A case of primary Hodgkin's lymphoma of the parotid gland. Case report and differentian diagnosis from Kuttner's Syndrom

Abstract We report a rare case of primary Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HL) of the submandibular gland, with initially diagnosis of Kuttner’s Syndrom. A 48 years old man was referred to our hospital foe evaluation of a submandibular mass. Although the initial Fine Needle Aspiration and subsequent cytology was highly suggestive for a cronic sialadenitis with lymphoid cells. After surgical gland removal we obtained a definitive diagnosis of Hodgkin’s lymphoma in submandibular gland a seat where the most common lymphoma tipe is B

Which is the most accurate diagnostic procedure in Tamoxifen treated breast cancer patients

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of bi-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) transvaginal ultrasound (TVUS), hysterosonography (HSSG) and hysteroscopy in the detection of endometrial pathology in women treated with tamoxifen (TMX) for breast cancer. Methods: Forty-two patients, affected by breast cancer under treatment with TMX, underwent 2D-3D TVUS, HSSG and hysteroscopy completed by biopsy, after abnormal findings following a routine 2D TVUS examination. Results: 3D-TVUS was more accurate than 2D-TVUS in the detection of atrophic endometrium confirmed by biopsy and in the detection of endometrial polyps. HSSG and hysteroscopy detected atrophic endometrium and endometrial polyps significantly better than ultrasound scan. Endometrial carcinoma was detected in two cases, and in both HSSG and hysteroscopy were 100% diagnostic. Conclusion: In TMX treated breast cancer patients, HSSG and hysteroscopy provide more accurate diagnosis than 2D-3D ultrasound in the detection of treatment related endometrial lesions

Experiences with Mesh-like computations using Prediction Binary Trees

In this paper we aim at exploiting the temporal coherence among successive phases of a computation, in order to implement a load-balancing technique in mesh-like computations to be mapped on a cluster of processors. A key concept, on which the load balancing schema is built on, is the use of a Predictor component that is in charge of providing an estimation of the unbalancing between successive phases. By using this information, our method partitions the computation in balanced tasks through the Prediction Binary Tree (PBT). At each new phase, current PBT is updated by using previous phase computing time for each task as next phase's cost estimate. The PBT is designed so that it balances the load across the tasks as well as reduces {\em dependency} among processors for higher performances. Reducing dependency is obtained by using rectangular tiles of the mesh, of almost-square shape (i. e. one dimension is at most twice the other). By reducing dependency, one can reduce inter-processors communication or exploit local dependencies among tasks (such as data locality). Furthermore, we also provide two heuristics which take advantage of data-locality. Our strategy has been assessed on a significant problem, Parallel Ray Tracing. Our implementation shows a good scalability, and improves performance in both cheaper commodity cluster and high performance clusters with low latency networks. We report different measurements showing that tasks granularity is a key point for the performances of our decomposition/mapping strategy

Thermal/electrical properties and texture of carbon black pc polymer composites near the electrical percolation threshold

Polycarbonate (PC), a thermoplastic polymer with excellent properties, is used in many advanced technological applications. When PC is blended with other polymers or additives, new properties, such as electrical properties, can be available. In this study, carbon black (CB) was melt-compounded with PC to produce polymer compounds with compositions (10–16 wt.% of CB), which are close to or above the electrical percolation threshold (13.5–14 wt.% of CB). Effects due to nanofiller dispersion/aggregation in the polymer matrix, together with phase composition, glass transition temperature, morphology and textural properties, were studied by using thermal analysis methods (thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry) and scanning electron microscopy. The DC electrical properties of these materials were also investigated by means of electrical conductivity measurements and correlated with the “structure” of the CB, to better explain the behaviour of the composites close to the percolation threshold

A novel mutation in SACS gene in a family from southern Italy

A form of autosomal recessive spastic ataxia (ARSACS) has been described in the Charlevoix and Saguenay regions of Quebec. So far a frameshift and a nonsense mutation have been identified in the SACS gene. The authors report a new mutation (1859insC), leading to a frameshift with a premature termination of the gene product sacsin, in two sisters from consanguineous parents. The phenotype is similar to previously described patients with ARSACS

The path curvature of the body centre of mass during walking as an index of balance control in patients with Multiple Sclerosis

