Anticipated help-seeking for cancer symptoms before and after the coronavirus pandemic: results from the Onco-barometer population survey in Spain

Background The patient interval—the time patients wait before consulting their physician after noticing cancer symptoms—contributes to diagnostic delays. We compared anticipated help-seeking times for cancer symptoms and perceived barriers to help-seeking before and after the coronavirus pandemic.Methods Two waves (pre-Coronavirus: February 2020, N = 3269; and post-Coronavirus: August 2020, N = 1500) of the Spanish Onco-barometer population survey were compared. The international ABC instrument was administered. Pre–post comparisons were performed using multiple logistic and Poisson regression models.Results There was a consistent and significant increase in anticipated times to help-seeking for 12 of 13 cancer symptoms, with the largest increases for breast changes (OR = 1.54, 95% CI 1.22–1–96) and unexplained bleeding (OR = 1.50, 1.26–1.79). Respondents were more likely to report barriers to help-seeking in the post wave, most notably worry about what the doctor may find (OR = 1.58, 1.35–1.84) and worry about wasting the doctor’s time (OR = 1.48, 1.25–1.74). Women and older individuals were the most affected.Conclusions Participants reported longer waiting times to help-seeking for cancer symptoms after the pandemic. There is an urgent need for public interventions encouraging people to consult their physicians with symptoms suggestive of cancer and counteracting the main barriers perceived during the pandemic situation.Subject terms: Cancer epidemiology, Cancer screening, Signs and symptoms, Public health, Diagnosis     

New Approach for Using of Mentha longifolia L. and Citrus reticulata L. Essential Oils as Wood-Biofungicides: GC-MS,SEM, and MNDO Quantum Chemical Studies

Background: Fungi growing on wood cause deterioration of stored food materials or discoloration of the wood itself, and the search for new and safe bioagents is recently needed. Methods: Essential oils (EOs) from aerial parts from Mentha longifolia L. and Citrus reticulata L., analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), were tested for their antifungal activity by the vapor method against four common fungi, Aspergillus flavus, A. niger, A. fumigatus, and Fusarium culmorum, and confirmed by SEM examination as the oils applied on wood samples. Results: The most abundant compounds identified in the EO from M. longifolia were menthone and eucalyptol; in C. reticulata EO, they were β-caryophyllene, β-caryophyllene oxide, and β-elemene. EOs from M. longifolia and C. reticulata, at 500 and 250 µL/mL, showed potent antifungal activity against A. flavus and A. fumigatus, with 100% fungal mycelial inhibition growth (FMIG). C. reticulata and M. longifolia EOs, at 125 µL/mL, observed FMIG values of 98% and 95%, respectively, against A. fumigatus. M. longifolia EO, at 500 and 250 µL/mL, showed potent activity against A. niger, with 100% FMIG. F. culmorum completely inhibited (100% FMIG) EOs from M. longifolia and C. reticulata applied at 500 µL/mL. Pinus roxburghii Sarg. Wood, treated with M. longifolia at 125 µL/mL, showed inhibition zone values of 7.33 and 21.33 mm against A. flavus and A. niger, respectively. Conclusions: Both oils possessed good wood-biofungicide activity with the vapor method, as clearly shown by the SEM examination. These activities suggest their possible use as natural wood preservatives.     

Development of Junctions During Differentiation of Lens Fibers

Throughout the differentiation of eye lens epithelium into fibers, an extensive system of intercellular junctions develops. The junctional assembly is initially characterized by the accumulation of 9.0-nm intramembranous particles, forming linear rows in the matching plasma membranes of adjoining fibers. At the final stage of the fiber differentiation, the junctional particles are assembled in geometrically packed arrays. The formation of linear rows and bidimensional lattices of intramembranous particles probably favors reciprocal recognition of cell surfaces and specific cell-to-cell interlocking. Moreover, the existence of a rather rigid lipid core of the plasma membrane of eye lens fiber may promote the clustered distribution of intramembranous particles and facilitate the junctional assembly.     

