Metachronous multicentric giant-cell tumor of the bone in the lower limb. Case report and Ki-67 immunohistochemistry study

Multicentric giant-cell tumors of the bone (GCTs) are rare. Little is known about the mechanisms by which these tumors spread and how 1% of GCT turn out to be multicentric. We report the case of a 19-year-old woman with metachronous multiple and recurrent GCTs that were unusual in their pattern of progression along the right lower limb over a 23-year period. Histology showed no evidence of malignant transformation. The treatment was repeated curettage and packing with cement. This did not permit a wide surgical margin, but avoided amputation and preserved full limb function. We tested the proliferation index marker Ki-67 in the tumor specimens. Ki-67 expression was limited to the mononuclear cell component of the tumors. The proliferation index was similar in each new tumor and higher in recurrences for each location. In this case, proliferation was initially low in the new tumor location, despite the time difference and independent from the initial clone evolution. Proliferation index increased in recurrent GCTs after marginal margin resection.     

Global and high-level effects in crowding cannot be predicted by either high-dimensional pooling or target cueing

In visual crowding, the perception of a target deteriorates in the presence of nearby flankers. Traditionally, target-flanker interactions have been considered as local, mostly deleterious, low-level, and feature specific, occurring when information is pooled along the visual processing hierarchy. Recently, a vast literature of high-level effects in crowding (grouping effects and face-holistic crowding in particular) led to a different understanding of crowding, as a global, complex, and multilevel phenomenon that cannot be captured or explained by simple pooling models. It was recently argued that these high-level effects may still be captured by more sophisticated pooling models, such as the Texture Tiling model (TTM). Unlike simple pooling models, the high-dimensional pooling stage of the TTM preserves rich information about a crowded stimulus and, in principle, this information may be sufficient to drive high-level and global aspects of crowding. In addition, it was proposed that grouping effects in crowding may be explained by post-perceptual target cueing. Here, we extensively tested the predictions of the TTM on the results of six different studies that highlighted high-level effects in crowding. Our results show that the TTM cannot explain any of these high-level effects, and that the behavior of the model is equivalent to a simple pooling model. In addition, we show that grouping effects in crowding cannot be predicted by post-perceptual factors, such as target cueing. Taken together, these results reinforce once more the idea that complex target-flanker interactions determine crowding and that crowding occurs at multiple levels of the visual hierarchy.     

Peroperative cholangiography in cholelithiasis. Results of a multivariate analysis]

This study was done to select patients with a low risk of common bile duct (CBD) stones in whom operative cholangiography could be avoided. Operative cholangiography was performed upon 511 patients. Two different groups of patients were identified: patients with CBD stones visualized by CBD exploration (n = 90) and patients with no CBD stones at the time of operative cholangiography (n = 42). Multivariate analysis (stepwise logistic regression) showed that five variables were correlated with the presence of CBD stones: size of CBD equal to or greater than 12 millimeters, gallstones equal to or less than 10 millimeters, advanced age, chronic or acute cholecystitis and pas history of biliary colic. Using a scoring system, a group of patients with a low risk (less than 2%) of CBD stones could be easily determined. In this group of patients, operative cholangiography may be avoided.     

Effects of a 3-mo consumption of short-chain fructo-oligosaccharides on parameters of colorectal carcinogenesis in patients with or without small or large colorectal adenomas

Intervention studies of colorectal adenoma recurrence have demonstrated the need for surrogate markers of the cancer risk. Short-chain fructo-oligosaccharides (sc-FOS) have protective actions on colon carcinogenesis in animal models. We investigated differences in biological markers between adenoma and adenoma-free subjects, before and after 3 mo of daily intake of 10 g sc-FOS, within a multicenter study. After a full colonoscopy, 3 groups were studied at baseline and after 3 mo: 26 subjects with small colorectal adenoma(s), 18 with large adenoma(s), and 30 with no adenoma. At baseline, the mean fecal butyrate concentration was significantly lower in the adenoma groups than in the adenoma-free group (12.01 +/- 5.08 vs. 17.28 +/- 7.34 mmol/g dry weight) but was significantly increased in that group after 3-mo ingestion of sc-FOS (15.7 +/- 8.0 mmol/g; P = 0.02). In subjects without adenoma, sc-FOS ingestion was associated with a decrease in fecal lithocholic acid (P = 0.02) and an increase in cholic acid (P = 0.02), chenodeoxycholic acid (P = 0.04), total primary bile acids (P = 0.03), and ursodeoxycholic acid (P = 0.05). Fecal pH, blood parameters, and crypt cell proliferation were not significantly modified by sc-FOS ingestion in either group. In subjects with and without adenoma, sc-FOS affects some aspects of the colonic environment, which may be involved in prevention of colorectal neoplasia.     

