Nicole Gull IntroductionThe ALPPS (Associating Liver Partition and Portal vein Ligation for Staged hepatectomy) procedure is a novel surgical approach for the management of primary and secondary liver cancers, first described in the literature in 2012. The aim of this review was to evaluate the effectiveness of ALPPS procedures in our centre and compare our…
The impact of regional organ sharing and allocation in the UK Northern Liver Alliance (NLA) on waiting time to liver transplantation and waiting list survival
Abdullah K Malik, Steven Masson, Elisa Allen, Murat Akyol, Andrew Bathgate, Mervyn Davies, Ernest Hidalgo, Mark Hudson, James Powell, Agne Zarankaite, Derek M Manas On behalf of the Northern Liver Alliance (NLA) BackgroundThe Northern Liver Alliance (NLA) is a supra-regional allocation system for patients at 3 UK liver transplant centres (Newcastle, Edinburgh and Leeds). Patients…
Is it time to radically change the two week wait (2WW) referral pathway for suspected brain and CNS cancer?
JX Lee (1), A Varma (2), P Kane (2)1. Medical School, University of Newcastle2. Department of Neurosurgery, James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough BackgroundIn June 2015, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published revised 2WW referral guidelines for general practitioners (GP) for patients with suspected brain and CNS cancer. The comprehensive guidelines include recommendations…
The role of DOCK2 and ELMO1 in oesophageal adenocarcinoma cell migration
Mr Bertram Marks, Dr FEB May Introduction The incidence of oesophageal adenocarcinoma has increased six-fold over the past 40 years. Despite the increased prevalence, the 5-year mortality is still less than 15% and treatment doesn’t extend much beyond oesophagectomy. Co-activators of Rac1, DOCK2 and ELMO1, were found to be mutated in 17% of oesophageal adenocarcinomas…
The spectrum of pathologies in post-cardiac transplant paediatric deaths; what are we missing?
Thomas R. Jones (1), Srinivas Annavarapu (2)1 – Newcastle University Medical School, 2 – Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne Paediatric heart transplant (pHTx) is the “gold standard” for children with congenital heart diseases resulting in cardiac failure. However, it is challenging and uncommon and therefore only undertaken in two sites in the UK: The…
Therapeutic Blockade of microRNA in Kidney Transplantation (NESTAC MEDAL WINNER)
Samuel Tingle, Avinash Sewpaul, Lucy Bates, Rodrigo Figueiredo, Simi Ali, Neil Sheerin, Colin Wilson Introduction Ischaemia reperfusion injury (IRI) causes significant damage to organs from deceased donors. microRNAs are short non-coding RNAs which each cause repression of many target genes. miR-24-3p and miR-145-5p are two microRNAs with potential detrimental roles in IRI. Our group has…
Retrospective Analysis of treatment of patients with Acute Cholecystitis by the General Surgery team at the RVI; should provision of Emergency General Surgery services change?
Jacob Begbie, Mohammed Fageer IntroductionGallstone related pathology (GD) accounts for a large proportion of general surgery acute admissions, with 3% of acute admissions due to acute cholecystitis (AC). Guidelines from NICE and AUGIS state that AC patients should be offered laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) within 7 days of diagnosis (ALC). Despite this, treatment of AC differs…
A systematic review of minimally invasive approaches to pelvic exenteration
Florence Shekleton, Deena Harji, Ben Griffiths BackgroundMinimally invasive surgical techniques have revolutionised the practice of colorectal surgery. Laparoscopic surgery has led the way followed by the development of robotic-assisted surgery as an alternative approach. Pelvic exenteration is one of the most technically demanding operations reserved for locally advanced and recurrent pelvic malignancy. AimsTo assess the…
Preclinical testing of TRAIL therapeutics for sarcoma
Zakareya Gamie, Anja Krippner-Heidenreich, Craig Gerrand, Kenneth RankinNewcastle University, Northern Institute for Cancer Research, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom BackgroundDespite intensive, multimodal therapy, patients with bone sarcomas have poor 5-year survival, close to 50%. TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) can induce apoptosis in cancer cells, via the extrinsic pathway, after binding to its death receptors: DR4…
North East of England regional severe acute pancreatitis remote care (SAP-RC) service
DM Bourne, JJ French & Acute Pancreatitis Team (JS Leeds, RM Charnley, K Oppong, M Nayar, J Logue, J Scott, S Saikia, S Young & S McMullen) BackgroundSevere acute pancreatitis, as defined by the revised Atlanta classification,1 is caused by an acute inflammatory process affecting the pancreas gland.2 A recent review of acute pancreatitis1 advocated…