The Effectiveness of Ultrasound-Guided, Continuous, Bilateral Erector Spinae Plane Block in Perioperative Pain Management of Patients Undergoing Colorectal Surgery: A Randomized, Controlled, Double Blind, Prospective Trial.

Open and laparoscopic colorectal surgeries, while essential in the management of various colorectal pathologies, are associated with significant postoperative pain. Effective perioperative pain management strategies remain an anesthesiologic challenge. The erector spinae plane block (ESPB), a novel peripheral nerve block, has gained attention for its potential in providing analgesia for a wide variety of surgeries. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of continuous, bilateral ultrasound-guided ESPB in perioperative pain management of patients undergoing colectomy. This prospective, randomized, controlled, double-blind trial included 40 adult patients scheduled for elective open or laparoscopic colectomy. Patients undergoing open colectomy as well as patients undergoing laparoscopic colectomy were randomly allocated into two groups: the ESPB group (n = 20) and the control group (n = 20). All patients received preoperatively ultrasound-guided, bilateral ESPB with placement of catheters for continuous infusion. Patients in the ESPB group received 0.375% ropivacaine, while patients in the control group received sham blocks. All patients received standardized general anesthesia and multimodal postoperative analgesia. Pain scores, perioperative opioid consumption, and perioperative outcomes were assessed. Patients in the ESPB group required significantly less intraoperative (p < 0.001 for open colectomies, p = 0.002 for laparoscopic colectomies) and postoperative opioids (p < 0.001 for open colectomies, p = 0.002 for laparoscopic colectomies) and had higher quality of recovery scores on the third postoperative day (p = 0.002 for open and laparoscopic colectomies). Patients in the ESPB group did not exhibit lower postoperative pain scores compared to those in the control group (p > 0.05 at various time points), while patients in both groups reported comparable satisfaction scores with their perioperative pain management (p = 0.061 for open colectomies, and p = 0.078 in laparoscopic colectomies). No complications were reported. ESPB is a novel and effective strategy in reducing perioperative opioid consumption in patients undergoing colectomy. This technique, as part of a multimodal analgesic plan and enhanced recovery after surgery protocols, can be proven valuable in improving the comfort and satisfaction of patients undergoing colorectal surgery.

GReek Anaesthesiologists's Burnout EPidemic within the COVID-19 pandemic (GRABEP study); a multicenter study on burn out prevalence among Greek anesthesiologists and association with personality traits.

COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an unprecedented crisis with extreme distress for the frontline physicians and increased risk of developing burnout. Burnout has a negative impact on patients and physicians, posing a substantial risk in patient safety, quality of care and physicians' overall wellbeing. We evaluated burnout prevalence and possible predisposing factors among anaesthesiologists in the COVID-19 referral university/tertiary hospitals in Greece. In this multicenter, cross-sectional study we have included anaesthesiologists, involved in the care of patients with COVID-19, during the fourth peak of the pandemic (11/2021), in the 7 referral hospitals in Greece. The validated Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) were used. The response rate was 98% (116/118). More than half of the respondents were females (67.83%, median age 46 years). The overall Cronbach's alpha for MBI and EPQ was 0.894 and 0.877, respectively. The majority (67.24%) of anaesthesiologists were assessed as "high risk for burnout" and 21.55% were diagnosed with burnout syndrome. Almost half participants experienced high levels of all three dimensions of burnout; high emotional exhaustion (46.09%), high depersonalization (49.57%) and high levels of low personal accomplishment (43.49%). Multivariate logistic analysis revealed that neuroticism was an independent factor predicting "high risk for burnout" as well as burnout syndrome, whereas the "Lie scale" of EPQ exhibited a protective effect against burnout. Burnout prevalence in Greek anaesthesiologists working in COVID-19 referral hospitals during the fourth peak of the pandemic was high. Neuroticism was predictive of both "high risk for burnout" and "burnout syndrome".

Life Quality in Premenopausal Women after Embolization of Uterine Myomas.

