Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Semin Neurol 2018 Dec 6;38(6):640-643. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.

Myofascial pain syndromes arise from acute and chronic musculoskeletal pain and often have a referred neuropathic component. It affects more than three quarters of the world's population and is one of the most important and overlooked causes of disability. The origins of pain are thought to reside anywhere between the motor end plate and the fibrous outer covering of the muscle, with involvement of microvasculature and neurotransmitters at the cellular level. Read More

Cell Physiol Biochem 2018 Dec 6;51(5):2019-2029. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou,

Background/aims: β-Elemene is a bioactive sesquiterpene compound that exhibits a potent anti-tumor effect and is used in various clinical applications. However, little is known about its effect on the male reproductive system. The objective of this study was to investigate the in vitro actions of β-elemene on human sperm function and elucidate the underlying mechanism. Read More

Cell Physiol Biochem 2018 Dec 6;51(5):2041-2051. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Department of Endocrinology, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University and Chongqing Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, Chongqing,

Background/aims: Alarin has been reported to be related with increased food intake and body weight. The relationship of circulating Alarin with insulin resistance or metabolic syndrome (MetS), however, is unknown. This study aimed to investigate the physiological role of Alarin and its association with MetS in humans. Read More

Early Hum Dev 2018 Dec 3;128:48-54. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.

Objective: To evaluate the relationship of parent-reported child behaviors on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) to cognition, language, and motor skills on the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development - III (Bayley-III) in toddlers born extremely preterm.

Study Design: Toddlers born extremely preterm (gestational ages 22 0/7 to 26 6/7 weeks) were tested at 22-26 months corrected age with Bayley-III while parents completed the CBCL. Socio-demographic variables and medical history were recorded. Read More

Am Heart J 2018 Oct 25;208:11-20. Epub 2018 Oct 25.

Department of Cardiology, Flinders Medical Centre, Adelaide, Australia; College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia. Electronic address:

Background: Elevated troponin level findings among patients presenting with suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or another intercurrent illness undeniably identifies patients at increased risk of mortality. Whilst enhancing our capacity to discriminate risk, the use of high-sensitivity troponin assays frequently identifies patients with myocardial injury (i.e. Read More

Epilepsy Behav 2018 Dec 3;90:93-98. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

IRCCS "NEUROMED", Pozzilli, IS, Italy; Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Italy.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to report long-term seizure outcome in patients who underwent frontal lobe epilepsy (FLE) surgery.

Method: This retrospective study included 44 consecutive subjects who underwent resective surgery for intractable FLE at IRCCS NEUROMED (period 2001-2014), followed up for at least 2 years (mean: 8.7 years). Read More

Sci Total Environ 2018 Nov 22;656:433-446. Epub 2018 Nov 22.

Irstea, UR RiverLy, centre de Lyon-Villeurbanne, 5 rue de la Doua, CS 20244, F-69625, Villeurbanne Cedex, France.

Sediments accumulation in reservoirs induces water storage capacities reduction and flood risks increases rendering dam flushing or dredging events compulsory for security reasons. Short transient events like dam flushing monitoring is still a great challenge because the suspended sediments and contaminants concentrations increases could occur over only few hours/days and cover tens of kilometres. Since 1942, 21 dam flushing events have been performed on the Upper Rhône River (from Lake Geneva in Switzerland to Lyon in France) in order to evacuate accumulated sediments behind the Verbois dam (Switzerland). Read More

Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces 2018 Nov 30;175:91-97. Epub 2018 Nov 30.

CIRIMAT, Université de Toulouse 3 - Paul Sabatier, CNRS, Toulouse, France. Electronic address:

Alginate and chitosan are polysaccharides that are widely used in the biomedical field, especially as wound dressings. Controlled bioadhesion is an advanced functionality that offers the potential to reduce injuries due to the stripping-off of the biomaterial. Herein, we report the efficient grafting of poly-N(isopropylacryamide) (PNIPAM), a thermosensitive polymer that exhibits a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) at 32 °C on the alginate/chitosan polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) surface. Read More

Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces 2018 Nov 28;175:84-90. Epub 2018 Nov 28.

