571 research outputs found
An unexpected guest: Pulmonary echinococcosis diagnosed by intraoperative frozen section examination. A case report and literature review
Echinococcosis is caused by tapeworms belonging to the Echinococcus genus. The most common site of infection is the liver although it may involve almost any organ. Symptoms of pulmonary echinococcosis vary depending on the location and structure of the cyst. While uncomplicated cysts usually appear at imaging as well-defined homogeneous lesions with fluid content and smooth walls of variable thickness, complicated lesions may have a more heterogeneous content with higher density making more difficult the distinction from malignancies or other infections. Hereby we describe the case of a 61-year-old Northern African male admitted to our tertiary center for left upper chest pain who then underwent a chest computed tomography (CT) scan which demonstrated a large hypodense lesion, with smooth and thick walls, in the upper left lobe. The following magnetic resonance confirmed the homogeneous fluid content, and the 18 F- fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/CT demonstrated a mild uptake of the walls. According to these findings, the main differential diagnoses at imaging included bronchogenic cyst, synovial sarcoma, and pulmonary hematoma although the patient denied any recent trauma. Given the large size and clinical symptoms he underwent surgery. Intra-operative frozen section, supported by imprint cytology, excluded the presence of malignancy while suggested an echinococcal laminar exocyst. The final pathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of echinococcosis (i.e., Echinococcus Granulosus protoscolex). After surgery he was treated with albendazole and at the six-month follow-up he was in good clinical conditions. Our case highlights the importance of considering rare infections, particularly in individuals from endemic areas. Frozen tissue analyses can be a diagnostic challenge and often require ancillary tools such as imprint cytology and serial sections for more sensitive and accurate diagnosis
A Complex Case of Pulmonary Silico-Tuberculosis and Review of Literature
Silicosis caused by the inhalation/deposition of free silica particles is characterized by pulmonary inflammation/fibrosis. Among the clinical disorders associated with silicosis, tuberculosis is by far the most prominent. A 66-year-old male non-smoker, originally from North Africa, reported a dry cough and significant weight loss. He was a foundry worker. He had a medical history of bladder carcinoma associated with schistosomiasis. Computed tomography (CT) and positron emission tomography (PET)/CT showed bilateral multiple hypermetabolic lung nodules, some with cavitation. The patient underwent surgical resection of the largest nodule, which was highly suspicious of lung metastasis. The histological examination revealed multiple nodular formations. Several lesions showed the characteristic features of silicotic nodules. There were also adjacent well-formed granulomas, some with central caseous necrosis. A real-time polymerase chain reaction, performed for the identification and quantification of the DNA of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, was positive. Pulmonary silico-tuberculosis is often encountered in patients with a history of silica exposure in tuberculosis-endemic areas. This case serves as a reminder to never underestimate patient occupational exposure and geographic origin. A careful histological diagnosis and molecular investigation are mandatory when approaching difficult cases, especially patients with a prior cancer history and clinical/radiological features suggestive of tumour recurrence/metastasis
Safety of sublingual-swallow immunotherapy in children aged 3 to 7 years
The minimum age to start specific immunotherapy with inhalant allergens in children has not been clearly established, and position papers discourage its use in children younger than 5 years
The YSO Population in the Vela-D Molecular Cloud
We investigate the young stellar population in the Vela Molecular Ridge,
Cloud-D (VMR-D), a star forming (SF) region observed by both Spitzer/NASA and
Herschel/ESA space telescope. The point source, band-merged, Spitzer-IRAC
catalog complemented with MIPS photometry previously obtained is used to search
for candidate young stellar objects (YSO), also including sources detected in
less than four IRAC bands. Bona fide YSO are selected by using appropriate
color-color and color-magnitude criteria aimed to exclude both Galatic and
extragalactic contaminants. The derived star formation rate and efficiency are
compared with the same quantities characterizing other SF clouds. Additional
photometric data, spanning from the near-IR to the submillimeter, are used to
evaluate both bolometric luminosity and temperature for 33 YSOs located in a
region of the cloud observed by both Spitzer and Herschel. The
