Invasive meningococcal disease in children in Greece: comparison of serogroup A disease with disease caused by other serogroups

Although invasive meningococcal disease caused by serogroup A is not prevalent in developed countries, a considerable number of cases were recently recorded in Greece. In this study, serogroup A meningococcal disease was compared prospectively with meningococcal disease caused by other serogroups, using similar settings of testing and management during a 5-year period between 1999 and 2003. The Neisseria meningitidis serogroup was determined in 262 cases. Serogroup B predominated, accounting for 158 (60%) of the cases. Serogroup A was second most frequent (19%), followed by serogroups W135 (11%), C (8%), and Y (2%). No cases due to serogroup C were recorded during the last year of the study. Patients with serogroup A disease were older and had a milder course compared to patients infected with serogroups B or C. Toxic appearance, purpura, thrombocytopenia, abnormal coagulation tests, and the need for admission to the intensive care unit, fluid resuscitation, inotropic drugs, and mechanical ventilation were less common. Although morbidity and mortality were lower in these patients, the differences were not significant. Serogroup B is predominant in our area, and the introduction of an effective vaccine against it is a priority. Serogroup A has emerged as the second most common serogroup, but the illness associated with it is milder.     

Prognostic value of multiple-frequency tympanometry in acute otitis media.

Multiple-frequency tympanometry (MFT) and conventional 226-Hz tympanometry were performed in 86 ears of children affected by acute otitis media (AOM) after therapy. In a 3-month follow-up period, the recurrence rate of AOM and persistence of middle-ear effusion in these children were evaluated in comparison with the early results of the two methods, as well as the relation of MFT findings to the possibility of development of AOM sequelae. It seems that abnormal resonant frequency values and recordings by MFT right after an episode of AOM indicate persistence of changes in the mass and stiffness balance of the middle ear, not demonstrated by conventional tympanometry, that could be responsible for a higher probability of AOM sequelae.     

Discovery, development and effectiveness of coagulation-inhibiting drugs for stroke therapy

Introduction: Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the US and the leading cause of major disability. A large variety of drugs and new therapeutic strategies are the basis for modern stroke therapy. There is scientific evidence for the effectiveness of only a few coagulation-inhibiting drugs for stroke prevention and treatment, but a lot of clinical trials have been conducted or are ongoing in order to gain more scientific data on stroke management and therapy. Areas covered: This paper gives a general overview of modern coagulation-inhibiting drugs discovered and investigated for prevention or acute stroke therapy and offers prospects of future therapy options. Expert opinion: Without the development of more cost-effective future therapies and implementation of extended prevention programs, stroke will remain the leading cause of disability. There is still a strong need for the discovery of novel drug therapies that effectively avoid blood clotting and stroke without increasing the risk of hemorrhage.     

Epigenetic alterations in sporadic basal cell carcinomas

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common malignant human neoplasm characterized by slow growth and virtual absence of metastases. Recently, it has become evident that along with genetic mutations epigenetic alterations play a key role in the pathogenesis of human cancer. We searched for promoter methylation of hMLH1, RASSF1A, DAPK, APC, DCR1 and DCR2 genes and BRAF mutations in BCCs in association with the clinicopathological parameters and the histological subtypes of the tumours. Fifty-two BCCs, 17 FFPE along with 35 fresh tissue samples with matching normal tissues for 26 cases were analyzed by methylation-specific PCR to assess the methylation status of hMLH1, RASSF1A, DAPK, APC, DCR1 and DCR2 genes after sodium bisulfite treatment of the tumour and normal DNA. hMLH1 and DCR1 gene expression was investigated by immunohistochemistry. BRAF mutations were studied by high resolution melting analysis. Methylation was detected at a variable frequency of 44, 33, 32.5, 32 and 14 % of DCR2, APC, DCR1, RASSF1 and DAPK promoters, respectively, whereas methylation of hMLH1 promoter was absent. No BRAF mutations were found. There was no correlation between the frequency of the promoter methylation of the above-mentioned genes and the clinicopathological features or the histological subtypes of the tumours. The relatively high frequency of RASSF1A, DCR1, DCR2 and APC promoter methylation may imply that methylation constitutes an important pathway in the tumourigenesis of BCC that could provide new opportunities in developing epigenetic therapies for BCC patients. Nevertheless, further studies are needed to establish the above-mentioned hypothesis.     

Comparison of 3% sorbitol vs psyllium fibre as oral contrast agents in MR enterography

Objective:

To compare the degree of small bowel distension achieved by 3% sorbitol, a high osmolarity solution, and a psyllium-based bulk fibre as oral contrast agents (OCAs) in MR enterography (MRE).

Methods:

This retrospective study was approved by our institutional review board. A total of 45 consecutive normal MRE examinations (sorbitol, n = 20; psyllium, n = 25) were reviewed. The patients received either 1.5 l of 3% sorbitol or 2 l of 1.6 g kg⁻¹ psyllium prior to imaging. Quantitative small bowel distension measurements were taken in five segments: proximal jejunum, distal jejunum, proximal ileum, distal ileum and terminal ileum by two independent radiologists. Distension in these five segments was also qualitatively graded from 0 (very poor) to 4 (excellent) by two additional independent radiologists. Statistical analysis comparing the groups and assessing agreement included intraclass coefficients, Student''s t-test and Mann–Whitney U-test.

