A review of bovine urothelial tumours and tumour-like lesions of the urinary bladder.

Four hundred bovine urothelial tumours and tumour-like lesions were classified in accordance with the 2004 World Health Organization (WHO) morphological classification for human urothelial tumours. The spectrum of neoplastic lesions of the urinary bladder of cattle is becoming wider and bovine urothelial tumours share striking morphological features with their human counterparts. A classification system based on the WHO scheme would also be appropriate for the classification of bovine bladder tumours.

Noninvasive measurement of edema in partial thickness burn wounds.

A lack of noninvasive tools to quantify edema has limited our understanding of burn wound edema pathophysiology in a clinical setting. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR) is a new noninvasive tool able to measure water concentration/edema in tissue. The purpose of this study was to determine whether NIR could detect water concentration changes or edema formation in acute partial-thickness burn injuries.

Ferritin heavy chain (FHC) is up-regulated in papillomavirus-associated urothelial tumours of the urinary bladder in cattle.

The up-regulation of ferritin heavy chain (FHC) is reported in six papillary and in four invasive urothelial tumours of the urinary bladder of cattle grazing on mountain pastures rich in bracken fern. All tumours contained sequence of bovine papillomavirus type-2 (BPV-2) as determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyses and validated by direct sequencing of the amplified products. The oncoprotein E5 was also detected in these tumours by immunoprecipitation and by immunofluorescence and laser scanning confocal microscopy.

Biliary tract reconstruction using jejunal tube: an experimental study in dogs.

Background: To physiologically reconstruct the biliary tract, Crema et al suggested the application of the Monti principle to the biliary tract, already used in humans for the urinary tract. With this technique, a jejunal segment is transversely retubularized. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of jejunal tube interposition between the common bile duct and duodenum in dogs.

[The application of MELD score in patients submitted to liver transplantation: a retrospective analysis of survival and the predictive factors in the short and long term].

Background: The model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) was developed to predict short-term mortality in patients with cirrhosis. There are few reports studying the correlation between MELD and long-term posttransplantation survival.

Aim: To assess the value of pretransplant MELD in the prediction of posttransplant survival.

Extragastrointestinal stromal tumor and liver transplantation: case report and review.

The occurrence of de novo malignant neoplasias has been shown in postransplant patients under imunosuppression. It is the second leading cause of late death in liver transplant recipients. The greatest incidence is seen in cancers associated with chronic infection by human papilloma virus, skin cancers, oropharyngeal, and gastrointestinal (GI) malignancies.

Prospective analysis between the therapy of immunosuppressive medication and allogeneic microchimerism after liver transplantation.

After liver transplantation, migration of donor-derived hematopoietic cells to recipient can be detected in peripheral blood. This state is termed microchimerism. The aim of this study was to investigate prospectively the presence of allogeneic microchimerism, the occurrence of acute cellular rejection and the level of immunosuppression in transplanted patients.

Elderly donors for HCV(+) versus non-HCV recipients: patient survival following liver transplantation.

Introduction: Chronic liver failure due to hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related cirrhosis is the leading indication for liver transplantation. Inferior long-term results have been reported for liver transplantation in HCV(+) patients, especially when marginal donor livers are utilized.

Aim: The aim of this study was to analyze retrospectively the outcome of liver transplantation patients from elderly donors in the case of HCV(+) versus non-HCV recipients.

Intraoperative massive transfusion decreases survival after liver transplantation.

Patients undergoing liver transplantation often experience coagulopathy and massive intraoperative blood loss that can lead to morbidity and reduced survival. The aim of this study was to verify the survival rate and discover predictive factors for death among liver transplant patients who received massive intraoperative blood transfusions. This cohort study was based on prospective data collected retrospectively from January 2004 to July 2006.

Expanded Milan criteria on pathological examination after liver transplantation: analysis of preoperative data.

Background: We sought to evaluate the accuracy of imaging techniques related to the Milan criteria (MC) compared with the explant histology and the survival of these patients.

Methods: Between 1997 and 2006, we selected 45 cirrhotic patients with hepatocellular carcinoma distributed into two groups according to explant histology: MC and Expanded Milan Criteria (EMC). Age, gender, preoperative imaging (ultrasound [US] and/or computed tomography [CT]), maximal tumor dimension, number of tumors, explanted histology, histology degree, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level and vascular invasion were compared among the patients to evaluate the value of these prognostic factors for survival after liver transplantation.

De novo posttransplantation nonlymphoproliferative malignancies in liver transplant recipients.

The risk of developing de novo malignancies after liver transplantation is around 1% per year. The incidence varies from 3% to 15%; it is greater than that in the general population. The potential causes for cancer after solid organ grafting are: chronic immunosuppression and human herpes viral infection.

Survival analysis of obese patients undergoing liver transplantation.

Introduction: The influence of preoperative obesity in liver transplanted patients remains undetermined.

Objective: To analyze the survival of obese patients undergoing liver transplantation.

