Possible role of higher serum level of myoglobin as predictor of worse prognosis in Sars Cov 2 hospitalized patients. A monocentric retrospective study

Treatment of gall bladder cancer (GBC) has traditionally been viewed with pessimism and lymph node positivity has been associated with worse prognosis. The aim of this study is to analyze the role of radical cholecystectomy in T2 tumors. All patients who underwent surgery for GBC between September 2005 and June 2014 were identified retrospectively. Data collected included clinical presentation, operative findings, and histopathological data. Twenty-five patients had incidental GBC diagnosis after cholecystectomy. Ten patients were T2 on initial cholecystectomy pathology and all underwent radical resection. Two patients were N1 on initial cholecystectomy pathology. Four were upstaged to N1 and two patients were upstaged to T3 after further surgery. Overall, 60 per cent patients with T2 disease had node positivity and 60 per cent were upstaged by further surgery. Eleven patients were diagnosed on imaging. Four of these patients were unresectable and six were either stage T3 or higher or node positive. Sixty per cent of T2 GBC was node positive and 60 per cent were upstaged with radical cholecystectomy. This finding supports the call for radical resection in patients with incidental diagnosis of T2 tumor on cholecystectomy. This study also emphasizes the role of radical surgery in accurate T staging.

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Sialic Acid—Modified Nanoparticles—New Approaches in the Glioma Management—Perspective Review

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms22147494 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (14) ◽

pp. 7494

Author(s):

Przemyslaw Wielgat ◽

Katarzyna Niemirowicz-Laskowska ◽

Agnieszka Z. Wilczewska ◽

Halina Car

Keyword(s):

Sialic Acid ◽

Clinical Observation ◽

Malignant Cell ◽

Cellular Heterogeneity ◽

Molecular Processes ◽

Management Perspective ◽

Therapeutic Tools ◽

And Function ◽

Worse Prognosis

The cell surface is covered by a dense and complex network of glycans attached to the membrane proteins and lipids. In gliomas, the aberrant sialylation, as the final stage of glycosylation, is an important regulatory mechanism of malignant cell behavior and correlates with worse prognosis. Better understanding of the role of sialylation in cellular and molecular processes opens a new way in the development of therapeutic tools for human brain tumors. According to the recent clinical observation, the cellular heterogeneity, activity of brain cancer stem cells (BCSCs), immune evasion, and function of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) are attractive targets for new therapeutic strategies. In this review, we summarize the importance of sialic acid-modified nanoparticles in brain tumor progression.

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Role of MSCT in the diagnosis of perforated gall bladder (a retrospective study)

Egyptian Journal of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine ◽

10.1186/s43055-019-0128-2 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 51 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Mohamed M. Harraz ◽

Ahmed H. Abouissa

Keyword(s):

Computed Tomography ◽

Retrospective Study ◽

Gall Bladder ◽

Acute Cholecystitis ◽

Acute Diverticulitis ◽

Wall Thickening ◽

Free Fluid ◽

Iodinated Contrast ◽

Contrast Enhanced

Abstract Background Although gall bladder perforation (GBP) is not common, it is considered a life-threating condition, and the possibility of occurrence in cases of acute cholecystitis must be considered. The aim of this study was to assess the role of multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) in the assessment of GBP. Results It is a retrospective study including 19 patients that had GBP out of 147, there were 11 females (57.8%) and 8 males (42.1%), aged 42 to 79 year (mean age 60) presented with acute abdomen or acute cholecystitis. All patients were examined with abdominal ultrasonography and contrast-enhanced abdominal MSCT after written informed consent was obtained from the patients. This study was between January and December 2018. Patients with contraindications to contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) (pregnancy, acute kidney failure, or allergy to iodinated contrast agents) who underwent US only were excluded. Patients with other diagnoses, such as acute diverticulitis of the right-sided colon or acute appendicitis, were excluded. The radiological findings were evaluated such as GB distention; stones; wall thickening, enhancement, and defect; pericholecystic free fluid or collection; enhancement of liver parenchyma; and air in the wall or lumen. All CT findings are compared with the surgical results. Our results revealed that the most important and diagnostic MSCT finding in GBP is a mural defect. Nineteen patients were proved surgically to have GBP. Conclusion GBP is a rare but very serious condition and should be diagnosed and treated as soon as possible to decrease morbidity and mortality. The most accurate diagnostic tool is the CT, MSCT findings most specific and sensitive for the detection of GBP and its complications.

