Recommandations françaises, anglaises et américaines pour le compte-rendu des cancers du côlon et du rectum. Synthèse en vue d'établir un consensus en Belgique

Various expert groups of pathologists around the world are discussing minimal datasets and consensus reports for the reporting of malignancy (breast, colon, prostate, ...). These datasets facilitate research and data input and will also create consistency in the reporting. Furthermore, it gives to the clinician the scientifically proven information to take decisions for the management of his patient. To agree upon a Belgian consensus for colorectal cancer reporting, this issue was discussed at the Belgian Gastrointestinal Pathology Club after revision of the literature of the recently published French, British and American guidelines. The American guidelines are the most complete but very extensive. In contrast the British minimal dataset is restricted to the absolute minimum of the current knowledge. The main concern of practising surgical pathologists in the use of an extensive list of parameters is the feasibility in the daily practice. It could be argued that large lists of datapoints run the risk of 4 G "overkill", gathering information which turns out to be useless and which could induce a negative feeling towards registration. In the present paper a synthesis of the French, British and American guidelines for reporting colorectal cancer is presented, with the aim, in a next future, to build a Belgian consensus

Urine versus brushed samples in human papillomavirus screening: study in both genders.

Contains fulltext : 52428.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)AIM: To investigate whether urine is a good medium for screening and whether there is a correlation between the amount of extracted DNA and human papillomavirus (HPV)-positivity. METHODS: In the present study, 30 first-voided urine (FVU) specimens and 20 urethroglandular swabs using cervex-brushes from male partners of HPV-positive patients, and 31 FVU specimens and 100 liquid-based cervix cytology leftovers sampled with cervix-brushes from HPV-positive women were examined for the presence of beta-globin. Oncogenic HPV were detected using type-specific PCR. RESULTS: beta-globin was found in all the brushed samples, whereas it was found in only 68.9% of the FVU specimens. HPV-PCR was positive in 60.0% of the male brushes, in 29% of the female brushes and in 0% of the male FVU specimens. DNA concentration was, respectively, 0.9998 ng/microL, 37.0598 ng/microL and 0.0207 ng/microL. CONCLUSION: Urine is not a good tool for HPV detection, probably because the low DNA concentration reflects a low amount of collected cells. beta-globin is measurable in FVU by real time quantitative PCR, but the DNA concentration is lower compared to brush sampling for both genders. beta-globin-positivity of urethral and cervical swabs is 100%, showing a higher mean concentration of DNA, leading to a higher detection rate of HPV. This is the first article linking DNA-concentration to the presence of HPV

Massive haemorrhage at resternotomy after stent implantation in ventriculo-pulmonary shunt after Norwood procedure

The ventriculo-pulmonary shunt in hypoplastic left heart syndrome has become an alternative to the arterio-pulmonary shunt. We present a patient with a severe stenosis in the ventriculo-pulmonary shunt at the proximal anastomosis, for which emergency balloon dilatation and stent implantation was performed. The location of the stent in the shunt, leaving only a thin compressed infundibular myocardium directly beneath the sternum, predisposed to massive haemorrhage at resternotomy for bidirectional Glenn procedure. 2006 Published by European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved

Cervical cytology biobanks as a resource for molecular epidemiology.

&lt;p&gt;A cervical cytology biobank (CCB) is an extension of current cytopathology laboratory practice consisting in the systematic storage of Pap smears or liquid-based cytology samples from women participating in cervical cancer screening with the explicit purpose of facilitating future scientific research and quality audit of preventive services. A CCB should use an internationally agreed uniform cytology terminology, be integrated in a national or regional screening registry, and linked to other registries (histology, cancer, and vaccination). Legal and ethical principles concerning personal integrity and data safety must be respected strictly. Biobank-based studies require approval from ethical review boards. A CCB constitutes a nearly inexhaustible resource to perform fundamental and applied biologic research. In particular, it can contribute in answering questions on the natural history of HPV infection and HPV-induced lesions and cancers, screening effectiveness, exploration of new biomarkers, and surveillance of short- and long-term effects of the introduction of HPV vaccination. To understand the limitations of CCB, more studies are needed on quality of samples in relation to sample type, storage procedures, and duration of storage.&lt;/p&gt;</p

The role of collagen cross-links in biomechanical behavior of human aortic heart valve leaflets: Relevance for tissue engineering

Tissue Engineering The Role of Collagen Cross-Links in Biomechanical Behavior of Human Aortic Heart Valve Leaflets—Relevance for Tissue Engineering -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To cite this paper: Angelique Balguid, Mirjam P. Rubbens, Anita Mol, Ruud A. Bank, Ad J.J.C. Bogers, Jorge P. van Kats, Bas A.J.M. de Mol, Frank P.T. Baaijens, Carlijn V.C. Bouten. Tissue Engineering. 2007, 13(7): 1501-1511. doi:10.1089/ten.2006.0279. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Angelique Balguid, M.Sc. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Dutch Polymer Institute, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Mirjam P. Rubbens, M.Sc. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Anita Mol, Ph.D. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Ruud A. Bank, Ph.D. Gaubius Laboratory TNO Prevention and Health, Leiden, The Netherlands. Ad J.J.C. Bogers, M.D., Ph.D. Rotterdam Heart Valve Bank, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Department of cardio-thoracic surgery, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Jorge P. van Kats, Ph.D. Rotterdam Heart Valve Bank, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Bas A.J.M. de Mol, M.D., Ph.D. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Department of Cardiopulmonary Surgery, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Frank P.T. Baaijens, Ph.D. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Carlijn V.C. Bouten, Ph.D. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands. A major challenge in tissue engineering of functional heart valves is to determine and mimic the dominant tissue structures that regulate heart valve function and in vivo survival. In native heart valves, the anisotropic matrix architecture assures sustained and adequate functioning under high-pressure conditions. Collagen, being the main load-bearing matrix component, contributes significantly to the biomechanical strength of the tissue. This study investigates the relationship between collagen content, collagen cross-links, and biomechanical behavior in human aortic heart valve leaflets and in tissue-engineered constructs. In the main loading direction (circumferential) of native valve leaflets, a significant positive linear correlation between modulus of elasticity and collagen cross-link concentration was found, whereas no correlation between modulus of elasticity and collagen content was found. Similar findings were observed in tissue-engineered constructs, where cross-link concentration was higher for dynamically strained constructs then for statically cultured controls. These findings suggest a dominant role for collagen cross-links over collagen content with respect to biomechanical tissue behavior in human heart valve leaflets. They further suggest that dynamic tissue straining in tissue engineering protocols can enhance cross-link concentration and biomechanical function

The role of collagen cross-links in biomechanical behavior of human aortic heart valve leaflets: Relevance for tissue engineering

Tissue Engineering The Role of Collagen Cross-Links in Biomechanical Behavior of Human Aortic Heart Valve Leaflets—Relevance for Tissue Engineering -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To cite this paper: Angelique Balguid, Mirjam P. Rubbens, Anita Mol, Ruud A. Bank, Ad J.J.C. Bogers, Jorge P. van Kats, Bas A.J.M. de Mol, Frank P.T. Baaijens, Carlijn V.C. Bouten. Tissue Engineering. 2007, 13(7): 1501-1511. doi:10.1089/ten.2006.0279. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Angelique Balguid, M.Sc. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Dutch Polymer Institute, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Mirjam P. Rubbens, M.Sc. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Anita Mol, Ph.D. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Ruud A. Bank, Ph.D. Gaubius Laboratory TNO Prevention and Health, Leiden, The Netherlands. Ad J.J.C. Bogers, M.D., Ph.D. Rotterdam Heart Valve Bank, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Department of cardio-thoracic surgery, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Jorge P. van Kats, Ph.D. Rotterdam Heart Valve Bank, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Bas A.J.M. de Mol, M.D., Ph.D. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Department of Cardiopulmonary Surgery, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Frank P.T. Baaijens, Ph.D. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Carlijn V.C. Bouten, Ph.D. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands. A major challenge in tissue engineering of functional heart valves is to determine and mimic the dominant tissue structures that regulate heart valve function and in vivo survival. In native heart valves, the anisotropic matrix architecture assures sustained and adequate functioning under high-pressure conditions. Collagen, being the main load-bearing matrix component, contributes significantly to the biomechanical strength of the tissue. This study investigates the relationship between collagen content, collagen cross-links, and biomechanical behavior in human aortic heart valve leaflets and in tissue-engineered constructs. In the main loading direction (circumferential) of native valve leaflets, a significant positive linear correlation between modulus of elasticity and collagen cross-link concentration was found, whereas no correlation between modulus of elasticity and collagen content was found. Similar findings were observed in tissue-engineered constructs, where cross-link concentration was higher for dynamically strained constructs then for statically cultured controls. These findings suggest a dominant role for collagen cross-links over collagen content with respect to biomechanical tissue behavior in human heart valve leaflets. They further suggest that dynamic tissue straining in tissue engineering protocols can enhance cross-link concentration and biomechanical function

European farm scale habitat descriptors for the evaluation of biodiversity

<p>Habitat descriptors are cost effective biodiversity indicators demanded by stakeholders and required for regional and global biodiversity monitoring. We mapped 195 farms of different types in twelve case study regions across Europe and tested 18 habitat descriptors for scientific validity, information content and ease of interpretation. We propose a core set consisting of (i) four descriptors to measure structural composition and configuration of farms (Habitat Richness, Habitat Diversity, Patch Size, and Linear Habitats), (ii) three descriptors addressing specific habitat types (Crop Richness, Shrub Habitats, and Tree Habitats) and (iii) one interpreted descriptor (Semi-Natural Habitats). As a set, the descriptors make it possible to evaluate the habitat status of a farm and to track changes occurring due to modified land use and/or management, including agri-environmental measures. The farm habitat maps can provide ground truth information for regional and global biodiversity monitoring.</p