[Evaluation of the rehabilitation program in a patient submitted to pleuropneumonectomy for malignant pleural mesothelioma].

Objective: The purpose of this study is to test a rehabilitation program for the patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) subordinates to pleuropneumonectomy.

Materials And Methods: A single patient was evaluated at baseline (TI) and at the end of the pulmonary rehabilitation (T2), by undergoing spirometric measurements, emogasanalisys and 6-Minute Walking Test (6-MWT). Outcome evaluation were administered with Visual Analogic Scales (VAS), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scales (HADS) and Short 36 Form Health Survey version 2 (SF-36).

[Effects of the thymectomy in a rehabilitation program and in quality of life in patients with myasthenia gravis].

Objective: The purpose of this study is to estimate the effects of a rehabilitation program on patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) subordinates to thymectomy.

Materials And Methods: Patients were evaluated at baseline (T1) and at the end of the pulmonary rehabilitation. (T2), by undergoing spirometric measurements, 6-Minutes Walking Test (6MWT), Berg Balance Scales (BBS), Rivermead Mobility Index (RMI) and Short 36 Form Health Survey version 2 (SF-36v2).

Diversity among Tacaribe serocomplex viruses (family Arenaviridae) naturally associated with the Mexican woodrat (Neotoma mexicana).

The results of analyses of glycoprotein precursor and nucleocapsid protein gene sequences indicated that an arenavirus isolated from a Mexican woodrat (Neotoma mexicana) captured in Arizona is a strain of a novel species (proposed name Skinner Tank virus) and that arenaviruses isolated from Mexican woodrats captured in Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah are strains of Whitewater Arroyo virus or species phylogenetically closely related to Whitewater Arroyo virus. Pairwise comparisons of glycoprotein precursor sequences and nucleocapsid protein sequences revealed a high level of divergence among the viruses isolated from the Mexican woodrats captured in Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah and the Whitewater Arroyo virus prototype strain AV 9310135, which originally was isolated from a white-throated woodrat (Neotoma albigula) captured in New Mexico. Conceptually, the viruses from Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah and strain AV 9310135 could be grouped together in a species complex in the family Arenaviridae, genus Arenavirus.

Marine reserves: size and age do matter.

Marine reserves are widely used throughout the world to prevent overfishing and conserve biodiversity, but uncertainties remain about their optimal design. The effects of marine reserves are heterogeneous. Despite theoretical findings, empirical studies have previously found no effect of size on the effectiveness of marine reserves in protecting commercial fish stocks.

Catarina virus, an arenaviral species principally associated with Neotoma micropus (southern plains woodrat) in Texas.

The purpose of this study was to define the taxonomic relationship of an arenavirus principally associated with the southern plains woodrat (Neotoma micropus) in southern Texas to other New World arenaviruses. The results of independent analyses of glycoprotein precursor amino acid sequences and nucleocapsid protein amino acid sequences indicated that the arenavirus in southern Texas is novel (proposed species name Catarina virus) and phylogenetically most closely related to Whitewater Arroyo virus, which is principally associated with the white-throated woodrat (Neotoma albigula) in northwestern New Mexico. Together, the close phylogenetic relationship between Catarina virus and Whitewater Arroyo virus and the association of these viral species with congeneric rodent species support the notion that the principal host relationships of some New World arenaviruses are a product of a long-term shared evolutionary relationship between the virus family Arenaviridae and the rodent family Cricetidae.

Longitudinal neuropsychological assessment in pediatric multiple sclerosis.

Although Multiple Sclerosis (MS) occurring in childhood and adolescence has received increasing attention in recent years, the impact of the disease on cognitive function in this subgroup remains poorly understood. It has been posited that children and adolescents with MS may be particularly susceptible to cognitive dysfunction because the pathological processes, including inflammation, blood brain barrier breakdown, and demyelination, occur concurrently with ongoing myelination. Early work has documented that a number of these children present with cognitive deficits.

A closer look at water-related geologic activity on Mars.

Water has supposedly marked the surface of Mars and produced characteristic landforms. To understand the history of water on Mars, we take a close look at key locations with the High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, reaching fine spatial scales of 25 to 32 centimeters per pixel. Boulders ranging up to approximately 2 meters in diameter are ubiquitous in the middle to high latitudes, which include deposits previously interpreted as finegrained ocean sediments or dusty snow.

