Thyroidectomy without radioiodine in patients with low-risk thyroid cancer: 5 years of follow-up of the prospective randomised ESTIMABL2 trial.

Background: ESTIMABL2, a multicentre randomised phase 3 trial in patients with low-risk differentiated thyroid cancer (ie, pT1am or pT1b, N0 [no evidence of regional nodal involvement] or Nx [involvement of regional lymph nodes that cannot be assessed in the absence of neck dissection]), showed the non-inferiority of a follow-up strategy without radioactive iodine (I) administration compared with a postoperative I administration at 3 years post-randomisation. Here, we report a pre-specified analysis after 5 years of follow-up.

Methods: Patients treated with total thyroidectomy with or without prophylactic neck lymph node dissection, without postoperative suspicious findings on neck ultrasonography, were randomly assigned to the no-radioiodine group or to the radioiodine group (1·1 GBq-30 mCi after recombinant human thyrotropin-stimulating hormone).

Analysis of the ARTIC V4 and V4.1 SARS-CoV-2 primers and their impact on the detection of Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 lineage-defining mutations.

The ARTIC protocol uses a multiplexed PCR approach with two primer pools tiling the entire SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) genome. Primer pool updates are necessary for accurate amplicon sequencing of evolving SARS-CoV-2 variants with novel mutations. The suitability of the ARTIC V4 and updated V4.

Thyroidectomy without Radioiodine in Patients with Low-Risk Thyroid Cancer.

Background: In patients with low-risk differentiated thyroid cancer undergoing thyroidectomy, the postoperative administration of radioiodine (iodine-131) is controversial in the absence of demonstrated benefits.

Methods: In this prospective, randomized, phase 3 trial, we assigned patients with low-risk differentiated thyroid cancer who were undergoing thyroidectomy to receive ablation with postoperative administration of radioiodine (1.1 GBq) after injections of recombinant human thyrotropin (radioiodine group) or to receive no postoperative radioiodine (no-radioiodine group).

Pyocin efficacy in a murine model of Pseudomonas aeruginosa sepsis.

Background: Bloodstream infections with antibiotic-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa are common and increasingly difficult to treat. Pyocins are naturally occurring protein antibiotics produced by P. aeruginosa that have potential for human use.

A three-dimensional ParF meshwork assembles through the nucleoid to mediate plasmid segregation.

Genome segregation is a fundamental step in the life cycle of every cell. Most bacteria rely on dedicated DNA partition proteins to actively segregate chromosomes and low copy-number plasmids. Here, by employing super resolution microscopy, we establish that the ParF DNA partition protein of the ParA family assembles into a three-dimensional meshwork that uses the nucleoid as a scaffold and periodically shuttles between its poles.

Structures of archaeal DNA segregation machinery reveal bacterial and eukaryotic linkages.

Although recent studies have provided a wealth of information about archaeal biology, nothing is known about the molecular basis of DNA segregation in these organisms. Here, we unveil the machinery and assembly mechanism of the archaeal Sulfolobus pNOB8 partition system. This system uses three proteins: ParA; an atypical ParB adaptor; and a centromere-binding component, AspA.

Aqueous hydrotrope: an efficient and reusable medium for a green one-pot, diversity-oriented synthesis of quinazolinone derivatives.

A library of quinazolinones was prepared by the one-pot three-component reaction of isatoic anhydride, ammonium salts/amines, and various electrophiles using aqueous hydrotropic solution as an efficient, economical, reusable, and green medium giving good to excellent yields of products in very short time. The method offers a versatile way for the development of diversity-oriented synthesis of quinazolinones.

Structural mechanism of ATP-induced polymerization of the partition factor ParF: implications for DNA segregation.

Segregation of the bacterial multidrug resistance plasmid TP228 requires the centromere-binding protein ParG, the parH centromere, and the Walker box ATPase ParF. The cycling of ParF between ADP- and ATP-bound states drives TP228 partition; ATP binding stimulates ParF polymerization, which is essential for segregation, whereas ADP binding antagonizes polymerization and inhibits DNA partition. The molecular mechanism involved in this adenine nucleotide switch is unclear.

Ultrasound promoted efficient and green synthesis of β-amino carbonyl compounds in aqueous hydrotropic medium.

Ultrasound promoted synthesis of β-amino carbonyl compounds in aqueous hydrotropic medium at ambient temperature is reported. The remarkable features of the new procedure are shorter reaction time, excellent yields in aqueous medium, cleaner reaction profile and simple experimental and work-up procedure.

Diagnostic and prognostic impact of 18F-FDG PET/CT in follicular lymphoma.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the usefulness of positron emission tomography/computed tomography in staging, prognosis evaluation and restaging of patients with follicular lymphoma.

Methods: A retrospective study was performed on 45 patients with untreated biopsy-proven follicular lymphoma who underwent 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT (FDG PET/CT) and CT before and after chemoimmunotherapy induction treatment (rituximab combined with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone).

Results: PET/CT detected more nodal (+51%) and extranodal (+89%) lesions than CT.

Structural plasticity of an acid-activated chaperone allows promiscuous substrate binding.

