The incomplete pentalogy of Cantrell – A case report

AbstractWe report a case of a female neonate with an incomplete (Class II) pentalogy of Cantrell (PC) presenting: omphalocoele, thoracoabdominal type of partial ectopia cordis with ventricular septal defect and valvular pulmonary stenosis. The patient underwent a successful complete operation. We discuss associated anomalies that might occur with PC and the general overall prognosis for patients with PC. This report describes a very rare case of a patient with PC and coexisting partial ectopia cordis who survived

An analysis of the influence of infection on overall survival rates, following modified posterior pelvic exenteration for advanced ovarian cancer

Objectives: The aim of our study was to determine the association between the appearance of infection after modified posterior pelvic exenteration (MPE) and the time to adjuvant chemotherapy (TTC), and to examine whether infection has any impact on clinical results by delaying the start of chemotherapy.Material and methods: Our retrospective study analyzed 77 patients who had undergone MPE followed by adjuvantchemotherapy. Postoperatively, either there was no residual tumor or, the residual tumor was less than 2.5 mm, in 76.7% of the study patients. Our study group was divided into two subgroups for comparison; the first group consisted of 41 patients with postoperative infections, and the second group of 36 patients had no infections. The infections of the first group were monitored during a 90-day postoperative period. Median TTC and overall survival rates (OS) were determined for those patients who developed an infection as well as for those who did not.Results: The expected 5-year survival rate was 0.40 (SD = 0.09) for those patients without infection and 0.17 (SD = 0.07) for those patients with infection. The survival curves of patients with infection and those without infection were significantly different statistically (p = 0.038). The median TTC differed significantly for those patients who developed infection compared with those patients who did not develop infection (37 days compared with 27.5 days respectively, p = 0.024); and patients without infection were statistically more likely to receive chemotherapy within 25 days following surgery than in the subsequent 25–42-day period compared with those patients who did develop infection (p = 0.048). No statistically significant differences were found between the two groups in relation to results following the initiation of chemotherapy during the first 42 days postoperatively (p = 0.445).Conclusions: The absence of postoperative infection was associated with better survival rates. Patients with infectionexperienced a longer time interval between surgery and the start of chemotherapy, without negative impact to theiroverall survival rates

Analysis of Treg cell population in patients with breast cancer with respect to progesterone receptor status

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed type of cancer in women worldwide. Both the development and progression of breast cancer are related to tumour evasion of the immune system through a process called cancer immune-editing, in which regulatory lymphocytes play an important role. The infiltration of Treg cells in patients with breast cancer has been proposed as an independent unfavourable prognostic factor. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the percentages of the Treg cell populations in the peripheral blood of patients with breast cancer with respect to progesterone receptor expression. Peripheral blood samples were collected from 27 patients with breast cancer treated in the Clinical Department of Breast Cancer and Reconstructive Surgery of the Professor Franciszek Lukaszczyk Oncological Centre, Bydgoszcz. Flow cytometry was used to evaluate the percentage of CD25+/ FOXP3+/CD127 (–/low) T cells within CD3+/CD4+ T cells. The presence of CD25+/FOXP3+/ CD127 (–/low) T cells within CD3+/ CD4+ T cells was identified in all the examined blood samples. A statistically significantly higher percentage of CD25+/FOXP3+/CD127 (–/low) T cells within CD3+/CD4+ T cells was observed in progesterone receptor (PR)-negative breast cancer patients when compared to PR-positive breast cancer patients. The observed high percentage of CD25+/FOXP3+/CD127 (–/low) T cells within CD3+/CD4+ T cells in PR (–) breast cancer patients when compared to PR (+) breast cancer patients seems to confirm the unfavourable prognostic significance of these cells in breast cancer patients. This may indicate a rationale for combining standard oncological treatment in breast cancer patients with Treg-depleting therap

The impact of premature rupture of membranes (PROM) on neonatal outcome

Abstract Objective: The aim of the following study was to evaluate the impact of premature rupture of membranes (PROM) on neonatal outcome, particularly on the incidence of intrauterine infections (IUI). Material and Methods: The study included 428 newborns, born after PROM and hospitalized in the Department of Neonatology at Poznan University of Medical Sciences in 2006. The influence of selected variables on the development of IUI and other complications was analyzed. Results: IUI occurred in 124 newborns (29%). The odds ratio (OR) of IUI incidence increased with decreasing gestational age, birth weight and Apgar score, as well as with increasing duration of the time between PROM and birth, called the latency period. Logistic regression showed that IUI was significantly influenced by the latency period (OR=1.37; 95% CI: 1.10-1.71;

Fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia

Fetal/neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (FNAIT) is defined as a platelet coun

Investigating the Impact of Metallicity on Star Formation in the Outer Galaxy. I. VLT/KMOS Survey of Young Stellar Objects in Canis Major

