Objective: Non-intubated video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (NIVATS) has emerged as a less invasive alternative to conventional intubated VATS (IVATS) for patients undergoing lobectomy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, concerns regarding its safety, efficacy, and oncologic adequacy remain. This meta-analysis aimed to compare perioperative and short-term outcomes between NIVATS and IVATS. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane CENTRAL were searched through 30 June 2025. Studies comparing NIVATS and IVATS for anatomical lung resections (lobectomy and/or segmentectomy) in NSCLC were included; wedge resections were excluded. Primary endpoints included postoperative complications, operative time, intraoperative blood loss, lymph node yield, and 30-day mortality. Secondary endpoints were chest tube duration, hospital length of stay, anesthetic time, and conversion to thoracotomy rates. Risk of bias was assessed primarily with ROBINS-I; the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale was applied for sensitivity. Results: A total of seven studies (six retrospective and one randomized controlled trial) encompassing 851 patients (374 NIVATS, 477 IVATS) were included. NIVATS was associated with a significantly lower rate of postoperative complications (OR 0.50; 95% CI: 0.30–0.86; p = 0.01; I² = 0%), shorter operative time (minutes) (WMD −21.85; 95% CI: −38.49, −5.21; p = 0.01), anesthetic time (minutes) (WMD −4.62; 95% CI: −6.60, −2.65; p < 0.01), and reduced intraoperative blood loss (mL) (WMD −24.36; 95% CI: −30.67, −18.05; p < 0.01). There were no significant differences in lymph node yield or conversion to thoracotomy rates. No 30-day mortality was reported in either group. The quality of included studies was moderate, and publication bias was not evident. Conclusions: NIVATS appears to be a safe and effective alternative to IVATS in selected patients undergoing lobectomy for NSCLC. It offers improved perioperative outcomes without compromising surgical or oncologic standards. Prospective trials are needed to confirm these findings and assess long-term survival.

Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm (TAA) represents an aortic pathology that is caused by the deranged integrity of the three layers of the aortic wall, and is related to severe morbidity and mortality. Consequently, it is crucial to identify the biomarkers implicated in the pathogenesis and biology of TAA. The aim of the current computational study was to assess the differential gene expression profile of the gap junction proteins (GJPs) in patients with TAA in order to identify novel potential biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of this disease. We implemented bioinformatics methodology to construct the gene network of the GJPs family, evaluate their expression in pathologic aortic tissue excised from patients with TAA and compare it with healthy controls. We also investigated the related biological functions and miRNA families. We extracted raw data related to the transcriptomic profile of selected genes from a microarray dataset, incorporating 43 TAA and 43 healthy control samples. A total of 17 GJPs were evaluated. Eight GJPs (47%) were downregulated in TAA (GJA3, GJA9, GJA10, GJB1 GJC2, GJD2, GJD3, GJD4). We also demonstrated the important correlations among the differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Four GJPs (GJA3, GJA9, GJC2, GJD3) were associated with fair discrimination and calibration traits in predicting TAA presentation. Finally, we performed gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and identified the major biological functions and miRNA families (hsa-miR-5001-3p, hsa-miR-942-5p, hsa-miR-7113-3p, hsa-miR-6867-3p, and hsa-miR-4685-3p) associated with the DEGs. These outcomes support the important role of certain gap junction proteins in the pathogenesis of TAA.