Les Occlusions Intestinales Par Nœud Ileo-Sigmoïdien : Aspects Diagnostiques, Thérapeutiques Et Pronostiques

Introduction: Ileosigmoid knot (ISK), also known as compound volvulus or double volvulus, is a rare disease and affects mostly male subjects in their fourth decade. Delayed diagnosis often leads to complications with a high incidence of digestive necrosis. Materials and methods: This was a 10-year retrospective, descriptive and analytical study from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2016, which covered all patients operated emergently for ISK in the surgical and surgical specialty departments at the Niamey National Hospital (NNH). Results: The series involved 8 cases of ISK, representing 0.82% of intestinal obstructions. There were 7 men and 1 woman. The average age of patients was 44.33 years with extremes ranging from 25 to 60 years. The main clinical signs were: abdominal pain (100%), inability to pass gas and stool (100%), vomiting (87.5%) and abdominal meteorism (87.5%). Four patients (50%) had a clear obstructive syndrome and the other 4 patients (50%) had associated signs of peritoneal irritation. Paraclinical diagnosis was difficult because of atypical clinico-radiological signs, but in all cases an abdominal x-ray was performed and showed a double loop of dilated sigmoid shadow in 87.5% of the cases. Laparotomy was the first approach used in all patients and led to a 50% necrosis rate. Hartmann’s colectomy and ideal colectomy were used in identical proportions, with 50% each. Ideal colectomy was characterized by a morbidity rate of 50% and a mortality rate of 25% compared to 0% for Hartmann’s procedure. The overall morbidity was 25% and the overall mortality was 12.5%. The average hospital stay was 65.87 days (range 17 to 128 days). The average time before reestablishment of digestive continuity was 50.37 days (range 31-128 days). Conclusion: Ileosigmoid knot is a rare condition at Niamey national hospital where the diagnostic approach is similar to that of occlusions in general, but remains difficult due to its uncommonness and atypical clinico-radiological signs. Necrosis rates and postoperative complications remain high

Invagination Intestinale Aiguë De L’adulte: Aspects Diagnostiqsues, Thérapeutiques Et Étiologiques

Introduction: Acute intussusception is a rare clinical entity in adults where it accounts for only 1-2% of intestinal obstructions. The authors wanted to report cases of acute intussusception in adult patients, their diagnostic aspects, their management, and their etiologies. Patients and Methods: This study is a retrospective study of the medical files of patients of both sexes. They include adults over 15 years of age, operated between January 2010 and December 2014, who were diagnosed with obstruction due to acute intestinal intussusception. Results: Six cases of adult intestinal intussusception were collected. The average age was 26.5 years. The sex ratio was 1 and there were so many men as women. Five out of six patients were unstable on admission. The diagnosis was made preoperative in two cases out of six, 33.3%. Ultrasound revealed a target sign in two cases. The ileo-ileal form was the most frequent (5 cases out of 6) or 83.3%. Also, there were two cases of intestinal necrosis out of six. Intestinal resection was performed in five cases or 83.33%. The cause of intussusception was found in four cases out of six or 66.7%. Here, a tumor was the cause in half of the cases. Immediate surgical follow-up was uncomplicated in all patients. Conclusion: Acute intestinal intussusception of the adult is a very rare condition. The preoperative diagnosis of acute intussusception of the adult remains delicate. The ileo-ileal form is more frequent than the ileo-colic form in adults. Treatment is always surgical in adults

MiR-205-driven downregulation of cholesterol biosynthesis through SQLE-inhibition identifies therapeutic vulnerability in aggressive prostate cancer

