Renal involvement in COVID-19: focus on kidney transplant sector.

INTRODUCTION: Kidney transplant recipients and patients on the waiting list for kidney transplant who acquire SARS-CoV-2 infection are at serious risk of developing severe COVID-19, with an increased risk of mortality for the their immunosuppressive state; other risk factors for mortality have been identified in some comorbidities such as obesity, diabetes, asthma and chronic lung disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a sharp reduction in kidney transplants in most countries, mainly due to the concern of patients on the waiting list for their potential increased susceptibility to acquire SARS-CoV-2 infection in healthcare facilities and for the difficulties of transplant centers to ensure full activity as hospitals have had to focus most of their attention on COVID-19 patients. Indeed, while the infection curve continued its exponential rise, there was a vertical decline in kidney donation/transplant activity. CONCLUSION: This review article focuses on the damage induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection on kidney and on the adverse effect of this pandemic on the entire kidney transplant sector.

One-stage resection of primary colorectal cancer and hepatic metastases using the Habib Device: analysis of 40 consecutive cases treated in a Unit of general surgery.

BACKGROUND: More than 50% of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) present or develop hepatic metastases (HM). The intraoperative use of the Habib 4X® radio frequency probe device is safe in resetting HM and allows a one-stage resection of both CRC and HM with a similar mortality rate than a two-stage surgical treatment. METHODS: After an exhaustive residential training at the reference center for hepato-biliary surgery of the Imperial College of London, we treated at our unit of general surgery 40 consecutive patients with CRC and HM with the one-stage resection, using the Habib 4X® intraoperative radiofrequency probe device to reset HM. RESULTS: None of the 40 patients died during the intra-operatory and post-operatory periods, none presented liver failures during the postoperative course nor complication related to the Habib's resection procedure (e.g. bleeding, abscess, bile leak). The amount of intra-operative liver bleeding was minimal. New HM arose in 10 (25%) cases, with a mean disease-free interval of 13 months, but the hepatic tissue close to previous resections remained cancer-free. The 69.7% of patients were disease-free at month 24 of the post-operative follow-up and 5-year rate was about 70%. CONCLUSIONS: The data suggest that surgeons well trained at a reference center for hepato-biliary surgery may perform with excellent results the one-stage CRC and HM resection with the Habib 4X® device even in a Unit of general surgery.

Multidetector Computed Tomography (MDCT) Findings of Complications of Acute Cholecystitis. A Pictorial Essay.

Acute cholecystitis stands out as one of the most common surgical pathologies that should always be considered in a right-upper abdominal pain emergency. For this, the importance of a correct diagnosis is well described. However, it has been demonstrated that the simple combination of clinical (pain, Murphy's sign) and laboratory (leukocytosis) parameters alone does not provide for ruling in or ruling out the diagnosis of this condition, unless accompanied by a radiological exam. For a long time, and still today, ultrasonography (US) is by far the first-to-proceed radiologic exam to perform, thanks to its rapidity and very high sensibility and specificity for the diagnosis of simple acute cholecystitis. However, acute cholecystitis can undergo some complications that US struggles to find. In addition to that, studies suggest that multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) is superior in showing complicated forms of cholecystitis in relation to sensibility and specificity and for its capability of reformatting multiplanar (MPR) reconstructions that give a more detailed view of complications. They have shown to be useful for a precise evaluation of vascular complications, the anatomy of the biliary tree, and the extension of inflammation to surrounding structures (i.e., colitis). Therefore, based also on our experience, in patients with atypical presentation, or in cases with high suspicion for a complicated form, a MDCT abdomen scan is performed. In this review, the principal findings are listed and described to create a CT classification of acute complications based on anatomical and topographic criteria.

Physical activity in elderly kidney transplant patients with multiple renal arteries.

