vaccination in a patient with Behcet's disease

Case report: A 25-year-old man with Behcet's disease was admitted because of weakness of the lower limbs and difficulty in urination. He had received a rabies vaccination 2 months previous because he had been bitten by a dog.Findings: Clinical and laboratory findings supported acute transverse myelitis. A hyperintense lesion and expansion at the level of conus medullaris was detected on spinal magnetic resonance imaging.Conclusion: Although neurologic involvement is one of the main causes of mortality and morbidity in Behcet's disease, the factors that aggravate the involvement of the nervous system are still unclear. Vaccination may have been the factor that had activated autoimmune mechanisms in this case. To our knowledge, involvement of the conus medullaris in Behcet's disease after rabies vaccination has not been reported

Clinical Medicine and Clinical Trials

The author discusses the role of clinical trials in clinical medicine

Assessment of knowledge, attitude and risky practices regarding HIV/AIDS infection among secondary school students in Ekpoma, Edo State, Nigeria

This descriptive cross sectional study involving a total of 250 secondary school students of Ambrose Alli University was designed to assess the knowledge, attitude and risky practices regarding HIV infection among secondary school students in Ekpoma, Edo State, Nigeria; in comparison with findings from other locations in Nigeria. A pretested structured questionnaire with closed and open-ended questions focusing on socio-demographic characteristics; knowledge on HIV/AIDS; and attitude and risky practices was used for data collection, while descriptive statistical tools were used for data analysis. The results obtained showed indicators signifying clearly that HIV/AIDS awareness among the students, were comparatively high and there was an overwhelming support for early sex education. The results revealed also that the main risky behavior amongst the study population was unprotected sex; suggesting that active sexual relationships among young secondary school students is a phenomenon that can no longer be considered as ‘mere speculation’. Thus, concerted efforts must be made towards checking the severe ‘socio-cultural erosion’ ravaging our value and thought systems; considering its negative impact on HIV/AIDS prevention.Keywords: HIV/AIDS, Secondary students, Risky practices, Ekpom

Correlation of cardiac troponin T level, clinical parameters and myocardial ischaemia in perinatal asphyxia

Introduction: Resource limitation in developing countries may preclude access to cardiac troponin-T assay thereby necessitating reliance on clinical judgment for identification of hypoxic myocardial cellular injury.Objectives: To relate selected clinical signs with elevated serum cardiactroponin-T in asphyxiated term neonates.Methods: Asphyxia was identified by low umbilical arterial blood pH . 7.20 and low five minute Apgar score . 6 while controls were term, non.asphyxiated neonates. All babies were examined for heart rate,heart rhythm irregularities, peripheral pulse volume, respiratory rate,pallor, cyanosis, heart murmur and sensorium.Results: Thirty term, asphyxiated neonates and their matched controlswere studied. Central cyanosis, reduced pulse volume, pallor, depressedsensorium; tachycardia and tachypnea were all associated with increased odds ratios for abnormal cardiac troponin.T levels.Conclusion: Clinicians working in resource.limited health facilitiesshould have a high index of suspicion for myocardial cellular injurywhen these signs are elicited.Keywords: neonates, asphyxia, troponin-T, myocardial injur

Valeurs usuelles des hormones thyroïdiennes dans la population gabonaise : application à la typologie biochimique des hyperthyroïdies

La détermination des valeurs usuelles des hormones thyroïdiennes et de la typologie biochimique des hyperthyroïdies constituent le but du présent travail. Deux séries de recrutements ont été réalisées à cet effet : 316 sujets pour les valeurs usuelles et 95 hyperthyroïdies des deux sexes appariés pour l’âge (15 à 65 ans). Les valeurs normales des hormones thyroïdiennes rapportées sont (TSHus : 0,13-2,85 mUI/l ; T3 totale : 0,78-2,66 nmol/l ; T4 totale : 75,66-116,8 nmol/l ; FT3 : 2,10-5,84 pmol/l ; FT4 : 8,54-14,79 pmol/l). En fonction de cette norme gabonaise, la maladie de Basedow, le goitre secondaire toxique et le goitre  multihétéronodulaire toxique sont des hyperthyroïdies s’exprimant au plan biochimique par une élévation de la FT4 et de la FT3, tandis que l’adénome toxique l’est surtout à FT4. Nous soulignons l’intérêt de la détermination des normes de population pour des déductions cliniques et pathogéniques adéquates. © 2013 International Formulae Group. All rights reservedMots clés: Thyroïde, FT4, FT3, TSH, Normes

Analysis of mtDNA sequence variants in colorectal adenomatous polyps

Colorectal tumors mostly arise from sporadic adenomatous polyps. Polyps are defined as a mass of cells that protrudes into the lumen of the colon. Adenomatous polyps are benign neoplasms that, by definition display some characteristics of dysplasia. It has been shown that polyps were benign tumors which may undergo malignant transformation. Adenomatous polyps have been classified into three histologic types; tubular, tubulovillous, and villous with increasing malignant potential. The ability to differentially diagnose these colorectal adenomatous polyps is important for therapeutic intervention. To date, little efforts have been directed to identifying genetic changes involved in adenomatous polyps. This study was designed to examine the relevance of mitochondrial genome alterations in the three adenomatous polyps. Using high resolution restriction endonucleases and PCR-based sequencing, fifty-seven primary fresh frozen tissues of adenomatous polyps (37 tumors and 20 matched surrounding normal tissues) obtained from the southern regional Cooperative Human Tissue Network (CHTN) and Grady Memorial Hospital at Atlanta were screened with three mtDNA regional primer pairs that spanned 5.9 kbp. Results from our data analyses revealed the presence of forty-four variants in some of these mitochondrial genes that the primers spanned; COX I, II, III, ATP 6, 8, CYT b, ND 5, 6 and tRNAs. Based on the MITODAT database as a sequence reference, 25 of the 44 (57%) variants observed were unreported. Notably, a heteroplasmic variant C8515G/T in the MT-ATP 8 gene and a germline variant 8327delA in the tRNAlys was observed in all the tissue samples of the three adenomatous polyps in comparison to the referenced database sequence. A germline variant G9055A in the MT-ATP 6 gene had a frequency of 100% (17/17) in tubular and 57% (13/23) in villous adenomas; no corresponding variant was in tubulovillous adenomas. Furthermore, A9006G variant at MT-ATP 6 gene was observed at frequency of 57% (13/23) in villous adenomas only. Interestingly, variants A9006G and G9055A were absent in the villous tissue samples that were clinicopathological designated as "polyvillous adenomas". Our current data provide a basis for continued investigation of certain mtDNA variants as predictors of the three adenomatous polyps in a larger number of clinicopathological specimens