Objectives: Fibroids cause significant morbidity and are the most common indication for hysterectomies worldwide, delimiting a major public health problem. Uterine artery embolization (UAE) is an alternative therapy to surgical treatment of symptomatic fibroids; it has satisfactory long-time results and is no longer considered investigational for the treatment of symptomatic fibroids. This study was undertaken to evaluate changes in fibroid specific symptom severity and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) after UAE and to optimize the assessment of safety and outcomes measures for participants who receive UAE to objective compare UAE and surgical alternatives for therapy of symptomatic fibroids. Study design: The analysis was based on questionnaires completed by 270 pre-menopausal females with a mean age of 42 years (range, 38-50 years) who underwent UAE for uterine leiomyomas and/or adenomyosis from November 2013 through December 2019. Only symptomatic women were selected whose symptoms were not improving with medication and who did not wish to have children. The primary outcome measure was a change in fibroid symptoms and HRQOL (health related quality of life) after UAE. Secondary outcomes included the decrease in uterine volume after UAE. Results: Questionnaires were completed by 270 women (100%) at a mean of 12.1 months from UAE. The median follow-up period was two years. Uterine fibroid embolization led to a shrinkage at three months for the 90% of the participants. A reduction of bleeding symptoms, pain and bulk-related symptoms was observed in 89.7%, 88.9%, and 89.5% of the patients, respectively. In the long term, there was no significant difference in parameters assessed compared with the midterm follow-up findings. A total of 6 patients (2.3%) underwent fractional curettage an average of 32.1 months after intervention due to necrotic changes in submucosal fibroids. All participants continued to be satisfied with the intervention, and 240 patients (88.9%) answered that they would recommend uterine fibroid embolization to other patients. Conclusions: Women who undergo UAE have a significant decrease in symptom severity and increase in HRQOL which is associated with high levels of satisfaction with the procedure (even when subsequent therapies are pursued).

Circadian effects on neural blockade of levobupivacaine and fentanyl intrathecal administration for caesarian section.

INTRODUCTION: Circadian variations in biological rhythms affect the pharmacological properties of many anaesthetic agents, suggesting circadian patterns of local anaesthetics' activity in labour pain analgesia, with important differences among diurnal and nocturnal phases.

Validation of the Patient Neurotoxicity Questionnaire for Patients Suffering From Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy in Greek.

PURPOSE: The Patient Neurotoxicity Questionnaire (PNQ) represents a diagnostic tool concerning patients with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). The application of such a tool in the Greek clinical praxis requires validation. METHODS: Validation consists of three stages - translation, reverse translation, and patient application. Hundred oncologic patients were assessed by comparing the PNQ to the National Cancer Institute-Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (NCI-CTCAE) at the chemotherapy onset and second, fourth, and sixth sessions. The diagnostic tool's specific requirements (compliance, validity, concordance, sensitivity, specificity, reliability) were statistically evaluated. RESULTS: Differences between translated texts and between the reverse translation and the original were considered negligible. At the second, fourth, and sixth session compliance was 98%, 95%, and 93% while Cronbach's α was 0,57 0,69, and 0,81, respectively. Cohen's weighted κ was 0,67 and 0,58, Spearman's ρ was 0,7 and 0,98, while the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) was 1 and 0,9 for the sensory and the motor part, respectively. The variance's linear regression analysis confirmed CIPN worsening over time (P<0.0001). DISCUSSION: The Greek version remains close to the original English version. Compliance rates reflect easy PNQ applications. Cohen's κ values highlight the physicians' tension to underestimate the patients' condition. Spearman's ρ, Cronbach's α, and AUC values reflect good validity, reliability, and specificity of the PNQ respectively. Finally, the linear analysis confirmed the PNQ sensitivity over time. CONCLUSIONS: The PNQ validation in Greek adds a crucial tool to the physicians' armamentarium. It can now delineate the necessary information to modify the chemotherapy and analgesic treatment regimens at both preventive and acute levels.

Comparison of Two Tubularized Incised Plate Urethroplasty Techniques in Hypospadias Reconstructive Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Hypospadias repair is a challenging type of urogenital reconstructive surgery for which different techniques are currently used. The purpose of this study is to determine the outcomes of distal, mid-shaft and proximal hypospadias repair using two new variations of tubularized incised plate (TIP) urethroplasty (TIP-δ and TIP-ελ) and to compare their complication rates with other already known operative techniques made from the same surgical team. METHODS: This study included 269 boys with hypospadias. The preoperative meatal site was distal in 179 patients, mid-shaft in 44 and proximal in 46. The average age at the operation was 17 months. The technique applied in distal hypospadias was Mathieu in 77 patients, Snodgrass in 28 and (TIP)-δ in 74. The technique applied in mid-shaft hypospadias was a tubularized island flap (TIF) in 12 patients, onlay island flap (OIF) in 5 and TIP-ελ in 27. The operative technique for proximal hypospadias was TIF in 15 patients, OIF in 10 and TIP-ελ in 21. TIP-δ and TIP-ελ are two new variants of TIP operation that we have used in our clinic since 2010. Postoperative complications were recorded, and we compared the outcomes obtained by applying the techniques. RESULTS: The use of TIP-δ in the distal hypospadias and long TIP-ελ in the mid-shaft and proximal hypospadias resulted in significantly fewer complications than the other surgical methods across all cases of hypospadias (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The type of tissue used for neourethral coverage seems to play an important role in the outcome of hypospadias surgery.

