Characteristics of neonatal GBS disease during a multicentre study (2007-2010) and in the year 2012

iNTRODUCTION: The characteristics of Group B Streptococcal (GBS) early onset (EOD) and late onset (LOD) neonatal infections in Italy were analyzed. Two periods were considered, a first 3-years period (2007-2010), when notification of GBS infections was enforced under the auspices of the Italian Ministry of Health, and a second 1 year period (2012) when reporting on neonatal GBS disease continued on voluntary basis. METHODS: A standardized form was used to collect data on cases of neonatal GBS disease. They included both maternal and neonatal data. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The two surveys underlined that preterm deliveries, precipitous labor and negatively GBS screened mothers are common causes of EOD occurrence, possibly explained by inadequate, or lack of, intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis. Nevertheless, measures for reducing prevention failures and EOD incidence by an higher adherence to prevention strategies, as the Centre for Disease Control recommendations, are still possible and should be encouraged

Modern role of magnetic resonance and spectroscopy in the imaging of prostate cancer

Recently, a large number of studies have shown that the addition of proton 1H-spectroscopic imaging (1H-MRSI) and dynamic contrast enhanced imaging (DCEMR) to magnetic resonance (MR) could represent a powerful tool for the management of prostate cancer (CaP) in most of its aspects. This combination of MR techniques can substantially sustain the clinical management of patients with CaP at different levels: in particular, (1) in the initial assessment, reducing the need for more extensive biopsies and directing targeted biopsies; (2) in the definition of a biochemical progression after primary therapies, distinguishing between fibrotic reaction and local recurrence from CaP. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Value of magnetic resonance spectroscopy imaging and dynamic contrast-enhanced imaging for detecting prostate cancer foci in men with prior negative biopsy

Purpose: This study aimed to prospectively analyze the role of magnetic resonance spectroscopy imaging (MRSI) and dynamic-contrast enhancement magnetic resonance (DCEMR) in the detection of prostate tumor foci in patients with persistently elevated prostate-specific antigen levels (in the range of >= 4 ng/mL to <10 ng/mL) and prior negative random trans-rectal ultrasound (TRUS)-guided biopsy. Experimental Design: This was a prospective randomized single-center study. One hundred and eighty eligible cases were included in the study. Patients in group A were submitted to a second random prostate biopsy, whereas patients in group B were submitted to a (1)H-MRSI-DCEMR examination and samples targeted on suspicious areas were associated to the random biopsy. Results: At the second biopsy, a prostate adenocarcinoma histologic diagnosis was found in 22 of 90 cases (24.4%) in group A and in 41 of 90 cases (45.5%) in group B (P = 0.01). On a patient-by-patient basis, MRSI had 92.3% sensitivity, 88.2% specificity, 85.7% positive predictive value (PPV), 93.7% negative predictive value (NPV), and 90% accuracy; DCEMR had 84.6% sensitivity, 82.3% specificity, 78.5% PPV, 87.5% NPV, and 83.3% accuracy; and the association MRSI plus DCEMR had 92.6% sensitivity, 88.8% specificity, 88.7% PPV, 92.7% NPV, and 90.7% accuracy, for predicting prostate cancer detection. Conclusions: The combination of MRSI and DCEMR showed the potential to guide biopsy to cancer foci in patients with previously negative TRUS biopsy. To avoid a potential bias, represented from having taken more samples in group B (mean of cores, 12.17) than in group A (10 cores), in the future a MRSI/DCEMR directed biopsy could be prospectively compared with a saturation biopsy procedure. Clin Cancer Res; 16(6); 1875-83. (C) 2010 AACR

The ALICE experiment at the CERN LHC

ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) is a general-purpose, heavy-ion detector at the CERN LHC which focuses on QCD, the strong-interaction sector of the Standard Model. It is designed to address the physics of strongly interacting matter and the quark-gluon plasma at extreme values of energy density and temperature in nucleus-nucleus collisions. Besides running with Pb ions, the physics programme includes collisions with lighter ions, lower energy running and dedicated proton-nucleus runs. ALICE will also take data with proton beams at the top LHC energy to collect reference data for the heavy-ion programme and to address several QCD topics for which ALICE is complementary to the other LHC detectors. The ALICE detector has been built by a collaboration including currently over 1000 physicists and engineers from 105 Institutes in 30 countries. Its overall dimensions are 161626 m3 with a total weight of approximately 10 000 t. The experiment consists of 18 different detector systems each with its own specific technology choice and design constraints, driven both by the physics requirements and the experimental conditions expected at LHC. The most stringent design constraint is to cope with the extreme particle multiplicity anticipated in central Pb-Pb collisions. The different subsystems were optimized to provide high-momentum resolution as well as excellent Particle Identification (PID) over a broad range in momentum, up to the highest multiplicities predicted for LHC. This will allow for comprehensive studies of hadrons, electrons, muons, and photons produced in the collision of heavy nuclei. Most detector systems are scheduled to be installed and ready for data taking by mid-2008 when the LHC is scheduled to start operation, with the exception of parts of the Photon Spectrometer (PHOS), Transition Radiation Detector (TRD) and Electro Magnetic Calorimeter (EMCal). These detectors will be completed for the high-luminosity ion run expected in 2010. This paper describes in detail the detector components as installed for the first data taking in the summer of 2008

Comparative Effect of Finasteride and Dutasteride on Chromogranin A Levels

The aim of this study was to verify and to compare in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) patients, the effect of finasteride versus dutasteride therapy on chromogranin A (CgA) serum levels, as a marker of neuroendocrine (NE) differentiation. Patients and Methods: This was a prospective randomised study in which 60 consecutive men with clinical diagnosis of BPH were randomised to a 6-month period of finasteride 5 mg/day versus dutasteride 4 mg/day versus control (no therapy). Total prostate-specific antigen (PSA), testosterone and CgA were analysed at randomisation and thereafter at one, three- and six-month intervals. Results: In both Group A (finasteride) and Group B (dutasteride), but not in Group C (no therapy), a statistically significant increase (p0.05) difference between Group A and B was found. Conclusion: In this population, 5-alpha reductase inhibitors, with no difference between finasteride and dutasteride, produced a significant increase in serum CgA levels, probably related to NE activation