Prostate cancer (PCa) shows strong dependence on the androgen receptor (AR) pathway. Here, we show that squalene epoxidase (SQLE), an enzyme of the cholesterol biosynthesis pathway, is overexpressed in advanced PCa and its expression correlates with poor survival. SQLE expression is controlled by micro-RNA 205 (miR-205), which is significantly downregulated in advanced PCa. Restoration of miR-205 expression or competitive inhibition of SQLE led to inhibition of de novo cholesterol biosynthesis. Furthermore, SQLE was essential for proliferation of AR-positive PCa cell lines, including abiraterone or enzalutamide resistant derivatives, and blocked transactivation of the AR pathway. Inhibition of SQLE with the FDA approved antifungal drug terbinafine also efficiently blocked orthotopic tumour growth in mice. Finally, terbinafine reduced levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA) in three out of four late-stage PCa patients. These results highlight SQLE as a therapeutic target for the treatment of advanced PCa

Factors associated with preservation of facial nerve function after surgical resection of vestibular schwannoma

Avoidance of facial nerve palsy is one of the major goals of vestibular schwannoma (VS) microsurgery. In this study, we examined the significance of previously implicated prognostic factors (age, tumor size, the extent of resection and the surgical approach) on post-operative facial nerve function. We selected all VS patients from prospectively collected database (1984–2009) who underwent microsurgical resection as their initial treatment for histopathologically confirmed VS. The effect of variables such as surgical approach, tumor size, patient age and extent of resection on rates facial nerve dysfunction after surgery, were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression. Patients with preoperative facial nerve dysfunction (House-Brackman [HB] score 3 or higher) were excluded, and HB grade of 1 or 2 at the last follow-up visit was defined as “facial nerve preservation.” A total of 624 VS patients were included in this study. Multivariate logistic regression analysis found that only pre-operative tumor size significantly predicted poorer facial nerve outcome for patients followed-up for ≥6 and ≥12 months (OR 1.27, 95% CI 1.09–1.49, p < 0.01; OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.10–1.67, P < 0.01, respectively). We found no significant relationship between facial nerve function and age, extent of resection, surgical approach, or tumor size (when extent of resection and surgical approach were included in the regression analysis). Because facial nerve palsy is a debilitating and psychologically devastating condition for the patient, we suggest altering surgical aggressiveness in patients with unfavorable tumor anatomy, particularly in cases with large tumors where overaggressive resection might subject the patient to unwarranted risk. Residual disease can be followed and controlled with radiosurgery if interval growth is noted

Effect of age, sex and gender on pain sensitivity: A narrative review

© 2017 Eltumi And Tashani. Introduction: An increasing body of literature on sex and gender differences in pain sensitivity has been accumulated in recent years. There is also evidence from epidemiological research that painful conditions are more prevalent in older people. The aim of this narrative review is to critically appraise the relevant literature investigating the presence of age and sex differences in clinical and experimental pain conditions. Methods: A scoping search of the literature identifying relevant peer reviewed articles was conducted on May 2016. Information and evidence from the key articles were narratively described and data was quantitatively synthesised to identify gaps of knowledge in the research literature concerning age and sex differences in pain responses. Results: This critical appraisal of the literature suggests that the results of the experimental and clinical studies regarding age and sex differences in pain contain some contradictions as far as age differences in pain are concerned. While data from the clinical studies are more consistent and seem to point towards the fact that chronic pain prevalence increases in the elderly findings from the experimental studies on the other hand were inconsistent, with pain threshold increasing with age in some studies and decreasing with age in others. Conclusion: There is a need for further research using the latest advanced quantitative sensory testing protocols to measure the function of small nerve fibres that are involved in nociception and pain sensitivity across the human life span. Implications: Findings from these studies should feed into and inform evidence emerging from other types of studies (e.g. brain imaging technique and psychometrics) suggesting that pain in the older humans may have unique characteristics that affect how old patients respond to intervention

Cassini Radio Science

Cassini radio science investigations will be conducted both during the cruise (gravitational wave and conjunction experiments) and the Saturnian tour of the mission (atmospheric and ionospheric occultations, ring occultations, determinations of masses and gravity fields). New technologies in the construction of the instrument, which consists of a portion on-board the spacecraft and another portion on the ground, including the use of the Ka-band signal in addition to that of the S- and X-bands, open opportunities for important discoveries in each of the above scientific areas, due to increased accuracy, resolution, sensitivity, and dynamic range.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/43765/1/11214_2004_Article_1436.pd