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Overexpressed pseudogene MT1L associated with tumor immune infiltrates and indicates a worse prognosis in BLCA

World Journal of Surgical Oncology ◽

10.1186/s12957-021-02231-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Yanpeng Ding ◽

Nuomin Liu ◽

Mengge Chen ◽

Yulian Xu ◽

Sha Fang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Immune Cells ◽

Biological Function ◽

Prognostic Biomarker ◽

Poor Survival ◽

Common Cancer ◽

Kaplan Meier ◽

Cox Analysis ◽

Kaplan Meier Plotter ◽

Worse Prognosis

Abstract Background BLCA is a common cancer worldwide, and it is both aggressive and fatal. Immunotherapy (ICT) has achieved an excellent curative effect in BLCA; however, only some BLCA patients can benefit from ICT. MT1L is a pseudogene, and a previous study suggested that MT1L can be used as an indicator of prognosis in colorectal cancer. However, the role of MT1L in BLCA has not yet been determined. Methods Data were collected from TCGA, and logistic regression, Kaplan-Meier plotter, and multivariate Cox analysis were performed to demonstrate the correlation between the pseudogene MT1L and the prognosis of BLCA. To identify the association of MT1L with tumor-infiltrating immune cells, TIMER and TISIDB were utilized. Additionally, GSEA was performed to elucidate the potential biological function. Results The expression of MT1L was decreased in BLCA. Additionally, MT1L was positively correlated with immune cells, such as Tregs (ρ = 0.708) and MDSCs (ρ = 0.664). We also confirmed that MT1L is related to typical markers of immune cells, such as PD-1 and CTLA-4. In addition, a high MT1L expression level was associated with the advanced T and N and high grade in BLCA. Increased expression of MT1L was significantly associated with shorter OS times of BLCA patients (p < 0.05). Multivariate Cox analysis revealed that MT1L expression could be an independent prognostic factor in BLCA. Conclusion Collectively, our findings demonstrated that the pseudogene MT1L regulates the immune microenvironment, correlates with poor survival, and is an independent prognostic biomarker in BLCA.

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Rough Dental Implant Surfaces and Peri-Implantitis: Role of Phase-Contrast Microscopy, Laser Protocols, and Modified Home Oral Hygiene in Maintenance. A 10-Year Retrospective Study

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app11114985 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (11) ◽

pp. 4985

Author(s):

Gianluigi Caccianiga ◽

Gérard Rey ◽

Paolo Caccianiga ◽

Alessandro Leonida ◽

Marco Baldoni ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Retrospective Study ◽

Phase Contrast ◽

Vertical Movement ◽

Subgingival Plaque ◽

Phase Contrast Microscopy ◽

Implant Surface ◽

Total Percentage ◽

Contrast Microscopy

The aim of this study was to evaluate two different kinds of rough implant surface and to assess their tendency to peri-implantitis disease, with a follow-up of more than 10 years. Data were obtained from a cluster of 500 implants with Ti-Unite surface and 1000 implants with Ossean surface, with a minimum follow-up of 10 years. Implants had been inserted both in pristine bone and regenerated bone. We registered incidence of peri-implantitis and other causes of implant loss. All patients agreed with the following maintenance protocol: sonic brush with vertical movement (Broxo), interdental brushes, and oral irrigators (Broxo) at least two times every day. For all patients with implants, we evaluated subgingival plaque samples by phase-contrast microscopy every 4 months for a period of more than 10-years. Ti-Unite surface implants underwent peri-implantitis in 1.6% of the total number of implants inserted and Ossean surface implants showed peri-implantitis in 1.5% of the total number of implants. The total percentage of implant lost was 4% for Ti-Unite surfaces and 3.6% for Ossean surfaces. Strict control of implants leads to low percentage of peri-implantitis even for rough surfaces dental implants.

