The revised FIGO staging system for uterine malignancies: implications for MR imaging.

Cancers of the uterine corpus and cervix are the most common gynecologic malignancies worldwide. The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) staging system was first established in 1958, when it was recognized that the recurrence rate and patient outcomes were directly related to the degree of tumor spread at the patient's initial presentation. Changes in understanding of tumor biology led to a recent update in the FIGO staging system that reflects the variation in treatment strategies between endometrial and cervical cancer.

Association of serum adipocytokines with insulin resistance and liver injury in patients with chronic hepatitis C genotype 4.

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, especially genotypes 1 and 4, is associated with metabolic dysfunction. We investigated the potential role of adipocytokines in HCV-induced insulin resistance (IR) and modulating the progression of liver disease in patients with HCV-4.

Methods: Serum adiponectin, high molecular weight adiponectin, leptin, tumor necrosis factor-α, interluekin-6, homeostasis model for the assessment of insulin resistance, and M30 protein were measured in 147 HCV patients and 89 controls.

Effectiveness of new distraction technique on pain associated with injection of local anesthesia for children.

Purpose: Distraction is one of the most commonly used techniques for control of pain associated with injection procedures. This study's purpose was to evaluate the effect of a distraction technique using audiovisual (A/V) glasses on pain perception during administration of local anesthesia for children.

Methods: Forty-eight healthy, cooperative 5- to 7-year-olds were selected on the basis of existence of bilateral carious primary mandibular molars, which necessitated an inferior alveolar nerve block anesthesia before treatment.

Low p53 binding protein 1 (53BP1) expression is associated with increased local recurrence in breast cancer patients treated with breast-conserving surgery and radiotherapy.

Purpose: To investigate whether the expression of p53 binding protein 1 (53BP1) has prognostic significance in a cohort of early-stage breast cancer patients treated with breast-conserving surgery and radiotherapy (BCS+RT).

Methods And Materials: A tissue microarray of early-stage breast cancer treated with BCS+RT from a cohort of 514 women was assayed for 53BP1, estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and HER2 expression by immunohistochemistry. Through log-rank tests and univariate and multivariate models, the staining profile of each tumor was correlated with clinical endpoints, including ipsilateral breast recurrence-free survival (IBRFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), cause-specific survival (CSS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), and overall survival (OS).

Antibacterial cotton fabrics treated with core-shell nanoparticles.

Multifinishing treatment of cotton fabrics was carried out using core-shell nanoparticles that consists of silver nanoparticles (Ag(0)) as core and chitosan-O-methoxy polyethylene glycol (CTS-O-MPEG) as shell. The synthesized (Ag(0)-CTS-O-MPEG) core-shell nanoparticle was applied to cotton fabrics using the conventional pad-dry-cure method. The finished fabrics were examined for their morphological features and surface characteristics by making use of scanning electron microscope (SEM-EDX), which reveals the well dispersion of (Ag(0)-CTS-O-MPEG) core-shell nanoparticles on cotton fabrics.

Synthesis, biological evaluation, and molecular docking studies of benzyl, alkyl and glycosyl [2-(arylamino)-4,4-dimethyl-6-oxo-cyclohex-1-ene]carbodithioates, as potential immunomodulatory and immunosuppressive agents.

The immunomodulating properties of functionalized [2-(arylamino)-4,4-dimethyl-6-oxo-cyclohex-1-ene] carbodithioates and 6,6-dimethyl-4-(2-(propan-2-ylidene)hydrazinyl)-6,7-dihydro-2H-indazole-3(5H)-thione compounds have been investigated. Four of them, 13, 18, 19 and 20 inhibited PBMC proliferation induced by phytohemagglutinin (PHA) in a dose dependent manner with an IC(50) of ≤ 20 μM. The Th-1 cytokine, interleukin-2 (IL-2) in PHA/PMA-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) is significantly inhibited by 13, 19 and 20 with an IC(50) of 8.

Synthesis of new pyrazole, triazole, and thiazolidine-pyrimido [4, 5-b] quinoline derivatives with potential antitumor activity.

2-Hydrazinyltetrahydropyrimido [4, 5-b] quinolin-4(3H)-one (3) was prepared by desulfurization reaction of S- and N-dimethyl derivatives 2 with hydrazine hydrate. Reactions of (3) with malonitrile, carbondisulfide, potassium thiocyanate, phthalic anhydride and aromatic aldehydes afforded 3, 5-di aminopyrazolopyrimido [4, 5-b] quinoline (4), triazolotetrahydropyrimido [4, 5-b] quinoline (5), aminotriazolopyrimido [4, 5-b] quinoline (6), aminophthalimidopyrimido [4, 5-b] quinoline (7) and N-arylidene hydrazinepyrimido [4, 5-b] quinoline 8a-d, respectively. Furthermore, 8a-d reacted with mercaptoacetic acid gave the thiazolidinonepyrimido [4, 5-b] quinoline 9a-d, which afforded the thiazolotriazolopyrimido [4, 5-b] quinolinone 10a-d upon treatment with ethanolic potassium hydroxide.

Closure of palatal fistula with local double-breasted mucoperiosteal flaps.

Introduction And Objectives: Despite improvement to surgical techniques of cleft-palate surgery, palatal fistulas remain a challenge. Many surgical procedures have been described for repair of these fistulas either by using the local tissue or by importing a new tissue from adjacent areas. In this report, we describe our technique for closure of palatal fistula using double-breasted mucoperiosteal flaps based on the greater palatine artery.

Association of angiotensin converting enzyme gene (I/D) polymorphism with hypertension and type 2 diabetes.

Objectives: This study was conducted to determine the association of insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism of the ACE gene in hypertensive and T2DM subjects in Egyptian population.

