КЛІНІКО-ЕПІДЕМІОЛОГІЧНІ ОСОБЛИВОСТІ ПАРАЗИТАРНОЇ ІНВАЗІЇ BLASTOCYSTIS SPP.

The aim of the work is to generalize modern views on epidemiological and clinical features of parasitic invasion of Blastocystis spp. The analysis of modern ideas and data of own researches on prevalence and role of Blastocystis spp. in pathology of the gastrointestinal tract, in particular irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) was performed. The state of studying mechanisms of influence of intestinal microbiota on the pathogenesis of IBS and participation in this blastocyst invasion is covered. The issue of the prevalence of Blastocystis spp. in persons with immunodeficiency is reviewed. Based on literature data and own research, the low prevalence of Blastocystis spp. in HIV-positive patients is noted. Significant differences in the frequency of detection of different intestinal protozoa in HIV-positive patients may confirm the higher pathogenicity of Cryptosporidium spp in comparison with Blastocystis spp. Given the ambiguity of literary data on the pathogenic potential of the parasite blastocyst invasion was considered from the standpoint of the parasitic system as the biological basis of the epidemic process. The generalization of the existing of epidemiological and clinical data suggested that further evolutionary changes in biological properties of Blastocystis spp. will occur in the direction of reducing the virulence of the parasite, which will contribute to the long-term persistence of the pathogen in the host organism. Conclusion. The data obtained to date may indicate insignificant epidemiological significance of blastocyst invasion against the background of a significant prevalence of the parasite in the human population. Lack of consensus on the clinical significance of Blastocystis spp. in the formation and development of chronic pathology of the gastrointestinal tract confirms the need for in-depth study of the subtle mechanisms of interaction between the parasite and the host, taking into account the intensity of invasion, intestinal microbiota and immunological resistance of the organism.Мета роботи – узагальнити сучасні погляди на епідеміологічні та клінічні особливості паразитарної інвазії Blastocystis spp. Проведено аналіз сучасних уявлень і даних власних досліджень про поширеність і роль Blastocystis spp. у патології травного каналу, зокрема синдрому подразненого кишечнику (СПК). Висвітлюється стан вивчення механізмів впливу мікробіоти кишечнику на патогенез СПК та участі в цьому бластоцистної інвазії. Розглянуте питання про поширеність Blastocystis spр. в осіб з імунодефіцитними станами. Ґрунтуючись на даних літератури та власних досліджень, вказується на низьку поширеність Blastocystis spр. у ВІЛ-позитивних пацієнтів. Суттєві відмінності у частоті виявлення різних кишкових найпростіших у ВІЛ-позитивних пацієнтів може підтверджувати вищу патогенність Cryptosporidium spp порівняно з Blastocystis spр. Враховуючи неоднозначність літературних даних про патогенний потенціал паразита, бластноцистна інвазія була розглянута з позицій паразитарної системи як біологічної основи епідемічного процесу. Узагальнення існуючих епідеміологічних і клінічних даних дало змогу припустити, що подальші еволюційні зміни біологічних властивостей Blastocystis spр. відбуватимуться у напрямку зниження вірулентності паразита, що сприятиме тривалій персистенції збудника в організмі хазяїна. Висновок. Отримані на теперішній час дані можуть свідчити про несуттєве епідеміологічне значення бластоцистної інвазії на тлі значної поширеності паразита у людській популяції. Відсутність єдиної думки про клінічне значенні Blastocystis spр. у формуванні та розвитку хронічної патології травного каналу підтверджує необхідність поглибленого вивчення тонких механізмів взаємодії паразита і хазяїна з урахуванням інтенсивності інвазії, стану мікробіоти кишечнику та імунної резистентності організму

Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder involving the ovary as an initial manifestation: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Because the normal ovary is assumed to be devoid of lymphoid tissue, it is unusual for it to be an initial manifestation of malignant lymphoma. This case is the first report, to our knowledge, of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder involving the ovary as an initial manifestation.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>Twenty-nine weeks after a living renal transplantation, a 38-year-old Japanese female, whose ethnic origin was Asian, presented with abdominal pain and a chronic high fever. Computed tomography revealed a right ovarian tumor and liver metastases. The patient underwent oophrectomy based on the clinical diagnosis of liver metastasis from the primary ovarian tumor. The pathological diagnosis was Epstein-Barr Virus-associated post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder. While ovarian malignant lymphoma has a poor prognosis, complete remission of liver involvement in this case was achieved only with a reduction of immunosuppressants.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Clinicians should remember that malignant lymphoma could initially involve the ovary, especially if the patient is immunosuppressed after transplantation therapy.</p

ДОСВІД ВИЗНАЧЕННЯ ІНТРАТЕКАЛЬНОГО СИНТЕЗУ АНТИТІЛ У ПАЦІЄНТІВ З УРАЖЕННЯМИ ЦЕНТРАЛЬНОЇ НЕРВОВОЇ СИСТЕМИ

The aim of the work – to study the frequency of intrathecal synthesis of specific antibodies at patients with inflammatory lesions of the central nervous system.Patients and methods. In this work the data of the determination of intrathecal synthesis of specific antibodies (ITSA) in 90 patients are given who were treated at the Lev Hromashevskyi Institute of Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases. The research included quantitative definition of antibodies of the class IgG in serum (S) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to neurotropic pathogens: herpes simplex virus 1/2, cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, varicella zoster virus, rubella virus, Borrelies. Calculations of ITSA indicators were carried out according to the method of Reiber H. The condition of a hematoencephalic barrier (HEB) was estimated by means of coefficient of albumine (Qalb) taking into account age norms.Results. ITSA was established in (25.6±4.6) % of the examined patients with damages of the central nervous system. In patients with ITSA most often (in 52.2 %) simultaneously present antibodies to several neurotropic pathogens. Detection of ITSA at the examined patients didn’t depend on concentration of specific antibodies in S and CSF and wasn’t followed by malfunction of HEB. The incidence of HEB dysfunction at patients with ITSA and without ITSA appeared with an identical frequency (13,0 % and 13,6 % respectively).Мета роботи. Вивчити частоту інтратекального синтезу специфічних антитіл у пацієнтів зі запальними ураженнями центральної нервової системи.Пацієнти і методи. В роботі наведені дані визначення інтратекального синтезу специфічних антитіл (ІТСА) у 90 пацієнтів, які проходили лікування в клініці ДУ «Інститут епідеміології та інфекційних хвороб ім. Л.В. Громашевського». Дослідження включало кількісне визначення антитіл класу Ig G в сироватці крові (СК) та спинномозковій рідині (СМР) до нейротропних збудників: вірусу простого герпесу 1/2 типу, цитомегаловірусу, вірусу Епштейна-Барр, вірусу оперізувального лишаю, вірусу кору, вірусу краснухи, бореліям. Розрахунки показників ІТСА проведені за методикою Reiber H. Стан гематоенцефалічного бар’єру (ГЕБ) оцінювали за допомогою коефіцієнту альбуміну (Qalb) з урахуванням вікових норм.Результати. ІТСА встановлений у (25,6±4,6) % обстежених пацієнтів з ураженнями ЦНС. У пацієнтів з ІТСА найчастіше (у 52,2 %) одночасно були присутні антитіла до декількох нейротропних збудників. Виявлення ІТСА в обстежених пацієнтів не залежало від концентрації специфічних антитіл у СК і СМР і не супроводжувалося порушенням функції ГЕБ. Випадки дисфункції ГЕБ у пацієнтів з ІТСА та без ІТСА виявлялися з однаковою частотою (13,0 та 13,6 % відповідно)

