First report of ivermectin resistance in cyathostomins (small strongyles) of horses in Argentina.

In Argentina, as in the rest of the world, cyathostomins are the most common nematodes parasitizing horses. Control is based almost exclusively on the administration of benzimidazoles, pyrimidines, and macrocyclic lactones. However, intensive use of these drugs is resulting in the development of anthelmintic resistance (AR). For example, AR to benzimidazoles is currently distributed throughout Argentina, while incipient AR to pyrimidines (pyrantel embonate) is appearing in areas where this drug is used. Macrocyclic lactones and especially ivermectin, are by far the most used drugs by the vast majority of equine premises in the country. Although ivermectin has been used since 1982, its efficacy against equine strongylid parasites has remained very high until the present. In this study we report for the first time, the presence of a cyathostomin population with resistance to ivermectin in adult horses belonging to an equine premise located in central Argentina. Fecal egg count reduction tests (FECRT) were performed following the most recent guidelines of the World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology (WAAVP) for the diagnosis of anthelmintic resistance (research protocol) and resistance was considered when the Upper 90% Credible Interval fell below the expected efficacy threshold of 99.9%. Calculations were carried out using two different online calculation interfaces suggested by WAAVP. For the 14-day post-treatment interval, ivermectin efficacy was 79.5% (90% Credible Interval: 68.1-88.8) and 79.3% (74.2-83.6.3%) with the two methods, respectively. At 19 days post treatment, fecal egg count reductions were 68.6% (50.5-83.1) and 68.4% (61.9-74.1), respectively. At both intervals, this cyathostomin population fullfilled the criteria for AR. These findings suggest dispersion of ivermectin resistant cyathostomins in Argentina. Given the widespread use of macrocyclic lactones, it is important that veterinarians and the equine industry promote a more selective and evidence-based use of these drugs and establish routine monitoring to determine anthelmintic field efficacy to detect treatment failures as early as possible and avoid potential health problems as well as further spread of resistant genes.

Disparate and Alarming Impact of Gastrointestinal Cancers in Young Adult Patients.

BACKGROUND: The rise in the incidence of gastric cancer (GC) and colorectal cancer (CRC) in young adults (YA) remains unexplained. We aim to identify differences in these malignancies between YA and older patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the California Cancer Registry for all GC and CRC cases from 2000 to 2012. Pearson's Chi square analysis and stepwise regression model with backward elimination were used to analyze differences in demographic, clinical, and histopathologic features, and log-rank test to compare survival between young (≤ 40 years) and older adults (41-90 years) with GC or CRC, separately. RESULTS: We analyzed 19,368 cases of GC and 117,415 cases of CRC. YA accounted for 4.6% of GC (n = 883) and 2.8% of CRC (n = 3273) patients. Compared with older patients, YA were more likely to be Hispanic (P < 0.0001) and have poorly differentiated (P < 0.0001), higher histologic grade (P < 0.0001), and signet ring features (P < 0.0001). Synchronous peritoneal metastases were more common in YA patients (32.1% vs. 14.1% GC, 8.8% vs. 5.4% CRC, P < 0.0001). The 5-year overall survival (OS) of YA with CRC or GC was longer than that of older patients with the same stage of malignancy; except YA with stage I GC, who demonstrated poor OS and disease-specific survival (DSS) (65.1% and 67.9%, respectively) which were significantly worse than those of adults aged 41-49 years (70.7% and 76.2%, respectively) and 50-64 years (69.1% and 78.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: YA with GC or CRC have distinctly worse clinical and histopathologic features compared with older patients and are disproportionately of Hispanic ethnicity. These results contribute to improving understanding of younger versus older GI cancer patients.