The Effect of Strontium Ranelate on Fracture Healing: An Animal Study.

BACKGROUND: Strontium ranelate (StR) is an antiosteoporotic agent previously utilized for the enhancement of fracture union. We investigated the effects of StR on fracture healing using a rabbit model. METHODS: Forty adult female rabbits were included in the study and were divided in 2 equal groups, according to StR treatment or untreated controls. All animals were subjected to osteotomy of the ulna, while the contralateral ulna remained intact and served as a control for the biomechanical assessment of fracture healing. Animals in the study group received 600 mg/kg/day of StR orally. All animals received ordinary food. At 2 and 4 weeks, all animals were euthanatized and the osteotomy sites were evaluated for healing through radiological, biomechanical, and histopathological studies. RESULTS: The treatment group presented statistically significant higher callus diameter, total callus area, percentage of fibrous tissue (p < 0.001), vessels/mm2, number of total vessels, and lower osteoclast number/mm2 (p < 0.05) than the control group at 2 weeks. Additionally, the treatment group presented significantly higher percentages of new trabecular bone, vessels/mm2, osteoclast number/mm2, and lower values for callus diameter, as well as total callus area (p < 0.05), than the control group at 4 weeks. At 4 weeks, in the treatment group, force applied (p = 0.003), energy at failure (p = 0.004), and load at failure (p = 0.003) were all significantly higher in the forearm specimens with the osteotomized ulnae compared to those without. Radiological bone union was demonstrated for animals receiving StR at 4 weeks compared with controls (p = 0.045). CONCLUSION: StR appears to enhance fracture healing but further studies are warranted in order to better elucidate the mechanisms and benefits of StR treatment.

Anesthetic Management of a Parturient With Cardiac Tamponade due to Heart Perforation by an Atrial Septum Defect Repair Device: A Case Report.

With the ongoing development of safer anesthesia, pregnant women with cardiac disease are presenting more frequently for cesarean delivery. We report the successful anesthetic management of a 31-year-old parturient, on long-term anticoagulant therapy, who presented with acute cardiac tamponade due to perforation of the left atrium from a dislodged atrial septum defect occluder. The cesarean delivery was followed by temporary repair of the perforation without extracorporeal circulation (EC) due to concerns about excessive postpartum bleeding. The definitive repair of the atrial defect and the perforation were successfully accomplished under (EC) 5 days after delivery.

Preoperative Anxiety in Greek Children and Their Parents When Presenting for Routine Surgery.

BACKGROUND: A surgical operation in pediatric patients is a rather stressful experience for both children and their parents. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of specific demographic characteristics in parent's and children's preoperative anxiety. METHODS: The sample was composed of 128 Greek-speaking children (1-14 years of age) who had to undergo minor surgery in a University General Hospital. Before surgical operation, the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) questionnaire and a questionnaire for the social-demographic characteristics were completed by the parents. Children's preoperative anxiety was evaluated using the Modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale (m-YPAS). RESULTS: The independent predictors of increased anxiety levels in parents are child's age (p=0.024) and gender (girls: p=0.008), living in rural areas (parents: p < 0.001; children: p=0.009), being a mother (p=0.046), high or low education level (p=0.031), a no premedicated child (p=0.007), and high baseline parental anxiety (p=0.003). Previous hospitalization (p=0.019), high situational parental anxiety (p < 0.001), no premedication (p=0.014), and being the only child in the family (p=0.045) are found to be the main determinants of preoperative anxiety control in children. CONCLUSIONS: This study identifies possible risk factors of preoperative anxiety in parents and their children, which are high parental anxiety, child's age, no premedication, being the only child in the family, living in rural areas, education level, and previous hospitalization.

Revised Endografting for a Giant Descending Thoracic Aorta Aneurysm due to Synchronous Type III/Ib Endoleak, Causing Dysphagia.