Influence of short-chain fructo-oligosaccharides (sc-FOS) on absorption of Cu, Zn, and Se in healthy postmenopausal women

OBJECTIVE: This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of short-chain fructooligosaccharides (sc-FOS) on the absorption of Cu, Zn, and Se among postmenopausal women who are potential candidates to subclinical trace element deficiencies. DESIGN: A randomized double blind cross-over study. SETTING: This study was carried out at the Human Nutrition Research Center, Clermont-Ferrand, France. SUBJECTS: 11 postmenopausal women aged 53-70 y, not taking hormone replacement therapy were enrolled and completed the study. INTERVENTIONS: Diets with 10 g/day sc-FOS or placebo were given for 5 weeks each in random order followed by a wash-out period of at least 3 weeks. At the end of each period, stable isotopes (3.19 mg 67Zn as ZnCl2, 2.06 mg 65Cu as CuCl2 and 52.3 microg 74Se as sodium selenite) and radiopaque pellets (as fecal excretion index) were administered during lunch. Stools were collected for the next 5-7 days. Isotopes were determined by ICP-MS (Cu and Zn) or GC-MS (Se). RESULTS: Copper absorption was significantly enhanced (p = 0.042) by sc-FOS. No effect of sc-FOS was observed on Zn, and Se absorption. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first study on the influence of sc-FOS on trace element metabolism. The observed increase in copper absorption may be of interest regarding daily copper requirements in menopausal women. However, the relevance of this observation remains to be established.     

Synthesis of (+/-)-2-O-[4'-(N-9''-purinyl)butyl] myo-inositol 1,4,5-tris(phosphate), a potent full agonist at the D-myo-inositol 1,4,5-tris(phosphate) receptor

Racemic 2-O-[4'(9'-N-purinyl)butyl] myo-inositol 1,4,5-tris(phosphate) 8 was synthesized starting from myo-inositol. Substitution of position 2 by an alkyl side chain was rendered possible by inversion of the chair conformation of the inositol ring by means of an orthoester. The final compound is a full agonist with the same order of potency as d-myo-inositol 1,4,5-tris(phosphate).     

Polymorphism of paracetamol: relative stabilities of the monoclinic and orthorhombic phases inferred from topological pressure-temperature and temperature-volume phase diagrams

The thermodynamic relationships between the two known polymorphs of paracetamol have been investigated, and the subsequent pressure-temperature and temperature-volume phase diagrams were constructed using data from crystallographic and calorimetric measurements as a function of the temperature. Irrespective of temperature, monoclinic Form I and orthorhombic Form II are stable phases at ordinary and high pressures, respectively. The I and II phase regions in the pressure-temperature diagram are bordered by the I-II equilibrium curve, for which a negative slope (dp/dT approximately -0.3 MPa x K(-1)) was determined although it was not observed experimentally. This curve goes through the I-II-liquid triple point whose coordinates (p approximately 234 MPa, T approximately 505 K) correspond to the crossing point of the melting curves, for which dp/dT values of +3.75 MPa x K(-1) (I) and +3.14 MPa x K(-1) (II) were calculated from enthalpy and volume changes upon fusion. More generally, this case exemplifies how the stability hierarchy of polymorphs may be inferred from the difference in their sublimation curves, as topologically positioned with respect to each other, using the phase rule and simple inferences resorting to Gibbs equilibrium thermodynamics.     

Teaching Coping Skills to Chronic Alcoholics in a Coeducational Halfway House: II. Assessment of Outcome and Identification of Outcome Predictors

An outcome study was conducted with 104 male and 56 female residents of an alcoholism halfway house. Generally poor outcomes were observed for both sexes on measures of drinking, employment, and social stability at 6, 12, and 18 month postdischarge periods. Although a number of differences were found between men and women at follow-up, sex was found to predict little of the variance when adjusted for the effects of other pretreatment characteristics. In predictive analyses, intake characteristics were found to be relatively strong predictors (19 to 21%) of drinking and employment outcomes. Status variables at the time of discharge were only modestly predictive of outcome when adjusted for intake characteristics. Implications for halfway houses are discussed.     

Metabolic alterations induced by chronic heat exposure in the rat: the involvement of thyroid function

The effects of chronic exposure to high environmental temperature (34°C) on T₄ production rate, foodintake, growth-rate and resting metabolic rate were investigated in adult male rats. This study was designed to examine the extent of variations and possible relationships between these parameters. As compared to control rats of the same body weight kept at 25°C, rats exposed to 34°C for 3–4 weeks exhibited a retarded growth-rate: 2.3 vs 4.0 g/day, a reduced food-intake: 15.2 vs 23.2 g/day, a decreased T₄ production-rate: 1.8 vs 2.7 g/day and a decreased oxygen consumption: 4.0 vs 5.4 ml/min. Heat-exposure altered the 4 parameters to a similar extent. T₄ supplementation (3 g/day) which induced a decrease in plasma TSH concentration, did not restore a normal growth-rate in heat-exposed rats. The decreased food-intake of the heat-exposed rats was not associated with any significant changes in the daily pattern of variations of liver glycogen content, or in the mean daily levels of blood glucose or insulin. The ratio T₃ to rT₃ in plasma was not altered by chronic heat exposure. When rats which had been chronically exposed to heat (25 days at 34°C) were exposed to 25°C, growth-rate, food-intake and oxygen consumption rapidly increased to control values whereas the rate of T₄ production remained low. It is concluded that (1) a decrease in thyroid hormone economy is not directly involved in the alterations of growth and energy expenditure in rats chronically exposed to heat, (2) heat exposure does not lead to the establishment of a fasted state resulting from a large reduction in voluntary food intake, (3) metabolic alterations induced by heat exposure are rapidly and completely reversible upon decreasing the environmental temperature.