Journal and News Scan

The most common type of mesothelioma is malignant pleural mesothelioma, a nearly invariably lethal tumour of the pleura. Very seldom diagnosed prior to the advent of widespread asbestos mining in the early to mid twentieth century, this disease has sharply risen in incidence over the last five decades (1). The worldwide consumption of asbestos has peaked in the 1980s consequent to the call for an asbestos ban in several developed countries. However, in recent years the use of this carcinogenic mineral and its products seems to get an unprecedented popularity in Eastern Europe, Asia and South America (2). The tragic consequences of increased asbestos use in these parts of the world are that many more mesothelioma cases will be diagnosed in the future and that a major carcinogenic legacy is left behind for next generations. Asbestos has also been characterized as a time-bomb due to the long latency between first asbestos exposure and occurrence of disease (3). The purpose of these guidelines is clear. They are providing a set of concise evidence-based recommendations for the diagnosis, treatment and care of patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma. Although they were written to be used in an Australian context they will lend themselves also to be translated in health care settings outside of Australia. The team who voluntarily invested a significant amount of time in this project considered it a privilege to focus on better diagnostics, better treatment and care for those unfortunate victims of a hideous man-made disease called malignant pleural mesothelioma.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's former military ruler Pervez Musharraf wants to travel abroad for heart surgery requiring special equipment not available at home, legal sources said Friday quoting from a new medical report. Musharraf faces treason charges dating back to his 1999-2008 rule. But has not shown up for any hearings of a special tribunal due to security fears and lately a heart complaint. The 70-year-old former army chief has been in a military hospital since falling ill while travelling to the tribunal on January 2. An earlier diagnosis from the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology, where Musharraf is being treated, said he was suffering coronary artery disease and his lawyers have suggested he should be treated abroad. The full report was not released but a legal source who has read it shared some of its contents with reporters. The source said that in the report, Musharraf said he needed "special equipment for his heart surgery which is only available abroad".

The authors removed chest tubes after video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) lobectomy with serous fluid production up to 500 ml/day in 622 patients. Of them, 17 (2,8%) needed reinterventions due to recurrent pleural effusion. There was no association to the postoperative day of tube removal.

A new endoscopic standardized grading system for macroscopic central airway complications following lung transplantation is suggested by a group of French bronchoscopy experts. It considers macroscopic appearance, diameters and sutures of the bronchial anastomoses.