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Background: Clinical observations indicate that mechanical factors contribute to the expression or recurrence of Crohn's disease. We investigated whether the creation of an intestinal stenosis could alter the severity of the expected Crohn-like ileitis, in a Crohn's disease animal model, the TNF Δare/+ mouse. Methods: Thirty-six, 6-weeks-old TNF Δare/+ mice, were divided into 3 intervention groups: triple suture, single suture and sham. In the terminal ileum, in the first group, a triple suture stenosis was created, whereas, in the second, a loose suture was placed. Same triple-suture stenosis was performed on twelve wild type mice. All animals were sacrificed at 6 weeks post-operatively and the ileum parts were evaluated histopathologically. A summative total ileitis score was applied in each sample using a bespoke semiquantitative histological scoring system for the Crohn-like changes. Results: The triple suture stenosis induced significant muscular hypertrophy proximal to interventional site which was more prominent in TNF Δare/+ than wild type mice. In triple suture group, the total ileitis score was significantly increased proximal to the intervention as compared to the single suture ( P : 0.004) and the sham groups ( P : 0.013). The total ileitis score distally, was unaffected, regardless of the experimental intervention. Intestinal stenosis did not induce intestinal inflammation in WT mice. Conclusions: The creation of a stenosis in the terminal ileum of TNF Δare/+ mice alters Crohn-like inflammation. We assume that mechanical forces, such as intraluminal pressure, may contribute as important co-factors to the pathophysiology of Crohn's disease in genetically predisposed subjects.

Formation of tumor thrombus is an occasional manifestation of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Intravascular invasion of the renal vein and thereafter the inferior vena cava (IVC) might in very rare cases extend into the cardiac chambers. The subtle course and symptoms of such cases alongside with the engagement of vital anatomical structures marks them as a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. Aggressive surgical intervention has proven to be critical for survival rates in such cases; however total synchronous resection remains a challenge for the surgical team and a debate for the medical community. Following we report the case of a 66-year-old male who was diagnosed with a RCC of the right kidney accompanied by a tumor thrombus extending into the right atrium, after he suffered a presyncope episode. The patient underwent a radical en bloc nephrectomy and tumor thrombectomy under extracorporeal circulation with beating heart.

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For many children, hospitalization can lead to a state of increased anxiety. Being away from home, the invasive procedures undertaken, and the uncertainty of the outcome cause an uncomfortable situation in anticipation of real or imagined hazards. This systematic review aims to assess current evidence on the types of non-pharmacological interventions used and their impact on children’s anxiety or distress levels when they visit the hospital for planned or unplanned admissions. The Databases PubMed, Psych INFO, and Google Scholar were queried for papers published from January 2000 to March 2023 reporting the use of non-pharmacological interventions interacting with children in hospital or clinical environments and confirmed with saliva cortisol levels. A total of nine studies were retrieved. Across these studies, four different strategies of non-pharmacological interventions were used. Anxiety and distress were found to be reduced in the majority of the studies as confirmed with salivary cortisol. Overall, there is evidence that non-pharmacological interventions hold a promising role in reducing levels of anxiety or distress in children as confirmed with saliva cortisol. However, research on saliva cortisol as a tool of anxiety measurement requires higher quality studies to strengthen the evidence base.

Background In the majority of patients, the areas of the intestine affected in Crohn’s disease (CD) are the terminal ileum and less commonly the rectum. The terminal ileum is affected in the majority of genetic animal models of CD as well. Additionally, CD recurs at sites of tight anastomosis or strictures postoperatively. These observations lead to the assumption that increased intraluminal pressure related to the presence of a valve, sphincter or stenosis is associated with CD pathogenesis. We investigated the hypothesis that the creation of a partial intestinal stenosis could have an impact on disease severity, in a genetic animal model of CD (TNFΔare/+). TNFΔare/+ mice overexpress TNFα leading to a Crohn-like colitis in the terminal ileum. Methods Twenty-nine TNFΔare/+ mice, 6 weeks old, were divided into three intervention groups: stenosis, sham and control. In the stenosis group (n = 11), a partial small bowel obstruction was created via a novel triple suture technique, approximately 3 cm from the ileocecal valve. In the control group (n = 9), a loose single suture was placed at the aforementioned site to test the direct effect of the foreign material on the intestinal wall. The sham group (n = 9) received a sham operation. The triple suture stenosis was also performed on wild-type (WT) C57BL/6 mice (group WT, n = 9). 6 weeks post-surgery all animals were sacrificed and samples from the ileum 3 cm proximal and 3 cm distal to the intervention site were collected for histopathological evaluation. The Crohn-like changes were assessed using a modified colitis histological scoring system (based on Katakura et al., JCI 2005; 115: 695–702). Results Proximal to the intervention, the mean colitis score of stenosis group (10.18 ± 0.87) was significantly higher compared with sham (6.33 ± 0.97, p: 0.009) and control group (5.00 ± 0.91, p: 0.001). There was no difference between sham and control group (p: 0.332). No significant differences between the groups were reported distal to the intervention. The triple suture technique led to Crohn-like inflammatory lesions only in the TNFΔare/+ mice, as shown from the significantly increased score compared with WT mice proximal and distal to the stenosis (10.18 ± 0.87 vs. 0.67 ± 0.37, p < 0.001 and 9.20 ± 1.09 vs. 0.33 ± 0.24, p < 0.001). Conclusion The creation of a stenotic segment in the intestine of TNFΔare/+ mice, led to higher colitis score than expected. The probable mechanism is the increased intraluminal pressure proximal to the stenosis. This suggests that mechanical forces contribute as important co-factors in the pathophysiology of CD, in genetically predisposed populations.

Global pandemics cause health system disruptions. The inadvertent disruption in surgical emergency care during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been the topic of several published studies. Our aim was to summarize the reasons that led to the delayed diagnosis of pediatric appendicitis during the COVID-19 era. This systematic literature search evaluated studies containing pediatric appendicitis patient data regarding outcomes, times to hospital admission or times from symptom onset to emergency department visit. Studies elucidating reasons for delays in the management of pediatric appendicitis were also reviewed. Ultimately, 42 studies were included. Several reasons for delayed diagnosis are analyzed such as changes to public health measures, fear of exposure to COVID-19, increased use of telemedicine, COVID-19 infection with concurrent acute appendicitis, recurrence of appendicitis after non-operative management and increased time to intraoperative diagnosis. Time to hospital admission in conjunction with patient outcomes was extracted and analyzed as an indicative measure of delayed management. Delayed diagnosis of acute appendicitis has been documented in many studies with various effects on outcomes. Suspicion of pediatric acute appendicitis must always lead to prompt medical examination, regardless of pandemic status. Telemedicine can be valuable if properly applied. Data from this era can guide future health system policies.