Skeletal Muscle Involvement in Antisynthetase Syndrome.

Importance: Antisynthetase syndrome, characterized by myositis, interstitial lung disease, skin rash, arthropathy, and Raynaud phenomenon, is a clinical entity based on the presence of aminoacyl transfer RNA synthetase (ARS) antibodies in patients' serum. However, antisynthetase syndrome is not included in the histological subsets of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies.

Objective: To elucidate the clinical features of myositis in patients with antisynthetase syndrome.

Simultaneous spatio-temporal matching pursuit decomposition of evoked brain responses in MEG.

We present a novel approach to the spatio-temporal decomposition of evoked brain responses in magnetoencephalography (MEG) aiming at a sparse representation of the underlying brain activity in terms of spatio-temporal atoms. Our approach is characterized by three attributes which constitute significant improvements with respect to existing approaches: (1) the spatial and temporal decomposition is addressed simultaneously rather than sequentially, with the benefit that source loci and corresponding waveforms can be unequivocally allocated to each other, and, hence, allow a plausible physiological interpretation of the parametrized data; (2) it is free from severe a priori assumptions about the solution space; (3) it comprises an optimization technique for the use of very large spatial and temporal subdirectories to greatly reduce the otherwise enormous computational cost by making use of the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality. We demonstrate the efficiency of the approach with simulations and real MEG data obtained from a subject exposed to a simple auditory stimulus.

CT density distribution analysis in patients with cystic fibrosis: correlation with pulmonary function and radiologic scores.

Rationale And Objectives: The progressive changes in lung morphology observed in cystic fibrosis (CF) can potentially affect the statistical distribution of computed tomography (CT) density values. This study aimed to characterize the lung CT density distributions by quantifying indices of the kurtosis and skewness of the lung density distribution and to compare these indices to radiologic scores and lung function parameters in children and young adults with CF.

Materials And Methods: CT scans and lung function of 26 patients with CF were retrospectively examined.

Peak inspiratory flow is a simple means of predicting decannulation success following head and neck cancer surgery: a prospective study of fifty-six patients.

Objectives/hypothesis: Temporary tracheotomies are commonly performed in head and neck cancer surgery. The aim of this study was to propose a minimum peak inspiratory flow (PIF) as a standardized simple tool for successful decannulation after surgery.

Study Design: Prospective review between January 2011 and June 2013 in a university teaching hospital.

Restoration of intestinal continuity after colectomy for non-occlusive ischemic colitis.

Background: Non-occlusive ischemic colitis (IC) is a rare and life-threatening abdominal disease associated with high rates of postoperative mortality. When surgery is performed, in patients with IC, either a Hartmann's procedure (HP) or a total colectomy and ileostomy is required. The possibility of restoration of intestinal continuity in surviving patients is an important issue.

Internal fistula leakage due to a road traffic accident: a fortuitous diagnosis of Crohn's disease.

Background And Aim: Fistulae are one of the most frequent complications of Crohn's disease (CD) and occur in 30-40% of patients. Conversely, free perforation is a rare complication and is one of the indications for emergency surgery of CD because of secondary peritonitis. We report a case of a spontaneous fistula rupture secondary to a road traffic accident.

Effect of biotherapies on fatigue in rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis.

Objectives: To assess the effect of biotherapies vs placebo on fatigue in two situations: inadequate response to conventional treatments (IR-DMARD) and inadequate response to anti-TNF (IR-anti-TNF) in RA.

Methods: A systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis were performed. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the effect of biotherapies vs placebo on fatigue, in combination with DMARDs.

A safe option to perform an apparent difficult redo surgery.

A 50-year-old female operated of Bentall five years before was referred to our hospital for an aneurysm of both right subclavian artery and brachiocephalic trunk associated with a false anastomotic aneurysm on the insertion of the left coronary artery. The procedure was performed under moderate hypothermic circulatory arrest; the false aneurysm was repaired, the brachiocephalic trunk and the subclavian aneurysm were resected, an aorto-carotid and axillary bypass were finally performed. The postoperative course was uneventful.

Recommendations of the French Society for Rheumatology regarding TNFalpha antagonist therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Objectives: To update French Society for Rheumatology guidelines regarding the use of TNFalpha antagonists for treating patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: Existing guidelines were updated using the AGREE instrument. Items that required updating were selected by a task force, the relevant literature was critically appraised, and new wording was suggested by a limited committee of experts then validated by the task force and subsequently by a panel of external reviewers.

Transcriptional regulation of inflammatory secreted phospholipases A(2).

Secreted phospholipases A(2) is a family of small molecular weight and calcium-dependent enzymes of which the members list is presently growing. Among these enzymes, the synovial type IIA and the type V phospholipases A(2) are involved in inflammation. Although their actual mechanism is still a subject of debate, new therapeutic strategies can result from the knowledge of the regulations of their gene expression.