Laparoscopic nephrectomy in crossed fused kidney ectopia with severe hydronephrosis in 2 year-old child

Introduction: There are no specific recommendations for the surgical management of crossed fused renal ectopia (CFRE), but a laparoscopy has been proposed in a limited number of children. We report the case of a complex CFRE with severe hydronephrosis in a child treated by laparoscopic nephrectomy. Case report: A 2-year-old boy was admitted for hip and abdominal pain. A CFRE was diagnosed. Laparoscopic nephrectomy was suggested. The right crossed ectopic kidney appeared fused at its upper pole to the lower pole of the left kidney. The left kidney was in total rotation postero superiorly The left ureter crossing over the ectopic dilated right pelvis deliniated the fusion line between both kidneys. The right ureter was dissected distally. The right artery and vein were dissected and the right kidney pelvis opened making the separation of the kidneys easier and so reducing the danger of damaging the lower pole of the left kidney. During the dissection an aberrant vein arising from the left iliac vein and draining from both kidneys was identified. The right vein was dissected preserving the left vein, and the nephrectomy completed. Conclusions: Laparoscopy is a recommended option to treat CFRE, offering all advantages of this approach

An equity-oriented rethink of global rankings with complex networks mapping development

Nowadays, world rankings are promoted and used by international agencies, governments and corporations to evaluate country performances in a specific domain, often providing a guideline for decision makers. Although rankings allow a direct and quantitative comparison of countries, sometimes they provide a rather oversimplified representation, in which relevant aspects related to socio-economic development are either not properly considered or still analyzed in silos. In an increasingly data-driven society, a new generation of cutting-edge technologies is breaking data silos, enabling new use of public indicators to generate value for multiple stakeholders. We propose a complex network framework based on publicly available indicators to extract important insight underlying global rankings, thus adding value and significance to knowledge provided by these rankings. This approach enables the unsupervised identification of communities of countries, establishing a more targeted, fair and meaningful criterion to detect similarities. Hence, the performance of states in global rankings can be assessed based on their development level. We believe that these evaluations can be crucial in the interpretation of global rankings, making comparison between countries more significant and useful for citizens and governments and creating ecosystems for new opportunities for development

Biological observations of the tope shark, Galeorhinus galeus , in the northern Patagonian gulfs of Argentina

During 1994–96, an experimental longline fishery for tope shark (Galeorhinus galeus) was carried out in the Nuevo Gulf of northern Patagonia and, in the summers of 2000–2001 and 2002, three boats conducted an exploratory commercial fishery for this species, accompanied by a scientific monitoring program. This paper summarizes the results of these fishing trials, and provides information on the biology of tope shark. Catches were highest from February to April, when tope shark represented 36% of the total fish caught, and elephant fish (Callorhynchus callorhynchus) and argentine hake (Merluccius hubbsi) accounted for 33% and 23%, respectively. Tope shark arriving in northern Patagonian waters during the summer are primarily mature males, immature and maturing females in their first and second non-gravid year. No gravid females were caught. These fish are part of the South-western Atlantic stock, which shows signs of over-exploitation, so we suggest that any longline fishery in Patagonia should remain on a small scale. We also recommend that an effective management plan is needed for the whole tope stock, establishing agreements on effort control and co-ordinated research between Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina.Fil: Elias, Ines. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico; ArgentinaFil: Rodriguez, A. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia "San Juan Bosco"; ArgentinaFil: Hasan, E.. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia "San Juan Bosco"; ArgentinaFil: Reyna, M. V.. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia "San Juan Bosco"; ArgentinaFil: Amoroso, Ricardo Oscar. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia "San Juan Bosco"; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico; Argentin

Canine parvovirus and pseudorabies virus coinfection as a cause of death in a wolf (Canis lupus) from southern Italy

Pseudorabies virus (PRV) or suid herpesvirus 1 (SHV-1) is the causative agent of Aujeszky's disease, a highly contagious viral infection which causes neurological fatal illness in mammals other than suids. Here we report a case of a young wolf (Canis lupus) of around 2 years found dead by a hunter in the province of Avellino, Campania Region. Necropsy showed pathological findings consistent with encephalitis and gastroenteritis. Organs were analysed by microbiological and molecular investigations following standard procedures to ascertain the possible cause of death. Real-time PCR revealed the presence of PRV in the brain and of canine parvovirus 2b in organs like intestine, liver, brain, kidney and pancreas. Death probably occurred very shortly after SHV-1 infection in an animal already weakened by parvovirosis