Dept. of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA. Electronic address:

Lectin hetero-multivalency, binding to two or more different types of ligands, has been demonstrated to play a role in case of both LecA (a Pseudomonas aeruginosa adhesin) and Cholera Toxin subunit B (a Vibrio cholerae toxin). In order to screen the ligand candidates that involve in hetero-multivalent binding from large molecular libraries, we present a turbidity-based emulsion agglutination (TEA) assay that can be conducted in a high-throughput format using the standard laboratory instruments and reagents. The benefit of this assay is that it relies on the use of emulsions that can be formed using ultrasonication, minimizing the bottleneck of substrate surface functionalization. Read More

Accid Anal Prev 2018 Dec 3;123:176-189. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Wyoming, 1000 E University Ave, Laramie, WY 82071, USA. Electronic address:

Interstate 80 in Wyoming is one of the busiest freight corridors that is characterized with harsh winter conditions and challenging mountainous roadway sections. The fatality rates in Wyoming are always typically higher than the national level. The 402-mile I-80 corridor in Wyoming was selected by the USDOT FHWA for piloting connected vehicle technology to improve the safety and mobility of heavy trucks. Read More

Ultrasonics 2018 Nov 22;93:139-144. Epub 2018 Nov 22.

University of Freiburg, Walter and Ingeborg Herrmann Professorship for Engineering of Functional Materials (EFM), Department for Sustainable Systems Engineering (INATECH), Faculty of Engineering, 79110 Freiburg, Germany.

Ultrasonic metal welding is a promising process for joining light metals with fiber-reinforced thermoplastics. The technique is characterized by high reproducibility, short process times, low energy input, no additional filler materials and finally the possibility of extensive process data logging. With this process, dissimilar aerospace materials are ultrasonically welded and the applied process parameters are optimized by statistical methods. Read More

Aquat Toxicol 2018 Nov 27;207:52-62. Epub 2018 Nov 27.

Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Department of Biology, Ulica cara Hadrijana 8/A, HR-31000, Osijek, Croatia. Electronic address:

This paper aims to evaluate the effects of a product containing colloidal silver in the aquatic environment, using duckweed Lemna gibba as a model plant. Therefore, growth parameters, photosynthetic pigments content and protein content as physiological indices were evaluated. Changes in the content of non-enzymatic antioxidants and activity of several antioxidant enzymes, alongside with the accumulation of hydrogen peroxide and lipid peroxidation end-products were assessed to explore the potential of colloidal silver to induce oxidative stress. Read More

Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Department of Ophthalmology, Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro, Madrid, Spain.

Non-graft-versus-host disease (non-GVHD) ocular complications are generally uncommon after hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), but can cause prolonged morbidity affecting activities of daily living and quality of life. Here we provide an expert review of non-GVHD ocular complications in a collaboration between transplant physicians and ophthalmologists through the Late Effects and Quality of Life Working Committee of the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research and the Transplant Complications Working Party of the European Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Complications discussed in this review include cataracts, glaucoma, ocular infections, ocular involvement with malignancy, ischemic microvascular retinopathy, central retinal vein occlusion, retinal hemorrhage, retinal detachment and ocular toxicities associated with medications. Read More

Fish Shellfish Immunol 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Department of Animal and Aquatic Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand. Electronic address:

The present study aimed at evaluation of possible effects of Psidium guajava as immunostimulant on mucosal and serum immunity, as well as related genes expression in common carp (Cyprinus carpio) fingerlings. In an eight weeks feeding trial, fish were fed with experimental diets containing guava leaf powder [GLP] (0, 0.25, 0. Read More

World Neurosurg 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology and Minia University Hospital, Mohammed Badway str., 61111, El-Minia, Egypt; Minia University Spine Unit (MUSU), Faculty of Medicine, Minia University. Minia University Hospital, Mohammed Badway str., 61111, El-Minia, Egypt. Electronic address:

Background Data: Complexity in ventral surgical exposure, presence of scapula and large para-scapular musculature during posterior surgery are the main obstacles in operative treatment of Upper Thoracic Spine Compressive Lesions (UTSCL) like trauma, tuberculosis and neoplasm. Recently, the advantages of combined ventro-dorsal surgery could be successfully gained using 1-stage posterior salvage technique with enough accessibility to all three spinal columns.