Measurement of the cross-section and charge asymmetry of WW bosons produced in proton-proton collisions at s=8\sqrt{s}=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This paper presents measurements of the $W^+ \rightarrow \mu^+\nu$ and $W^- \rightarrow \mu^-\nu$ cross-sections and the associated charge asymmetry as a function of the absolute pseudorapidity of the decay muon. The data were collected in proton--proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV with the ATLAS experiment at the LHC and correspond to a total integrated luminosity of 20.2~\mbox{fb^{-1}}. The precision of the cross-section measurements varies between 0.8% to 1.5% as a function of the pseudorapidity, excluding the 1.9% uncertainty on the integrated luminosity. The charge asymmetry is measured with an uncertainty between 0.002 and 0.003. The results are compared with predictions based on next-to-next-to-leading-order calculations with various parton distribution functions and have the sensitivity to discriminate between them.Comment: 38 pages in total, author list starting page 22, 5 figures, 4 tables, submitted to EPJC. All figures including auxiliary figures are available at https://atlas.web.cern.ch/Atlas/GROUPS/PHYSICS/PAPERS/STDM-2017-13

Search for chargino-neutralino production with mass splittings near the electroweak scale in three-lepton final states in √s=13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for supersymmetry through the pair production of electroweakinos with mass splittings near the electroweak scale and decaying via on-shell W and Z bosons is presented for a three-lepton final state. The analyzed proton-proton collision data taken at a center-of-mass energy of √s=13  TeV were collected between 2015 and 2018 by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139  fb−1. A search, emulating the recursive jigsaw reconstruction technique with easily reproducible laboratory-frame variables, is performed. The two excesses observed in the 2015–2016 data recursive jigsaw analysis in the low-mass three-lepton phase space are reproduced. Results with the full data set are in agreement with the Standard Model expectations. They are interpreted to set exclusion limits at the 95% confidence level on simplified models of chargino-neutralino pair production for masses up to 345 GeV

Electronic patient self-assessment and management (SAM): a novel framework for cancer survivorship

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>We propose a novel framework for management of cancer survivorship: electronic patient Self-Assessment and Management (SAM). SAM is a framework for transfer of information to and from patients in such a way as to increase both the patient's and the health care provider's understanding of the patient's progress, and to help ensure that patient care follows best practice.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Patients who participate in the SAM system are contacted by email at regular intervals and asked to complete validated questionnaires online. Patient responses on these questionnaires are then analyzed in order to provide patients with real-time, online information about their progress and to provide them with tailored and standardized medical advice. Patient-level data from the questionnaires are ported in real time to the patient's health care provider to be uploaded to clinic notes. An initial version of SAM has been developed at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) for aiding the clinical management of patients after surgery for prostate cancer.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Pilot testing at MSKCC and UCSF suggests that implementation of SAM systems are feasible, with no major problems with compliance (> 70% response rate) or security.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>SAM is a conceptually simple framework for passing information to and from patients in such a way as to increase both the patient's and the health care provider's understanding of the patient's progress, and to help ensure that patient care follows best practice.</p

Search for new phenomena in final states with an energetic jet and large missing transverse momentum in pp collisions at √ s = 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

Results of a search for new phenomena in final states with an energetic jet and large missing transverse momentum are reported. The search uses 20.3 fb−1 of √ s = 8 TeV data collected in 2012 with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Events are required to have at least one jet with pT > 120 GeV and no leptons. Nine signal regions are considered with increasing missing transverse momentum requirements between Emiss T > 150 GeV and Emiss T > 700 GeV. Good agreement is observed between the number of events in data and Standard Model expectations. The results are translated into exclusion limits on models with either large extra spatial dimensions, pair production of weakly interacting dark matter candidates, or production of very light gravitinos in a gauge-mediated supersymmetric model. In addition, limits on the production of an invisibly decaying Higgs-like boson leading to similar topologies in the final state are presente

Cancer Treatment and Bone Health

Considerable advances in oncology over recent decades have led to improved survival, while raising concerns about long-term consequences of anticancer treatments. In patients with breast or prostate malignancies, bone health is a major issue due to the high risk of bone metastases and the frequent prolonged use of hormone therapies that alter physiological bone turnover, leading to increased fracture risk. Thus, the onset of cancer treatment-induced bone loss (CTIBL) should be considered by clinicians and recent guidelines should be routinely applied to these patients. In particular, baseline and periodic follow-up evaluations of bone health parameters enable the identification of patients at high risk of osteoporosis and fractures, which can be prevented by the use of bone-targeting agents (BTAs), calcium and vitamin D supplementation and modifications of lifestyle. This review will focus upon the pathophysiology of breast and prostate cancer treatment-induced bone loss and the most recent evidence about effective preventive and therapeutic strategies

