118 research outputs found
Imported parasitosis as a diagnostic challenge in Primary Healthcare Clinic in the non-endemic region — a case study of schistosomiasis in English Division student
Schistosomiasis is a parasitosis, most commonly caused by Schistosoma mansoni or Schistosoma haematobium, eventually by other species from the genus Schistosoma (blood flukes). This study presents a case of schistosomiasis in an African-origin student cured in the Primary Healthcare Clinic (PHC) in Lublin, Poland.
The young adult male patient from Zimbabwe, studying in Poland, presented to the PHC, due to pain in the left down quadrant of the abdomen, bloody stools, and a single episode of drooling with a blood-stained jelly-like mass, without fever. In blood tests, there was neutropenia, lymphocytosis and eosinophilia. In a colonoscopy, numerous lymphoid nodules were observed with small regions of mucosal erythema, faded vascular drawing, and delayed small contact bleeding.
The patient had an elevated level of IgE (329,5 IU/mL; N < 158) and minor abnormalities in the proteinogram. Abdominal CT showed calcification of intestinal walls, suggesting infection of flukes from the Schistosoma genus. The result of histopathological examination confirmed the presence of structures interpreted as parasite eggs in intestinal crypts, lamina propria and the lumen of mesenteric vessels.
It is of great importance, that general medicine physicians working in schistosomiasis non-endemic regions are aware and pay attention to various risks as well as provide referrals to advanced imaging and endoscopic procedures in patients with unusual health problems. Keeping in mind, that early signs and symptoms of schistosomiasis, and results of blood tests may remain unspecific in contrast to a more complex gastrointestinal diagnostic approach, a chance of early diagnosis and successful therapeutic intervention may be facilitated
The impact of metformin on the development and course of anaplastic thyroid cancer in comparison to other histologic types of thyroid cancer
Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is the rarest (1–2%) form of thyroid cancer, but also the most aggressive and associated with the worst prognosis. The survival median rate is 5–6 months, whereas only 20% of patients survive more than one year from the diagnosis, even though the usage of radiotherapy and surgical resection. The growing incidence rate of thyroid cancer and ATC determine the need for new prophylactic, diagnostic and therapeutic solutions.
Metformin was first introduced as an oral antidiabetic drug. The beneficial effect of metformin on anaplastic thyroid cancer cells was confirmed, however, the mechanism of this interaction is still unclear. The usage of metformin in thyroid cancer prevention is still under discussion — nevertheless, studies conducted on larger groups support this beneficial impact, at least in patients with insulin resistance or metabolic syndrome. Both the synergistic effect of metformin in anaplastic thyroid cancer chemotherapy and its protective effect in radiotherapy are still concerns and need additional confirmation in randomized clinical trials. This review aims to sum up the recent knowledge on metformin usage in ATC
Diagnosis and treatment of thyroid cancer in children in the multicenter analysis in Poland for PPGGL
Introduction: Differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) in
children presents different biological behavior in comparison
to adults. Authors presents preliminary results of multicenter
analysis concerning incidence, diagnostics and treatment
of DTC in children.
Material and methods: The study is a retrospective analysis
of 107 pediatric patients from 14 academic centers based
on the data from 2000 to 2005 obtained by questionnaire in
hospitals involved in the treatment of DTC in children.
Results: Papillary thyroid cancer was diagnosed in 83 children,
follicular thyroid cancer in 10 children and medullary
thyroid cancer in 14 children. Incidence of DTC in children
was estimated between 18 and 23 cases per year. The biggest
group of patients consisted of children between 11 and
15 years of age, with girls to boys ratio 3.3 : 1. Clinically DTC
in children presented most often as solitary thyroid nodule.
Cervical lymphadenopathy was observed in 42% of patients.
Intraoperative verification indicated metastatic nodes
in 50% of children. Low stage DTC predominated (T1
in 36% and T2 in 26% of children). One step surgery was performed in 65% of children with DTC, two step surgery
in 25% of patients. I131 therapy was undertaken in 80% of
children. Lung metastases were indicated in post therapeutic
studies in 14% of children with DTC. Prophylactic thyroidectomies
were performed in 79% of children in the group
of patients with MTC and RET gene mutations.
