Postoperative delayed massive bleeding in gastric cancer: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative delayed bleeding of gastric cancer is a complication of radical gastrectomy with low incidence rate and high mortality. CASE PRESENTATION: This case report presents the case of a 63-year-old female patient of Mongolian ethnicity who was diagnosed with gastric malignancy during a routine medical examination and underwent Billroth's I gastric resection in our department. However, on the 24th day after the surgery, she was readmitted due to sudden onset of hematemesis. Gastroscopy, abdominal CT, and digital subtraction angiography revealed postoperative anastomotic fistula, rupture of the duodenal artery, and bleeding from the abdominal aorta. The patient underwent three surgical interventions and two arterial embolizations. The patient's condition stabilized, and she was discharged successfully. CONCLUSION: Currently, there are no specific guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of pseudoaneurysms in the abdominal cavity resulting from gastric cancer surgery. Early digital subtraction angiography examination should be performed to assist in formulating treatment plans. Early diagnosis and treatment contribute to an improved overall success rate of rescue interventions.

Theabrownin from Fu Brick tea ameliorates high-fat induced insulin resistance, hepatic steatosis, and inflammation in mice by altering the composition and metabolites of gut microbiota.

Fu Brick tea belongs to fermented dark tea, which is one of the six categories of tea. Fu Brick tea has been reported to reduce adiposity and has beneficial effects in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia and cardiovascular disease. Theabrownin (TB) is one of the pigments with the most abundant content in Fu Brick tea. TB has also been reported to have lipid-lowering effects, but its mechanism remains unclear. We found that TB could effectively reduce the insulin resistance and fat deposition induced by a high fat diet (HFD), decrease inflammation in the liver, improve intestinal integrity, and reduce endotoxins in circulation. Further studies showed that TB increased the abundance of Verrucomicrobiota and reduced the abundance of Firmicutes and Desulfobacterota in the intestinal tract of obese mice. The alteration of gut microbiota is closely linked to the metabolic phenotype after TB treatment through correlation analysis. Moreover, TB changed the gut microbial metabolites including L-ornithine, α-ketoglutarate, and glutamine, which have also been found to be upregulated in the liver after TB intervention. In vitro, L-ornithine, α-ketoglutarate, or glutamine significantly reduced lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation in macrophages. Therefore, our results suggest that TB can reduce adiposity, systemic insulin resistance, and liver inflammation induced by a HFD through altering gut microbiota and improving the intestinal tight junction integrity. The metabolites of gut microbiota might also play a role in ameliorating the HFD-induced phenotype by TB.

Application of computed tomography-guided hook-wire localization technique in thoracoscopic surgery for small pulmonary nodules (≤ 10 mm).

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the safety and efficacy of the computed tomography (CT)-guided hook-wire localization technique in thoracoscopic surgery for small pulmonary nodules (≤ 10 mm) and to identify the risk factors for localization-related complications. METHODS: The medical records of 150 patients with small pulmonary nodules treated from January 2018 to June 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. According to preoperative hook-wire positioning status, they were divided into the localization group (50 cases) or the control group (100 cases). The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, hospital stay, and conversion rate to thoracotomy were recorded and compared between groups. Uni- and multivariate binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify the risk factors for localization-related complications. RESULTS: A total of 58 nodules were localized in 50 patients in the localization group, and the localization success rate was 98.3% (57/58). In one case, the positioning pin fell off before wedge resection was performed. The mean nodule diameter was 7.05 mm (range, 2.8-10.0 mm), while the mean depth from the pleura was 22.40 mm (range, 5.47-79.47 mm). There were 8 cases (16%) of asymptomatic pneumothorax, 2 (4%) of intrapulmonary hemorrhage, and 1 (2%) of pleural reaction.The mean operation time of the localization group (103.88 ± 41.74 min) was significantly shorter than that of the control group (133.30 ± 45.42 min) (P < 0.05). The mean intraoperative blood loss of the localization group (44.20 ± 34.17 mL) was significantly lower than that of the control group (112.30 ± 219.90 mL) (P < 0.05). The mean hospital stay of the localization group (7.96 ± 2.34 days) was significantly shorter than that of the control group (9.21 ± 3.25 days).Multivariate binary logistic analysis showed that localization times of small pulmonary nodules in the localization group was an independent risk factor for localization-related pneumothorax. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the CT-guided hook-wire localization technique is beneficial for localizing small pulmonary nodules. Specifically, it is helpful for the diagnosis and treatment of early lung cancer because it can accurately remove lesions, decrease intraoperative blood loss, shorten operation time and hospitalization stay, and reduce thoracotomy conversion rate. Simultaneous positioning of multiple nodules can easily lead to positioning-related pneumothorax.

Theabrownin ameliorates liver inflammation, oxidative stress, and fibrosis in MCD diet-fed C57BL/6J mice.

Introduction: Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), also known as metabolic steatohepatitis, is a clinical syndrome with pathological changes like alcoholic hepatitis but without a history of excessive alcohol consumption. NASH is closely related to metabolic disorders such as obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and hyperlipidemia. Its main characteristics are hepatocyte steatosis with hepatocyte injury and inflammation. In severe cases, it can develop into liver cirrhosis. At present, there is no special treatment for NASH. Theabrownin (TB) is the main pigment substance in fermented tea. Theabrownin has beneficial effects on lipid metabolism and intestinal flora. However, the effect of theabrownin on NASH has not been studied. Methods: This study was aimed at exploring the effects of theabrownin from Fuzhuan brick tea on NASH. 8-week-old mice were randomly assigned to three groups and fed with chow diet (CD), methionine and choline sufficient (MCS) diet (MCS Ctrl), which is a Methionine/choline deficient (MCD) control diet, and MCD diet. After 5 weeks of feeding, the MCD group mice were randomly divided into two groups and were gavaged with double distilled water (MCD Ctrl) or theabrownin (MCD TB) (200mg/kg body weight, dissolved in double distilled water) every day for another 4 weeks respectively, while continuing MCD diet feeding. Results: We found that theabrownin treatment could not improve liver mass loss and steatosis. However, theabrownin ameliorated liver injury and decreased liver inflammatory response. Theabrownin also alleviated liver oxidative stress and fibrosis. Furthermore, our results showed that theabrownin increased hepatic level of fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) and reduced the phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinase p38 in MCD diet-fed mice.

Application of exosomal miRNA mediated macrophage polarization in colorectal cancer: Current progress and challenges.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major global health problem with high morbidity and mortality rates. Surgical resection is the main treatment for early-stage CRC, but detecting it early is challenging. Therefore, effective therapeutic targets for advanced patients are still lacking. Exosomes, tiny vesicles in body fluids, play a crucial role in tumor metastasis, immune regulation, and drug resistance. Interestingly, they can even serve as a biomarker for cancer diagnosis and prognosis. Studies have shown that exosomes can carry miRNA, mediate the polarization of M1/M2 macrophages, promote the proliferation and metastasis of cancer cells, and affect the prognosis of CRC. Since the gastrointestinal tract has many macrophages, understanding the mechanism behind exosomal miRNA-mediated macrophage polarization in CRC treatment is crucial. This article summarizes recent advancements in the study of exosomal miRNAs in CRC and their potential as diagnostic and prognostic markers.