Importance of Contrast Aortography With Lotus Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: A Post Hoc Analysis From the RESPOND Post-Market Study

Objectives

The aim of this post hoc analysis from the RESPOND (Repositionable Lotus Valve System–Post-Market Evaluation of Real World Clinical Outcomes) post-market study was to assess the final implantation depth on the contrast aortogram after Lotus valve (Boston Scientific, Marlborough, Massachusetts) transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and to correlate with permanent pacemaker implantation (PPI) and paravalvular leak (PVL).

Myositis as an adverse event of immune checkpoint blockade for cancer therapy

Objectives

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) can successfully treat cancer, but their use can be hindered by serious immune-related adverse events. We report six patients receiving ICIs who presented with de novo myositis.

Unusually high rate of young-onset pancreatic cancer in the East Nile Delta region of Egypt

Summary Background. Pancreatic cancer is predominantly a disorder of the elderly population in the United States. In Egypt, the disease has traditionally been considered rare, and there has not been a previous publication on its population-based incidence or age distribution. Methods. We reviewed the records of 728 pancreatic cancer patients seen at the Gastrointestinal Surgery Center of Mansoura University in the East Nile Delta region of Egypt between 1995 and 2000. We computed population-based, age-specific, and age-adjusted incidence rates in this population and compared them with US incidence rates from the Epidemiology Surveillance and End Results (SEER) Program. We also analyzed clinical characteristics of the patients, as well as their surgical and medical management. Results. Approximately one-fourth of all patients were under age 50. The mean ages of patients who had undergone Whipple’s resection, other surgical procedures, and no surgical procedure were 52.9 ± 11.6, 54.11 ± 10.5, and 55.1 ± 14.1 yr, with no statistically significant differences. Age-adjusted incidence rates were higher in Egyptian patients than in US patients under age 65 (7.1/100,000 vs 3.3/100,000) but were much higher in US patients than in Egyptian patients over age 65 (6.6/100,000 vs 59.1/100,000). Clinical management did not differ between patients under and over age 50. Conclusion. The population in the East Nile Delta region of Egypt exhibits an unusually high rate of young-onset pancreatic cancer. Further studies to investigate the epidemiology of pancreatic cancer in this population may provide clues to its etiology.     

A review of the literature on the use of ultrasonography in schistosomiasis with special reference to its use in field studies. 1. Schistosoma haematobium.

This review presents an outline of the pathology resulting from Schistosoma haematobium infections, and the ways in which the lesions can be investigated. The use of ultrasonography is covered in detail. Ultrasonography can provide direct information about lesions in internal organs, and thus provide information about patterns of morbidity and about the regression of pathological changes after treatment. The method has the advantages that it is non-invasive, and is also relatively inexpensive and can be used under field conditions. Ultrasonography has already been used in a number of epidemiological studies in areas where S. haematobium is endemic. The method has proved to be feasible and useful. However, the methodology used for ultrasound studies has varied considerably, so that it is difficult to make valid comparisons between results obtained in different places or at different times. A standardized methodology for making observations and recording the results is needed if the full potential benefit of using ultrasound in the monitoring of schistosomiasis control projects is to be realised. The correlation of results obtained using ultrasound with the results of clinical, parasitological and other observations has been investigated in a number of studies, but many questions remain to be answered.     

Evaluation of enzyme linked immunosorbent assay in the immunodiagnosis of schistosomiasis.

Eighty-six bilharzial patients divided into 5 clinical groups were studied. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) and indirect haemagglutination (IHA) test were performed for all the patients. ELISA gave the most sensitive results (82.6% and 80.2% positivity rate in Egypt and Lille respectively), followed by IFA (79.1% positivity rate) and IHA (77.9% and 75.6% positivity rate in Egypt and Lille respectively). The humoral antibodies detected by all methods (ELISA, IFA and IHA) showed increasing values with the progress of the disease which is parallel to the antigenicity of the disease. Both the positivity rate and the mean value of antibody titres recorded by the 3 diagnostic techniques (ELISA, IFA and IHA) were significantly higher in mansoni than haematobium infection. This may be explained by species specificity of antibody response. The superiority of ELISA over IFA and IHA techniques was discussed.     

假细锥香茶菜新二萜成分——假细锥甲素的结构

从假细锥香茶菜(Rabdosia coetsoides C.Y.Wu)叶分离得到新二萜成分,根据紫外光谱、红外光谱、质谱、核磁共振氢谱及碳谱等分析,推定了化学结构,并经X-射线衍射确证,命名为假细锥甲素。     

间硝苯地平对血管紧张素Ⅱ促进血管平滑肌细胞增殖和蛋白质合成的影响

以培养血管平滑肌细胞（ｖａｓｃｕｌａｒｓｍｃｏｔｈｍｕｓｃｌｅｃｅｌｌ，ＶＳＭＣ）为模型，观察了间硝苯地平（ｍ－ｎｉｆｅｄｉｐｉｎｅ，ｍ－Ｎｉｆ）对血管紧张素Ⅱ（ａｎｇｉｏｔｅｎｓｉｎⅡ，ＡＮＧⅡ）促进ＶＳＭＣ增殖和蛋白质合成的影响。结果表明，ｍ－Ｎｉｆ抑制ＡＮＧⅡ（１００ｎｍｏｌ·Ｌ￣（－１））引起ＶＳＭＣ［￣３Ｈ］ｔｈｙｍｉｄｉｎｅ和［￣３Ｈ］ｌｅｕｃｉｎｅ参入，并呈剂量依赖性。ｍ－Ｎｉｆ（２×１０￣（－６）ｍｏｌ·Ｌ￣（－１））可抑制ＡＮＧⅡ对ＶＳＭＣ的刺激、ＤＮＡ及蛋白质合成速率，分别降低了４６％，５８％，５３％。提示ｍ－Ｎｉｆ可抑制ＡＮＧⅡ对ＶＳＭＣ增殖和蛋白合成的促进作用     

狭叶獐牙菜的两个新环烯醚单萜甙

本文报道狭叶獐牙菜(Swertia angustifolia)中两个新的环烯醚单萜甙的结构。分别命名为狭叶獐牙菜苦甙(angustiamarin,Ⅰ)和狭叶獐牙菜甙(angustioside,Ⅱ),此外还鉴定了獐牙菜甙(sweroside,Ⅲ),獐牙菜苦甙(swertiamarin,Ⅳ)和表优士特莫甙(epi-eustomoside,Ⅴ)。