Can Oncologists Prompt Patient Prognostic Awareness to Enhance Decision-Making? Data From the NEOetic Study.

Introduction: Anti-neoplastic therapy improves the prognosis for advanced cancer, albeit it is not curative. An ethical dilemma that often arises during patients' first appointment with the oncologist is to give them only the prognostic information they can tolerate, even at the cost of compromising preference-based decision-making, versus giving them full information to force prompt prognostic awareness, at the risk of causing psychological harm.

Methods: We recruited 550 participants with advanced cancer.

[Chemotherapy in metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer.].

Prostate cancer is the second mortality cause among males with cancer. Patients with metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) essentially die due to tumor progression in a castration resistance situation. Docetaxel based chemotherapy was the first therapeutic strategy that demonstrated a survival increase, in addition to pain decrease, increase in tumor responses and quality of life benefit, and it currently continues being useful after the incorporation of new therapies for the treatment of mCRPC.

Bone marrow biopsy superiority over PET/CT in predicting progression-free survival in a homogeneously-treated cohort of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Several studies have reported uneven results when evaluating the prognostic value of bone marrow biopsy (BMB) and PET/CT as part of the staging of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The heterogeneity of the inclusion criteria and not taking into account selection and collinearity biases in the analysis models might explain part of these discrepancies. To address this issue we have carried a retrospective multicenter study including 268 DLBCL patients with a BMB and a PET/CT available at diagnosis where we estimated both the prognosis impact and the diagnostic accuracy of each technique.

A risk-adapted approach to treating respiratory syncytial virus and human parainfluenza virus in allogeneic stem cell transplantation recipients with oral ribavirin therapy: A pilot study.

Here we report the applicability of a protocol based on clinical conditions and risk factors (RFs) for managing 35 allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) recipients who developed a total of 52 episodes of respiratory viral infections (RVIs) caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV; n=19), human parainfluenza virus (HPIV; n=29), or both (n=4) over a 2-year study period. Risk categories were classified as high risk (cat-1) when the immunodeficiency scoring index was ≥3 and/or ≥3 RFs and/or ≥1 co-infective virus(es) were present; the remaining cases were classified as low risk (cat-0). The presence of two or more signs or symptoms including fever (T>38 °C), sinusitis, otitis, sore throat, tonsillitis, or baseline C-reactive protein increased by >2-fold at the time of the RVI, was considered a clinically-intense episode (CIE).

Multicenter case-control study of risk factors for cutaneous melanoma in Valencia, Spain.

Introduction: It is important to identify subgroups within the general population that have an elevated risk of developing cutaneous melanoma because preventive and early-detection measures are useful in this setting. The findings of most studies that have evaluated risk factors for cutaneous melanoma are of limited application in Spain because the populations studied have different pigmentary traits and are subject to different environmental factors.

Objective: To identify the phenotypic characteristics and amount of exposure to sunlight that constitute risk factors for cutaneous melanoma in the population of the Autonomous Community of Valencia, Spain.

Sequential use with imiquimod and surgery in extramammary Paget's disease.

Extramammary Paget's disease is an uncommon intraepithelial adenocarcinoma which occurs in areas rich in apocrine glands. Although surgery is the treatment of choice, numerous noninvasive treatments have been tried. There are studies that have demonstrated the efficacy of imiquimod to treat Extramammary Paget's disease, but we found no mention in the literature of its use as neoadjuvant therapy previous to surgery excision.

Congenital lower limb enlargement in a newborn.

A full-term newborn presented with swelling of his right leg soon after birth. There was no alteration in Doppler. The grandmother and other relatives were said to have shown a similar history at birth.

Control of NOD2 and Rip2-dependent innate immune activation by GEF-H1.

Background: Genetic variants of nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain 2 (NOD2) lead to aberrant microbial recognition and can cause chronic inflammatory diseases in patients with Crohn's disease (CD).

Methods: We utilized gene-specific siRNA mediated knockdown and expression of guanine nucleotide exchange factor H1 (GEF-H1) in wildtype, Rip2-, and Nod2-deficient macrophages, HCT-116 and HEK 293 cells to determine the role of GEF-H1 in NOD2 and Rip2-mediated NF-κB-dependent induction of proinflammatory cytokine expression. Confocal microscopy was used to determine subcellular distribution of GEF-H1, Rip2, and NOD2.

