Relationship Between Pharyngeal Residues Assessed by Bolus Residue Scale or Normalized Residue Ratio SCALE and Risk of Aspiration in Head and Neck Cancer Who Underwent Videofluoroscopy.

Dysphagia affects 60-75% of patients treated for head and neck cancer (HNC). We aimed to evaluate the association between residue severity and airway invasion severity using a videofluoroscopic swallowing study and identify risk factors for poor penetration-aspiration outcomes in patients with dysphagia treated for HNC. Penetration-Aspiration Scale (PAS) was used to assess airway invasion severity, while residue severity was assessed using both the Bolus Residue Scale (BRS) for residue location and the Normalized Residue Ratio Scale (NRRS) for residue amount. Relevant covariates were adjusted in the logistic regression models to account for potential confounding. Significantly higher abnormal PAS was reported for increased piriform sinus NRRS (NRRSp) [odds ratio (OR), 4.81; p = 0.042] with liquid swallowing and increased BRS value (OR, 1.52; p = 0.014) for semi-liquid swallowing in multivariate analysis. Tumor location, older age, and poorer Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS) were significant factors for abnormal PAS in both texture swallowings. After adjusting for confounding factors (sex, age, and FOIS score), NRRS model in liquid swallowing (area under the curve [AUC], 0.83; standard error = 0.04, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.75, 0.91) and BRS in semi-liquid swallowing (AUC, 0.83; SE = 0.04; 95% CI: 0.76, 0.91) predicted abnormal PAS. The results indicate that while assessing residue and swallowing aspiration in patients with HNC, it is important to consider age, tumor location, and functional swallowing status. The good predictability of abnormal PAS with BRS and NRRS indicated that residue location and amount were both related to the aspiration event in patients with HNC.

Cold application for pain and anxiety reduction following chest tube removal: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIM AND OBJECTIVES: To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the effects of cold application on pain and anxiety reduction after chest tube removal (CTR). BACKGROUND: The act of removing the chest tube often causes pain among cardiothoracic surgery patients. Most guidelines regarding CTR do not mention pain management. The effects of cold application on reducing pain and anxiety after CTR are inconsistent. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: We searched six databases, including Embase, Ovid Medline, Cochrane Library, Scopus, the Index to Taiwan Periodical Literature System and Airiti Library, to identify relevant articles up to the end of February 2021. We limited the language to English and Chinese and the design to randomised controlled trials (RCTs). All studies were reviewed by two independent investigators. The Cochrane Collaboration's tool was used to assess the risk of bias, Review Manager 5.4 was used to conduct the meta-analysis. The Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology was used for assessing certainty of evidence (CoE). RESULTS: Ten RCTs with 683 participants were included in the meta-analysis. The use of cold application could effectively reduce pain and anxiety after CTR. The subgroup showed that a skin temperature drops to 13°C of cold application was significantly more effective for the immediate reduction in pain intensity after CTR compared with control group. The GRADE methodology demonstrated that CoE was very low level. CONCLUSION: Cold application is a safe and easy-to-administer nonpharmacological method with immediate and persistent effects on pain and anxiety relief after CTR. Skin temperature drops to 13°C or lasts 20 min of cold application were more effective for immediate reduction of pain intensity following CTR. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: In addition to pharmacological strategy, cold application could be used as evidence for reducing pain intensity and anxiety level after CTR.

New Oxindole-Bridged Acceptors for Organic Sensitizers: Substitution and Performance Studies in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.

New D-π-A configured organic sensitizers featuring halogen-substituted oxindole-bridged acceptor units have been synthesized for dye-sensitized solar cells applications. Among fluorine, bromine, and iodine substitution, the cell based on bromine incorporated dye exhibited the highest efficiency. The oxindoles in these sensitizers were found to assist the electron injection through the chelation of their amide carbonyl groups to the TiO2 surface. This study provides an alternate approach for future rational dye design to gain excellent DSSC performance.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease trajectory: severe exacerbations and dynamic change in health-related quality of life.

