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Purpose: Treatment of pulmonary metastases (PM) from colorectal cancer (CRC) is the standard of care by several guidelines from Europe and the USA, but the validity of this strategy has been recently questioned, and the available evidence supporting this strategy is weak. We report the outcomes of a curative intent strategy in a very recent and homogenous series of patients. Methods: We did a retrospective review of all curative intent surgical or ablative treatment of PM from CRC performed consecutively in 3 French institutions from January 2015 to December 2019. Demographics, clinicopathological, and molecular characteristics were evaluated. Cox regression models were used to identify prognostic factors related to local recurrence and disease-free survival. Results: Records from 152 patients were reviewed. One-hundred thirty-five patients (88%) had surgical metastasectomy. Median age was 67years. Most of the patients had a single lesion (66%), and 16% had synchronous PM. Eighty-one patients (53%) experienced recurrence, and the thorax was the most common site of recurrence. Median disease-free survival and overall survival were 35months and 78months after PM treatment. At the end of the study, only 17% of the patients died. Pulmonary tumor burden was correlated with disease-free survival in univariate analysis, but multivariate analysis did not find any prognostic factor independently associated with local recurrence or survival. Conclusion: Our finds corroborate existing recommendation for the invasive treatment of PM from CRC in selected patients.

To test the hypothesis that ROSAH (retinal dystrophy, optic nerve oedema, splenomegaly, anhidrosis and headache) syndrome, caused by dominant mutation inThis cohort study systematically evaluated 27 patients with ROSAH syndrome for inflammatory features and investigated the effect ofThe majority of the cohort carried the p.Thr237Met mutation but we also identified a new ROSAH-associated mutation, p.Tyr254Cys.Nearly all patients exhibited at least one feature consistent with inflammation including recurrent fever, headaches with meningeal enhancement and premature basal ganglia/brainstem mineralisation on MRI, deforming arthritis and AA amyloidosis. However, there was significant phenotypic variation, even within families and some adults lacked functional visual deficits. While anti-TNF and anti-IL-1 therapies suppressed systemic inflammation and improved quality of life, anti-IL-6 (tocilizumab) was the only anticytokine therapy that improved intraocular inflammation (two of two patients).Patients' primary samples and in vitro assays with mutated ALPK1 constructs showed immune activation with increased NF-κB signalling, STAT1 phosphorylation and interferon gene expression signature. Knock-in mice with theROSAH syndrome is an autoinflammatory disease caused by gain-of-function mutations in

Ethnopharmacological relevance Insects and insect-derived products play a vital role in traditional medicine in many parts of the world since ancient times. Among these insects, fungus-growing termites like Macrotermes bellicosus (M. bellicosus) are widely used in nutrition and traditional medicine in various societies of sub-Saharan Africa. Aim of the study Aim of the present study was to explore the traditional applications of M. bellicosus and subsequently investigate the anti-inflammatory and spasmolytic activity of samples collected in Benin. Material and methods An ethnomedicinal survey with thirty active healers in Benin was conducted and the anti-inflammatory activity of an ethanolic extract of M. bellicosus was investigated. Thus, LPS-induced TNFα release from differentiated human macrophages (THP-1) and IL-8 release from cytokine (IL-1β/TNFα/IFNγ)-challenged human intestinal epithelial cells (Caco-2) was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Furthermore, the influence of M. bellicosus extract on basal tone and induced contractions in isolated rat small intestinal preparations was determined to examine the influence on intestinal motility. Results The survey of 30 active healers demonstrated that M. bellicosus and its products (termites’ mound and fungus comb) are used in Benin for therapeutic purposes mainly to treat infectious and inflammatory diseases including digestive disorders, snake bites and diarrhea. It was found that M. bellicosus extract inhibited both LPS-induced TNFα release from human macrophages and cytokine-induced IL-8 release from intestinal epithelial cells comparable to budesonide. In addition, isometric contraction measurement with isolated rat small intestinal preparations demonstrated a mild spasmolytic effect of the termite extract in higher concentrations with a suppression of induced contractions and relaxation of basal tone. Conclusion M. bellicosus which is used in traditional medicine in Benin to treat infectious and inflammatory diseases showed anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting pro-inflammatory cytokine release and a moderate influence on intestinal motility.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Survival times vary among patients with neuroendocrine tumors (NETs)—even among those with the same site, stage, and grade of primary tumor. This makes it difficult to select treatment for patients with unresectable NETs, because some patients can survive decades without treatment. (68)Gallium-DOTATATE positron emission tomography with computed tomography ((68)Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT) is a sensitive imaging technique for detection of NETs. We investigated the prognostic accuracy of (68)Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT analysis of tumor volume in patients with NETs. METHODS: We performed a prospective study of 184 patients with NETs (128 [69.6%] with metastases and 11 patients [6.0%] with locally advanced disease) at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center from 2013 through 2017. All patients underwent (68)Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT image analysis and total (68)Ga-DOTATATE-Avid tumor volume ((68)Ga-DOTATATE TV) was determined. We also measured fasting serum chromogranin A, neuron-specific enolase, gastrin, glucagon, vasoactive intestinal peptide, pancreatic polypeptide, and 24-hour urinary 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid levels in all patients. Disease progression was defined as a new lesion or a growth of a known lesion, during the interval between baseline (68)Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT scan and follow-up imaging (14.0±6.1 months; range 1–35 months). The primary outcomes were progression-free survival (PFS) and disease-specific mortality during a median follow-up time of 18 months (range 4–35 months). RESULTS: We found an inverse correlation between quartiles of (68)Ga-DOTATATE TV and PFS (P=.001) and disease-specific survival (P=.002). A (68)Ga-DOTATATE TV of 7.0 mL or more was associated with higher odds of disease progression (hazard ratio, 3.0; P=.04). A (68)Ga-DOTATATE TV of 35.8 mL or more was associated with increased risk of disease-specific death (hazard ratio, 10.6) in multivariable analysis (P=.01), as well as in subgroup analysis of patients with pancreatic NETs. CONCLUSIONS: In a prospective study, we demonstrated the prognostic utility of (68)Ga-DOTATATE TV in a large cohort of patients with NETs, in terms of PFS and disease-specific mortality.

