Acupuncture for Quality of Life in Gastric Cancer Patients Undergoing Adjuvant Chemotherapy.

CONTEXT: Patients with gastric cancer experience health-related quality of life (HRQOL) decline during adjuvant chemotherapy following gastrectomy. OBJECTIVES: This pilot study aimed to evaluate the preliminary effect and feasibility of electro-acupuncture (EA) for HRQOL and symptom burden in these patients. METHODS: In this open-label, multicenter, parallel controlled trial, gastric cancer patients who planned to receive adjuvant chemotherapy were randomly assigned to receive high-dose EA (seven times each chemotherapy cycle for three cycles), low-dose EA (three times each chemotherapy cycle), or usual care only. The acupoints prescription consisted of bilateral ST36, PC6, SP4, and DU20, EX-HN3, and selected Back-shu points. Patients completed the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Gastric (FACT-Ga) weekly, and the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS). The primary outcome was the difference among the groups on the gastric cancer subscale (GaCS) of the FACT-Ga. RESULTS: Of the 66 randomized patients, 58 were analyzed according to intention-to-treat principle, and 45 were in the per-protocol set (PPS). The average scores in PPS of GaCS were 52.12±9.71, 51.85±12.36, and 45.37±8.61 in high-dose EA, low-dose EA, and control groups, respectively. EA was significantly associated with improved average GaCS scores when compared with control group (51.98±10.91 vs. 45.37±8.61, P = 0.039). EA treatment also produced ESAS relief at the end of intervention (14.36 ± 12.28 vs. 23.91 ± 15.52, P = 0.027). Participants in EA groups had fewer grade ≥3 leukopenia (0% vs. 15.79%, P = 0.031) and neutropenia (2.56% vs. 26.31%, P = 0.012). CONCLUSION: EA showed promising effects in improving HRQOL, controlling symptom burden, and reducing toxicity during adjuvant chemotherapy in gastric cancer patients. Future adequately powered trials are feasible and needed to confirm the specific effect of EA.

Feasibility and efficacy of laparoscopic radical right hemicolectomy with complete mesocolic excision using an 'artery-first' approach.

BACKGROUND: According to previous guidelines, the lymph nodes around the right side of the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) should be dissected and removed en bloc. However, due to the technical challenge and the risk of complications, most surgeons perform the dissection along the axis of the superior mesenteric vein (SMV). Herein, we described an 'artery-first' approach for laparoscopic radical extended right hemicolectomy with complete mesocolic excision (CME). METHODS: A total of 22 cases were collected from January to October 2016. The right side of the SMA and SMV were exposed and separated, and the No. 203, No. 213 and No. 223 lymph nodes were dissected en bloc. Toldt's fascia was dissected and expanded laterally to the ascending colon, cranial to the pancreas head. The caudal root of the mesentery and lateral attachments of the ascending colon were completely mobilized. RESULTS: There were 9 male and 13 female patients, with a mean age of 63.1 (range, 39-83) years and the mean body mass index was 24.6 (range, 18.3-37.7) kg/m2. The mean operative time was 192.5 (range, 145-240) minutes and the mean intra-operative blood loss was 55.0 (range, 10-300) ml. The mean number of harvested lymph nodes was 27.0 (range, 13-55) and the time to flatus and hospital stay were 35.0 (range, 26-120) hours and 7.5 (range, 5-20) days, respectively. Minor complications occurred in two patients and no post-operative death was observed. CONCLUSIONS: The preliminary results suggest that the reported approach may be a feasible and safe procedure that is more in accordance with the principles of CME.

Surgical skills for laparoscopic resection of the bursa omentalis and lymph node scavenging with radical gastrectomy.

The aim of the present study was to inquire into the feasibility, surgical skills required and short-term effect of a laparoscopic resection of the bursa omentalis and lymph node scavenging with radical gastrectomy. In this study, the clinical data of 18 patients who received a laparoscopic resection of the bursa omentalis with radical gastrectomy in the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Guangdong Province Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Guangzhou, Guangdong, China) during the period between January 2012 and January 2014. A retrospective analysis was performed and the surgical duration, bursa omentalis resection time, amount of bleeding during the surgery, post-operative complications associated with the surgery, length of hospital stay, number of lymph nodes scavenged and short-term follow-up results were assessed. The results indicated that all of these 18 patients successfully received a resection of the bursa omentalis and no one required conversion to open surgery. The mean surgical duration was 289.3±30.3 min, the bursa omentalis resection time was 46.1±18.6 min and the amount of bleeding was recorded as 35.5±6.5 ml in these patients. No patients suffered from post-operative complications, such as pancreatic fistulae, anastomotic fistulae, intestinal obstructions or succumbing to the surgery, and no patients succumbed within a 6-month follow-up period. In conclusion, for advanced gastric carcinoma, laparoscopic resection of the bursa omentalis and lymph node scavenging with radical gastrectomy is feasible. In addition to meeting the requirement that the operator should be skilled and experienced in open bursa omentalis resection, and have well-knit basic skills in using a laparoscope, attention must also be paid to the construction of the surgical team.

Tissue metabolomic fingerprinting reveals metabolic disorders associated with human gastric cancer morbidity.