[Factors associated with household transmission of influenza (H1N1) 2009].

Background: A good part of the transmission of influenza occurs in the household context. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the factors associated with the index cases generating secondary cases in household.

Methods: We designed an observational, retrospective, multicenter through the implementation of a telephone survey in three regions of Spain.

Effects of flavonoids and other polyphenols on inflammation.

Flavonoids are a family of polyphenolic compounds which are widespread in nature (vegetables) and are consumed as part of the human diet in significant amounts. There are other types of polyphenols, including, for example, tannins and resveratrol. Flavonoids and related polyphenolic compounds have significant antiinflammatory activity, among others.

LRRK2 is involved in the IFN-gamma response and host response to pathogens.

LRRK2 was previously identified as a defective gene in Parkinson's disease, and it is also located in a risk region for Crohn's disease. In this study, we aim to determine whether LRRK2 could be involved in immune responses. We show that LRRK2 expression is enriched in human immune cells.

Flavonoids exert distinct modulatory actions on cyclooxygenase 2 and NF-kappaB in an intestinal epithelial cell line (IEC18).

Background And Purpose: Cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) is involved in inflammatory bowel disease, but the effect of flavonoids at the intestinal epithelial level is unknown. We aimed to characterize the effect and structure-activity relationship of nine selected flavonoids on COX-2 expression in intestinal epithelial cell (IEC)18 cells. We also investigated the signal transduction pathway(s) responsible for the effects observed.

Tissue-nonspecific alkaline phosphatase is activated in enterocytes by oxidative stress via changes in glycosylation.

Background: Intestinal inflammation produces an induction of alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity that is attributable in part to augmented expression, accompanied by a change in isoform, in epithelial cells.

Methods: This study focuses on induction of AP in intestinal epithelial cells in vitro.

Results: Treatment with the oxidants H2O2, monochloramine, or tButOOH increases AP activity in vitro in Caco-2, HT29, and IEC18 cells.

Fragrance contact allergy: a 4-year retrospective study.

Background: Fragrance chemicals are the second most frequent cause of contact allergy. The mandatory labelling of 26 fragrance chemicals when present in cosmetics has facilitated management of patients allergic to fragrances.

Objectives: The study was aimed to define the characteristics of the population allergic to perfumes detected in our hospital district, to determine the usefulness of markers of fragrance allergy in the baseline GEIDAC series, and to describe the contribution made by the fragrance series to the data obtained with the baseline series.

[Combined therapy with etanercept and systemic drugs or phototherapy].

Biological therapy has been shown to have a very satisfactory antipsoriasic effect. However, this response is not always achieved in all the patients and may be insufficient for others. Thus, strategies have recently been designed, among which the use of combined therapies with biological and systemic drugs or phototherapy have been designed.

Varicella-zoster virus pneumonia in an adult population: has mortality decreased?

Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) pneumonia is one of the most serious complications of this infection in adults. The objective of this study was to analyze the epidemiological and clinical characteristics in a large sample of patients with VZV pneumonia. This was a 10-y retrospective, descriptive, observational study.

[Severe adult atopic dermatitis: treatment with mycophenolate mofetil in 8 patients].

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) includes severe forms that can be refractory to various systemic treatments. Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) has been found to be useful in patients with severe forms of AD and to have fewer side effects than long-term treatment with oral corticosteroids or cyclosporine.

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy and adverse effects of MMF in patients seen in our skin allergy unit with severe adult AD refractory to other systemic treatments.

Synchronous bilateral breast carcinoma in a patient with cowden syndrome: a case report with morphologic, immunohistochemical and genetic analysis.

Synchronous bilateral breast carcinoma (SBBC) and early onset are important characteristics of hereditary cases. The lifetime risk for breast carcinoma in Cowden syndrome (CS) is estimated to be 25-50%. We reported a 44-year-old woman presenting SBBC and characteristic mucocutaneous lesions of CS, confirmed by PTEN gene mutation analysis.

Shoe contact dermatitis from dimethyl fumarate: clinical manifestations, patch test results, chemical analysis, and source of exposure.

Background: The methyl ester form of fumaric acid named dimethyl fumarate (DMF) is an effective mould-growth inhibitor. Its irritating and sensitizing properties were demonstrated in animal models. Recently, DMF has been identified as responsible for furniture contact dermatitis in Europe.