Methods: We calculated the body mass index (BMI; kg/m2) of 244 liver transplantation patients.

Apical extrusion of debris by manual and mechanical instrumentation.

The aim of the present study was to assess the presence of apically extruded debris and evaluate the influence of canal curvature on the amount of debris produced by manual and mechanical techniques. Forty single-rooted mature teeth with 15 to 30 degree of root canal curvature were selected. The presence of only one foramen was confirmed using a magnifying lens.

Detection and monitoring of human herpesvirus 7 in adult liver transplant patients: impact on clinical course and association with cytomegalovirus.

We herein have described HCMV and HHV-7 detection during the follow-up of 29 adult liver recipients in our transplant unit. For basic immunosuppression, the patients received cyclosporine and symptomatic HCMV infection was treated with gancyclovir. The most prevalent etiology for liver transplantation was hepatitis C or alcohol abuse (45% of patients).

Clinical utilization of near-infrared spectroscopy devices for burn depth assessment.

The diagnosis of burn depth is based on a visual assessment and can be subjective. Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopic devices were used preclinically with positive results. The purpose of this study was to test the devices in a clinical setting using easily identifiable burn wounds.

Inhibition of medulloblastoma tumorigenesis by the antiproliferative and pro-differentiative gene PC3.

Medulloblastoma, the most common brain tumor in childhood, appears to originate from cerebellar granule cell precursors (GCPs), located in the external granular layer (EGL) of the cerebellum. The antiproliferative gene PC3 (Tis21/BTG2) promotes cerebellar neurogenesis by inducing GCPs to shift from proliferation to differentiation. To assess whether PC3 can prevent the neoplastic transformation of GCPs and medulloblastoma development, we crossed transgenic mice conditionally expressing PC3 (TgPC3) in GCPs with Patched1 heterozygous mice (Ptc(+/-)), a model of medulloblastoma pathogenesis characterized by hyperactivation of the Sonic Hedgehog pathway.

Long-term outcomes in liver transplant patients with hepatic C infection receiving tacrolimus or cyclosporine.

Choice of calcineurin inhibitor may be a contributing factor to deteriorating patient and graft survival following liver transplantation for hepatitis C virus (HCV). In our multicenter, open-label LIS2T study, de novo liver transplant patients stratified by HCV status were randomized to cyclosporine or tacrolimus. Follow-up data were obtained in an observational study of 95 patients.

Classification of burn injuries using near-infrared spectroscopy.

Early surgical management of those burn injuries that will not heal spontaneously is critical. The decision to excise and graft is based on a visual assessment that is often inaccurate but yet continues to be the primary means of grading the injury. Superficial and intermediate partial-thickness injuries generally heal with appropriate wound care while deep partial- and full-thickness injuries generally require surgery.

Linezolid as rescue drug: a clinical case of soft tissue infection caused by a Staphylococcus aureus strain resistant in vivo to teicoplanin.

The authors report and discuss a patient admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) for acute respiratory failure due to upper airway obstruction caused by face and neck soft tissue infection. An oxacillin-resistant Staphyloccoccus aureus was isolated from necrotic skin lesions and from skin biopsy. The strain was susceptible in vitro to teicoplanin, but it showed resistance in vivo, despite appropriate dosage.

Pyruvate kinase activation and lipoperoxidation after selective hepatic ischemia in Wistar rats.

Purpose: Hepatic ischemia and reperfusion can cause several problems in hepatic surgery. The aim of this study was to determine pyruvate kinase activation and lipid peroxidation after hepatic ischemia.

Methods: Twenty-four Wistar rats were submitted to 90 minutes of selective liver ischemia and 15 minutes of reperfusion.

Molecular mechanisms associated with donor-specific microchimerism in peripheral blood of Brazilian patients after liver transplantation.

A large number of studies in liver transplantation have demonstrated allogeneic microchimerism. The clinical and immunologic implications of this finding remain inconclusive, just as the influence of HLA mismatch and donor alloreactivity also are controversial. The present study analyzed the presence of allogeneic microchimerism in liver transplant recipients in relation to donor leukocyte kinetics and rejection episodes.

Btg2 enhances retinoic acid-induced differentiation by modulating histone H4 methylation and acetylation.

Retinoic acid controls hematopoietic differentiation through the transcription factor activity of its receptors. They act on specific target genes by recruiting protein complexes that deacetylate or acetylate histones and modify chromatin status. The regulation of this process is affected by histone methyltransferases, which can inhibit or activate transcription depending on their amino acid target.

Shaping of curved root canals instrumented with stainless steel and nickel titanium files.

The cleaning efficiency and the quality of the surgical preparation is mainly conditioned by root canal anatomy, the instruments and the technique employed. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the extent of straightening of curved root canals and the changes in endodontic anatomy caused by the use of Flex-R, Onyx-R and Nitiflex files with the balanced forces technique. Sixty mandibular molars were selected for evaluation of angulation and transportation.