Arkadiusz Spychała

Based on high quality surgery and scientific data, scientists and surgeons are committed to protecting patients as well as healthcare staff and hereby provide this Guidance to address the special issues circumstances related to the exponential spread of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during this pandemic. As a basis, the authors used the British Intercollegiate General Surgery Guidance as well as recommendations from the USA, Asia, and Italy. The aim is to take responsibility and to provide guidance for surgery during the COVID-19 crisis in a simplified way addressing the practice of surgery, healthcare staff and patient safety and care. It is the responsibility of scientists and the surgical team to specify what is needed for the protection of patients and the affiliated healthcare team. During crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the responsibility and duty to provide the necessary resources such as filters, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) consisting of gloves, fluid resistant (Type IIR) surgical face masks (FRSM), filtering face pieces, class 3 (FFP3 masks), face shields and gowns (plastic ponchos), is typically left up to the hospital administration and government. Various scientists and clinicians from disparate specialties provided a Pandemic Surgery Guidance for surgical procedures by distinct surgical disciplines such as numerous cancer surgery disciplines, cardiothoracic surgery, ENT, eye, dermatology, emergency, endocrine surgery, general surgery, gynecology, neurosurgery, orthopedics, pediatric surgery, reconstructive and plastic surgery, surgical critical care, transplantation surgery, trauma surgery and urology, performing different surgeries, as well as laparoscopy, thoracoscopy and endoscopy. Any suggestions and corrections from colleagues will be very welcome as we are all involved and locked in a rapidly evolving process on increasing COVID-19 knowledge.

The aim of the study was to assess the quality of life in patients with a stoma, created for various reasons in the course of rectal cancer treatment. The study included 50 patients in the early post-surgery follow-up period, visiting the Stoma Outpatient Clinic in the Great Poland Centre in Poznań. All patients underwent surgery due to rectal cancer. Quality of life was assessed using anonymous questionnaires. Participation in the study was voluntary, and patients were informed about the proceedings. Standardized EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire for quality of life assessment in cancer patients and QLQ-CR38 module for colorectal cancer patients were used. In all domains assessed, stoma patients showed significant impairment of functioning, which negatively influenced their quality of life. In our study group scores in all functional scales (physical – 70.6, role – 71.0, emotional – 61.8, cognitive – 75.6, social – 65) differed significantly from the reference values for the healthy population. QLQ-CR38 questionnaire was used to assess which symptoms were most disturbing for the patients. Negative influence of stoma on sexual functioning in men (mostly erectile and ejaculation dysfunctions) turned out to be the most significant (54.6). In women sexual dysfunctions were significantly less expressed (26.8). Another large group of symptoms having an unquestionable influence on level of functioning comprised direct stoma-related symptoms (47.8). Creation of a stoma still has a large negative impact on patients' quality of life. Influence of the stoma is most pronounced in the area of social functioning. In spite of improvement in support, the problems pertaining directly to the fact of having a stoma bag remain significant for this group of patients.

Epidemiological and experimental findings suggest that the development of gastric cancer (GC) is regulated by steroid hormones. In postmenopausal women and older men, the majority of steroid hormones are produced locally in peripheral tissue through the enzymatic conversion of steroid precursors. Therefore, using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis, the mRNA expression of genes encoding steroidogenic enzymes, including steroid sulfatase (STS), hydroxy-delta-5-steroid dehydrogenase 3 beta- and steroid delta-isomerase 1 (HSD3B1), 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 7 and aromatase (CYP19A1), was investigated in primary tumoral and adjacent healthy gastric mucosa from 60 patients with GC. Furthermore, the mRNA levels for estrogen receptor α, estrogen receptor β (ESR2) and androgen receptor (AR), along with their coregulators, including proline, glutamate and leucine rich protein 1, CREB binding protein, nuclear receptor coactivator 1 (NCOA1), nuclear receptor corepressor 1 (NCOR1) and nuclear receptor subfamily 2 group F member 1 (NR2F1), were investigated. Additionally, the association between the mRNA expression of these genes and the clinicopathological features of patients with GC was examined. Significantly decreased levels of STS, HSD3B1, ESR2, AR, NCOA1 and NCOR1 mRNA, in addition to significantly increased levels of CYP19A1 mRNA were demonstrated in tumoral tissue samples compared with adjacent healthy gastric tissue samples. Deregulated expression of these genes in the analyzed tissue samples was associated with certain clinicopathological features of GC, such as age and localization of the tumor. The results of the current study suggest that all of the genes analyzed are expressed in tumoral and adjacent healthy gastric mucosa. In addition, the results indicate that abnormal expression of STS, ESR2, AR, NCOA1 and NCOR1 may serve a role in the development and progression of GC, and may be associated with specific clinicopathological features in patients with GC.

Steroid hormones have been shown to play a role in gastric carcinogenesis. Large amounts of steroid hormones are locally produced in the peripheral tissues of both genders. Type 5 of 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, encoded by the AKR1C3 gene, plays a pivotal role in both androgen and estrogen metabolism, and its expression was found to be deregulated in different cancers. In this study we measured AKR1C3 transcript and protein levels in nontumoral and primary tumoral gastric tissues, and evaluated their association with some clinicopathological features of gastric cancer (GC). We found decreased levels of AKR1C3 transcript (p < 0.0001) and protein (p = 0.0021) in GC tissues compared with the adjacent, apparently histopathologically normal, mucosa. Lower levels of AKR1C3 transcript were observed in diffuse and intestinal types of GC, whereas AKR1C3 protein levels were decreased in tumors with multisite localization, in diffuse histological type, T3, T4, and G3 grades. We also determined the effect of the histone deacetylase inhibitor sodium butyrate (NaBu) on AKR1C3 expression in EPG 85-257 and HGC-27 GC cell lines. We found that NaBu elevates the levels of both AKR1C3 transcript and protein in the cell lines we investigated. Together, our results suggest that decreased expression of AKR1C3 may be involved in development of GC and can be restored by NaBu.

The article presents a case report of a patient with an intramural gastric hematoma. Diagnostic examinations were suggestive of a suspected gastrointestinal stromal tumor Normal image was observed in gastroscopic examination while abdominal CT scan revealed a nodular lesion along the greater curvature of the stomach extending from the posterior wall and adjoining the pancreas and the spleen. The patient was qualified for surgical treatment. Laparotomy was performed followed by total gastric resection and Roux-en-Y reconstruction of the gastrointestinal tract. Post-operative histopathological examination revealed the presence of an extensive hematoma penetrating the perigastric fat tissue along with numerous hemosiderinophages and segmental indicators of formation of inflammatory granulation tissue suggestive of a chronic nature of the lesion. Immunohistochemical GIST assays (CD117, DOG-1, CD34, CD31, SMA, S-100, CKAE1/AE3, Ki-67) were negative. No complications were observed in the post-operative course. Patient is subject to continued follow-up and observation. Follow-up gastroscopy and abdominal CT scan performed 6 months after the surgery revealed an unremarkable image.