Purpose: Retrospective evaluation of 35 patients with UTSCL treated by Posterior Extensive Circumferential Decompressive Reconstructive (PECDR) procedure. Read More

World Neurosurg 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Department of Neurological Surgery, Policlinico "G. Rodolico" University Hospital, Via Santa Sofia 86, 95123 - Catania, Italy.

Background: Arachnoiditis ossificans (AO) is a rare condition often associated with previous spine surgery. Here we describe a unique case of a patient affected by ankylosing spondylitis (AS), presenting with progressive neurological deterioration due to AO. We also review the literature on evaluation and management of patients suffering from AO. Read More

Eur J Pharm Sci 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Debrecen, Nagyerdei St. 98, H-4032 Debrecen, Hungary. Electronic address:

A new renaissance started in the research and application of cyclodextrins a few years ago. 2-Hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HPBCD) is used in the formulation of drugs and recently orphan designation was granted for the treatment of Niemann-Pick disease, type C. HPBCD is considered to be safe, but the exact mechanism of action and side effects are not completely explained. Read More

Int J Infect Dis 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Oslo, Norway.

Introduction: Anthrax is caused by the spore-forming, Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus anthracis. The aim of the study was to predict the potential distribution of B. anthracis in Tanzania and produce epidemiological evidence for management of anthrax outbreaks in the country. Read More

Pharmacol Ther 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Department of Medical Oncology, CAncer Research for PErsonalized Medicine (CARPEM), Paris Centre Teaching Hospitals, Paris Descartes University, USPC, Paris, France.

Body composition has gained increasing attention in oncology in recent years due to fact that sarcopenia has been revealed to be a strong prognostic indicator for survival across multiple stages and cancer types and a predictive factor for toxicity and surgery complications. Accumulating evidence over the last decade has unraveled the "pharmacology" of sarcopenia. Lean body mass may be more relevant to define drug dosing than the "classical" body surface area or flat-fixed dosing in patients with cancer. Read More

J Microbiol Methods 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Institute of Clinical Microbiology and Hygiene, University Hospital of Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauß-Allee 11, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany.

Recently, the CPO Detect panel for the detection of carbapenemase-producing, Gram-negative bacteria was introduced for the Phoenix semi-automated antimicrobial susceptibility testing system. The CPO Detect assay aims to detect carbapenemase activity (P/N test) and to type carbapenemase producers according to the Ambler classification (Ambler test). The P/N test-based detection of carbapenemase producers was 100% sensitive and 55. Read More

J Microbiol Methods 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Indian Council Agricultural Research-National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics, Yelahanka, Bengaluru 560064, India. Electronic address:

Brucellosis in pigs, caused by the bacterium Brucella suis, is an important zoonotic infection. In the present study, fluorescence polarization assay (FPA) was standardized and compared with indirect enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (iELISA) and competitive ELISA (cELISA) for diagnosis of porcine brucellosis. Test performances were evaluated using representative panel (n = 100), samples from swine brucellosis outbreak (n = 300), samples from brucellosis suspected animals (n = 291) and sera samples from apparently healthy animals (n = 1121). Read More

Biotechnol Adv 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

College of Food Science and Technology, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming 650201, China. Electronic address:

For centuries, fermented soy foods have been dietary staples in Asia and, now, in response to consumer demand, they are available throughout the world. Fermentation bestows unique flavors, boosts nutritional values and increases or adds new functional properties. In this review, we describe the functional properties and underlying action mechanisms of soy-based fermented foods such as Natto, fermented soy milk, Tempeh and soy sauce. Read More

