Advanced renal cell carcinoma management: the Latin American Cooperative Oncology Group (LACOG) and the Latin American Renal Cancer Group (LARCG) consensus update.

Purpose: Renal cell carcinoma is an aggressive disease with a high mortality rate. Management has drastically changed with the new era of immunotherapy, and novel strategies are being developed; however, identifying systemic treatments is still challenging. This paper presents an update of the expert panel consensus from the Latin American Cooperative Oncology Group and the Latin American Renal Cancer Group on advanced renal cell carcinoma management in Brazil.

Soil-Transmitted Helminths and Anaemia: A Neglected Association Outside the Tropics.

Anaemia is an important cause of morbidity and mortality globally. Among infectious agents responsible for anaemia, helminthic infections are often neglected, particularly in non-endemic countries. However, they should not be neglected in this setting, as international travel and migration are on the rise.

A diagnostic study comparing conventional and real-time PCR for Strongyloides stercoralis on urine and on faecal samples.

Strongyloides stercoralis is a soil-transmitted helminth with a wide distribution in tropical and subtropical areas. The diagnosis of S. stercoralisinfection can be challenging, due to the low sensitivity of microscopic examination of stool samples and coproculture.

Low-dose topiramate in alcohol dependence: a single-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Introduction: Topiramate (TOP) and anticonvulsants in general are considered safe and effective drugs for the treatment of alcohol dependence, even though TOP-induced adverse events are quite common, especially for high initial doses or if titration to 300 mg/d is too rapid. The aim of the present study was to assess the efficacy and tolerability profile of low-dose TOP for relapse prevention.

Methods: After detoxification, 52 patients were randomized into 2 groups as follows: 26 patients received 100 mg of TOP (oral, twice daily), titrated over 2 weeks, and 26 patients received placebo (PLA).

Ruptured sinus of Valsalva found incidentally in a patient with tetralogy of Fallot.

Ruptured sinus Valsalva aneurysm (SVA) in a patient with tetralogy of Fallot is a very rare cardiac complication. This report describes the case of a 10-year-old Hispanic girl who presented to her cardiologist for a routine transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), which showed a ruptured sinus of Valsalva, with left-to-right shunting noted from the right cusp to the right ventricular outflow tract and pulmonic insufficiency. The patient underwent right and left heart catheterization with transesophageal echocardiography guidance and closure of the ruptured sinus of Valsalva with an Amplatzer muscular ventricular septal defect (VSD) device.