BACKGROUND: The life trajectory of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remains unknown. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We collected data from two populations. In the first cohort, we recruited 375 patients with COPD from our hospital, and 1440 repeated assessments of quality of life (QoL) using the European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions questionnaire from 2006 to 2020. We analysed their dynamic changes using the kernel-smoothing method. The second cohort comprised 27 437 patients from the National Health Insurance (NHI) dataset with their first severe acute exacerbations (AEs) requiring hospitalisation from 2008 to 2017 were analysed for their long-term course of AEs. We employed a Cox hazard model to analyse the predictors for mortality or AEs. RESULTS: Cohorts from our hospital and NHI were male predominant (93.6 and 83.5%, respectively). After the first severe AE, the course generally comprised three phases. The first was a 1-year period of elevated QoL, followed by a 2-year prolonged stable phase with a slowly declining QoL. After the second AE, the final phase was characterised by a rapid decline in QoL. For NHI cohort, 2712 died during the 11-year follow-up, the frequency of the first AE was approximately 5 per 10 000 per day. The median time from the first to the second AE was 3 years, which decreased to less than 6 and 3 months from 4th to 5th and 8th to 9th AE, respectively. The frequency of AE was increased 10-fold and 15-fold and risk of subsequent AE was increased 12-fold and 20-fold after the 6th and the 10th AE, relative to the first. Male gender, heart failure comorbidities were associated with the risk of subsequent AE and death. CONCLUSIONS: The life trajectory of COPD includes the accelerated frailty phase, as well as elevated health and prolonged stable phase after the first AE.

Mineral Nanomedicine to Enhance the Efficacy of Adjuvant Radiotherapy for Treating Osteosarcoma.

It is vital to remove residual tumor cells after resection to avoid the recurrence and metastasis of osteosarcoma. In this study, a mineral nanomedicine, europium-doped calcium fluoride (CaF2:Eu) nanoparticles (NPs), is developed to enhance the efficacy of adjuvant radiotherapy (i.e., surgical resection followed by radiotherapy) for tumor cell growth and metastasis of osteosarcoma. In vitro studies show that CaF2:Eu NPs (200 µg/mL) exert osteosarcoma cell (143B)-selective toxicity and migration-inhibiting effects at a Eu dopant amount of 2.95 atomic weight percentage. These effects are further enhanced under X-ray irradiation (6 MeV, 4 Gy). Furthermore, in vivo tests show that intraosseous injection of CaF2:Eu NPs and X-ray irradiation have satisfactory therapeutic efficacy in controlling primary tumor size and inhibiting primary tumor metastasis. Overall, our results suggest that CaF2:Eu NPs with their osteosarcoma cell (143B)-selective toxicity and migration-inhibiting effects combined with radiotherapy might be nanomedicines for treating osteosarcoma after tumor resection.

Development and validation of a prediction index for recent mortality in advanced COPD patients.

The primary barrier to initiating palliative care for advanced COPD patients is the unpredictable course of the disease. We enroll 752 COPD patients into the study and validate the prediction tools for 1-year mortality using the current guidelines for palliative care. We also develop a composite prediction index for 1-year mortality and validate it in another cohort of 342 patients. Using the current prognostic models for recent mortality in palliative care, the best area under the curve (AUC) for predicting mortality is 0.68. Using the Modified Medical Research Council dyspnea score and oxygen saturation to define the combined dyspnea and oxygenation (DO) index, we find that the AUC of the DO index is 0.84 for predicting mortality in the validated cohort. Predictions of 1-year mortality based on the current palliative care guideline for COPD patients are poor. The DO index exhibits better predictive ability than other models in the study.

Mapping algorithms for predicting EuroQol-5D-3L utilities from the assessment test of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

To predict 3-Level version of European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions (EQ-5D-3L) questionnaire utility from the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) assessment test (CAT), the study attempts to collect EQ-5D-3L and CAT data from COPD patients. Response mapping under a backward elimination procedure was used for EQ-5D score predictions from CAT. A multinomial logistic regression (MLR) model was used to identify the association between the score and the covariates. Afterwards, the predicted scores were transformed into the utility. The developed formula was compared with ordinary least squares (OLS) regression models and models using Mean Rank Method (MRM). The MLR models performed as well as other models according to mean absolute error (MAE) and root mean squared error (RMSE) evaluations. Besides, the overestimation for low utility patients (utility ≤ 0.6) and underestimation for near health (utility > 0.9) in the OLS method was improved through the means of the MLR model based on bubble chart analysis. In conclusion, response mapping with the MLR model led to performance comparable to the OLS and MRM models for predicting EQ-5D utility from CAT data. Additionally, the bubble charts analysis revealed that the model constructed in this study and MRM could be a better predictive model.