BACKGROUND: Although surgical resection and graft replacement therapy for thoracic aortic aneurysms has advanced greatly over the last 20 years, significant perioperative morbidity and mortality still occur, particularly in patients considered high risk due to significant coexisting medical illness or previous operations performed for the treatment of intrathoracic disease. METHODS: The case described is that of a patient with a giant (13.8 cm) symptomatic descending thoracic aorta aneurysm (DTAA), previously treated endovascularly 15 years ago. The expanding aneurysm was due to undiagnosed synchronous type III/Ib endoleak resulting in chronic malnutrition and eventually dysphagia and dyspnea due to compressive symptoms of the esophagus. Besides the risk of rupture, dyspnea and dysphagia with progressive weight loss were significant indications necessitating repair. Regarding his major comorbidities, the patient was identified as high risk for open surgical repair, therefore an endovascular option was offered. Two valiant tube endografts were inserted and deployed successfully without complications. RESULTS: Postoperatively, upper gastrointestinal endoscopy imaging that was performed to the patient revealed marked persistent stenosis of the esophagus despite aneurysm pressure relief. However, at the multidisciplinary team meeting, an esophageal stenting was ruled out due to the risk of stent fracture and esophageal perforation with its devastating complications. Therefore, a conservative management was deemed appropriate for the patient taking into consideration the risks of prolonged hospitalization and malnourishment coupled with an unpredictable clinical course regarding the remission of the symptoms. Despite the slight gradual clinical improvement in the immediate postoperative period, the patient passed away at the 40th postoperative day due to hospital acquired pneumonia. CONCLUSIONS: Following endovascular repair of giant DTAA compressing the esophagus, significant symptomatic improvement should not be always expected due to the large residual thrombotic aneurysm sac. Although compression symptoms can be managed conservatively in patients deemed at high risk for esophageal perforation, postoperative course and management is of paramount importance and should be treated on an individual basis.

Simultaneous Periprosthetic Fractures of the Femur and the Acetabulum After Bipolar Hip Arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND Although periprosthetic fractures of the femur are a recognized complication of total hip arthroplasty, periprosthetic fractures of the acetabulum are rare. Simultaneous periprosthetic fractures of both the acetabulum and the femur have not been reported, to our knowledge. CASE REPORT We report a simultaneous fracture of the acetabulum and the femur in a 68-year-old female patient who had previously sustained a subcapital fracture of the femur, treated with a bipolar uncemented prosthesis. We discuss the possible mechanism of this combination of fractures. CONCLUSIONS Simultaneous periprosthetic fractures of the femur and the acetabulum can occur if, in the presence of osteoporotic bone, the metallic femoral head has migrated medially in the acetabulum while the femoral stem is not loose.

Small diameter acetabulum and femoral head in total hip arthroplasty for developmental dysplasia of the hip, with no femoral osteotomy.

We present the results of 66 total hip arthroplasties in 62 patients of mean age 46 years (24-74 years), with developmental dysplasia of the hip. In all cases the centre of rotation of the new hip was positioned at the site of the true acetabulum. In all patients cementless press fit acetabular components of small diameter (42-44 mm) were used, articulating exclusively with a 22.25 mm modular metal femoral head, without the use of bone grafts or shortening osteotomies of the femur. Despite the use of small diameter femoral heads the rate of dislocation was 3%. After an average follow-up period of 9 years (4-18 years), no revisions were required for infection, loosening or wear or implant migration. Osteolytic lesions were seen in the periacetabular region in 3 patients who were symptom free. A total of 2 revisions were required for instability and 2 patients had the wires of their trochanteric osteotomy removed because of bursitis. Leg length inequality was improved in 55% of the patients and one postoperative transient sciatic nerve lesion settled within 4 months. We believe that in patients with painful dysplastic hips, the use of small diameter implants with the centre of rotation at the true acetabulum, can give very satisfactory results, without any supplementary procedures.

Physical Improvement and Biological Maturity of Young Athletes (11-12 Years) with Systematic Training.

AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of systematic training in physical growth and biological maturity in prepubertal males and estimate how this affects the physical growth and skeletal maturity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 177 primary school students of the fifth and sixth grade, from schools in Alexandroupolis, participated voluntarily in our study. Questionnaires were used in order to measure physical activity levels. The subjects were subdivided into two groups; control group (prepubertal, whose physical activity was the physical education of their school and which had never participated in systematic training, n = 95) and experimental group (prepubertal, whose weekly physical activity included physical education in their schools and additionally 3-4 training units organized training in various sports clubs in the city, n = 82). The following parameters were recorded: biological age measured by determination of skeletal age; bone density measured by ultrasound methods; anthropometric and morphological features such as height, body composition, selected diameters, circumferences and skinfolds; motor ability features. RESULTS: The experimental group exhibited older biological age (p = 0.033), higher bone density (p < 0.001), lower BMI and body fat (p < 0.001), better anthropometric features and higher performance throughout all motor ability tests (p < 0.05), compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrates that systematic physical activity has a positive effect on both the physical and biological maturity of pre-pubertal children. This effect is mainly expressed in bone strengthening as a result of the increased bone density and in improvement of the kinetic skills of pupils who participated in organized extracurricular sport-activities.

