Overall survival of gastric cancer remains low, as patients are often diagnosed with advanced stage disease. In this review, we give an overview of current research on biomarkers in gastric cancer and their implementation in treatment strategies. The HER2-targeting trastuzumab is the first molecular targeted agent approved for gastric cancer treatment. Other promising biomarkers for targeted therapies that have shown relevance in clinical trials are VEGF and Claudin 18.2. Expression of MET has been shown to be a negative prognostic factor in gastric cancer. Targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway with immune checkpoint inhibitors has proven efficacy in advanced gastric cancer. Recent technology advances allow the detection of circulating tumor cells that may be used as diagnostic and prognostic indicators and for therapy monitoring in gastric cancer patients. Prognostic molecular subtypes of gastric cancer have been identified using genomic data. In addition, transcriptome profiling has allowed a comprehensive characterization of the immune and stromal microenvironment in gastric cancer and development of novel risk scores. These prognostic and predictive markers highlight the rapidly evolving field of research in gastric cancer, promising improved treatment stratification and identification of molecular targets for individualized treatment in gastric cancer.

Background: Despite the significance of colonoscopy for early diagnosis of colorectal adenocarcinoma (CRC), population-wide screening remains challenging, mainly because of low acceptance rates. Herein, exosomal (exo-miR) and free circulating microRNA (c-miR) may be used as liquid biopsies in CRC to identify individuals at risk. Direct comparison of both compartments has shown inconclusive results, which is why we directly compared a panel of 10 microRNAs in this entity. Methods: Exo-miR and c-miR levels were measured using real-time quantitative PCR after isolation from serum specimens in a cohort of 69 patients. Furthermore, results were compared to established tumor markers CEA and CA 19-9. Results: Direct comparison of exo- and c-miR biopsy results showed significantly higher microRNA levels in the exosomal compartment (p < 0.001). Exo-Let7, exo-miR-16 and exo-miR-23 significantly differed between CRC and healthy controls (all p < 0.05), while no c-miR showed this potential. Sensitivity and specificity can be further enhanced using combinations of multiple exosomal miRNAs. Conclusions: Exosomal microRNA should be considered as a promising biomarker in CRC for future studies. Nonetheless, results may show interference with common comorbidities, which must be taken into account in future studies.

Background: In emergency surgery, managing abdominal sepsis and critically ill patients with imminent abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) using an open abdomen (OA) approach has become standard practice for damage control. To prevent significant complications associated with OA therapy, such as abdominal infections, entero-atmospheric fistula (EAF), and abdominal wall hernia formation, early definitive fascial closure (DFC) is crucial. This study aims to assess the feasibility of a novel device designed to facilitate early fascial closure in patients with an open abdomen.Methods: Between 2019 and 2020, nine patients undergoing open abdomen management were enrolled in this study. All patients were treated using vertical mesh-mediated fascial traction combined with a novel vertical traction device (VTD). Data from these cases were collected and retrospectively analyzed.Results: In this study, all patients were treated with OA due to impending ACS. Three patients died before achieving DFC, while the remaining six patients successfully underwent DFC. The mean number of surgical procedures after OA was 3 ± 1, and the mean time to DFC was 9 ± 3 days. The use of the VTD in combination with negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) resulted in a 76% reduction in fascia-to-fascia distance until DFC was achieved. The application of the VTD did not affect ventilation parameters or the Simplified Acute Physiology Score II (SAPS II), but intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) was reduced from 31 ± 8 mmHg prior to OA to 8.5 ± 2 mmHg after applying the device. The primary complication associated with the device was skin irritation, with three patients developing skin blisters as the most severe manifestation.Conclusion: Overall, the novel VTD appears to be a safe and feasible option for managing OA cases. It may reduce complications associated with OA by promoting early definitive fascial closure.