Topotecan-vincristine-doxorubicin in stage 4 high risk neuroblastoma patients failing to achieve a complete metastatic response to rapid COJEC : a SIOPEN study

Purpose : Metastatic response to induction therapy for high-risk neuroblastoma is a prognostic factor. In the International Society of Paediatric Oncology Europe Neuroblastoma (SIOPEN) HR-NBL-1 protocol, only patients with metastatic complete response (CR) or partial response (PR) with <= three abnormal skeletal areas on iodine 123-metaiodobenzylguanidine ([I-123] mIBG) scintigraphy and no bone marrow disease proceed to high dose therapy (HDT). In this study, topotecan-vincristine-doxorubicin (TVD) was evaluated in patients failing to achieve these criteria, with the aim of improving the metastatic response rate. Materials and Methods : Patients with metastatic high-risk neuroblastoma who had not achieved the SIOPEN criteria for HDT after induction received two courses of topotecan 1.5 mg/m(2)/day for 5 days, followed by a 48-hour infusion of vincristine, 2 mg/m(2), and doxorubicin, 45 mg/m(2). Results : Sixty-three patients were eligible and evaluable. Following two courses of TVD, four (6.4%) patients had an overall CR, while 28 (44.4%) had a PR with a combined response rate of 50.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 37.9 to 63.6). Of these, 23 patients achieved a metastatic CR or a PR with <= 3 mIBG skeletal areas and no bone marrow disease (36.5%; 95% CI, 24.7 to 49.6) and were eligible to receive HDT. Toxicity was mostly haematological, affecting 106 of the 126 courses (84.1%; 95% CI, 76.5 to 90.0), and dose reduction was necessary in six patients. Stomatitis was the second most common nonhematological toxicity, occurring in 20 patients (31.7%). Conclusion : TVD was effective in improving the response rate of high-risk neuroblastoma patients after induction with COJEC enabling them to proceed to HDT. However, the long-term benefits of TVD needs to be determined in randomized clinical trials

DNA-Driven Dynamic Assembly of MoS2 Nanosheets

Controlling the assembly of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) layers into static and dynamic superstructures can impact on their use in optoelectronics, energy, and drug delivery. Toward this goal, we present a strategy to drive the assembly of MoS2 layers via the hybridization of complementary DNA linkers. By functionalizing the MoS2 surface with thiolated DNA, MoS2 nanosheets were assembled into mulitlayered superstructures, and the complementary DNA strands were used as linkers. A disassembly process was triggered by the formation of an intramolecular i-motif structure at a cystosine-rich sequence in the DNA linker at acidic pH values. We tested the versatility of our approach by driving the disassembly of the MoS2 superstructures through a different DNA-based mechanism, namely strand displacement. This study demonstrates how DNA can be employed to drive the static and dynamic assembly of MoS2 nanosheets in aqueous solution

Ovarian Strumal Carcinoid: Case Report, Systematic Literature Review and Pooled Analysis

Background: Ovarian strumal carcinoid is a rare tumor in which thyroid (struma) and carcinoid components coexist. The disease is generally considered to be a borderline malignancy, however, cases with metastatic disease have been described. No data in the literature are available to guide diagnosis and therapy. Methods: We performed a pooled analysis and a systematic review of histopathological-confirmed strumal carcinoid cases published in the literature using the following keywords: “strumal carcinoid of the ovary”, “strumal carcinoid case report”. A case of strumal carcinoid tumor diagnosed and followed-up at the Medical Oncology Unit of Spedali Civili (Brescia, Italy) was also described and included. Results: Sixty-six eligible publications were identified, providing data from one hundred and seventeen patients, plus a case diagnosed at our institution. At presentation, among the eighty-eight patients with symptomatic disease, 37% of patients suffered from abdominal distention and 49% from pain due to a growing abdominal tumor mass, 37% from constipation (peptide YY was analyzed in only nine of them, resulting above the physiologic range). Surgery was the primary therapy in 99% of the patients. Three patients had metastatic disease at diagnosis and five patients underwent recurrence after radical surgery. Histology at disease recurrence concerned the thyroid component in two patients, the carcinoid component in two patients, both histologies in one patient. Median disease-free survival and overall survival in this series were not attained. Conclusion: Strumal carcinoid of the ovary generally presents a benign behavior and surgery is curative in most cases. However, a small group of patients with this disease can undergo disease recurrence due to both the thyroid and the neuroendocrine (carcinoid) components. A follow-up in radically operated patients is therefore needed, particularly in those with a voluminous disease at diagnosis