TachoSil® was superior to standard surgical treatment in reducing both postoperative air leakage duration and intra-operative air leakage intensity in patients undergoing elective pulmonary lobectomy.

TC could be proven as well-tolerated and safe. In the subgroup of patients with established air leakage, TC showed superior potential in reduction of intra-operative air leakage as well as in reduction of intensity and duration of postoperative air leakage.

No abstract

Smoking is a major risk factor for lung cancer. This comparative study of smoking-related carcinogen-DNA adducts in pulmonary tissues and peripheral blood lymphocytes aims to further explore the primary DNA damaging processes by cigarette smoke in target and surrogate tissues. Samples of tumour and normal peripheral lung tissue, normal bronchial tissue and peripheral blood lymphocytes were obtained from a total of 85 lung cancer patients who underwent lung resection. Bulky DNA adducts were determined by 32P-postlabelling, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-DNA adducts were detected by (+/-)-7beta, 8alpha-dihydroxy-9alpha,10alpha-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene-DNA chemiluminescence immunoassay (BPDE-DNA CIA) in smaller subsets of tissue samples subject to availability of DNA. Bulky DNA adduct levels ranged between 0.3 and 27.8 adducts/10(8) nucleotides (nt) with mean adduct levels between 2.8 and 11.5 adducts/10(8) nt. Mean PAH-DNA adduct levels were 2.6-6.2 adducts/10(8) nt. Significantly higher bulky DNA adduct levels were detected in smokers' lungs as compared with non-smokers' (P < 0.02). PAH-DNA adduct levels appeared higher in the lungs of smokers compared with non-smokers but the difference was not significant. Lung tumour contained on average a 50% lower DNA adduct level compared with normal lung tissue. A statistically significant positive correlation was found between the DNA adduct levels of the corresponding tumour and normal lung tissue samples in both smokers and non-smokers using both methodologies. Bulky DNA adduct levels in normal lung and blood lymphocytes correlated significantly in non-smokers only (r = 0.55, P = 0.023). In lung tumour DNA samples there was a weak correlation between values obtained by 32P-postlabelling and by the BPDE-DNA immunoassay (r = 0.27, P = 0.054). However, with normal lung DNA samples, values obtained by the two assays did not correlate.

This experience attests that the majority of late complications following colonic esophageal substitution may be corrected by revisional surgery. The predominantly automatic propulsive movements of the isoperistaltically interposed grafts seem to provide an effective antireflux barrier against the gastrocolic reflux if some technical requirements (high gastric anastomosis, good gastric drainage, etc.) are respected. The graft mucosa showed signs of a positive adaptation. The best functional results were achieved by isoperistaltically interposed left colic transplants, which may be considered as an ideal graft (both technically and functionally) in extensive caustic strictures.