Impact of age on morbidity and outcome of concurrent radiochemotherapy in high-risk FIGO stage I to IVA carcinoma of the uterine cervix following laparoscopic surgery

Purpose  

To evaluate the impact of age on treatment-related acute morbidity, on modifications of drug doses and radiotherapy and on disease-free and overall survival in non-elderly and elderly with high-risk cervical cancer treated with concurrent radiochemotherapy following laparoscopic surgery.     

Subareolar blue dye only injection sentinel lymph node biopsy could reduce the numbers of standard axillary lymph node dissection in environments without access to nuclear medicine

Purpose The gold standard of axillary sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in breast cancer is the combination of radioactive colloid and blue dye injection. Worldwide, numerous hospitals without access to radioactive tracers still perform a routine complete axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). We retrospectively analyzed the false negative rate and identification rate of SLNB with injection of blue dye in the absence of radioactive colloid and compared the subareolar (SA) and the peritumoral (PT) injection. Patients and methods Two hundred and fourteen patients with clinically node negative unifocal breast cancer of up to 3 cm in size who underwent SLNB followed by ALND were included. Patent Blue V was injected at the SA site in 120 patients or at the PT site in 94 patients. Results Thirty-seven (31%) patients in the SA group and 28 (29.8%) in the PT group were node-positive by ALND. The mean number of SLNs identified was 3.1 in the SA group and 1.6 in the PT group. The SLN identification rate was 91.7% for the SA group and 80.9% for the PT group (P = 0.017). The false negative rate was 3.6% in the SA group and 11.8% in the PT group (P = 0.032). Conclusions Our study shows an acceptable low false negative rate for the SA blue dye only injection and confirms the higher identification rate of SA versus PT localisation. This technique could have spared 67.5% (81 out of 120) of our patients the ALND and could replace ALND of early breast cancer patients in environments without access to nuclear medicine. Authors Andreas Kavallaris and Oumar Camara contributed equally.     

The DNA binding activity of TAL-1 is not required to induce leukemia/lymphoma in mice.

Activation of the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) gene TAL-1 (or SCL) is the most frequent gain-of-function mutation in pediatric T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). Similarly, mis-expression of tal-1 in the thymus of transgenic mice results in the development of clonal T cell lymphoblastic leukemia. To determine the mechanism(s) of tal-1-induced leukemogenesis, we created transgenic mice expressing a DNA binding mutant of tal-1. Surprisingly, these mice develop disease, demonstrating that the DNA binding properties of tal-1 are not required to induce leukemia/lymphoma in mice. However, wild type tal-1 and the DNA binding mutant both form stable complexes with E2A proteins. In addition, tal-1 stimulates differentiation of CD8-single positive thymocytes but inhibits the development of CD4-single positive cells: effects also observed in E2A-deficient mice. Our study suggests that the bHLH protein tal-1 contributes to leukemia by interfering with E2A protein function(s).     

Blackwater fever in children during cerebral malaria: 3 case reports in Bamako]

BACKGROUND: Blackwater fever is a rare but serious form of malaria in children. Diagnosis relies on clinical symptoms and on the color of the urines. OBJECTIVES: To describe blackwater fever in children, a disease whose prevalence seems to be increasing. METHOD: We report 3 cases of blackwater fever observed in our institution. RESULTS: In 2 cases, acute renal insufficiency with oligoanuria was observed. In all the 3 cases, treatment with quinine was stopped and replaced by injectable artemether. Evolution was dependent on renal function, and included in 1 patient neurological sequels consisting in aphasia. CONCLUSION: Blackwater fever is a severe affection whose diagnosis should be evoked using the color of urine. Evolution is usually favorable in the pediatric population, when adequate care can be provided.     

Computer-aided interpretation of dynamic magnetic resonance imaging reflects histopathology of invasive breast cancer

Objective  

To perform a semiautomated software-based comparison of invasive breast carcinoma dynamic enhancement patterns in MR mammography with histological prognostic factors considering whole lesion volumes.     

Pleiotropy of segregating genetic variants that affect honey bee worker life expectancy

In contrast to many other complex traits, the natural genetic architecture of life expectancy has not been intensely studied, particularly in non-model organisms, such as the honey bee (Apis mellifera L.). Multiple factors that determine honey bee worker lifespan have been identified and genetic analyses have been performed on some of those traits. Several of the traits are included in a suite of correlated traits that form the pollen hoarding syndrome, which was named after the behavior to store surplus pollen in the nest and is tied to social evolution. Here, seven quantitative trait loci that had previously been identified for their effects on different aspects of the pollen hoarding syndrome were studied for their genetic influence on the survival of adult honey bee workers. To gain a more comprehensive understanding of the genetic architecture of worker longevity, a panel of 280 additional SNP markers distributed across the genome was also tested. Allelic distributions were compared between young and old bees in two backcross populations of the bi-directionally selected high- and low-pollen hoarding strain. Our results suggest a pleiotropic effect of at least one of the behavioral quantitative trait loci on worker longevity and one significant and several other putative genetic effects in other genomic regions. At least one locus showed evidence for strong antagonistic pleiotropy and several others suggested genetic factors that influence pre-emergence survival of worker honey bees. Thus, the predicted association between worker lifespan and the pollen hoarding syndrome was supported at the genetic level and the magnitude of the identified effects also strengthened the view that naturally segregating genetic variation can have major effects on age-specific survival probability in the wild.     

Individual efficacy of intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine–pyrimethamine in primi- and secundigravidae in rural Burkina Faso: impact on parasitaemia, anaemia and birth weight

Objective To assess the efficacy at individual level of intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine–pyrimethamine (IPTp‐SP) in primi‐ and secundigravidae in rural Burkina Faso. Methods Data of 1441 women enrolled in a health centre randomized trial and delivering a live‐singleton between September 2004 and October 2006 were analysed at individual level. Prevalence of peripheral and placental parasitaemia, anaemia (PCV <33%), low‐birth weight (<2500 g; LBW), mean packed cell volume (PCV) and birth weight were compared in relation to the number of directly observed SP doses. Results Two or more doses of SP significantly reduced the risk of placental parasitaemia [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 0.04, 95%CI = 0.003–0.60, P = 0.023] and anaemia at delivery (AOR = 0.31, 95%CI = 0.18–0.52, P < 0.001). IPTp was associated with reduced risk of LBW in primigravidae (AOR = 0.11, 95%CI = 0.07–0.17, P < 0.001) but not secundigravidae (AOR = 0.70, 95%CI = 0.26–1.91, P = 0.452). For each increment in number of SP doses mean PCV increased by 1.0% (95%CI = 0.4–1.7, P = 0.005) at 32 weeks gestation, by 1.2% (95%CI = 0.2–2.2, P = 0.025) at delivery and mean birth weight by 220 g (95%CI = 134–306 P < 0.001) in primigravidae and by 102 g (95%CI = 55–148, P = 0.001) in secundigravidae. Conclusion The risk of malaria infection was significantly reduced by IPTp with SP in primi‐ and secundigravidae in rural Burkina Faso. The impact on clinical outcomes is lower and mainly limited to primigravidae for LBW. Incomplete uptake of IPTp‐SP and limited effect in low risk groups together may substantially dilute the measurable impact of effective interventions. This needs to be taken into account when evaluating interventions at community level.