Prevalence and population genetic analyses of parasites in invasive Vespa velutina and native Hymenoptera.

Invasive species pose a threat to the ecological balance of the ecosystems they invade by altering local host-pathogen dynamics. To investigate these relationships and their potential consequences, we examined the prevalence and genetic diversity patterns of Trypanosomatidae, Lipotrophidae, and Nosematidae in a collection of sympatric isolates of the invasive hornet Vespa velutina and local Hymenoptera from two recently colonized areas: Europe and South Korea. Data were gathered through PCR amplification and massive parallel sequencing, and analyses were conducted using population genetics tools.

Is Norton Score a useful tool for identifying high-risk patients prior to emergency surgery?

Background: Emergency surgery in elderly patients is associated with high mortality rates. Various scoring systems may be valuable in predicting mortality and morbidity rates. It has been suggested that the Norton Score (NS) could be used to quantify frailty.

[Positron emission tomography of gastrointestinal carcinomas].

We evaluated positon emission tomography (PET) with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) in 120 patients with intestinal malignancies, focusing on its diagnostic yield and influence on the surgical strategy. PET had a sensitivity of 67% and a specificity of 100% for metastases in 28 patients with cardio-esophageal carcinoma. PET detected 64% of 22 primary pancreatic carcinomas, and had a sensitivity of 70% and a specificity of 83% for metastases.