Sleeve gastrectomy (SG) is an effective procedure to treat morbid obesity. SG induces remission of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome and improves non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, it is imperative to clarify the extent to which these beneficial effects may be attributed to SG among other concomitant changes including postoperative diet. The current study addresses this question in a rodent model of obesity by subjecting it to SG, normal diet, or a combination of the two. Male Wistar-rats were fed with either high fat diet (HF, n = 32) or received chow diet (CD, n = 8). After 15 weeks, the HF-fed rats underwent either SG or sham operation, following which they were randomised to either continue HF or switched to CD for another 6 weeks. Body weight, fasting blood glucose level, blood pressure, and adipokine expression (leptin, adiponectin, MCP-1) in the adipose tissue along with triglycerides level in the blood serum were assessed to evaluate metabolic function. Hepatic function was assessed by histological evaluation of liver fibrosis (Hydroxyproline, Sirius Red) and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) of the inflammation marker monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1). Postoperative dietary change improved adipose tissue inflammation and arterial blood pressure regardless of the surgical intervention, while SG improved hyperglycaemia, blood triglyceride levels and, regardless of the postoperative diet, hepatic inflammation and fibrosis. However, combined administration of SG with post-operative normal diet was the most effective with regard to reducing the body weight. HF for 15 weeks induced obesity with metabolic syndrome and NAFLD in rats. SG and dietary intervention improved metabolic state and NAFLD; however, their combination was significantly more effective.

Acute abdominal pain is a common presenting symptom in the emergency department and represents heterogeneous causes and diagnoses. There is often a decision to be made regarding emergency surgical care. Machine learning (ML) could be used here as a decision-support and relieve the time and personnel resource shortage.Patients with acute abdominal pain presenting to the Department of Surgery at Bonn University Hospital in 2020 and 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Clinical parameters as well as laboratory values were used as predictors. After randomly splitting into a training and test data set (ratio 80 to 20), three ML algorithms were comparatively trained and validated. The entire procedure was repeated 20 times.A total of 1357 patients were identified and included in the analysis, with one in five (n = 276, 20.3%) requiring emergency abdominal surgery within 24 hours. Patients operated on were more likely to be male (p = 0.026), older (p = 0.006), had more gastrointestinal symptoms (nausea: p < 0.001, vomiting p < 0.001) as well as a more recent onset of pain (p < 0.001). Tenderness (p < 0.001) and guarding (p < 0.001) were more common in surgically treated patients and blood analyses showed increased inflammation levels (white blood cell count: p < 0.001, CRP: p < 0.001) and onset of organ dysfunction (creatinine: p < 0.014, quick p < 0.001). Of the three trained algorithms, the tree-based methods (h2o random forest and cforest) showed the best performance. The algorithms classified patients, i.e., predicted surgery, with a median AUC ROC of 0.81 and 0.79 and AUC PRC of 0.56 in test sets.A proof-of-concept was achieved with the development of an ML model for predicting timely surgical therapy for acute abdomen. The ML algorithm can be a valuable tool in decision-making. Especially in the context of heavily used medical resources, the algorithm can help to use these scarce resources more effectively. Technological progress, especially regarding artificial intelligence, increasingly enables evidence-based approaches in surgery but requires a strictly interdisciplinary approach. In the future, the use and handling of ML should be integrated into surgical training.

