Contrast-enhanced ultrasound features of hepatocellular carcinoma in dogs

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to describe the contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) features of canine hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in relation to cellular differentiation and lesion size. METHODS: Sixty dogs with a cytological diagnosis of HCC and that underwent a CEUS examination were retrospectively selected. The wash-in and wash-out patterns of contrast enhancement, along with the time to wash-in and the time to wash-out, of each lesion were recorded. A dimensional cut-off value of 3\u2009cm was adopted for classification. RESULTS: Cellular differentiation had a significant influence on both wash-in (chi-squared=16.99; P<0.001) and wash-out (chi-squared=10.9; P=0.004) patterns of contrast enhancement. Lesion size had a lower, but still significant, influence on both wash-in (chi-squared=12.7; P=0.005) and wash-out (chi-squared=7.42; P=0.024) patterns. A homogeneous hyperenhancement in the arterial phase followed by homogeneous wash-out were suggestive of a well-differentiated HCC. The cellular differentiation of lesions with inhomogeneous hyperenhancement or hypoenhancement/no enhancement as well as an inhomogeneous wash-out or no wash-out could not be inferred. CONCLUSIONS: No significant difference in the time to wash-in and the time to wash-out in relation to cellular differentiation or lesion size was evident. CEUS has the potential to improve efficiency in the diagnosis of HCCs in dogs

Dietary exposure estimates to fifteen trace elements in an adult population of Emilia Romagna region, Northern Italy

The health effects and the exposure levels of trace elements in humans are important public health topics. Assessing their dietary intake is fundamental to evaluate the long-term risks for public health and for food safety assessment. Since a priority of food safety regulatory agencies is to ensure the protection of consumers and to assess the health risks for the general population, to estimate the actual dietary intake of trace elements for comparison with the upper and lower tolerable levels is very important. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the dietary intake of several trace elements in an Italian community, namely of antimony, barium, beryllium, boron, cobalt, lithium, molybdenum, nickel, silver, strontium, tellurium, thallium, titanium, uranium, and vanadium. To do that, in 2016-2017 we collected a total of 908 food samples available in Italian markets and groceries from two Northern Italy provinces (Modena and Reggio Emilia), and we measured their trace element content through inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry. We also administered a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire to 708 residents (300 men and 48 women) in the Emilia-Romagna Region, to assess their dietary habits and eventually to estimate their dietary intake of the aforementioned trace elements. Overall, study results showed that in our population the dietary exposure levels to selected trace elements could be considered similar to that observed in other European and non-European populations. Though we cannot rule out the possibility that the dietary exposure estimates in the present study may not be representative of the population as a whole, our results provide a good and updated assessment of trace elements far frequently evaluated in a sample of Italian adult consumers from the Emilia Romagna region. Our findings finally suggest that our population should not be at risk of adverse health effects in relation to excess or deficiency of the investigated trace elements since the estimated dietary intake generally point out exposure levels within the safe range as far as indicated by recommendations of international agencies

Intermediate hepatocellular carcinoma: current treatments and future perspectives

Current guidelines recommend transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) as the standard treatment of Barcelona-Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC)-B patients. However, the long-term survival outcomes of patients managed with this technique do not appear fully satisfactory; in addition, intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) includes a heterogeneous population of patients with varying tumour burdens, liver function and disease aetiology. Therefore, not all patients with intermediate-stage HCC may derive similar benefit from TACE, and some patients may benefit from other treatment options, which are currently approved or being explored. These include different TACE modalities, such as selective TACE or drug-eluting beads TACE and radioembolization. The introduction of sorafenib in the therapeutic armamentarium for HCC has provided a new therapeutic option for the treatment of BCLC-B patients who are unsuitable to TACE or in whom TACE resulted in unacceptable toxicity. In addition, clinical trials aimed at investigating the potential role of this molecule in the treatment of patients with intermediate-stage HCC within combination therapeutic regimens are ongoing. This narrative review will present and discuss the most recent evidence on the locoregional or medical treatment with sorafenib in patients with intermediate-stage HC

Dietary Estimated Intake of Trace Elements: Risk Assessment in an Italian Population

