Brain radionecrosis after radiation therapy for atypical meningioma

Introduction. Atypical Meningioma (AM) is at high risk of local failure. The role of radiation therapy (XRT) as an adjuvant to surgical resection is incompletely defined. The most deleterious consequence of brain-directed XRT is radiation necrosis. Brain radionecrosis (BRN) after AM has been rarely reported. The relevant literature is reviewed, highlighting its diagnostic challenges. Case Presentation. We report a 25-year-old male with a BRN after adjuvant XRT for AM, which has been misdiagnosed as a recurrent neoplastic lesion upon magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) examination. Surgery and histopathological description were made and yielded a definitive diagnosis of BRN. The patient was treated by dexamethasone with concomitant hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO2). The patient showed a further progression of the disease. Therefore, he was elected to receive bevacizumab. However, the patient finally died for refractory brain edema. Conclusion. BRN is a relatively rare instance after XRT for AM. There is no single modality that can reliably distinguish BRN from tumour recurrence. Therefore, reaching an early prompt treatment decision is challenging.

Do Psychiatric Disorders Influence the Risk of Female Cancer? Results From a Genetic Study

Background: Depression and anxiety contribute to an increased global burden of disease and affect women more often than men. Despite evidence from experimental data showing a shared biological mechanism involved in both mental health disorders and female hormone-dependent cancers, results from epidemiological investigations remain inconsistent.Methods: We aim to understand a putative causal relationship between psychological distress and female malignancy by conducting a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. We used summary statistics from the hitherto largest genome-wide association studies (GWAS) performed in depression (Ncase=246,363), anxiety (Ncase=44,465), breast (Ncase=122,977) and ovarian (Ncase=25,509) cancer. We constructed strong instruments using the 102 depression-associated SNPs, the 6 anxiety-associated SNPs, and applied several MR approaches.Results: We found that genetic predisposition to depression significantly increased the risk of both overall breast cancer (OR [95%CI] = 1.10 [1.03-1.18]) and its estrogen receptor (ER)- subtype (1.12 [1.01-1.24]), while a borderline significance was observed for ER+ subtype (1.08 [0.99-1.18]). These findings were corroborated by our genetic correlation analysis where a significantly shared genetic basis was observed for depression and breast cancer. On the contrary, we did not identify any causal association of anxiety with breast cancer. None of the mental health traits were associated with the onset of ovarian cancer or its serous subtype. Sensitivity analyses using different sets of instruments revealed consistent results.Conclusions: Our findings suggest that poor mental health condition such as major depression disorder is likely to be causally associated with the development of breast cancer, providing evidence supporting for the potential deleterious consequence of mental illness on cancer onset.

Glaucoma and Antioxidants: Review and Update

Glaucoma is a neurodegenerative disease characterised by the progressive degeneration of retinal ganglion cells. Oxidative stress has been related to the cell death in this disease. Theoretically, this deleterious consequence can be reduced by antioxidants substances. The aim of this review is to assemble the studies published in relation to antioxidant supplementation and its effects on glaucoma and to offer the reader an update on this field. With this purpose, we have included studies in animal models of glaucoma and clinical trials. Although there are variable results, supplementation with antioxidants in glaucoma may be a promising therapy in glaucoma.

A peacock bass (Cichla) functional novelty relaxes a constraint imposed by the classic cichlid pharyngeal jaw innovation

Innovations may provide access to new resources but often result in significant trade-offs. Pharyngognathy is a classic pharyngeal jaw innovation in which the left and right lower pharyngeal jaw (LPJ) bones are united into a single structure, producing a strong bite but reduced gape. Throughout cichlids, pharyngeal suturing occurs along the entire medial border between LPJ bones, except in peacock bass (Cichla), where these bones are connected by ligaments only in their anterior region. We show that this limited attachment permits the jaw bones to spread apart and we link this feature to an increase in pharyngeal gape that is comparable to non-pharyngognathous species. The capacity of the LPJ bones to spread apart is strongest in juveniles and is mostly lost during development. Juvenile Cichla exhibit size-specific pharyngeal gape similar to non-pharyngognathous percomorphs; however, adults exhibit pharyngeal gape on par with other predatory cichlids. Relaxation of pharyngeal suturing offsets a major deleterious consequence of pharyngognathy by reducing gape limitation and we propose this may accelerate the ontogenetic transition to piscivory. Partial reversal of the classic cichlid pharyngeal jaw innovation highlights the functional trade-offs that often accompany innovations and may be a major cause of variation in their macroevolutionary consequences.

Air in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation: can never be overemphasized

Introduction: Air in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation circuit may lead to deleterious consequence. Case report: Three cases of air in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation were presented. Air was introduced from right jugular venous sheath during percutaneous septal repair, pulmonary artery catheter during intensive care unit, and sewing holes on atrial wall during surgery respectively. Accidents in Case 2 and Case 3 were successfully managed, while Case 1 was suspected of cerebral air embolism through transseptal right-to-left shunt. Discussion: With extracorporeal membrane oxygenation being widely applied in more clinical settings, especially in catheterization lab, risks of air in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation increase. More attention should be paid to patients with communication between right and left heart system, especially in situations when venous accesses’ exposure to air could not be avoided. Conclusion: Air in the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation circuit should never be overemphasized, especially during special procedures.

Oxidative Stress and Cardiovascular Complications in Chronic Kidney Disease, the Impact of Anaemia

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have significant cardiovascular morbidity and mortality as a result of risk factors such as left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), oxidative stress, and inflammation. The presence of anaemia in CKD further increases the risk of LVH and oxidative stress, thereby magnifying the deleterious consequence in uraemic cardiomyopathy (UCM), and aggravating progression to failure and increasing the risk of sudden cardiac death. This short review highlights the specific cardio-renal oxidative stress in CKD and provides an understanding of the pathophysiology and impact of uraemic toxins, inflammation, and anaemia on oxidative stress.

Clinical characterisation of polydactyly in Maine Coon cats

Objectives Polydactyly has been reported in a number of vertebrate species, including the domestic cat. It is a common characteristic in some breeding lines of the Maine Coon. The aim of this study was to assess the limb phenotype of polydactyl cats using physical and radiographic examinations. Methods We used physical examination and radiography to characterise the polydactyly phenotype in a cohort of 70 Maine Coon cats, including 48 polydactyl cats from four different breeding lines from Europe, Canada and the USA. Results The phenotypic expression of polydactyly showed great variability, not only in digit number and conformation, but also in the structure of the carpus and tarsus. Comparison of the size of the radius in polydactyl and non-polydactyl 3-month-old kittens and adult females did not reveal any difference between polydactyl and non-polydactyl cats. Conclusions and relevance We conclude that polydactyly in Maine Coon cats is characterised by broad phenotypic diversity. Polydactyly not only affects digit number and conformation, but also carpus and tarsus conformation, with no apparent deleterious consequence on feline welfare.