Ultrasound-guided dextrose solution perimysium dissection for posterior shoulder myofascial pain.

BACKGROUND: To assess the efficacy and safety of perimysium dissection for posterior shoulder myofascial pain. METHODS: This retrospective single-arm study was performed at a medical center between April 2016 and August 2017. Fifty-seven participants with refractory chronic posterior shoulder pain of myofascial origin underwent ultrasound (US)-guided perimysium dissection with hypertonic dextrose solution. Visual analog scale (VAS) scores and complication rate were evaluated before treatment and 4 weeks after treatment. RESULTS: US-guided perimysium dissection with dextrose solution resulted in excellent treatment efficacy and safety. Nineteen participants (33.3%) were free of pain after treatment, and 32 (56.1%) had >50% improvement in pain score. Forty-nine participants had complete VAS records. Overall mean pre- and posttreatment VAS scores were 7.18 ± 1.60 and 1.91 ± 2.04 (mean difference -5.27, 95% CI -5.99 to -4.55, p < 0.0001), respectively, including 7.26 ± 1.44 and 1.84 ± 1.98 (mean difference -5.43, 95% CI -6.33 to -4.52, p < 0.0001) for those with infraspinatus myofascial pain, and 7.00 ± 1.96 and 2.07 ± 2.26 (mean difference -4.93, 95% CI -6.23 to -3.62, p < 0.0001) for those in the teres minor subgroup. No complications were reported in any of the participants. One participant received retreatment for teres minor myofascial pain. CONCLUSION: US-guided perimysium dissection is an easy, safe, and effective injection method to manage posterior myofascial shoulder pain.

Comparison of the efficacy and safety of shockwave lithotripsy, retrograde intrarenal surgery, percutaneous nephrolithotomy, and minimally invasive percutaneous nephrolithotomy for lower-pole renal stones: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Shock wave lithotripsy (SWL), retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS), percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL), and minimally invasive PCNL are currently therapeutic options for lower-pole renal stones (LPS). However, the optimal treatment for LPS remains unclear. A comprehensive evaluation of the efficacy and safety of each intervention is needed to inform clinical decision-making. This study aimed at assessing the efficacy and safety of different interventions for LPS. METHODS: PubMed, Embase, ScienceDirect, ClinicalKey, Cochrane Library, ProQuest, Web of Science, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched from inception to December 6th 2018. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) including the patients treated for LPS were included. The frequentist models of network meta-analysis were used to compare the effect sizes. The primary outcome was stone free rate, and the secondary outcomes were overall complication rate, major complication rate, retreatment rate, and auxiliary procedure rate. RESULTS: This study included 13 RCTs comprising 1832 participants undergoing 6 different interventions, including RIRS, PCNL, Mini-PCNL, Micro-PCNL, SWL, and conservative observation. PCNL had the best stone free rate (odds ratio [OR] = 3.45, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.30-9.12), followed by Mini-PCNL (OR = 2.90, 95% CI = 1.13-7.46). Meta-regression did not find any association of the treatment effect with age, sex, and stone size. Although PCNL tended to exhibit a higher complication rate, the difference of complication rate among various interventions did not achieve a statistical significance. SWL was the less effective and associated with higher retreatment rate compared with PCNL, Mini-PNCL, and RIRS. CONCLUSIONS: PCNL was associated with the best stone free rate for LPS regardless of age, sex, and stone size. Each treatment achieved a similar complication rate compared with the others. Future large-scale RCTs are warranted to identify the most beneficial management for renal stones at a more complicated location.

Life expectancy (LE) and loss-of-LE for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Prognosis of COPD is usually expressed as a 3-year survival rate, which might not be easily understood by lay people. This study estimates the life expectancy (LE) and loss-of-LE for COPD patients with different GOLD stages and patients with a history of acute exacerbation (AE) requiring hospitalization (severe AE) in the preceding year. METHODS: 532 patients who were diagnosed with COPD according to the GOLD criteria at NCKU hospital between 2006 and 2016 were recruited. Survival was estimated by Kaplan-Meier method, and extrapolated to lifetime to obtain the LE. The loss-of-LE was quantified by subtracting the LE of the COPD cohort from national life tables. The survival of patients with severe AE history was validated by a nation-wide cohort from the National Health Insurance dataset. RESULTS: The survival of patients with severe stage COPD (GOLD grades 3 and 4) was almost the same as those patients with a history of severe AE and the loss-of-LE for the former and the latter were 9.3 (1.1) and 9.4 (1.3) years, respectively. The nation-wide cohort with severe AE history (n = 44,764) showed a loss-of-LE of 8.3 (0.1) years. The loss-of-LE of patients with moderate stage COPD (GOLD grade 2) was 6.2 years, but no reduction in LE was noted for mild stage COPD (GOLD grade 1). CONCLUSIONS: We successfully estimated LE and loss of LE in COPD patients under the GOLD criteria. The survival of severe stage COPD patients is almost the same as those with severe AE history, or about 8-9 years of life lost.