Background: The deletion (D) allele of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene has been studied in relation to hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) with contradictory results which might be due to ethnic and geographical variations.

Methods: A total of 85 subjects participated in this study; hypertension (Group 1); type 2 diabetes mellitus (Group 2) and controls (Group 3).

Asymptomatic splenic infarct and retroperitoneal sepsis in patient with Wegener's granulomatosis.

Introduction: We present a patient with an unusual combination of surgical findings, complicated by both a medical condition and the treatment there of.

Presentation Of Case: A 52 year-old man with Wegener's granulomatosis presented with groin pain and sepsis while on immunosuppressive therapy. Large retroperitoneal abscesses were found on CT scanning, together with a collapsed left lower lobe of the lung, a complete infarct of the spleen, and evidence of diverticulosis.

Moxifloxacin in situ gelling microparticles-bioadhesive delivery system.

Antibiotic use for ocular treatments has been largely limited by poor local bioavailability with conventional eyedrops formulations. Here, we developed a controlled delivery system composed of moxifloxacin-loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microparticles encapsulated in a chondroitin sulfate-based, two-component bioadhesive hydrogel. Using a simple and fast electrohydrodynamic spray drying (electrospraying) technique, surfactant-free moxifloxacin-loaded microparticles were fabricated with diameters on the order of 1 μm.

[Prerequisites for electronic systems evaluating safe and effective drug therapy. A contribution to the Action Plan of the Federal Health Ministry].

Evaluation of effective and safe drug therapy assisted by electronic systems is based on certain prerequisites, including structured data of drugs and from patients. These prerequisites were identified in a workshop within the scope of the National Action Plan and have been reported in a 7+1-point plan: medicinal product data must be correct and up-to-date based on the summary of product characteristics approved by the responsible authorities. Product data must be available in an agreed textual structure and must use defined semantic elements within this structure.

Novel technique for biliary reconstruction using an isolated gastric tube with a vascularized pedicle: a live animal experimental study and the first clinical case.

Background: Biliary tract reconstruction continues to be a challenging surgical problem. Multiple experimental attempts have been reported to reconstruct biliary defects with different materials and variable outcome. Our aim was to evaluate a new method for biliary reconstruction using an isolated pedicled gastric tube in a live animal trial and also to present the first clinical case.

A systematic analysis of the early transcribed membrane protein family throughout the life cycle of Plasmodium yoelii.

The early transcribed membrane proteins (ETRAMPs) are a family of small, highly charged transmembrane proteins unique to malaria parasites. Some members of the ETRAMP family have been localized to the parasitophorous vacuole membrane that separates the intracellular parasite from the host cell and thus presumably have a role in host-parasite interactions. Although it was previously shown that two ETRAMPs are critical for rodent malaria parasite liver-stage development, the importance of most ETRAMPs during the parasite life cycle remains unknown.

Role of oxidative stress in hypoxia preconditioning of cells transplanted to the myocardium: a molecular imaging study.

Aim: Cell-based therapies are a potential therapeutic alternative for the treatment of coronary artery disease (CAD). However, transplanted cells undergo significant death in the living subject. Hypoxic preconditioning (HPC) is a potential intervention to increase transplanted cell survival.

Body contouring following massive weight loss.

Obesity is a global disease with epidemic proportions. Bariatric surgery or modified lifestyles go a long way in mitigating the vast weight gain. Patients following these interventions usually undergo massive weight loss.

Superior antimalarial immunity after vaccination with late liver stage-arresting genetically attenuated parasites.

While subunit vaccines have shown partial efficacy in clinical trials, radiation-attenuated sporozoites (RAS) remain the "gold standard" for sterilizing protection against Plasmodium infection in human vaccinees. The variability in immunogenicity and replication introduced by the extensive, random DNA damage necessary to generate RAS could be overcome by genetically attenuated parasites (GAP) designed via gene deletion to arrest at defined points during liver-stage development. Here, we demonstrate the principle that late liver stage-arresting GAP induce larger and broader CD8 T cell responses that provide superior protection in inbred and outbred mice compared to RAS or early-arresting GAP immunizations.

Fungal endophytes: unique plant inhabitants with great promises.

Fungal endophytes residing in the internal tissues of living plants occur in almost every plant on earth from the arctic to the tropics. The endophyte-host relationship is described as a balanced symbiotic continuum ranging from mutualism through commensalism to parasitism. This overview will highlight selected aspects of endophyte diversity, host specificity, endophyte-host interaction and communication as well as regulation of secondary metabolite production with emphasis on advanced genomic methods and their role in improving our current knowledge of endophytic associations.

On ultrasound imaging for guided screw insertion in spinal fusion surgery.

Spinal fusion surgery generally involves the insertion of screws in the pedicle, a three-dimensional (3-D) process that requires great skill if serious consequences are to be avoided. This article describes an image guidance technique based on generating B‑mode images from within a small bore hole in the pedicle's trabecular bone. The purpose is to determine the viability and safety of the hole placement for subsequent insertion of the screw.

SAP1 is a critical post-transcriptional regulator of infectivity in malaria parasite sporozoite stages.

Plasmodium salivary gland sporozoites upregulate expression of a unique subset of genes, collectively called the UIS (upregulated in infectious sporozoites). Many UIS were shown to be essential for early liver stage development, although little is known about their regulation. We previously identified a conserved sporozoite-specific protein, SAP1, which has an essential role in Plasmodium liver infection.

BRCA1, PARP, and 53BP1: conditional synthetic lethality and synthetic viability.

BRCA1 plays a critical role in the regulation of homologous recombination (HR)-mediated DNA double-strand break repair. BRCA1-deficient cancers have evolved to tolerate loss of BRCA1 function. This renders them vulnerable to agents, such as PARP inhibitors, that are conditionally 'synthetic lethal' with their underlying repair defect.