or bilateral nephrectomies prior to transplantation do not appear to influence blood pressure control or the prevalence of LVH after renal transplantation. Longitudinal studies with repeated assessment of LVMi, before and after renal transplantation, are needed to assess the impact of residual activity of native kidneys on arterial blood pressure and cardiac structural changes, even in normotensive patients, to evaluate cardiovascular morbidity.