Cervical And Vaginal/Vulvar Malignancies Risk In Women With Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)

Objective: Given recent concerns about cervical dysplasia with RA medications, we performed a literature review and a pooled analysis to examine the relative risk of cervical and vaginal cancers in RA.Methods: We conducted a literature search covering 2007- 2014. A pooled analysis was conducted: the total numbers of cancers expected and observed across all studies were respectively summed for different cancer types (cervical and vaginal/vulvar cancers). As some studies pooled vaginal and vulvar cancers together, we did not discern between the two for the purpose of this study. Using these pooled estimates, standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) were calculated, demonstrating the relative risk of the cancers in RA, versus the general population.Results: Our search strategy retrieved 13 papers. Our pooled SIR estimates were 0.82, 95% confidence interval, CI, 0.73-0.92 for cervical cancer in RA and 1.04, 95% CI 0.80-1.34 for vaginal/vulvar cancer in RA.Conclusion: Our simple pooled analysis was consistent with a relatively lower cervical cancer risk in RA versus the general population, while the data did not establish if the risk of vaginal/vulvar cancer was different from the general population. Cervical cancer screening in RA will continue to be important, particularly as evolving treatment strategies may affect future risk

Anti-Hepatitis B Surface Antibody (Anti-HBsAb) in a Representative Population of Ozuoba in Rivers State, Nigeria

Background: Hepatitis B infection is a foremost worldwide health issue of public health significance and chief origin of chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). There are vaccines available for hepatitis B infection which can be used for prevention before infection. In an effort to prevent and control HBV, the Nigeria Government in 2004 made HBV vaccine as part of national immunization programme. This definitely is an essential procedure to minimize the occurrence of HBV in many countries. Thus, our study was designed to investigate the seroprevalence of hepatitis B surface antibody (HBsAb) in a representative population of Ozuoba in Rivers State, Nigeria following the incorporation of HBV vaccine into NPI schedule.Methods: Ninety (90) blood samples were obtained from a male and female population of Ozuoba community in Rivers State, Nigeria. Questionnaires were distributed to obtain demographic profile of participants. ELISA (DIA.PRO Diagnostic Bioprobes, Milano-Italy) was employed for the qualitative and quantitative evaluation of HBsAb in sera and plasma of representative population of Ozuoba in Rivers State, Nigeria. The serological evaluation and result interpretation were carried out as stipulated by the kit’s manufacturers. We engaged Fisher's exact test and Chi-square test to estimate variances amid groups at p < 0.05 significance.Results: Of the 90 participants evaluated, nine tested seropositive for HBsAb giving a general prevalence of 10.0% and a seronegativity of 90.0%. The sex-related prevalence was males (7.1%) and females (12.5%). Sex and age had no effect in hepatitis B surface antibody (p-value >0.05). The age-specific prevalence was 7.7% for age group 13-19 years, 10.2% for 20-35 years of age and 10.7% for 36 years and above.Conclusion: This study revealed that the presence of HBsAb was low (10.0%). Our outcomes indicted that seropositivity and seronegativity of HBsAb have no significant relationship with age and sex. It further showed that 90.0% were HBsAb seronegative and hence, more susceptible to HBV infection. Vaccination programme must be strengthened further to grasp those continuing at highest risk

Revisiting the Culture of Latent Stage Mycobacterium smegmatis on a Standard Agar Plate

Disc diffusion assay is a basic and initial test in the search for potential inhibitor against bacteria, including high pathogenic bacteria, i.e. Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Mycobacterium smegmatis, due to the characteristics of non-pathogenic, fast growing and can be handled by Biosafety Level 1 facility, is therefore widely used as the replacing model to study M. tuberculosis. However, Mycobacterium spp. can exist in active and latent stage by utilizes different metabolism pathway. Under the circumstances of nutrient or oxygen depletion, Mycobacterium spp. shift the energy generation cycle from tricarboxylic acid cycle (Krebs cycle) to glyoxylate cycle to progress into latent stage. It is challenging to obtain Mycobacterium spp. at latent stage. Here, we revisited the preparation of latent form M. smegmatis. We reported the medium, supplement and inoculum size to produce a reasonable lawn of M. smegmatis in a standard agar plate

Thyroid Ectopia Revealed in the Adulthood: About One Case

Thyroid ectopia is defined as the presence of thyroid tissue outside its normal pre-tracheal location. It’s may be discovered at any age. It’s clinical impacts are highly variable, precocious or late, depending on whether the thyroid is functional or not. We describe from this case an ectopic thyroid revealed in the adulthood. It is about a 44 years old woman with a medical history of goiter under supervision in her sister also followed for a chronic nasolacrimal duct obstruction. She benefitted from orbital and sinus computer tomography that showed a tongue’s base lesion process of with a strong contrast. Tongue MRI objectified a tongue base process measuring 43x37 mm with heterogeneous enhancement after gadolinium injection with total thyroid atrophy. Thyroid scintigraphy 131 confirmed the diagnosis of an ectopic thyroid: There was a rounded hyperfixation, a retro-mandibular median projecting as sub-lingual, without visualing uptake tracer on the thyroid lodge level. Physical examination and hormonal exploration were without abnormalities. In front of the uncomplicated asymptomatic sub-lingual thyroid, regular supervision was recommended based on thyroid hormones dosage and a scintigraphy or MRI

