20-Year Risks of Breast-Cancer Recurrence after Stopping Endocrine Therapy at 5 Years

The administration of endocrine therapy for 5 years substantially reduces recurrence rates during and after treatment in women with early-stage, estrogen-receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer. Extending such therapy beyond 5 years offers further protection but has additional side effects. Obtaining data on the absolute risk of subsequent distant recurrence if therapy stops at 5 years could help determine whether to extend treatment

Simultaneous determination of salicylates and benzoic acid in food by SPME-LC-UV-DAD

Salicylates, i.e. acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) and their derivatives, are used as fungicidal and antimicrobial agents in pharmaceuticals preparations (external use) as well as in the treatment of inflammatory processes as antipyretic and analgesic drugs (internal use). Salicylates have been also used in beverages and foods for preservation, but it has been forbidden since the sixties in several countries due to its toxicity. These chemicals occur also naturally in many plants, including many fruits vegetables, and herbs. Salicylates are generally regarded as safe for adults, even if high enough doses are harmful to everyone. Unfortunately, there is a small percent of the population for which even a small dose of salicylates can be a problem. Some adults and children may develop symptoms and health problems from salicylates which are dose-related. This is called ‘Salicylate Sensitivity’ or ‘Salicylate Intolerance’ (urticaria, angiooedema, rhinitis, bronchial asthma and recurrent nasal polyps). The chronic nature of some of these clinical presentations, without other obvious cause, may suggest an underlying etiology related to dietary salicylates. This cannot be established however, until the salicylate content of different food and drinks is known. Data on the salicylate content of foods are scarce and contradictory. Our aim was to develop an accurate analytical method to measure the salicylates content of food. Existing papers on this topic have been essentially based on chromatographic techniques, after purification of the analytes by means of complicate isolation procedures. A good alternative could be represented by the use of solid-phase microextraction (SPME), a solventless technique initially coupled to GC and later interfaced also to LC [3]. This work presents the first solid-phase microextraction (SPME)–LC–UV-DAD method for the simultaneous determination of salicylates and benzoic acid in food samples

Simultaneous determination of salicylates and benzoic acid in food by SPME-LC-UV-DAD

Salicylates, i.e. acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) and their derivatives, are used as fungicidal and antimicrobial agents in pharmaceuticals preparations (external use) as well as in the treatment of inflammatory processes as antipyretic and analgesic drugs (internal use). Salicylates have been also used in beverages and foods for preservation, but it has been forbidden since the sixties in several countries due to its toxicity. These chemicals occur also naturally in many plants, including many fruits vegetables, and herbs. Salicylates are generally regarded as safe for adults, even if high enough doses are harmful to everyone. Unfortunately, there is a small percent of the population for which even a small dose of salicylates can be a problem. Some adults and children may develop symptoms and health problems from salicylates which are dose-related. This is called ‘Salicylate Sensitivity’ or ‘Salicylate Intolerance’ (urticaria, angiooedema, rhinitis, bronchial asthma and recurrent nasal polyps). The chronic nature of some of these clinical presentations, without other obvious cause, may suggest an underlying etiology related to dietary salicylates. This cannot be established however, until the salicylate content of different food and drinks is known. Data on the salicylate content of foods are scarce and contradictory. Our aim was to develop an accurate analytical method to measure the salicylates content of food. Existing papers on this topic have been essentially based on chromatographic techniques, after purification of the analytes by means of complicate isolation procedures. A good alternative could be represented by the use of solid-phase microextraction (SPME), a solventless technique initially coupled to GC and later interfaced also to LC [3]. This work presents the first solid-phase microextraction (SPME)–LC–UV-DAD method for the simultaneous determination of salicylates and benzoic acid in food samples

Conditions determining PCR success in otter landscape genetics

Non-invasive sampling for genetic analysis using DNA from feces is a useful technique to monitor animal populations. But despite being a very promising tool, it still has some limitations and can give some problems such as low success rates of genotyped samples, contamination concerns and high microsatellite genotyping error rates. To optimize success, it is important to follow specific steps, including a stringent sample selection in the field, proper storage conditions, and choice of the optimal DNA extraction method for the study species. Furthermore, the PCR success rate could potentially be influenced by factors prior to collection, such as temperature and the diet of the species, as well as by sample storage time. Here, we investigated the effect of temperature at time of collection, average maximum temperature one week prior to collection and storage time on the amplification success rate of microsatellite DNA extracted from XX fecal samples of the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) in the Netherlands. To do this, we considered two cases: firstly, we performed a logistic regression to assess whether temperature at time of collection and/or storage time could be used to predict the genotyping success rate for one microsatellite locus, that is used as a primary selection tool for sample quality. Secondly, we considered PCR success rate as the number of successfully scored loci out of the total 13 loci used in the landscape genetic study of Dutch otters and assessed the effect of temperature at time of collection, average maximum temperatures one week prior to collection and storage time. Results showed that when considering one locus only, the amplification success rate was not influenced by temperature. However, when considering all the loci temperature at time of collection and temperature one week prior positively influenced the PCR success rate, meaning that as the temperature raised, the success rate increased. This result was contrasting most of the literature, indeed, as it would be expected, high temperatures should cause a more rapid degradation of DNA caused by higher activity of hydrolytic enzymes in feces. Probably there were outside factors (e.g. the otters\u2019 diet) that we did not control and that were confounded with temperature requiring the need for further investigation. Storage time had no effect on DNA amplification success rate in any of our tests. Our results suggest that DNA amplification success rate is influenced by many factors. Before starting a non-invasive study, it is fundamental to take into account several factors and to study to what extent each factor influences the amplification success in order to maximize the DNA amplification success rate and to reduce genotyping error rates

