Body-Mass Index in 2.3 Million Adolescents and Cardiovascular Death in Adulthood.

Background: In light of the worldwide increase in childhood obesity, we examined the association between body-mass index (BMI) in late adolescence and death from cardiovascular causes in adulthood.

Methods: We grouped data on BMI, as measured from 1967 through 2010 in 2.3 million Israeli adolescents (mean age, 17.

Serum Thymidine Kinase 1 Activity Following Nephrectomy for Renal Cell Carcinoma and Radiofrequency Ablation of Metastases to Lung and Liver.

Background/aim: Thymidine kinase 1 (TK1) is involved in DNA synthesis and is considered a reliable and sensitive marker of cell proliferation. The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of measurements of serum TK1 activity following tumor ablation.

Patients And Methods: This study was performed on 32 patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) who had undergone nephrectomy and 35 patients with cancer of different histology with metastases to the liver (n=28) and lung (n=7) treated with radiofrequency ablation (RFA).

The Longitudinal Effects of Chronic Mediated Exposure to Political Violence on Ideological Beliefs About Political Conflicts Among Youths.

This study examines the effects of chronic (i.e., repeated and cumulative) mediated exposure to political violence on ideological beliefs regarding political conflict.

Using the international classification of functioning to examine the impact of trigger finger.

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of trigger finger (TF) on hand motor function, activity and participation (A&P) and quality of life (QOL), and to evaluate the association between personal factors (age and gender, disease severity) and body functions (dexterity and strength) with A&P and QOL in patients with TF.

Methods: Sixty-six patients with TF (study group) and 66 healthy volunteers (control group) participated in the study. TF symptoms were graded using the Quinnell classification.

New ARCHITECT plasma pro-gastrin-releasing peptide assay for diagnosing and monitoring small-cell lung cancer.

Background: Progastrin-releasing peptide (ProGRP) is a potential marker for small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) in serum; however, it may be more stable in plasma. We investigated a new plasma assay (ProGRPp) and its usefulness in diagnosing and monitoring SCLC.

Methods: The marker concentrations were determined on the ARCHITECT i system.

Bendamustine associated immune suppression and infections during therapy of hematological malignancies.

Bendamustine is being increasingly used in patients with indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma, mantle cell lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. This review summarizes available evidence regarding the effects of bendamustine on the immune system, examines its role in consequent infections as reported in randomized controlled trials, prospective observational investigations, retrospective studies and individual published case reports. Myelosuppression including lymphopenia occurs relatively frequently after therapy with bendamustine.

Discordant bone marrow involvement in non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

A discordant lymphoma occurs where 2 distinct histologic subtypes coexist in at least 2 separate anatomic sites. Histologic discordance is most commonly observed between the bone marrow (BM) and lymph nodes (LNs), where typically aggressive lymphoma is found in a LN biopsy with indolent lymphoma in a BM biopsy. Although the diagnosis of discordance relied heavily on histopathology alone in the past, the availability of flow cytometry and molecular studies have aided the identification of this entity.

Operative hysteroscopy for treatment of intrauterine pathologies does not interfere with later endometrial development in patients undergoing in vitro fertilization.

Purpose: Operative hysteroscopy procedure is extensively used for the treatment of intrauterine abnormalities that can potentially cause infertility. To date, there are little data addressing the effect of operative hysteroscopy that applies electrical current for excision and its subsequent effect on endometrial thickness. This study was aimed to assess the effect of thermal resection used in operative hysteroscopy on endometrial thickness and on fertility outcome in women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Percutaneous nephrolithotomy for staghorn stones: Which nomogram can better predict postoperative outcomes?

Purpose: To identify independent predictors for postoperative stone-free status after percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) for staghorn stones and to compare Guy's, CROES and STONE nomograms regarding their predictive ability and accuracy specifically for staghorn stones.

Methods: Data of 286 patients who underwent PCNL in our department were collected and analyzed. Several parameters, including the three nomograms, were analyzed to reveal independent predictors for postoperative stone-free status.

Epidemiology and environmental risk in hairy cell leukemia.

Hairy cell leukaemia (HCL) is an orphan subtype of leukaemia which constitutes less than 2% of all leukaemia's, with an incidence of less than 1 per 100,000 persons per annum. Median age at presentation is 55 years and it is 3-4 times more frequent in males. It is also more frequently encountered in whites and less in Asians, Africans and Arabs.

Very High Intrapartum Fever in Term Pregnancies and Adverse Obstetric and Neonatal Outcomes.

Background: Intrapartum fever is a well-known risk factor for adverse perinatal outcomes. Maternal intrapartum fever ≥39.0°C at term is a rare event during labor, and there is scarce evidence regarding its implications.

Acute Splenic Infarction at an Academic General Hospital Over 10 Years: Presentation, Etiology, and Outcome.

Few case series provide a current, comprehensive, and detailed description of splenic infarction (SI), an uncommon condition.Retrospective chart review complemented by imaging evaluation and patient follow-up.All adult patients with a confirmed diagnosis of acute SI discharged over 10 years from a single academic center were studied.

Pulmonary vascular resistance and compliance relationship in pulmonary hypertension.

Right ventricular adaptation to the increased pulmonary arterial load is a key determinant of outcomes in pulmonary hypertension (PH). Pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) and total arterial compliance (C) quantify resistive and elastic properties of pulmonary arteries that modulate the steady and pulsatile components of pulmonary arterial load, respectively. PVR is commonly calculated as transpulmonary pressure gradient over pulmonary flow and total arterial compliance as stroke volume over pulmonary arterial pulse pressure (SV/PApp).

External Validation of CROES Nephrolithometry as a Preoperative Predictive System for Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy Outcomes.

Purpose: We externally validated CROES (Clinical Research Office of the Endourological Society) nephrolithometry and evaluated the predictive accuracy of the nomogram.

Materials And Methods: Data were collected on patients who underwent percutaneous nephrolithotomy between January 2012 and February 2015. The CROES nomogram was applied to all patients and externally validated.

Organ Donation Among Health Care Providers: Is Giving and Receiving Similar?

Background: Health care providers encourage organ donation on a regular basis. The objective of this study was to analyze the coherence of the attitudes of health care providers toward organ donation, their willingness to receive organs and the differences among different health care practitioners and other hospital workers regarding to this ethical issue.

Methods: A 33-question survey was conducted among staff members from 9 different health care institutions in different sites from North and Central America.

Stenosing flexor tenosynovitis: Validity of standard assessment tools of daily functioning and quality of life.

Study Design: Cross-sectional.

Introduction: Stenosing flexor tenosynovitis (SFT) is a common hand disease, yet there is a lack of valid standard assessments for this population.

Purpose Of The Study: Validation of assessment for the evaluation of disability and quality of life related to SFT clinical severity.

Fatal Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome Associated With Quetiapine.

Acute psychosis developed in an elderly patient with Parkinson disease and she was admitted and treated with quetiapine (Seroquel). One day later, high fever unexplained by infection appeared associated with restlessness, confusion, convulsion, leukocytosis, and extreme serum creatine kinase levels. She died of neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) despite intensive treatment.

Gaucher disease types 1 and 3: Phenotypic characterization of large populations from the ICGG Gaucher Registry.

Study of the natural history of Gaucher disease has revealed marked phenotypic variation. Correlations to genotypes could provide insight into individual susceptibility to varying disease severity, which may impact whole-life medical care, reproductive decisions, and therapeutic choices for affected families. Importantly, pre-symptomatic or prospective interventions or the use of therapies with significant risk require accurate risk-benefit analyses based on the prognosis for individual patients.

Ibrutinib, idelalisib and obinutuzumab for the treatment of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia: three new arrows aiming at the target.

Over the last 20 years there have been sustained and dramatic improvements in the therapy of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Until 1990, therapy for CLL was based on alkylating agents, chlorambucil and cyclophosphamide, which did not impact meaningfully on overall survival. The more recent therapeutic regimens, built on combination chemoimmunotherapy, achieve complete responses in 40-50% of cases.

Absolute Monocyte Count and Lymphocyte-Monocyte Ratio Predict Outcome in Nodular Sclerosis Hodgkin Lymphoma: Evaluation Based on Data From 1450 Patients.

Objective: To verify whether absolute monocyte count (AMC) and lymphocyte- monocyte ratio (LMR) at diagnosis are valid prognostic parameters in classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL).

Patients And Methods: Data were collected from 1450 patients with cHL treated in Israel and Italy from January 1, 1988, through December 31, 2007.

Results: The median age of the patients was 33 years (range, 17-72 years), and 70% (1017) of the patients had nodular sclerosis (NS); the median follow-up duration was 87 months.

A comparative study of folate receptor-targeted doxorubicin delivery systems: dosing regimens and therapeutic index.

Ligand-receptor mediated targeting may affect differently the performance of supramolecular drug carriers depending on the nature of the nanocarrier. In this study, we compare the selectivity, safety and activity of doxorubicin (Dox) entrapped in liposomes versus Dox conjugated to polymeric nanocarriers in the presence or absence of a folic acid (FA)-targeting ligand to cancer cells that overexpress the folate receptor (FR). Two pullulan (Pull)-based conjugates of Dox were synthesized, (FA-PEG)-Pull-(Cyst-Dox) and (NH2-PEG)-Pull-(Cyst-Dox).