The use of x-ray CT and MRI in the study of sacroiliac joints in patients with Behcet disease and acute anterior uveitis

Objective: It's controversial if Behcet Disease (BD) must be included in the group of seronegative spondyloarthropathy (SpA). Our aim was to establish the prevalence of sacroiliitis (SI) in patients with BD using X-Ray, CT and MRI, in comparison with patients with Acute Anterior Uveitis (AAU), that is known to belong to the subgroups of SpA. Methods: We considered, in the period from 04/2006 to 04/2009, 21 consecutive patients with BD, positive for HLA B51 and 28 consecutive patients with AAU, positive for HLA B27. These patients were previously selected by our Rheumatological Ward. Altogether we evaluated 98 sacroiliac joints (SIJ); each side of any patient was graded separately. Results: X-ray of the pelvis showed advanced SI (grade 4) in 14% of the cases in patients with AAU; in BD group only 7% CT showed advanced SI in 14% within AAU patients versus 6-12% of advanced SI (right to left) within BD patients. MR showed 14% of advanced SI (bilateral) within AAU versus 6-11% of advanced SI (right to left) in BD patients. Conclusions: This study supports the trend to not consider BD within the SpA, being the prevalence of SI in BD patients not very different from general population and anyway lower than that observed in patients with AAU. On the other side the prevalence of SI in AAU patients is higher than in BD patients and very similar to the one observed in patients with seronegative arthritis, and anyway high enough to consider joint involvement as an important feature of the disease

Clinical predictive factors of pathologic complete response in locally advanced rectal cancer

Background: Predictive factors of pathologic complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) are still not identified. The purpose of this study was to define them. Materials and Methods: Data from consecutive LARC patients treated between January 2008 and June 2014 at our Institution were included in the analysis. All patients were treated with a long course of nCRT. Demographics, initial diagnosis and tumor extension details, as well as treatment modalities characteristics were included in the univariate and logistic regression analysis. Results: In total 99 patients received nCRT, of whom 23 patients (23.2%) achieved pCR. Patients with and without pCR were similar in term of age, sex, comobidities, BMI and tumor characteristics. Multivariate logistic regression indicated that pre-treatment tumor size <= 5 cm was a significant predictor for pCR (p = 0.035), whereas clinical N stage only showed a positive trend (p = 0.084). Conclusions: Tumor size at diagnosis could be used to predict pCR, and thus to individualize therapy in LARC patients management. Validation in other studies is needed

Pancreas divisum. Correlation between anatomical abnormalities and bile precipitation in the gallbladder in seven patients

Pancreas divisum is a genetic defect associated with recurrent acute pancreatitis due to insufficient drainage of the accessory pancreatic duct. Seven young patients diagnosed with pancreatic divisum and thickening of the gallbladder bile as shown on magnetic resonance cholangio-pancreatography without pancreatic ductal changes underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy. During the mean follow-up of 32 months no episode of pancreatitis was reported. There is an association between PD and higher concentration of bile in the gallbladder. Cholecystectomy can be considered curative in patients with PD in the absence of indications for major surgery

Correlation between onco-suppressors PTEN and NM23 and clinical outcome in patients with T1 breast cancer

The aim of the present work was to evaluate the prognostic significance in patients with T1 breast cancer of tissue expression of the two oncosuppressors phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) and non-metastatic clone 23 (NM23) as detected by immunohistochemistry

Carotid body tumors: radioguided surgical approach

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens

GRB 110709B in the Induced Gravitational Collapse paradigm

Context: GRB110709B is the first source for which Swift BAT triggered twice, with a time separation of ~10 min. The first emission (Ep. 1) goes from 40s before the 1{\deg} trigger up to 60s after it. The second (Ep. 2) goes from 35s before the 2{\deg} trigger to 100s after it.[...] Within the Induced Gravitational Collapse (IGC) model, we assume the progenitor to be a close binary system composed of a core of an evolved star and a Neutron Star (NS). The evolved star explodes as a Supernova (SN) and ejects material that is partially accreted by the NS. We identify this process with Ep. 1. The accretion process brings the NS over its critical mass, thus gravitationally collapsing to a BH. This process leads to the GRB emission, Ep. 2.[...] Aims: We analyze the spectra and time variability of Ep. 1 and 2 and compute the relevant parameters of the binary progenitor[...] in the IGC paradigm. Methods: We perform a time-resolved spectral analysis of Ep. 1 with a blackbody (BB) plus a power-law (PL) spectral model. We analyze Ep. 2 within the Fireshell model, identifying the Proper-GRB (P-GRB) and simulating the light curve and spectrum. We establish the redshift to be z=0.75 [...]. Results: We find for Ep. 1 a BB temperature following a broken PL with time, with the PL slopes at early and late times \alpha=0 and \beta=-4+/-2, respectively, and a break at t=41.21s. The total energy of Ep. 1 and 2 are E_{iso}^1=1.42x10^{53}erg and E_{iso}^2=2.43x10^{52}erg, respectively. We find at transparency a Lorentz factor \Gamma~173, laboratory radius of 6.04x10^{13}cm, P-GRB observed temperature kT_{P-GRB}=12.36keV, baryon load B=0.0057 and P-GRB energy E_{P-GRB}=3.44x10^{50}erg. [...] Conclusions: We interpret GRB110709B as a member of the IGC sources, together with GRB970828, GRB090618 and GRB101023. The XRT data during Ep. 2 offers an unprecedented tool for improving the diagnostic of GRBs emission.Comment: 12 pages, 17 figures, to appear on A&

A cyclostationarity-based classifier for digital linear modulations

Cet article traite de la classification des modulations numériques linéaires. L'algorithme de classification proposé est basé sur les statistiques cycliques du second ordre et d'ordre supérieur du processus d'observation. Des exemples de simulations sont présentées pour montrer l'efficacité de la méthode proposée

Time-frequency representations of generalized almost-cyclostationary signals

Nous proposons dans cet article une contribution à la théorie récemment introduite des signaux quasi-cyclostationnaires généralisés. Cette classe de signaux étend la classe des signaux quasi-cyclostationnaires au cas de signaux dont les fréquences cycliques dépendent du temps. Des représentations temps-fréquence de ces signaux sont données en fonction des statistiques cycliques généralisées. Notamment, la distribution de Wigner-Ville et la fonction d'ambiguïté sont examinées en détail. Le problème de l'extraction des caractéristiques des signaux quasi-cyclostationnaires généralisés, basée sur l'estimation d'un seul enregistrement, est également traité

JCV-specific T-cells producing IFN-gamma are differently associated with PmL occurrence in HIV patients and liver transplant recipients

Aim of this work was to investigate a possible correlation between the frequency of JCV-specific T-cells and PML occurrence in HIV-infected subjects and in liver transplant recipients. A significant decrease of JCV-specific T-cells was observed in HIV-PML subjects, highlighting a close relation between JCV-specific T-cell immune impairment and PML occurrence in HIV-subjects. Interestingly, liver-transplant recipients (LTR) showed a low frequency of JCV-specific T-cells, similar to HIV-PML subjects. Nevertheless, none of the enrolled LTR developed PML, suggesting the existence of different immunological mechanisms involved in the maintenance of a protective immune response in LT