Changes in the natural history of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy in HIV-negative lymphoproliferative disorders: impact of novel therapies

The aims of this study were to evaluate the clinical characteristics of HIV-negative patients affected by lymphoproliferative disorders (LPD) who developed progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), to delineate the risk factors, and to analyze whether the new antineoplastic therapies are changing the natural history of this infectious disease. We retrospectively analyzed 46 cases with confirmed LPD-associated PML published from 1958 to 2004. Patients were stratified according to two different time periods: group A included patients diagnosed before 1989, and group B included patients diagnosed since 1990, after introduction of purine analogues. Group A patients (n = 22) had received alkylating agents and/or radiotherapy, and the majority (63.6%) had advanced Hodgkin disease. At univariate analysis, uncontrolled Hodgkin disease was the only risk factor for PML. In group B patients (n = 24), the most frequent treatments received were purine analogues (58.3%) and high-dose therapy with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (33.3%; HDT/HSCT). B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (45.8%) and aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (24.9%) were the most frequent underlying LPDs. Patients treated with purine analogues were more likely to have active LPD, lower CD4 cell counts, and to be older and male than were HSCT recipients. The median interval from purine analogues or HDT/HSCT to PML was 11 months. In HDT/HSCT recipients, this interval was delayed for 10 months when peri-transplantation rituximab was used. Univariate analysis identified age >55 years, male sex, and CD4 cell counts 相似文献   

Neonatal lupus erythematosus: 4 cases and clinical review

Neonatal lupus erythematosus (NLE) is an infrequent disease in newborns caused by the transplacental passage of maternal Anti-Ro/SSA, Anti-La/SSB and/or Anti-U1 RNP antibodies. The most common manifestations are cutaneous and cardiac. We carried out a retrospective study of cases of NLE diagnosed in the last 10 years at the Hospital Universitario Insular in Gran Canaria. Complete data was obtained for 4 patients. Three cases had circulating Anti-Ro antibodies in the mother and in the newborns, while in the fourth case they were Anti-RNP. Two mothers were diagnosed with systemic lupus, one with mixed connective tissue disease and the other with leucocytoclastic vasculitis. The skin lesions consisted of urticaria-like and desquamative lesions. One patient presented with ulceration. The histological study of the urticaria-like lesions showed a non-specific perivascular infiltrate; the desquamative lesions were consistent with subacute lupus erythematosus.     

Design,Preparation, and Characterization of Thermoresponsive Hybrid Nanogels Using a Novel Ulvan‐Acrylate Crosslinker as Potential Carriers for Protein Encapsulation

The aim of the present study is the design and development of thermoresponsive nanogels based on ulvan, a sulphated heteropolysaccharide of algal origins with unique biological and chemical properties. Hybrid nanogels are successfully synthesized by means of UV‐initiated radical copolymerization of N‐vinylcaprolactam with an ulvan derivate as a novel crosslinker. In nanogels, the ulvan‐grafted poly(N‐vinylcaprolactam) chains represent the thermoresponsive component. The most promising candidates, selected after a thorough physical–chemical characterization of nanogels in terms of size and responsivity to thermal variation at physiological conditions, are loaded with bovine serum albumin (BSA) as model bioactive compound. The developed nanogels display BAS loading efficiency values similar to those obtained by using synthetic crosslinkers, and thus indicating the suitability of the developed ulvan‐acrylate to act as novel macromolecular crosslinker for thermoresponsive nanogels preparation.     

Diastolic Function in Paced Children with Cardiac Defects: Septum vs Apex

In children with structural congenital heart disease (CHD), the effects of chronic ventricular pacing on diastolic function are not well known. On the other hand, the beneficial effect of septal pacing over apical pacing is still controversial.The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of different right ventricular (RV) pacing site on left ventricular (LV) diastolic function in children with cardiac defects.Twenty-nine pediatric patients with complete atrioventricular block (CAVB) and CHD undergoing permanent pacing were prospectively studied. Pacing sites were RV apex (n = 16) and RV septum (n = 13). Echocardiographic assessment was performed before pacemaker implantation and after it, during a mean follow‑up of 4.9 years.Compared to RV septum, transmitral E-wave was significantly affected in RV apical pacing (95.38 ± 9.19 vs 83 ± 18.75, p = 0.038). Likewise, parameters at the lateral annular tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) were significantly affected in children paced at the RV apex. The E´ wave correlated inversely with TDI lateral myocardial performance index (Tei index) (R²= 0.9849, p ≤ 0.001). RV apex pacing (Odds ratio, 0.648; confidence interval, 0.067-0.652; p = 0.003) and TDI lateral Tei index (Odds ratio, 31.21; confidence interval, 54.6-177.4; p = 0.025) predicted significantly decreased LV diastolic function.Of the two sites studied, RV septum prevents pacing-induced reduction of LV diastolic function.