Dietary intake to trace elements may represent the most relevant source of exposure for the general, non-occupationally population, but some of them have been rarely evaluated. We measured content of fifteen trace elements (antimony, barium, beryllium, boron, cobalt, lithium, molybdenum, nickel, silver, strontium, tellurium, thallium, titanium, uranium, and vanadium) in 908 food and beverage samples through inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. We estimated their dietary intake using a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire collected from a population of the Emilia-Romagna Region in Northern Italy. We compared our estimates with tolerable upper intake levels reported by international agencies and we assessed the non-carcinogenic risk through calculation of total hazard quotient for each trace element according to the US-EPA approach. Overall, estimates of their dietary intake were substantially similar to those reported from other countries, and they fell below the tolerable upper intake levels provided by international agencies. The total hazard quotient for each trace element was below 1. Our findings provide updated estimates of food levels and dietary intake of trace elements far frequently evaluated in a sample of Italian adult consumers. They also suggest that any non-carcinogenic risk associated with intake of investigated trace elements may be ruled out in our population

Food contamination from the food packaging metals aluminum and tin: estimation of their dietary exposure in an Italian adult community.

2018 Scientific meeting Italian Association for the Study of Trace Elements in living Organisms – AISETOV. Ozzano Emilia, Bologna, October 12, 2018 (ISBN: 9788894309812

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound features of adrenal lesions in dogs

Background: The contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) features of adrenallesions are poorly reported in veterinary literature. Methods: Qualitative and quantitative B-mode ultrasound and CEUS features of 186 benign (adenoma) and malignant (adenocarcinoma and pheochromocytoma)adrenal lesions were evaluated. Results: Adenocarcinomas (n = 72) and pheochromocytomas (n = 32) had mixed echogenicity with B-mode, and a non-homogeneous aspect with a diffusedor peripheral enhancement pattern, hypoperfused areas, intralesional microcirculation and non-homogeneous wash-out with CEUS. Adenomas (n = 82) had mixed echogenicity, isoechogenicity or hypoechogenicity with B-mode, and a homogeneous or non-homogeneous aspect with a diffused enhancement pattern, hypoperfused areas, intralesional microcirculation and homogeneous wash-out with CEUS. With CEUS, a non-homogeneous aspect and the presence of hypoperfused areas and intralesional microcirculation can be used to distinguish between malignant (adenocarcinoma and pheochromocytoma) and benign (adenoma) adrenal lesions. Limitations: Lesions were characterised only bymeans of cytology. Conclusions: CEUS examination is a valuable tool for distinction between benign and malignant adrenal lesions and can potentially differentiatepheochromocytomas fromadenocarcinomas and adenomas.However, cytology and histology are necessary to obtain the final diagnosis

Characteristics and risk factors of isolated and quarantined children and adolescents during the first wave of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: A cross-sectional study in Modena, Northern Italy

Background and aim: In early 2020, SARS-CoV-2 was declared a pandemic by the WHO and Italy was one of the first and most severely affected country in Europe. Despite the global interest about COVID-19 pandemic, several aspects of this infection are still unclear, especially in pediatric population. This study aims to investigate the characteristics of the isolated or quarantined children and adolescents followed by the Public Health Department of the Italian province of Modena during the first wave of COVID-19. Methods: The study population included all non-adult subjects aged 0-18 years who underwent isolation or quarantine during the first wave of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic from February 24 to June 18, 2020 in Modena province, Northern Italy. Results: In Modena province, 1230 children and adolescents were isolated in case of SARS-CoV-2 infection (6.3%), or quarantined due to close contact with confirmed cases (88.7%) or travelling from a high-risk area (5.0%). Among 349 individuals who underwent swab testing, 294 (84.2%) reported close contact with an infected cohabiting relative and 158 (45.3%) were symptomatic. Among all tested subjects, 78 (22.4%) resulted positive, with a higher proportion of symptomatic subjects compared with the SARS-CoV-2-negative (78.2% vs. 35.8%). Fever was mostly present in SARS-CoV-2-positive children (48.7% vs. 12.6%). Both anosmia (58.3% vs. 41.7%) and dysgeusia (54.5% vs. 45.5%) had only slightly higher frequency in SARS-CoV-2-positive. Conclusions: These findings allow to expand the knowledge regarding characteristics of non-adult subjects isolated or quarantined during the first wave of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. (www.actabiomedica.it)