Intracranial teratoma in children: The role of chromosome 21 trisomy

Teratomas are very rare intracranial tumors and cytogenetic information on this group remains rare. We report a case of a mature teratoma with abnormal +21 trisomy in tumor karyotype ocurring in a non‐Down syndrome (DS) infant. Additionally, the evidence for the contribution of chromosome 21 trisomy in this neoplasia are briefly reviewed. The 6‐month‐old male baby presented with a posterior fossa tumor. Histological evaluation of tumor specimen showed a mature teratoma composed of fully differentiated ectodermal, mesodermal and endodermal components. Although somatic karyotyping of the index case was normal, composite tumor karyotype depicted 47, XY, +21[6]/46,XY[6]. Besides previous reports of children with DS and intracranial teratomas, this is the first report to describe the occurrence of an isolated chromosome 21 trisomy within the tumor of a non‐DS child. The participation of chromosome 21 in this rare pediatric tumor, either somatic or restricted to tumor specimen, may deserve special interest and further investigation.     

Pyelonephritis table during the pregnancy: think of the listeriosis

Listeriosis in pregnancy is usually benign; however the foetal consequences are serious. We report a case of atypical listeriosis simulating pyelonephritis, in a pregnant woman who presented at 25 weeks gestation a left renal colic, operating in a febrile context; it was treated as urinary tract infection with gentamicin and ceftriaxon. The evolution was marked by the exacerbation of symptoms followed by in utero foetal death. Blood culture was performed in post abortion; the diagnosis was retained after bacteriological examination of the placenta. This observation suggested evoking listeriosis in any case of unexplained fever during pregnancy, even with clinical signs suggestive of pyelonephritis, and not delay making blood cultures and prescribing antibiotics in general an amoxicillin.     

Risk factors for readmission among patients receiving outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy: a retrospective cohort study

International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy - Background In the Netherlands, home treatment with intravenous antimicrobial therapy is a relatively new concept. Although several studies have shown...     

C(-260)T polymorphism in the promoter of CD 14 gene is not associated with myocardial infarction in the Tunisian population

Recent findings suggest that inflammation plays a role in atherosclerosis and its acute complications. Several known mechanisms may play at least a partial role in this process. One of the most likely mechanisms involves lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and its receptor, CD14. The C(− 260)T single nucleotide polymorphism (rs2569190) in the promoter region of the CD14 receptor gene has been reported to be associated with a higher risk of MI. Others studies, however, have not corroborated these findings. Considering the contradictory results, the aim of the present study was to investigate the possible association between the CD14 C(− 260)T polymorphism and the risk of MI in the Tunisian population.A total of 321 Tunisian patients with MI and 344 healthy controls were included in the study. Genotyping was performed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis. The frequency of TT homozygous genotype for the CD14 C(− 260)T polymorphism was 26.2% in MI patients and 27.0% in the control group. However, the genotype distribution and allele frequencies were not significantly different between MI and controls subjects. Moreover, the odds ratio for MI associated with the TT genotype failed to reach statistical significance (OR = 1.22; 95% CI: 0.85–1.77; p = 0.272).These results do not support the hypothesis that the C−260T polymorphism of CD14 gene contributes to the genetic susceptibility to MI in the Tunisian population studied.     

Autotransplantation of Spleen Mitigates Drug-Induced Liver Damage in Splenectomized Mice

Purpose: The spleen presents numerous functions, including the production of immunoglobulins and blood filtration, removing microorganisms and cellular debris. The spleen also has anatomical and functional relationship with the liver, but there are few studies on this topic. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of splenectomy and autologous spleen transplantation on both filtering functions of spleen and acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity. Materials and Methods: Fifty-two BALB/c mice were randomized into four groups: splenectomized; splenectomy and splenic autotransplantation in the greater omentum; sham operated control; and non-operated control. At day 7th, 14th, and 28th after surgery, splenic filtration was assessed by counting Howell-Jolly bodies (HJB) and pitted red cells (PIT). The animals received 400 mg/kg acetaminophen by gavage at day 28^th and after 12 or 24 hours were euthanized for evaluation of splenic and hepatic morphology. Results: The splenectomized group demonstrated reduced filtration of HJB and PIT in all analyzes, while the autotransplanted group developed progressive recovery of function after the 14th day. At day 28 after surgery the implants showed similar histology in comparison to normal spleen. Liver histology showed more intense centrilobular necrosis in splenectomized group in comparison to the others, suggesting a protective role of spleen in acetaminophen-induced liver injury. Conclusions: Splenic implants showed structural and functional recovery, demonstrating the ability of autologous implant to rescue filtering function of intact spleen. Furthermore, the integrity of splenic function appears to influence liver morphology, since the presence of the splenic implants mitigated the effects of chemically-induced liver damage.     

Le polymorphisme −308 G>A du promoteur du gène codant le TNF-α n’est pas associé au cancer cervical en Tunisie

Objective

We assessed the polymorphism G>A at position 308 of the promoter of the gene encoding the TNF-α as a risk factor for cervical cancer in Tunisia. We also investigated whether this polymorphism is associated with histological type and/or FIGO stage of cervical tumor.

Materials and methods

Polymorphism G>A at position 308 of the promoter of the gene encoding the TNF-α is analyzed by ARMS-PCR in 103 Tunisian patients with cervical cancer and 138 healthy Tunisian women. The search for associations between this polymorphism and cervical cancer is based on the χ² test or Fisher’s exact test.

Results

The G allele is more frequent than the A allele in patients (63.11%) and healthy controls (65.58%). The heterozygous genotype GA is the most represented with a frequency of 56.31% in patients and 52.90% in controls. Homozygous genotypes GG and AA were found respectively at 34.95 and 8.74% patients and 39.13 and 7.97% healthy controls. Comparing the distribution of genotype frequencies between patients and healthy controls revealed no significant differences neither between allele A (AA + GA vs. GG) and the rest (p = 0.5070), nor between the G allele (GG vs. GA + AA) and the rest (p = 0.8309).

Conclusion

The ?308 G/A polymorphism of TNF-α gene promoter is not associated with cervical cancer or the stage and histological type of cervical tumor in Tunisia.