The effects of metallicity on the evolution of protoplanetary disks may be studied in the outer Galaxy where the metallicity is lower than in the solar neighbourhood. We present the VLT/KMOS integral field spectroscopy in the near-infrared of $\sim$120 candidate young stellar objects (YSOs) in the CMa-$\ell$224 star-forming region located at a Galactocentric distance of 9.1 kpc. We characterise the YSO accretion luminosities and accretion rates using the hydrogen Br$\gamma$ emission and find the median accretion luminosity of $\log{(L_{\rm acc})} = -0.82^{+0.80}_{-0.82} L_\odot$. Based on the measured accretion luminosities, we investigate the hypothesis of star formation history in the CMa-$\ell$224. Their median values suggest that Cluster C, where most of YSO candidates have been identified, might be the most evolved part of the region. The accretion luminosities are similar to those observed toward low-mass YSOs in the Perseus and Orion molecular clouds, and do not reveal the impact of lower metallicity. Similar studies in other outer Galaxy clouds covering a wide range of metallicities are critical to gain a complete picture of star formation in the Galaxy.Comment: Accepted for publication in APJS, 51 pages, 37 figures, 6 table

Perinatal Ureaplasma Exposure Is Associated With Increased Risk of Late Onset Sepsis and Imbalanced Inflammation in Preterm Infants and May Add to Lung Injury

Background: Controversy remains concerning the impact of Ureaplasma on preterm neonatal morbidity.Methods: Prospective single-center study in very low birth weight infants <30 weeks' gestation. Cord blood and initial nasopharyngeal swabs were screened for Ureaplasma parvum and U. urealyticum using culture technique and polymerase chain reaction. Neonatal outcomes were followed until death or discharge. Multi-analyte immunoassay provided cord blood levels of inflammatory markers. Using multivariate regression analyses, perinatal Ureaplasma exposure was evaluated as risk factor for the development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), other neonatal morbidities until discharge and systemic inflammation at admission.Results: 40/103 (39%) infants were positive for Ureaplasma in one or both specimens, with U. parvum being the predominant species. While exposure to Ureaplasma alone was not associated with BPD, we found an increased risk of BPD in Ureaplasma-positive infants ventilated ≥5 days (OR 1.64; 95% CI 0.12–22.98; p = 0.009). Presence of Ureaplasma was associated with a 7-fold risk of late onset sepsis (LOS) (95% CI 1.80–27.39; p = 0.014). Moreover, Ureaplasma-positive infants had higher I/T ratios (b 0.39; 95% CI 0.08–0.71; p = 0.014), increased levels of interleukin (IL)-17 (b 0.16; 95% CI 0.02–0.30; p = 0.025) and matrix metalloproteinase 8 (b 0.77; 95% CI 0.10–1.44; p = 0.020), decreased levels of IL-10 (b −0.77; 95% CI −1.58 to −0.01; p = 0.043) and increased ratios of Tumor necrosis factor-α, IL-8, and IL-17 to anti-inflammatory IL-10 (p = 0.003, p = 0.012, p < 0.001).Conclusions: Positive Ureaplasma screening was not associated with BPD. However, exposure contributed to BPD in infants ventilated ≥5 days and conferred an increased risk of LOS and imbalanced inflammatory cytokine responses

Perinatal outcome according to chorionicity in twins — a Polish multicenter study

Objectives: The aim of the study was to analyze the perinatal outcome of twin gestations and estimate the influence of chorionicity on the outcome in a large cohort of twin pregnancies in Poland. Material and methods: A retrospective analysis of 465 twin deliveries in 6 Polish centers in 2012 was conducted. Baseline characteristics, the course of pregnancy and labor, as well as the neonatal outcome were analyzed in the study group and according to chorionicity. Results: A total of 356 twin pregnancies were dichorionic (DC group) (76.6%), and 109 were monochorionic (MC group) (23.4%). There were no differences in the occurrence of pregnancy complications according to chorionicity, except for IUGR of at least one fetus (MC 43.1% vs. DC 34.6%; p = 0.003). 66.5% of the women delivered preterm, significantly more in the MC group (78% vs. 62.9%; p = 0.004). Cesarean delivery was performed in 432 patients (92.9%). Mean neonatal birthweight was statistically lower in the MC group (2074 g vs. 2370 g; p < 0.001). Perinatal mortality of at least one twin was 4.3% (2.8% in the DC group vs. 9.2% in the MC group; p = 0.004). Neonatal complications, including NICU admission, respiratory disorders, and infections requiring antibiotic therapy, were significantly more often observed among the MC twins. Conclusions: The overall perinatal outcome in the presented subpopulation of Polish twins and its dependence on cho­rionicity is similar to the reports in the literature. Nevertheless, the rates of preterm and cesarean deliveries remain higher. It seems that proper counselling of pregnant women and education of obstetricians may result in reduction of these rates