Epidural anesthesia followed by epidural analgesia produces less inflammatory response than spinal anesthesia followed by intravenous morphine analgesia in patients with total knee arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: Anesthesia and inflammatory response have been studied in major abdominal and thoracic surgical procedures, but not in major orthopaedic reconstructive procedures such as total knee arthroplasty. Most studies have compared general anesthesia with epidural anesthesia, but none has compared epidural with spinal. MATERIAL/METHODS: In a prospective randomized study, 2 groups of patients scheduled for total knee arthroplasty for osteoarthritis were evaluated regarding the inflammatory response to 2 types of regional anesthesia. In 30 patients (Group A) with spinal anesthesia followed by intravenous morphine analgesia, and in 26 patients (Group B) with epidural anesthesia followed by epidural analgesia, the inflammatory response was assessed through the calculation of leucocyte concentration (WBC), C-reactive protein (CRP), monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1), interleukins (IL-1, IL-6, IL-10, IL-18), TNF-a, and leucocyte activation molecules CD11b and CD62l, in 3 blood samples (immediately before induction to anesthesia, immediately after closure of the operative wound, and at 24 hours post-operatively). RESULTS: The MCP-1 values showed a statistically significant increase (p<0.02) in the group of patients with spinal anesthesia. Of the leucocyte activation molecules, a high statistically significant increase was noticed in the expression of CD11b on monocytes in the sample taken 24 hours post-operatively in the patients of group A. Similarly, CD62l expression on neutrophils showed a high statistically significant reduction in the sample taken 24 hours post-operatively in the group of patients with spinal anesthesia compared to the group of patients with epidural anesthesia. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that epidural anesthesia followed by epidural analgesia produced less inflammatory response compared with spinal anesthesia followed by intravenous morphine analgesia in patients operated on with total knee arthroplasty, and that the most sensitive markers of those investigated were the CD11b and CD62l leucocyte activation molecules.

Blood transfusion and cytokines' changes in total knee replacement.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this prospective comparative study was to evaluate the serum levels of different cytokines and the frequency of adverse reactions and wound infections in patients who underwent total knee replacement (TKR) and were not transfused or received either allogeneic blood transfusion or postoperative auto-transfusion (PAT) with unwashed shed blood. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 248 patients were categorized into three groups; in Group 0 (n 85) patients received no blood transfusion, in Group 1 (n 92) patients received PAT and in Group 2 (n 71) patients received allogeneic blood transfusion. Patient's demographic and clinical data including age, gender, body mass index, preoperative haemoglobin value, adverse reactions and complications were documented. The serum levels of IL-1b, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10 and TNF were measured preoperatively, and on the first, third and fifth postoperative day. A statistical analysis of the results was performed. RESULTS: A significant elevation of cytokine values were observed during the first five postoperative days in patients who received blood transfusion after TKR. Adverse reactions (chills and pyrexia) were also more common in patients who received blood transfusion, whereas superficial infections were more common in patients who received allogeneic blood transfusion. CONCLUSION: The immunological status-as expressed by the measured cytokine levels-is altered in patients receiving blood transfusion compared to patients receiving no blood transfusion during the first five postoperative days. PAT is preferable to allogeneic blood transfusion in terms of the rate of adverse reactions and superficial wound infections.

