Portal Hypertensive Gastropathy (PHG)

Reversal of erosive gastritis in patients with portal hypertension by surgical shunts evolves the term of portal hypertensive gastropathy. In 1984, Sarfeh et al. addressed the term PHG to describe the distinctive erosive gastritis in patients with portal hypertension. Since that time, the recorded incidence of PHG in the studies has varied widely from 20 to 75% in patients with portal hypertension, with or without liver cirrhosis. As the underlying pathophysiology of the disease is unclear, not all the patients with portal hypertension developed PHG. Thus, portal hypertension cannot be the only factor for the development of PHG. Patients with PHG presented with either acute or chronic bleedings. Acute presentation is an emergency case. Anemia from chronic bleeding is a frequent presentation in PHG patients. The diagnosis is confirmed by a characteristic endoscopic appearance of PHG. Capsule endoscopy and dynamic CT are also used for the diagnosis of PHG. The goal of the treatment of PHG is reducing the portal pressure in patients with acute or chronic bleeding. Pharmacological treatment, endoscopic therapy, trans‐jugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS), and shunt surgery are different modalities for treatment of PHG. Yet, primary prophylaxis treatment is not recommended in the patients with PHG

Preclinical testing of a targeted TRAIL therapeutic for bone sarcoma

PhD ThesisBackground: TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) can induce cell death in cancer cells after binding to its TRAIL receptors [TRAILR, Death Receptor 4 (DR4) and Death Receptor 5 (DR5)] while sparing non-malignant cells. The application of TRAIL provides an approach that can potentially overcome drug resistance and toxicity associated with high doses of conventional therapies. It could be administered alone or in combination with conventional therapies and, therefore, may offer a promising new approach to bone sarcoma treatment. Enhancing the cytotoxic effect of TRAIL involves targeting a tumour associated antigen (TAA). Here, the aim was to characterise bone sarcoma cells for TRAILR expression and to assess the effectiveness, both in vitro and in vivo of a novel TRAIL construct, neural/glial antigen 2 (NG2) targeted TRAIL (ScFvNG2-Fc-scTRAIL). Methods: Bone sarcoma cell lines were characterised for TRAILR and NG2 expression on RNA and protein level. Together with non-malignant cell lines, they were exposed to the novel TRAIL therapeutic (ScFvNG2-Fc-scTRAIL) in vitro and then tested in vivo in a newly developed xenograft model of dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma. Results: Surface DR5 was expressed in all cell lines examined (very high: HT1080, MG63; moderate: SW153, U2OS, TC71). NG2 was also expressed (very high: SW1353, MG63; moderate: U2OS, HT1080). ScFvNG2-Fc-scTRAIL demonstrated enhanced cytotoxicity in DR5- and NG2-expressing cell lines (MG63>HT1080>U2OS), which increased with doxorubicin and was also found in vivo when engrafting a luciferase expressing HT1080 cell line in a dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma mouse model. Conclusion: I demonstrate that a novel targeted TRAIL therapeutic, ScFvNG2-FcscTRAIL, has a selective and significant cytotoxic effect on cell lines expressing both cell surface DR5 and NG2, and these cytotoxic effects can be enhanced further with doxorubicin. Such combinations could minimise the risk of treatment failure due to drug resistance, a common problem of single agent approaches. Furthermore, these findings provide a framework for the clinical development of ScFvNG2-Fc-scTRAIL and could potentially be used in the neoadjuvant setting, which would be a shift from the usual convention of prioritising excision of the sarcoma

A study of some factors related to community satisfaction and knowledge

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1966 G192Master of Scienc

Inflammatory fibroid polyp (Vanek's tumour), an unusual large polyp of the jejunum: a case report

We report the case of a 46-year-old man who presented with recurrent episodes of severe upper abdominal pain over a period of three months. A computerized tomography scan of his abdomen demonstrated a large non-obstructing jejunal mass. He underwent laparotomy and resection of a 13.5 cm tumour from the distal jejunum. Histopathological examination confirmed a large inflammatory fibroid polyp of the jejunum. The clinical presentation and microscopic features are discussed

Corotating light cylinders and Alfv\'en waves

Exact relativistic force free fields with cylindrical symmetry are explored. Such fields are generated in the interstellar gas via their connection to pulsar magnetospheres both inside and outside their light cylinders. The possibility of much enhanced interstellar fields wound on cylinders of Solar system dimensions is discussed but these are most likely unstable.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures, accepted by MNRA

Cowden syndrome. Managing multiple skeletal metastases of different origin: a case report

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens

The impact of stem fixation method on Vancouver Type B1 periprosthetic femoral fracture management

INTRODUCTION: Our understanding of the impact of the stem fixation method in total hip arthroplasty (THA) on the subsequent management of periprosthetic femoral fractures (PFF) is still limited. This study aimed to investigate and quantify the effect of the stem fixation method, i.e., cemented vs. uncemented THA, on the management of Vancouver Type B1 periprosthetic femoral fractures with the same plate. METHODS: Eight laboratory models of synthetic femora were divided into two groups and implanted with either a cemented or uncemented hip prosthesis. The overall stiffness and strain distribution were measured under an anatomical one-legged stance. All eight specimens underwent an osteotomy to simulate Vancouver type B1 PFF’s. Fractures were then fixed using the same extramedullary plate and screws. The same measurements and fracture movement were taken under the same loading conditions. RESULTS: Highlighted that the uncemented THA and PFF fixation constructs had a lower overall stiffness. Subsequently, the mechanical strain on the fracture plate for the uncemented construct was higher compared to the cemented constructs. CONCLUSION: PFF fixation of a Vancouver type B1 fracture using a plate may have a higher risk of failure in uncemented THAs