Conclusions: The necessity of introduction of unified therapeutic
standard in children with DTC in Poland is underlined.Wstęp: Zróżnicowane raki tarczycy (DTC, differentiated thyroid
carcinoma) występują u dzieci rzadko. Większość przypadków
wykrywanych jest w wieku 11-17 lat. W odróżnieniu
od dorosłych DTC u dzieci prezentują odmienne zachowanie
biologiczne. Mała liczba przypadków DTC
w poszczególnych ośrodkach oraz względnie łagodny ich
przebieg utrudniają ocenę występowania i leczenia DTC
u dzieci w Polsce, uzależniając ją od wysiłków włożonych
w uzyskanie rzetelnych danych. Autorzy przedstawiają
wstępne wyniki analizy wieloośrodkowej dotyczące występowania,
diagnostyki i leczenia DTC u dzieci.
Materiał i metody: Podjęte badania są retrospektywną analizą
obejmującą lata 2000-2005, opartą na danych z historii
chorób uzyskanych z ankiet rozesłanych do ośrodków dla
dzieci i dorosłych podejmujących leczenie DTC. Do analizy
zgłoszono 107 pacjentów z 14 ośrodków akademickich
w Polsce. Analizie poddano wiek i płeć dzieci z DTC, wielkość
i lokalizację zmian w tarczycy, sposoby rozpoznawania
DTC, rodzaje i zakres wykonywanych zabiegów operacyjnych
oraz leczenie uzupełniające izotopem J131.
Wyniki: Raka brodawkowatego stwierdzono u 83 dzieci,
pęcherzykowego u 10 dzieci, a rdzeniastego u 14 dzieci. Częstość
występowania DTC u dzieci w Polsce wahała się między
18 a 23 przypadkami rocznie. W województwach: mazowieckim
i połączonych wielkopolskim i lubuskim wykazano
w okresie 2000-2005 wyższą (24 i 25) częstość występowania
DTC, w pozostałych województwach wykazywano
od 2 do 10 przypadków DTC. Największą grupę pacjentów
stanowiły dzieci w wieku 11-15 lat, a stosunek dziewcząt do chłopców wynosił 3,3 : 1. Klinicznie DTC prezentowały
się najczęściej jako pojedyncze guzki tarczycy. Limfadenopatię
szyjną w badaniu klinicznym stwierdzono
u 42% pacjentów, a śródoperacyjnie u 50% dzieci. U większości
pacjentów dominowały niższe stopnie zaawansowania
DTC (T1 u 36% i T2 u 26% dzieci). Operacje jednoetapowe
wykonano u 65% dzieci, operacje dwuetapowe u 25%
dzieci, a profilaktyczne tyreoidektomie u 79% dzieci z grupy
pacjentów z rakiem rdzeniastym tarczycy (MTC, medullary
thyroid cancinoma) i mutacją genu Ret. Leczenie izotopowe
J131 podjęto u 80% dzieci. Przerzuty do płuc w scyntygrafii
poterapeutycznej wykazano u 14% dzieci z DTC.
Wnioski: We wnioskach podkreśla się konieczność wdrożenia
na terenie całego kraju ujednoliconego i ocenianego
na podstawie obiektywnych przesłanek sposobu postępowania
z dziećmi z DTC
Overview of JET results for optimising ITER operation
The JET 2019–2020 scientific and technological programme exploited the results of years of concerted scientific and engineering work, including the ITER-like wall (ILW: Be wall and W divertor) installed in 2010, improved diagnostic capabilities now fully available, a major neutral beam injection upgrade providing record power in 2019–2020, and tested the technical and procedural preparation for safe operation with tritium. Research along three complementary axes yielded a wealth of new results. Firstly, the JET plasma programme delivered scenarios suitable for high fusion power and alpha particle (α) physics in the coming D–T campaign (DTE2), with record sustained neutron rates, as well as plasmas for clarifying the impact of isotope mass on plasma core, edge and plasma-wall interactions, and for ITER pre-fusion power operation. The efficacy of the newly installed shattered pellet injector for mitigating disruption forces and runaway electrons was demonstrated. Secondly, research on the consequences of long-term exposure to JET-ILW plasma was completed, with emphasis on wall damage and fuel retention, and with analyses of wall materials and dust particles that will help validate assumptions and codes for design and operation of ITER and DEMO. Thirdly, the nuclear technology programme aiming to deliver maximum technological return from operations in D, T and D–T benefited from the highest D–D neutron yield in years, securing results for validating radiation transport and activation codes, and nuclear data for ITER
Overview of progress in European medium sized tokamaks towards an integrated plasma-edge/wall solution