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Role of Multiple Comorbidities and Therapies in Conditioning the Clinical Severity of DRESS: A Mono-Center Retrospective Study of 25 Cases

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms22137072 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (13) ◽

pp. 7072

Author(s):

Andrea Toniato ◽

Chiara Gamba ◽

Jan Walter Schroeder ◽

Valeria Fabbri ◽

Scarlett Valeria Bernal Ortiz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Drug Reaction ◽

Retrospective Study ◽

Clinical Severity ◽

Severe Reaction ◽

Skin Involvement ◽

Inflammatory State ◽

Reaction Severity ◽

Clinical Conditions

DRESS/DiHS is a complex and potentially fatal drug reaction. Little is known about risk factors and elements that can help to identify patients with a severe reaction early. The aim of the study was to investigate those factors favoring the disease and its severity by analyzing the clinical conditions and therapies preceding the reaction. We conducted a retrospective analysis on patients admitted to our center between 2010 and 2020 who were discharged with a diagnosis of DRESS. We used the RegiSCAR diagnostic criteria. We defined the severity of DRESS using the criteria of Mizukawa et al. We included 25 patients (15 females) with a median age of 66 years. Skin involvement, eosinophilia, and liver injury were the most important aspects. Allopurinol was found to be the most involved drug. Reaction severity was significantly associated with the number of daily medications (p=0.0067) and an age of at least 68 years (p=0.013). In addition, 75% of severe cases had at least three comorbidities in history, and most of the severe cases were female. In our study the advanced age, the high number of comorbidities and home therapies, and the inflammatory state were found to be predisposing elements to the development of the disease and its severity.

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Effects of COVID-19 Lockdown on Otitis Media With Effusion in Children: Future Therapeutic Implications

Otolaryngology ◽

10.1177/0194599820987458 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 019459982098745

Author(s):

Mirko Aldè ◽

Federica Di Berardino ◽

Paola Marchisio ◽

Giovanna Cantarella ◽

Umberto Ambrosetti ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Retrospective Study ◽

Otitis Media ◽

Outpatient Clinic ◽

Otitis Media With Effusion ◽

Tertiary Level ◽

Vestibular Disorders ◽

Therapeutic Implications ◽

History Of ◽

Clinic Population

Objective To evaluate the role of social isolation during the lockdown due to the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) in modifying the prevalence of otitis media with effusion (OME) and the natural history of chronic OME. Study Design Retrospective study. Setting Tertiary level referral audiologic center. Methods We assessed the prevalence of OME among children aged 6 months to 12 years who attended the outpatient clinic for hearing or vestibular disorders during 2 periods before the lockdown, May-June 2019 (n = 350) and January-February 2020 (n = 366), and the period immediately after the lockdown, May-June 2020 (n = 216). We also compared the disease resolution rates between a subgroup of children with chronic OME (n = 30) who were diagnosed in summer 2019 and reevaluated in May-June 2020 and a similar subgroup (n = 29) assessed in 2018-2019. Results The prevalence of OME in this clinic population was 40.6% in May-June 2019, 52.2% in January-February 2020, and 2.3% in May-June 2020. Children with chronic OME had a higher rate of disease resolution in May-June 2020 (93.3%) than those examined in May-June 2019 (20.7%, P < .001). Conclusion Closure of schools and the physical distancing rules were correlated with a reduction in the prevalence of OME and favored the resolution of its chronic forms among children who attended the outpatient clinic. These data could suggest that in the presence of chronic OME, keeping young children out of group care settings for a period might be beneficial to allow for OME resolution.

