Hepatitis B Virus-Associated Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is DNA-based virus, member of the Hepadnaviridae family, which can cause liver disease and increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in infected individuals, replicating within the hepatocytes and interacting with several cellular proteins. Chronic hepatitis B can progressively lead to liver cirrhosis, which is an independent risk factor for HCC. Complications as liver decompensation or HCC impact the survival of HBV patients and concurrent HDV infection worsens the disease. The available data provide evidence that HBV infection is associated with the risk of developing HCC with or without an underlying liver cirrhosis, due to various direct and indirect mechanisms promoting hepatocarcinogenesis. The molecular profile of HBV-HCC is extensively and continuously under study, and it is the result of altered molecular pathways, which modify the microenvironment and lead to DNA damage. HBV produces the protein HBx, which has a central role in the oncogenetic process. Furthermore, the molecular profile of HBV-HCC was recently discerned from that of HDV-HCC, despite the obligatory dependence of HDV on HBV. Proper management of the underlying HBV-related liver disease is fundamental, including HCC surveillance, viral suppression, and application of adequate predictive models. When HBV-HCC occurs, liver function and HCC characteristics guide the physician among treatment strategies but always considering the viral etiology in the treatment choice.     

Coaxial Drainage versus Standard Chest Tube after Pulmonary Lobectomy: A Randomized Controlled Study

Chest tubes are routinely inserted after thoracic surgery procedures in different sizes and numbers. The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of Smart Drain Coaxial drainage compared with two standard chest tubes in patients undergoing thoracotomy for pulmonary lobectomy. Ninety-eight patients (57 males and 41 females, mean age 68.3 ± 7.4 years) with lung cancer undergoing open pulmonary lobectomy were randomized in two groups: 50 received one upper 28-Fr and one lower 32-Fr standard chest tube (ST group) and 48 received one 28-Fr Smart Drain Coaxial tube (SDC group). Hospitalization, quantity of fluid output, air leaks, radiograph findings, pain control and costs were assessed. SDC group showed shorter hospitalization (7.3 vs. 6.1 days, p = 0.02), lower pain in postoperative day-1 (p = 0.02) and a lower use of analgesic drugs (p = 0.04). Pleural effusion drainage was lower in SDC group in the first postoperative day (median 400.0 ± 200.0 mL vs. 450.0 ± 193.8 mL, p = 0.04) and as a mean of first three PODs (median 325.0 ± 137.5 mL vs. 362.5 ± 96.7 mL, p = 0.01). No difference in terms of fluid retention, residual pleural space, subcutaneous emphysema and complications after chest tubes removal was found. In conclusion, Smart Drain Coaxial chest tube seems a feasible option after thoracotomy for pulmonary lobectomy. The SDC group showed a shorter hospitalization and decreased analgesic drugs use and, thus, a reduction of costs.     

A Low-Cost Wireless Bite Force Measurement Device

Assessing maximum voluntary bite force is important to characterize the functional state of the masticatory system. Due to several factors affecting the estimation of the maximum bite force, a unique solution combining desirable features such as reliability, accuracy, precision, usability, and comfort is not available. The aim of the present study was to develop a low-cost bite force measurement device allowing for subject-specific customization, comfortable bite force expression, and reliable force estimation over time. The device was realized using an inexpensive load cell, two 3D printed ergonomic forks hosting reusable subject-specific silicone molds, a read-out system based on a low-cost microcontroller, and a wireless link to a personal computer. A simple model was used to estimate bite force taking into account individual morphology and device placement in the mouth. Measurement reliability, accuracy, and precision were assessed on a calibration dataset. A validation procedure on healthy participants was performed to assess the repeatability of the measurements over multiple repetitions and sessions. A 2% precision and 2% accuracy were achieved on measurements of forces in the physiological range of adult bite forces. Multiple recordings on healthy participants demonstrated good repeatability (coefficient of variation 11%) with no significant effect of repetition and session. The novel device provides an affordable and reliable solution for assessing maximum bite force that can be easily used to perform clinical evaluations in single sessions or in longitudinal studies.     

