Large gangliocytic paraganglioma of the duodenum: A rare entity

Gangliocytic paragangliomas are rare tumors that almost exclusively occur within the second portion of the duodenum. Although these tumors generally have a benign clinical course, they have the potential to recur or metastasize to regional lymph nodes. The case report presented here describes a 57-year-old female patient with melena, progressive asthenia, anemia, and a mass in the second-third portion of the duodenum that was treated by local excision. The patient was diagnosed with a friable bleeding tumor. The histologic analysis showed that the tumor was a 4 cm gangliocytic paraganglioma without a malignant cell pattern. In the absence of local invasion or distant metastasis, endoscopic resection represents a feasible, curative therapy. Although endoscopic polypectomy is currently considered the treatment of choice, it is not recommended if the size of the tumor is > 3 cm and/or there is active or recent bleeding. Patients diagnosed with a gangliocytic paraganglioma should be closely followed-up for possible local recurrence.     

(-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate,reduces corneal damage secondary from experimental grade II alkali burns in mice

Background

Since recent reports have shown that (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) could be used for treating proliferative and inflammatory disorders, we explored its use for the management of corneal chemical burns.

Botulinum toxin blocks mast cells and prevents rosacea like inflammation

Background

Rosacea is a chronic inflammatory skin condition whose etiology has been linked to mast cells and the antimicrobial peptide cathelicidin LL-37. Individuals with refractory disease have demonstrated clinical benefit with periodic injections of onabotulinum toxin, but the mechanism of action is unknown.

Ospemifene plus fractional CO2 laser: a powerful strategy to treat postmenopausal vulvar pain

Abstract

This study is a single-center, retrospective analysis of postmenopausal women presenting with dyspareunia and vulvar pain, aiming to evaluate relative effectiveness of vestibular CO₂ laser therapy as a treatment. Three monthly sessions of laser were performed to each patient and thereafter a three-months follow-up was stablished. A total number of 72 patients undergoing vestibular laser treatment were recruited from patient files in the period between 2016 and 2018. Among these, 39 women also received a concomitant treatment with ospemifene (60?mg/day) during the study period. There was a statistically significant reduction of all the symptoms in both groups up to the three month follow-up. Regarding dryness and dyspareunia, the relief tent to be more prominent in the ospemifene?+?laser group at all follow-ups and remained statistically significant at three-month follow-up. Specifically, vestibular dryness was significantly lower in the ospemifene?+?laser group compared with the laser treatment group (?87% vs???34%, respectively), and the vestibular health score started declining faster in the ospemifene?+?laser group. Although, additional research is needed to understand the mechanism of action, our data shows that a combination regimen of laser and ospemifene may improve clinical effectiveness for long-term treatment of symptoms associated with the under-recognized genitourinary syndrome of menopause.     

A rapid and reliable procedure to localize subdural electrodes in presurgical evaluation of patients with drug-resistant focal epilepsy.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate a novel method for localization of subdural electrodes in presurgical assessment of patients with drug-resistant focal epilepsy. METHODS: We studied eight consecutive patients with posterior epilepsy in whom subdural electrodes were implanted for presurgical evaluation. Electrodes were detected on post-implantation brain CT scans through a semiautomated procedure based on a MATLAB routine. Then, post-implantation CT scans were fused with pre-implantation MRI to localize the electrodes in relation to the underlying cortical structures. The reliability of this procedure was tested by comparing 3D-rendered MR images of the electrodes with electrode position as determined by intraoperative digital photography. RESULTS: In each patient, all electrodes could be correctly localized and visualized in a stereotactic space, thus allowing optimal surgery planning. The agreement between the procedure-generated images and the digital photographs was good according to two independent raters. The mean mismatch between the 3D images and the photographs was 2 mm. CONCLUSIONS: While our findings need confirmation on larger samples including patients with anterior epilepsy, this procedure allowed to localize subdural electrodes and to establish the spatial relationship of each electrode to the underlying brain structure, either normal or damaged, on brain convessity, basal and medial cortex. SIGNIFICANCE: Being simple, rapid, unexpensive, and reliable, this procedure holds promise to be useful to optimize epilepsy surgery planning.     

Sensitive skin: correlation with skin surface microrelief appearance

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Sensitive skin is a condition associated with reduced tolerance to environmental factors and/or the application of topical products, such as cosmetics. Its pathophysiology has not been fully elucidated and few data are available on its prevalence. The aim of this study was to investigate possible correlation between objective sensitivity and skin surface microrelief. METHODS: During an epidemiological survey conducted for a campaign promoted by International Society of Plastic Dermatology in Italy, 243 adult healthy subjects of both sexes with no evident dermatological disorder but positive to the lactic acid stinging test, were submitted to cyanoacrylate stratum corneum stripping from the volar forearm for the determination of the irregularity of the skin surface microrelief (irregularity skin index (ISI)). RESULTS: A significant correlation was found between intensity of symptoms in stingers and ISI (r(s)=-0.47; P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Sensitive skin is common in the healthy population. ISI can contribute towards the identification of subjects with sensitive skin and the development of more specific skin treatments for this prevalent condition.