Molecular pathway profiling of T lymphocyte signal transduction pathways; Th1 and Th2 genomic fingerprints are defined by TCR and CD28-mediated signaling

Contains fulltext : 108719.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)BACKGROUND: T lymphocytes are orchestrators of adaptive immunity. Naive T cells may differentiate into Th1, Th2, Th17 or iTreg phenotypes, depending on environmental co-stimulatory signals. To identify genes and pathways involved in differentiation of Jurkat T cells towards Th1 and Th2 subtypes we performed comprehensive transcriptome analyses of Jurkat T cells stimulated with various stimuli and pathway inhibitors. Results from these experiments were validated in a human experimental setting using whole blood and purified CD4+ Tcells. RESULTS: Calcium-dependent activation of T cells using CD3/CD28 and PMA/CD3 stimulation induced a Th1 expression profile reflected by increased expression of T-bet, RUNX3, IL-2, and IFNgamma, whereas calcium-independent activation via PMA/CD28 induced a Th2 expression profile which included GATA3, RXRA, CCL1 and Itk. Knock down with siRNA and gene expression profiling in the presence of selective kinase inhibitors showed that proximal kinases Lck and PKCtheta are crucial signaling hubs during T helper cell activation, revealing a clear role for Lck in Th1 development and for PKCtheta in both Th1 and Th2 development. Medial signaling via MAPkinases appeared to be less important in these pathways, since specific inhibitors of these kinases displayed a minor effect on gene expression. Translation towards a primary, whole blood setting and purified human CD4+ T cells revealed that PMA/CD3 stimulation induced a more pronounced Th1 specific, Lck and PKCtheta dependent IFNgamma production, whereas PMA/CD28 induced Th2 specific IL-5 and IL-13 production, independent of Lck activation. PMA/CD3-mediated skewing towards a Th1 phenotype was also reflected in mRNA expression of the master transcription factor Tbet, whereas PMA/CD28-mediated stimulation enhanced GATA3 mRNA expression in primary human CD4+ Tcells. CONCLUSIONS: This study identifies stimulatory pathways and gene expression profiles for in vitro skewing of T helper cell activation. PMA/CD3 stimulation enhances a Th1-like response in an Lck and PKCtheta dependent fashion, whereas PMA/CD28 stimulation results in a Th2-like phenotype independent of the proximal TCR-tyrosine kinase Lck. This approach offers a robust and fast translational in vitro system for skewed T helper cell responses in Jurkat T cells, primary human CD4+ Tcells and in a more complex matrix such as human whole blood

Search for heavy particles decaying into a top-quark pair in the fully hadronic final state in pp collisions at √s=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search for new particles decaying into a pair of top quarks is performed using proton-proton collision data recorded with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider at a center-of-mass energy of √s=13  TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.1  fb−1. Events consistent with top-quark pair production and the fully hadronic decay mode of the top quarks are selected by requiring multiple high transverse momentum jets including those containing b-hadrons. Two analysis techniques, exploiting dedicated top-quark pair reconstruction in different kinematic regimes, are used to optimize the search sensitivity to new hypothetical particles over a wide mass range. The invariant mass distribution of the two reconstructed top-quark candidates is examined for resonant production of new particles with various spins and decay widths. No significant deviation from the Standard Model prediction is observed and limits are set on the production cross-section times branching fraction for new hypothetical Z′ bosons, dark-matter mediators, Kaluza-Klein gravitons and Kaluza-Klein gluons. By comparing with the predicted production cross sections, the Z′ boson in the topcolor-assisted-technicolor model is excluded for masses up to 3.1–3.6 TeV, the dark-matter mediators in a simplified framework are excluded in the mass ranges from 0.8 to 0.9 TeV and from 2.0 to 2.2 TeV, and the Kaluza-Klein gluon is excluded for masses up to 3.4 TeV, depending on the decay widths of the particles