Neurocognitive profiles in Duchenne muscular dystrophy and gene mutation site

The presence of nonprogressive cognitive impairment is recognized as a common feature in a substantial proportion of patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. To investigate the possible role of mutations along the dystrophin gene affecting different brain dystrophin isoforms and specific cognitive profiles, 42 school-age children affected with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, subdivided according to sites of mutations along the dystrophin gene, underwent a battery of tests tapping a wide range of intellectual, linguistic, and neuropsychologic functions. Full-scale intelligence quotient was approximately 1 S.D. below the population average in the whole group of dystrophic children. Patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy and mutations located in the distal portion of the dystrophin gene (involving the 140-kDa brain protein isoform, called Dp140) were generally more severely affected and expressed different patterns of strengths and impairments, compared with patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy and mutations located in the proximal portion of the dystrophin gene (not involving Dp140). Patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy and distal mutations demonstrated specific impairments in visuospatial functions and visual memory (which seemed intact in proximally mutated patients) and greater impairment in syntactic processing.     

Extension of Nonoperative Management of Blunt Pancreatic Trauma to Include Grade III Injuries: A Safety Analysis

Background  In hemodynamically stable patients after blunt pancreatic trauma, the main pancreatic duct (MPD) disruption (American Association for the Surgery of Trauma [AAST] grade III-IV-V lesions) is usually treated surgically or by endoscopic stent placement, whereas injuries without duct involvement (grade I-II) are liable to medical treatment. To date, no evidence has been reported regarding nonoperative management (NoM) of grade III injuries. We aimed to evaluate the safety of extending medical management to include cases of distal MPD involvement (grade III). Patients and methods  Data were collected on patients admitted after blunt pancreatic trauma between January 1999 and December 2007. Patients exhibiting hemodynamic instability or hollow organ perforations were excluded from this study, as they were surgically managed. In all remaining cases NoM was attempted. Antibiotic prophylaxis and early total enteral nutrition were routinely adopted. Grade III patients received octreotide during hospitalization and for 6 months after discharge. Results  Eleven patients (2 with grade I injury, 3 with grade II injury, and 6 with grade III injury, all diagnosed by contrast-enhanced helical CT) were included. Nonsurgical management was carried out in all of these patients. Among grade III patients, one developed a peripancreatic abscess; another, a pancreatic fistula. Both were successfully treated nonoperatively. The average length of hospital stay was similar in grade I-II and grade III patients. After a median follow-up of 57 months no mortality or pancreatic sequelae had occurred. Conclusions  Under the aforementioned conditions, an attempt to extend NoM to include patients with AAST-grade III lesions can be justified. However, such a strategy demands continuous patient monitoring, because should the case worsen, surgery might become necessary.     

Cognitive abilities in siblings of children with autism spectrum disorders

The aim of the present study was to assess the cognitive profiles of children with autistic spectrum disorder and of their healthy siblings (Siblings). With the term cognitive profile, we indicate the relationship extant among the values of verbal and performance subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale. The conducted statistical analyses indicated that, although siblings showed a normal intelligent quotient and did not differ in this aspect from typically developing group, their cognitive profile was amazingly similar to that of their relatives affected by autism. A k-means clustering analysis on the values of single subtests further confirmed this result, showing a clear separation between typically developing children on the one side, and autistics and their siblings on the other. We suggest that the common cognitive profile observed in autistic children and their siblings could represent a marker of liability to autism and, thus, a possible intermediate phenotype of this syndrome.     

Arthroscopic treatment for cuff tear: strength recovery at 12 months of follow-up

The rotator cuff tear is one of the most frequent musculoskeletal disorders, but the real incidence is not clearly known because it’s usually asymptomatic, even if it’s more common in patients with shoulder pain (36 %). The prevalence of the complete tear among general population is estimated approximately around 20.7 % and it is more usual with the increasing of the age. The aim of this study is to evaluate a group of patients with any size of full-thickness cuff tear treated by arthroscopic technique, comparing the clinical and functional recovery (isokinetic, isotonic and isometric strength) with the un-operated side. Between October 2009 and June 2011, 74 patients, mean age 59 (20–72) years old, underwent arthroscopic treatment for rotator cuff tear. Forty-two patients were finally included in the study, 20 men and 22 women, mean age of 55 (20–68) years old. The mean follow-up was 12 months (6–23 months). The strength of each patient’s shoulder, both operated and un-operated, was evaluated using isokinetic, isotonic and isometric tests (BIODEX Medical System). The functional outcome showed no significant differences between operated and un-operated shoulder, confirmed by Constant–Murley score and DASH score. The isokinetic, isotonic and isometric tests are valid support to clinical evaluation in order to obtain an objective data on shoulder recovery.