Results:

Small bowel distension was not significantly different in any of the five small bowel segments between the use of sorbitol and psyllium as OCAs in both the qualitative (p = 0.338–0.908) and quantitative assessments (p = 0.083–0.856). The mean bowel distension achieved was 20.1 ± 2.2 mm for sorbitol and 19.8 ± 2.5 mm for psyllium (p = 0.722). Visualization of the ileum was good or excellent in 65% of the examinations in both groups.

Conclusion:

Sorbitol and psyllium are not significantly different at distending the small bowel and both may be used as OCAs for MRE studies.

Advances in knowledge:

This is the first study to directly compare the degree of distension in MRE between these two common, readily available and inexpensive OCAs.MR enterography (MRE) is an imaging technique used to evaluate the small bowel for diagnoses that include inflammatory bowel disease and neoplasms. Sufficiently distending the small bowel with an oral contrast agent (OCA) is critical, as collapsed loops may hide or mimic abnormalities.The OCAs employed in MRE can be classified as positive, negative or biphasic contrast agents according to their signal properties on T₁ and T₂ weighted imaging. Biphasic contrast agents typically provide low signal intensity on T₁ weighted imaging and high signal intensity on T₂ weighted imaging (T2W), and are most commonly used today because of their favourable signal characteristics for detecting bowel pathology. Water is a biphasic contrast agent, but its rapid physiological absorption from the small bowel necessitates the use of additives. These additives are often highly osmolar agents or non-osmotic agents that form hydrogels that trap water molecules in the bowel lumen. Combinations of highly osmolar agents and non-osmotic agents are also frequently used, as in the case of sorbitol and locust bean gum.^1,2Ideally, the chosen contrast agent should (i) provide adequate distension of the entire small bowel, (ii) provide uniform and homogenous opacification of the lumen, (iii) provide good delineation of the bowel wall, (iv) be below cost and easy availability, (v) have easy storage and (vi) have no serious adverse side effects.³Currently, VoLumen® (E-Z-EM Inc., Westbury, NY), a biphasic OCA comprising 0.1% w/v ultra-low-dose barium with sorbitol, simethicone and natural gums, is commonly used for MRE examinations in the USA. However, VoLumen is not easily available for sale in Canada, the UK and Europe. Instead, our institution (St Michael''s Hospital, Toronto, ON) used commercially available Metamucil® (Proctor & Gamble, Cincinnati, OH), a non-osmotic bulk fibre laxative containing psyllium seed husk, as a biphasic OCA for routine MRE studies from 5 January 2010 to 20 January 2013. On 21 January 2013, this was switched to the highly osmolar agent, 3% sorbitol, for all routine cases. This switch was prompted after a patient expressed concern about whether psyllium could result in small bowel obstruction.The purpose of our study was to retrospectively compare psyllium and 3% sorbitol as OCAs for MRE using the outcome measure of small bowel distension. On the basis of past literature, we hypothesized that sorbitol would provide better distension than psyllium.⁴     

Infection complications after transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy: A radiology department’s experience and strategy for improvement

IntroductionTransrectal ultrasound (TRUS)-guided prostate biopsy is a common procedure performed to diagnose prostate cancer. The risk of infection complications is well-described in the literature, and strategies to avoid such complications continue to evolve over time. We performed a retrospective review of our infection complications and propose a strategy for improvement.MethodsWe reviewed clinical outcomes from patients undergoing TRUS-guided prostate biopsy at our institution from November 2018 to November 2020. We reported the antimicrobial prophylaxis received, whether the biopsy was systematic or targeted, and we examined the rate of clinically significant infection complications and hospitalization.ResultsAmong 312 men who underwent TRUS-guided prostate biopsy during the study period, seven (2.2%) had an infection. Four patient groups with distinct antimicrobial regimen were identified; the largest of these patient groups received a three-day course of cefixime and a single dose of fosfomycin (59%). The proportion of patients with infection complications across these groups did not demonstrate a statistically significant difference (p=0.803). There was no significant difference in proportion of infection between systematic and targeted biopsy groups (3.0% vs. 0%, p=0.204). The proportion of patients hospitalized was 1.3%, with a mean length of stay of four days.ConclusionsWe report a rate of clinically significant infection following TRUS-guided prostate biopsy of 2.2%. Due to our referral pathway, we have an inconsistent approach to antimicrobial prophylaxis, although there was no statistically significant difference in infection rate between the groups. We propose a standardized approach that may lead to improved patient outcomes.     

Listening to children: using the ECERS-R and Mosaic approach to improve learning environments: a case study

Given that there is a lack of children’s active involvement in the school design process, the aim of the present multimethod study was to gather data in relation to children’s active involvement towards the improvement of their own school’s physical environment. Over a period of three months, twenty-nine children aged 4-5 years participated in this process, using a range of methods according to the Mosaic Approach [Clark, A., & Moss, P. (2008). Spaces to play: More listening to young children using the Mosaic approach. London: National Children’s Bureau Enterprises]. So, multi-faceted methods were encouraged and observations, interviews and participatory techniques such as photograph taking, maps, drawings and discussions were applied during the intervention sessions. Pre and post intervention changes concerning the quality of classroom environment were evaluated using a standardized version of ECERS-R. Results are encouraging in that children’s voices can be included and therefore child-centered techniques can be implemented while using standardized measures to assess the quality of educational contexts such as the ECERS-R scale.