BACKGROUND: Kidney transplantation (KT) is the gold standard for treatment of patients with end-stage-renal disease. To expand the donor reserve, it is necessary to use marginal/suboptimal kidneys. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated the short/long-term outcome of 34 KT elderly patients who received allografts with vascular abnormalities (MRA group), in comparison with 34 KT patients who received a kidney with a single renal artery (SRA group) pair-matched by age, length of time on dialysis, comorbidity and donor age. RESULTS: All participants completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire at KT, and then 4, 8, and 12 weeks after transplantation. Our data indicate that kidney with vascular anatomical variants may be successfully transplanted, since the overall rate of surgical complications was 20.6% in the SRA group and 17.6% in the MRA group and that the 5-year survival rate after KT was 100% in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: The data also underlined that individualized physical activity programs induced similar excellent results in both groups, improving physical capacities, arterial pressure, lipid metabolism, insulin sensitivity, quality of life and physical and mental status.

Relation Between Wound Complication and Lymphocele After Kidney Transplantation: A Monocentric Study.

INTRODUCTION: Wound complication frequently arises after kidney transplantation and its risk factors are well known. In a previous paper we analyzed these factors, and in this new retrospective study we evaluate the influence of lymphocele in the development of wound complications. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From January 2000 to December 2018, 731 consecutive kidney transplants have been performed in our center. We have analyzed the incidence of wound complication and lymphocele and their risk factors. RESULTS: Out of 731 kidney transplants, we have observed wound complications in 115 patients (15.7%) and lymphocele in 158 patients (21.7%). Of these, 70 patients developed both complications (9.5%), but 6 patients have been excluded because they were in therapy with mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors. Twenty-nine patients (45.3%) presented a first level and 35 patients (54.7%) showed second level wound complications. Lymphocele was the only present factor in just 3 cases (4.6%). The other patients showed diabetes in 28 cases (43.7%), overweight/obesity in 38 (59.3%), delayed graft function in 17 (26.5%), and 60 years or more in 38 (57.8%). The association has been found in 30 out 64 patients treated with tacrolimus (46.8%) and in 34 with cyclosporine (53.1%); 40 patients did not receive muscular layer's reconstruction (62.5%). CONCLUSION: Our experience shows that lymphocele alone is not a predisposing factor for wound dehiscence after kidney transplantation, and they often coexist because they share the same risk factors, the most important being obesity, diabetes and delayed graft function, older age, and surgical techniques. No relation has been observed with calcineurin inhibitor therapy.

Gastroenterological complications in kidney transplant patients.

Kidney transplantation is the surgical operation by which one of the two original kidneys is replaced with another healthy one donated by a compatible individual. In most cases, donors are recently deceased. There is the possibility of withdrawing a kidney from a consenting living subject. Usually, living donors are direct family members, but they could be volunteers completely unrelated to the recipient. A much-feared complication in case of kidney transplantation is the appearance of infections. These tend to arise due to immune-suppressor drugs administered as anti-rejection therapy. In this review, we describe the gastrointestinal complications that can occur in subjects undergoing renal transplantation associated with secondary pathogenic microorganisms or due to mechanical injury during surgery or to metabolic or organic toxicity correlated to anti-rejection therapy. Some of these complications may compromise the quality of life or pose a significant risk of mortality; fortunately, many of them can be prevented and treated without the stopping the immunosuppression, thus avoiding the patient being exposed to the risk of rejection episodes.

COVID-19 and Living Donor Kidney Transplantation in Naples during the Pandemic.

INTRODUCTION: SARS-CoV-2 is a virus that causes a potentially deadly syndrome that affects especially the respiratory tract. Kidney-transplanted patients are immunosuppressed and more susceptible to viral infections. We have examined our transplantation activity to explore the future role of kidney transplantation from deceased and living donors in COVID-19 era. Patients and Methods. The activity of our transplant center of Naples (one of the two transplant centers in Campania, South Italy) continued during the COVID-19 pandemic. We have analysed the kidney transplants carried out between March 9 and June 9, 2020, comparing these data with the numbers of procedures performed in the two previous years. Moreover, we have considered the possibility of performing living donor transplants during a worldwide pandemic. RESULTS: From March 9, 2020, when the Italian lockdown begun, till June 9, 2020, five kidney transplants have been performed at our transplant center in Naples, all from deceased donors. The donors and the recipients have been screened for COVID-19 infection, and the patients, all asymptomatic, followed strict preventive measures and were fully informed about the risks of surgery and immunosuppression during a pandemic. All the transplanted patients remained COVID negative during the follow-up. The number of transplants performed has been constant compared to the same months of 2018 and 2019. In agreement with the patients, we decided to postpone living donor transplants to a period of greater control of the SARS-CoV-2 spread in Italy. CONCLUSION: Deceased donor kidney transplantation should continue, especially in a region with moderate risk, like Campania, with a more careful selection of donors and recipients, preferring standard donors and recipients without severe comorbidities. Living donor transplantation program, instead, should be postponed to a period of greater control of the SARS-CoV-2 spread, as it is an elective surgery and its delay does not determine additional risks for patients.

