Development of a biodegradable prosthesis through tissue engineering, for the organ-replacement or substitution of the extrahepatic bile duct.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: there are different situations in which an extrahepatic bile duct replacement or substitute is needed, such as initial and localized stages of bile duct cancer, agenesis, stenosis, or bile duct disruption. MATERIALS AND METHODS: a prosthesis obtained by electrospinning composed of Poly (D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PGLA) - Polycaprolactone (PCL) - Gelatin (Gel) was developed, mechanical and biological tests were carried out to evaluate resistance to tension, biocompatibility, biodegradability, cytotoxicity, morphological analysis and cell culture. The obtained prosthesis was placed in the extrahepatic bile duct of 15 pigs with a 2-year follow-up. Liver function tests and cholangioscopy were evaluated during follow-up. RESULTS: mechanical and biological evaluations indicate that this scaffold is biocompatible and biodegradable. The prosthesis implanted in the experimental model allowed cell adhesion, migration, and proliferation, maintaining bile duct permeability without altering liver function tests. Immunohistochemical analysis indicates the presence of biliary epithelium. CONCLUSIONS: a tubular scaffold composed of electrospun PGLA-PCL-Gel nanofibers was used for the first time to replace the extrahepatic bile duct in pigs. Mechanical and biological evaluations indicate that this scaffold is biocompatible and biodegradable, making it an excellent candidate for use in bile ducts and potentially in other tissue engineering applications.

[Comparación entre ligadura con lazo hemostático y engrapadora mecánica lineal para el cierre de base apendicular]. / Comparison between endoloop and linear mechanical stapler for the appendicular stump closure.

INTRODUCCIÓN: En las últimas décadas es creciente el abordaje por mínima invasión de patologías abdominales debido a sus beneficios evidentes. El cuadro apendicular es la principal emergencia quirúrgica, con diferentes métodos del cierre de la base apendicular. En este artículo comparamos dicho cierre con engrapadora lineal o ligadura con lazo hemostático, para analizar la frecuencia de complicaciones como absceso, dehiscencia y seroma. MÉTODO: Se realizó un estudio prospectivo, observacional y descriptivo, con un total de 703 procedimientos, empleando en 567 pacientes ligadura con lazo hemostático y en 136 engrapadora lineal, operados por los mismos cirujano y equipo quirúrgico, con curva de aprendizaje concluida. RESULTADOS: Las complicaciones referidas en el presente estudio son absceso (n = 5), dehiscencia (n = 3) y seroma (n = 3). De acuerdo con las fases de la patología apendicular: fase 1 o apéndice congestivo, no presentaron complicaciones; fase 2 o supurativo, se reportó un caso de dehiscencia de herida quirúrgica con el uso de ligadura con lazo hemostático; fase 3 o necrótico, se reportó un caso de seroma en un paciente tratado con ligadura con lazo hemostático; y fase 4 o perforado, se encuentra diferencia significativa en el caso de abscesos, reportando cinco con el uso de ligadura con lazo hemostático y ninguno con engrapadora lineal. CONCLUSIONES: En nuestro estudio no existe diferencia estadísticamente significativa entre el uso de engrapadora lineal o ligadura con lazo hemostático en las fases apendiculares 1-3; en la fase 4 es de utilidad significativa el uso de engrapadora lineal ante la incidencia de abscesos. INTRODUCTION: In the last decades, the approach by minimally invasive surgery of abdominal pathologies is growing due to its evident benefits; the appendicular cases being the main surgical emergency, with different methods of closing the appendicular base. In this article, we compared the appendicular base closure with linear stapler and endoloop, to analyze the frequency of complications such as abscess, dehiscence and seroma. METHOD: A prospective, observational and descriptive study was conducted, with a total of 703 procedures, using 567 endoloop patients and 136 linear stapler, operated by the same surgeon and surgical team, with a completed learning curve. RESULTS: The complications referred in the present study were patients with abscess (n = 5), dehiscence (n = 3) and seroma (n = 3). According to the phases of the appendiceal pathology: phase 1 or congestive appendix did not present complications; phase 2 or suppurative was reported one case of surgical wound dehiscence in the use of endoloop; in phase 3 or necrotic, one case of seroma was reported in a patient treated with endoloop; while in phase 4 or perforated there is a significant difference in the case of abscesses, reporting five in the use of endoloop and none in the case of a linear stapler. CONCLUSIONS: In our study there is no statistically significant difference between the use of linear stapler or endoloop in the early appendicular phases; being of significant utility in Phase 4 the use of linear stapler for the incidence of abscesses.

Hepatic Metastasis from Colorectal Cancer.

