Medicina
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Background and Objectives: Few studies have investigated the relationship between female reproductive hormones, especially estrogen, and the incidence of cataracts. This study sought to evaluate the effects of hysterectomy on the risk of lens opacity in Korean women. Materials and Methods: This retrospective cohort study utilized data collected from 2007 to 2020 for 255,576 postmenopausal women in the Korean National Health Insurance database. ⋯ The incidence of cataracts was higher in the control group than in the treatment group, as demonstrated in a 1:1 propensity score-matching analysis adjusted for potential confounding variables. Conclusions: The incidence of cataracts was significantly lower in the group with hysterectomy than in the control group, but the difference was subtle. The current findings may aid in identifying the role of female reproductive hormones in cataract development.
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The post-extraction socket of a periodontally compromised tooth/implant is oftentimes accompanied by a very wide-deep alveolar ridge defect. The commonly utilized treatment is ridge preservation followed by delayed implant placement 4 to 6 months after extraction. In the four cases presented in this study, a novel technique of utilizing a bone block obtained from the lateral wall of the maxillary sinus is introduced. ⋯ Uncovering was performed after 3 to 6 months, and prostheses were delivered after 2 months. Oral function was maintained without any change in the marginal bone level even after the 1- to 7-year post-prosthesis delivery. This case series showed that the bone bridge technique performed using an ipsilateral sinus bony window for a localized vertical deficiency of a post-extraction socket can be used for successful vertical ridge augmentation (VRA).
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Anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) with leukaemic presentation (either ab initio or along the course of the disease) has been rarely reported. Irrespective of ALK expression in the neoplastic cells, it features a dismal prognosis. We report a rare case of leukaemic, small cell variant ALK-positive ALCL with 9-year survival in a young woman who was treated upfront with corticosteroids and standard chemotherapy, and review thoroughly the previously published cases. Such an unexpected, good outcome hints at the existence of different clinical subgroups in the leukaemic variant of ALK-positive ALCL.
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Background and Objectives: Penile cancer is a rare neoplasm in developed countries with an incidence of 0.8/100,000 per male inhabitant. Despite the development of personalized medicine and multimodal treatment, the outcome of penile cancer treatment is insufficient. Our study aimed to assess the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines' mRNA such as interleukin 1-A (encoded by IL1A gene, alias IL-1A), interleukin 1-B (IL1B, IL-1B), interleukin 1 receptor antagonist (IL1RN, IL-1RN), interleukin 6 (IL6, IL-6), transforming growth factor β1 (TGFB1, TGFβ-1), and Interferon-gamma (INFG, INF-γ) in penile cancer tissue and associate them with tumor progression and patient survival. ⋯ Results: We observed higher expression of pro-inflammatory cytokine genes (IL-1A, IL-1B, IL-6, INF-γ, TGF-β) in penile cancer tissue. The average follow-up period was 48 months (range: 38-54 months), during which only one penile tumor progression was observed However, this was without association with the nature of tumor (patient refused radical treatment). Conclusions: This is the first study to show increased expression of cytokines such as IL-1A, IL-1B, IL-6, INF-γ, and TGF-β in penile cancer with positive correlation between TNM staging and INF-γ levels in tumor samples (rs = 0.672, p = 0.045), which may be associated with the immunosuppressive role of the tumor environment.
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Minimally invasive techniques have gained immense importance in cardiovascular surgery. While minimal access strategies for coronary and mitral valve surgery are already widely accepted and often used as standard approaches, the application of minimally invasive techniques is currently expanded towards more complex operations of the ascending aorta as well. In this new and developing field, various techniques have been established and reported ranging from upper hemisternotomy approaches, which allow even extensive operations of the ascending aorta to be performed through a minimally invasive access to sternal sparing thoracotomy strategies, which completely avoid sternal trauma during ascending aorta replacements. ⋯ This narrative review gives an overview of the currently available techniques with a special focus on the practical execution as well as the advantages and disadvantages of the currently available techniques. The first results demonstrate the practicability and safety of minimally invasive techniques for replacement of the ascending aorta in a well-selected patient population. With success and complication rates comparable to classic full sternotomy, the proof of concept for minimally invasive replacement of the ascending aorta is now achieved.