Advanced Primary Lymphoma of Oral Cavity: Report of a Case

Abstract Usually the oral manifestations of NHL are secondary to a more widespread involvement throughout the body, however, it can rarely present as a primary lesion in the oral cavity, having 0.1% - 0.2% prevalence. In this paper we report a case of highly proliferative oral non-Hodgkin lymphoma which presented with very mild symptoms, but had a sudden and significant progression in less than two weeks with involvement of all four quadrants of the oral cavity. Keywords Lymphoma; Intra Oral Swelling; Four Quadran

A Comparison of the Effect of Short Abdominal Skin-To-Skin Contact and Kangaroo Skin Contact on Initiation of Successful Breastfeeding

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Kangaroo skin contact is an important factor in breastfeeding. However, in contrast to abdominal contact, it is considered timely. Therefore, while shortening the contact time, this study aims at comparing the effects of short abdominal skin-to-skin contact and Kangaroo skin contact on successful breastfeeding. METHODS: This clinical trial study was conducted among pregnant women in maternity hospitals of Torbat Heydarieh in 2015. Sixty-eight primigravida women with term pregnancy and aged 18-40 years were selected through convenience sampling and were divided into two groups of intervention (Kangaroo skin contact) and control (abdominal skin contact). Questionnaires about demographic, fertility and medical data were completed for both groups. Infants with 8-10 Apgar and birth weight of 2500 – 4000 g were exposed to Kangaroo skin and abdominal skin contact for 5-10 minutes. After delivery, The Infant Breastfeeding Assessment Tool (IBFAT) was completed and the mean values of feeding desire, searching, latch on and sucking pattern were analyzed (IRCT: 2014090419039N1). FINDINGS: The mean feeding desire in the intervention group was 2.63±0.6 and in the control group was 2.61 ± 0.6, searching was 2.76±0.43 and 2.73±0.44, latch on was 2.76±0.43 and 2.79±0.41, sucking pattern was 2.82 ± 0.54 and 2.64 ± 0.64, and total score was 11.84 ± 5.10 and 10.79 ± 1.82, respectively, indicating no significant difference in any of the dimensions. CONCLUSION: The results of the study showed that short abdominal skin-to-skin contact and Kangaroo skin contact did not differ significantly regarding their effect on initiation of successful breastfeeding

The epidemiology of suicide behaviors among the countries of the eastern Mediterranean region of WHO: A systematic review

This systematic review aimed to help better to understand the epidemiology of suicidal behaviors among Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) countries. The PubMed, EMR medex, Scopus, PsychInfo, ISI, and IMEMR were searched with no language limitation for papers on the epidemiology of suicidal behaviors in the general population, published up to August 2013. A total of 13 articles were reviewed. The incidence (per 100.000) of committed suicide ranged from 0.55 to 5.4. The lifelong prevalence of attempted suicide, suicidal plan and thoughts were 0.72-4.2, 6.2-6.7, and 2.9-14.1, respectively. The figures for suicide are higher than those officially reported. Suicide behaviors� statistics is susceptible to underestimation presumably due to the socio-cultural, religious and legal barriers, not to mention the lack of well-organized registries and methodologically sound community-based surveys. © 2015 Tehran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

Neurofilament Light Chain as a Biomarker, and Correlation with Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Diagnosis of CNS-Related Disorders

The search for diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for neurodegenerative conditions is of high importance, since these disorders may present difficulties in differential diagnosis. Biomarkers with high sensitivity and specificity are required. Neurofilament light chain (NfL) is a unique biomarker related to axonal damage and neural cell death, which is elevated in a number of neurological disorders, and can be detected in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), as well as blood, serum, or plasma samples. Although the NfL concentration in CSF is higher than that in blood, blood measurement may be easier in practice due to its lesser invasiveness, reproducibility, and convenience. Many studies have investigated NfL in both CSF and serum/plasma as a potential biomarker of neurodegenerative disorders. Neuroimaging biomarkers can also potentially improve detection of CNS-related disorders at an early stage. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) are sensitive techniques to visualize neuroaxonal loss. Therefore, investigating the combination of NfL levels with indices extracted from MRI and DTI scans could potentially improve diagnosis of CNS-related disorders. This review summarizes the evidence for NfL being a reliable biomarker in the early detection and disease management in several CNS-related disorders. Moreover, we highlight the correlation between MRI and NfL and ask whether they can be combined. © 2019, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature

Disruption of Neuronal Autophagy by Infected Microglia Results in Neurodegeneration

There is compelling evidence to support the idea that autophagy has a protective function in neurons and its disruption results in neurodegenerative disorders. Neuronal damage is well-documented in the brains of HIV-infected individuals, and evidence of inflammation, oxidative stress, damage to synaptic and dendritic structures, and neuronal loss are present in the brains of those with HIV-associated dementia. We investigated the role of autophagy in microglia-induced neurotoxicity in primary rodent neurons, primate and human models. We demonstrate here that products of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-infected microglia inhibit neuronal autophagy, resulting in decreased neuronal survival. Quantitative analysis of autophagy vacuole numbers in rat primary neurons revealed a striking loss from the processes. Assessment of multiple biochemical markers of autophagic activity confirmed the inhibition of autophagy in neurons. Importantly, autophagy could be induced in neurons through rapamycin treatment, and such treatment conferred significant protection to neurons. Two major mediators of HIV-induced neurotoxicity, tumor necrosis factor-α and glutamate, had similar effects on reducing autophagy in neurons. The mRNA level of p62 was increased in the brain in SIV encephalitis and as well as in brains from individuals with HIV dementia, and abnormal neuronal p62 dot structures immunoreactivity was present and had a similar pattern with abnormal ubiquitinylated proteins. Taken together, these results identify that induction of deficits in autophagy is a significant mechanism for neurodegenerative processes that arise from glial, as opposed to neuronal, sources, and that the maintenance of autophagy may have a pivotal role in neuroprotection in the setting of HIV infection

HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders in sub-Saharan Africa: a pilot study in Cameroon

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The disease burden of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) - acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is highest in sub-Saharan Africa but there are few studies on the associated neurocognitive disorders in this region. The objectives of this study were to determine whether Western neuropsychological (NP) methods are appropriate for use in Cameroon, and to evaluate cognitive function in a sample of HIV-infected adults.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We used a battery of 19 NP measures in a cross-sectional study with 44 HIV+ adults and 44 demographically matched HIV- controls, to explore the validity of these NP measures in Cameroon, and evaluate the effect of viral infection on seven cognitive ability domains.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In this pilot study, the global mean z-score on the NP battery showed worse overall cognition in the HIV+ individuals. Significantly lower performance was seen in the HIV+ sample on tests of executive function, speed of information processing, working memory, and psychomotor speed. HIV+ participants with AIDS performed worse than those with less advanced HIV disease.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Similar to findings in Western cohorts, our results in Cameroon suggest that HIV infection, particularly in advanced stages, is associated with worse performance on standardized, Western neurocognitive tests. The tests used here appear to be promising for studying NeuroAIDS in sub-Saharan Africa.</p