Malignant and benign thyroid nodules after total body irradiation preceding hematopoietic cell transplantation during childhood.

Background: The risk of radiation-induced benign and malignant thyroid nodules is well known.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the occurrence of thyroid nodules and carcinomas after fractionated total body irradiation (TBI) preceding hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for malignant hematological disease during childhood.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective university hospital-based observational study.

Factors influencing neurological outcome of children with bacterial meningitis at the emergency department.

We performed a cohort study of children who survived bacterial meningitis after the neonatal period at a single pediatric center in France over a 10-year period (1995-2004) to identify predictors of death and long-term neurological deficits in children with bacterial meningitis. We performed multivariate regression to determine independent predictors of death and neurologic deficits. We identified 101 children with bacterial meningitis of which 19 died during initial hospitalization.

Using an eye-tracker to assess the effectiveness of a three-dimensional riding simulator in increasing hazard perception.

A crucial factor contributing to the high rate of road accidents involving young people is inexperience, in particular the inability to promptly identify risky situations. The aim of this study is to test the effectiveness of a riding simulator in improving this skill in young inexperienced riders. We use the first fixation latency to measure the improvement in detecting the hazardous object.

Non-financial conflicts of interest in academic grant evaluation: a qualitative study of multiple stakeholders in France.

Background: Peer review is the most widely used method for evaluating grant applications in clinical research. Criticisms of peer review include lack of equity, suspicion of biases, and conflicts of interest (CoI). CoIs raise questions of fairness, transparency, and trust in grant allocation.

Novel modeling of reference values of cardiovascular risk factors in children aged 7 to 20 years.

Background And Objective: Most of the cardiovascular risk factors strongly associated with obesity and overweight vary with age and gender. However, few reference values are available for healthy European children. Our objective was to establish pediatric reference ranges for waist circumference, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, fasting lipid levels (total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides), glucose, and insulin.

Congenital ureteropelvic junction obstruction: physiopathology, decoupling of tout court pelvic dilatation-obstruction semantic connection, biomarkers to predict renal damage evolution.

The widespread use of fetal ultrasonography results in a frequent antenatally observation of hydronephrosis, ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO) accounting for the greatest fraction of congenital obstructive nephropathy. UPJO may be considered, in most cases, as a functional obstructive condition, depending on defective fetal smooth muscle/nerve development at this level, with lack of peristaltic wave propagation--aperistaltic segment--and, therefore, poor urine ejection from the renal pelvis into the ureter. The UPJO-related physiopathologic events are, at first, the compliant dilatation of renal pelvis that, acting as hydraulic buffer, protects the renal parenchyma from the rising intrapelvic pressure-related potential damages, and, subsequently, beyond such phase of dynamic balance, the tubular cell stretch-stress induced by increased intratubular pressure and following parenchymal inflammatory lesions: inflammatory infiltrates, fibroblast proliferation, activation of myofibroblasts, tubulo-interstitial fibrosis.

Carcinoma of unknown primary (CUP); some considerations about pathogenesis and diagnostic strategy, particularly focusing on CUPS pertaining to the Urology.

The term "carcinoma of unknown primary" (CUP) defines a malignant condition in which a metastatic cancer is documented in absence of a detectable primary site. It occurs in about 2÷6 % of cancer patients, according to various literature reports. The primary tumor site results indefinable because of several either single or associated factors, even remaining occult at autopsy in 15÷25% of CUP patients.

Clinical and radiologic evaluation of 70 immediately loaded single implants in the maxillary esthetic zone: preliminary results after 1 year of functional loading.

Purpose: A key challenge in implant treatment in the esthetic zone is to provide patients with crowns and peri-implant mucosa that are in harmony with the adjacent teeth to restore both function and esthetics. The aim of the present study was to show the preliminary results of an immediate loading protocol in the maxillary esthetic zone that is designed to preserve the soft tissue.

Materials And Methods: Patients were treated with immediately loaded single-tooth implants (Seven, MIS).

Aetiology and epidemiology of fever in children presenting to the emergency department of a French paediatric tertiary care centre after international travel.

Objective: As few data are available on the causes of fever in children returning from international travel, the authors studied children presenting to a French tertiary care centre with fever.

Methods: Children presenting to the emergency department of the Robert Debré Paediatric Hospital, Paris, France between July and December 2007 with fever that occurred within 3 months of a stay abroad were included in this retrospective study.

Results: The children (n=538) had most commonly visited North Africa (NA) (n=214), sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) (n=185) and Europe (n=67).

Ligand-dependent EGFR activation induces the co-expression of IL-6 and PAI-1 via the NFkB pathway in advanced-stage epithelial ovarian cancer.

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a member of the ErbB family of receptor tyrosine kinases, is expressed in up to 70% of epithelial ovarian cancers (EOCs), where it correlates with poor prognosis. The majority of EOCs are diagnosed at an advanced stage, and at least 50% present malignant ascites. High levels of IL-6 have been found in the ascites of EOC patients and correlate with shorter survival.

Positive impact of long-term antithyroid drug treatment on the outcome of children with Graves' disease: national long-term cohort study.

Context: Drug-based therapy is usually the initial treatment for Graves' disease (GD) hyperthyroidism in children, but there is some debate about treatment duration.

Objective: Our objective was to assess the effect of long-term carbimazole therapy on GD remission in children and its determinants.

Design And Setting: This was an observational prospective multicenter follow-up cohort study.

Impact of implementing French antibiotic guidelines for acute respiratory-tract infections in a paediatric emergency department, 2005-2009.

Acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs) are the main reason for antibiotic prescription in children. In 2005, the French Drug Agency published guidelines to minimise inappropriate use of antibiotics for ARTI. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of implementing these guidelines in a paediatric emergency department.

[Evaluation of pre-travel prevention, except vaccination, in children returning from Africa with fever].

Objectives: Evaluating the frequency and modalities of transmissible infection prevention counseling in children before a stay in tropical or subtropical areas.

Methods: Description of the frequency and modalities of transmissible infection prevention counseling (except specific vaccination) given prior to travel in children attending a tertiary care center in Paris, France, for fever occurring within 3 months following a return from Africa. Data were collected retrospectively from medical observations and telephone interviews with parents.

Mycophenolate mofetil for steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome: a phase II Bayesian trial.

Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) has emerged as a new therapeutic option in steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome (SDNS). We conducted a phase II Bayesian trial of MMF in children with SDNS. Phase II trials, usually single-arm studies, investigate the effect of new treatments.

Evaluation of guidelines for management of familial adenomatous polyposis in a multicenter pediatric cohort.

Objective: To retrospectively assess, in a pediatric multicenter cohort, guidelines for the management of familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP).

Methods: Ten centers from the French-speaking Pediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition Group provided follow-up data on patients up to 18 years of age. Clinical records, genetic test results, endoscopy with histopathology examination, and therapeutic modalities were reviewed.

Serum concentrations of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 and IGF binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3), IGF-1/IGFBP-3 ratio, and markers of bone turnover: reference values for French children and adolescents and z-score comparability with other references.

Background: A reference model for converting serum growth factor and bone metabolism markers into an SD score (SDS) is required for clinical practice. We aimed to establish reference values of serum insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and IGF binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3) concentrations and bone metabolism markers in French children, to generate a model for converting values into SDS for age, sex, and pubertal stage.

Methods: We carried out a cross-sectional study of 1119 healthy white children ages 6-20 years.

Preterm delivery disrupts the developmental program of the cerebellum.

A rapid growth in human cerebellar development occurs in the third trimester, which is impeded by preterm delivery. The goal of this study was to characterize the impact of preterm delivery on the developmental program of the human cerebellum. Still born infants, which meant that all development up to that age had taken place in-utero, were age paired with preterm delivery infants, who had survived in an ex-utero environment, which meant that their development had also taken place outside the uterus.

Biometry of the corpus callosum in children: MR imaging reference data.

Background And Purpose: The availability of data relating to the biometry of the CC in children that are easy to use in daily practice is limited. We present a reference biometry of the CC in MR imaging in a large cohort of children.

Materials And Methods: Cerebral MR imaging studies of children with normal examination findings were selected retrospectively.

Organ-confined prostate carcinoma radiation brachytherapy compared with external either photon- or hadron-beam radiation therapy. Just a short up-to-date.

Both low dose rate (LDR) permanent either 1251 or 103Pd seed implant and high dose rate (HDR) 1921r temporary implant are an excellent way to release high dose of ionizing radiations to cancerous lesions while significantly sparing the surrounding healthy tissues. Therefore, the radiation brachytherapy, among the established treatment options of organ-confined prostate carcinoma--interstitial radiofrequency, high intensity focused ultrasound, cryotherapy--has gained large acceptance in the last decades. The LDR permanent interstitial radioactive seed implantation is often used as monotherapy for low risk prostate carcinoma whereas the HDR temporary implant may useful to treat intermediate-to-high risk prostate tumors as a radiation boost to combined external beam radiation therapy (EBRT).

[Some etiopathogenetic and diagnostic considerations in neuroendocrine tumors, with particular attention to those in urology].

Some aetiopathogenetic and diagnostic considerations about the neuro-endocrine tumours, with particular attention to those pertinent of urology.Some neuroendocrine tumours (NET) occur in hereditary-familial neoplastic syndromes such as MEN (multiple endocrine neoplasias) or neuroectodermic dysplasias (neurofibromatosis-NF1, von Hippel Lindau disease, pheochromocytoma-chemodectoma familial syndrome, etc.) while others arise as solitary-isolated tumours such as those of gastrointestinal tract, pancreas, lung, skin, genitourinary system.

[Comparison in Andalusia and Catalonia of sickness absence for influenza (H1N1) 2009].

Background: This study compared surveillance of cases of sickness absence due to illness caused by influenza and reported in Andalusia and Catalonia in the period 2007-2009.

Methods: A time series of incident cases of sickness absence due to influenza, by sex and age, in which episodes in Andalusia and Catalonia in a previous epidemic period (from 01/01/2007 through 30/09/2009) were compared to the pandemic period (last three months of 2009). The weekly number of new cases of sickness absence due to influenza was calculated, and the minimum, median and maximum values were plotted for each of these two periods.

Molecular and clinical effects of betamethasone in human T-cell lymphotropic virus type-I-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis patients.

There is no effective therapy for human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I)-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). Glucocorticoids are effective to reduce the motor disability in these patients, but its role as anti-spastic drugs is unknown. Here it is reported the use of corticosteroids in HAM/TSP.

Thymine DNA glycosylase is essential for active DNA demethylation by linked deamination-base excision repair.

DNA methylation is a major epigenetic mechanism for gene silencing. Whereas methyltransferases mediate cytosine methylation, it is less clear how unmethylated regions in mammalian genomes are protected from de novo methylation and whether an active demethylating activity is involved. Here, we show that either knockout or catalytic inactivation of the DNA repair enzyme thymine DNA glycosylase (TDG) leads to embryonic lethality in mice.