The role of cytology in patients undergoing pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC) treatment for peritoneal carcinomatosis.

Cytology of ascites or peritoneal washing is a routine part of staging of peritoneal metastases (PM). We aim to determine value of cytology in patients undergoing pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC). Single-center retrospective cohort study included consecutive patients having PIPAC for PM of different primary between January 2015 and January 2020. A total of 75 patients (median 63 years (IQR 51-70), 67 % female) underwent a total of 144 PIPAC. At PIPAC 1 59 % patients had positive and 41 % patients had negative cytology. Patients with negative and positive cytology only differed in terms of symptoms of ascites (16% vs. 39 % respectively, p=0.04), median ascites volume (100 vs. 0 mL, p=0.01) and median PCI (9 vs. 19, p<0.01). Among 20 patients who completed 3 PIPACs (per protocol), cytology changed in one from positive to negative, and in two from negative to positive. Median overall survival was 30.9 months in the per protocol group and 12.9 months in patients having <3 PIPACs (=0.519). Positive cytology under PIPAC treatment is more frequently encountered in patients with higher PCI and symptomatic ascites. Cytoversion was rarely observed and cytology status had no impact on treatment decisions in this cohort

Combining precision and power to maximize performance: a case study of the woodpecker's neck

National audienc

Contrôle et lutte contre la fraude du patient européen

Il est des chiffres qui donnent le vertige. Incontestablement, ceux concernant les pertes dues à la fraude et la corruption en matière de soins en font partie. Certaines estimations font en effet état de 56 milliards d'euros perdus annuellement en Europe, ce qui représente près de 80 millions de perte chaque jour et plus de 5% de l'ensemble des budgets nationaux consacrés à la santé (Gee et alii, 2010)

Gallbladder cancer during pregnancy treated with surgery and adjuvant gemcitabine: A case report and review of the literature.

Gallbladder cancer (GBC) represents the most common biliary tract cancer. Prognosis remains poor with 5-year overall survival rates less than 5% in advanced stages. GBCs are diagnosed more frequently in women, supposedly due to endocrine factors. A 35-year-old woman, diagnosed with a non-metastatic GBC in the 22nd week of gestation, underwent a complete surgical resection 5 weeks later. Adjuvant gemcitabine was administered without complications, temporarily discontinued in the 32nd week to allow childbirth. The patient was disease-free for more than 3 years with ongoing remission at the last visit in July 2022. During the follow-up period, the child had no developmental, cognitive, or other health issues. Malignant tumors occur in about 0.1% of pregnant women, many are treated with chemotherapy. In oncology, the need to deliver optimal treatment in these patients represents a major concern. Both surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy of locally advanced GBC can be performed safely, with certain considerations, in the second trimester of pregnancy

Systematic comparison with autoimmune liver disease identifies specific histological features of immune checkpoint inhibitor-related adverse events.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have become a mainstay of cancer treatment. Their immune-boosting quality has one major drawback, their proclivity to induce a broad array of immune-related adverse events (irAEs) affecting, among others, the liver and sharing some similarities with classic autoimmune liver diseases (AILD).We aimed to compare clinical, laboratory and histological features of patients with liver-related irAEs and AILD. We systematically compared liver irAEs with AILD, namely autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) and primary biliary cholangitis, regarding their clinical, laboratory, and histological features. Twenty-seven patients with liver irAEs (ICI group) and 14 patients with AILD were identified. We observed three distinct ICI-induced histological liver injury patterns: hepatitic (52%), cholangitic (19%), and mixed (29%). When comparing the ICI and AILD groups, centrilobular injury as well as granuloma formation were more prevalent in the former (p=0.067 and 0.002, respectively). CD4+/CD8+ T cell ratios were heterogeneous between the two groups, without statistically significant difference but with a trend toward increased CD8+ T cells among hepatitic irAEs as compared with AIH. Pattern of liver function test alteration was predictive for the type of irAEs but did not correlate with histological severity. Liver irAEs have broad clinical, laboratory and histological presentations. Histological features of irAEs and AILD are distinct, likely underpinning their different immunological mechanisms

Balancing Selection of a Frame-Shift Mutation in the MRC2 Gene Accounts for the Outbreak of the Crooked Tail Syndrome in Belgian Blue Cattle

We herein describe the positional identification of a 2-bp deletion in the open reading frame of the MRC2 receptor causing the recessive Crooked Tail Syndrome in cattle. The resulting frame-shift reveals a premature stop codon that causes nonsense-mediated decay of the mutant messenger RNA, and the virtual absence of functional Endo180 protein in affected animals. Cases exhibit skeletal anomalies thought to result from impaired extracellular matrix remodeling during ossification, and as of yet unexplained muscular symptoms. We demonstrate that carrier status is very significantly associated with desired characteristics in the general population, including enhanced muscular development, and that the resulting heterozygote advantage caused a selective sweep which explains the unexpectedly high frequency (25%) of carriers in the Belgian Blue Cattle Breed

