Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center 3 articles published in JoVE Cancer Research An Ivor Lewis Esophagectomy Designed to Minimize Anastomotic Complications and Optimize Conduit Function Neal K. Ramchandani1, Kenneth A. Kesler1, Jonathon D. Rogers1, Nakul Valsangkar1, Samatha M. Stokes1, Shadia I. Jalal2 1Department of Surgery, Division of Cardiothoracic, Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center, 2Department of Medicine, Medical Oncology Division, Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center We describe a novel intrathoracic esophagogastric anastomotic technique designed to create a large diameter anastomosis while simultaneously maintaining conduit blood supply to minimize the incidence of anastomotic leaks and strictures. Construction and orientation of the stomach conduit designed to optimize upper gastrointestinal tract function is also described. Biochemistry Nitropeptide Profiling and Identification Illustrated by Angiotensin II Shan Feng1,2, Xiaofei Wen3, Xin Lu2,4,5,6 1Mass Spectrometry Core Facility, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, 2Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, 3Department of Urology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, 4Boler-Parseghian Center for Rare and Neglected Diseases, University of Notre Dame, 5Harper Cancer Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, 6Tumor Microenvironment and Metastasis Program, Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center Proteomic profiling of tyrosine-nitrated proteins has been a challenging technique due to the low abundance of the 3-nitrotyrosine modification. Here we describe a novel approach for nitropeptide enrichment and profiling by using Angiotensin II as the model. This method can be extended for other in vitro or in vivo systems. Biology A Proximal Culture Method to Study Paracrine Signaling Between Cells Subramanyam Dasari1, Taruni Pandhiri1, James Haley1, Dean Lenz2, Anirban K. Mitra1,3,4 1Indiana University School of Medicine, 2Urology, Indiana University Health Southern Indiana Physicians, 3Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center, 4Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine Paracrine and juxtacrine cellular interactions play an important role in many biological processes, including tumor progression, immune responses, angiogenesis, and development. Here, a proximal culture method is used to study paracrine signaling where the localized concentrations of the secreted factors are maintained while preventing direct cellular contact.