Therapeutic ultrasound in physical medicine and rehabilitation: characterization and assessment of its physical effects on joint-mimicking phantoms

The aim of the study described here was to quantitatively assess thermal and mechanical effects of therapeutic ultrasound (US) by sonicating a joint-mimicking phantom, made of muscle-equivalent material, using clinical US equipment. The phantom contains two bone disks simulating a deep joint (treated at 1 MHz) and a superficial joint (3 MHz). Thermal probes were inserted in fixed positions. To test the mechanical (cavitational) effects, we used a latex balloon filled with oxygen-loaded nanobubbles; the dimensions of the oxygen-loaded nanobubbles were determined before and after sonication. Significant increases in temperature (up to 17°C) with fixed field using continuous waves were detected both in front of and behind the bones, depending on the US mode (continuous wave vs. pulsed wave) and on the treatment modality (fixed vs. massage). We found no significant differences in mechanical effects. Although limited by the in vitro design (no blood perfusion, no metabolic compensation), the results can be used to guide operators in their choice of the best US treatment modality for a specific joint

Aspetti clinici ed anticorpi anti-neurone nella malattia celiaca con disordini neurologici

Gli aspetti clinici ed immunologici dei pazienti celiaci con disordini neurologici sono ancora scarsamente conosciuti. In una ampia serie di pazienti adulti con malattia celiaca abbiamo studiato la prevalenza di disordini neurologici e il loro decorso clinico, unitamente all\u2019identificazione di anticorpi anti-neurone. Sintomi neurologici sono stati indagati in 160 pazienti consecutivi (120 F, 40 M) con malattia celiaca istologicamente dimostrata. Anticorpi anti-neurone diretti contro il sistema nervoso centrale e/o enterico sono stati indagati in tutti i pazienti neurologici, in 20 pazienti celiaci senza patologia neurologica e in 20 controlli. Tredici (8%) pazienti avevano disordini neurologici, comprendenti epilessia (n = 3), disturbi dell\u2019attenzione e della memoria (n = 3), atassia cerebellare (n = 2), neuropatia periferica (n = 2), sclerosi multipla (n = 1), malattia di Moya-moya (n = 1), malattia di Steinert (n = 1). Non sono state identificate differenze significative, demografiche o cliniche (gastrointestinali o non gastrointestinali legate alla celiachia) tra pazienti con e senza coinvolgimento neurologico. In tutti i casi, eccetto due, i disordini neurologici erano antecedenti la diagnosi di celiachia. I sintomi neurologici sono migliorati o scomparsi in 7 pazienti che hanno iniziato una dieta aglutinata entro 6 mesi dall\u2019esordio neurologico e in nessuno dei 4 pazienti che l\u2019hanno iniziata pi\uf9 tardi. La prevalenza di anticorpi anti-neurone diretti contro il sistema nervoso centrale era significativamente maggiore nei pazienti neurologici (61%) rispetto agli altri pazienti (5%) (P = 0.0007) e ai controlli (0%) (P = 0.00001). La malattia celiaca pu\uf2 a volte presentarsi con l\u2019aspetto di un disordine neurologico, che pu\uf2 notevolmente migliorare quando una dieta aglutinata \ue8 iniziata prontamente. Pertanto l\u2019eventuale presenza di una malattia celiaca deve essere attentamente considerata in pazienti con atassia cerebellare, epilessia, disturbi dell\u2019attenzione e della memoria o neuropatia periferic

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation After Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Meta-Analysis

Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of the use of the neuromuscular electrical stimulation after total knee arthroplasty. Design: The study used a systematic review of randomized controlled trials (MEDLINE, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and PEDro) using Patient Population or Problem, Intervention, Comparison, Outcomes, Setting approach to formulate the research question, controlled terms, and Boolean operators. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were defined in advance. "Neuromuscular electrical stimulation" and "total knee arthroplasty" were used as keywords. The overall risk of bias was determined according to the following: random sequence generation, concealment, blinding mass of participants and staff, commissioning blind assessment results, incomplete data, and loans received. Results: Of the 36 identified studies, six were included in the review (496 participants). In these studies, one group of patients followed a rehabilitation protocol (control group) and the other followed a rehabilitation program plus a session of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (neuromuscular electrical stimulation group). Patients of neuromuscular electrical stimulation groups got the best scores (timed up and go test, stair climbing test, and walk test). Neuromuscular electrical stimulation benefits were strong in the first postoperative weeks/months and gradually diminished. Conclusions: Neuromuscular electrical stimulation allows a slightly better functional recovery after total knee arthroplasty, especially in the first period, with more evident benefits in patients with a severe lack of muscular activation. Nevertheless, there is no difference at medium-long term