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The path curvature of the centre of mass (CM), mechanically representative of the whole body system, may provide hints to detection of fall risk during walking. Here, an example is taken from results of an ongoing controlled study. It shows the comparison between the CM path in a healthy subject and in a fully autonomous patient with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). METHODS: A representative healthy subject (woman, 26 years, 1.55 m tall) and a MS patient (woman, 34 years, 1.65 m tall, with very mild left hemiparesis) are presented. Subjects walked on a force-sensorized treadmill (1) at 0.6 m/s. Data were averaged across 6 subsequent strides. The 3D displacements of the CM were computed via double integration of the ground reaction forces (Cavagna's Method). The path curvature of the CM during one stride was computed according to the Frenet-Serret formula (2). The instantaneous efficiency of the kinetic-potential, pendulum-like energy transfer of the CM was also computed (percent recovery, R: 100%=complete recovery, i.e. fully passive CM translation) (3). RESULTS: The left and right panels refer to the control and the MS subject, respectively. In the upper set of panels the human sketches on top of the figure help identifying the stride phases (% cycle) and give a frontal and a sagittal perspectives. The first and second rows of curves from the top give the instantaneous R and the path curvature of the CM during one stride. Each step begins with the single stance of the front leg (R=right; L=left). The horizontal bars under the curves mark the double and the single stance phases (continuous and dashed lines, respectively; grey tract=left step). The lower set of panels (closed curves) gives the planar projections of the CM path during the same stride. The space-time correspondence between the 2 sets of curves is facilitated by the shared A-D labeling of peak curvatures and the shared graphic conventions (dashed line=single stance; gray tract=left step). In both steps the curvature is peaking when R suddenly drops from 100 to 0, demonstrating that the passive pendulum-like mechanism of translation is briskly substituted by a short lasting, fully muscle-driven, propulsion. The highest peaks (A and C) are coincident with the lateral redirection during single stance. Of note, the patient's CM path is characterized by a 10-fold higher C peak (single stance, paretic-to-unaffected side redirection). This may be interpreted as a feature of "escape" limp, barely perceivable by clinical observation, when seen from the perspective of the body CM on the horizontal plane (bottom curves). CONCLUSIONS: Increased curvature peaks may reveal the attempt to shorten the stance on the affected side yet, placing at risk the lateral stability of the body. REFERENCES:[1] Tesio L, Rota V, Am J Phys Med Rehabil 2008;87:515-526 [2] Tesio L et al, J Biomech 2011;44:732-740 [3] Cavagna GA, J Appl Physiol 1975;39:174-179

A new strategy against peri-implantitis: Antibacterial internal coating

The bacterial biofilm formation in the oral cavity and the microbial activity around the implant tissue represent a potential factor on the interface between bone and implant fixture that could induce an inflammatory phenomenon and generate an increased risk for mucositis and peri-implantitis. The aim of the present clinical trial was to investigate the bacterial quality of a new antibacterial coating of the internal chamber of the implant in vivo at six months. The PIXIT implant (Edierre srl, Genova Italy) is prepared by coating the implant with an alcoholic solution containing polysiloxane oligomers and chlorhexidine gluconate at 1%. A total of 15 healthy patients (60 implants) with non-contributory past medical history (nine women and six men, all non-smokers, mean age of 53 years, ranging from 45–61 years) were scheduled to receive bilateral fixed prostheses or crown restorations supported by an implant fixture. No adverse effects and no implant failure were reported at four months. All experimental sites showed a good soft tissue healing at the experimental point times and no local evidence of inflammation was observed. Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) analysis on coated and uncoated implants showed a decrease of the bacterial count in the internal part of the implant chamber. The mean of total bacteria loading (TBL) detected in each PCR reaction was lower in treated implants (81,038 units/reaction) compared to untreated implants (90,057 units/reaction) (p < 0.01). The polymeric chlorhexydine coating of the internal chamber of the implant showed the ability to control the bacterial loading at the level of the peri-implant tissue. Moreover, the investigation demonstrated that the coating is able to influence also the quality of the microbiota, in particular on the species involved in the pathogenesis of peri-implantitis that are involved with a higher risk of long-term failure of the dental implant restoration