Basal rot of Chamelaucium uncinatum caused by Phytophthora nicotianae in Argentina

35-37Since 1995 severe losses were recorded on the production of Chamelaucium uncinatum in the vicinity of La Plata. In 2010, with the aim to confirm the identity of the causal agent of Geraldton waxplant basal rot, molecular studies were added to the morphological observations of the pathogen. P. nicotianae was identified as the causal agent of the disease

Statistical analysis of rainfall, river head and piezometric level data of central-Adriatic alluvial aquifers

The statistical and hydrogeological analysis of the relationships between rainfall, river and piezometric level historical data can be useful to characterize the aquifers and to manage the groundwater resources. For this purpose measurements acquired every three days, relative to 1986-2009 period, concerning the Pescara river alluvial plain (Fig.1), were analyzed with several statistical methods. The alluvial bodies of the Pescara river is mainly silty-sandy. The plain aquifer is supported by Plio-Pleistocenic clayey deposits. The three wells (Fig. 2) are located in the medium-low alluvial plain. Autocorrelation and spectral univariate analysis, cross-correlation and bivariate spectral analysis have been implemented with the purpose to evaluate the memory effect, the delay of the piezometric level response to rainfall and river head/discharge impulse, and the periodical components of the time series (Mangin, 1984; Larocque et al., 1998; Polemio and Dragone, 1999)

Status de la familia Pythiaceae (Reino Straminipila) en Argentina : I. El género Pythium

197-211The genus Pythium (Pythiaceae (Peronosporomycetes-ex Oomycetes), KingdomStraminipila) includes important pathogens, affecting a wide range of hosts of economic value, causing damping-off and decline of herbaceous and wooded plants due to rootlets rot. In order to acquire a more comprehensive vision of Pythium in Argentina, a review and an updated report of recent progress in this matter was carried out since the first reports in the late XIX century till October 2009. Information was taken from printed and on line primary and secondary sources such as Proceedings of national and international Scientific Meetings, Bulletins from National Institutions and Universities, periodical Journals, books and data bases. The information was analyzed and categorized, thus updating the number of species of this genus, their geographical distribution, hosts affected, and symptoms. So far 18 species have been cited affecting, 247 hosts. The greatest number of hosts is affected by P. ultimum and P. debaryanum, followed by P. irregulare and P. aphanidermatum. The diversity of Pythium species in the world suggests that perhaps a wider variety of species, still not cited, could be present in Argentina. Projects dedicated to surveying the presence and identification of Pythium spp are necessary

Efficacy of Percutaneous Transarterial Embolization in Patients with Spontaneous Abdominal Wall Hematoma and Comparison between Blind and Targeted Embolization Approaches

Background: Endovascular treatment of abdominal wall hematomas (AWHs) has been increasingly used when conservative treatments were not sufficiently effective, and it is often preferred to surgical interventions. The aim of our study was to evaluate the safety and technical and clinical success of percutaneous transarterial treatment of AWH and to evaluate the efficacy of blind embolization compared to targeted embolization. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively enrolled 43 patients (23 men and 20 females) with spontaneous AWH who underwent digital subtraction angiography (DSA) and embolization, focusing on the presence of signs of bleeding at pre-procedural CT-Angiography (CTA) and at DSA. Furthermore, we divided patients into two groups depending on blind or targeted embolization approaches. Results: The mean age of the study population was 71 \ub1 12 years. CTA revealed signs of active bleeding in 31 patients (72%). DSA showed signs of active bleeding in 34 patients (79%). In nine patients (21%), blind embolization was performed. The overall technical success rate was 100%. Clinical success was achieved in 33 patients (77%), while 10 patients (23%) rebled within 96 h, and all of them were re-treated. No major peri-procedural complication was reported. The comparison between blind and targeted embolization showed no statistically significant differences for characteristics of groups and for clinical success rates (78% and 77%, respectively, 12p = 0.71). The technical success was 100% in both groups. Conclusions: Our study confirms that transarterial embolization is a safe and effective option for the treatment of spontaneous AWHs, and it suggests that the efficacy and safety of blind embolization is comparable to non-blind

Performing an ultrasound-guided percutaneous needle kidney biopsy: An up-to-date procedural review

Ultrasound-guided percutaneous renal biopsy (PRB) has revolutionized the clinical practice of nephrology in the last decades. PRB remains an essential tool for the diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic management of several renal diseases and for the assessment of renal involvement in systemic diseases. In this study, we examine the different applications and provide a review of the current evidence on the periprocedural management of patients. PRB is recommended in patients with significant proteinuria, hematuria, acute kidney injury, unexpected worsening of renal function, and allograft dysfunction after excluding pre-and post-renal causes. A preliminary ultrasound examination is needed to assess the presence of anatomic anomalies of the kidney and to identify vessels that might be damaged by the needle during the procedure. Kidney biopsy is usually performed in the prone position on the lower pole of the left kidney, whereas in patients with obesity, the supine antero-lateral position is preferred. After preparing a sterile field and the injection of local anesthetics, an automatic spring-loaded biopsy gun is used under ultrasound guidance to obtain samples of renal parenchyma for histopathology. After the procedure, an ultrasound scan must be performed for the prompt identification of potential early bleeding complications. As 33% of complications occur after 8 h and 91% occur within 24 h, the ideal post-procedural observation time is 24 h. PRB is a safe procedure and should be considered a routine part of the clinical practice of nephrology