Outcomes of Renal Stone Surgery Performed Either as Predonation or Ex Vivo Bench Procedure in Renal Grafts from Living Donors: A Systematic Review.

AIMS: We aimed to summarize available evidence about intraoperative and postoperative donors' and recipients' outcomes following stone surgery in renal grafts from living donors performed either before donation or as ex vivo bench surgery at the time of living-donor nephrectomy. METHODS: A systematic review of PubMed, ISI Web of Knowledge, and Scopus databases was performed in September 2020. We included full papers that met the following criteria: original research, English language, human studies, and describing the results of stone surgery in renal grafts from living donors performed either before transplantation or as ex vivo bench surgery. RESULTS: We identified 11 studies involving 106 patients aged between 22 and 72 years. Predonation and bench stone surgery was performed in 9 (8.5%) and 96 (90.6%) patients, respectively. Predonation stone surgery involved extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy, retrograde intrarenal surgery, and percutaneous nephrolithotomy in 8, 1, and 1 patient, respectively. The overall success rate of predonation stone surgery was 78%, and the complication rate was 0%. Bench stone surgery involved ureteroscopy, pyelolithotomy, or a combination of both in 79 (82.3%), 10 (10.4%), and 7 (7.3%) cases, respectively, with an overall success rate of 95.8% and an overall complication rate of 9.37%. CONCLUSIONS: Predonation and bench stone surgery in grafts from living donors represents efficacious and safe procedures. Further studies on wider series with a longer follow-up are required.

Familial Polyposis Coli: The Management of Desmoid Tumor Bleeding.

Background: There is currently no standard treatment for desmoid tumors (DTs) associated with familial polyposis coli (FAP). Familial adenomatous polyposis in DT patients is sometimes a life-threatening condition. Methods: We enrolled all consecutive patients with FAP treated at Unit of General Surgery and Transplant, University of Naples Federico II and evaluated the incidence of DTs on FAP between 1996 and 2016. Results: We observed 45 consecutive patients with FAP; of these 5 were DT-FAP-associated. All 5 cases with FAP were young women, age 25 to 65 years, previously treated by colectomy. Of these, 4 patients presented a parietal localization and had been treated with a wide surgical exeresis; one patient had an intra-abdominal, mesenteric tumor that was unresectable at laparotomy. We performed CT-guided drainage, ureteral stenting, medical therapy (sulindac+tamoxifene), and chemotherapy (dacarba-zine+doxorubicine).All patients were alive and underwent follow-ups for 5 years post-surgery; only 1 patient with parietal localization showed a local relapse after 2 years. Conclusions: We propose a modulated approach to the single patient with FAP, with surgery as treatment of choice for parietal localization disease and integrating different kinds of therapies (surgery alone or associated with RT, CT) for the intra-abdominal tumor.

Donor and Recipient Outcomes following Robotic-Assisted Laparoscopic Living Donor Nephrectomy: A Systematic Review.

AIMS: We aimed to summarize available lines of evidence about intraoperative and postoperative donor outcomes following robotic-assisted laparoscopic donor nephrectomy (RALDN) as well as outcomes of graft and recipients. METHODS: A systematic review of PubMed/Medline, ISI Web of Knowledge, and Scopus databases was performed in May 2018. The following search terms were combined: nephrectomy, robotic, and living donor. We included full papers that met the following criteria: original research; English language; human studies; enrolling patients undergoing RALDN. RESULTS: Eighteen studies involving 910 patients were included in the final analysis. Mean overall operative and warm ischemia times ranged from 139 to 306 minutes and from 1.5 to 5.8 minutes, respectively. Mean estimated blood loss varied from 30 to 146 mL and the incidence of intraoperative complications ranged from 0% to 6.7%. Conversion rate varied from 0% to 5%. The mean hospital length of stay varied from 1 to 5.8 days and incidence of early postoperative complications varied from 0% to 15.7%. No donor mortality was observed. The incidence of delayed graft function was reported in 7 cases. The one- and 10-year graft loss rates were 1% and 22%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Based on preliminary data, RALDN appears as a safe and effective procedure.

Eradication of HCV Infection with the Direct-Acting Antiviral Therapy in Renal Allograft Recipients.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection unfavorably affects the survival of both renal patients undergoing hemodialysis and renal transplant recipients. In this subset of patients, the effectiveness and safety of different combinations of interferon-free direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) have been analyzed in several small studies. Despite fragmentary, the available data demonstrate that DAA treatment is safe and effective in eradicating HCV infection, with a sustained virologic response (SVR) rates nearly 95% and without an increased risk of allograft rejection. This review article analyzes the results of most published studies on this topic to favor more in-depth knowledge of the readers on the subject. We suggest, however, perseverating in this update as the optimal DAA regimen may not be proposed yet, because of the expected arrival of newer DAAs and of the lack of data from large multicenter randomized controlled trials.

Erratum to "Eradication of HCV Infection with the Direct-Acting Antiviral Therapy in Renal Allograft Recipients".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2019/4674560.].

Current Tissue Molecular Markers in Colorectal Cancer: A Literature Review.

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most spread neoplasia types all around the world, especially in western areas. It evolves from precancerous lesions and adenomatous polyps, through successive genetic and epigenetic mutations. Numerous risk factors intervene in its development and they are either environmental or genetic. AIM OF THE REVIEW: Alongside common screening techniques, such as fecal screening tests, endoscopic evaluation, and CT-colonography, we have identified the most important and useful biomarkers and we have analyzed their role in the diagnosis, prevention, and prognosis of CRC. CONCLUSION: Biomarkers can become an important tool in the diagnostic and therapeutic process for CRC. But further studies are needed to identify a noninvasive, cost-effective, and highly sensible and specific screening test for their detection and to standardize their use in clinical practice.

Diagnostic, Predictive, Prognostic, and Therapeutic Molecular Biomarkers in Third Millennium: A Breakthrough in Gastric Cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Gastric cancer is the fifth most common cancer and the third cause of cancer death. The clinical outcomes of the patients are still not encouraging with a low rate of 5 years' survival. Often the disease is diagnosed at advanced stages and this obviously negatively affects patients outcomes. A deep understanding of molecular basis of gastric cancer can lead to the identification of diagnostic, predictive, prognostic, and therapeutic biomarkers. MAIN BODY: This paper aims to give a global view on the molecular classification and mechanisms involved in the development of the tumour and on the biomarkers for gastric cancer. We discuss the role of E-cadherin, HER2, fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR), MET, human epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), hepatocyte growth factor receptor (HGFR), mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), microsatellite instability (MSI), PD-L1, and TP53. We have also considered in this manuscript new emerging biomarkers as matrix metalloproteases (MMPs), microRNAs, and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). CONCLUSIONS: Identifying and validating diagnostic, prognostic, predictive, and therapeutic biomarkers will have a huge impact on patients outcomes as they will allow early detection of tumours and also guide the choice of a targeted therapy based on specific molecular features of the cancer.

Squamous cell carcinoma and pilonidal cyst disease.

AIM: Squamous cell carcinoma developed on a chronic pilonidal cyst. CASE REPORT: Authors describe the case of a squamous cell carcinoma developed on a chronic pilonidal cyst in a 63- years-old patient with a 43 years history of recurrent pilonidal sinus disease. RESULTS: The patient underwent incisional biopsy, staging with total body CT and, finally, radical surgery. After 30 months there were no evidence of recurrence. DISCUSSION: Pilonidal sinus disease is a common disease that affects especially male subjects, obese and with excess of body hair. The complications that arise most frequently are cellulitis, abscess formation and developments of recurrences. Malignant transformation appears rather rare and is reported in the literature with a percentage that goes from 0.02% to 0.1%. CONCLUSIONS: Authors recommend accurate inspection of the pilonidal area in all chronic and longstanding inflammatory lesions and possibly practice incisional biopsies to exclude malignant degeneration.