Does neoadjuvant therapy for pancreatic head adenocarcinoma increase postoperative morbidity? A systematic review of the literature with meta-analysis.

Neoadjuvant treatment (NT) for pancreatic head cancer may allow some patients to undergo curative resection, but its impact on postoperative complications remains unclear. A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to compare overall postoperative morbidity, pancreatic fistula, and mortality between patients who underwent upfront surgery and those who underwent neoadjuvant therapy first. Forty-five studies with 3359 patients were included. No significant differences in morbidity and mortality rates associated with NT for pancreatic head cancer were detected in this study.

Pros and cons of radiotherapy omission in elderly breast cancer patients following breast conservative surgery.

Breast cancer is a highly prevalent disease worldwide, with adjuvant radiation therapy (RT) being considered standard of care after breast-conserving surgery (BCS). Older patient population can present multiple running comorbidities and less aggressive tumor behavior, and the absolute impact of adjuvant RT on local control can be low. This article aims to review the available literature about the impact of adjuvant RT, discussing characteristics to identify lower risk cases, and advantages and disadvantages of the omission of adjuvant radiotherapy in this group.

Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis and Listeria monocytogenes in mango (Mangifera indica L.) pulp: growth, survival and cross-contamination.

BACKGROUND: This study examined the ability of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis and Listeria monocytogenes to grow or survive in mango pulp stored at -20°C, 4°C, 10°C and 25°C, as well as to cross-contaminate mangoes by means of a knife contaminated with different levels of these pathogens. RESULTS: At 25°C lag phase durations of 19 h and 7.2 h and generation times of 0.66 and 1.44 were obtained, respectively, for S. Enteritidis and L. monocytogenes. At 10°C only the growth of L. monocytogenes was observed. At 4°C both bacteria survived for 8 days. At -20°C S. Enteritidis was able to survive for 5 months while L. monocytogenes survived for 8 months. Cross-contamination was observed for knives contaminated with 106, 105 and 104 CFU mL⁻¹ of S. Enteritidis and 106 and 105 CFU mL⁻¹ of L. monocytogenes. CONCLUSION: Both microorganisms can grow well in mango pulp at 25°C, thus lower temperatures for the maintenance of the pulps are crucial to avoid growth of these microorganisms. A refrigeration temperature of 10°C will avoid only the growth of S. Enteritidis. Thus good handling practices should be rigidly enforced to avoid any contamination as even at refrigeration and freezing temperatures survival of these pathogens may occur.