Antiviral Res 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Institute for Antiviral Research, Utah State University, Logan, UT, United States; Department of Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, UT, United States; Utah Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, Logan, UT, United States. Electronic address:

Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) is a non-polio enterovirus that affects the respiratory system and can cause serious complications, especially in children and older people with weakened immune systems. As an emerging virus, there are no current antiviral therapies or vaccines available. Our goal was to develop a mouse model of human EV-D68 infection that mimicked the disease observed in humans and could be used for evaluation of experimental therapeutics. Read More

Steroids 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai, 201203, China. Electronic address:

In this study, eighteen novel steroidal-furoxan derivatives with 3-glycosyl or 3-methoxy moiety (12a-c, 13a-c, 17a-c, 26a-c, 27a-c and 28a-c) were synthesized and their anti-proliferative activity was evaluated against eight drug-sensitive and three drug-resistant cancer cell lines HeLa, A2780, LNCaP, PC-3, MDA-MB-231, MCF-7, SW480, A549, MCF-7/ADR, A2780/CDDP and A2780/T. Most of them displayed significant anti-cancer potency in vitro with IC values at the nanomole level. Among them, 3-methoxy steroidal-furoxan hybrids expressed much better activity than that of 3-glycosyl substitute ones, while estrane and 5α-H-androstane scaffold were slightly more favorable to the improvement of anti-proliferative activity. Read More

Acta Trop 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida, 1881 Natural Area Dr., Gainesville, FL, 32608, United States.

Methods for collecting mosquitoes without the use of electricity are advantageous in remote field locations where electricity is not present or is unreliable. Here we report on the development and evaluation of a human-powered system for sampling cavity-resting mosquitoes. The system is composed of a spring-steel framed resting shelter and pneumatic lid that "pumps" mosquitoes resting within the shelter into a capture chamber when the resting shelter is manually compressed. Read More

Am J Obstet Gynecol 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas.

Background: Inositols (INOs) supplementation during pregnancy, specifically the combination of myo-inositol (MI) and D-chiro-inositol (DCI), has been reported to improve vascular parameters in women with gestational diabetes mellitus. We demonstrated previously that offspring born to pregnant mice lacking endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS+/-) gene have hypertension (HTN) as adults and when fed high fat diet (HFD) develop a metabolic syndrome (MS) phenotype.

Objective: Our aim was to evaluate if INOs treatment in pregnancy complicated by MS improves the vascular and metabolic profile in mice offspring programmed in utero to develop HTN and MS. Read More

Exp Mol Pathol 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Universidade Luterana do Brasil - ULBRA - Graduate Program in Genetics and Applied Toxicology, Canoas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; Universidade Luterana do Brasil - ULBRA - Graduate Program in Cellular and Molecular Biology Applied to Health, Canoas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul - UFRGS - Graduate Program in Medicine: Medical Sciences, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; Universidade Luterana do Brasil - Laboratory of Oxidative Stress and Antioxidants, Canoas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre - HCPA - Laboratory of Experimental Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Electronic address:

In recent decades, the number of people who practice sports has grown exponentially, increasing the number of muscular injuries. Trauma injury occurs when the muscle is exposed to a sudden compression force. Melatonin (MLT) has often been cited in the literature as a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent. Read More

Rev Med Inst Mex Seguro Soc 2018 11 30;56(4):395-409. Epub 2018 Nov 30.

Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Hospital de Especialidades “Dr. Bernardo Sepúlveda Gutiérrez”, Unidad de Investigación Médica en Endocrinología Experimental. Ciudad de México, México

More than 70% of the population in Mexico is overweight or obese, affecting mainly people in productive age. Obesity is associated with the development of diseases that increase cardiovascular risk (diabetes mellitus, hypertension or atherogenic dyslipidemia), diseases that limit the quality of life of the patient (osteoarthrosis or sleep apnea) and even with the increase in the incidence of certain types of cancer (breast or colon). It is evident that the decrease of at least 5% of body weight induces improvement in all these factors; however, in some patients it is difficult to achieve this goal only with lifestyle modifications. Read More

Acta Ortop Mex 2018 May-Jun;32(3):157-162

Servicio de Cirugía Articular, Hospital Juárez de México, Ciudad de México.