The principal way to improve the outcome of gastric cancer (GC) is to predict carcinogenesis and metastasis at an early stage. The aims of the present study were to test the hypothesis that distinct metabolic profiles are reflected in GC tissues and to further explore potential biomarkers for GC diagnosis. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) was utilized to analyze tissue metabolites from 30 GC patients. A diagnostic model for GC was constructed using orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), and the metabolomic data were analyzed using the non-parametric Wilcoxon rank sum test to identify the metabolic tissue biomarkers for GC. Over 100 signals were routinely detected in one single total ion current (TIC) chromatogram, and the OPLS-DA model generated from the metabolic profile of the tissues adequately discriminated the GC tissues from the normal mucosae. Among the low-molecular-weight endogenous metabolites, a total of 41 compounds, such as amino acids, organic acids, carbohydrates, fatty acids and steroids, were detected, and 15 differential metabolites were identified with significant difference (p<0.05). A total of 20 variables were noted which contributed to a great extent in the discriminating OPLS-DA model (VIP value >1.0), among which 12 metabolites were identified using both VIP values (VIP >1) and the Wilcoxon test (p<0.05). In conclusion, the identification of the metabolites associated with GC morbidity potentially revealed perturbations of glycolysis, fatty acid ß-oxidation, cholesterol and amino acid metabolism. These results suggest that tissue metabolic profiles have great potential in detecting GC and may aid in understanding its underlying mechanisms.

Development of a real-time PCR method for the detection of bacterial colonization in rat models of severe acute pancreatitis.

BACKGROUND: Techniques for the fast and accurate detection of bacterial infection are critical for early diagnosis, prevention and treatment of bacterial translocation in clinical severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). In this study, the availability of a real-time PCR method in detection of bacterial colonization in SAP rat models was investigated. METHODS: Samples of blood, mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN), pancreas and liver from 24 specific pathogen-free rats (8 in a control group, 16 in a SAP group) were detected for bacterial infection rates both by agar plate culture and a real-time PCR method, and the results were made contrast. RESULTS: Bacterial infection rates of the blood, MLN, pancreas and liver in the SAP group and the control group by the two different methods were almost the same, which were 5/16, 12/16, 15/16, 12/16 in the SAP group compared with 0/8, 1/8, 0/8, 0/8 in the control group by agar plate culture, while 5/16, 10/16, 13/16, 12/16 and 0/8, 1/8, 0/8, 0/8 respectively by a real-time PCR method. Bacterial number was estimated by real-time PCR, which showed that in the same mass of tissues, the pancreas contained more bacteria than the other three kinds of organs in SAP rats (P < 0.01), that may be due to the edema, necrosis and hemorrhage existing in the pancreas, making it easier for bacteria to invade and breed. CONCLUSION: Fast and accurate detection of bacterial translocation in SAP rat models could be carried out by a real-time PCR procedure.

Meta-analysis of laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy and conventional open distal gastrectomy for early gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: With the application of laparoscopy, laparoscopic gastrectomy for the treatment of patients with early gastric cancer has been performed, but the safety and effectiveness of this method need to be explored. This study evaluated the safety and effectiveness of laparoscopy-assisted and conventional open distal gastrectomy for patients with early gastric cancer. METHODS: A search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Chinese Biomedical Database (CBM), and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) identified all the randomized clinical trials that compared laparoscopy-assisted gastrectomy with open distal gastrectomy for patients with early gastric cancer published in the last 10 years. Quality assessment was done on each trial and relevant data were extracted from qualified trials. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 4.2.2 software (Cochrane). RESULTS: Six randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 218 patients were included. Comparing laparoscopic resection with open resection, results showed less estimated blood loss (WMD (weighted mean difference): -121.86; 95% CI (confidence interval): -145.61, -98.11; P < 0.001), earlier postoperative first flatus (WMD: -0.95; 95% CI: -1.09, -0.81; P < 0.001), and shorter durations of hospital stays (WMD: -2.27; 95%CI: -3.47, -1.06; P = 0.0002), but longer surgery times (WMD: 58.71; 95% CI: 52.69, 64.74; P < 0.001) and fewer lymph nodes dissected (WMD: -3.64; 95% CI: -5.80,-1.47; P = 0.001). There was no significant difference between the two groups in postoperative complications (OR (odds ratio): 0.57; 95% CI: 0.31,1.03; P = 0.06). CONCLUSIONS: The short-term outcome of laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy for patients with early gastric cancer is superior to the open procedure, but its long-term outcome should be proven by further outcomes of RCTs.

A simple taurocholate-induced model of severe acute pancreatitis in rats.

AIM: To investigate gut barrier damage and intestinal bacteria translocation in severe acute pancreatitis (SAP), a simple rat model of SAP was induced and studied. METHODS: Pancreatitis was induced by uniformly distributed injection of 3.8% Na taurocholate (1 mL/kg) beneath the pancreatic capsule. Rats in the control group were injected with normal saline in the identical location. RESULTS: Serum amylase, plasma endotoxin, intestinal permeability, and pancreatitis pathology scores were all markedly higher in the pancreatitis group than in the control group (P < 0.01). The bacterial infection rate was significantly higher in the SAP group than in the control group (P < 0.01), observed in parallel by both bacterial culture and real-time polymerase chain reaction. Acute damage of the pancreas was observed histologically in SAP rats, showing interstitial edema, leukocyte infiltration, acinar cell necrosis and hemorrhage. The microstructure of the intestinal mucosa of SAP rats appeared to be destroyed with loose, shortened microvilli and rupture of the intercellular junction, as shown by electron microscopy. CONCLUSION: Significant gut barrier damage and intestinal bacterial translocation were definitely observed with few potential study confounders in this SAP rat model, suggesting that it may be an appropriate animal model for study of gut barrier damage and bacterial translocation in SAP.