Phytophthora nicotianae causando podridão de raiz e caule em Dieffenbachia picta em Buenos Aires, Argentina

327-331Dieffenbachia picta is a worldwide appreciated crop due to its ornamental value. In Argentina it is cultivated in warm provinces and in the outskirts of Buenos Aires city, where in spring 2007 a great amount of plants were lost in commercial greenhouses. Symptoms such as wilting and soaked lesions in the basal leaves began in four- to six-month-old plants causing plants to wilt due to basal stem and root rot processes. A Peronosporomycete was consistently isolated from diseased tissues. The pathogen was identified as Phytophthora nicotianae based on cultural characteristics, morphology of vegetative and reproductive structures, and on the analysis of the sequence of the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. Pathogenicity tests were carried out and Koch's postulates were fulfilled. In complementary studies, the dieffenbachia varieties Alex, Compact, Camilla and Marianne were susceptible to the infection caused by P. nicotianae, whereas Tropic snow (D. amonea) was resistant. This is the first report of P. nicotianae causing stem and root rot of D. picta in Argentina and in the Americas

Wider implications of video-assisted thoracic surgery versus open approach for lung metastasectomy

Lung metastasectomy is considered a safe and potentially curative procedure despite there is not a strong evidence that metastasectomy prolongs long-term survival in patients with lung metastases. Moreover, the debate is open regarding the best approach for lung metastasectomy, video-assisted thoracic surgery versus open approach. A systematic review of literature to clarify what is the best approach to prolong survival in patients with lung metastases was performed. Our study confirms that overall survival is equivalent for video-assisted thoracic surgery and thoracotomy, therefore the ‘gold standard’ surgical treatment for lung metastases remains a point of debate. The choice of the surgical approach still depends more on the single center or surgeon practice than on strong scientific evidence. A prospective randomized trial could clarify the question

Role of computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging in local complications of acute pancreatitis

Acute pancreatitis (AP) represents a pancreas inflammation of sudden onset that can present different degrees of severity. AP is a frequent cause of acute abdomen and its complications are still a cause of death. Biliary calculosis and alcohol abuse are the most frequent cause of AP. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are not necessary for the diagnosis of AP but they are fundamental tools for the identification of the cause, degree severity and AP complications. AP severity assessment is in fact one of the most important issue in disease management. Contrast-enhanced CT is preferred in the emergency setting and is considered the gold standard in patients with AP. MRI is comparable to CT for the diagnosis of AP but requires much more time so it is not usually chosen in the emergency scenario. Complications of AP can be distinguished in localized and generalized. Among the localized complications, we can identify: acute peripancreatic fluid collections (APFC), pseudocysts, acute necrotic collections (ANC), walled off pancreatic necrosis (WOPN), venous thrombosis, pseudoaneurysms and haemorrhage. Multiple organ failure syndrome (MOFS) and sepsis are possible generalized complications of AP. In this review, we focus on CT and MRI findings in local complications of AP and when and how to perform CT and MRI. We paid also attention to recent developments in diagnostic classification of AP complications

Papillary squamous cell carcinoma of the palatine tonsil: a rare cancer of the head and neck

Le neoplasie squamose papillari delle vie aeree digestive superiori sono una rara variante del carcinoma a cellule squamose. Sono caratterizzate da una crescita esofitica papillare e hanno una prognosi generalmente favorevole. Il tumore è già stato descritto a livello delle vie aeree digestive superiori. In tale contesto, le localizzazioni più frequenti sono la laringe e lipofaringe, mentre raramente sono interessati la cavità orale e lipofaringe. Gli studi limitati unitamente allesiguo numero di casi pubblicati di carcinoma squamoso papillare a localizzazione tonsillare, ci hanno indotto a una completa analisi di questo tumore, analizzando gli aspetti clinici, istopatologici, radiologici, virologici e terapeutici, non sempre presenti in letteratura. Un case report di carcinoma squamoso papillare della tonsilla palatina è pertanto riportato. La lesione (T2N0M0), localizzata a livello della tonsilla palatina sinistra, si aggettava verso la cavità orale. HPV DNA 16 e mRNA E6/E7 erano rilevati nella lesione. Un profilo della neoplasia è pertanto presentato unitamente a una completa revisione della recente letteratura, analizzando tutti gli aspetti di interesse di tale neoplasia

Acute Colonic Diverticulitis: CT Findings, Classifications, and a Proposal of a Structured Reporting Template

Acute colonic diverticulitis (ACD) is the most common complication of diverticular disease and represents an abdominal emergency. It includes a variety of conditions, extending from localized diverticular inflammation to fecal peritonitis, hence the importance of an accurate diagnosis. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CE-CT) plays a pivotal role in the diagnosis due to its high sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and interobserver agreement. In fact, CE-CT allows alternative diagnoses to be excluded, the inflamed diverticulum to be localized, and complications to be identified. Imaging findings have been reviewed, dividing them into bowel and extra-intestinal wall findings. Moreover, CE-CT allows staging of the disease; the most used classifications of ACD severity are Hinchey’s modified and WSES classifications. Differential diagnoses include colon carcinoma, epiploic appendagitis, ischemic colitis, appendicitis, infectious enterocolitis, and inflammatory bowel disease. We propose a structured reporting template to standardize the terminology and improve communication between specialists involved in patient care