Macro-Climatic Distribution Limits Show Both Niche Expansion and Niche Specialization among C4 Panicoids

Grasses are ancestrally tropical understory species whose current dominance in warm open habitats is linked to the evolution of C4 photosynthesis. C4 grasses maintain high rates of photosynthesis in warm and water stressed environments, and the syndrome is considered to induce niche shifts into these habitats while adaptation to cold ones may be compromised. Global biogeographic analyses of C4 grasses have, however, concentrated on diversity patterns, while paying little attention to distributional limits. Using phylogenetic contrast analyses, we compared macro-climatic distribution limits among ~1300 grasses from the subfamily Panicoideae, which includes 4/5 of the known photosynthetic transitions in grasses. We explored whether evolution of C4 photosynthesis correlates with niche expansions, niche changes, or stasis at subfamily level and within the two tribes Paniceae and Paspaleae. We compared the climatic extremes of growing season temperatures, aridity, and mean temperatures of the coldest months. We found support for all the known biogeographic distribution patterns of C4 species, these patterns were, however, formed both by niche expansion and niche changes. The only ubiquitous response to a change in the photosynthetic pathway within Panicoideae was a niche expansion of the C4 species into regions with higher growing season temperatures, but without a withdrawal from the inherited climate niche. Other patterns varied among the tribes, as macro-climatic niche evolution in the American tribe Paspaleae differed from the pattern supported in the globally distributed tribe Paniceae and at family level.Fil: Aagesen, Lone. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. Academia Nacional de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Botánica Darwinion; ArgentinaFil: Biganzoli, Fernando. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía. Departamento de Métodos Cuantitativos y Sistemas de Información; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Bena, María Julia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. Academia Nacional de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Botánica Darwinion; ArgentinaFil: Godoy Bürki, Ana Carolina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. Academia Nacional de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Botánica Darwinion; ArgentinaFil: Reinheimer, Renata. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Zuloaga, Fernando Omar. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. Academia Nacional de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Botánica Darwinion; Argentin

Paramètres obstétricaux et néonatals associés à la concentration des lactates dans l’artère ombilicale du nouveau-né

Il s’agissait de déterminer les paramètres obstétricaux et néonatals associés au taux de lactate dans les accouchements à terme. Pour cela, les patientes enceintes, à terme, admises pour travail d’accouchement ou celles qui ont bénéficié d’une césarienne prophylactique ont été recrutées dans cette étude. A la suite d’un interrogatoire recherchant les antécédents obstétricaux et néonatals ont été recueillis. Avant la délivrance, un prélèvement de sang artériel du cordon a servi au dosage des lactates. La concentration moyenne de lactates était de 3,6±1,8 mmol/l. Elle était associée à la parité des femmes (p=0,001), à la présentation du foetus (p=0,0001), à la couleur du liquide amniotique (p=0,0001), à la voie d’accouchement (p=0,001) et au poids de naissance des enfants (p=0,001), à la hauteur utérine et au score d’apgar. Les paramètres les plus pertinents dans ces relations étaient les paramètres anthropométriques des nouveau-nés qui peuvent constituer des facteurs de risque d’asphyxie néonatale et entraîner une augmentation du taux de lactates. Les lactates constituent donc un marqueur d’asphyxie néonatale dépendant des facteurs obstétricaux et anthropométriques du nouveau-né. Il s’agit d’un paramètre supplémentaire dans la surveillance néonatale, en plus du score d’apgar.Mots clés : Lactates, asphyxie, apgar, souffrance foetale

Development of a Fiber Laser with Independently Adjustable Properties for Optical Resolution Photoacoustic Microscopy

Photoacoustic imaging is based on the detection of generated acoustic waves through thermal expansion of tissue illuminated by short laser pulses. Fiber lasers as an excitation source for photoacoustic imaging have recently been preferred for their high repetition frequencies. Here, we report a unique fiber laser developed specifically for multiwavelength photoacoustic microscopy system. The laser is custom-made for maximum flexibility in adjustment of its parameters; pulse duration (5–10 ns), pulse energy (up to 10 μJ) and repetition frequency (up to 1 MHz) independently from each other and covers a broad spectral region from 450 to 1100 nm and also can emit wavelengths of 532, 355, and 266 nm. The laser system consists of a master oscillator power amplifier, seeding two stages; supercontinuum and harmonic generation units. The laser is outstanding since the oscillator, amplifier and supercontinuum generation parts are all-fiber integrated with custom-developed electronics and software. To demonstrate the feasibility of the system, the images of several elements of standardized resolution test chart are acquired at multiple wavelengths. The lateral resolution of optical resolution photoacoustic microscopy system is determined as 2.68 μm. The developed system may pave the way for spectroscopic photoacoustic microscopy applications via widely tunable fiber laser technologies