Knock Down of Heat Shock Protein 27 (HspB1) Induces Degradation of Several Putative Client Proteins

Hsp27 belongs to the heat shock protein family and displays chaperone properties in stress conditions by holding unfolded polypeptides, hence avoiding their inclination to aggregate. Hsp27 is often referenced as an anti-cancer therapeutic target, but apart from its well-described ability to interfere with different stresses and apoptotic processes, its role in non-stressed conditions is still not well defined. In the present study we report that three polypeptides (histone deacetylase HDAC6, transcription factor STAT2 and procaspase-3) were degraded in human cancerous cells displaying genetically decreased levels of Hsp27. In addition, these proteins interacted with Hsp27 complexes of different native size. Altogether, these findings suggest that HDAC6, STAT2 and procaspase-3 are client proteins of Hsp27. Hence, in non stressed cancerous cells, the structural organization of Hsp27 appears to be a key parameter in the regulation by this chaperone of the level of specific polypeptides through client-chaperone type of interactions

Study of non-stoichiometric BaSrTiFeO3 oxide dedicated to semiconductor gas sensors

International audienceDeveloping instrumentation systems compatible with the European RoHS directive (restriction of hazardous substances) to monitor our environment is of great interest for our society. Our research therefore aims at developing innovating integrated systems of detection dedicated to the characterization of various environmental exposures. These systems, which integrate new gas sensors containing lead-free oxides, are dedicated to the detection of flammable and toxic gases. We have firstly chosen to study semiconductor gas sensors implemented with lead-free oxides in view to develop RoHS devices. Therefore thick films deposited by spin-coating and screen-printing have been chosen for their robustness, ease to realize and ease to finally obtain cost-effective sensors. As crystalline defects and ionic vacancies are of great interest for gas detection, we have decided to study a non-stoichiometric composition of the BaSrTiFeO3 sensible oxide. Nonstoichiometric BaSrTiFeO3 lead-free oxide thick films were deposited by screen-printing on polycrystalline AFO3 substrates covered by a layer of Ag-Pd acting as bottom electrode. The physical characterizations have revealed a crystalline structure mainly composed of BaTiO3 pseudo-cubic phase and Ba4Ti12O27 monoclinic phase for the powder, and a porous microstructure for the thick films. When compared to a BSTF thick film with a stoichiometric composition, a notable increase in the BSTF dielectric constant value was observed when taking into account of a similar microstructure and grain size. The loss tangent mean value varies more softly for the non-stoichiometric BaSrTiFeO3 films than for the perovskite BSTF film as tanδ decreases from 0.45 to 0.04 when the frequency increases from 100 Hz to 1 MHz. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd

Tungsten-based cost-effective gas sensors for h2 s detection

International audienceTungsten trioxide thin films were deposited on silicon substrates by non-reactive RF sputtering from a WO3 target at room temperature. The WO3 films were post-annealed at two different temperatures, 400◦ C and 500◦ C. The morphological and microstructural properties of these films were analyzed by using atomic force microscopy and X-ray diffraction. X-ray diffraction patterns only show WO3 oxide phases. The AFM images show different morphologies with smaller grains for the film annealed at 400◦ C. WO3 sensing films and W heating elements were embedded in commercial cases for the fabrication of cost-effective gas sensors. The sensitivity and dynamic response of the sensors were analyzed under various concentrations of H2 S, from 20 to 100 ppm, at SIMTRONICS SAS (3M Company, Saint Paul, MN, USA). A good sensitivity G/G0 of about 6.6 under H2 S 100 ppm was obtained with the best sensor. An interesting dynamic response was observed in particular with a short response time. Additionally, the evolution of the sensitivity was studied, and a conduction model was proposed for explaining the conduction mechanism under H2 S exposition. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Elaboration and characterization of doped barium titanate films for gas sensing

International audienceBarium titanate (BaTiO3) thick films were prepared from commercial powder to develop and optimize the filmelaboration. Then, BaTiO3was doped by strontium and iron to increase the conductivity by a double substitution on siteA and B of the perovskite structure in view to develop semiconductor gas sensors. Film inks were prepared by mixing BTand BSTF powder with an organic vehicle, using a ratio of 50:50; 60:40, respectively and deposited on aluminasubstrates. The BT and BSTF films were sintered at 1100°C for 2h. The structural and physical properties of the filmshave been studied by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanningelectron microscope (SEM). The dielectricmeasurements showed a huge increase in the a.c. conductivity for the BSTF films, by a factor of 10000 at low frequency,when the temperature ranges from 25°C to 500°C