Cervical dysplasia in women with HIV in the modern treat-all era: Elevated risk remains despite long-term ART and normal CD4 count.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of ART duration and CD4 count on risk for high grade cervical dysplasia in women with HIV (WWH) compared to women without HIV in the treat-all era with integrase strand inhibitors (INSTIs).

Design: Prospective longitudinal cohort study in Botswana.

Methods: From February 2021 to August 2022, baseline HPV self-sampling was offered to women with and without HIV.

Can Salivary Cortisol be Used in Diagnosing Adrenal Insufficiency During the Acute and Subacute Phases of Traumatic Brain Injury?

Introduction: The diagnosis of adrenal insufficiency (AI) related to traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains a challenge. We investigated the basal and low-dose adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-stimulated serum cortisol and salivary cortisol (SaC) levels and the diagnostic utility of SaC levels during 28 days following TBI.

Materials And Methods: Blood samples were collected for basal levels [sequentially from day 1 (D1) to D7 and on D28)] and for peak serum cortisol and SaC responses to the low-dose ACTH stimulation test (on D1, D7, and D28).

Screening Tests for the Interaction of and Extracts with Antibiotics against Gram-Positive and Gram-Negative Human Pathogens.

WHO (World Health Organization) reports from recent years warn about the growing number of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains. Therefore, there is an urgent need to constantly search for new substances effective in the fight against microorganisms. Plants are a rich source of chemical compounds with antibacterial properties.

Feasibility and acceptability of an HPV self-testing strategy: lessons from a research context to assess for ability to implement into primary care at a national level in Botswana.

Background: The WHO strategy for cervical cancer elimination strives to achieve 70% coverage with high-performance cervical screening. While few low- and middle-income countries have achieved this, high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) self-testing creates the possibility to rapidly upscale access to high-performance cervical screening across resource settings. However, effective hrHPV screening requires linkage to follow-up, which has been variable in prior studies.

Evaluation of blood supply and metabolism in tumor, axillary lymph node and normal breast tissue with F-18 FDG PET/CT in breast cancer: comparison with pathological prognostic factors.

Background And Purpose: Perfusion parameters obtained in F-18 FDG PET/CT performed for staging purposes in breast cancers may provide additional information about tumor biology as well as glucose metabolism. The aim of this study was to evaluate throughout F-18 FDG PET/CT the relationship between blood flow and glucose metabolism and histological parameters of the primary tumor, normal mammary gland, and axillary lymph nodes in breast cancer patients.

Materials And Methods: Sixty six female patients (mean age 51 y ± 12,81) were prospectively included to this study.

Triage of HPV positivity in a high HIV prevalence setting: A prospective cohort study comparing visual triage methods and HPV genotype restriction in Botswana.

Objective: Guidelines for effective triage following positive primary high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) screening in low- and middle-income countries with high human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-prevalence have not previously been established. In the present study, we evaluated the performance of three triage methods for positive HPV results in women living with HIV (WLHIV) and without HIV in Botswana.

Methods: We conducted baseline enrollment of a prospective cohort study from February 2021 to August 2022 in South-East District, Botswana.

Perioperative cortical hand stroke syndrome mimicking peripheral neuropathy: a case report.

Purpose: Timely diagnosis of perioperative stroke is challenging, and therapeutic interventions are infrequently offered. The cortical hand syndrome is a rare stroke presentation that results from infarction of the precentral gyrus leading to variable neurologic deficits mimicking peripheral nerve injuries, with no prior reports in the perioperative setting. To raise awareness of this complication among anesthesiologists, we present a case of cortical hand syndrome in a surgical patient initially suspected to have a peripheral neuropathy.

Quantification and Detection of Ground Garlic Adulteration Using Fourier-Transform Near-Infrared Reflectance Spectra.

This study demonstrates the rapid and cost-effective possibility of quantifying adulterant amounts (corn flour or corn starch) in ground and dried garlic samples. Prepared mixtures with different concentrations of selected adulterant were effectively characterized using Fourier-transform near-infrared reflectance spectra (FT-NIR), and multivariate calibration models were developed using two methods: principal component regression (PCR) and partial least squares regression (PLSR). They were constructed for optimally preprocessed FT-NIR spectra, and PLSR models generally performed better regarding model fit and predictions than PCR.

Unique branching pattern of the internal iliac artery accompanied by an supernumerary internal iliac vein.

Understanding the complex vascular anatomy of the lesser pelvis is vital in diagnostics and management of numerous pathologies in gynaecology, urology, orthopaedics and general surgery. The following case reports describes an unusual, undescribed branching pattern of the internal iliac artery with additional specific branches, as well as an unprecedented supernumerary internal iliac vein. Both clinical significance and embryology of the case are discussed.

Branching pattern of the internal iliac artery accompanied by a venous anastomosis: rare vascular variations.

The ability to navigate the complex and often deceptive branching patterns of the internal iliac artery can be decisive in planning and performing surgeries within the lesser pelvis. The following case report presents a peculiar quadruple division of the internal iliac artery, accompanied by a venous anastomotic structure. Apart from the posterior and anterior trunks, the superior vesicle and iliolumbar arteries arose independently from the internal iliac artery.

Surface Functionalization of Poly(l-lactide--glycolide) Membranes with RGD-Grafted Poly(2-oxazoline) for Periodontal Tissue Engineering.

