Necrotising Scleritis and Peripheral Ulcerative Keratitis Associated with Rheumatoid Arthritis Treated with Rituximab.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic and common inflammatory autoimmune disease. This primarily involves the synovia of the joints, but can cause many extra-articular manifestations as well, including peripheral ulcerative keratitis (PUK) and necrotising scleritis. These are often a threat to vision; they significantly compromise not only the eye's structural integrity but are also important for prognosis and need urgent management.

Post-traumatic pancreatico-dural fistula: Case report and management challenges.

Pancreatic injury can occur following high-energy blunt trauma to the torso. Although several types of pancreatic fistulas have been described in literature, we report to our knowledge, the first case of a pancreatico-dural fistula of traumatic origin. A 20-year-old male sustained a severe blow to the thoraco-abdominal region in the setting of a motorcycle accident.

Angiogenic activity of breast cancer patients' monocytes reverted by combined use of systems modeling and experimental approaches.

Angiogenesis plays a key role in tumor growth and cancer progression. TIE-2-expressing monocytes (TEM) have been reported to critically account for tumor vascularization and growth in mouse tumor experimental models, but the molecular basis of their pro-angiogenic activity are largely unknown. Moreover, differences in the pro-angiogenic activity between blood circulating and tumor infiltrated TEM in human patients has not been established to date, hindering the identification of specific targets for therapeutic intervention.

Development of data representation standards by the human proteome organization proteomics standards initiative.

Objective: To describe the goals of the Proteomics Standards Initiative (PSI) of the Human Proteome Organization, the methods that the PSI has employed to create data standards, the resulting output of the PSI, lessons learned from the PSI's evolution, and future directions and synergies for the group.

Materials And Methods: The PSI has 5 categories of deliverables that have guided the group. These are minimum information guidelines, data formats, controlled vocabularies, resources and software tools, and dissemination activities.

Sunitinib-eluting beads for chemoembolization: methods for in vitro evaluation of drug release.

Drug-eluting microspheres are used for embolization of hypervascular tumors and allow for local controlled drug release. Although the drug release from the microspheres relies on fast ion-exchange, so far only slow-releasing in vitro dissolution methods have been correlated to in vivo data. Three in vitro release methods are assessed in this study for their potential to predict slow in vivo release of sunitinib from chemoembolization spheres to the plasma, and fast local in vivo release obtained in an earlier study in rabbits.

[Nasopharyngeal cancers, an overview].

Cancer of the nasopharynx is an uncommon malignancy in France (incidence  =  0.5/year/100,000 men) but is endemic in areas like in South-East Asia. Exclusive radiation therapy used to be the standard and results in local control rates for T3-T4 tumors around 50-75 %.

Discrepancy between radioimmunoassay and high performance liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry for the analysis of androstenedione.

The discrepancy of results for the quantification of androstenedione in human serum between a radioimmunoassay (RIA) method and high performance liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was investigated. RIA overestimated concentrations compared to LC-MS/MS on 59 clinical samples (RIA=1.79×LC-MS/MS+0.

Is trauma in Switzerland any different? epidemiology and patterns of injury in major trauma - a 5-year review from a Swiss trauma centre.

Unlabelled: Switzerland, the country with the highest health expenditure per capita, is lacking data on trauma care and system planning. Recently, 12 trauma centres were designated to be reassessed through a future national trauma registry by 2015. Lausanne University Hospital launched the first Swiss trauma registry in 2008, which contains the largest database on trauma activity nationwide.

Analysis and quantification of vitamin D metabolites in serum by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry and high-resolution mass spectrometry--a method comparison and validation.

Rationale: The aim of the work was to develop and validate a method for the quantification of vitamin D metabolites in serum using ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC/MS), and to validate a high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC/HRMS) approach against a tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) approach using a large clinical sample set.

Methods: A fast, accurate and reliable method for the quantification of the vitamin D metabolites, 25-hydroxyvitamin D2 (25OH-D2) and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25OH-D3), in human serum was developed and validated. The C3 epimer of 25OH-D3 (3-epi-25OH-D3) was also separated from 25OH-D3.

Systemic effects of epidural methylprednisolone injection on glucose tolerance in diabetic patients.

Background: Several studies have shown that in diabetic patients, the glycemic profile was disturbed after intra-articular injection of corticosteroids. Little is known about the impact of epidural injection in such patients. The goal of this study was double, at first comparing the glycaemic profile in diabetic patients after a unique injection of 80 mg of acetate methylprednisolone either intra-articular or epidural and secondly to compare the amount of systemic diffusion of the drug after both procedures.

Acute infantile encephalopathy predominantly affecting the frontal lobe (AIEF): a European case.

Acute infantile encephalopathy predominantly affecting the frontal lobes (AIEF) has been described as a new entity, based on MRI findings (acute abnormal diffusion-weighted imaging signals in the frontal lobes followed by atrophy) and exclusion of other acute encephalopathies. Patients present with acute onset of fever, status epilepticus, and coma. Different causal mechanisms have been suggested such as localized viral infection, toxic insult due to cytokines, or postictal damage.

Coagulation factor Xa activates thrombin in ischemic neural tissue.

Thrombin is involved in mediating neuronal death in cerebral ischemia. We investigated its so far unknown mode of activation in ischemic neural tissue. We used an in vitro approach to distinguish the role of circulating coagulation factors from endogenous cerebral mechanisms.

Upper lip swelling caused by a large dentigerous cyst.

Swelling of the upper lip can result from various diseases such as salivary tumors, infectious and inflammatory diseases and cysts. Among the latter, dentigerous cysts, typically involving unerupted teeth, are sometimes associated with supernumerary teeth in the maxillary anterior incisors region called the mesiodens. We report an unusual case of a large dentigerous cyst associated with an impacted mesiodens in a 42-year-old male who presented with a slow-growing swelling in the upper lip.

Bi-ventricular axial micropump: impact on blood cell integrity.

Background And Objective: Off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting has stimulated the development of micro-pumps designed to prevent the hemodynamic instability induced by heart luxation for the exposure of target vessels of the posterior wall. Impella (Aachen, Germany) developed micro-pumps with a miniaturized propeller system for both sides of the heart. The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of both pumps working together on blood cell integrity.

Reshaping the remodelled left ventricle: a new concept.

Objective: Based on the law of Laplace, transventricular tension members were designed to diminish wall stress by changing the left ventricle (LV) globular shape to a bilobular one, thus reducing the ventricular wall radius of curvature. This concept was tested in a model of congestive heart failure.

Methods: Seven calves were used for the study (74.

Tricuspid valve involvement in combined mitral and aortic valve surgery.

Background: Combined mitral and aortic valve disease requiring surgery may involve the tricuspid valve as well. Our treatment policy is conservative especially for tricuspid regurgitation which is operated on when severe only.

Methods: A retrospective study was performed at a tertiary and secondary referral center for cardiovascular disease.

Intrachannel versus interchannel application of angiogenic factors in transmyocardial laser revascularization.

Background And Objective: Theoretically myocardial angiogenesis of laser injury can be further enhanced by the addition of angiogenic growth factors. The influence of the way of administration of these factors on vascular growth around the channels is still unclear.

Materials And Methods: 18 pigs (mean weight 72 +/- 5.

Does laser injury induce a different neovascularisation pattern from mechanical or ischaemic injuries?

Aim: To analyse the arteriolar pattern of laser induced channels and their surroundings compared with mechanical and ischaemic injury.

Methods: 24 pigs were randomised to a myocardial infarction group, a transmyocardial laser revascularisation group, a needle group, or a control group. In the laser revascularisation and needle groups, five channels were created either with a 1.

Did the introduction of a minimally invasive technique change the incidence of atrial fibrillation after single internal thoracic artery-left anterior descending artery grafting?

Objective: Atrial fibrillation after coronary artery bypass operations remains frequent and increases morbidity, as well as resource use. Its cause remains unclear. The introduction of a minimally invasive technique provides an opportunity to evaluate the effect of intraoperative factors, such as cardiopulmonary bypass, global myocardial ischemia, and myocardial protection technique, on the occurrence of this arrhythmia.

Hemolysis and hematology profile during perfusion: inter-species comparison.

Introduction: Cardiopulmonary bypass components need to be tested on an animal model before their clinical application. Because their weight is similar to that of man, the calf and pig are often used. This study compares the impact of prolonged perfusion on hemolysis and hematology profile in both species.

Myocardial angiogenesis induction with bone protein derived growth factors (animal experiment).

Myocardial angiogenesis induction with vascular growth factors constitutes a potential strategy for patients whose coronary artery disease is refractory to conventional treatment. The importance of angiogenesis in bone formation has led to the development of growth factors derived from bovine bone protein. Twelve pigs (mean weight, 73 +/- 3 kg) were chosen for the study.

Impact of hollow-fiber membrane surface area on oxygenator performance: Dideco D903 Avant versus a prototype with larger surface area.

This study compares the gas transfer capacity, the blood trauma, and the blood path resistance of the hollow-fiber membrane oxygenator Dideco D 903 with a surface area of 1.7 m2 (oxygenator 1.7) versus a prototype built on the same principles but with a surface area of 2 m2 (oxygenator 2).

Improved neoangiogenesis in transmyocardial laser revascularization combined with angiogenic adjunct in a pig model.

Recent research has revealed neoangiogenesis as a basic phenomenon in transmyocardial laser revascularization (TMLR). Theoretically, myocardial neoangiogenesis could be further enhanced by the addition of angiogenic growth factors. Triads of TMLR channels were created in the lateral wall of the left ventricles of 12 pigs (mean body weight 73+/-5 kg), using a holmium:yttrium-aluminium garnet (YAG) laser.