Pathology of infantile cortical hyperostosis (Caffey's disease). Report of a case.

Late recurrence or a delayed form of Caffey's disease is an exceedingly rare condition of unknown cause. A 3 1/2-year-old boy is presented with delayed Caffey's disease showing unilateral involvement of maxilla and zygoma

Efecto de la modificación del cociente foto-termal en el periodo crítico a causa de la época de siembra sobre el rendimiento de trigo en la región semiárida pampeana

En este trabajo se evaluó el efecto del cociente foto-termal (CFT) sobre el rendimiento del cultivo y el número de granos por m2 a través de la modificación de las fechas de siembra, en quince genotipos de trigo (Titicum aestivum L.). Se establecieron tres fechas de siembra con intervalos de treinta días, desde el 24 de mayo al 31 de julio del 2007. Se analizó la variación del cociente foto-termal en el cambio de la época de siembra y la humedad del suelo y se verificó la capacidad de predicción del mismo sobre el rendimiento en grano. Para los cálculos del cociente foto-termal se utilizó la metodología propuesta por Fischer (1985). El cociente foto-termalmostró escaso valor predictivo en la región semiárida pampeana tanto para el rendimiento en grano como para el número de granos por metro cuadrado. Los coeficientes de regresión entre el CFT y el rendimiento de grano fueron mayores para el riego (R2=0,321) que para secano (R2=0,095). Lo mismo ocurrió en el número de granos por m2, donde para riego el coeficiente de regresión fue de R2=0,404 y para secano R2=0,007, siendo estas demasiado bajas

Impact of lesion delineation and intensity quantisation on the stability of texture features from lung nodules on ct: A reproducible study

Computer-assisted analysis of three-dimensional imaging data (radiomics) has received a lot of research attention as a possible means to improve the management of patients with lung cancer. Building robust predictive models for clinical decision making requires the imaging features to be stable enough to changes in the acquisition and extraction settings. Experimenting on 517 lung lesions from a cohort of 207 patients, we assessed the stability of 88 texture features from the following classes: first-order (13 features), Grey-level Co-Occurrence Matrix (24), Grey-level Difference Matrix (14), Grey-level Run-length Matrix (16), Grey-level Size Zone Matrix (16) and Neighbouring Grey-tone Difference Matrix (five). The analysis was based on a public dataset of lung nodules and open-access routines for feature extraction, which makes the study fully reproducible. Our results identified 30 features that had good or excellent stability relative to lesion delineation, 28 to intensity quantisation and 18 to both. We conclude that selecting the right set of imaging features is critical for building clinical predictive models, particularly when changes in lesion delineation and/or intensity quantisation are involved

Beyond lockdown: The potential side effects of the sars-cov-2 pandemic on public health

Lockdowns to contain the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 have disrupted routines and behaviors, which could lead to a worsening of lifestyle and an increase in the burden of non-communicable diseases. This study aimed to describe the changes in physical activity, diet, alcohol drinking, and cigarette smoking during lockdown. A self-administered online survey addressing adults living in a province in northern Italy was advertised through websites and social media. Citizens could access the survey in anonymity from 4 May until 15 June 2020. A total of 1826 adults completed the survey, with a worsening of physical activity (35.1%), diet (17.6%), alcohol drinking (12.5%), and cigarette smoking (7.7%) reported. In contrast, 33.5% reported an improvement in diet, 12.6% in alcohol drinking, 5.3% in physical activity and 4.1% in cigarette smoking. Female sex, young adult age, suspension of work activity, and symptoms of psychological distress were the factors associated with a greater likelihood of change, which was frequently for the worse. Lockdown had an impact on lifestyle, with some net beneficial effects on diet and mostly negative effects on physical activity. Public health measures should be implemented to avoid long-term negative effects of the lockdown, supporting individuals more prone to change for the worse

Nab-paclitaxel in substitution of oxaliplatin and irinotecan in folfirinox schedule as first-line therapy in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer: results of phase I dose finding of NabucCO study by GOIRC

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Genetic Diversity of PCR-Positive, Culture-Negative and Culture-Positive Mycobacterium ulcerans Isolated from Buruli Ulcer Patients in Ghana.

Culture of Mycobacterium ulcerans from Buruli ulcer patients has very low sensitivity. Thus confirmation of M. ulcerans infection is primarily based on PCR directed against IS2404. In this study we compare the genotypes obtained by variable number of tandem repeat analysis of DNA from IS2404-PCR positive cultures with that obtained from IS2404 positive, culture-negative tissue. A significantly greater genetic heterogeneity was found among culture-negative samples compared with that found in cultured strains but a single genotype is over-represented in both sample sets. This study provides evidence that both the focal location of bacteria in a lesion as well as differences in the ability to culture a particular genotype may underlie the low sensitivity of culture. Though preliminary, data from this work also suggests that mycobacteria previously associated with fish disease (M. pseudoshottsii) may be pathogenic for humans

Conservative surgery with and without radiotherapy in elderly patients with early-stage breast cancer: a prospective randomised multicentre trial.