Bone tissue defects resulting from periodontal disease are often treated using guided tissue regeneration (GTR). The barrier membranes utilized here should prevent soft tissue infiltration into the bony defect and simultaneously support bone regeneration. In this study, we designed a degradable poly(l-lactide--glycolide) (PLGA) membrane that was surface-modified with cell adhesive arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) motifs.

Is SUVmax of F-FDG PET/CT Predictive Factor for Malignancy in Gastrointestinal Tract?

Background: Increasing use of F-FDG PET/CT in cancer patients, has led to more common detection of F- FDG uptake in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT).

Aims: The objective of this study was to assess F-FDG uptake in incidental and known GIT malignancy.

Methods: A total of 6500 patients followed-up in a single and tertiary center between January 2010 and September 2016 were retrospectively reviewed.

Spectroscopic identification of benign (follicular adenoma) and cancerous lesions (follicular thyroid carcinoma) in thyroid tissues.

Thyroid follicular nodules are quite common in the population, however only a small proportion is malignant. Thyroid cancer differs from adenoma by features of cellular atypia, angioinvasiveness and possibility of metastasis via blood vessels mainly in the lungs and bones. Pathomorphological examination of the postoperative material plays a significant role in the diagnosis of cystic thyroid lesions.

How to define obligatory anaerobiosis? An evolutionary view on the antioxidant response system and the early stages of the evolution of life on Earth.

One of the former definitions of "obligate anaerobiosis" was based on three main criteria: 1) it occurs in organisms, so-called obligate anaerobes, which live in environments without oxygen (O), 2) O-dependent (aerobic) respiration, and 3) antioxidant enzymes are absent in obligate anaerobes. In contrast, aerobes need O in order to grow and develop properly. Obligate (or strict) anaerobes belong to prokaryotic microorganisms from two domains, Bacteria and Archaea.

Influence of salicylic acid pretreatment on seeds germination and some defence mechanisms of Zea mays plants under copper stress.

The study was focused on the influence of salicylic acid (SA) on maize seeds germination and on some physiological and biochemical processes in maize plants growing in the hydroponic culture under copper (Cu) stress. A significant influence of SA pretreatment on the advanced induction of the maize seeds metabolic activity and the level of the endogenous SA in germinated seeds and developing roots have been stated. Although, the ability of maize seeds to uptake SA and accumulate it in the germinated roots was confirmed, the growth inhibition of Cu-stressed maize seedlings was not ameliorated by SA seeds pretreatment.

Culture density influence on the photosynthetic efficiency of microalgae growing under different spectral compositions of light.

A density in algal suspension causes a significant change in the intensity and spectral composition of light reaching individual cells. Measurements of chlorophyll fluorescence allow us to observe any general changes in the bioenergetic status of photosynthesis. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of cultivation density on the PSII photochemical efficiency of three species of algae (Chlorella vulgaris, Botryococcus braunii and Chlorella emersonii), each with a different rate of growth - high, medium and low - respectively.

Best prognostic factor of neuroendocrine tumors: Grade or Stage? A multidisciplinary single-center study.

Background/aims: Currently, there is no definite consensus about the prognostic factors of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). We evaluate epidemiology, survival and especially prognostic factors in NETs.

Materials And Methods: Patients who had a NET and were diagnosed between 2000 and 2014 at a tertiary care center were included.

Application of on-line and off-line heart-cutting LC in determination of secondary metabolites from the flowers of Lonicera caerulea cultivar varieties.

Lonicera caerulea is a shrub native to the Northen Hemisphere, with its fruits having a long tradition of being used in traditional medicine. The flowers, although a potential source of diverse phenolic compounds have not been studied in terms of phenolic content. In this paper, a 2D LC heart-cutting system, operating in both on-line and off-line modes, was developed and successfully employed in identification and quantification of secondary metabolites in the flowers of L.

Combined imaging with 68Ga-DOTA-TATE and 18F-FDG PET/CT on the basis of volumetric parameters in neuroendocrine tumors.

Aim: To assess the additional contribution of the combined imaging approach with Ga-DOTA-TATE and fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (F-FDG) on the basis of volumetric parameters in neuroendocrine tumors (NETs).

Materials And Methods: Forty-one patients with NET (19 women, 22 men; age range: 30-79 years; mean age: 56.7±12.

Two-dimensional liquid chromatography (LC) of phenolic compounds from the shoots of Rubus idaeus 'Glen Ample' cultivar variety.

In this study the application of two-dimensional LC (2D LC) for qualitative analysis of polyphenols and simple phenols in the shoots of Rubus idaeus 'Glen Ample' variety is presented. In the preliminary analysis, the methanol extract of the shoots was analyzed by one-dimensional LC. One-dimensional LC separation profiles of phenolics from R.

Rubus occidentalis: The black raspberry--its potential in the prevention of cancer.

Rubus occidentalis is a black-fruited raspberry originating from North America. Its popularity and demand has been growing over the years, as studies outline its high anthocyanin and ellagitannin content and significance for human health. Interaction between chemical composition and pharmacological activity, mechanisms of action at cellular and molecular levels are all active areas of study.

PET/CT and Bremsstrahlung Imaging After 90Y DOTANOC Therapy for Rectal Net With Liver Metastases.

Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy with Lu or Y is promising with successful results in somatostatin receptor-positive tumors. In all radiation therapies, knowledge of the radiation dose received by the target, and other organs in the body is essential to evaluate the risks and benefits of any procedure. We report a case of liver metastases from a rectal neuroendocrine tumor, which was treated with Y DOTANOC.