Mussel-inspired adhesion chemistry provides a useful alternative to the use of fibrin glues.

Bile is aseptic; under conditions of no external influx, there is a less than 30% chance of isolating bacteria even in acute cholecystitis. This study was conducted to evaluate the incidence of biliary microflora and most common biliary microflora and resistance to antibiotics in patients with cholecystitis, as well as predict situations that do not require the use of prophylactic antibiotics. Bile samples were collected for culture using standard methods during all cholecystectomies performed from January 2015 to December 2015 in the Department of Surgery, Pusan National University Hospital. A total of 366 laparoscopic cholecystectomies were performed during the study period. In 215 patients, bile culture was performed and cultures were positive in 54 cases. Prophylactic antibiotics with 2nd-generation cephalosporin were administered once 30 minutes before surgery. According to the results of bile culture, patients were divided into 2 groups, culture-negative and culture-positive groups. Preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative factors were compared between groups. The culture positive group was older (P = .000). The number of patients with performance of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), performance of percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage (PTGBD), presence of symptoms, presence of operative complications, and hospital stay was significantly higher in the culture-positive group than in culture-negative group. In multivariate analysis of factors associated with positive culture, age, ERCP, and symptoms were independent factors affecting positive bile culture. Eighty-five bacteria were identified in 54 patients. Escherichia coli and Klebsiella were common in gram-negative bacteria. Enterococcus was the most common in gram-positive bacteria. Less than 5% resistance was observed against carbapenem, beta-lactam antibiotics, glycopeptide antibiotics, and linezolid. The bile of patients with laparoscopic cholecystectomy may contain microorganisms, particularly elderly patients, those with symptoms, and those who undergo preoperative ERCP. When ERCP was performed, multiple bacteria culture-positive results were more likely to be found. Although carbapenem, beta-lactam antibiotics, glycopeptide antibiotics, and linezolid may be suitable prophylactic antibiotics, additional studies of the clinical aspects of culture-positive bile is needed to determine the importance of bacterial growth in bile.

AIM: To compare the demographics and survival rates between gallbladder adenocarcinoma (GB-adenocarcinoma) and small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the gallbladder (GB-NEC-SCC). METHODS: From March 2007 to September 2012, patients who underwent resection of tumor stage T2/T3 GB cancer were enrolled for this study. Forty-two patients were included in this study, including 38 diagnosed with GB-adenocarcinoma and four diagnosed with GB-NEC-SCC. In the GB-adenocarcinoma group, a radical operation was performed in 28 patients, and ten patients underwent simple cholecystectomy. In the GB-NEC-SCC group, a radical operation was performed in three patients, and one patient underwent simple cholecystectomy. Comparative analysis of the two groups was performed, including clinicopathologic features and survival rates. RESULTS: The median age of the patients was 68 y (range: 35-83 years) and females comprised 26/42 of the patients. GB-adenocarcinoma patients were significantly older than GB-NEC-SCC patients (67.89 ± 11.15 vs 55.75 ± 10.31 years; P = 0.029). The median tumor size in GB-adenocarcinoma patients was 2.56 ± 1.75 cm and 3.98 ± 3.74 cm in GB-NEC-SCC patients; however, there was no significant difference between the two groups. For tumors > 2 cm, T stage (T2 vs T3), lymphovascular invasion, perineural invasion, lymph node metastasis and lymph node ratio showed no significant differences between the two groups. The overall survival rate of the 42 patients at five years was 77.0%. In the GB-adenocarcinoma group, the overall five-year survival rate was 74.8%, and survival in the GB-NEC-SCC group was 100%, which was not significantly different between the two groups. CONCLUSION: The strategy for treating patients with GB-NEC-SCC should be similar to that used for treating GB-adenocarcinoma, including radical cholecystectomy and liver resection.

Sang Hyub Lee, Jung Wan Choe, Young Koog Cheon, Miyoung Choi, Min Kyu Jung, Dong Kee Jang, Jung Hyun Jo, Jae Min Lee, Eui Joo Kim, Sung Yong Han, Young Hoon Choi, Hyung-Il Seo, Dong Ho Lee, and Hong Sik Lee. Gut and Liver 2023;17:34-48. https://doi.org/10.5009/gnl220108

In the consideration of ampullary adenocarcinoma, T stage, lymph node metastases, perineural invasion, tumor differentiation, pancraticobiliary type, and lymph node ratio are considered prognostic factors. The objectives of this study were to investigate surgical outcomes and the clinicopathological predictors affecting survival and recurrence, and to examine the prognostic roles of histopathological subtype and immunohistochemical markers. From April 2006 to September 2012, 37 patients who underwent curative resection of ampullar of Vater adenocarcinoma were enrolled in this study. A retrospective review was performed based on medical records. Immunohistochemical expression, histopathological type and clinicopathologic factors were analyzed. The 5-year overall survival rates and disease-free survival rates after surgery were 77.4 and 75.7 %, respectively. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that advanced T stage (p = 0.019) and positive expression of Cytokeratin 7 (CK7) with negative expression of Cytokeratin 20 (CK20) (p = 0.046) were identified as significant independent factors related to survival, and poor differentiation (p = 0.031) significantly influenced disease-free survival in multivariate analysis. Advanced T stage is a significant prognostic factor affecting survival in ampullary adenocarcinoma. Also, positive expression of CK7 with negative expression of CK20 is an independent factor related to overall survival.

Background: This study was performed to investigate the oncologic role of lymph node (LN) management and to propose a surgical strategy for treating intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (IHCC). Methods: The medical records of patients with resected IHCC were retrospectively reviewed from multiple institutions in Korea and Japan. Short-term and long-term oncologic outcomes were analyzed according to lymph node metastasis (LNM). A nomogram to predict LNM in treating IHCC was established to propose a surgical strategy for managing IHCC. Results: A total of 1138 patients were enrolled. Of these, 413 patients underwent LN management and 725 did not. A total of 293 patients were found to have LNM. The No. 12 lymph node (36%) was the most frequent metastatic node, and the No. 8 lymph node (21%) was the second most common. LNM showed adverse long-term oncologic impact in patients with resected IHCC (14 months, 95% CI (11.4–16.6) vs. 74 months, 95% CI (57.2–90.8), p < 0.001), and the number of LNM (0, 1–3, 4≤) was also significantly related to negative oncologic impacts in patients with resected IHCC (74 months, 95% CI (57.2–90.8) vs. 19 months, 95% CI (14.4–23.6) vs. 11 months, 95% CI (8.1–13.8)), p < 0.001). Surgical retrieval of more than four (≥4) LNs could improve the survival outcome in resected IHCC with LNM (13 months, 95% CI (10.4–15.6)) vs. 30 months, 95% CI (13.1–46.9), p = 0.045). Based on preoperatively detectable parameters, a nomogram was established to predict LNM according to the tumor location. The AUC was 0.748 (95% CI: 0.706–0.788), and the Hosmer and Lemeshow goodness of fit test showed p = 0.4904. Conclusion: Case-specific surgical retrieval of more than four LNs is required in patients highly suspected to have LNM, based on a preoperative detectable parameter-based nomogram. Further prospective research is needed to validate the present surgical strategy in resected IHCC.