ABSTRACT Breast conserving therapy (BCT) including postoperative irradiation of the remaining breast tissue is generally accepted as the best treatment for the majority of patients with early-stage breast cancer. The question is whether there is a necessity for irradiating all patients. Between 2001 and 2005, 749 women aged 55–75 years with infiltrating breast carcinoma were randomly assigned to breast conservative surgery, with or without radiotherapy (RT), to evaluate the incidence of in-breast recurrence (IBR). After 5 years of median follow-up, the cumulative incidence of IBR was 2.5% in the surgery-only arm and 0.7% in the surgery plus RT arm. There are no differences in terms of overall survival and distant disease-free survival. The preliminary evaluation suggests that breast irradiation after conservative surgery can be avoided without exposing these patients to an increased risk of distant-disease recurrence. Prolonged follow-up will further clarify the possible risks and late sequelae potentially induced by breast RT

Cellular Immunity Confers Transient Protection in Experimental Buruli Ulcer following BCG or Mycolactone-Negative Mycobacterium ulcerans Vaccination

BACKGROUND: Buruli ulcer (BU) is an emerging infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans that can result in extensive necrotizing cutaneous lesions due to the cytotoxic exotoxin mycolactone. There is no specific vaccine against BU but reports show some degree of cross-reactive protection conferred by M. bovis BCG immunization. Alternatively, an M. ulcerans-specific immunization could be a better preventive strategy. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In this study, we used the mouse model to characterize the histological and cytokine profiles triggered by vaccination with either BCG or mycolactone-negative M. ulcerans, followed by footpad infection with virulent M. ulcerans. We observed that BCG vaccination significantly delayed the onset of M. ulcerans growth and footpad swelling through the induction of an earlier and sustained IFN-gamma T cell response in the draining lymph node (DLN). BCG vaccination also resulted in cell-mediated immunity (CMI) in M. ulcerans-infected footpads, given the predominance of a chronic mononuclear infiltrate positive for iNOS, as well as increased and sustained levels of IFN-gamma and TNF. No significant IL-4, IL-17 or IL-10 responses were detected in the footpad or the DLN, in either infected or vaccinated mice. Despite this protective Th1 response, BCG vaccination did not avoid the later progression of M. ulcerans infection, regardless of challenge dose. Immunization with mycolactone-deficient M. ulcerans also significantly delayed the progression of footpad infection, swelling and ulceration, but ultimately M. ulcerans pathogenic mechanisms prevailed. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The delay in the emergence of pathology observed in vaccinated mice emphasizes the relevance of protective Th1 recall responses against M. ulcerans. In future studies it will be important to determine how the transient CMI induced by vaccination is compromised

Pronóstico reproductivo posterior a un embarazo ectópico según modalidad de tratamiento

Introducción: Entre un 20 - 60% de las pacientes que presentan un embarazo ectópico (EE) desarrollarán infertilidad en el futuro. Objetivo: Comparar las tasas de fertilidad posterior a un EE según tipo de tratamiento: médico con Metotrexato o quirúrgico, en un grupo de pacientes sin acceso a técnicas de fertilización asistida. Métodos: Presentamos un estudio de cohorte retrospectivo de pacientes con diagnóstico de EE tratadas en el Servicio de Ginecología del Hospital Padre Hurtado, entre enero de 2002 y diciembre de 2007. Se excluyeron pacientes con EE cervical o cornual, las de manejo expectante, y pacientes esterilizadas. El seguimiento mínimo fue de 4 años posterior al EE. Resultados: Se diagnosticaron 288 EE. Se excluyeron del estudio 69 pacientes. De los 219 casos restantes, se obtuvo seguimiento completo en 193 casos (88,1%). De los 193 casos analizados, 128 fueron pacientes sometidas a resolución quirúrgica, consistente en una salpingectomía de la tuba comprometida y 65 pacientes se trataron con Metotrexato. En 18 de éstas últimas, fracasó el tratamiento médico, requiriendo de una salpingectomía diferida. Excluyendo a estas 18 pacientes, la tasa de embarazo para el grupo de resolución quirúrgica fue de 83,6% (107 de 128 pacientes) y para el grupo de manejo médico con Metotrexato fue de 80,9% (38 de 47 pacientes), sin diferencia estadísticamente significativa entre ambos grupos (p=0,67). Conclusión: En este estudio, las tasas de embarazo para ambos grupos de manejo fueron similares, siendo mayores que las reportadas por la literatura