Endoscopic Endonasal Approaches for Anterior Skull Base Meningiomas.

Anterior skull base meningiomas are a diverse group of tumors that involve different locations. The role of the expanded endoscopic transnasal approach in the management of anterior cranial fossa meningiomas has significantly changed over the past 2 decades. Patient selection is paramount to benefit from the advantages of endoscopic transnasal surgery such as direct access to ventral skull base lesions avoiding brain and brainstem retraction, early de-vascularization, removal of bone infiltrated by tumor, near-field magnification, better surgical field illumination, and minimal manipulation of neurovascular structures.

Extranodal NK/T Cell Lymphoma, Nasal Type (ENKTL-NT): An Update on Epidemiology, Clinical Presentation, and Natural History in North American and European Cases.

Purpose Of Review: Extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma, nasal type (ENKTL-NT) is an aggressive extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphoma most commonly occurring in East Asia and Latin America but with increasing incidence in the United States. Data on epidemiology, disease presentation, and outcome for European and North American ("Western") cases are very limited. We review published landmark clinical studies on ENKTL-NT in the West and report in detail recent data, including our institutional experience.

Training model for control of an internal carotid artery injury during transsphenoidal surgery.

Objectives: As the adoption of endoscopic endonasal approaches (EEA) continues to proliferate, increasing numbers of internal carotid artery (ICA) injuries are reported. The objective of this study was to develop a synthetic ICA injury-training model that could mimic this clinical scenario and be portable, repeatable, reproducible, and without risk of biological contamination.

Methods: Based on computed tomography of a human head, we constructed a synthetic model using selective laser sintering with polyamide nylon and glass beads.

Contemporary management of clival chordomas.

Purpose Of Review: Clival chordomas are rare malignant tumors associated with a poor prognosis. In this article, we review the current literature to identify a variety of strategies that provide guidelines toward the optimal management for this aggressive tumor.

Recent Findings: Molecular disease, particularly, the development of characterized chordoma cell lines, has become one of the new cornerstones for the histological diagnosis of chordomas and for the development of effective chemotherapeutic agents against this tumor.

Extracapsular dissection technique with the cotton swab for pituitary adenomas through an endoscopic endonasal approach -- how I do it.

Background: Pituitary adenomas are often encased in a histological pseudocapsule that separates the tumor from the normal gland. Transsphenoidal adenoma resection may be performed either in an intra- or an extracapsular technique. The extracapsular fashion offers anatomical orientation, removal of a security margin, reduced risk of opening the arachnoid layer with subsequent CSF flow and identification of invasion.

CRF01_AE dominates the HIV-1 epidemic in Indonesia.

Background: The HIV epidemic in Indonesia remains concentrated in vulnerable populations, namely injecting drug users (IDUs), commercial sex workers (CSWs) and men who have sex with men (MSM). We aimed to determine the HIV-1 subtypes present in Indonesia and to establish the extent of the viral overlap between individuals with different risk factors.

Methods: Venous blood samples were collected from HIV-positive individuals primarily from sexually transmissible infection clinics and drug rehabilitation centres in Bali and Jakarta, and applied to filter paper.

Hepatitis E virus infection as a marker for contaminated community drinking water sources in Tibetan villages.

In April-May 2001, a study was conducted to determine the prevalence of antibodies against hepatitis E virus (HEV) among 426 persons 8-49 years of age randomly selected from two groups of rural villages in central Tibet. Group 1 villages were assessed in 1998 as having poor quality water sources; new water systems were then constructed prior to this study. Group 2 villages had higher quality water and were not designated as priority villages for new systems prior to the study.

Mortality in the Democratic Republic of Congo: a nationwide survey.

Background: Commencing in 1998, the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been a humanitarian disaster, but has drawn little response from the international community. To document rates and trends in mortality and provide recommendations for political and humanitarian interventions, we did a nationwide mortality survey during April-July, 2004.

Methods: We used a stratified three-stage, household-based cluster sampling technique.

Sexually transmitted infections among female sex workers in Kupang, Indonesia: searching for a screening algorithm to detect cervical gonococcal and chlamydial infections.

Background And Goal: Notifications of HIV infection in Indonesia are increasing, but there are few data on other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), especially in the eastern islands of Indonesia. We aimed to measure the prevalence of STIs among female sex workers (FSWs) in Kupang, West Timor, and to develop screening algorithms to detect cervical infections with Neisseria gonorrhoeae and/or Chlamydia trachomatis (NG/CT).

Study Design: During 6 months in 1999, we recruited all the FSWs at Kupang's only brothel complex and a smaller number of independent FSWs.