luminosity-temperature diagram suggests that some of these sources are
representative of Class 0 objects with bolometric temperatures below 70 K and
luminosities of the order of the solar luminosity. Far IR observations from the
Herschel/Hi-GAL key project for a survey of the Galactic plane are also used to
obtain a band-merged photometric catalog of Herschel sources aimed to
independently search for protostars. We find 122 Herschel cores located on the
molecular cloud, 30 of which are protostellar and 92 starless. The global
protostellar luminosity function is obtained by merging the Spitzer and
Herschel protostars. Considering that 10 protostars are found in both Spitzer
and Herschel list it follows that in the investigated region we find 53
protostars and that the Spitzer selected protostars account for approximately
two-thirds of the total.Comment: 40 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
Preliminary analysis of the genetic variability of two natural beds of the Scallop Euvola ziczac (Linnaeus, 1758) in Brazil
Euvola ziczac (formerly Pecten ziczac), a simultaneous hermaphroditic scallop was heavily fished in
Brazil between 1972 and 1980. The production peaked in 1980 with 8,800 tons and was followed by the
total collapse of the resource. In order to investigate the possible loss of genetic variability of the stock
associated to overfishing and self-fertilization, the polymorphism of phosphoglucomutase (PGM) and
glucose phosphate isomerase (GPI) was analyzed by electrophoresis of the adductor muscle of scallops
from São Francisco (26° 20.583S; 48° 16.507W) and Bom Abrigo (25° 28.735S; 47° 37.621W) beds;
the southern and northern extremes of the scallop fishing ground, respectively. Animals from São
Francisco showed a strong deficiency of heterozygosity for GPI and PGM. In addition, PGM showed
*exclusive alleles for each bed. Such results coupled with other information about the species
suggested the following hypothesis: a) the stock was a metapopulation with at least two populations; b)
some reproductive isolation might be occurring which might be influenced by conditions of larval
transport and by the extremely low densities of scallops; c) presently, the stock seemed to be mostly
maintained through self-fertilization; d) São Francisco could constitute a source-area, contributing with
larvae and recruits to Bom Abrigo and other areas; e) both beds were suffering a genetic
homogenization more evident in São Francisco. Such hypothesis needed to be investigated in order to
furnish guidelines for future programs of recovery and management of the resource.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
A single liver metastasis from pleural biphasic mesothelioma
Virtually any malignancy can metastasize to the liver. Large solitary metastases are rare and can be difficult to distinguish from primary tumors. Malignant mesothelioma is often considered as a locally invasive cancer but tumor dissemination to extra-thoracic sites is possible, and the liver can be involved. Herein, we present a rare case of pleural mesothelioma with a solitary large liver metastasis diagnosed postmortem in a ninety-two-year-old man with 35 years of exposure to asbestos. Results of immunohistochemical staining of the pleural and liver tumor were similar, both positive for low-molecular weight keratins, calretinin, vimentin, and podoplanin, and negative for Claudin-4, TTF1, CEA, BerEP4, CK7, CK19, CK20, BAP1, Hep Par1, p40, and WT1. Fluorescent in-situ hybridization (FISH) for p16/CDKN2A was also performed and a homozygous deletion was detected in both tumors, supporting the diagnosis of mesothelioma. Reporting this case, we would like to point out that extra-thoracic dissemination from pleural mesothelioma, even if exceptional, can occur. In cases where differential diagnoses are challenging, the value of ancillary techniques and a practical approach to diagnostic work-up is of primary importance
Slott-Agape Project
SLOTT-AGAPE (Systematic Lensing Observation at Toppo Telescope - Andromeda
Gravitational Amplification Pixel Lensing Experiment) is a new collaboration
project among international partners from England, France, Germany, Italy and
Switzerland that intends to perform microlensing observation by using M31 as
target. The MACHOs search is made thanks to the pixel lensing technique.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, proceeding of XLIII Congresso della Societa'
Astronomica Italiana, Napoli, 4-8 Maggio, 199
The pre-ZAMS nature of Mol160/IRAS23385+6053 confirmed by Spitzer
Determining the timeline for the formation of massive YSOs requires the
identification and characterisation of all the phases that a massive forming
YSO undergoes. It is of particular interest to verify the observability of the
phase in which the object is rapidly accreting while not yet igniting the
fusion of hydrogen that marks the arrival on the ZAMS. One of the candidate
