Negative pressure wound therapy with instillation and dwell time in debridement of fibrinous leg ulcers.

Objective: In conjunction with appropriate wound care, negative pressure wound therapy with instillation and dwell time (NPWTi-d) may be used as an adjunct therapy for acute or hard-to-heal (chronic) wounds, especially when infected. However, there are very few data on the use of NPWTi-d in the treatment of fibrinous wounds that are difficult to debride mechanically. The main objective of this study was to describe changes in the fibrin area of such wounds, before and after treatment with NPWTi-d.

Double Reading of Outsourced CT/MR Radiology Reports: Retrospective Analysis.

Objectives: Our objective was to determine disagreement rates in radiological reports provided by using a double-reading protocol in a national teleradiology company.

Methods: From January 2015 to July 2016, 134169 radiological exams from 36 French centers, benefited outsourced interpretations by certified radiologists, in both regular and after-hours activities. Of these, 2040 CT and MR-scans (1.

The hip fracture surgery in elderly patients (HIPELD) study to evaluate xenon anaesthesia for the prevention of postoperative delirium: a multicentre, randomized clinical trial.

Background: Postoperative delirium occurs frequently in elderly hip fracture surgery patients and is associated with poorer overall outcomes. Because xenon anaesthesia has neuroprotective properties, we evaluated its effect on the incidence of delirium and other outcomes after hip fracture surgery.

Methods: This was a phase II, multicentre, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, controlled clinical trial conducted in hospitals in six European countries (September 2010 to October 2014).

Variability among TSH Measurements Can Be Reduced by Combining a Glycoengineered Calibrator to Epitope-Defined Immunoassays.

Objectives: Measuring protein markers with variable glycosylation, such as thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), with high accuracy is not an easy task. Despite highly sensitive third-generation tests, discrepancies among TSH assays still remain unsolved and are the focus of important standardization efforts. Earlier work from our group showed that a lack of similarity in epitope expression between standards and samples may account for discordant hormone measurements.

Rye polyphenols and the metabolism of n-3 fatty acids in rats: a dose dependent fatty fish-like effect.

As long-chain fatty acids (LCFA) of the n-3 series are critically important for human health, fish consumption has considerably increased in recent decades, resulting in overfishing to respond to the worldwide demand, to an extent that is not sustainable for consumers' health, fisheries economy, and marine ecology. In a recent study, it has been shown that whole rye (WR) consumption improves blood and liver n-3 LCFA levels and gut microbiota composition in rats compared to refined rye. The present work demonstrates that specific colonic polyphenol metabolites may dose dependently stimulate the synthesis of n-3 LCFA, possibly through their microbial and hepatic metabolites in rats.

First Evidence of Angiostrongyliasis Caused by in Guadeloupe, Lesser Antilles.

Infection by the rat lungworm represents the most common cause of infectious eosinophilic meningitis in humans, causing central nervous system (CNS) angiostrongyliasis. Most of CNS angiostrongyliasis cases were described in Asia, Pacific Basin, Australia, and some limited parts of Africa and America. CNS angiostrongyliasis has been reported in the Caribbean but never in the Lesser Antilles.

Relevance of and New Developments in Serology for Toxoplasmosis.

Toxoplasmosis is a widespread parasitic disease caused by the intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii with a wide spectrum of clinical outcomes. The biological diagnosis of toxoplasmosis is often difficult and of paramount importance because clinical features are not sufficient to discriminate between toxoplasmosis and other illnesses. Serological tests are the most widely used biological tools for the diagnosis of toxoplasmosis worldwide.

Haploinsufficiency for NR3C1, the gene encoding the glucocorticoid receptor, in blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasms.

Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) is a rare and highly aggressive leukemia for which knowledge on disease mechanisms and effective therapies are currently lacking. Only a handful of recurring genetic mutations have been identified and none is specific to BPDCN. In this study, through molecular cloning in an index case that presented a balanced t(3;5)(q21;q31) and molecular cytogenetic analyses in a further 46 cases, we identify monoallelic deletion of NR3C1 (5q31), encoding the glucocorticoid receptor (GCR), in 13 of 47 (28%) BPDCN patients.

Whole Rye Consumption Improves Blood and Liver n-3 Fatty Acid Profile and Gut Microbiota Composition in Rats.

Background: Whole rye (WR) consumption seems to be associated with beneficial health effects. Although rye fiber and polyphenols are thought to be bioactive, the mechanisms behind the health effects of WR have yet to be fully identified. This study in rats was designed to investigate whether WR can influence the metabolism of n-3 and n-6 long-chain fatty acids (LCFA) and gut microbiota composition.

Wheat aleurone polyphenols increase plasma eicosapentaenoic acid in rats.

Methods: These studies were designed to assess whether wheat polyphenols (mainly ferulic acid [FA]) increased the very-long-chain omega-3 fatty acids (VLC n-3) [eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)] in rats. Wheat aleurone (WA) was used as a dietary source of wheat polyphenols. Two experiments were performed; in the first one, the rats were fed WA or control pellets (CP) in presence of linseed oil (LO) to provide alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), the precursor of VLC n-3.

[Organ harvesting for transplantation: evaluation of the workload based on 390 procedures].

Introduction: An increase in the number of organ harvesting procedures remains an essential prerequisite to meet the growing demands of patients on transplantation waiting lists. Few publications have described the workload related to this surgical activity and the human resources, equipment and organization involved. In the context of a review by public authorities of the needs for transplantation teams, the authors propose a qualitative and quantitative study of this activity as well as its impact on the functioning of a urology department.

[Pseudo-"isolated" intestinal perforation in a very low birth weight infant: exceptional presentation of Hirschsprung's disease].

Intestinal perforations in preterm newborn are characterized with high morbidity and mortality rates. They often are associated with necrotizing enterocolitis and seldom correspond to idiopathic spontaneous intestinal perforation. Perforations upstream of an intestinal organic obstruction (atresia), or of a functionnal obstruction (meconium-ileus, Hirschsprung disease) have been considered to be rare in preterm newborns.

[Blunt kidney trauma: a ten-year experience].

Objective: The objective of this study is to assess the results of our therapeutic management of blunt kidney trauma in patients hospitalised over the last 10 years.

Materials And Methods: From January 1993 to January 2003, 105 patients were hospitalised in our department for blunt kidney trauma. We retrospectively studied age, gender, injured side, mechanism of trauma (direct, indirect or deceleration), aetiology, presence of associated lesions (visceral, orthopaedic), and clinical and laboratory signs on admission (haematuria, blood pressure, haemoglobin and serum creatinine).

A case of arthritis caused by cytomegalovirus after kidney transplantation.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the leading cause of infectious complications after organ transplantation. We report the case of a 55-year-old renal transplant recipient who presented with CMV infection 2 months after transplantation. During oral ganciclovir treatment (5 weeks after interruption of intravenous ganciclovir), he experienced a sharp pain in the right shoulder.

Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI: differentiating melanoma and renal carcinoma metastases from high-grade astrocytomas and other metastases.

We performed conventional and dynamic susceptibility-contrast MRI imaging in 38 patients with brain tumours: 20 with metastases (breast carcinoma: two; renal carcinoma: five; colorectal carcinoma: one; lung carcinoma: seven; melanoma: five), and 18 with high-grade astrocytomas. We obtained cerebral blood volume (CBV) maps and calculated the relative CBV (rCBV) in different areas using the ratio between the CBV in the pathological area (CBVp) and in the contralateral white matter (CBVn). We calculated the maximum rCBV (rCBVmax) for each tumour and compared the mean rCBVmax in each group of tumours.

Chordoid glioma of the third ventricle: CT and MRI, including perfusion data.

Chordoid glioma is a homogeneous tumour involving the third ventricular region of middle-aged women, containing a small central cyst or necrosis. Histologically the tumour has a chordoid appearance. We report a new case with a haemodynamic imaging approach which indicates tumour angiogenesis at the capillary level.

Cerebral blood volume mapping by MR imaging in the initial evaluation of brain tumors.

Purpose: To assess the contribution of magnetic resonance (MR) cerebral blood volume (CBV) mapping in the initial evaluation of brain tumors.

Methods: 63 patients presenting a brain tumor underwent dynamic susceptibility-contrast MR imaging before surgery or biopsy: 28 high grade gliomas, 8 low grade gliomas, 2 pilocytic astrocytomas, 4 lymphomas, 12 metastases, 9 meningiomas. The CBV maps were obtained for each patient and the relative CBV (rCBV) in different areas was calculated using the ratio between the CBV in the pathological area (CBVp) and in the contralateral normal tissue(CBVn).

Anal canal duplication in infants and children--a series of 6 cases.

The authors present a series of six anal canal duplications (ACD), duplications of the alimentary tract located along the posterior side of the anal canal, with a perineal opening just behind the anus. Five asymptomatic duplications were diagnosed before the age of one year, by simple perineal inspection. A twelve-year-old girl presented with perineal and anal pains and diarrhoea.

Diffuse lesions in the CNS revealed by MR imaging in a case of Whipple disease.

We report a case of Whipple disease involving the brain, optic chiasm, posterior fossa, and spinal cord. We evaluate the role of MR imaging for initial evaluation and for long-term follow-up of Whipple disease involving the CNS. We also discuss the semiologic characteristics of the lesions.

Combination treatment for chronic hepatitis C: what is the role of ribavirin?

Ribavirin in combination with interferon-alpha2b is the new standard for chronic hepatitis C (CHC) treatment. Although usually considered as an antiviral compound, this guanosine analogue shows some additional effects on the immune system that could largely contribute to its clinical efficacy in CHC. Numerous in vitro experiments demonstrate that ribavirin has a selective down-regulatory effect on TH2 cytokine release with, in some cases, a concomitant TH1 cytokine up-regulation.