Der deutsche Gesundheitssektor ist für 5,2% der landesweiten Treibhausgasemissionen verantwortlich. Mitverantwortlich hierfür ist die erhebliche Menge an tagtäglich in deutschen Krankenhäusern erzeugtem Abfall, der die Kliniken zum fünftgrößten Müllproduzenten Deutschlands macht. Die gesetzlichen Regelungen sehen vor, dass ein wesentlicher Anteil der Krankenhausabfälle, trotz potenzieller Recyclingfähigkeit, energetisch verwertet, also verbrannt, wird. Hierdurch werden einerseits hohe CO₂-Emissionen erzeugt und andererseits wertvolle Rohstoffe dem Kreislauf entzogen. Ziel dieses Projekts war es, anhand von chirurgischen Einweginstrumenten die Machbarkeit des Recyclings von komplexen, kontaminierten Medizingeräten nachzuweisen. Inkludiert wurden häufig eingesetzte chirurgische Einweginstrumente, die potenziell als Elektroschrott recycelt werden konnten. Diese Instrumente wurden wischdesinfiziert und anschließend krankenhausintern sterilisiert. Nach der Sterilisation konnten die Geräte in Rücksprache mit der Umweltbehörde als Elektroschrott klassifiziert und durch ein Entsorgungsunternehmen extern maschinell recycelt werden. Durch Schredder- und Sortiermaschinen wurden die Instrumente in die einzelnen Fraktionen Kabel, Kunststoffe, verschiedene Metalle und Platinen aufgeteilt und zu Sekundärrohstoffen weiterverarbeitet. In den ersten 6 Monaten (09/2022–03/2023) wurden 239 kg Material recycelt anstatt verbrannt. Dies entspricht einer Einsparung von 545 kg CO₂e. Der Metallanteil lag bei ca. 50% des Gesamtgewichts. Hinzu kamen 30% recycelbare Kunststoffe, sodass eine Recyclingquote von 80% erreicht wurde. Die laufenden Kosten für das Recycling lagen nach Abzug der Einnahmen bei 1,90 €/kg. Damit ist Recycling in diesem Modell 3,9-mal so teuer wie die Verbrennung. Eine Umfrage unter dem beteiligten OP-Personal ergab eine hohe Zufriedenheit mit dem Recyclingprojekt und einen geringen Mehraufwand von < 5 min. Wir konnten zeigen, dass das Recycling kontaminierter Einweginstrumente in Absprache mit den staatlichen Behörden möglich ist und hierdurch Abfallverbrennung vermieden und CO₂-Äquivalente eingespart werden können. Einschränkend auf die Umsetzbarkeit solcher Projekte wirken derzeit noch die deutlich höheren Kosten des Recyclings und die Verpflichtung der krankenhausinternen Dekontamination. Um dies zu ändern, ist der Gesetzgeber gefragt, die derzeitigen Vorschriften zu überdenken und die Hersteller an den Recyclingkosten zu beteiligen, um das riesige Recyclingpotenzial vollständig auszunutzen. The German healthcare sector is responsible for 5.2% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. One contributing factor is the enormous amount of waste generated daily in German hospitals, making them the fifth largest waste producer in Germany. Despite the potential for recycling, a significant portion of hospital waste is incinerated, as mandated by current regulations. This results in high levels of noxious CO₂ emissions and the loss of valuable resources. The goal of this project was to demonstrate the feasibility of recycling complex, contaminated disposable surgical instruments. The study included frequently used disposable surgical instruments that could potentially be recycled as electronic waste. The instruments were wipe-disinfected and sterilised internally within the hospital. After sterilisation, the devices could be classified as electronic waste in consultation with the environmental authorities and then machine-recycled externally by a waste disposal company. Sorting machines shredded and separated the instruments into individual fractions of cables, plastics, different metals, and circuit boards, which were further processed into secondary raw materials. In the first six months (09/2022–03/2023), 239 kg of material were recycled instead of being incinerated. This resulted in a reduction of 545 kg CO₂e. The metal content was estimated as 50% of the total weight; 30% were recyclable plastics, resulting in an 80% recycling rate. The ongoing recycling costs were 1.90 €/kg after deducting revenues. Thus, recycling in this model was approximately 3.9 times as expensive as incineration. A survey of the operating theatre personnel found high satisfaction with the recycling project and a minimal additional workload of less than five minutes. We demonstrated that recycling of contaminated disposable surgical instruments is possible in coordination with government authorities. This approach avoids waste incineration and leads to a reduction in CO₂-equivalent emissions. However, the higher costs of recycling and the requirement for in-house decontamination pose limitations on the implementation of such projects. To address this, it is necessary for lawmakers to reconsider current regulations and involve manufacturers in recycling costs to fully exploit the enormous recycling potential. Received: 23 May 2023 Accepted after revision: 30 June 2023 Article published online: 10 August 2023 © 2023. Thieme. All rights reserved. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Rüdigerstraße 14, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany