Regorafenib in patients with pretreated advanced melanoma: a single-center case series.

Melanoma patients failing all approved treatment options have a poor prognosis. The antimelanoma activity of regorafenib (REGO), a multitargeted kinase inhibitor, has not been investigated in this patient population. The objective response rate and safety of REGO treatment in advanced melanoma patients was investigated retrospectively.

Preanalytical variables influencing the interpretation and reporting of biological tests on blood samples of living and deceased donors for human body materials.

With the present paper, the Working Group on Cells, Tissues and Organs and other experts of the Superior Health Council of Belgium aimed to provide stakeholders in material of human origin with advice on critical aspects of serological and nucleic acid test (NAT) testing, to improve virological safety of cell- and tissue and organ donation. The current paper focusses on a number of preanalytical variables which can be critical for any medical biology examination: (1) sampling related variables (type of samples, collection of the samples, volume of the sample, choice of specific tubes, identification of tubes), (2) variables related to transport, storage and processing of blood samples (transport, centrifugation and haemolysis, storage before and after centrifugation, use of serum versus plasma), (3) variables related to dilution (haemodilution, pooling of samples), and (4) test dependent variables (available tests and validation). Depending on the type of donor (deceased donor (heart-beating or non-heart beating) versus living donor (allogeneic, related, autologous), and the type of donated human material (cells, tissue or organs) additional factors can play a role: pre- and post-mortem sampling, conditions of sampling (e.

Common variants in Alzheimer's disease and risk stratification by polygenic risk scores.

Genetic discoveries of Alzheimer's disease are the drivers of our understanding, and together with polygenetic risk stratification can contribute towards planning of feasible and efficient preventive and curative clinical trials. We first perform a large genetic association study by merging all available case-control datasets and by-proxy study results (discovery n = 409,435 and validation size n = 58,190). Here, we add six variants associated with Alzheimer's disease risk (near APP, CHRNE, PRKD3/NDUFAF7, PLCG2 and two exonic variants in the SHARPIN gene).

Predictors of dopamine agonist resistance in prolactinoma patients.

Background: Surgical resection of prolactinomas resistant to dopamine agonists is frequently incomplete due to fibrotic changes of the tumour under pharmacological therapy. In order to identify a subgroup of patients who may benefit from early surgery, we thought to investigate possible predictive factors of pharmacological resistance of prolactinomas to dopamine agonists.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed a database of a Belgian tertiary reference center for patients with pituitary tumours from 2014 to 2016.

Discovery and validation of plasma proteomic biomarkers relating to brain amyloid burden by SOMAscan assay.

Introduction: Plasma proteins have been widely studied as candidate biomarkers to predict brain amyloid deposition to increase recruitment efficiency in secondary prevention clinical trials for Alzheimer's disease. Most such biomarker studies are targeted to specific proteins or are biased toward high abundant proteins.

Methods: 4001 plasma proteins were measured in two groups of participants (discovery group = 516, replication group = 365) selected from the European Medical Information Framework for Alzheimer's disease Multimodal Biomarker Discovery study, all of whom had measures of amyloid.

Exploring Cognitive Frailty: Prevalence and Associations with Other Frailty Domains in Older People with Different Degrees of Cognitive Impairment.

Background: Cognitive frailty has long been defined as the co-occurrence of mild cognitive deficits and physical frailty. However, recently, a new approach to cognitive frailty has been proposed: cognitive frailty as a distinct construct. Nonetheless, the relationship between this relatively new construct of cognitive frailty and other frailty domains is unclear.

Posttraumatic cyst-like lesions of cortical bone in children.

Cyst-like cortical defects appearing after minor greenstick fractures in children have occasionally been described. These lesions are asymptomatic and appear just proximal to the fracture line within the area of subperiostal new bone formation. Although the pathogenesis of these lesions remains conjectural, complete resolution occurs, without adverse effect on fracture healing.

Enterobius vermicularis infection with tuboovarian abscess and peritonitis occurring during pregnancy.

Background: Extraintestinal Enterobius vermicularis infections are rare but may occasionally affect the female genital tract. Although mostly asymptomatic or causing minor clinical problems, they may lead to severe infectious complications.

Methods: Case report and review of the pertinent English language literature.

Impact of stem-broach sizing on the cement mantle of Lubinus SP II stems. A CT scan analysis.

Lubinus SP II stems are cemented either line-to-line with the largest broach or one-size undersized. The purpose of this study was to compare both implantation techniques. We used 18 polymeric stem replicas cemented line-to-line and undersized in paired cadaveric femora and analyzed them with CT scan images.

Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography in the preoperative assessment of patients with biliary pancreatitis.

Background: The ultimate treatment of acute biliary pancreatitis (ABP) is undoubtedly laparoscopic cholecystectomy, but controversy remains about the optimal imaging method in the preoperative assessment of these patients. In this study, we evaluated the usefulness of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) in detecting common bile duct (CBD) stones and associated pathologies in patients with ABP. At the same time, we tried to determine the natural transit time of gallstones from gallbladder to duodenum in ABP.

Impact of body overweight and class I, II and III obesity on the outcome of acute biliary pancreatitis.

Objectives: Body overweight and obesity have been associated with an increased morbidity in acute pancreatitis, but conflicting results were reported in the literature with regard to the type and frequency of complications. We investigated the occurrence of complications in different classes of overweight in a homogeneous group of patients with gallstone pancreatitis.

Methods: Data were collected prospectively from 250 patients with biliary pancreatitis to allow calculation of the Blamey (Glasgow) and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE II) scores.

Outpatient laparoscopic gastric banding: initial experience.

Background: Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) has usually been performed as an inpatient procedure with an average hospital stay of 2-4 days. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of LAGB as an ambulatory procedure in selected patients.

Methods: Potential candidates for ambulatory LAGB were recruited from patients consulting for obesity surgery.

Biliary tract infection in patients with acute biliary pancreatitis.

Background: The presence of infective microorganisms in the bilio-pancreatic tract is believed to be important in both the onset and outcome of acute biliary pancreatitis. In this study, the characteristics of bile colonization or infection in human pancreatitis were investigated in order to optimize prophylactic antibiotic therapy.

Methods: In 174 patients, 22 clinical and biological factors were recorded prospectively on admission and compared with the bacteriological findings at the time of surgery.

Efficient cardiac diffusion tensor MRI by three-dimensional reconstruction of solenoidal tensor fields.

Tensor tomography is being investigated as a technique for reconstruction of in vivo diffusion tensor fields that can potentially be used to reduce the number of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measurements. Specifically, assessments are being made of the reconstruction of cardiac diffusion tensor fields from 3D Radon planar projections using a filtered backprojection algorithm in order to specify the helical fiber structure of myocardial tissue. Helmholtz type decomposition is proposed for 3D second order tensor fields.

Endoscopic volume adjustment of intragastric balloons for intolerance.

Background: A new type of saline-filled, spherical-shaped balloon, which moves freely within the stomach, has been increasingly used as a tool to assist weight reduction. Balloon intolerance is an infrequent complication, characterized by continuous nausea and vomiting or abdominal pain, uncontrollable by medical therapy. This has usually been followed by puncture, deflation and extraction of the balloon.

Intragastric balloons for preoperative weight reduction.

Background: If medical treatment of obesity fails and if surgical gastroplasty is not indicated, insertion of an intragastric balloon may represent an intermediate modality.

Methods: Two patients are reported in whom a balloon was placed for weight reduction before elective surgery: 1) A 53-year-old woman with a BMI of 41.3 kg/m2 lost 18 kg in 6 months and then underwent surgical repair of a huge incisional hernia; 2) A 58-year-old woman with a BMI of 35.

Common bile duct stones in acute biliary pancreatitis: an endoscopic study.

The knowledge of the natural history of common bile duct stones in biliary pancreatitis may be helpful in the debate concerning the timing of endoscopic sphincterotomy in relation to surgery. The endoscopic cholangiographies of 211 patients with biliary pancreatitis were analyzed. The presence of bile duct stones was recorded, as well as the time interval between admission and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP).

Vitamin status in patients with acute pancreatitis.

The serum levels of 6 vitamins were prospectively evaluated in 20 patients with acute biliary pancreatitis and in 20 patients with acute alcoholic pancreatitis. Twenty healthy subjects acted as controls. There were no statistically significant differences in the levels of vitamin B12 and D among the groups.

Recurrent pancreatitis secondary to hypercalcemia following vitamin D poisoning.

A 66-year-old patient had been admitted four times for recurrent episodes of acute pancreatitis. At each time, elevated serum calcium levels, between 13.5-14.