Caecal Volvulus in the Marden-Walker Syndrome : an Uncommon Association of Two Rare Diseases in a 4-Year Old Child. Case report

The authors report a case of caecal volvulus associated with Marden-Walker syndrome in a 4-year old girl. They point out the diagnostic difficulties of this devastating disease specially in debilitated children.     

结核病中断治疗的危险因素分析:赞比亚301例结核病患者前瞻性队列研究

背景:赞比亚一家城市结核病门诊部。目的:确认与中断治疗增加有关的患者特征,尤其是关于接受治疗的相关知识及费用因素。设计:对15岁以上、开始治疗的结核病患者进行前瞻性队列研究,采用半结构式调查表调查及对其后一周三次直接观察下治疗(DOT)就诊情况的观察。结果:301例患者中,共有76例(25.2%)中断了治疗,25例未恢复治疗。中断治疗率较高者为对治疗成功信心不足者(HR3.64;95%CI:1.42-9.31,P=0.007)及因接受治疗有明显的时间和费用限制者(HR2.67;95%CI:1.05-6.81;P=0.04)。在不同治疗阶段这些因素的影响不同,在开始治疗的90天,对治疗成功信心不足的因素影响明显,而因到门诊部接受治疗而增加交通费用的因素则多发生于治疗90天后。结论:在赞比亚,在开始治疗及治疗期间的不同阶段均可发现中断治疗的高危人群。在治疗3个月后,患者对治疗成功信心增强后,可考虑采用以家庭为基础的自我服药,这样可减少患者去门诊部接受治疗的费用。     

Mass drug administration with azithromycin for trachoma elimination and the population structure of Streptococcus pneumoniae in the nasopharynx

ObjectiveMass drug administration (MDA) with azithromycin for trachoma elimination reduces nasopharyngeal carriage of Streptococcus pneumoniae in the short term. We evaluated S. pneumoniae carried in the nasopharynx before and after a round of azithromycin MDA to determine whether MDA was associated with changes in pneumococcal population structure and resistance.MethodsWe analysed 514 pneumococcal whole genomes randomly selected from nasopharyngeal samples collected in two Gambian villages that received three annual rounds of MDA for trachoma elimination. The 514 samples represented 293 participants, of which 75% were children aged 0–9 years, isolated during three cross-sectional surveys (CSSs) conducted before the third round of MDA (CSS-1) and at 1 (CSS-2) and 6 (CSS-3) months after MDA. Bayesian Analysis of Population Structure (BAPS) was used to cluster related isolates by capturing variation in the core genome. Serotype and multilocus sequence type were inferred from the genotype. Antimicrobial resistance determinants were identified from assemblies, including known macrolide resistance genes.ResultsTwenty-seven BAPS clusters were assigned. These consisted of 81 sequence types (STs). Two BAPS clusters not observed in CSS-1 (n = 109) or CSS-2 (n = 69), increased in frequency in CSS-3 (n = 126); BAPS20 (8.73%, p 0.016) and BAPS22 (7.14%, p 0.032) but were not associated with antimicrobial resistance. Macrolide resistance within BAPS17 increased after treatment (CSS-1 n = 0/6, CSS-2/3 n = 5/5, p 0.002) and was carried on a mobile transposable element that also conferred resistance to tetracycline.DiscussionLimited changes in pneumococcal population structure were observed after the third round of MDA, suggesting treatment had little effect on the circulating lineages. An increase in macrolide resistance within one BAPS highlights the need for antimicrobial resistance surveillance in treated villages.     

Analysis of surgical outcome after upper eyelid surgery by computer vision algorithm using face and facial landmark detection

Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology - To evaluate the postoperative changes with a computer vision algorithm for anterior full-face photographs of patients who have...     

Anti-Inflammatory and Antioxidant Activities of Methanol Extracts and Alkaloid Fractions of Four Mexican Medicinal Plants of Solanaceae

Background

Methanol extracts and alkaloid fractions of different parts of four plant species belonging to Solanaceae family and used in Mexican traditional medicine were investigated for their total phenolic contents, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

Materials and Methods

The total phenolic compounds of each extract was determined according to the Folin-Ciocalteu method, while the in vitro radical scavenging activities of the extracts were assessed using the DPPH and ABTS radicals. The in vivo anti-inflammatory activity was determined using the TPA-induced mouse ear edema model.

Results

The methanol extracts contained the highest concentrations of phenolic compounds and also exhibited the best reducing power on the DPPH and ABTS radicals, in a concentration-dependent fashion. However, the anti-inflammatory activity did not follow the same trend, as some alkaloid fractions that showed low radical reducing power exhibited the strongest anti-inflammatory activity.

Conclusion

The methanol extract obtained from the flowers of Nicotiana glauca presented the best overall performance with the largest amount of phenolic compounds (111 µg garlic acid equivalents/g of extract), the best antioxidant activity (94.80% inhibition of DPPH and 97.57% of ABTS) and the highest anti-inflammatory activity (81.93% inhibition of the inflammation).     

The anatomical and radiological evaluation of the Vidian canal on cone-beam computed tomography images

European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - The aim of this study is to explore the anatomy of the Vidian nerve to elucidate the appropriate surgical approach based on preoperative cone-beam...     

Vulnerability for apoptosis in the limbic system after myocardial infarction in rats: a possible model for human postinfarct major depression

OBJECTIVE: Major depressive disorder occurs in 15%-30% of patients who have had a myocardial infarction (MI), but the neurobiological mechanisms involved are not well understood. Previously, we found early intracellular signalling changes in the limbic system after acute MI in rats. The aim of the present study was to test the presence of behavioural deficits compatible with animal models of depression after acute MI in rats and to verify whether this is associated with apoptosis vulnerability markers. METHODS: Occlusion of the left-anterior descending artery was induced for 40 minutes under anesthesia in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats. Control sham rats underwent the same surgical procedure without occlusion. After surgery, subgroups of MI and sham rats were treated with desipramine, 10 mg/kg, intraperitoneally for 14 days. All rats were tested on measures of behavioural depression 14 days after surgery with a sucrose preference test, a forced swimming test, and a memory test (Morris water maze [MWM]). The rats were sacrificed, and the MI size was determined; apoptosis was estimated in the prefrontal cortex, hypothalamus, amygdala and hippocampus by measuring Bax:Bcl-2 ratio and caspase-3 activity. RESULTS: Untreated MI rats drank significantly less sucrose and swam significantly less than sham rats. No difference was found on the MWM. Behavioural depression was prevented by desipramine. Bax:Bcl-2 ratio was significantly increased in the prefrontal cortex and hypothalamus of MI rats, compared with sham rats; caspase-3 activity showed no difference between the 2 groups. Bax:Bcl-2 ratio in the prefrontal cortex was correlated with swim time in the forced swim test. CONCLUSION: Behavioural impairment and limbic apoptotic events observed after a myocardial infarct are consistent with a model of human post-MI depression.