Polycystic liver diseases (PLD) represent a group of genetic disorders in which cysts occur in the liver (autosomal dominant polycystic liver disease) or in combination with cysts in the kidneys (autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease). Regardless of the genetic mutations, the natural history of these disorders is alike. The natural history of PLD is characterized by a continuous increase in the volume and the number of cysts. Both genders are affected; however, women have a higher prevalence. Most patients with PLD are asymptomatic and can be managed conservatively. Severe symptoms can affect 20% of patients who develop massive hepatomegaly with compression of the surrounding organs. Rrarely, patients with PLD suffer from acute complications caused by the torsion of hepatic cysts, intraluminal cystic hemorrhage and infections. The most common methods for the diagnosis of PLD are cross sectional imaging studies. Abdominal ultrasound and computerized tomography are the two most frequently used investigations. Magnetic resonance imaging is more sensitive and specific, and it is a valuable test for patients with intravenous contrast allergies or renal dysfunction. Different treatment modalities are available to physicians caring for these patients. Medical treatment has been ineffective. Percutaneous sclerotherapy, trans-arterial embolization, cyst fenestration, hepatic resection and liver transplantation are indicated to specific groups of patients and have to be tailored according to the extent of disease. This review outlines the current knowledge of the pathophysiology, clinical course, diagnosis and treatment strategies of PLD.
With over a third of Americans being considered obese, bariatric procedures have now become the most performed operation be general surgeons in the United States. The most common operations are the Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass, the Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy, and the Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Band. With over 340000 bariatric procedures preformed worldwide in 2011, the absolute number of complications related to these operations is also increasing. Complications, although few, can be life threatening. One of the most dreaded acute complication is the anastomotic/staple line leak. If left undiagnosed or untreated they can lead to sepsis, multi organ failure, and death. Smaller or contained leaks can develop into fistulas. Although most patients with an acute anastomotic leak return to the operating room, there has been a trend to manage the stable patient with an endoscopic stent. They offer an advantage by creating a barrier between enteric content and the leak, and will allow the patients to resume enteral feeding much earlier. Fistulas are a complex and chronic complication with high morbidity and mortality. Postoperative bleeding although rare may also be treated locally with endoscopy. Stenosis is a more frequent late complication and is best-managed with endoscopic therapy. Stents may not heal every fistula or stenosis, however they may prevent certain patients the need for additional revisional surgery.
IntroductionEvaluating the efficacy of a laparoscopically guided, surgical transversus abdominis plane (TAP) and rectus sheath (RS) block in reducing analgesic consumption while improving functional outcomes in patients undergoing laparoscopic bariatric surgery.Methods150 patients Living with obesity undergoing elective laparoscopic Roux-En-Y gastric bypass for obesity will be recruited to this double-blinded, placebo-controlled randomised controlled trial from a Bariatric Centre of Excellence over a period of 6 months. Patients will be electronically randomised on a 1:1 basis to either an intervention or placebo group. Those on the intervention arm will receive a total of 60 mL 0.25% ropivacaine, divided into four injections: two for TAP and two for RS block under laparoscopic visualisation. The placebo arm will receive normal saline in the same manner. A standardised surgical and anaesthetic protocol will be followed, with care in adherence to the Enhanced Recovery after Bariatric Surgery guidelines.AnalysisDemographic information and relevant medical history will be collected from the 150 patients enrolled in the study. Our primary efficacy endpoint is cumulative postoperative narcotic use. Secondary outcomes are peak expiratory flow, postoperative pain score and the 6 min walk test. Quality of recovery (QoR) will be assessed using a validated questionnaire (QoR-40). Statistical analysis will be conducted to assess differences within and between the two groups. The repeated measures will be analysed by a mixed modelling approach and results reported through publication.Ethics and disseminationEthics approval was obtained (20170749-01H) through our institutional research ethics board (Ottawa Health Science Network Research Ethics Board) and the study results, regardless of the outcome, will be reported in a manuscript submitted for a medical/surgical journal.Trial registration numberPre-results NCT03367728.
In this study, we use an effective word embedding model (word2vec) to systematically track ’vaccine hesitancy’ and ’logistical challenges’ associated with the Covid-19 vaccines, in the USA. To that effect, we use news articles from reputed media sources and create dictionaries to estimate different aspects of vaccine hesitancy and logistical challenges. Using machine learning and natural language processing techniques, we have developed (i) three sub-dictionaries that indicate vaccine hesitancy, and (ii) another dictionary for logistical challenges associated with vaccine production and distribution. Vaccine hesitancy dictionaries capture three aspects: (a) general vaccine related concerns, mistrusts, skepticisms, and hesitancy, (b) discussions on symptoms and side-effects, and (c) discussions on vaccine related physical effects. The dictionary on logistical challenges includes the words and phrases related to the production, storage, and distribution of vaccines. Our results show that over time, as vaccine developers complete different phase trials and get approval for their respective vaccines, the number of vaccine related news articles increases sharply. Accordingly, we also see a sharp increase in vaccine hesitancy related topics in news articles. However, in January 2021, there has been a decrease in the vaccine hesitancy score, which will give some relief to the health administrators and regulators. Our findings further show that as we get closer to the breakthrough of effective Covid-19 vaccines, new logistical challenges continue to rise, even in recent months.
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