Dr. Saul Hertz Discovers The Medical Uses of Radioiodine (RAI) to Treat Graves' Disease and Cancer: A Daughter's Tribute as Pre-sented "Autoimmunity in 2017; Where Are We Now?"

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Examination of the Relationship between Emotional Disturbance and Tumors: Introduction to Emotional Soothing Therapy through Two-Case Studies of Uterine Fibroids

The role of emotional disturbance in the development of tumors have been well documented and verified in both theoretical and empirical studies among Chinese and Western medicine. However, there has been little work addressing emotional disturbance through therapy that focuses on emotional releasing in the treatment of tumors in general. We believe a lack of clinical evidence for the improvement of a patient’s physical condition through effective emotional releasing or guidance may be a key reason for the absence of psychologists in most existing tumor treatment protocols. Providing clinical evidence in emotion-disease association may be an important first step to enhancing existing treatment modalities with emotional-focused components. As an example, this paper describes two case studies of uterine fibroids, with the primary focus on the emotional pathogenic mechanism of tumor growth. In both cases, Emotional Soothing Therapy (EST) is used to help the patients shrink their uterine fibroids in one to two short treatments. The treatment procedures and dialogue between the patient and the therapist are provided to demonstrate how the EST was used to defuse negative emotions, reduce emotional disturbance, and help ease physical and psychological pain, In both cases, the uterine fibroids shrank significantly (by 50% and 90% respectively) after 1-2 EST sessions. These documented clinical cases provide an important reference for future clinical treatment of tumors, and warrant further randomized controlled trials on the EST, as well as the association between emotions and tumor reduction

Autoimmunity, Insulin-Resistance, Non-Classic Adrenal Hyperplasia, and Vitamin D

Abstrac

Indenopyrazole as a Privileged Structure in the Development of Anticancer Agents

A Privileged structureis a molecular scaffold that can provide potent and selective ligands for a range of different biological targets through modification of functional groups. Indenopyrazole is a three ringed heterocyclic structure consisting of a benzene ring, a central 5-membered ring and a pyrazole ring. As a privileged structure, indenopyrazole has been extensively used in recent years in the design of anticancer agents with versatile targets. A number of indenopyrazole derivatives displayed potent anticancer activities as checkpoint kinase 1, epidermal growth factor receptor, vascular endothelial growth factor, platelet-derived growth factor receptor, cyclin-dependent kinases, and tubulin polymerization inhibitors, among many others. This review will summarize the recent development of indenopyrazoles as anticancer agents, discuss their SARs.Keywords: Checkpoint kinase 1, cyclin-dependent kinases, epidermal growth factor receptor, hypoxia-inducible factor 1, indenopyrazoles, inhibitors, platelet-derived growth factor receptor, privileged structures, tubulin polymerization, vascular endothelial growth factor

Regulation of Collagen-Rich Matrix Remodeling in Wound Healing, Inflammation and Cancer

CD44 plays multiple roles in the context of inflammation and cancer including leukocyte recruitment, activation, and intratumoral migration [1,2]. CD44 also plays a role in the uptake of its principal ligand, hyaluronic acid (HA), and accumulation of soluble factors involved in stromal cell activation [1,2]. The role of CD44 in matrix remodeling is less well understood. Wound healing, inflammation and the microenvironment of solid tumors are all characterized by the accumulation and remodeling of HA and collagen-rich extracellular matrices. We have found that genetic deletion of CD44 results in increased fibrillar collagen accumulation in each of these conditions and that this phenotype is recapitulated in isolated fibroblast-derived matrices generated by CD44-deficient fibroblasts compared to wild-type fibroblasts in vitro. The mechanisms underlying CD44-mediated matrix remodeling and the consequences of altered matrix remodeling in each of these conditions in CD44-deficient mice compared to wild-type mice were discussed

Ramsay Hunt Syndrome with Residual Facial Palsy: Facial Nerve Decompression is an Innovative Option

Ramsay Hunt Syndrome (RHS) is a rare, severe complication of varicella zoster virus (VZV) reactivation in the geniculate ganglion. Facial paralysis is one of the features and without treatment, it fully recovers in as little as 20% of cases; this is much improved if treatment is started within 72 hours. In this prospective study, we present 5 cases of RHS and the surgical outcome in these cases