Thyroid structure and function in bovine β-mannosidosis

Summary In bovine -mannosidosis, the thyroid in the affected newborn shows marked cytoplasmic vacuolation. There is an associated reduction in the serum concentrations of thyroxine and tri-iodothyronine.     

Use of the humanized anti-epidermal growth factor receptor monoclonal antibody h-R3 in combination with radiotherapy in the treatment of locally advanced head and neck cancer patients.

PURPOSE: To evaluate safety and preliminary efficacy of the humanized anti-epidermal growth factor receptor monoclonal antibody h-R3 in combination with radiotherapy (RT) in unresectable head and neck cancer patients. Secondary end points were the measurement of h-R3 serum levels and the assessment of the potential mechanisms of antitumor effect on patient biopsies. Anti-idiotypic response to h-R3 was assessed. To predict pharmacologic effect, a mathematical model for antibodies recognizing antigens expressed in tumors and normal tissues was built. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-four patients with advanced carcinomas of the head and neck received six once-weekly infusions of h-R3 at four dose levels in combination with RT. Pretreatment tumor biopsies were obtained to evaluate epidermal growth factor receptor expression as an enrollment criterion. Second biopsies were taken to evaluate the proliferative activity and angiogenesis in comparison with the pretreatment samples. Patient serum samples were collected to measure h-R3 levels and anti-idiotypic response. RESULTS: The combination of h-R3 and RT was well tolerated. Antibody-related adverse events consisted in infusion reactions. No skin or allergic toxicity appeared. Overall survival significantly increased after the use of the higher antibody doses. Immunohistochemistry studies of tumor specimens before and after treatment revealed that antitumor response correlated with antiproliferative and antiangiogenic effect. One patient developed antibodies to h-R3. The mathematical model predicted that the maximum difference between the area under the curve in tumors and normal tissues is reached when the antibody has intermediate affinity. CONCLUSION: h-R3 is a well-tolerated drug that may enhance radiocurability of unresectable head and neck neoplasms.     

Sensorless flow and head estimation in the VentrAssist rotary blood pump

Flow rate and pressure difference (or head) are key variables needed in the control of implantable rotary blood pumps. However, use of flow and/or pressure probes can decrease reliability and increase system power consumption and expense. For a given fluid viscosity, the flow state is determined by any 2 of the 4 pump variables: Flow, pressure difference, speed, and motor input power can be used. Thus, if viscosity is known or if its influence is sufficiently small, flow rate and pressure difference can be estimated from the motor speed and motor input power. For the VentrAssist centrifugal blood pump, which uses a hydrodynamic bearing, sensorless flow and pressure head estimation accuracy of 2 of our impeller designs were compared for a viscosity range of 1.2 to 4.5 mPas. This showed impeller design optimization can improve estimation accuracy. We also compared estimation accuracy using 2 blood analogues used in vitro, aqueous glycerol and red blood cells suspended in Haemaccel. The nature of the blood analogue and not only the viscosity of the fluid seems to influence estimation accuracy in our pump.     

Idiopathic arterial calcification of infancy: sonographic and magnetic resonance findings with pathologic correlation

Idiopathic arterial calcification of infancy is a rare condition characterized by extensive arterial calcification and stenoses of large and medium sized arteries. We report the sonographic and magnetic resonance angiographic findings of this entity and correlate them with the findings at autopsy. Received: 20 October 1997 Accepted: 21 November 1997     

Diagnostic imaging of ankle syndesmosis injuries: A general review

Literature on the various techniques for imaging injuries to the ankle syndesmosis to determine the most appropriate imaging modality for diagnosing syndesmosis ligament disruption and instability was reviewed using the following data sources: Pubmed, Google scholar, SportsDiscus, E‐journals and PLOSone. Search terms used were: syndesmosis paired with injury, imaging, radiology, X‐ray, stress X‐ray, arthrography, ultrasound, nuclear medicine scan, CT scan, MRI and arthroscopy. Articles were selected by reading abstracts and the full article if indicated. Further articles were derived from the references of the primary articles. Plain x‐rays of the ankle will detect approximately half on AP view to two‐thirds on mortise view of syndesmosis injuries. Syndesmosis injuries frequently occur in association with tibial or fibular fractures. Intra‐operative stress radiography failed to detect approximately half of instabilities confirmed at arthroscopy. The current benchmark imaging techniques to diagnose syndesmosis injury and diastasis are arthroscopy and high‐power (3T) MRI. Ultrasound is a promising, developing, cost‐effective imaging technique which is yet to reach its full diagnostic potential. CT and nuclear medicine scans have limited roles. MRI (3T) scanning in the plane of the syndesmotic ligaments is the investigation of choice to detect ankle syndesmosis injuries. In the presence of associated injuries requiring surgery, arthroscopic viewing with stress examination is the diagnostic benchmark when available.     

Use of a portable gamma camera for guiding surgical treatment in locally advanced breast cancer in a post-neoadjuvant therapy setting

The aim of the present study was to assess the feasibility of a portable gamma camera (PGC) for guiding surgical treatment in locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) after neoadjuvant therapy (NT). Since January 2012, a PGC (Sentinella 102, ONCOVISION) has been available in our center. We planned to perform a feasibility monocentric prospective study involving 15–20 patients with LABC for assessing the diagnostic performance of this PGC after NT (Breast Cancer Surgery-S102). Before the surgical treatment and at the end of NT an injection of 99mTc-Sestamibi (100–150 MBq) was made. Conventional scintimmamography (SMM) and Sentinella 102 images were obtained from 18 patients. 10 (55.5 %) patients showed a focal uptake of tracer in the breast or lymph nodes before or after the surgical excision (on histological specimen), while 8 did not. The histological specimen concluded for a complete response to NT in 4 (22.2 %) patients and for a partial or no response to treatment in the remnant 14 subjects. The specificity and false-negative rate of the Sentinella 102 compared to SMM were 100 % for both and 38 % vs. 60 %, respectively. The global diagnostic accuracy of Sentinella 102 was: 66.7 % (95 % confidence interval: 44.88–88.44 %). The present feasibility study shows how a new nuclear imaging device can be useful in the operating theatre for guiding a radical surgery approach in patients with LABC after NT.     

Functional Films from Silica/Polymer Nanoparticles

High performance functional coatings, based on hybrid organic/inorganic materials, are being developed to combine the polymer flexibility and ease of processing with the mechanical properties and versatility of inorganic materials. By incorporating silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) in the polymeric matrices, it is possible to obtain hybrid polymer films with increased tensile strength and impact resistance, without decreasing the flexural properties of the polymer matrix. The SiNPs can further be used as carriers to impart other functionalities (optical, etc.) to the hybrid films. By using polymer-coated SiNPs, it is possible to reduce particle aggregation in the films and, thus, achieve more homogeneous distributions of the inorganic components and, therefore, better properties. On the other hand, by coating polymer particles with silica, one can create hierarchically structured materials, for example to obtain superhydrophobic coatings. In this review, we will cover the latest developments in films prepared from hybrid polymer/silica functional systems.