“Will you ever win?”

Will You Ever Need an Exit Strategy?

A good decision maker, when adopting a new software solution, considers the initial cost, continuing costs, the return on investment, compatibility with existing software and personnel skills, and so on—evaluating all of the start-up and projected continuing costs. Today, possible software solutions must include cloud computing and, more generally, software as a service (SaaS) or “x” as a servi...

Squamous carcinoma arising in a branchial cleft cyst: have you ever treated one? Will you?

The existence of primary branchiogenic carcinoma - that is, carcinoma arising in a pre-existing branchial cleft cyst (a benign developmental cyst) - has in recent decades been the subject of increasing scepticism. Recognition of the propensity of a variety of head and neck sites - including in particular the tonsil - to give rise to cervical metastases while the primary tumours themselves remai...

The ever-increasing choices for aortic valve replacement: which one will win in the marketplace?

S ymptomatic aortic stenosis (AS) is a fatal disease unless treated by transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). During the latter half of the 20th century, aortic valve replacement (AVR) was accomplished in the operating room using a variety of replacement valves, both mechanical and bioprosthetic, the choice of which steadily evolved over time. Bioprostheses avoid the need for vitamin K ...

Will xenotransplantation ever be feasible?

In several recent conferences, the principal questions have been whether xenotransplantation technology should be encouraged and, if so, how it should be regulated. Because the prospect of successful transplantation of animal organs into humans is still remote, the rush to achieve consensus about clinical application would be inexplicable were it not for two ostensibly unrelated issues. The fir...

Infectious Agents and Autophagy: Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Lose