Spondyloarthritis in North Africa: an update

Clinical Rheumatology - Spondyloarthritis (SpA) has been less well studied than rheumatoid arthritis in North Africa, due to a belief that it is rare and benign in certain populations. The main...     

Levels Propagation Approach to Image Segmentation: Application to Breast MR Images

Journal of Digital Imaging - Accurate segmentation of a breast tumor region is fundamental for treatment. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a widely used diagnostic tool. In this paper, a new...     

Juvenile hyaline fibromatosis: focus on radiographic features in adulthood

Juvenile hyaline fibromatosis (JHF) is a rare autosomal recessive hereditary disorder (less than 80 cases reported), characterized by multiple nodular lesions on the skin and musculoskeletal involvement, very debilitating because most adolescents and adults become bedridden. Only 10 cases have been reported on JHF in adulthood. We report the case of a 34-year-old male patient in whom clinical and histological findings were consistent with a mild JHF and focus on the radiographic features. The main purpose of this report is to increase the information available related to the radiographic manifestations and prognosis of JHF.     

Clinical and laboratory characteristics in septic arthritis patients with and without isolated germs

Background

The management of septic arthritis without bacteriological evidence is not well codified.

Peculiarities of the microwave properties of hard–soft functional composites SrTb0.01Tm0.01Fe11.98O19–AFe2O4 (A = Co,Ni, Zn,Cu, or Mn)

Herein, we investigated the correlation between the chemical composition, microstructure, and microwave properties of composites based on lightly Tb/Tm-doped Sr-hexaferrites (SrTb_0.01Tm_0.01Fe_11.98O₁₉) and spinel ferrites (AFe₂O₄, A = Co, Ni, Zn, Cu, or Mn), which were fabricated by a one-pot citrate sol–gel method. Powder XRD patterns of products confirmed the presence of pure hexaferrite and spinel phases. Microstructural analysis was performed based on SEM images. The average grain size for each phase in the prepared composites was calculated. Comprehensive investigations of dielectric properties (real (ε′) and imaginary parts (ε′′) of permittivity, dielectric loss tangent (tan(δ)), and AC conductivity) were performed in the 1–3 × 10⁶ Hz frequency range at 20–120 °C. Frequency dependency of microwave properties were investigated using the coaxial method in frequency range of 2–18 GHz. The non-linear behavior of the main microwave properties with a change in composition may be due to the influence of the soft magnetic phase. It was found that Mn- and Ni-spinel ferrites achieved the strongest electromagnetic absorption. This may be due to differences in the structures of the electron shell and the radii of the A-site ions in the spinel phase. It was discovered that the ionic polarization transformed into the dipole polarization.

Paper presents the correlation between the composition, microstructure, and microwave properties of composites based on Tb/Tm-doped Sr-hexaferrites and spinel ferrites (AFe₂O₄), which were fabricated by a one-pot citrate sol–gel method.     

Dorsal costo-vertebral joint as a rare localization of Staphylococcus aureus sepsis

Background

Septic arthritis of the costovertebral thoracic joint is a rare site infection. We report an isolated case of septic arthritis of the 10th costo-vertebral right joint with osteitis due to Staphylococcus aureus.

Platelet reactivity evaluated with the VASP assay following ticagrelor loading dose in acute coronary syndrome patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention

Background

The level of platelet reactivity (PR) inhibition obtained after P2Y12-ADP receptor antagonist loading dose (LD) is associated with the ischemic and bleeding risk following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in acute coronary syndromes (ACS).

Objective

We aimed to evaluate the level of PR inhibition achieved by a 180 mg LD of ticagrelor and the rate of high on-treatment platelet reactivity (HTPR) in ACS patients undergoing PCI.

Methods

We performed a multicentre prospective observational study enrolling ACS patients undergoing PCI. Patients were included if they were admitted for ST-elevation myocardial infarction or non ST-elevation ACS. To assess PR, a VASP index was measured at least 6 and within 24 hours following a 180 mg LD of ticagrelor. HTPR was defined as a VASP index ≥ 50%.

Results

One hundred and fifteen patients were included: 31.3% of STEMI, 49.6% of NSTEMI and 19.1% of unstable angina. Following ticagrelor LD the mean VASP index was 17 ± 14%. However the response to ticagrelor was not uniform with a small inter-individual variability: inter quartile range: 7.6–22.8% and a rate of HTPR of 3.5%. A high number of patients, 65.6%, had a VASP index < 16%. None of the baseline characteristics of the study population was associated with PR. In addition, PR was similar in STEMI, NSTEMI and unstable angina (p = 0.9).

Conclusion

In ACS patients the level of PR inhibition achieved by a 180 mg loading dose of ticagrelor is not uniform and the rate of HTPR is 3.5%. A high proportion of patients exhibited a VASP index < 16%.