The liver is the most common site of metastasis in patients with colorectal cancer due to its anatomical situation regarding its portal circulation. About 14 to 18% of patients with colorectal cancer present metastasis at the first medical consultation, and 10 to 25% at the time of the resection of the primary colorectal cancer. The incidence is higher (35%) when a computed tomography (CT) scan is used. In the last decades, a significant increase in the life expectancy of patients with colorectal cancer has been achieved with different diagnostic and treatment programs. Despite these improvements, the presence of metastasis, disease recurrence, and advanced local tumors continue to remain poor prognostic factors. Median survival without treatment is <8 months from the moment of its presentation, and a survival rate at 5 years of 11% is the best prognosis for those who present with local metastasis. Even in patients with limited metastatic disease, 5-year survival is exceptional. Patients with hepatic metastasis of colorectal cancer have a median survival of 5 to 20 months with no treatment. Approximately 20 to 30% of patients with colorectal metastasis have disease confined to the liver, and this can be managed with surgery. Modern surgical strategies at the main hepatobiliary centers have proved that hepatectomy of 70% of the liver can be performed, with a mortality rate of <5%. It is very important to have knowledge of predisposing factors, diagnostic methods, and treatment of hepatic metastasis. However, the establishment of newer, efficient, preventive screening programs for early diagnosis and adequate treatment is vital. How to cite this article: Valderrama-Treviño AI, Barrera-Mera B, Ceballos-Villalva JC, Montalvo-Javé EE. Hepatic Metastasis from Colorectal Cancer. Euroasian J Hepato-Gastroenterol 2017;7(2):166-175.

Updates in Mirizzi syndrome.

Mirizzi syndrome, known as extrinsic bile compression syndrome, is a rare complication of cholecystitis and chronic cholelithiasis, secondary to the obliteration of the infundibulum of the gallbladder or cystic duct caused by the impact of one or more calculations in these anatomical structures, which leads to compression of the adjacent bile duct, resulting in partial or complete obstruction of the common hepatic duct, triggering liver dysfunction. Our aim is to identify and describe the current epidemiology, diagnostic methods, and treatment of Mirizzi syndrome. A literature search was performed using different databases, including Medline, Cochrane, Embase, Medscape, PubMed, using keywords: Mirizzi syndrome, epidemiology, markers, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment. Selected original articles, review articles or case reports from 1997 to 2015 were collected, written in English or Spanish. The endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is the most accurate diagnostic method. The traditional treatment has been surgery and involves an incision at the bottom of the gallbladder and calculus removal. If fistulas are observed, it is performed a partial cholecystectomy; otherwise, a cholecystocholedochoduodenostomy is an alternative. Endoscopic treatment includes biliary drainage and stone extraction. Many surgeons claim that laparoscopic cholecystectomy is contraindicated in Mirizzi syndrome because of the presence of inflammatory tissue and adhesions in the Calot's triangle. If dissection is attempt, it can cause unnecessary injury to the bile duct. However, other surgeons consider the laparoscopic approach is feasible, although technically challenging. Currently, laparoscopic cholecystectomy for this condition is considered controversial and technically challenging; however, it has shown that with the right skills and equipment, it is a safe and feasible way to treat some cases of Mirizzi syndrome type I and II.

El modelo cartesiano de la función pineal / Cartesian model of the pineal function

Por su importancia en las ciencias biológicas, en las ciencias médicas y en las diferentes actividades del hombre, tanto el estudio de las imperceptibles como de las notables variaciones clínicas funcionales de la materia viva ha provocado un creciente interés en el campo del conocimiento humano. Como una rama horizontal de las ciencias biológicas, la cronobiología trata precisamente del análisis de esa conducta rítmica en la actividad enzimática, en los componentes subcelulares, en la actividad visceral, corporea y mental. Por hacer nacido con la vida misma, encontramos, al indagar sus raíces, que la cronobiología es considerada ya desde el origen de las diferentes civilizaciones. Con el despertar explosivo del conocimiento de los aspectos básicos de las ciencias naturales en el primer Siglo de la llustración, la cronobiología ocupó la atención de pensadores originales y talentosos. En Europa, Rene Descartes postuló en ese tiempo un modelo encefálico único y central para coordinar la catividad nictameral en el ser humano. Descartes propuso que los componentes corpóreos de un animal constituyen una máquina controlada automáticamente por una estructura que, a manera de un reloj, señalaría el tiempo y en cuya operación debería participar una substancia inmaterial. Además de sus contribuciones al conocimiento de las operaciones básicas del sistema nervioso, en sus planteamiento relacionados con la coordinación neural para la actividad corporal, Descartes consideró una forma de control integrar que atribuyó a la glándula pineal. Le dio a esta estructura un papel estratégico y preponderante al señalaria como el asiento anatómico del alma. Los efectos de la alteración de esa estructura sobre la conducta aberrante de los pacientes psiquiátricos, los de su remoción experimental y su papel en varios aspectos del control metabólico y hormonal, hacen que la proposición cartesiana de la acción de ese complejo órgano fotosensible y neuroendócrino adquiera una significativa...