Minimally invasive, 'en-bloc' seminal vesicle excision for locally advanced rectal adenocarcinoma: surgical technique and short-term outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Isolated seminal vesicle invasion is a rare occurrence in patients with locally advanced rectal cancers. This study describes the surgical technique and the perioperative outcomes of minimally invasive 'en-bloc' seminal vesicle excision, preserving the bladder and the prostate. METHODS: A retrospective review of 23 consecutive patients who underwent minimally invasive, en-bloc resection of seminal vesicles for locally advanced, non-metastatic rectal adenocarcinoma between May 2016 and November 2021. Perioperative outcomes and short-term oncological outcomes were defined. RESULTS: Eighteen patients underwent a laparoscopic procedure while five received a robotic resection. All patients received preoperative radiation with or without consolidation chemotherapy. The median age was 42 years (range 20-64 years) and the median hospital stay was 8 days (range 3-19 days), respectively. Serious complications (Clavien-Dindo ≥ IIIb) were seen in six patients (26.1%). Two patients (8.7%) had an involved circumferential resection margin. At a median follow up of 19 months (range 2-52 months), four patients developed recurrences. The 2-year overall and disease-free survival was 84.4% and 73.6%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Minimally invasive, en-bloc resection of one or both seminal vesicles for locally advanced rectal adenocarcinoma, is feasible in a select group of patients with acceptable morbidity and short-term outcomes.

Identity Leadership, Employee Burnout and the Mediating Role of Team Identification: Evidence from the Global Identity Leadership Development Project.

Do leaders who build a sense of shared social identity in their teams thereby protect them from the adverse effects of workplace stress? This is a question that the present paper explores by testing the hypothesis that identity leadership contributes to stronger team identification among employees and, through this, is associated with reduced burnout. We tested this model with unique datasets from the Global Identity Leadership Development (GILD) project with participants from all inhabited continents. We compared two datasets from 2016/2017 (n = 5290; 20 countries) and 2020/2021 (n = 7294; 28 countries) and found very similar levels of identity leadership, team identification and burnout across the five years. An inspection of the 2020/2021 data at the onset of and later in the COVID-19 pandemic showed stable identity leadership levels and slightly higher levels of both burnout and team identification. Supporting our hypotheses, we found almost identical indirect effects (2016/2017, b = -0.132; 2020/2021, b = -0.133) across the five-year span in both datasets. Using a subset of n = 111 German participants surveyed over two waves, we found the indirect effect confirmed over time with identity leadership (at T1) predicting team identification and, in turn, burnout, three months later. Finally, we explored whether there could be a "too-much-of-a-good-thing" effect for identity leadership. Speaking against this, we found a u-shaped quadratic effect whereby ratings of identity leadership at the upper end of the distribution were related to even stronger team identification and a stronger indirect effect on reduced burnout.

Colorectal Services in Covid-19 Times: Minimally Invasive Surgery and Enhanced Recovery, the Need of the Hour.

The health services across the world have been deeply impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic which has resulted in diversion of resources to testing, isolating and treating COVID-19 patients. This meant cutting down resources and manpower away of various healthcare facilities and severely hampering the functioning of various cancer services across the world. It is however, important to understand, cancer itself is a life-threatening condition, and there is a need to continue running cancer care services, at least for those who needed the most. Various clinical societies have put forward guidelines and protocols to help continue surgical services during the pandemic. The role of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) was initially questioned at the start of the pandemic, however gradually increasing evidence favored MIS as it reduced hospital stay and complication. Enhanced recovery programs which have been introduced to various fields of surgery to improve outcomes and reduce hospital stay. It plays an essential role in times like this, where the optimal usage of minimal resources is essential. We embraced these methods to ensure safety of our patients and staff and at the same time provide the highest standards of care. Here we are presenting our experience of running a colorectal surgical unit during these difficult times with emphasis on promotion of minimally invasive surgery, at the epicenter of the pandemic in India.

An observational study of the demographic and treatment changes in a tertiary colorectal cancer center during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc in the healthcare infrastructure. While we change our surgical practice, cancer care will take a toll on unprecedented long-term outcomes. We elucidate our experience that has unfolded during this period. METHODS: This study included retrospective data of patients being treated for colorectal cancer and peritoneal surface malignancy between January and May 2020. We compared the treatment changes before and after the national emergency was declared. RESULTS: There was a 65% decrease in outpatients with a 90% drop in endoscopy procedures. Treatment protocols were changed with a 200% increase in short course radiation in rectal cancer. Colon cancer and anal melanoma were triaged to undergo 'essential' surgery. No robotic or exenteration procedures were performed in April and May. Patients with a low peritoneal cancer index underwent surgery alone. The relative number of emergency surgeries were unchanged. CONCLUSION: There is no standard approach to deliver cancer care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Treatment decisions were made based on the state of affairs that COVID-19 had created during that cross-section of time and protocols were redrawn to strike a balance between the risk of death from colorectal cancer and the risk of death from COVID-19 infection.

The Technique and Justification for Minimally Invasive Surgery in COVID-19 Pandemic: Laparoscopic Anterior Resection for Near Obstructed Rectal Carcinoma.

