Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Ann Ital Chir 2021 Apr 12;10. Epub 2021 Apr 12.

Aim: Enterocutaneous fistula is a rare but severe complication of prosthetic incisional hernia repair. Management requires re-exploration with intestinal repair/resection and mesh removal. Repair of the parietal defect in this contaminated field is challenging. Read More

BJS Open 2021 Mar;5(2)

Centre of Medical Imaging, University College Hospital, London, UK.

Background: Ventra hernias are increasing in prevalence and many recur despite attempted repair. To date, much of the literature is underpowered and divergent. As a result there is limited high quality evidence to inform surgeons succinctly which perioperative variables influence postoperative recurrence. Read More

Neuroscience 2021 Apr 6. Epub 2021 Apr 6.

Faculty of Pharmacy, Yarmouk University, Irbid 21110, Jordan.

Tobacco exposure has been linked to neuroinflammation and adaptive/maladaptive changes in neurotransmitter systems, including in glutamatergic systems. We examined the effects of waterpipe tobacco smoke (WTS) on inflammatory mediators and astroglial glutamate transporters in mesocorticolimbic brain regions including the prefrontal cortex (PFC), nucleus accumbens (NAc) and ventral tegmental area (VTA). The behavioral consequences of WTS exposure on withdrawal-induced anxiety-like behavior were assessed using elevated plus maze (EPM) and open field (OF) tests. Read More

J Am Coll Surg 2021 Apr 5. Epub 2021 Apr 5.

Center for Abdominal Core Health, Digestive Disease and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH.

Background: The hernia sac to abdominal cavity volume ratio (VR) on abdominal CT was described previously as a way to predict which hernias would be less likely to achieve fascial closure. The aim of this study was to test the reliability of the previously described cutoff ratio in predicting fascial closure in a cohort of patients with large ventral hernias.

Methods: Patients who underwent elective, open incisional hernia repair of 18 cm or larger width at a single center were identified. Read More

BJU Int 2021 Apr 7. Epub 2021 Apr 7.

Department of Surgical and Perioperative Sciences, Umeå University, Sweden.

Objective: To compare patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in patients with and without abdominal wall complications after open partial nephrectomy (OPN) via flank incision.

Patients And Methods: PROMs were collected in 2017 from all patients operated on with OPN via flank incision between 2004 and 2016 in Västerbotten County, Sweden. Patients were mailed the ventral hernia pain questionnaire (VHPQ) and an abdominal wall asymmetry (AWA) questionnaire to evaluate postoperative AWA, attributed to bulge or incisional hernia. Read More

Hernia 2021 Apr 2. Epub 2021 Apr 2.

Creighton University School of Medicine-Phoenix, Phoenix, USA.

Introduction: Establishing straightforward and reproducible steps to describe the technique performed with the aid of the robotic system for complex hernia surgery is key for good outcomes. Even using the description of open surgery as a parameter for performing the robotic technique, it is important to stress the particularities of this access. To describe the steps to perform robotic-assisted TAR (r-TAR) in a standardized technique, with a critical and safe view of all the anatomical structures. Read More

Science 2021 04;372(6537)

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA.

Hallucinations, a central symptom of psychotic disorders, are attributed to excessive dopamine in the brain. However, the neural circuit mechanisms by which dopamine produces hallucinations remain elusive, largely because hallucinations have been challenging to study in model organisms. We developed a task to quantify hallucination-like perception in mice. Read More

J Gastrointest Surg 2021 Mar 31. Epub 2021 Mar 31.

Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreas Surgery, Department of Surgery, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, 105-8461, Japan.

Background: Caudate hepatectomy is one of the most difficult procedures among liver surgeries because of its deep location and proximity to the inferior vena cava (IVC), particularly in patients with a history of open hepatectomies. 1,2,3 METHODS: A 77-year-old man underwent three open hepatectomies for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), including a sub-segmentectomy of S6 and partial hepatectomies of S7 and S8 during follow-up for hepatitis C virus-associated liver cirrhosis. However, HCC recurred in the caudate lobe behind the IVC (Supplemental video file 1). Read More

Front Syst Neurosci 2021 9;15:564124. Epub 2021 Mar 9.

Department of Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States.

Understanding how the structural connectivity and spatial geometry of a network constrains the dynamics it is able to support is an active and open area of research. We simulated the plausible dynamics resulting from the known connectome using a recent model and theoretical analysis that computes the dynamics of neurobiological networks by focusing on how local interactions among connected neurons give rise to the global dynamics in an emergent way. We studied the dynamics which resulted from stimulating a chemosensory neuron (ASEL) in a known feeding circuit, both in isolation and embedded in the full connectome. Read More

ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2021 04 22;7(4):1713-1721. Epub 2021 Mar 22.

Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States.

Recent advances in human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs)-derived models open a new avenue for studying early stage human development. While current approaches leverage the self-organizing capability of hPSCs, it remains unclear whether extrinsic morphogen gradients are sufficient to pattern neuroectoderm tissues . While microfluidics or hydrogel-based approaches to generate chemical gradients are well-established, these systems either require continuous pumping or encapsulating cells in gels, making it difficult for adaptation in standard biology laboratories and downstream analysis. Read More

Eur J Neurosci 2021 Mar 9. Epub 2021 Mar 9.

Department of Fundamental Neuroscience, CMU, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.

Social interaction is a complex and highly conserved behavior that safeguards survival and reproductive success. Although considerable progress has been made regarding our understanding of same-sex conspecific and non-aggressive interactions, questions regarding the precise contribution of sensory cues in social approach and their specific neurobiological correlates remain open. Here, by designing a series of experiments with diverse social and object stimuli manipulations in custom-made enclosures, we first sought to deconstruct key elements of social preference as assessed by the three-chamber task. Read More

Acta Radiol Open 2021 Feb 22;10(2):2058460121993477. Epub 2021 Feb 22.

Post Graduate Program Stricto Sensu in Medical Sciences at the Faculty of Medical Sciences, State University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Background: Diffusion tensor imaging has emerged as a promising tool for quantitative analysis of neuronal damage in Parkinson disease, with potential value for diagnostic and prognostic evaluation.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine Parkinson disease-associated alterations in specific brain regions revealed by diffusion tensor imaging and how such alterations correlate with clinical variables.

Material And Methods: Diffusion tensor imaging was performed on 42 Parkinson disease patients and 20 healthy controls with a 1. Read More

JFMS Open Rep 2021 Jan-Jun;7(1):2055116921990307. Epub 2021 Feb 23.

Soft Tissue Surgery, Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service, Solihull, UK.

Case Summary: A 16-year-old neutered female British Shorthair cat presented with a 5-year history of swelling lateral to the left mandible that intermittently discharged viscous, clear fluid from a small defect in the skin. CT, ultrasonography, physical characteristics and cytology of the fluid were suggestive of sialocoele. CT showed a large, cavitary, fluid-filled mass lateral to the left mandible. Read More

Hernia 2021 Mar 20. Epub 2021 Mar 20.

General Surgeon at Shouldice Hospital, 7750 Bayview Ave., Thornhill, ON, L3T 7N2, Canada.

Purpose: The primary goal of this study was to determine the incidence of occult paraumbilical hernias during open primary umbilical hernia repair. The secondary objective was to further characterize the clinical features of these patients and hernias.

Methods: This was a retrospective chart review of patients undergoing primary umbilical hernia repair at Shouldice Hospital, from 2007 to 2017. Read More

Syst Parasitol 2021 Mar 18. Epub 2021 Mar 18.

Departamento de Investigación en Entomología Médica, Instituto Conmemorativo Gorgas de Estudios de la Salud, Calle 36 Este, Panama, Panama.

Three new feather mite species of the Nycteridocaulus generic group (Proctophyllodidae: Proctophyllodinae) are described from passerines in Panama: Atrichophyllodes myrmotherulae sp. n. from the Slaty Antwren, Myrmotherula schisticolor (Lawrence) (Thamnophilidae), Nycteridocaulus apanaskevichi sp. Read More

Sci Rep 2021 Mar 18;11(1):6205. Epub 2021 Mar 18.

Division of Biotechnology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (CSIR-IHBT), Post Box No. 6, Palampur, HP, 176 061, India.

Siraitia grosvenorii, an herbaceous perennial plant, native to the southern parts of China, is commonly used as a low-calorie natural sweetener. It contains cucurbitane-type triterpene glycosides known as mogrosides. The extract from monk fruit is about 300 times sweeter than sucrose. Read More

eNeuro 2021 Mar 9. Epub 2021 Mar 9.

Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Environmental cues attain the ability to guide behavior via learned associations. As predictors, cues can elicit adaptive behavior and lead to valuable resources ( food). For some individuals, however, cues are transformed into incentive stimuli and elicit motivational states that can be maladaptive. Read More

Rev Bras Parasitol Vet 2021 12;30(1):e018420. Epub 2021 Mar 12.

Laboratorio de Botánica Marina y Planctología, Instituto de Ciencias Marinas y Pesquerías, Universidad Veracruzana, Boca del Río, Veracruz, México.

