Epithelioid Angiosarcoma of the Small Intestine After Occupational Exposure to Radiation and Polyvinyl Chloride: A case Report and Review of Literature

Angiosarcomas represent 1–2% of soft tissue sarcomas and most frequently occur in the subcutis. They may affect internal organs, such as the heart, liver, and spleen, and only rarely do they emerge in the gastrointestinal tract. The association between angiosarcomas and certain toxic chemical substances or previous external-beam radiation therapy is well documented

Adequacy and quality of abdominal echographies requested by primary care professionals

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The value of abdominal echography in primary care is great because it is innocuous, inexpensive, easy to perform and provides a great deal of information making this the first examination to be requested in cases of probable abdominal disease. <b>However, too many abdominal echographies are probably requested overcrowding the Departments of Radiodiagnosis with not always justified petitions or with repetition of tests based on little clinical criteria</b>.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p><b>The aim of the study is </b>to evaluate the adequacy and quality of abdominal echographies requested by primary care physicians in the Maresme County (North of Barcelona), develop guidelines for indicating echographies and reevaluate this adequacy after implementing these guidelines.</p> <p>We will perform a two-phase study: the first descriptive, and retrospective evaluating the adequacy and quality of petitions for abdominal echographies, and in the second phase we will evaluate the impact of recommendations for indicating abdominal echographies for PC physicians on the adequacy and quality of echography petitions thereafter.</p> <p><b>This study will be carried out in 10 primary care centres </b>in the Maresme (Barcelona).</p> <p>1067 abdominal echographies requested by primary care physicians from the above mentioned centres from January 2007 to April 2010 and referred to the Department of Radiology and the same number of applications after the intervention.</p> <p>All the petitions for abdominal echographies requested will be analysed and the clinical histories will be obtained to determine demographic variables, the reason for the visit and for the echography petition and diagnostic orientation, clinical and echographic data, evaluation of the echographies according to the quality and variables characterising the professionals requesting the echographies including: age, sex, laboral situation, length of time in work post, formation, etc.</p> <p>To achieve a consensus of the adequacy of abdominal echography, a work group including gastroenterologists, radiologists and general practitioners will be created following the nominal group. This will allow the design of guidelines for the indication of abdominal echography and posterior evaluation of their impact among physicians by diffusion and posterior reevaluation of the adequacy of the petitions.</p

Reversal of type 2 diabetes: normalisation of beta cell function in association with decreased pancreas and liver triacylglycerol

The presence of Fc-receptor-blocking factors in the sera of normal and insulin-dependent diabetic pregnant women was investigated by means of an antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity assay. Sera from normal pregnant women induced a significant depression of antibody dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity when compared with sera from normal and diabetic non-pregnant women (p less than 0.0001; p less than 0.002, respectively). The effect of sera from diabetic pregnant women, however, was not different from that observed with sera from normal and diabetic non-pregnant women. Thus, we confirm the presence of Fc-receptor-blocking factors in the sera of normal pregnant women. The higher cytotoxicity levels measured in the presence of sera from pregnant women with insulin-dependent diabetes suggests that the titres of such factors are reduced in this conditio

Is There a Place for Dietary Fiber Supplements in Weight Management?

Inadequate dietary fiber intake is common in modern diets, especially in children. Epidemiological and experimental evidence point to a significant association between a lack of fiber intake and ischemic heart disease, stroke atherosclerosis, type 2 diabetes, overweight and obesity, insulin resistance, hypertension, dyslipidemia, as well as gastrointestinal disorders such as diverticulosis, irritable bowel disease, colon cancer, and cholelithiasis. The physiological effects of fiber relate to the physical properties of volume, viscosity, and water-holding capacity that the fiber imparts to food leading to important influences over the energy density of food. Beyond these physical properties, fiber directly impacts a complex array of microbiological, biochemical, and neurohormonal effects directly through modification of the kinetics of digestion and through its metabolism into constituents such as short chain fatty acids, which are both energy substrates and important enteroendocrine ligands. Of particular interest to clinicians is the important role dietary fiber plays in glucoregulation, appetite, and satiety. Supplementation of the diet with highly functional fibers may prove to play an important role in long-term obesity management