Traumatic disruption of the pancreatic duct: diagnosis with MR pancreatography

OBJECTIVE. We evaluated the ability of MR pancreatography to reveal traumatic disruptions of the pancreatic duct compared with retrograde pancreatography. CONCLUSION. MR pancreatography is an adequate noninvasive test for the detection of complete traumatic disruptions of the main pancreatic duct. MR pancreatography is especially useful for delineating the segments of the duct that cannot be evaluated with retrograde pancreatography.     

Nontuberculous mycobacteria infection after mesotherapy: preliminary report of 15 cases

BACKGROUND: Mesotherapy is an increasingly used technique which is currently causing several mycobacterial infections owing to contaminated substances being injected, and also to poor aseptic measures being held by nonprofessional practitioners. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We collected 15 cases of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infection after mesotherapy in a 6-month period. RESULTS: All patients were female with ages ranging from 19 to 52 years; the main substances injected were procaine and lecithin, and the time between mesotherapy and the appearance of the lesions varied between 1 and 12 weeks. Clinical lesions were mostly nodules and abscesses, which were localized in the abdomen and buttocks in the majority of cases. The main patient complaint was local pain but some presented with systemic symptoms such as fever and malaise. Biopsies reported granulomatous chronic inflammation in the majority of cases. Skin cultures were positive for NTM and Mycobacterium chelonae. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Mesotherapy not performed with quality controlled substances can be a predisposing factor for NTM infection.     

Detection of Leishmania causing visceral leishmaniasis in the Old and New Worlds by a polymerase chain reaction assay based on telomeric sequences.

We present a new polymerase chain reaction assay based on telomeric sequences of Leishmania donovani. When this assay was used in dilutions of purified L. donovani DNA, a strong amplification signal was observed with 1 fg of DNA. In a specificity test that used purified DNA from Old World and New World Leishmania, the assay recognized all parasites isolated from patients with visceral leishmaniasis, except for 2 isolates of Leishmania colombiensis from Venezuela and 1 isolate from Brazil. All Leishmania major and Leishmania tropica isolates tested were negative, except for one isolate in each species. We also used the assay on fresh and archive bone marrow samples recovered from Giemsa-stained slides and from dried blood stains.     

Efficacy of morning-only 4 liter sulfa free polyethylene glycol vs 2 liter polyethylene glycol with ascorbic acid for afternoon colonoscopy

AIM:To compare the bowel cleansing efficacy of same day ingestion of 4-L sulfa-free polyethylene glycol(4-L SF-PEG)vs 2-L polyethylene glycol solution with ascorbic acid(2-L PEG+Asc)in patients undergoing afternoon colonoscopy.METHODS:206 patients(mean age 56.7 years,61%male)undergoing outpatient screening or surveillance colonoscopies were prospectively randomized to receive either 4-L SF-PEG(n=104)or 2-L PEG+Asc solution(n=102).Colonoscopies were performed by two blinded endoscopists.Bowel preparation was graded using the Ottawa scale.Each participant completed a satisfaction and side effect survey.RESULTS:There was no difference in patient demographics amongst groups.4-L SF-PEG resulted in better Ottawa scores compared to 2-L PEG+Asc,4.2 vs4.9(P=0.0186);left colon:1.33 vs 1.57 respectively(P=0.0224),right colon:1.38 vs 1.63 respectively(P=0.0097).No difference in Ottawa scores was found for the mid colon or amount of fluid.Patient satisfaction was similar for both arms but those assigned to 4-L SF-PEG reported less bloating:23.1%vs 11.5%(P=0.0235).Overall polyp detection,adenomatous polyp and advanced adenoma detection rates were similar between the two groups.CONCLUSION:Morning only 4-L SF-PEG provided superior cleansing with less bloating as compared to 2-L PEG+Asc bowel preparation for afternoon colonoscopy.Thus,future studies evaluating efficacy of morning only preparation for afternoon colonoscopy should use4-L SF-PEG as the standard comparator.     

Multiple sclerosis with megacystic presentation: A case report

Multiple sclerosis is a frequent condition where the diagnosis relies on clinical presentation, neurologic examination, cerebro spinal fluid markers, and diagnostic imaging tests; however, atypical variants of the disease can lead to misdiagnosis in some scenarios. Herein, we describe a case of a 24-year-old patient with multiple sclerosis with megacystic plaques, in which appropriate interpretation of the imaging findings lead to a proper diagnosis and treatment.     

Bone marrow transplantation for refractory acute leukemia in 34 patients with identical twins

Thirty-four patients aged 4-67 yr (median 17) with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) (18 patients) or acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANL) (16 patients) who failed to enter complete remission (CR) or relapsed on conventional chemotherapy were treated with cyclophosphamide (CY), 60 mg/kg/day for 2 days, 1000 rad total body irradiation, and a marrow transplant from a genotypically identical normal twin. Sixteen of the patients received additional chemotherapy within the week before CY. After the transplant, 23 patients received immunotherapy consisting of killed autologous leukemic cells and/or normal twin peripheral blood lymphocytes, 16 as part of a prospectively randomized study. One moribund patient died before engraftment. Nine patients (6 ALL, 3 ANL) continued to have detectable leukemic cells. Twenty-four patients (70%) achieved CR. One of them died of viral hepatitis at 1 mo and another of viral interstitial pneumonitis at 4 mo in CR. Fourteen patients (7 ALL, 7 ANL) relapsed 2-16 mo (median 4) after transplantation. However, 8 patients (24%) (3 ALL, 5 ANL) remain in CR without any maintenance chemotherapy at 29-103 mo (median 80) after the transplant. The end results were not signficantly influenced by the type of leukemia, the immediated pre-CY chemotherapy, or the immunotherapy. The results show that this approach, even when applied to endstage patients with acute leukemia in relapse, causes tolerable morbidity, rare nonleukemic deaths, and frequent remissions, some of which represent cures.     

China’s great wall,Israel’s Bar Lev Line,and passive infectious disease surveillance

Emerging infectious diseases are some of modern society’s greatest threats. Like some great construction efforts designed to protect mankind, current public health measures against these emerging pathogens have not always been successful. This paper highlights the importance of embracing new interdisciplinary approaches towards emerging pathogen threats. One such approach, termed One Health, is quickly being embraced by professional organizations and public health institutions across the world as a way forward. This paper briefly discusses the above problems and preliminary steps taken by Chinese academic institutions to embrace the One Health approach.