Engraulicola lamothei n. sp. (Monogenea: Gastrocotylidae) is described from the gills of Chloroscombrus chrysurus (Teleostei: Carangidae) from Veracruz, southern Gulf of Mexico. Read More

Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg 2021 Mar 13. Epub 2021 Mar 13.

Department of Surgery, Division of Trauma, Acute Care Surgery and Surgical Critical Care, Duke University Medical Center, Duke University School of Medicine, 40 Duke Medicine Circle, Duke South, #1557A, Durham, NC, 27710, USA.

Background: The management of complicated ventral hernias (CVH), namely ventral hernias in actively or recently infected/contaminated operative fields, and open abdomens in which the native fascia cannot be primarily reapproximated, pose a surgical challenge. Fetal Bovine and Porcine Acellular Dermal Matrix (BADM and PADM) biologic meshes are being increasingly used in these scenarios. A comparison, however, of clinically relevant outcomes between the two is lacking. Read More

Ann Transl Med 2021 Feb;9(3):240

School of Rehabilitation Science, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China.

Background: The treatment of post-facial palsy synkinesis (PFPS) remains inadequate. Previous studies have confirmed that brain plasticity is involved in the process of functional restoration. Isolated activation has been well studied, however, the brain works as an integrity of several isolated regions. Read More

Swiss Med Wkly 2021 Mar 1;151:w20449. Epub 2021 Mar 1.

Department of General Surgery, Royal Bolton Hospital, Bolton, United Kingdom.

Background: Biosynthetic mesh may represent an improvement on biological and large pore synthetic meshes for high-risk complex ventral hernia repair. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of polyglycolic acid (PGA):trimethylene carbonate (TMC) biosynthetic mesh for reinforcement of the midline fascial closure in a single-stage repair of complex ventral hernias in high-risk patients.

Methods: A retrospective review was undertaken for patients who underwent a planned open single-stage complex ventral hernia repair with a single unit of PGA:TMC biosynthetic mesh between May 2013 and August 2017. Read More

JAMA 2021 03;325(10):942-951

Neurosurgery, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio.

Importance: Cervical spondylotic myelopathy is the most common cause of spinal cord dysfunction worldwide. It remains unknown whether a ventral or dorsal surgical approach provides the best results.

Objective: To determine whether a ventral surgical approach compared with a dorsal surgical approach for treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy improves patient-reported physical functioning at 1 year. Read More

J Robot Surg 2021 Mar 8. Epub 2021 Mar 8.

Department of Surgery, Clinicas de Porto Alegre Hospital, Porto Alegre, Brazil.

There is still a lot of debate about what is the best technique for ventral hernia (VH) repair surgery. Robotic-assisted procedures are an excellent alternative to overcome the technical difficulties of regular laparoscopic surgery. The onlay technique is one of the most performed surgeries worldwide in open ventral hernia surgery, and the anatomy is easily recognized by all surgeons. Read More

Rev Col Bras Cir 2021 8;48:e20202672. Epub 2021 Mar 8.

- Universidade Federal de Goiás, Professor Associado, Faculdade de Medicina - Departamento de Cirurgia - Goiânia - GO - Brasil.

Incisional hernia is a late complication of the most frequent after abdominal surgeries, with resulting morbidity that can worsen the condition. The treatment has been done both by open techniques, using screens or not, and by laparoscopic and robotic methods, which use them systematically. However, introducing a permanent foreign body into the tissues requires more surgical time, despite not closing the parietal defect in most cases and a higher risk of infections. Read More

Am J Surg 2021 Feb 26. Epub 2021 Feb 26.

Division of Gastrointestinal and Minimally Invasive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, NC, 28204, USA. Electronic address:

Background: The effect of an enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) pathway including liposomal bupivacaine transversus abdominus plane (TAP)-blocks for abdominal wall reconstruction (AWR) on opioids use is not clear.

Methods: A prospective, tertiary hernia center database of patients undergoing AWR before and after ERAS and operative TAP-blocks was matched in large ventral hernias.

Results: In 106 patients, non-TAP-block and TAP-block groups were comparable in mean BMI (p = 0. Read More

Oper Neurosurg (Hagerstown) 2021 Feb 27. Epub 2021 Feb 27.

Department of Otolaryngology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee, USA.

Background: Transoral robotic surgery (TORS) has become a routine technique for treating benign and malignant lesions of the oropharynx with the advantage of reducing morbidity compared to open surgical techniques. However, TORS has not been used routinely for accessing lesions of the spine.

Objective: To describe how TORS can be used to access spinal lesions. Read More