Impact of COVID-19 on 2020 transplant activity and waiting lists in France.

The COVID-19 pandemic strongly affected organ procurement and transplantation in France, despite the intense efforts of all participants in this domain. In 2020, the identification and procurement of deceased donors fell by 12% and 21% respectively, compared with the mean of the preceding 2 years. Similarly, the number of new registrations on the national waiting list declined by 12% and the number of transplants by 24%.

Survival and prognostic factors analysis of 151 intestinal and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors: a single center experience.

Background: Intestinal and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (IP-NETs) are rare tumors with heterogeneous outcomes. The aim of our study was to determine the clinical, therapeutic and pathological factors which impact the overall survival (OS) in IP-NETs.

Methods: All the patients diagnosed with IP-NETs at the Nantes University Hospital between October 1994 and October 2013 were retrospectively analysed.

Sensitivity of pretargeted immunoPET using Ga-peptide to detect colonic carcinoma liver metastases in a murine xenograft model: Comparison with FDG PET-CT.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the performances pretargeted immunoPET Ga-PETimaging (Ga-pPET) with anti carcino-embryonic antigen (CEA) and anti-histamine-succinyl-glycine (HSG) recombinant humanized bispecific monoclonal antibody (TF2) and Ga-labeled HSG peptide (IMP288) to conventional FDG-PET in an orthotopic murine model of liver metastases of human colonic cancer.

Methods: Hepatic tumor burden following intra-portal injection of luciferase-transfected LS174T cells in nude mice was confirmed using bioluminescence. One group of animals was injected intravenously with TF2 and with Ga-IMP288 24 hours later (n=8).

Relationship Between the Expression of O-Methylguanine-DNA Methyltransferase (MGMT) and p53, and the Clinical Response in Metastatic Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma Treated with FOLFIRINOX.

Background: To date, no predictive biomarker for the efficacy of FOLFIRINOX in metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma has been demonstrated. Deficiency in O-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) has been associated with a therapeutic response in endocrine tumors of the pancreas and the lack of expression of protein 53 (p53) could interfere with the action of MGMT.

Objective: The aim of our study was to assess the prevalence of MGMT and p53 in patients with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma treated with FOLFIRINOX as a first-line treatment and to investigate their association with therapeutic response and survival.

Short article: Evaluation of O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase as a predicting factor of response to temozolomide-based chemotherapy in well-differentiated metastatic pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.

Objective: Temozolomide (TMZ) is an alkylating agent frequently used in well-differentiated metastatic pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs) with very variable responses. O-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) is a DNA repair enzyme whose loss of expression has been suggested to be predictive of response to TMZ in various human tumors. We evaluated the predictive value of MGMT status, assessed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and methylation-specific PCR (MS-PCR), in well-differentiated metastatic PNETs treated by a TMZ-based chemotherapy.

Can PPH3 be helpful to assess the discordant grade in primary and metastatic enteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors?

Therapeutic strategy in neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) is based on histological characteristics of the primary tumor (PT), even in case of metastatic disease. Our aim was to compare the tumor grade between PT and their liver metastases (LM) in patients with enteropancreatic NETs. Forty-one patients treated for sporadic NETs (10 pancreatic, 31 intestinal) were included.

Vestibular neuritis: Evaluation and effect of vestibular rehabilitation.

Unlabelled: Vestibular neuritis (VN) is a caloric vestibular areflexia that occurs suddenly, and whose compensation can take several weeks, sometimes several months. Usually these patients are rehabilitated, but the most affected patients (cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential (cVEMP) absent) have a worse prognosis of vestibulo-ocular compensation. Thanks to symptomatic, videographic and posturographic evaluation tools, we objectify and quantify which factors influence the recovery or more accurately the compensation of this type of disorder.

Assessment of four protocols for rapid bacterial identification from positive blood culture pellets by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (Vitek® MS).

In this study, we developed and compared four protocols to prepare a bacterial pellet from 944 positive blood cultures for direct MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry Vitek® MS analysis. Protocol 4, tested on 200 monomicrobial samples, allowed 83% of bacterial identification. This easy, fast, cheap and accurate method is promising in daily practice, especially to limit broad range antibiotic treatment.

Options for metastatic colorectal cancer beyond the second line of treatment.

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer, with recent advances in the management of unresectable metastatic lesions. The aim of this review is to discuss the remaining options for heavily pretreated patients with unresectable metastatic colorectal cancer. Beyond second-line treatment, two epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors, cetuximab and panitumumab, have a demonstrated clinical interest in patients with KRAS wild-type tumours.

Why Treat Apogeotropic BPPVs of the Horizontal Canal? About 30 Observations.

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), of the horizontal canal, in the apogeotropic form (AHBPPV) was described in 1995. Based on 30 observations of typical AHBPPVs of the horizontal canal, we endeavor to discuss the relevance of physiotherapy. Material and Method.

Effect of vestibular neuritis on postural control using wavelets and fractal analysis.

Objective: What is the status of postural control a few months after an attack of vestibular neuritis (VN)? Using dynamic posturography and stabilometric signal treatment with wavelets and fractal analysis, we tried to answer this question by isolating the pathological postural parameters of VN.

Material And Method: The study involved a group of 15 patients (GP) who suffered from VN and were compared to a group of control subjects (GC). Both groups underwent videonystagmography (VNG), dynamic posturography (PDY), and assessment using symptomatic scales (ES).

European standards for protective apparel against UV radiation.

The first European standard which describes the test procedure to determine the UV-protection factor of clothing is about to be completed. A second part of the same standard, dealing with labelling and marking aspects, is ready to be submitted to public enquiry. In this effort a group of experts from most EU member states have cooperated with a high degree of consensus.