Multiple staging investigations may not change management in patients with high-grade dysplasia or early esophageal adenocarcinoma.

The clinical value of multiple staging investigations for high-grade dysplasia or early adenocarcinoma of the esophagus is unclear. A single-center prospective cohort of patients treated for early esophageal cancer between 2000 and 2019 was analyzed. This coincided with a transition period from esophagectomy to endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) as the treatment of choice. Patients were staged with computed tomography (CT), endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-d-glucose (FDG) positron emission tomography(PET)/CT. The aim of this study was to assess their accuracy and impact on clinical management. 297 patients with high-grade dysplasia or early adenocarcinoma were included (endoscopic therapy/EMR n = 184; esophagectomy n = 113 [of which a 'combined' group had surgery preceded by endoscopic therapy n = 23]). Staging accuracy was low (accurate staging EMR: CT 40.1%, EUS 29.6%, FDG-PET/CT 11.0%; Esophagectomy: CT 43.3%, EUS 59.7%, FDG-PET/CT 29.6%; Combined: CT 28.6%, EUS46.2%, FDG-PET/CT 30.0%). Staging inaccuracies across all groups that could have changed management by missing T2 disease were CT 12%, EUS 12% and FDG-PET/CT 1.6%. The sensitivity of all techniques for detecting nodal disease was low (CT 12.5%, EUS 12.5%, FDG-PET/CT0.0%). Overall, FDG-PET/CT and EUS changed decision-making in only 3.2% of patients with an early cancer on CT and low-risk histology. The accuracy of staging with EUS, CT and FDG-PET/CT in patients with high-grade dysplasia or early adenocarcinoma of the esophagus is low. EUS and FDG-PET/CT added relevant staging information over standard CT in very few cases, and therefore, these investigations should be used selectively. Factors predicting the need for esophagectomy are predominantly obtained from EMR histology rather than staging investigations.

Synchrotron-based X-ray absorption spectroscopy of Pd nanoparticles decorated on multi-walled carbon nanotubes during successive cycles of He/H2 exposure.

The MWCNTs are decorated by Pd nanoparticles via various techniques including laser ablation in liquid, chemical reduction, and simultaneously both of them. To study the hydrogen adsorption mechanism, Pd K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) is carried out via heating/cooling processes under He/H2 exposure. The Fourier transform X-ray absorption fine structure (FT-EXAFS) simulation indicates the presence of the Pd-Pd and Pd-C(O) bonds. Furthermore, during the successive cycles of He/H2 exposure, bond restructuring takes place. Moreover, the heating process under He/H2 exposure induces a destructive effect on the Pd-C(O) links. Furthermore, the Pd-Pd bond distance enlarges due to the hydrogen adsorption for all samples, however, in the case of PLAL, the change in the bond distances becomes dominant. XRD and XPS are applied to support the findings.

Laparoscopic-assisted left thoracoabdominal esophagectomy (LLTA): an innovative approach for locally advanced tumors of the gastroesophageal junction.

PURPOSE: To report a novel approach for locally advanced tumors located at the gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) using a laparoscopic abdominal phase and open left thoracotomy with the patient in a single right lateral decubitus position. BACKGROUND: The standard open left thoracoabdominal approach offers excellent exposure and access to the GEJ and lower esophagus. It also involves a single position for the procedure, shortening the operation time. The disadvantages are a large incision, division of the costochondral junction, and a low-level thoracotomy. The laparoscopic-assisted left thoracoabdominal esophagectomy (LLTA) is performed with the patient in the same right lateral decubitus position, but initially rolled away from the operator at 45° allowing laparoscopic gastric mobilization and lymphadenectomy. The patient is then tilted back to the lateral position for the thoracic phase. An anterolateral left thoracotomy is performed through the higher fifth intercostal space allowing a high intrathoracic anastomosis, just below the aortic arch. No disruption of the costochondral junction is made. METHODS: Consecutive patients selectively treated for locally advanced GEJ tumors with an LLTA approach between 2013 and 2019 were analyzed and compared to national standards (NOGCA). RESULTS: This series of 74 consecutive patients had a mean age of 63 years. The median operation time was 235 minutes. The median inpatient stay was 10 days (NOGCA 9 [11-17]). The tumors were predominantly adenocarcinoma (95%) and located at the GEJ (92%). The majority were locally advanced T3 or T4 tumors. Postoperative morbidity was low, Clavien-Dindo (C-D) 0 in 52.7% patients, C-D1 (1.4%), C-D2 (31.1%), C-D3a (5.4%), C-D4a (9.5%), and C-D5 (1.4%). The median number of total lymph nodes (LN) excised was 28 (NOGCA >15); LN % yield ≥18 was 90% (NOGCA 82.5%). Positive nodes were located at the lesser-curve (40%), paraesophageal (32.4%), and subcarinal regions (2.7%). Positive circumferential resection margins (<1 mm) were present in 28.4% of resected specimens (NOGCA 25.1%). This is reflective of the high proportion T3/T4 tumors selected for this approach. Hospital and 30-day mortality was 1.4% (NOGCA 2.7%). Recurrence after LLTA was 25.7% (local 5.4%, systemic 17.6%, mixed 2.7%) at a median of 311 days (62-1,158). CONCLUSION: This series demonstrates a novel, safe, and reproducible approach for locally advanced cancer of the GEJ. It offers a better exposure of the hiatus than the right-sided approach and avoids division of the costochondral junction and low thoracotomy seen with the open left thoracoabdominal approach.

Droplet microfluidics for the construction of compartmentalised model membranes.

The design of membrane-based constructs with multiple compartments is of increasing importance given their potential applications as microreactors, as artificial cells in synthetic-biology, as simplified cell models, and as drug delivery vehicles. The emergence of droplet microfluidics as a tool for their construction has allowed rapid scale-up in generation throughput, scale-down of size, and control over gross membrane architecture. This is true on several levels: size, level of compartmentalisation and connectivity of compartments can all be programmed to various degrees. This tutorial review explains and explores the reasons behind this. We discuss microfluidic strategies for the generation of a family of compartmentalised systems that have lipid membranes as the basic structural motifs, where droplets are either the fundamental building blocks, or are precursors to the membrane-bound compartments. We examine the key properties associated with these systems (including stability, yield, encapsulation efficiency), discuss relevant device fabrication technologies, and outline the technical challenges. In doing so, we critically review the state-of-play in this rapidly advancing field.