Antitumoral gene-based strategy involving nitric oxide synthase type III overexpression in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma develops in cirrhotic liver. The nitric oxide (NO) synthase type III (NOS-3) overexpression induces cell death in hepatoblastoma cells. The study developed gene therapy designed to specifically overexpress NOS-3 in cultured hepatoma cells, and in tumors derived from orthotopically implanted tumor cells in fibrotic livers. Liver fibrosis was induced by CCl4 administration in mice. The first-generation adenoviruses were designed to overexpress NOS-3 or green fluorescent protein, and luciferase complementary DNA under the regulation of murine alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) promoters, respectively. Both adenovirus and Hepa 1-6 cells were used for in vitro and in vivo experiments. Adenoviruses were administered through the tail vein 2 weeks after orthotopic tumor cell implantation. AFP-NOS-3/RSV-luciferase increased oxidative-related DNA damage, p53, CD95/CD95L expression and caspase-8, -9 and -3 activities in cultured Hepa 1-6 cells. The increased expression of CD95/CD95L and caspase-8 activity was abolished by Nω-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride, p53 and CD95 small interfering RNA. AFP-NOS-3/RSV-luciferase adenovirus increased cell death markers, and reduced cell proliferation of established tumors in fibrotic livers. The increase of oxidative/nitrosative stress induced by NOS-3 overexpression induced DNA damage, p53, CD95/CD95L expression and cell death in hepatocellular carcinoma cells. The effectiveness of the gene therapy has been demonstrated in vitro and in vivo.

[Atypical peritoneal tuberculosis. Use of laparoscopy in the diagnosis]. / Presentación atípica de tuberculosis peritoneal. Caso clínico diagnosticado por laparoscopia.

The presence of peritoneal tuberculosis has to be clinically suspected in all patients with abdominal pain of unknown etiology, particularly when it is accompanied by fever, ascites, and abdominal distension. Access to the abdominal cavity using routine laparoscopy provides essential information on the diagnosis, from both macroscopic images and biopsy sampling, which will later provide a pathological and microbiological confirmation. This helps discriminate between potential differential diagnoses that may include similar symptoms. Other laboratory tests have to be considered as diagnostic aids, as well as for the indication of laparoscopy, including ADA, and Gallium-67 or Ca-125 scans.

Biliodigestive anastomosis in liver transplantation: review of 13 years.

Hepaticojejunostomy is a good alternative technique for biliary reconstruction in liver transplantation. Among 517 liver transplants performed between March 1992 and July 2005, 33 involved hepaticojejunostomy, namely, 18 men and 12 women of average age: 44.8 years. The main cause for this technique was retransplant (n = 10), secondary biliary cirrhosis (n = 5), alcoholic cirrhosis (n = 5), HCV cirrhosis (n = 2), primary biliary cirrhosis (n = 1), cryptogenic cirrhosis (n = 1), sclerosing cholangitis (n = 3), fulminant liver failure (n = 1), autoimmune cirrhosis (n = 1), and insulinoma metastasis (n = 1). Choledochojejunostomy was performed for all Roux-en-Y loops, with an average cold ischemia time of 361.16 minutes (180-780). The biliary complications were biliary fistula in four cases (13.3%), including two who required surgery; stenosis of the anastomosis in two cases (6.6%) including one diagnosed by HIDA that resolved with medical treatment and the other, diagnosed by cholangio-MRI, requiring a new hepaticojejunostomy; and biliary peritonitis in three cases (10%), all of whom required surgery. The vascular complications were thrombosis of the hepatic artery (n = 1), which required retransplantation, and pseudoaneurysm of hepatic artery (n = 1). No biliary complications occurred. The 6-month patient survival was 80% and the 6-month graft survival was 77%; no patient died due to biliary complications. Hepaticojejunostomy is a technique with higher morbidity than choledocho-choledochostomy, but it is the best alternative when the latter is not possible.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy in the treatment of biliary lithiasis: outpatient surgery or short stay unit?

OBJECTIVE: Analysis of clinical and surgical factors in a series of patients subjected to laparoscopic cholecystectomy in an outpatient unit and their relationship with time of discharge and patient acceptance. PATIENTS AND METHOD: Eighty one consecutive patients underwent to elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy during year 2002 within S.A.S. (Andalusian Health Service) from a surgical waiting list. Retrospective and comparative study between two groups: group A includes patients discharged between 24 and 48 hours after intervention; group B includes patients discharged in less than 24 hours. We analyse the clinical and surgical characteristics and post-operative outcome of both groups of patients. RESULTS: Group A was composed of 53 patients and group B of 28 patients. Factors of clinical significance which determined discharge after 24 hours included: early post-surgical incidences or complications (p = 0.017), inability to tolerate oral diet (p = 0.002), and doubts and feelings insecurity of patients regarding discharge by traditional means 62.3% (p = 0.0003). CONCLUSIONS: Outpatient laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a safe and reliable procedure with a high acceptance rate and few complications. Perhaps traditional culture has to be changed to obtain better results.

[Adrenal gland hematoma due to rupture of myelolipoma. A case report]. / Hematoma suprarrenal por rotura de mielolipoma. A propósito de un caso.

The myelolipoma is a benign tumour of the adrenal cortex, non functioning and normally asymptomatic, which can be diagnosed by chance in imaging test. Rupture and bleeding of the myelolipoma is an infrequent complication, which can conclude with the formation of a haematoma or, less usually, result in a massive retroperitoneal haemorrhage. The compression of adjacent structures by retroperitoneal haematomas with adrenal origin is a possible but not frequent eventuality. Indications for surgery of haematoma retroperitoneal continue to be, nowadays, a difficult and controversial decision, because the problem is normally resolved with conservative treatment and a watchful approach. We are presented with a 69 year old male who came to casualty with abdominal pain of 7 days duration, whose origin coincided with a light blow. The image test revealed the existence of a retroperitoneal haematoma with adrenal gland origin of 16 cm, with active bleeding, which was displaced and compressed the cava vein. We have only found one case, in the literature, of compression of the cava vein coused by adrenal gland haematoma. In the case under our observation, urgent surgery was needed.