Introduction: The recent COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has made surgeons change and take on newer strategies and safe exercises. All elective cases have been put off, but oncology cases need to be done to prevent progression of the disease. There is concern about minimally invasive surgery due to aerosol formation. Here we discuss how we have dealt with this in our colorectal surgery department taking into account current evidence about the danger of viral transmission during laparoscopic surgery. Discussion: We report a case of 28 years old female patient with carcinoma rectum. The patient had near total intestinal obstruction. She was operated on utilizing laparoscopic anterior resection. The air seal (CONMED, Utica, NY) and high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter was utilized for safe gas evacuation. There is no evidence against laparoscopic surgery, which suggest viral transmission. One should take utmost precautions using N95 masks and personal protective equipment (PPE). Air filtration products like aerosol, HEPA filters will be of great aid in safe evacuation of gases. Conclusion: At present, there is no solid evidence to suggest viral transmission through surgical smoke. We believe due to effective smoke containment, less blood loss, and less postoperative stay, laparoscopy will be a non-inferior option than open surgical procedure. We advise taking all precautions for operating room staff to lessen the danger of transmission.

Multiple Primary Dedifferentiated Liposarcoma of the Jejunal Mesentery: A Case Report and Review of Literature.

Liposarcoma arising primarily from the intestinal mesentery is a rare malignancy. Malignancy is said to be synchronous when there is occurrence of two or more tumours that have not spread from a common site or recurred and show no evidence of metastasis. Multiple synchronous primary liposarcoma of the mesentery is a very unusual clinical finding. Here, we report a rare case of synchronous multiple primary dedifferentiated liposarcoma of jejunal mesentery in a 36-year-old female patient. Radiological investigations aided in making a provisional diagnosis of an ovarian malignancy. A staging laparotomy was performed and general surgeon's help was sought due to the presence of three separate jejunal mesenteric masses of sizes 8x6 cms, 6x6 cms and 25x20 cms respectively. Complete excision of mesenteric masses with one feet of involved jejunum was done and a jejuno-jejunal anastomosis made. The histopathology report was indicative of multiple dedifferentiated liposarcoma of jejunal mesentery. Postoperatively patient received Doxorubicin, Dacarbazine and Ifosfamide based adjuvant chemotherapy in view of poorly differentiated tumour. Patient remains tumour free for the last 12 months of follow up.

Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumour of Small Intestine Presenting as Ileo-Ileal Intussusception - A Rare Tumour with Unusual Complication.

Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumours (MPNST) arises from a peripheral nerve or exhibit nerve sheath differentiation on histology. Proximal portions of the upper and lower extremities and the trunk are the most common sites of occurrence. Around 50% are associated with Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1) with incidence of two to five per cent in patients with NF1. The estimated incidence in general population without NF1 is 0.0001% of which gastrointestinal MPNST are extremely rare. A 45-year-old lady without pathological antecedent for NF1 was admitted with pain in right lower abdomen and multiple episodes of vomiting for 3 months. Preoperatively intussusception was diagnosed in the small bowel with USG and CECT abdomen showing characteristic target sign. On laparotomy Ileo-ileal intussusception (proximal ileum telescoping into distal ileum) was found 2 feet proximal to ileo-caecal junction with surrounding inflammed mesentery and presence of intraluminal tumour as lead point. Resection of involved segment of ileum along with its mesentery was done followed by ileo-ileal anastomosis. Histopathology was suggestive of high grade MPNST. Postoperative course and follow up for last 10 month is uneventful. This case is unique in terms of a rare tumour presenting with unusual complication and only one case had been reported so far in western literature.

Sialolipoma of the parotid gland: a rare entity.

Lipomatous neoplasms of the parotid gland are rare tumours contributing from 0.6% to 4.4% to all parotid neoplasms with most series reporting an incidence of 1%. It is extremely rare in females, being 10 times more common in males, and the most common age of presentation is the five to sixth decade. Numerous histological variants of salivary gland lipoma have been described. Sialolipoma is a rare variant having proliferation of mature adipocytes with secondary entrapment of the normal salivary gland element. We report a rare case of sialolipoma in the right parotid of a 45-year-old woman who was treated with superficial parotidectomy. Postoperative recovery as well as follow-up has been uneventful.

Non-functional paraganglioma of retroperitoneum mimicking pancreatic mass with concurrent urinary bladder paraganglioma: an extremely rare entity.

Paragangliomas are extra-adrenal tumours of the autonomic nervous system, which rarely present as primary retroperitoneal mass mimicking pancreatic malignancy (incidence 2-8 per million populations). Urinary Bladder Paraganglioma are also extremely rare (0.06% of all Bladder Tumour and 6% of Paragangliomas) with most being malignant and high grade tumours. Non-functional varieties of both tumours are usually incidentally diagnosed. The possibility for malignant transformation in them makes surgical excision the treatment of choice. A 45-year-old lady with abdominal pain was investigated to have a complex retroperitoneal mass behind head of pancreas and a urinary bladder mass. Complete excision of retroperitoneal and bladder lesion was done. Histopathological examinations of both specimens were suggestive of Paraganglioma with no abnormal mitotic activity and capsular/vascular invasion. Although concurrent non functional paragangliomas had been reported but the synchronous non-functional paragangliomas of retroperitoneum and urinary bladder reported in this case is extremely rare and is not reported so far in English literature.

Design and optimization of ethanol production from bagasse pith hydrolysate by a thermotolerant yeast Kluyveromyces sp. IIPE453 using response surface methodology.

Ethanol production from sugarcane bagasse pith hydrolysate by thermotolerant yeast Kluyveromyces sp. IIPE453 was analyzed using response surface methodology. Variables such as Substrate Concentration, pH, fermentation time and Na2HPO4 concentration were found to influence ethanol production significantly. In a batch fermentation, optimization of key process variables resulted in maximum ethanol concentration of 17.44 g/L which was 88% of the theoretical with specific productivity of 0.36 g/L/h.