An unusual presentation of pediatric gastrointestinal stromal tumor arising from stomach

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) are extremely rare in the pediatric population and, as a result, many clinicians may never encounter this diagnosis in children during their practice. Contrary to the usual clinical presentation of pediatric GIST as painless GI bleeding, we report here a case of a young girl with GIST whose main clinical presentation was a large cystic abdominal mass

Antibacterial Activity of Ulva/Nanocellulose and Ulva/Ag/Cellulose Nanocomposites and Both Blended with Fluoride against Bacteria Causing Dental Decay

One of the most prevalent chronic infectious disorders is tooth decay. Acids produced when plaque bacteria break down sugar in the mouth cause tooth decay. Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus acidophilus are the most prominent species related to dental caries. Innovative biocidal agents that integrate with a biomaterial to prevent bacterial colonization have shown remarkable promise as a result of the rapid advancement of nanoscience and nanotechnology. In this study, Ulva lactuca was used as a cellulose source and reducing agent to synthesize nanocellulose and Ulva/Ag/cellulose/nanocomposites. The characterizations of nanocellulose and Ulva/Ag/cellulose/nanocomposites were tested for FT-IR, TEM, SEM, EDS, XRD, and zeta potential. Ulva/Ag/cellulose/nanocomposites and Ulva/nanocellulose, both blended with fluoride, were tested as an antibacterial against S. mutans ATCC 25175 and L. acidophilus CH-2. The results of the SEM proved that nanocellulose is filament-shaped, and FT-IR proved that the functional groups of Ulva/nanocellulose and Ulva/Ag/cellulose/nanocomposites and cellulose are relatively similar but present some small diffusion in peaks. The TEM image demonstrated that the more piratical size distribution of Ulva/Ag/cellulose/nanocomposites ranged from 15 to 20 nm, and Ulva/nanocellulose ranged from 10 to 15 nm. Ulva/Ag/cellulose/nanocomposites have higher negativity than Ulva/nanocellulose. Ulva/Ag/cellulose/nanocomposites and Ulva/nanocellulose possess antibacterial activity against S. mutans ATCC 25175 and L. acidophilus CH-2, but Ulva/Ag/cellulose/nanocomposites are more effective, followed by that blended with fluoride. It is possible to use Ulva/Ag/cellulose/nanocomposites as an antimicrobial agent when added to toothpaste. It is promising to discover an economic and safe nanocomposite product from a natural source with an antimicrobial agent that might be used against tooth bacteria

Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) improves local control and overall survival compared to conventionally fractionated radiation for stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

<p><b>Background:</b> Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) has been adopted as the standard of care for inoperable early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with local control rates consistently >90%. However, data directly comparing the outcomes of SBRT with those of conventionally fractionated radiotherapy (CONV) is lacking.</p> <p><b>Material and methods:</b> Between 1990 and 2013, 497 patients (525 lesions) with early-stage NSCLC (T1-T2N0M0) were treated with CONV (<i>n</i> = 127) or SBRT (<i>n</i> = 398). In this retrospective analysis, five endpoints were compared, with and without adjusting for clinical and dosimetric factors. Competing risks analysis was performed to estimate and compare the cumulative incidence of local failure (LF), nodal failure (NF), distant failure (DF) and disease progression. Overall survival (OS) was estimated by the Kaplan–Meier method and compared by the Cox regression model. Propensity score (PS) matched analysis was performed based on seven patient and clinical variables: age, gender, Karnofsky performance status (KPS), histology, T stage, biologically equivalent dose (BED), and history of smoking.</p> <p><b>Results:</b> The median dose delivered for CONV was 75.6 Gy in 1.8–2.0 Gy fractions (range 60–90 Gy; median BED = 89.20 Gy) and for SBRT 48 Gy in four fractions (45–60 Gy in three to five fractions; median BED = 105.60 Gy). Median follow-up was 24.4 months, and 3-year LF rates were 34.1% with CONV and 13.6% with SBRT (<i>p</i> < .001). Three-year OS rates were 38.9 and 53.1%, respectively (<i>p</i> = .018). PS matching showed a significant improvement of OS (<i>p</i> = .0497) for SBRT. T stage was the only variable correlating with all five endpoints.</p> <p><b>Conclusion:</b> SBRT compared to CONV is associated with improved LF rates and OS. Our data supports the continued use and expansion of SBRT as the standard of care treatment for inoperable early-stage NSCLC.</p