Principal host relationships and evolutionary history of the North American arenaviruses.

A previous study suggested that the genomes of the arenaviruses native to North America are a product of genetic recombination between New World arenaviruses with significantly different phylogenetic histories. The purpose of this study was to extend our knowledge of the principal host relationships and evolutionary history of the North American arenaviruses. The results of this study suggest that the large-eared woodrat (Neotoma macrotis) is a principal host of Bear Canyon virus and that the present-day association of Bear Canyon virus with the California mouse (Peromyscus californicus) in southern California represents a successful host-jumping event from the large-eared woodrat to the California mouse.

Hantavirus and arenavirus antibodies in persons with occupational rodent exposure.

Rodents are the principal hosts of Sin Nombre virus, 4 other hantaviruses known to cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in North America, and the 3 North American arenaviruses. Serum samples from 757 persons who had worked with rodents in North America and handled neotomine or sigmodontine rodents were tested for antibodies against Sin Nombre virus, Whitewater Arroyo virus, Guanarito virus, and lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus. Antibodies against Sin Nombre virus were found in 4 persons, against Whitewater Arroyo virus or Guanarito virus in 2 persons, and against lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus in none.

The psychosocial consequences of pediatric multiple sclerosis.

Although psychological distress and cognitive dysfunction are well documented in adults with multiple sclerosis (MS), they are poorly understood in children with the disease. Psychosocial difficulty experienced by children and adolescents with MS involves factors common to all chronic illnesses in children, as well as MS-specific factors. The psychosocial manifestations of the disease may affect the patient's self-image, role functioning, mood, and cognition to adversely affect schooling, interpersonal relationships, and treatment compliance.

Molecular Evidence For High Levels of Intrapopulation Genetic Diversity in Woodrats (Neotoma Micropus).

Nucleotide sequences from the mitochondrial control region and genotypes from 5 nuclear microsatellite loci were used to examine genetic structure and infer recent (within approximately the last 3,000 years) evolutionary history of a population (549 individuals) of the southern plains woodrat (Neotoma micropus). Observed heterozygosity values ranged from 0.61 to 0.

Short-term response of the slow growing seagrass Posidonia oceanica to simulated anchor impact.

Experimental evaluations about the impact of anchors of small vessels have previously shown that each anchoring can on average damage up to six shoots of Posidonia oceanica, removing small amount of biomass and, at the same time, interrupting continuity among shoots. The aim of the paper was to investigate the response of P. oceanica to different damage intensity at two levels of substrata compactness.

Catacamas virus, a hantaviral species naturally associated with Oryzomys couesi (Coues' oryzomys) in Honduras.

The primary objective of this study was to extend our knowledge of the geographical distribution, genetic diversity, and natural host associations of the hantaviruses indigenous to North America. Antibody to a hantavirus was found in 5 (20.8%) of 24 Coues' oryzomys (Oryzomys couesi) and none of 41 other rodents captured near the town of Catacamas in eastern Honduras, and a hantavirus was isolated from one of the antibody-positive Coues' oryzomys.

Efficacy of interventional radiology procedures for the treatment of early ureteral complications after kidney transplantation.

Unlabelled: Ureteral stricture and ureteral leakage are the most common early urological complications after kidney transplantation causing decreased urine output and increased serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen. We report our experience with internal-external ureteral stent placement and ureteroplasty.

Materials And Methods: From August 1999 to January 2005, we treated nine patients presenting with stricture or leak.

Rehabilitation and quality of life in patients undergoing surgery for esophageal cancer.

The impact of esophageal cancer surgery, postoperatively as well as on quality of life (QoL) is still largely unknown. Clinical experience and the scarce existing literature concur that these patients show difficulty in returning to their original lifestyles and previous social activities, not just due to the difficulties common to all tumor pathologies but also for the specific dietary and digestive disturbances which characterize esophageal cancer therapy. As specific rehabilitation protocols are nonexistent in the literature, in this study a rehabilitation planning program, is proposed based on evaluation of postoperative and long-term problems which can be tackled with rehabilitation.

Characterization of shock in a hamster model of hantavirus infection.

