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Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) typically occurs in an older patient population. Yet, early-onset pancreatic cancer (EOPC) has one of the fastest growing incidence rates. This study investigated the influence of age and tumor location on postoperative morbidity and mortality in a large, real-world dataset., Methods: Patients with confirmed PDAC undergoing pancreatic surgery between 01/01/2014 and 31/12/2019 were identified from the German StuDoQ|Pancreas registry. After categorization into early- (EOPC; < 50 years), middle- (MOPC; 50 -70 years), and late-onset (LOPC; > 70 years), and stratification into pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) or distal pancreatectomy (DP), differences in morbidity and mortality as well as clinicopathologic parameters were analyzed., Results: In total, 3011 patients were identified. No difference in the occurrence of postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF), postpancreatectomy hemorrhage (PPH) or delayed gastric emptying (DGE) between different age groups and resection techniques was detected. However, in patients undergoing PD, major complications (Clavien-Dindo ≥ 3a) were observed more frequently in LOPC (30,7%) than in MOPC (26,2%) and EOPC (16,9%; p < 0,01). Mortality almost tripled from EOPC (2,4%) to MOPC (3,6%) to LOPC (6,6%, p < 0,01) and significantly higher failure to rescue (FTR) rates could be observed (EOPC 14,3%, MOPC 13,6%; LOPC 21,6%; p < 0,05). In centers with DGAV certification for pancreatic surgery, the risk of complications was significantly decreased in PD (OR 0,79; 95% CI 0,65-0,94; p = 0,010)., Conclusion: Age has a pronounced impact on the perioperative outcomes after pancreatic resections of PDAC. This effect is more prevalent in PD compared to DP. Pancreatic surgery-specific complications, such as POPF, DGE or PPH do not occur more frequently in the elderly. Overall, the risk of major complications and mortality increases in elderly patients mainly secondary to higher FTR rates., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: As irreversibly anonymized data was retrospectively analyzed, the present study was deemed for exemption by the current regulations of the medical faculty of the LMU University of Munich (Ethikkommission der Medizinischen Fakultät der LMU München, Pettenkoferstrasse 8, 80336 München). All methods were carried out in accordance with relevant guidelines and regulations and for StuDoQ data collection, informed consent to participate was obtained from all of the participants in the study. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2025. The Author(s).)

Rationale: Colorectal Cancer (CRC) represents the third most common type of cancer in Germany and the second most common cancer-related cause of death worldwide. Distant metastases are still the main limit for patient survival. While liver metastases as well as peritoneal carcinomatosis can often either be resected or treated with systemic therapy, little options remain for brain metastases. Additionally, a number of studies has already investigated hepatic, peritoneal, pulmonary as well as continuing distant metastases in colorectal cancer. Yet, with respect to tumor biology and brain metastases, little is known so far., Material and Methods: Two cohorts, M0 without distant spread and BRA with brain metastases were build. RNA was isolated from paraffin embedded specimen. Gene expression was performed by an RNA NanoString-Analysis using the nCounter® PanCancer Progression Panel by NanoString-Technologies (Hamburg, Germany). Results were analysed by principal component analysis, gene expression and pathway analysis using commonly available databases such as KEGG as benchmark for comparison., Results: We were able to determine a gene signature that provides a sophisticated group separation between M0 and BRA using principal component analysis. All genes with strong loading characteristics on principal component 1 were cross-referenced with the subsequently performed accurate gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). The GSEA revealed a clear dysregulation of the TGFβ pathway in compared cohorts M0 and BRA. Interestingly, the targeted pathways analysis of the identified genes confirmed that in fact almost all strong loading genes of PC1 play a role in the TGFβ pathway., Conclusion: Our results suggest the TGFβ pathway as a crucial player in the development of brain metastases in primary CRC. In some types of colorectal cancer, downregulation of the TGFβ pathway might hinder primary colorectal cancer to metastasize to the nervous system. While the paradoxical functioning of the TGFβ pathway is still not fully understood, these shed light on yet another clinical implication of this complex pathway., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Recent retrospective studies suggest a role for distinct microbiota in the perioperative morbidity and mortality of pancreatic head resections., Objective: We aimed to prospectively investigate the microbial colonization of critical operative sites of pancreatic head resections to identify microbial stratification factors for surgical and long-term oncologic outcomes., Methods: Prospective biomarker study applying 16S rRNA sequencing and microbial culturing to samples collected from various sites of the GI tract and surgical sites of patients during pancreatic head resections at a German single high-volume pancreatic center., Results: A total of 101 patients were included (38 non-cancer, 63 cancer patients [50 PDAC patients]) in the study. In a first data analysis series, 16S rRNA sequencing data were utilized from 96 patients to assess associations of microbiome profiles with clinical parameters and outcomes. In general, microbiome composition varied according to sampling site, cancer, age or preoperative ERCP intervention, notably for the bile microbiome. In the PDAC subcohort, compositional variance of the bile or periampullary microbiome was significantly associated with postoperative complications such as ICU admission; on a taxonomic level we observed Enterococcus spp. to be significantly more abundant in patients developing deep or organ-space surgical site infections (SSI). Elevated Enterococcus relative abundances in the upper GI tract, in turn, were associated with 6-months mortality rates. In a second step, we focused on microbiological cultures collected from bile aspirates during surgery and investigated associations with perioperative complications and long-term survival. Notably, Enterococcus spp. were among the most prevalent pathobiont isolates observed in cancer patient bile specimens that were associated with severe SSIs, and thereby elevated mortality rates up to 24 months. Clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistulas or severe SSI were found as other major variables determining short-term mortality in this cancer patient cohort. In the context of adverse microbiological factors, a preoperative ERCP was also observed to segregate long-term survival, and it appeared to interact with the presence of Enterococcus spp. as highest mortality rates were observed in PDAC patients with both preoperative ERCP and presence of E. faecalis in bile aspirates., Conclusions: The presence of Enterococcus spp. in bile ducts of PDAC patients undergoing pancreatic surgery represents a significant risk factor for perioperative infections and, thereby, elevated postoperative and long-term mortality. This finding supports previous data on the use of the antibiotic drug piperacillin-tazobactam as appropriate perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis for preventing adverse outcomes after pancreatoduodenectomy., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) is an anabolic hormone that controls the growth and metabolism of many cell types. However, IGF1 also mediates cardio-protective effects after acute myocardial infarction (AMI), but the underlying mechanisms and cellular targets are not fully understood. Here we demonstrate that short-term IGF1 treatment for 3 days after AMI improved cardiac function after 1 and 4 weeks. Regional wall motion was improved in ischemic segments, scar size was reduced, and capillary density increased in the infarcted area and the border zone. Unexpectedly, inducible inactivation of the IGF1 receptor (IGF1R) in cardiomyocytes did not attenuate the protective effect of IGF1. Sequential cardiac transcriptomic analysis indicated an altered myeloid cell response in the acute phase after AMI, and, notably, myeloid-cell Igf1r -/- mice lost the protective IGF1 function after I/R. In addition, IGF1 induced an M2-like anti-inflammatory phenotype in bone marrow-derived macrophages and enhanced the number of anti-inflammatory macrophages in heart tissue on day 3 after AMI in vivo. In summary, modulation of the acute inflammatory phase after AMI by IGF1 represents an effective mechanism to preserve cardiac function after I/R., (Copyright © 2018 The American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)