Laparoscopic choledochoduodenostomy as a reliable rescue procedure for complicated bile duct stones.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) with stone extraction is generally accepted as first line management for common bile duct (CBD) stones. CBD exploration, either by open or laparoscopic approach nowadays, is usually reserved for ERCP failures, complicated stone locations, along with altered anatomical situations. The aim of this study was to highlight the increasing role of laparoscopic choledochoduodenostomy which is not only a reliable but also as a rescue procedure for those failed ERCP cases due to complicated bile duct stones. MATERIALS AND METHODS: It is a retrospective review of the database, from a tertiary care teaching institution from India, from Jan 2012 up to December 2016. RESULTS: Out of total 30 patients who underwent laparoscopic choledochoduodenostomy, 28 had failed ERC stone clearance while two patients were directly offered drainage in view of unfavorable anatomy. The major reasons for failed ERC stone clearance were as follows-multiple large calculi (42.8%), recurrent stones (21.4%), and associated stricture (21.4%). Mean operating time was 130 (± 27) minutes with mean blood loss of 60 (± 19) ml. Stone extraction was successful, primarily by milking in 13 (43.33%) patients, rest required augmentation by Dormia basket/balloon. Two patients (6.66%) developed controlled bile leak which resolved with conservative treatment. The median length of hospital stay was 5 days (IQR 3-9). Mean duration of follow-up was 17 (± 3.2) months. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic common bile duct exploration with choledochoduodenostomy has been shown to be a safe, reliable, and efficient method for treating complex CBDS, especially after failed ERCP procedures.

Duplication cyst of pyloric canal: a rare cause of pediatric gastric outlet obstruction: rare case report.

Duplication of the alimentary tract may occur in any site, from the mouth to the anus, and in recent years such anomalies have received wide notice. Pyloric duplication cyst is an extremely rare congenital anomaly of the alimentary tract, whose clinical presentation often mimics those of hypertrophic pyloric stenosis. Gastrointestinal duplications are observed in 1 of every 4500 autopsies, predominantly in white males. It represents 2.2 % of all gastric duplications, with only 18 have been reported up to 2011 (Table 1). In most cases preoperative diagnosis is not made. We report a case of a pyloric duplication cyst in a 3-year-old girl with progressive increased vomiting. The patient had an ultrasonography, upper gastrointestinal series, and computer tomography of the abdomen. The diagnosis was confirmed by surgery and histopathology examination. The patient was asymptomatic at 12-month follow-up. The clinical and radiological analysis can reveal configurational changes consistent with a large extrinsic mass rather than muscular hypertrophy and can lead to accurate preoperative diagnosis.

Down-regulation of caspase 3 in breast cancer: a possible mechanism for chemoresistance.

Caspase-3 is a member of the cysteine protease family, which plays a crucial role in apoptotic pathways by cleaving a variety of key cellular proteins. Caspase-3 can be activated by diverse death-inducing signals, including the chemotherapeutic agents. The purpose of this study was to determine the levels of caspase-3 expression in breast tumor samples and to determine whether alterations in its expression can affect their ability to undergo apoptosis. Primary breast tumor and normal breast parenchyma samples were obtained from patients undergoing breast surgery and the expression of caspases-3 was studied. Similarly, normal mammary epithelial cells and several established mammary cancer cell lines were studied for caspases-3 expression by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, Northern blot analysis, and Western blot analysis. Approximately 75% of the tumor as well as morphologically normal peritumoral tissue samples lacked the caspase-3 transcript and caspase-3 protein expression. In addition, the caspases-3 mRNA levels in commercially available total RNA samples from breast, ovarian, and cervical tumors were either undetectable (breast and cervical) or substantially decreased (ovarian). Despite the complete loss of caspase-3, the expression levels of other caspases, such as caspase-8 and caspase-9, were normal in all of the tumor samples studied. The sensitivity of caspase-3-deficient breast cancer (MCF-7) cells to undergo apoptosis in response to doxorubicin and other apoptotic stimuli could be augmented by reconstituting caspase-3 expression. These results suggest that the loss of caspases-3 expression may represent an important cell survival mechanism in breast cancer patients.