Integrating the plasma core performance with an edge and scrape-off layer (SOL) that leads to tolerable heat and particle loads on the wall is a major challenge. The new European medium size tokamak task force (EU-MST) coordinates research on ASDEX Upgrade (AUG), MAST and TCV. This multi-machine approach within EU-MST, covering a wide parameter range, is instrumental to progress in the field, as ITER and DEMO core/pedestal and SOL parameters are not achievable simultaneously in present day devices. A two prong approach is adopted. On the one hand, scenarios with tolerable transient heat and particle loads, including active edge localised mode (ELM) control are developed. On the other hand, divertor solutions including advanced magnetic configurations are studied. Considerable progress has been made on both approaches, in particular in the fields of: ELM control with resonant magnetic perturbations (RMP), small ELM regimes, detachment onset and control, as well as filamentary scrape-off-layer transport. For example full ELM suppression has now been achieved on AUG at low collisionality with n = 2 RMP maintaining good confinement . Advances have been made with respect to detachment onset and control. Studies in advanced divertor configurations (Snowflake, Super-X and X-point target divertor) shed new light on SOL physics. Cross field filamentary transport has been characterised in a wide parameter regime on AUG, MAST and TCV progressing the theoretical and experimental understanding crucial for predicting first wall loads in ITER and DEMO. Conditions in the SOL also play a crucial role for ELM stability and access to small ELM regimes
Neutral pathways and heat flux widths in vertical- and horizontal-target EDGE2D-EIRENE simulations of JET
This paper further analyses the EDGE2D-EIRENE simulations presented by Chankin et al (2017 Nucl. Mater. Energy 12 273), of L-mode JET plasmas in vertical-vertical (VV) and Vertical-horizontal (VH) divertor configurations. As expected, the simulated outer divertor ionisation source peaks near the separatrix in VV and radially further out in VH. We identify the reflections of recycled neutrals from lower divertor tiles as the primary mechanism by which ionisation is concentrated on the outer divertor separatrix in the VV configuration. These lower tile reflection pathways (of neutrals from the outer divertor, and to an even greater extent from the inner divertor) dominate the outer divertor separatrix ionisation. In contrast, the lower-tile-reflection pathways are much weaker in the VH simulation and its outer divertor ionisation is dominated by neutrals which do not reflect from any surfaces. Interestingly, these differences in neutral pathways give rise to strong differences in the heat flux density width λq at the outer divertor entrance: λq = 3.2 mm in VH compared to λq = 11.8 mm in VV. In VH, a narrow channel exists in the near scrape-off-layer (SOL) where the convected heat flux, driven by strong Er × B flow and thermoelectric current, dominates over the conducted heat flux. The width of this channel sets λq and is determined by the radial distance between the separatrix and the ionisation peak in the outer divertor
Investigation into the formation of the scrape-off layer density shoulder in JET ITER-like wall L-mode and H-mode plasmas
The low temperature boundary layer plasma (Scrape-Off-Layer or SOL) between the hot core and the surrounding vessel determines the level of power-loading, erosion and implantation of material surfaces, and thus the viability of tokamak-based fusion as an energy source. This study explores mechanisms affecting the formation of flattened density profiles, so-called ‘density shoulders’, in the low-field side (LFS) SOL, which modify ion and neutral fluxes to surfaces – and subsequent erosion. There is evidence against local enhancement of ionization inducing shoulder formation. We find that increases in SOL parallel resistivity, Λdiv (=[L||νei Ωi ]/cs Ωe), postulated to lead to shoulder growth through changes in SOL turbulence characteristics, correlates with increases in upstream SOL shoulder amplitude, As only under a subset of conditions (D2-fuelled L-mode density scans with outer strike point on the horizontal target). Λdiv fails to correlate with As for cases of N2 seeding or during sweeping of the strike point across the horizontal target. The limited correlation of Λdiv with As was also found for H-mode discharges. Thus, while Λdiv above a threshold of ~1 may be necessary for shoulder formation and/or growth, another shoulder mechanism is required. More significantly we find that in contrast to parallel resistivity, outer divertor recycling as quantified by the total outer divertor Balmer Dα emission, I-Dα, does scale with shoulder amplitude where Λdiv does and even where Λdiv fails. Divertor recycling could lead to SOL density shoulder formation through: a) reducing the parallel to the field flow (loss) of ions out of the SOL to the divertor; and b) changes in radial electric fields which lead to ExB poloidal flows as well as potentially affecting the SOL turbulence birth characteristics. Thus changes in divertor recycling may be the sole process in bringing about SOL density shoulders or in tandem with parallel resistivity
- …