Medicine
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Delta-like ligand 4 (DLL4), 1 of the 5 known Notch ligands, is involved in a variety of tumor initiation and progression, particularly in the process of tumor angiogenesis. However, the clinical and prognostic significance of DLL4 in glioblastoma have not been fully elucidated. Tumor tissues from 69 glioblastoma patients were analyzed using immunohistochemistry for DLL4 expression. ⋯ Importantly, the study also found that DLL4 expression was positively related with PTBE (Spearman's test: r = 0.845, P < 0.001). A multiple linear regression model was constructed to confirm that the positive index of DLL4 was associated with an increase in maximum extent of PTBE (P < 0.001). It is thus concluded that DLL4 is correlated with PTBE and may be useful for predicting prognosis in glioblastoma.
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Digital ischemia associated with cancer (DIAC) is increasing in frequency and recent reports have suggested the concept of paraneoplastic manifestation. The aims of this study were to characterize the clinical presentation of DIAC and identify clinical features that could lead physicians to diagnose underlying cancer. From January 2004 to December 2011, 100 patients were hospitalized in the Department of Internal Medicine at Rouen University Hospital, France for a first episode of DI. ⋯ Outcomes of the 2 diseases were not strictly chronologically parallel. However, in the majority of cases, treatment of the tumor resolved vascular involvement. Our findings suggest that age >50 years and thrombocytosis should alert physicians to consider a possible occult malignancy when digital necrosis occurs.
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This article aims to explore the characteristics of computed tomography (CT) images of ovarian vein syndrome (OVS). The approval of the research ethics committee and the written informed consent of the patients were obtained. The CT images of 11 patients who had been diagnosed with OVS were retrospectively analyzed. ⋯ The diameter of the ovarian vein in them ranged from 5 mm to 13 mm. Varicose veins around the uterus were found in 2 patients, and the diameter of the left ovarian vein was larger than 7 mm in 1 patient. In conclusion, analysis of CT images is a vital method in diagnosing OVS.
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The objective of this study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of positron emission tomography/low-dose computed tomography (PET/ldCT) versus the same technique implemented by contrast-enhanced computed tomography (ceCT) in staging Hodgkin's disease (HD). Forty patients (18 men and 22 women, mean age 30 ± 9.6) with biopsy-proven HD underwent a PET/ldCT study for initial staging including an unenhanced low-dose computed tomography for attenuation correction with positron emission tomography acquisition and a ceCT, performed at the end of the PET/ldCT scan, in the same exam session. A detailed datasheet was generated for illness locations for separate imaging modality comparison and then merged in order to compare the separate imaging method results (PET/ldCT and ceCT) versus merged results positron emission tomography/contrast-enhanced computed tomography (PET/ceCT). ⋯ Extranodal involvement was identified in 26 sites by PET/ldCT and in 28 by PET/ceCT. We did not find significant differences concerning the stage (Ann Arbor). Our study shows a good concordance and conjunction between PET/ldCT and ceCT in both nodal and extranodal sites in the initial staging of HD, suggesting that PET/ldCT could suffice in most of these patients.
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The intestinal microbiota plays an important role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and geographical and genetic backgrounds impact the composition of the intestinal microbiota. However, there is a lack of evidence regarding the overall changes and characteristics of fecal-associated microbiota (FAM) and mucosa-associated microbiota (MAM) in Chinese patients with IBD. We recruited 26 patients with Crohn's disease (CD), 46 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), and 21 healthy individuals; we collected matched fresh fecal and mucosal samples from the same subjects. ⋯ FAM differed from MAM in healthy individuals and patients with UC. In conclusion, the compositions of FAM and MAM were altered in patients with IBD. The reduction of butyrate-producing bacteria and the increase in opportunistic pathogens might be associated with the pathogenesis of IBD.