Perceptions of the rape crisis in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo: A community-based approach using an opportunistic design.

For almost three decades, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has experienced cycles of armed conflict, particularly in the east. During these conflicts, systematic rape has been used as a weapon of war to break women and communities. Knowledge produced about this phenomenon to date relates to the epidemiology, aetiology and the consequences of these rapes, particularly on survivors in care institutions, thus ignoring the impact this phenomenon has on the communities.

Epidemic Landscape and Forecasting of SARS-CoV-2 in India.

Background: India was one of the countries to institute strict measures for Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) control in the early phase. Since, then, the epidemic growth trajectory was slow before registering an explosion of cases due to local cluster transmissions.

Methods: We estimated the growth rate and doubling time of SARS-CoV-2 for India and high burden states using crowdsourced time series data.

An evaluation of the real world use and clinical utility of the Cxbladder Monitor assay in the follow-up of patients previously treated for bladder cancer.

Background: Surveilling recurrent urothelial carcinoma (UC) requires frequent cystoscopy, which is invasive, expensive and time-consuming. An accurate urinary biomarker has the potential to reduce the number of cystoscopies required during post-treatment surveillance.

Objective: To audit the clinical utility of a new surveillance protocol incorporating the Cxbladder Monitor (CxbM) test in real-world practice.

Utility of Ga prostate-specific membrane antigen positron-emission tomography for pre-operative staging of high-risk prostate cancer in a prospective cohort.

Introduction: To assess the yield of Ga68 PSMA PET/CT added to the conventional staging of high-risk prostate cancer in terms of altered staging and changes to management.

Methods: Patients with high-risk prostate cancer without metastatic disease on conventional staging referred for Ga68 PSMA PET/CT at Mercy Radiology, Auckland, New Zealand, were prospectively recruited. Conventional staging was double read in a blinded fashion by oncology fellowship-trained radiologists, who were also experienced in PET/CT, followed by interpretation of the PSMA PET/CT by the same radiologists.

Rape in Armed Conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo: A Systematic Review of the Scientific Literature.

We conducted a systematic review of the scientific literature between 1996 and 2013 on rape in war-ridden Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in order to better understand the interest of the scientific community in describing the magnitude and characteristics of the problem. The literature search was conducted in French and English using several databases (Pubmed, PsycInfo, Sapphire, BDSP, Embase, Rero, and Web of Science) with the key words "rape and DRC" combined with several Medical Subject Headings concepts. Our systematic review yielded 2,087 references, among which only 27 are original studies, that is 20 are based on population surveys and the remaining 7 are original data based on case studies and reviews.

Human exposure to metals due to consumption of fish from an artificial lake basin close to an active mining area in Katanga (D.R. Congo).

Unlabelled: The concentrations of 14 essential and nonessential trace elements were determined in fish from Lake Tshangalele, Katanga province, Democratic Republic of Congo. This province has been a place of intensive mining activities for centuries, which have increased in recent years, due to the use of metals such as copper and cobalt for the industries of fast-growing countries. Lake Tshangalele, which receives effluents from metallurgical and mining plants in Likasi, is home to several fish species that are an important part of the diet of the local population, and, therefore, it constitutes a relevant site for documenting the human exposure to metals as a result of a fish diet.

Minimal-change disease secondary to etanercept.

Etanercept is a soluble tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) receptor which is widely used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and other autoimmune inflammatory disorders. It is known for its relative lack of nephrotoxicity; however, there are reports on the development of nephrotic syndrome associated with the treatment with TNFα antagonists. Here, we describe a patient with psoriasis who developed biopsy-proven minimal-change disease (MCD) shortly after initiating etanercept.

Production of embryonic and fetal-like red blood cells from human induced pluripotent stem cells.

We have previously shown that human embryonic stem cells can be differentiated into embryonic and fetal type of red blood cells that sequentially express three types of hemoglobins recapitulating early human erythropoiesis. We report here that we have produced iPS from three somatic cell types: adult skin fibroblasts as well as embryonic and fetal mesenchymal stem cells. We show that regardless of the age of the donor cells, the iPS produced are fully reprogrammed into a pluripotent state that is undistinguishable from that of hESCs by low and high-throughput expression and detailed analysis of globin expression patterns by HPLC.

Complications of intravesical therapy for urothelial cancer of the bladder.

Purpose: Intravesical therapy is an integral part of treatment in patients with superficial urothelial carcinoma of the bladder. The American Urological Association and European Association of Urology guidelines on bladder cancer incorporate it for the treatment of superficial bladder cancer. Given the extensive use of intravesical immunotherapy and chemotherapy, it is essential for the practicing urologist to be aware of the local and systemic side effects of these therapies.

Venous thromboembolism in radical prostatectomy: is heparinoid prophylaxis warranted?

Objective: To review the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) after radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP) and evaluate the need for heparinoid prophylaxis as opposed to mechanical compression devices after RRP.

Patients And Methods: RRP is classified as a category 1 (high risk) procedure for VTE by the American College of Chest Physicians and several international guidelines recommend subcutaneous heparinoids as the preferred prophylaxis. However, this regimen may be associated with a greater risk of bleeding.

N-acetoxy-N-acetyl-2-aminofluorene-induced mutation spectrum in a human hprt cDNA shuttle vector integrated into mammalian cells.

The spectrum of mutations induced by N-acetoxy-N-acetyl-2-aminofluorene (N-AcO-AAF) was examined by the pZipHprtNeo shuttle vector in mammalian cells. The vector carries a cDNA of the human hypoxanthine phosphoribosyl transferase (hprt) gene, which is stably integrated into chromosomal DNA of a mouse cell line, VH12. After treatment of the cell with N-AcO-AAF, 48 independent 6-thioguanine-resistant clones were obtained and altered sequences of the mutated cDNA hprt genes were determined.

[Coronary arterial rupture during percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty: a case report].

A case who developed rupture in a diagonal branch of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) during percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) is reported here. The present case was 80-year-old man with severe focal stenosis of the LAD at its junction with a diagonal branch. PTCA for the LAD lesion was successfully performed, but occlusion of the diagonal branch developed later.

Malignant histiocytosis with rearrangement of the heavy chain gene and evidence of monocyte-macrophage lineage.

A unique case of malignant histiocytosis (MH) is reported. Its origin from the monocyte-macrophage system was indicated by expression of highly specific myeloid cell markers (My4, MCS2, and cytoplasmic lysozyme), diffuse activity of acid phosphatase and NaF-sensitive alpha-naphthyl acetate esterase, lack of immunologic markers specific for other cell lineages, and germ line configuration of the immunoglobulin light chain gene and the T-cell receptor beta-chain gene. Its neoplastic nature was suggested by the single rearranged band of the immunoglobulin heavy chain gene.

Concurrent multiple morphea and neonatal lupus erythematosus in an infant boy born to a mother with SLE.

An infant boy born to a mother with systemic lupus erythematosus developed multiple morphea and annular erythematous lesions. The annular lesions appeared on his face, back, chest and extremities one month after birth and faded within 7 months. The sclerotic lesions progressed until the age of 6 months and remain on his back, chest, right cheek, the nape of the neck and left shoulder at the age of 3 years.

Selective IgA deficiency in Japanese blood donors: frequency and statistical analysis.

The incidence of selective IgA deficiency (SIgAD) was determined in a healthy adult population of 222,597 Japanese volunteer blood donors. Of the blood donors screened, only 0.007% (1:14,840) were found to be IgA-deficient (less than 10 mg/dl) by means of the double diffusion method, while 0.

Ultrastructure of vacuolated plasma cells in macroglobulinemia associated with production of Mu-chain fragment.

In a unique case of macroglobulinemia associated with the production of mu-chain fragment, the authors observed vacuolated plasma cells (Vac-P) in the bone marrow. Immunofluorescence with anti-mu-chain showed positive staining for the cytoplasm but negative for the vacuoles. On electron microscopic study, clear vacuoles were localized in the vicinity of the Golgi complex, and the contents were amorphous membrane debris and concentric circular structures.