HdeA has been shown to prevent acid-induced aggregation of proteins. With a mass of only 9.7 kDa, HdeA is one of the smallest chaperones known.

Relationship between beef consumer tenderness perception and Warner-Bratzler shear force.

The aim of this study was to determine consumer ability to discern different levels of beef tenderness established by Warner-Bratzler shear (WBs). A panel of 220 people evaluated 60 samples of longissimus thoracis using a 5-point intensity scale (1: very tough; 5: very tender). Samples differed for commercial category, breed of animals and ageing length of meat.

Impact of PET-FDG in the diagnosis and therapeutic care of patients presenting with metastases of unknown primary.

We carried out a study to evaluate the contribution of positron emission tomography with (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (PET-FDG) in the diagnosis and therapeutic care of patients presenting with metastases of unknown primary. PET-FDG was prospectively performed in 51 patients. The PET-FDG data were confirmed histologically or by a follow-up on average at 13 months.

Major increase in brain natriuretic peptide indicates right ventricular systolic dysfunction in patients with heart failure.

This study sought to investigate whether the presence of right ventricular systolic dysfunction with pre-existing left ventricular systolic dysfunction is associated with higher plasma brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels, compared with patients with isolated left ventricular dysfunction. Eighty-five patients referred for evaluation of isotopic ventricular function were prospectively included in the study. Left (LVEF) and right (RVEF) ventricular ejection fractions were evaluated by gated blood pool scintigraphy and compared with plasma BNP levels.

Effect of castration on meat quality in Piemontese cattle.

The effect of early (5 month) or late castration (13 month) on meat quality of hypertrophied Piemontese cattle was investigated. Twenty four animals, equally divided into three groups (early castrated, EC; late castrated, LC; intact males, IM) were reared under the same experimental conditions and slaughtered at the same age. Twenty four hours after slaughter the pH was measured on the longissimus thoracis of the right side.

The use of principal component analysis (PCA) to characterize beef.

Principal component analysis was performed to study the relationships between chemical, physical and sensory variables (n=18) measured on longissimus thoracis et lumborum of 79 young bulls from the following ethnic groups: hypertrophied Piemontese, normal Piemontese, Friesian, crossbred hypertrophied Piemontese×Friesian, Belgian Blue and White. The first three PCs explained about 63% of total variability. Sensory characteristics, protein content, shear force and cooking losses resulted the most effective variables for the PC1, while hydroxyproline and ether extract content, as well as hue and lightness were useful to define the PC2.

64-channel correlator implementing a Kohonen-like neural network for handwritten-digit recognition.

We present an optical implementation of an improved version of the Kohonen map neural network applied to the recognition of handwritten digits taken from a postal code database. Improvements result from the introduction of supervision during the learning stage, a technique that also simplifies the map layer labeling. The experimental implementation is based on a frequency-multiplexed raster computer-generated hologram used to realize the required N(4) interconnection.

Two methods of reducing the dynamic range of a holographic filter.

Two methods of reducing the dynamic range of the transmittance of computer-generated interconnection holograms are presented and compared. The holograms are used in an optical implementation of an associative memory to connect the input and the output planes but are representative of more generalN(4) interconnection holograms. Because the holograms play a double correlation-reconstruction role, the standard spectrum-smoothing techniques (e.

[Short-term change in sural venous thrombosis in patients in surgical intensive care when anticoagulants are contraindicated].

Venous thrombo-embolic disease in neurosurgical and surgical intensive care units is a frequent disorder (between 4.3 and 43 per cent of patients according to studies). The treatment is often difficult.

Two reading techniques of the filter paper press method for measuring meat water-holding capacity.

Two systems of measuring the areas obtained from the filter paper press method (Grau & Hamm) on meat (beef) were compared: by planimeter (method A) and by optical-electronic system (Video Image Analyzer; method B). Data obtained by three operators, measuring 15 samples twice, were utilized to estimate the 'precision' of the two methods. The general mean area of ring zone resulting from method A was 6·69 cm(2).

[Intracranial arachnoid cysts in children. Apropos of 8 cases].

Eight cases of intracranial arachnoid cysts are reported. They are benign congenital lesions who result from an abnormal development of the earliest arachnoid. A subsequent development is possible.

[Xanthoastrocytoma inf young subjects. Review of the literature apropos of 2 cases with discordant courses].

Two cases of pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma (P X A) of young subjects (Kepes et al., 1979) are reported. Case 1 arose in 15-year-old boy admitted to the hospital with the complaint of severe headaches associated with nausea and vomiting of 1 month's duration.

[Cranial fasciitis in children. Apropos of a case in a neonate with duramateral involvement].

A case of cranial fasciitis in the skull of a male child is described. At the age of a few weeks was noted a "lump" beneath the scalp of the right parietal region. Physical examination was otherwise normal.

[A case of thalamic cavernous hemangioma in an infant].

The case reports an asymmetric, slowly increasing hydrocephalus with left leg monoplegia. The vascular origin of the tumor was suspected by CT scan and confirmed by surgery and the pathology analysis. These tumors are infrequent in childhood especially in this region.