Background: Reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) aims to restore the original anatomy. The clinical outcome could be imperfect when graft placement is not in an anatomical position; moreover, the conventional transtibial reconstruction of the ACL often locates the graft away from the anatomical site, leading to abnormal biomechanical behavior and kinematics of the knee. The objective of this work was to assess the importance of the angular reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament during arthroscopic replacement and to compare the postoperative functional results. Read More

Acta Ortop Mex 2018 May-Jun;32(3):131-133

Clínica de Detección y Diagnóstico Automatizado, Instituto de Seguridad y Servicios Sociales de los Trabajadores del Estado (ISSSTE), Ciudad de México.

Background: Osteoporosis is a public health problem worldwide, affecting more than 200 million people. It is estimated that 30 to 50% of postmenopausal women suffer from it. According to the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF), osteoporosis is a disease characterized by a decrease in the density and quality of bones. Read More

ChemMedChem 2018 Dec 6. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

SWITZERLAND.

Bruton's tyrosine kinase (Btk) is an attractive target for the treatment of a wide array of B-cell malignancies and autoimmune diseases. Small molecule covalent irreversible Btk inhibitors targeting Cys481 have been developed for the treatment of the aforementioned diseases. In clinical trials, probe molecules are required in occupancy studies to measure the level of engagement of the Btk protein by these Btk covalent irreversible inhibitors. Read More

Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2018 Dec 3;12:CD013193. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK, B15 2TT.

Background: Early accurate detection of all skin cancer types is essential to guide appropriate management and to improve morbidity and survival. Melanoma and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) are high-risk skin cancers which have the potential to metastasise and ultimately lead to death, whereas basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is usually localised with potential to infiltrate and damage surrounding tissue. Anxiety around missing early curable cases needs to be balanced against inappropriate referral and unnecessary excision of benign lesions. Read More

Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2018 Dec 3;12:CD013194. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK, B15 2TT.

Background: Melanoma has one of the fastest rising incidence rates of any cancer. It accounts for a small percentage of skin cancer cases but is responsible for the majority of skin cancer deaths. History-taking and visual inspection of a suspicious lesion by a clinician is usually the first in a series of 'tests' to diagnose skin cancer. Read More

Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2018 Dec 3;12:CD013188. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK, B15 2TT.

Background: Early, accurate detection of all skin cancer types is essential to guide appropriate management and to improve morbidity and survival. Melanoma and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) are high-risk skin cancers with the potential to metastasise and ultimately lead to death, whereas basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is usually localised, with potential to infiltrate and damage surrounding tissue. Anxiety around missing early curable cases needs to be balanced against inappropriate referral and unnecessary excision of benign lesions. Read More

Int J Oral Maxillofac Implants 2018 Dec 5. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

Purpose: Scientific publications have recently found that bone graft quality and implant survival rates were not influenced by antrostomy membrane coverage during maxillary sinus floor augmentation with a lateral approach. The aim of this study was to evaluate the stability of the bone substitute after a maxillary sinus floor augmentation procedure with or without using a covering membrane.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective study evaluated all patients who were enrolled between April 2016 and January 2017. Read More

PLoS One 2018 6;13(12):e0208588. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.

Purpose: Modern non-invasive evaluation of Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) requires non-contrast low dose Computed Tomography (CT) imaging for determination of Calcium Scoring (CACS) and contrast-enhanced imaging for evaluation of vascular stenosis. Several methods for calculation of CACS from contrast-enhanced images have been proposed before. The main principle for that is generation of virtual non-contrast images by iodine subtraction from a contrast-enhanced spectral CT dataset. Read More

PLoS One 2018 6;13(12):e0208354. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Department of Health Statistics, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shannxi, China.