Enhanced Recovery after Surgery for Gastric Cancer Patients Improves Clinical Outcomes at a US Cancer Center

PURPOSE: Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols for gastric cancer patients have shown improved outcomes in Asia. However, data on gastric cancer ERAS (GC-ERAS) programs in the United States are sparse. The purpose of this study was to compare perioperative outcomes before and after implementation of an GC-ERAS protocol at a National Comprehensive Cancer Center in the United States. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed medical records of patients surgically treated for gastric cancer with curative intent from January 2012 to October 2016 and compared the GC-ERAS group (November 1, 2015–October 1, 2016) with the historical control (HC) group (January 1, 2012–October 31, 2015). Propensity score matching was used to adjust for age, sex, number of comorbidities, body mass index, stage of disease, and distal versus total gastrectomy. RESULTS: Of a total of 95 identified patients, matching analysis resulted in 20 and 40 patients in the GC-ERAS and HC groups, respectively. Lower rates of nasogastric tube (35% vs. 100%, P < 0.001) and intraabdominal drain placement (25% vs. 85%, P < 0.001), faster advancement of diet (P < 0.001), and shorter length of hospital stay (5.5 vs. 7.8 days, P=0.01) were observed in the GC-ERAS group than in the HC group. The GC-ERAS group showed a trend toward increased use of minimally invasive surgery (P=0.06). There were similar complication and 30-day readmission rates between the two groups (P=0.57 and P=0.66, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The implementation of a GC-ERAS protocol significantly improved perioperative outcomes in a western cancer center. This finding warrants further prospective investigation.

Base Excess as a Predictor of Complications in Cytoreductive Surgery with Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND: Base excess is important in assessing metabolic status. Postoperative management in patients undergoing cytoreductive surgery (CRS) with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) for peritoneal malignancies can be a challenge, and we therefore sought to investigate perioperative predictors of overall morbidity in CRS/HIPEC patients at our institution. METHODS: Patients who underwent CRS/HIPEC from 2012 to 2016 were identified retrospectively from a prospectively collected institutional database. Patient demographics and perioperative variables were obtained and the comprehensive complication index (CCI) was calculated for each patient in order to assess perioperative morbidity. Stepwise linear regression analyses were performed, with CCI as the outcome variable. RESULTS: A total of 72 CRS/HIPEC patients had recorded base excesses in the first 48 h postoperatively. Mean immediate postoperative base excess was -6.0 mmol/L (interquartile range [IQR] -8 to -4.1), mean delta base excess at 48 h was +4.3 mmol/L (IQR +2.1 to +6.2), and mean CCI was 25.2 (IQR 8.7-36.7). On multivariate analysis, delta base excess was the only significant predictor of CCI, demonstrating a protective effect (p = 0.001). In patients who experienced less than the mean delta base excess of +4.3 mmol/L, lower delta base excess was an independent predictor of complications (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Delta base excess is an independent predictor of morbidity in patients undergoing CRS/HIPEC. A delta base excess of greater than +4.3 mmol/L at 48 h may be an appropriate goal for resuscitation of CRS/HIPEC patients in the immediate postoperative period. Standardized protocols to correct the base deficit in CRS/HIPEC patients during the early postoperative period can potentially help mitigate perioperative morbidity.

Totally laparoscopic gastric resection with extended lymphadenectomy for gastric adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic gastric resection with extended lymphadenectomy is being evaluated in North America for the surgical treatment of gastric cancer. The aim of this study is to compare short-term postoperative and oncologic outcomes of laparoscopic and open resection for gastric cancer at a single cancer center. METHODS: The study population consisted of patients with gastric adenocarcinoma who underwent a completely abdominal intervention with curative intent. Laparoscopic and open gastric resections were compared. A totally laparoscopic technique was employed with a robotic extended lymphadenectomy in a subset of patients. RESULTS: A total of 78 consecutive patients were evaluated, including 30 laparoscopic and 48 open procedures. An extended lymphadenectomy was performed in 58 patients and was executed robotically in 16 of these. There was no difference in the mean number of lymph nodes retrieved by laparoscopic or open approach (24 +/- 8 vs. 26 +/- 15, P = .66). Laparoscopic procedures were associated with decreased blood loss (200 vs. 383 mL, P = .0009) and length of stay (7 vs. 10 days, P = .0009), but increased operative time (399 vs. 298 minutes, P < .0001). CONCLUSION: Completely laparoscopic gastric resection yields similar lymph node numbers compared with open surgery for gastric cancer. It was found to be advantageous in terms of operative blood loss and length of stay. Minimally invasive techniques represent an oncologically adequate alternative for the surgical treatment of gastric adenocarcinoma.