High Beclin 1 expression defines a poor prognosis in endometrial adenocarcinomas.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prognostic role of Beclin 1 in endometrial adenocarcinomas of the endometrioid cell type. Beclin 1 is a known tumor suppressor gene, but its function may be altered under conditions of an accelerated autophagic activity, which provides additional energy to proliferating cells by recycling defective organelles and long-lived cytoplasmic proteins. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and fifty-five endometrioid adenocarcinomas were investigated for their autophagic activity using the monoclonal antibody Beclin 1 and an automated immunohistochemical technique. The extent of Beclin 1 expression was evaluated on a three-tier scale as follows: low (<10% positive tumor cells), intermediate (between 10% and 50% positive tumor cells), and high (>50% positive tumor cells). The results were correlated with the degree of tumor differentiation, the depth of myometrial invasion and the overall 5-year survival. In addition, the endometrial tumors were immunostained with the hypoxia inducible factor 1α (HIF1α) and their expression was related to Beclin 1. RESULTS: A high Beclin 1 reactivity occurred in 18.1% of endometrial adenocarcinomas studied and was associated with high tumor grade, high myometrial invasion and a poor 5-year survival. It was also correlated positively with HIF1α. Of the remaining adenocarcinomas 29.7% were of intermediate Beclin 1 reactivity and 52.2% of low, but correlations with prognostic factors were insignificant. CONCLUSION: An increased Beclin 1 expression is connected with the most aggressive endometrioid adenocarcinomas, probably as a result of its strong association with tumor hypoxia.

Bevacizumab, capecitabine, amifostine, and preoperative hypofractionated accelerated radiotherapy (HypoArc) for rectal cancer: a Phase II study.

PURPOSE: Bevacizumab has established therapeutic activity in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, and anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy enhances the activity of radiotherapy in experimental models. We assessed the feasibility and efficacy of preoperative radiochemotherapy combined with bevacizumab in patients with rectal cancer. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Nineteen patients with radiologic T3 and/or N+ rectal carcinoma were treated with preoperative conformal hypofractionated accelerated radiotherapy (3.4 Gy in 10 consecutive fractions) supported with amifostine (500-1,000 mg daily), capecitabine (600 mg/m(2) twice daily, 5 days per week), and bevacizumab (5 mg/kg every 2 weeks for 2 cycles). Surgery followed 6 weeks after the end of radiotherapy. A cohort of 14 sequential patients treated with the same regimen without bevacizumab was available for comparison. RESULTS: Grade 2 or 3 diarrhea was noted in 7 of 19 patients (36.8%), which was statistically worse than patients receiving the same regimen without bevacizumab (p = 0.01). A higher incidence of Grade 2 or 3 proctalgia was also noted (21.1%) (p = 0.03). Bladder and skin toxicity was negligible. All toxicities regressed completely within 2 weeks after the end of therapy. Pathologic complete and partial response was noted in 7 of 19 cases (36.8%) and 8 of 19 cases (42.1%). Within a median follow-up of 21 months, none of the patients has had late complications develop and only 1 of 18 evaluable cases (5.5%) has had locoregional relapse. CONCLUSIONS: Bevacizumab can be safely combined with hypofractionated radiotherapy and capecitabine as a preoperative radiochemotherapy regimen for patients with rectal cancer. The high pathologic complete response rates urges the testing of bevacizumab in randomized studies.

Unusual intramuscular lipoma of deltoid muscle.

Lipomas are common soft tissue tumors usually located under the skin. Nevertheless, intramuscular lipomas of deltoid muscle are unusual tumors. We present a case of 74-year-old woman with an intramuscular like clepsydra lipoma of deltoid muscle. The lesion was a palpable soft mass at the lateral side of the humerus. The patient had no previous history of trauma. The main symptom was pain only in abduction and extension. Imaging, pathological findings and surgical excision are discussed.

One-lung ventilation and HIF1alpha expression in lung cancer and pneumothorax.

BACKGROUND/AIM: A prospective study was designed to investigate the effects of anesthesia, particularly that of the one-lung ventilation procedure (OLV), on the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha (HIF1alpha) in patients with lung carcinomas and pneumothorax. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The immunohistochemical expression of HIF1alpha was studied in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues from 60 patients who had undergone thoracic surgery for lung cancer (n=48) or pneumothorax (n=12) under OLV general anesthesia. RESULTS: There was a significant, and rather unexpected, association of HIF1alpha expression with high body mass index (BMI) (p=0.01) and high body weight (p=0.01) of patients with lung carcinomas, but other anesthesia-related parameters, including analysis of arterial oxygen partial tension and anthropometric factors remained insignificant. With regard to pneumothorax cases, these were immunohistochemically unreactive and, hence, no relationship was noted between HIF1alpha and anesthesia parameters. CONCLUSION: Anesthesia and OLV procedure performed for lung cancer or pneumothorax does not affect the expression of HIF1alpha. However, the significant link between high BMI and HIF1alpha expression noted in patients with lung carcinomas brings forward a possible connection between obesity and hypoxia-related molecular pathways.