prototypical objects for this phase is Mol160/IRAS23385+6053, which previous
studies suggest it could be in a pre-Hot Core stage. We further investigate
this issue by means of Spitzer imaging and spectroscopy in the 5-70 micron
range. The dense core of Mol160/IRAS23385+6053, which up to now had only been
detected at submm and mm wavelenghts has been revealed for the first time at 24
and 70 micron by Spitzer. The complete 24 micron -3.4 mm continuum cannot be
fitted with a standard model of a Zero-Age Main-Sequence (ZAMS) star embedded
in an envelope. A simple greybody fit yields a mass of 220 solar masses. The
luminosity is slightly in excess of 3000 solar luminosities, which is a factor
of 5 less than previous estimates when only IRAS fluxes were available between
20 and 100 micron. The source is under-luminous by the same factor with respect
to UCHII regions or Hot-Cores of similar circumstellar mass, and simple models
show that this is compatible with an earlier evolutionary stage. Spectroscopy
between 5 and 40 microns revelas typical PDR/PIR conditions, where the required
UV illumination may be provided by other sources revealed at 24 microns in the
same region, and which can be plausibly modeled as moderately embedded
intermediate-mass ZAMS stars. Our results strengthen the suggestion that the
central core in Mol160/IRAS23385+6053 is a massive YSO actively accreting from
its circumstellar envelope and which did not yet begin hydrogen fusion.Comment: Accepted by A&
Characterizing the structure of diffuse emission in Hi-GAL maps
We present a study of the structure of the Galactic interstellar medium
through the Delta-variance technique, related to the power spectrum and the
fractal properties of infrared/sub-mm maps. Through this method, it is possible
to provide quantitative parameters which are useful to characterize different
morphological and physical conditions, and to better constrain the theoretical
models. In this respect, the Herschel Infrared Galactic Plane Survey carried
out at five photometric bands from 70 to 500 \mu m constitutes an unique
database for applying statistical tools to a variety of regions across the
Milky Way. In this paper, we derive a robust estimate of the power-law portion
of the power spectrum of four contiguous 2{\deg}x2{\deg} Hi-GAL tiles located
in the third Galactic quadrant (217{\deg} < l < 225{\deg}, -2{\deg} < b <
0{\deg}). The low level of confusion along the line of sight testified by CO
observations makes this region an ideal case. We find very different values of
the power spectrum slope from tile to tile but also from wavelength to
wavelength (2 < \beta < 3), with similarities between fields attributable to
components located at the same distance. Thanks to the comparison with models
of turbulence, an explanation of the determined slopes in terms of the fractal
geometry is also provided, and possible relations with the underlying physics
are investigated. In particular, an anti-correlation between ISM fractal
dimension and star formation efficiency is found for the two main distance
components observed in these fields. A possible link between the fractal
properties of the diffuse emission and the resulting clump mass function is
discussed.Comment: Accepted by Ap
What determines the density structure of molecular clouds? A case study of Orion B with <i>Herschel</i>
A key parameter to the description of all star formation processes is the density structure of the gas. In this Letter, we make use of probability distribution functions (PDFs) of Herschel column density maps of Orion B, Aquila, and Polaris, obtained with the Herschel Gould Belt survey (HGBS). We aim to understand which physical processes influence the PDF shape, and with which signatures. The PDFs of Orion B (Aquila) show a lognormal distribution for low column densities until AV ~ 3 (6), and a power-law tail for high column densities, consistent with a ρα r-2 profile for the equivalent spherical density distribution. The PDF of Orion B is broadened by external compression due to the nearby OB stellar aggregates. The PDF of a quiescent subregion of the non-star-forming Polaris cloud is nearly lognormal, indicating that supersonic turbulence governs the density distribution. But we also observe a deviation from the lognormal shape at AV > 1 for a subregion in Polaris that includes a prominent filament. We conclude that (1) the point where the PDF deviates from the lognormal form does not trace a universal AV -threshold for star formation, (2) statistical density fluctuations, intermittency, and magnetic fields can cause excess from the lognormal PDF at an early cloud formation stage, (3) core formation and/or global collapse of filaments and a non-isothermal gas distribution lead to a power-law tail, and (4) external compression broadens the column density PDF, consistent with numerical simulations
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