Implications of long-term low-fidelity in situ simulation in acute care and association with a reduction in unexpected cardiac arrests: A retrospective research study.

In situ simulation is a new tool for building teamwork during crisis. However, only a few studies have discussed the long-term effects of regular in situ simulations. To better understand these effects, this study retrospectively analyzed the effect of regular (twice a month over a four-year period) in situ simulations in the National Cheng Kung University Hospital acute care ward, which provides care for patients with acute illnesses and requires admission during an emergency room visit. The simulations were held in a real clinical environment using a low-fidelity mannequin and the trainees involved in the simulations were the medical staff of the acute care ward. In this study, we review the effects of such long-term simulations with respect to team performance based on the Ottawa global rating scale (GRS) and incidences of urgent intubation and unexpected cardiac arrest. Our results revealed that among the 84 simulations that were conducted during the study period, 42 could be categorized as "high performance" and the remaining 42 as "low performance" based on the team's Ottawa GRS. Further, the seniority of nurse leaders and exposure of nurses to repeated simulations did not have any effect on performance. However, although regular simulations did not have any effect on the number of urgent intubations, they caused a marked decrease in the number of unexpected cardiac arrests. The current study did not show that repeated, low-fidelity, regular in situ simulations improve team performance in simulations based on Ottawa GRS, but it was associated with a reduction in the unexpected cardiac arrest rate in the acute care ward. Our results support the use of in situ simulations in acute care wards as an educational tool for first-line caregivers.

Open versus robotic partial nephrectomy: Systematic review and meta-analysis of contemporary studies.

OBJECTIVES: To compare perioperative outcomes of robotic-assisted partial nephrectomy (RaPN) with open partial nephrectomy (OPN). METHODS: Systematically search through PubMed, Embase, ClinicalKey, Cochrane Library, ProQuest, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and ClinicalTrials.gov for eligible studies was performed to April 11, 2018. A meta-analysis was conducted for studies comparing RaPN and OPN. Confounding variables were assessed by meta-regression or subgroup analysis. RESULTS: This study included 34 studies with 60 808 patients. Meta-analysis revealed less blood loss, less transfusion, longer operative time, less postoperative complications, lower readmission rate, shorter length of stay, and less estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) decline in RaPN groups. The superiority of RaPN in blood loss was attenuated with highly complex renal masses. The superiority of RaPN in intraoperative complications was strengthened with renal hilar control. The advantage of RaPN in surgical margin was increased in patient with body mass index (BMI) < 28. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with OPN, RaPN provided lower morbidities and better renal function preservation.

Validation of the GOLD 2017 and new 16 subgroups (1A-4D) classifications in predicting exacerbation and mortality in COPD patients.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: A multidimensional assessment of COPD was recommended by the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) in 2013 and revised in 2017. We examined the ability of the GOLD 2017 and the new 16 subgroup (1A-4D) classifications to predict clinical outcomes, including exacerbation and mortality, and compared them with the GOLD 2013 classifications. METHODS: Patients with COPD were recruited from January 2006 to December 2017. The predictive abilities of grades 1-4 and groups A-D were examined through a logistic regression analysis with receiver operating curve estimations and area under the curve (AUC). RESULTS: A total of 553 subjects with COPD were analyzed. The mortality rate was 48.6% during a median follow-up period of 5.2 years. Both the GOLD 2017 and the 2013 group A-D classifications had good predictive ability for total and severe exacerbations, for which the AUCs were 0.79 vs 0.77 and 0.79 vs 0.78, respectively. The AUCs for the GOLD 2017 groups A-D, grades 1-4, and the GOLD 2013 group A-D classifications were 0.70, 0.66, and 0.70 for all-cause mortality and 0.73, 0.71, and 0.74 for respiratory cause mortality, respectively. Combining the spirometric staging with the grouping for the GOLD 2017 subgroups (1A-4D), the all-cause mortality rate for group B and D patients was significantly increased from subgroups 1B-4B (27.7%, 50.6%, 53.3%, and 69.2%, respectively) and groups 1D-4D (55.0%, 68.8%, 82.1%, and 90.5%, respectively). The AUCs of subgroups (1A-4D) were 0.73 and 0.77 for all-cause and respiratory mortality, respectively; the new classification was determined more accurate than the GOLD 2017 for predicting mortality (P<0.0001). CONCLUSION: The GOLD 2017 classification performed well by identifying individuals at risk of exacerbation, but its predictive ability for mortality was poor among COPD patients. Combining the spirometric staging with the grouping increased the predictive ability for all-cause and respiratory mortality. SUMMARY AT A GLANCE: We validate the ability of the GOLD 2017 and 16 subgroup (1A-4D) classifications to predict clinical outcome for COPD patients. The GOLD 2017 classification performed well by identifying individuals at risk of exacerbation, but its predictive ability for mortality was poor. The new 16 subgroup (1A-4D) classification combining the spirometric 1-4 staging and the A-D grouping increased the predictive ability for mortality and was better than the GOLD 2017 for predicting all-cause and respiratory mortality among COPD patients.

Risk of Nephrolithiasis in Patients With Sleep Apnea: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To delineate the relationship between sleep apnea and subsequent risk of nephrolithiasis. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort analysis of a general population sample from Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2012. Patients with sleep apnea without prior diagnosis of nephrolithiasis (n = 7,831) were identified and subsequent development of nephrolithiasis was compared to an age- and sex-matched control group (n = 31,293) without sleep apnea. The Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to evaluate the association between sleep apnea and subsequent nephrolithiasis development. RESULTS: After adjusting for age, sex, and comorbidities, the risk of nephrolithiasis remained significantly increased in the sleep apnea group (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.35; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.23-1.48; P < .001). Compared to controls, elevated HRs of nephrolithiasis were observed for male patients (HR = 1.22; 95% CI 1.09-1.36; P < .001) and those aged 20-39 years (HR = 1.28; 95% CI 1.09-1.49; P < .01) and 40-59 years (HR = 1.17, 95% CI 1.03-1.34, P < .05) in the sleep apnea cohort. Risk of nephrolithiasis in patients with sleep apnea increased significantly with concomitant metabolic-related comorbidities, gouty arthritis, and urinary tract infection. CONCLUSIONS: Sleep apnea is associated with an increased subsequent risk of the development of nephrolithiasis. Young male patients with sleep apnea and concomitant comorbidities are at the greatest risk for nephrolithiasis formation.

Population-based cohort study suggesting a significantly increased risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

AIMS: To investigate whether type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) increases the risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). METHODS: This population-based cohort study used Taiwan's National Health insurance claim data to investigate the association of T2DM with the risk of COPD. A total of 716,623 pairs of people (patients with T2DM and their age-, sex-, and calendar year-matched controls) were identified in 2002-2003 and were followed until the occurrence of newly-diagnosed COPD or the end of 2011. Cox proportional hazard models were used to relate COPD incidence to T2DM. RESULTS: People with T2DM experienced a higher incidence rate of COPD than controls (159.6 vs 122.7 per 104 person-years). After controlling for confounders, T2DM significantly increased the hazard of COPD (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.15, 95% confidence interval = 1.14-1.16). Stratified analysis indicated that the association between T2DM and COPD was slightly greater in women than in men (HR, 1.15 vs. 1.11) and in people aged <65 years than in people aged ≥65 years (HR, 1.17 vs. 1.05 in men; 1.16 vs. 1.13 in women). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrated a modest association of T2DM with the risk of developing COPD, possibly shedding light into the adverse effects of hyperglycemia on pulmonary function.

The effect of cis-trans configurational difference on the performance of pyridylimine-based ruthenium sensitizers.

New heteroleptic Ru(ii) complexes consisting of pyridylimine as an ancillary ligand were synthesized and characterized for applications in dye sensitized solar cells. Complexes with cis and trans configurations around the central ruthenium metal were obtained using simple synthetic protocols by varying the substituents on the pyridylimine ligands. The geometries of these complexes were confirmed by single crystal X-ray analysis. The effect of the difference in the configurations of these complexes on their device performances was studied and the sensitizer with a trans arrangement around the metal showed a higher overall conversion efficiency (η) of 7.27% than that of the cis configured complex (η = 2.04%).

