Radiofrequency-induced thermotherapy of nasopharyngeal angiofibroma and immunohistochemical analysis of vessel proliferation: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Nasopharyngeal angiofibroma presents with symptoms of nasal obstruction and epistaxis. The treatment of choice is embolization followed by surgery.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 52-year-old man underwent surgery for nasopharyngeal angiofibroma after adjuvant radiofrequency-induced thermotherapy. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first case of angiofibroma with clinical follow-up after thermocoagulation therapy supported by quantitative, double immunohistochemistry. We found this case of angiofibroma to be of interest owing to the presentation of symptoms leading to biopsy, the pathohistological observations obtained with synchronous Ki67/cluster of differentiation 34 and Ki67/smooth muscle actin immunohistochemistry and high pericyte proliferation.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Coagulation of angiofibroma vessels followed by acquisition of a thick mantle of pericytes in a patient with a nasopharyngeal growth suggests that radiofrequency-induced thermotherapy could be a useful, palliative therapy for bleeding nasopharyngeal angiofibroma, supporting vessel maturation prior to surgical tumor removal.</p

Assessment of pain during rest and during activities in the postoperative period of cardiac surgery

OBJECTIVE: to assess the intensity and site of pain after Cardiac Surgery through sternotomy during rest and while performing five activities. METHOD: descriptive study with a prospective cohort design. A total of 48 individuals participated in the study. A Multidimensional Scale for Pain Assessment was used. RESULTS: postoperative pain from cardiac surgery was moderate during rest and decreased over time. Pain was also moderate during activities performed on the 1st and 2nd postoperative days and decreased from the 3rd postoperative day, with the exception of coughing, which diminished only on the 6th postoperative day. Coughing, turning over, deep breathing and rest are presented in decreased order of intensity. The region of the sternum was the most frequently reported site of pain. CONCLUSION: the assessment of pain in the individuals who underwent cardiac surgery during rest and during activities is extremely important to adapt management and avoid postoperative complications and delayed surgical recovery

CpG oligonucleotide activates Toll-like receptor 9 and causes lung inflammation in vivo

Background Bacterial DNA containing motifs of unmethylated CpG dinucleotides (CpG-ODN) initiate an innate immune response mediated by the pattern recognition receptor Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9). This leads in particular to the expression of proinflammatory mediators such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta). TLR9 is expressed in human and murine pulmonary tissue and induction of proinflammatory mediators has been linked to the development of acute lung injury. Therefore, the hypothesis was tested whether CpG-ODN administration induces an inflammatory response in the lung via TLR9 in vivo. Methods Wild-type (WT) and TLR9-deficient (TLR9-D) mice received CpG-ODN intraperitoneally (1668-Thioat, 1 nmol/g BW) and were observed for up to 6 hrs. Lung tissue and plasma samples were taken and various inflammatory markers were measured. Results In WT mice, CpG-ODN induced a strong activation of pulmonary NFKB as well as a significant increase in pulmonary TNF-alpha and IL-1beta mRNA/protein. In addition, cytokine serum levels were significantly elevated in WT mice. Increased pulmonary content of lung myeloperoxidase (MPO) was documented in WT mice following application of CpG-ODN. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) revealed that CpG-ODN stimulation significantly increased total cell number as well as neutrophil count in WT animals. In contrast, the CpG-ODN-induced inflammatory response was abolished in TLR9-D mice. Conclusion This study suggests that bacterial CpG-ODN causes lung inflammation via TLR9

Densidade de substratos dependendo dos métodos de análise e níveis de umidade Density of substrates depending on the analytical methods and the levels of humidity

O termo "substrato para plantas" refere-se ao meio de crescimento usado no cultivo em recipientes, freqüentemente resultante da mistura de materiais. A qualidade final depende das propriedades físicas e químicas de cada componente e da interação entre eles, as quais precisam ser caracterizadas. Apesar de obras referenciais serem unânimes em incluir a densidade volumétrica na caracterização de substratos, ocorrem dificuldades para interpretar laudos emitidos por diferentes laboratórios, porque estes utilizam métodos diferentes ou variações de um mesmo método. Além das diferenças entre os métodos, podem ocorrer outras causas de variação na obtenção dos resultados de uma mesma amostra. O presente trabalho visa demonstrar duas das causas de variação na determinação da densidade volumétrica: 1) o método de análise [método do duplo anel (CEN), método utilizado pela indústria (IND) e método da autocompactação (AUTO)] dos substratos pó de coco, areia de rio média lavada, turfa fibrosa in natura e Plantmax® Hortaliça; 2) e o nível inicial de umidade (0,62, 0,69 e 0,72g/g) em amostras de turfa fibrosa in natura. Constatou-se que os valores de densidade, determinados pelo método AUTO, representam cerca de 20% a mais do que os valores determinados pelo método IND; as relações entre os métodos AUTO e CEN, bem como CEN e IND não são uniformes, variando conforme o material; a umidade inicial da amostra também representa causa de variação nos resultados.<br>The term "substrate for plants" refers to the growth medium used in cultivation in containers, often resulting from the mixture of materials. The final quality depends on the physical and chemical attributes of each component and the interaction among them, which need to be characterized. Although the reference works are unanimous including volumetric density for substrate characterization, the interpretation of reports from different laboratories is difficult, because they use different methods or variations of the same method. In addition to the differences between methods, there might be other causes of variation in the achievement of results from a single sample. This work aims to demonstrate two of the causes of variation in the determination of density by volume: 1) the method of analysis [method of double ring (CEN), the method used by the industry (IND) and method of auto compact (AUTO) of substrate dust] of coconut, washed sand of river, peat brown in natura and Plantmax® for horticulture; 2) and the initial level of humidity (0.62, 0.69 and 0.72 g/g) in in natura samples of peat brown. The density values, determined by the AUTO, represented about 20% more than the values determined by IND; relations between the AUTO and CEN methods as well as CEN and IND were not uniform, depending on the material. Initial moisture of the sample also represents the cause of variation in the results

Understanding the Correlates Between Care-Recipient Age and Caregiver Burden, Work-Family Conflict, Job Satisfaction, and Turnover Intentions

Although the caregiver literature has explored a wide array of different variables, there is a gap in research on how demographics of the care recipient affect their caregiver. Using data from a diverse sample of 1007 unpaid caregivers, individuals were separated into four groups based on care recipient age; childcare, adultcare, eldercare, and those with care recipients from multiple age categories. Then, following previous literature, childcare was split into four groups based on the age of the youngest child cared for (0–2 years; 3–5 years; 6–12 years; and 13–17 years). Group differences were found in work-family conflict (time) and five types of caregiver burden. Specifically, time-dependence burden differed most between groups with caregivers of children (0–2 years) having the highest levels and caregivers of children (13–17) having the lowest levels. There were no differences found between groups for job satisfaction, turnover intentions, or family-work conflict. Additional differences were found when considering caregivers’ gender. This research is an exploratory step in understanding how age of care recipient relates to different outcomes for caregivers. Implications are discussed