Human hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS) due to Andes, sin nombre and other hantaviruses is characterized by severe pulmonary capillary leak and cardiogenic shock. Hamsters, the only animal manifesting HCPS-like disease, were instrumented with radiotelemeters that enabled ambulatory intracarotid blood pressure recording within an animal biosafety level-4 facility. Following infection with Andes virus, blood pressure and heart rate decreased slowly in a biphasic manner during the first 7 days of infection, followed by a rapid fall in pressure and rapid increase in heart rate during the 10-20 h preceding death on day 9 or 10.

Clinical and imaging study of human immunodeficiency virus-1-infected youth receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy: pilot study using magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

In the initial assessment of children with new-onset seizures, the suggestion that electroencephalography (EEG) should be standard and that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) should be optional has been questioned. The purposes of this children (four boys) with vertically transmitted stable HIV infection had a neurologic examination, neuropsychologic testing, and a neuroimaging study. The structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and metabolic changes (magnetic resonance spectroscopy) were compared with the cognitive, clinical, and laboratory results.

Effectiveness of highly-active antiretroviral therapy by race/ethnicity.

Objective: To determine the effectiveness of HAART by race/ethnicity.

Design: Prospective multicenter cohort study.

Methods: We studied 991 African-Americans and 911 European-Americans enrolled in the United States Military's Tri-Service AIDS Clinical Consortium Natural History Study who had dates of HIV seroconversion known within 5 years and followed between 1990 and 2002.

Effects of splenic artery occlusion on portal pressure in patients with cirrhosis and portal hypertension.

The specific contribution of splenic blood inflow to portal hypertension in patients with cirrhosis is still unclear. In this study, we investigated this contribution by assessing the hemodynamic effects of transient splenic artery occlusion. In 15 cirrhotic patients, portal pressure gradient (PPG) was measured just before inserting a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS), in baseline conditions, for 15 minutes after splenic artery occlusion and 5 minutes after recovery.

Lack of phosphoinositide 3-kinase-gamma attenuates ventilator-induced lung injury.

Objective: G protein-coupled receptors may up-regulate the inflammatory response elicited by ventilator-induced lung injury but also regulate cell survival via protein kinase B (Akt) and extracellular signal regulated kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2). The G protein-sensitive phosphoinositide-3-kinase gamma (PI3Kgamma) regulates several cellular functions including inflammation and cell survival. We explored the role of PI3Kgamma on ventilator-induced lung injury.

Incidence and risk factors for the occurrence of non-AIDS-defining cancers among human immunodeficiency virus-infected individuals.

Background: The objective of this study was to determine the rates and predictors of non-AIDS-defining cancers (NADCs) among a cohort of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals.

Methods: The authors conducted a retrospective study of 4144 HIV-infected individuals who had 26,916 person-years of follow-up and who had open access to medical care at 1 of the United States military HIV clinics during the years 1988-2003. Cancer incidence rates were race specific and were adjusted for age; these were compared with national rates using logistic regression to assess predictors of NADC development.

Skewing towards neuroendocrine phenotype in high grade or high stage androgen-responsive primary prostate cancer.

Objective: The prognostic influence of neuroendocrine (NE) differentiation in prostate cancer patients is not yet properly established. In a series of primary hormone-naive prostate cancers from a patient population that underwent radical prostatectomy, we wanted to determine the relationship between NE phenotype expression and Gleason sum, disease stage, and serum PSA concentration.

Methods: Chromogranin A (CgA) expression was scored and compared in 105 consecutive primary prostate cancers with their homologous preoperative tumor prostate biopsies.

Pulmonary rehabilitation: pre-and postoperative treatment.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in women and men in the United States. Since 1987, mortality due to lung cancer surpassed death caused by breast cancer in women. Equally discouraging is the fact that survival at five years for all lung cancer patients is only 15%.

Cognitive functioning in children and adolescents with multiple sclerosis.

Objective: To examine cognitive functioning in children with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Methods: The authors examined the neuropsychological profile of 37 children with a diagnosis of clinically definite MS and assessed the associations between cognitive function and clinical features.

Results: Of 37 children and adolescents evaluated, 35% demonstrated significant cognitive impairment.

[Human hydatidosis: advances and report of four paediatric cases with unusual presentation].

Human hydatid disease due to Echinococcus granulosus is frequently observed in Italy, especially in the central and southern areas and on the islands. In the last twenty years some major advances in the field of epidemiology as well as diagnostic and therapeutical approaches have changed our knowledge of this disease. In Italy, localization in the liver, kidney or peritoneum accounts for about 95% of cases.