Split renal function of both kidneys after robot-assisted partial nephrectomy for renal tumor larger than 4 cm.

PURPOSE: Relative few studies reported the changes in split renal function using renal scintigraphy for robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RaPN) for renal tumor >4 cm. This study aimed at demonstrating that RaPN is safe for renal tumor >4 cm without damaging the renal function of ipsilateral and contralateral kidney. METHODS: Patients who underwent RaPN for single renal tumor from December 2009 to December 2013 were identified from a prospectively collected database. We compared demographic, perioperative, and postoperative outcomes between patients with renal tumor >4 cm (case group) and patients with renal tumor ≦4 cm (control group). Renal function was assessed by serum creatinine, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and effective renal plasma flow (ERPF). RESULTS: One hundred and three consecutive patients (45 in case group and 58 in control group) were identified. Case group had significantly longer operative time (P = 0.011), longer warm ischemia time (P < 0.001), and more estimated blood loss (P = 0.010) than control group. Only one patient in the case group had conversion surgery. There was no significant difference regarding hospital stay, blood transfusion, complications rate, and positive surgical margin. The changes in ipsilateral ERPF and contralateral ERPF were not significantly different between groups (ipsilateral kidney: -10.5 vs. -12.5%, P = 0.989; contralateral kidney: -3.6 vs. -5.2%, P = 0.611). CONCLUSIONS: RaPN is a safe and feasible modality of nephron-sparing surgery for renal tumor >4 cm, as it is for renal tumor ≦4 cm.

Advances in Laparoscopic and Robotic Gastrectomy for Gastric Cancer.

Robot-assisted gastrectomy has been reported to be a safe alternative to both conventional laparoscopy and the open approach for treating early gastric carcinoma. Currently, there are a limited number of published reports on this technique in the literature. We assessed the current status of robotic and laparoscopic surgery in the treatment of gastric cancer and compared the operative outcomes, learning curves, and oncological outcome of the two approaches. Robotic gastrectomy offers benefits that include increased ease of performing D2 lymph node dissection and reduced blood loss compared with laparoscopic gastrectomy. However, the operative time is longer, and robotic gastrectomy is more costly for the patients. Regarding to the operative and oncological outcomes, there appears to be no significant differences between laparoscopic and robotic gastrectomies after the surgeon overcomes the associated learning curves. Sharing the available knowledge regarding laparoscopic and robotic gastrectomies could shorten these learning curves. For elder patients, minimally invasive surgery that decreases the postoperative recovery time should be considered the preferred treatment. Prospective randomized studies are required to compare the surgical and oncological outcomes among laparoscopic, robotic, and open surgeries for both early and advanced gastric cancer.

Clinical-radiologic correlation of mixed epithelial and stromal tumor of the kidneys: Cases analysis.

BACKGROUND: Mixed epithelial and stromal tumor of the kidney (MESTK) is a rare tumor, with few malignant cases reported. Occurring mostly in middle-aged women, it is characterized by a biphasic pathological structure. METHODS: This study retrospectively reviewed the imaging findings and medical records of six MESTK cases of a single institution in a 10-year period. RESULTS: All of the patients were middle-aged women without hormone therapy history. The typical image was a renal tumor with varied cystic components. Half of the cases had sinus invagination, but only one had intratumor calcification. On imaging studies, four were Bosniak Category IV, one was Category III, and one presented as a solid tumor. The mean RENAL nephrometry score was 9.3. Five patients underwent partial nephrectomy, with no statistical renal functional deterioration after nephron-sparing surgery. There were no peri-operative complications. CONCLUSION: Surgery remains the treatment of choice for MESTK, and nephron-sparing surgery should be considered in feasible cases.

Novel oxindole based sensitizers: synthesis and application in dye-sensitized solar cells.

Two novel oxindole sensitizers have been synthesized for dye-sensitized solar cell applications. These new dyes can provide an additional pathway to inject electrons into the photoanode through the partial chelation of their amide carbonyl groups to the TiO2 surface. Incorporation of an electron deficient pyridine in the acceptor of the TI125 dye was found to enhance the photovoltage and conversion efficiency of the cell.