Contrast harmonic enhanced EUS: technique and clinical outcome

The use of ultrasound contrast agents is widespread in transabdominal ultrasound bringing a relevant clinical impact. Endoscopic ultrasound is very accurate but some limitations exist. For this reason, image enhancement with ultrasound contrast agents is expected to bring significant results also to endoscopic ultrasound. Contrast enhanced endoscopic ultrasound is performed at a high technical level with a dedicated harmonic echo; for this purpose radial and linear echoendoscopes can be used with a dedicated software. This new technique detects strong echosignals from microbubbles in vessels with very slow flow, without artifacts. In clinical experiences, the finding of a hypoenhancing mass with inhomogeneous pattern is a sensitive and accurate parameter to identify patients affected from adenocarcinoma. On the other hand, the finding of a hyperenhanced mass tends to rule out adenocarcinoma and is more suggestive of neuroendocrine tumor. Contrast harmonic enhanced endoscopic ultrasound can be used to select the lesions and/or areas within the lesion to puncture with fine needle aspiration in order to maximize the diagnostic yield

Nonequilibrium readiness and precision of Gaussian quantum thermometers

The dimensionality of a thermometer is key in the design of quantum thermometry schemes. In general,the phenomenology that is typical of qubit-based quantum thermometry does not apply to infinite-dimensionalones. We analyze the dynamical and metrological features of nonequilibrium Gaussian quantum thermometers:On one hand, we highlight how quantum entanglement can enhance the readiness of composite Gaussianthermometers; on the other hand, we show that nonequilibrium conditions do not guarantee the best sensitivitiesin temperature estimation, thus suggesting the reassessment of some of the working principles underpinningquantum thermometry

Hepatic "stem" cells: State of the art

As previously showed for the classical self renewing tissues (i.e. bone marrow, gut and skin), rapidly changing concepts about tissue stem cell biology identify the liver as a maturational lineage system capable to generate mature cells (hepatocytes and cholangiocytes) from a resident stem cells compartment localized near the so called Canals of Hering. At present liver transplantation is the only available therapy for end stage liver diseases and there is an ever increasing shortage of donor livers. Thus in the last decades, HPC has becoming the object of many researchers since HPC might offer a new therapeutic approach for controlling the evolution of chronic liver diseases. The aim of the present review is to update readers with the evolving concepts about hepatic stem cells biology, their characterization and isolation methods and finally their therapeutic potential

Estrogens and the pathophysiology of the biliary tree

The scientific framework concerning estrogen effects on different tissues has expanded enormously during the last decades, when estrogen receptor (ER) subtypes were identified. Estrogens are not only essential for the female reproductive system, but they also control fundamental functions in other tissues including the cardiovascular system, bone, brain and liver. Recently, estrogens have been shown to target the biliary tree, where they modulate the proliferative and secretory activities of cholangiocytes, the epithelial cells lining bile ducts. By acting on both estrogen receptors (ER-alpha) and (ER-beta) subtypes, and by activating either genomic or non-genomic pathways, estrogens play a key role in the complex loop of growth factors and cytokines, which modulates the proliferative response of cholangiocytes to damage. Specifically, estrogens activate intracellular signalling cascades [ERK(1/2) (extracellular regulated kinases (1/2), PI3- kinase/AKT (phosphatidylinositol-3' kinase/AKT)] typical of growth factors such as insulin like growth factor (IGF1), nerve growth factor (NGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), thus potentiating their action. In addition, estrogens stimulate the secretion of different growth factors in proliferating cholangiocytes. This review specifically deals with the recent advances related to the role and mechanisms by which estrogens modulate cholangiocyte functions in normal and pathological conditions

Computer-assisted surgery for replacement of the temporomandibular joint with customized prostheses: can we validate the results?

Purpose: Replacing the temporomandibular joint poses an important challenge to maxillofacial surgeons, and for certain disorders, it represents the treatment’s gold standard. Computer-assisted surgery (comprising preoperative virtual planning, virtual intraoperative navigation and 3D printing) is a useful tool for this type of surgery. However, we do not know if and how much the final position of the prosthesis differs, in absolute values, from what was planned virtually in the preoperative phase. We propose a comparative result validation system for temporomandibular joint replacement Methods: In the present study, we propose a comparative validation system using overlapping images, between the model obtained with preoperative virtual planning and the postoperative result. Results: The mean difference for all screws of the glenoid prosthesis was 2.08 mm (range, 1.20–3.03) and for all screws of the condylar prosthesis it was 2.33 mm (range, 1.16–3.56). Mean overall difference between both prostheses in all patients was 2.21 mm (range, 1.16–3.56). Conclusions: The validation system proposed by overlapping pre- and postoperative images in temporomandibular joint replacement allowed us to establish differences in absolute values between the virtual preoperative model and the actual postoperative result expressed in millimeters.Fil: Boccalatte, Luis Alejandro. Instituto Universidad Escuela de Medicina del Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Nassif, M.G.. Instituto Universidad Escuela de Medicina del Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Figari, Marcelo Fernando. Instituto Universidad Escuela de Medicina del Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Gómez, N.L.. Instituto Universidad Escuela de Medicina del Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Argibay, M.C.. Instituto Universidad Escuela de Medicina del Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Mancino, Axel Victor Andrés. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Medicina Traslacional e Ingeniería Biomédica - Hospital Italiano. Instituto de Medicina Traslacional e Ingeniería Biomédica.- Instituto Universitario Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires. Instituto de Medicina Traslacional e Ingeniería Biomédica; ArgentinaFil: Ritacco, Lucas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Medicina Traslacional e Ingeniería Biomédica - Hospital Italiano. Instituto de Medicina Traslacional e Ingeniería Biomédica.- Instituto Universitario Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires. Instituto de Medicina Traslacional e Ingeniería Biomédica; Argentin

Macrophage polarization in tumour progression

Macrophages are a fundamental part of the innate defense mechanisms, which can promote specific immunity by inducing T cell recruitment and activation. Despite this, their presence within the tumour microenvironment has been associated with enhanced tumour progression and shown to promote cancer cell growth and spread, angiogenesis and immunosuppression. This paradoxical role of macrophages in cancer finds an explanation in their functional plasticity, that may result in the polarized expression of either pro- or anti-tumoural functions. Key players in the setting of their phenotype are the microenvironmental signals to which macrophages are exposed, which selectively tune their functions within a functional spectrum encompassing the M1 and M2 extremes. Here, we discuss recent findings suggesting that targeting tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs) polarization may represent a novel therapeutic strategy against cancer. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved