Acid-fast bacteria as causative agents of skin and soft tissue infections: case presentations and literature review.

Acid-fast bacteria can be implicated in skin and soft tissue infections. Diagnostic identification can be challenging or not feasible by routine laboratory techniques, especially if there is no access to the Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) technology. Here, we present two cases of skin and soft tissue infections caused by two different acid-fast bacteria, Nocardia brasiliensis and Mycobacterium marinum.

Primary Mediastinal Neuroendocrine Tumor: A Case of Atypical Carcinoid.

Primary mediastinal neuroendocrine tumor (PMNET) is an extremely rare clinical entity and few cases have been described in the literature. Here, we report a histologically confirmed rare PMNET case of a 66-year-old male patient with a mass detected in the anterior upper mediastinum by chest high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT). Early detection and surgical intervention of this neoplasm are critical for long term survival, though the tumor is associated with a dismal outcome.

Primary Gastric Malignant Melanoma.

Primary gastric malignant melanoma (PGMM) is an extremely rare clinical entity, and few cases have been described in the literature. Here, we report a histologically confirmed PGMM case of a 74-year-old man with a mass in the stomach found by gastroscopy. The patient had no history of melanoma.

Reduction of Environmental Contamination With Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria by Copper-Alloy Coating of Surfaces in a Highly Endemic Setting.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy of copper-coating in reducing environmental colonization in an intensive-care unit (ICU) with multidrug-resistant-organism (MDRO) endemicity DESIGN Interventional, comparative crossover trial SETTING The general ICU of Attikon University hospital in Athens, Greece PATIENTS Those admitted to ICU compartments A and B during the study period METHODS Before any intervention (phase 1), the optimum sampling method using 2 nylon swabs was validated. In phase 2, 6 copper-coated beds (ie, with coated upper, lower, and side rails) and accessories (ie, coated side table, intravenous [i.v.

Bax and Bak expression in cervical smears of women with low-and high-risk HPV types: A study of 120 cases.

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is known to be involved in the carcinogenesis of squamous cells in uterine cervix cancer, mostly by binding and inactivating the p53 and pRb tumor suppressor genes. Lately, evidence has emerged suggesting that HPV oncoproteins may interact with proteins involved in cellular apoptosis as well.

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the expression of proapoptotic proteins Bax and Bak in women with low-risk and high-risk HPV types as opposed to HPV-negative women, and in women with normal pap smear compared to women with abnormal Papanicolau test (Pap) smear.

Fine-needle aspiration cytology of ameloblastoma and malignant ameloblastoma: a study of 12 cases.

Ameloblastoma is an odontogenic tumor with aggressive biological behavior, high recurrence rate, and a complex microscopic appearance with many different histologic patterns. Primary ameloblastoma is also described in extragnathic locations. Because of its wide morphologic spectrum, which is mirrored also in cytologic smears, a thorough study of distinctive features is required to reach a reliable diagnosis.

Fine needle aspiration cytology in primary breast angiosarcoma: a case report.

Background: Angiosarcoma of the breast is an uncommon, aggressive, vascular tumor. The cytomorphologic features of angiosarcomas have rarely been reported.

Case: The present study describes a case of breast angiosarcoma initially diagnosed by fine needle aspiration cytology.

Cytologic findings and potential pitfalls in proliferative myositis and myositis ossificans diagnosed by fine needle aspiration cytology: report of four cases and review of the literature.

Proliferative myositis (PM) and myositis ossificans (MO) are two uncommon, benign pseudosarcomatous lesions of soft tissue. Despite their benign nature, they are often misdiagnosed for malignant soft tissue tumors because of their alarming clinical presentation. Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is a quick and simple method that can accurately diagnose such lesions, provided that the cytopathologist is adequately familiar with the cytomorphological features of these lesions as opposed to the features of sarcomas.

Adrenal ganglioneuromas: incidentalomas with misleading clinical and imaging features.

Background: Ganglioneuromas are benign neoplasms of the neural crest, occurring rarely in the adrenal glands. This study presents our experience regarding diagnostic and therapeutic management of these neoplasms and a review of the relevant literature.

Methods: Among 150 patients with of incidentalomas, we had 7 primary ganglioneuromas.

Is sentinel node mapping useful in anorectal melanoma?

Anorectal melanoma (AM) is a rare disease and few guidelines have been established regarding its therapeutic management. Wide local excision, or less frequently, abdominoperineal resection is the treatment of choice. We present a female patient with an excised AM who was submitted to our Nuclear Medicine department for sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping of the area.

Transarterial balloon-assisted glue embolization of high-flow arteriovenous fistulas.

Introduction: We report here our experience in treating high-flow arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) of the brain and spine using balloon-assisted glue injection.

Methods: During a 3-year period (2003-2005) five patients with high-flow AVFs were treated at our hospital using transarterial balloon-assisted glue injection. There were two pial AVFs, one dural AVF, one vein of Galen malformation and one perimedullary AVF of the cervical spine.

Negative gallium-67 citrate and positive positron emission tomography/computed tomography spleen scans, in Hodgkin's stage IV lymphoma.

An 18-year-old male patient with Hodgkin's lymphoma stage IVB (HL-IVB), is presented. On a follow-up examination a splenic ultrasound scan showed the presence of multiple intense nodules. The gallium-67 citrate, single photon emission tomography scan was negative, while positron emission tomography/computerized tomography (PET/CT) scan with fluoro-18-fluordeoxyglucose was strongly positive.

Juvenile granulosa cell tumor of the epididymis.

We report the first case of a juvenile granulosa cell tumor of the epididymis in a young man. Clinical and histological findings are presented and the clinical significance of the case is discussed.

Seeking evidence that cell kill guided thermotherapy gives results not inferior to those of transurethral prostate resection: results of a pooled analysis of 3 studies of feedback transurethral microwave thermotherapy.

Purpose: We compared ProstaLund Feedback Treatment (PLFT) to transurethral prostate resection (TURP) in terms of efficacy and safety in a pooled analysis of 3 clinical studies with 1-year followup.

Materials And Methods: Overall raw data on 183 patients with PLFT and 65 with TURP were pooled. All studies had identical inclusion criteria, and the efficacy and safety of the method were evaluated using the International Prostate Symptom Score, maximum urine flow (Qmax), responder rate, bother score, prostate volume reduction and adverse events.

Relativistic parameters of senescence.

The laws of biochemistry and biology are governed by parameters whose description in mathematical formulas is based on the three-dimensional space. It is a fact, however, that the life span of a cell and its specific functions, though limited, can be extended or diminished depending on the genetic code but also, on the natural pressure of the environment. The plasticity exhibited by a cellular system has been attributed to the change of the three-dimensional structure of the cell, with time being a simple measure of this change.

Combined repair of ascending aortic pseudoaneurysm and abdominal aortic aneurysm: in a patient with Marfan syndrome.

Pseudoaneurysms of the ascending aorta after the original inclusion/wrap technique of the Bentall procedure present a difficult surgical management problem and are associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Patients with Marfan syndrome frequently develop aneurysms and dissections that involve multiple aortic segments. We present the case of a Marfan patient who successfully underwent repair of a giant ascending aortic pseudoaneurysm and concomitant repair of an abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Basaloid carcinoma, a rare primary lung neoplasm: report of a case and review of the literature.

Basaloid carcinoma of the lung is a rare primary neoplasm, first described in 1992. Basaloid carcinoma is an aggressive subtype of Non small cell lung cancer, with poor 5-year survival, even in stage I and II resected tumors. Differential diagnosis from small cell, Neuroendocrine large cell and poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma is difficult to be made.

Patterns of diastolic abnormalities during isometric stress in patients with systemic hypertension.

This study was undertaken to determine the prevalence and distribution of diastolic function abnormalities at rest and during isometric exercise in patients with systemic hypertension using the recently introduced handgrip-apexcardiographic test (HAT). It has been shown that HAT reflects left ventricular pressure changes in early (relaxation) and late (compliance) diastole. A HAT was obtained in 132 patients with systemic hypertension (duration >1 year) without history of congestive heart failure.

Experience with warm blood cardioplegia in 480 patients.

From 1 March 1992 too 31 July 1993 (17 months), 480 consecutive patients underwent various open-heart procedures under anterograde (83 patients) or retrograde (397 patients) or retrograde (397 patients) continuous warm blood cardioplegia. Some 352 patients (73.3%) had isolated coronary artery bypass grafts (CABG) and 117 (24.

"Accurate" noninvasive detection of diastolic dysfunction by current techniques: fact or fancy?

To evaluate clinically left ventricular (LV) diastolic performance has been recognized in recent years to be an important part in cardiac evaluation, since diastolic abnormalities occur early and are sensitive indicators of diseased myocardium as well as determinants of cardiac output. Data on LV diastolic function are noninvasively acquired in recent years in most laboratories from: 1) radionuclide angiography, 2) echocardiography (M-mode and 2D) and 3) Doppler echocardiography. All these widely accepted and used methods for the detection and quantification of diastolic dysfunction are based on the assessment of indices of either rate of ventricular filling or rate of change of LV diameter and wall thickness during diastole.

Ischemic and nonischemic patterns of diastolic abnormalities during isometric handgrip exercise.

This study establishes the clinical value of the recently introduced handgrip-apexcardiographic test (HAT) as an additional tool for distinguishing exercise-induced diastolic abnormalities in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients from those in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). This stress test reliably assessing differences in diastolic indices during handgrip between 305 healthy volunteers and 39 patients with CAD without prior infarction as well as 17 patients with HCM showed two different patterns of handgrip-induced pathological changes in these indices. An 'ischemic diastolic response' was empirically defined by the presence of either a handgrip-induced more than doubling of a resting normal relative A wave to total height of the apex-cardiogram (ischemic compliance response) or a pathological prolongation of a resting normal total apexcardiographic relaxation time (ischemic relaxation response); whereas a 'nonischemic diastolic response' was defined by the presence of a positive HAT and by absence of the above-mentioned ischemic criteria.

Noninvasive detection of coronary artery disease by assessing diastolic abnormalities during low isometric exercise.

The handgrip-apexcardiographic test (HAT) is a simple low-level (40% of maximal voluntary handgrip during 2 min) stress test which can detect left ventricular (LV) diastolic abnormalities. To determine whether it contributes to the diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD), HAT was obtained in 68 patients--47 with and 21 without angina pectoris--who prospectively underwent coronary arteriography. According to the highest or lowest individual values of diastolic apexcardiographic indices in 255 healthy volunteers, a pathologic or positive HAT was defined by the presence of at least one of the following new criteria: (1) A wave relative to total height of apexcardiogram during and/or after handgrip > 21%, (2) total apexcardiographic relaxation time (TART) during handgrip > TART at rest > 143 ms and/or TART corrected for the duration of diastole (TARTI) during handgrip < 0.

Exercise-induced diastolic abnormalities assessed by handgrip-apexcardiographic test in syndrome X.

It has been shown recently that the handgrip-apexcardiographic test (HAT) represents a new mode of stress test, which shows a high sensitivity in identifying coronary patients by assessing exercise-induced ischemic left ventricular diastolic abnormalities. To assess the prevalence of left ventricular diastolic abnormalities and the usefulness of HAT as a diagnostic tool in patients with syndrome X (angina pectoris in the presence of normal coronary arteries), HAT was obtained in 275 clinically normal subjects and in 9 patients who presented with typical chest pain and who were subsequently found to have a positive treadmill ECG test and no coronary artery disease by angiography. As diastolic indices served: the relative A wave to total height (A/H) and to diastolic amplitude (A/D) of the apex tracing, the total apexcardiographic relaxation time (TART), TART corrected for the duration of diastole (TARTI) and the diastolic amplitude time index [DATI = TARTI/(A/D)].