Primary Mediastinal Synovial Sarcoma: A Rare Case Report

Background: Synovial sarcomas commonly occur in the extremities of young adults. A primary occurrence in the mediastinum is very rare with only a few reported cases in the world literature.Case Report: This paper is about a 47-year-old male who presented with retrosternal chest pain and shortness of breath on exertion. Imaging showed an anterior mediastinal mass. Pathological examination of the resected mass showed a biphasic neoplasm with a spindle cell component admixed with gland-like elements. The tumor showed positive staining with cytokeratin, epithelial membrane antigen, and vimentin confirming the diagnosis of a biphasic synovial sarcoma.Conclusions: A wide range of neoplasms, both primary and metastatic, occurs in the mediastinum, which poses considerable diagnostic difficulties. A synovial sarcoma should always be considered in the differential diagnosis, and immunohistochemistry is an important adjuvant tool in this situation. This paper highlights the importance of recognizing an unusual presentation of this aggressive neoplasm to aid appropriate clinical management

First Iranian Experience of the Minimally Invasive Nuss Procedure for Pectus Excavatum Repair: A Case Series and Literature Review

Pectus excavatum is the most common congenital deformity of the chest wall. The most frequently used techniques include Ravitch (costochondral resection) and Nuss (minimally invasive pectus repair of pectus excavatum [MIRPE]). The Nuss technique includes using temporary metallic bars without costochondral resection to correct the chest wall deformity. Modified MIRPE can be learned easily and performed safely with few complications. There are no reports of successful MIRPE in Iran, although the Ravitch technique is well known. In the present study, we report the first Iranian experience with the modified Nuss procedure in 5 patients with pectus excavatum (age range=13–48 y). All the patients suffered from low self-esteem, and one of them complained of low exercise capacity and occasional chest pain. With single-lung ventilation and sternal elevation, an introducer was entered into the right thoracic cavity and retrosternal tunneling was performed under thoracoscopic vision. The introducer was passed to the left thoracic cavity and exited on the left thoracic wall. A titanium plate bar was implanted and fixed with stabilizers. There were no cases of mortality, and all the patients were discharged in good conditions within 2 weeks. Postoperative complications consisted of 1 case of pneumothorax and 2 cases of fixed bar protrusion. The present case series indicated that a skilled thoracoscopic surgeon is able to do the Nuss procedure in Iranian patients with symmetrical pectus excavatum with few complications. However, mixed or redo cases require more expertise

Psychological and Familial Factors of Depression in Relation to Adolescent Smoking Behavior

Background: Several common factors have been identified for smoking and depression. The The present study explores the relation of psychological and familial factors with depression, by student smoking behavior. Materials and Methods: A total of 5500 middle- and high-school students were selected in Isfahan province in 2010. A self-administered questionnaire collected data on background characteristics, smoking status, depression, and risk factors. Univariate analysis multiple logistic regressions were conducted to compare between depressed and nondepressed people by adolescent smoking status. Odds ratios and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were reported. Results: Fathers lower education attainment was accompanied adolescents higher depression prevalence. Parental smoking and sibling smoking increased the depression likelihood by 1.41 (95% CI: 1.18, 1.68) and 1.43 folds (95% CI: 1.04–1.94) for never-smokers. Positive attitude toward smoking increased the probability of depression by 1.18 among never-smokers. Never-smokers lacking refusal skill had 1.23 (1.03–1.47) higher chance of depression. A higher level of self-efficacy related to lower chance of depression. Taking risky behavior, increased the depression likelihood by 1.56 (95% CI: 1.29–1.89) in never-smokers, by 1.85 (95% CI: 1.37–2.44) in experimental smokers, and by 1.14 times (95% CI: 1.01–1.72) in current smokers. Family conflict increased depression chance by 2.25 times (95% CI: 1.89–2.66) in never-smokers, by 1.95 (95% CI: 1.46–2.61) in experimental smokers, and by 2.06 times (95% CI: 1.38–3.08) in current smokers. Conclusions: Targeting self-efficacy level, risky behavior, and family conflict can drop the comorbidity of smoking and depression simultaneously. This may help public health practitioners and policymakers to develop common strategies in reducing adolescents smoking and depression comorbidity

sj-docx-1-jbm-10.1177_03936155231158661 - Supplemental material for Pleural CEA, CA-15-3, CYFRA 21-1, CA-19-9, CA-125 discriminating malignant from benign pleural effusions: Diagnostic cancer biomarkers

Supplemental material, sj-docx-1-jbm-10.1177_03936155231158661 for Pleural CEA, CA-15-3, CYFRA 21-1, CA-19-9, CA-125 discriminating malignant from benign pleural effusions: Diagnostic cancer biomarkers by Farzaneh Fazli Khalaf, Mehrnaz Asadi Gharabaghi, Maryam Balibegloo, Hamidreza Davari, Samaneh Afshar and Behnaz Jahanbin in The International Journal of Biological Markers</p

Progress of microfluidic hydrogel-based scaffolds and organ-on-chips for the cartilage tissue engineering

Cartilage degeneration is among the fundamental reasons behind disability and pain across the globe. Numerous approaches have been employed to treat cartilage diseases. Nevertheless, none have shown acceptable outcomes in the long run. In this regard, the convergence of tissue engineering and microfabrication principles can allow developing more advanced microfluidic technologies, thus offering attractive alternatives to current treatments and traditional constructs that have been used in tissue engineering applications. Herein, the current developments involving microfluidic hydrogel-based scaffolds, promising structures for cartilage regeneration, ranging from hydrogels with microfluidic channels to hydrogels prepared by the microfluidic devices, that enable therapeutic delivery of cells, drugs, and growth factors, as well as cartilage-related organ-on-chips are reviewed. Thereafter, cartilage anatomy and types of damage, and present treatment options are briefly overviewed. The various types of hydrogels are introduced, and the advantages of microfluidic hydrogel-based scaffolds and hydrogel-based microfluidic platforms over traditional hydrogels are thoroughly discussed. Furthermore, available technologies for fabricating microfluidic hydrogel-based scaffolds and microfluidic chips are presented. The preclinical and clinical applications of microfluidic hydrogel-based scaffolds in cartilage regeneration and the development of cartilage-related microfluidic chips over time are further explained. The current developments, recent key challenges, and attractive prospects that should be considered so as to develop transitional microfluidic systems in cartilage repair are also highlighted and discussed in depth. FGH gratefully acknowledges the support of the Alexander von Humboldt foundation. JMO and RLR thank the funds attributed under the project Health-UNORTE ref. NORTE-01-0145-FEDER000039