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Vitamin D supplementation, COVID-19 and disease severity: a meta-analysis

QJM ◽

10.1093/qjmed/hcab009 ◽

2021 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

K Shah ◽

D Saxena ◽

D Mavalankar

Keyword(s):

Vitamin D ◽

Randomized Controlled Trials ◽

Usual Care ◽

Odds Ratio ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Vitamin D Supplementation ◽

Hospitalized Patients ◽

Controlled Trials ◽

Randomized Controlled

Abstract Objective: Current meta-analysis aims to understand the effect of oral supplementation of vitamin D on intensive care unit (ICU) requirement and mortality in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Methods: Databases PubMed, preprint servers, and google scholar were searched from December 2019 to December 2020. Authors searched for the articles assessing role of vitamin D supplementation on COVID-19. Cochrane RevMan tool was used for quantitative assessment of the data, where heterogeneity was assessed using I2 and Q statistics and data was expressed using odds ratio with 95% confidence interval. Results: Final meta-analysis involved pooled data of 532 hospitalized patients (189 on vitamin D supplementation and 343 on usual care/placebo) of COVID-19 from three studies (Two randomized controlled trials, one retrospective case-control study). Statistically (p<0.0001) lower ICU requirement was observed in patients with vitamin D supplementation as compared to patients without supplementations (odds ratio: 0.36; 95% CI: 0.210-0.626). However, it suffered from significant heterogeneity, which reduced after sensitivity analysis. In case of mortality, vitamin D supplements has comparable findings with placebo treatment/usual care (odds ratio: 0.93; 95% CI: 0.413-2.113; p=0.87). The studies did not show any publication bias and had fair quality score. Subgroup analysis could not be performed due to limited number of studies and hence dose and duration dependent effect of vitamin D could not be evaluated. Conclusions: Although the current meta-analysis findings indicate potential role of vitamin D in improving COVID-19 severity in hospitalized patients, more robust data from randomized controlled trials are needed to substantiate its effects on mortality.

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Probable role of Brain Natriuretic Peptide (BNP) in lung hypertension secondary to scleroderma

Italian Journal of Medicine ◽

10.4081/itjm.2007.1.23 ◽

2013 ◽

pp. 23-25

Author(s):

P. Faggioli ◽

S. Finazzi ◽

E. Vicenzi ◽

L. Giani ◽

M. Rondena ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pulmonary Hypertension ◽

Progressive Systemic Sclerosis ◽

New Drugs ◽

Positivity Ratio ◽

Probable Role ◽

Biochemical Observation ◽

And Gender ◽

Roche Diagnostics ◽

Worse Prognosis

BACKGROUND Scleroderma, when complicated with pulmonary hypertension (PHT), presents a worse prognosis; recently treatment with new drugs seems to offer good perspectives, especially in early diagnosis and treatment. The standard approach for diagnosing PHT consists in measurement of the pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) by means of echodoppler. AIM OF INVESTIGATION Aim of this work is evaluating the significance of the NT-proBNP parameter, matched to echodoppler, in diagnosing scleroderma PHT. MATERIALS AND METHODS Sixty (60) patients, who came to observation for progressive systemic sclerosis underwent echodoppler in order to measure the PAP (normal values up to 30 mmHg). NT-proBNP was determined on serum sample using ECLIA method by Modular E170 (Roche Diagnostics); manufacturer reference values for age and gender were used. Forty-three (43) patients underwent a further NT-proBNP sampling 5 days later in order to assess parameter stability. RESULTS PHT and non- PHT patients showed statistically different (p < 0,001) medians (126 vs 69 pg/ml). No pathologic values of NT-proBNP were measured in the group with PAP < 30 mmHg, while 27% of cases who had PAP between 30 and 40 showed pathologic concentrations. The positivity ratio increases to 57% in patients showing PAP > 40 mmHg. No relevant correlation (r = 0,2) was found between PAP and NT-proBNP. Mean average between the two sampling groups was 31%. CONCLUSIONS In scleroderma patients, combination of NT-proBNP and PAP seems to improve the diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension, especially in presence of borderline pulmonary pressure values. We therefore propose the biochemical observation of NT-proBNP when PAP is > 30 mmHg and in monitoring the evolution of the pathology.

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