Analytical similarity assessment of critical quality attributes (CQAs) serves as a foundation for the development of biosimilar products and facilitates an abbreviated subsequent clinical evaluation. In this study, we establish a statistical evaluation roadmap with statistical approaches for some selected CQAs from Tier 1, because they are most relevant to clinical outcomes and require the most rigorous statistical methods. In the roadmap, we incorporate 3 methods-ranking and tier assignment of quality attributes, the equivalence test, and the Mann-Whitney test for equivalence-that are important to determine analytical similarity between the reference and biosimilar products. Read More

PLoS One 2018 6;13(12):e0208299. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Division of Women & Child Health, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.

Pakistani women suffer the highest rate of maternal mortality in South Asia. A lack of comprehensive knowledge about maternal and newborn health (MNH) services costs impedes policy decisions to maximize the benefit from existing, as well as emerging, MNH interventions in Pakistan. We compared MNH service costs at different levels of care. Read More

PLoS One 2018 6;13(12):e0208416. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Department of General and Endocrine Surgery, Lyon Sud Hospital, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Pierre-Bénite, France.

Objective: To determine the validity of hospital administrative databases compared to prospective collection of medical data assessing thyroid surgery complications.

Background: Administrative data are increasingly used to track surgical outcomes.

Methods: All patients undergoing thyroid surgery at three French university hospitals between April 2008 and April 2009 were prospectively included. Read More

PLoS One 2018 6;13(12):e0207707. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Hellenic Foundation for Cancer Research/Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.

In the current study, we performed a complete analysis, with four different methods, of all four HER family receptors, in a series of patients with metastatic breast cancer treated with trastuzumab-based regimens and evaluated their prognostic value. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor tissue samples were collected from 227 patients, considered to be HER2-positive when assessed at the local laboratories. We evaluated gene amplification, copy number variations (CNVs), mRNA and protein expression of all four HER family members. Read More

PLoS One 2018 6;13(12):e0208221. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Hellenic Foundation for Cancer Research/Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.

The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of the Hedgehog (Gli, Patched-1, Shh, Smo) and Notch (Jag1, Notch2, Notch3) pathway members, in comparison to a panel of proteins (ER, PgR, HER2/neu, Ki67, p53, p16, PTEN and MMR) previously suggested to be involved in the pathogenesis of endometrial cancer, in association with clinical outcome and standard clinicopathological characteristics. A total of 204 patients with histological diagnosis of endometrial cancer treated from 2004 to 2013 were included. The evaluation of protein expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry. Read More

PLoS One 2018 6;13(12):e0208251. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.

Background: Numerous clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) are published to guide management of osteoporosis. Little is known about their quality or how recommendations have changed over time.

Objective: To systematically assess the quality and content of the guidelines on screening for osteoporosis, using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE II) tool, and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) standards for trustworthy guidelines. Read More

Folia Med Cracov 2018 ;58(3):67-81

Department of Radiology, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Kraków, Poland.

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to define the total number of septa and the total number of antra in the sphenoid sinuses (created as a result of the presence of additional septa), as well as the relation between the number of the septa and their location in the adult population.

Materials And Methods: e study was conducted as a retrospective analysis of the computed tomography (CT) scans of the paranasal sinuses of 296 patients (147 females and 149 males), who did not present any pathology in the sphenoid sinuses. The CT scans of the paranasal sinuses were done with the spiral CT scanner (Siemens Somatom Sensation 16) by using a standard procedure, in the option Siemens CARE Dose 4D, without using any contrast medium. Read More

Folia Med Cracov 2018 ;58(3):23-33

Urology Department Military Institute of Medicine, Szaserów 128, Warszawa, Poland.

Introduction: The prolongation of the life of men results in the growing number of people suffering from benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). In 2010, BPH concerned more than 200 million men in the whole world, which at that time made up 6% of the population of men at large. Currently, the population of men in the world amounts about three billion six hundred million. Read More