Three-Dimensional Reconstruction of Basal Cell Carcinomas

BACKGROUND: Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common type of skin cancer. One of the main problems with BCC is the risk of local recurrence of the tumor after treatment. This is mainly due to its irregular outgrowths, which cannot be detected clinically. OBJECTIVE: To better understand the tumor morphology and growth pattern of BCC, we tried to develop a method that provides a precise three-dimensional model of the tumor. METHODS: Because Mohs surgery provides the best overview of the tumor and the tumor margins (both lateral and in depth), the reconstruction was based on slides from Mohs surgery. After digitization and processing of the slides, the tumor was then surrounded by a Mohs surgeon on a computer screen. These selections (lines) were used for a three-dimensional reconstruction of the tumor using MedSurf3D software. RESULTS: This method allows three-dimensional reconstruction of any given BCC. The MedSurf3D software enables visualization of a three-dimensional model of the tissue, which is removed during the surgical procedure. CONCLUSIONS: Three-dimensional reconstruction is a fascinating tool that might improve our understanding of the behavior, growth pattern, and tumor morphology of BCCs. This technique might also be useful in other fields of cutaneous oncology, such as the calculation of the tumor volume of melanomas.     

Propriospinal myoclonus: utility of magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging and fiber tracking.

Propriospinal myoclonus (PSM) is a rare movement disorder characterized by involuntary spinal-generated muscular jerks that spread rostrally and caudally to other spinally innervated muscles. Most patients have no clear etiology, and conventional MRI of the spinal cord is generally normal. Here we report the use of magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and fiber tracking to detect tract-specific abnormalities in a patient with propriospinal myoclonus. As the patient had the fragile-X premutation and antithyroid antibodies, spinal cord DTI abnormalities may be related to these conditions. Tract-specific analysis may provide new insights into the pathophysiology of propriospinal myoclonus.     

Estimation methods for Maximum Residue Limits for pesticides

Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) are standards that represent the maximum residue concentration expected to be found if a pesticide is applied according to good agricultural practice (GAP). MRLs are established only where the residues in food resulting from particular use patterns of the pesticide pass the public health risk assessment. Foodstuffs are monitored for MRL compliance and MRL exceedance can have economic and trade consequences. There is a trade-off when deciding on values for MRLs. The aim is to establish MRLs at levels that are high enough to prevent chance exceedance but not so high that misuse will not be detected. Small data sets typically available for estimating MRLs present problems for establishing consistent values. A review of MRL estimation methods is presented together with an assessment of the various methods.     

Intraocular penetration of fosfomycin in man and rabbits

The intraocular distribution of fosfomycin was studied in 32 patients undergoing cataract surgery and or vitrectomy and in 8 rabbits after experimental infection of one eye by Staphylococcus aureus. In subjects perfused with 4 g of fosfomycin, concentrations ranged from 14 to 18.8 mg/l in aqueous humour (AH) and from 8 to 12.5 mg/l in vitreous fluid (VF) between 1 and 6 hours after the end of the perfusion; these levels were higher than MICs for 80-90 per cent of bacteria found in endophthalmitis. In rabbits the concentration in infected eyes with respect to healthy eyes was found to be from 2.5 to 5 times in AH and from 4.9 to 19.2 times higher in VF. Therefore fosfomycin in association with third generation cephalosporins (ceftriaxone) or with new quinolones can be recommended in the prevention and early treatment of endophthalmitis.     

Diffusion of piperacillin in the eye]

Intraocular diffusion of piperacillin was studied in 42 patients scheduled for cataract surgery (n = 35) or vitrectomy (n = 7). Piperacillin was administered intravenously (4 g/injection). Thirty-four patients were given a single dose and 8 were given two doses 12 hours apart. Peak piperacillin levels in the aqueous (7.3 mg/l) occurred one hour after the injection; levels in the vitreous were low (less than 0.6 mg/l). Intraocular diffusion of piperacillin was also studied in rabbits with an experimental Staphylococcus epidermidis infection of one eye; the other eye served as the control. In pigmented rabbits (6 Fauve de Bourgogne animals), increased diffusion and decreased elimination of piperacillin were seen in the aqueous, iris and cornea of the infected eyes, as compared with uninfected control eyes. In albino rabbits (6 New Zealand animals), results were less conclusive, with a difference between the infected and healthy eyes appearing only during the second hour following the injection. The good diffusion of piperacillin in the aqueous, especially in infected eyes (at least in rabbits), suggests that this drug may be useful for the treatment of ocular infections provided it is initiated early and given in combination with another antimicrobial exhibiting good intraocular diffusion.     

Tumor osteolysis in osteopetrotic mice

Details of the cellular and biochemical mechanisms involved in focal destruction of bone at sites of tumor osteolysis are unknown. It has been shown that tumors from sarcoma (2472) cell lines induce focal osteolysis in mice by stimulating formation and activation of osteoclasts. In this report, the influence of 2472 tumors on the skeletons of osteoclast-deficient animals (op/op) was studied. After op/op femora had been inoculated with 2472 cells, tumors developed and focal osteolysis occurred. There were more osteoclasts per histologic section in sham-injected femora (19 ± 5) than in tumor-bearing femora (412 ± 129) (p < 0.05). The size of the osteoclasts also increased from 304 ± 81 μm² in sham-injected limbs to 407 ± 62 μm² in tumor-bearing limbs (p < 0.001). Conditioned media from 2472 op/op tumor explants contained macrophage colony-stimulating factor. A deficiency of osteoclasts in op/op mice is the result of the absence of this factor; therefore, these data introduce the possibility that macrophage colony-stimulating factor derived from 2472 tumor may be responsible for directing osteoclast-mediated osteolysis at sites of the tumor.     

Hyperreactio luteinalis in a normal pregnancy: Sonographic and MRI findings

A case of hyperreactio luteinalis in an otherwise normal pregnancy is reported. Ascites was present, but no peritoneal implants or adenopathy were seen. Findings that would have suggested the correct diagnosis are the symmetrical and bilateral pattern of the mass, as well as the rather uniform size of the loculi, which were 1 to 3 cm in diameter.