The performances of different catalysts xCu10Ce and xCu10Ce10Al (with x = 1, 3 and 5) in the steam reforming of methanol reaction were studied with and without the presence of zinc. The reaction was investigated at 350 °C with a Gas Hourly Space Velocity of 15,500 h−1 and a steamed mixture of water and methanol (H2O/CH3OH = 2). The catalytic activity was found to be strongly dependent on the nature of the copper species present on the support and on the nature of the support. The addition of ZnO is beneficial to the solid 5Cu10Ce and promotes interaction between Cu Ce O eventually leading to the reduction of Cu2+ to Cu+ and Cu0 the most active species in the SRM reaction.

We have previously demonstrated the efficacy of 6-diazo-5-oxo-L-norleucine (DON), a glutamine analog, as a possible adjunctive therapy to mitigate the clinical severity of human cerebral malaria (HCM) (Gordon et al. PNAS 2016). The pathology of HCM is heterogeneous, but generally includes the accumulation of infected red blood cells in the brain vascular endothelium, cerebral microhemorrhages, compromised blood-brain barrier and brain swelling. These changes manifest in severe neurologic symptoms including headache, fever, ataxia, seizures, retinopathy, and coma. The mouse model of CM, experimental cerebral malaria (ECM), approximates the main characteristics of HCM when susceptible C57BL/6 mice are infected with Plasmodium berghei ANKA (PbA) parasites. Studies in these mice found that treatment with DON, even in late stage ECM, rescued animals and increased survival while mitigating and reversing blood-brain barrier dysfunction and brain swelling. Recently, Seydel et al. (NEJM 2015) used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to characterize HCM pathology and correlate it to disease severity in children in Malawi. They observed increased brain volume in children that died from HCM that was uncommon in children that survived HCM. Herein, we perform MRI studies in the mouse model to determine if the disease course effectively recapitulates that of HCM, based on morphological changes in MRI. These studies may help elucidate the mechanisms underlying CM pathology, aiding the development of effective treatments. Furthermore, we utilize MRI to probe the mechanisms of action of recovery with DON treatment in order to evaluate the drug for possible clinical trials in HCM.

Copper supported on calcined hydrotalcite catalysts were prepared using the memory effect of zinc-aluminium hydrotalcite. Zinc-aluminium was calcined at 400°C and dopped in a copper nitrate aqueous solution for surface hydrotalcite regeneration. The calcination at 500°C of the sample copper/zinc-aluminium (Cu/Zn-Al) (400) leads to an interesting copper mixed oxide supported on calcined hydrotalcite. The surface copper hydrotalcite regeneration was observed and the reconstruction of the layered structure influenced positively the interaction between copper species and the support. These catalysts present an interesting activity for hydrogen production by steam reforming of methanol.

Summary: A 16-year-old male adolescent presenting with acute retro-orbital pain underwent emergent internal carotid occlusion for a giant cavernous aneurysm. Three weeks later, the patient complained of headache and right hemiparesis, which suggested an acute stroke. CT and MR imaging revealed vasogenic brain edema without infarct. The symptoms rapidly resolved with steroid therapy. Follow-up CT showed resolution of the edema. The imaging characteristics, clinical implications, and etiology of vasogenic edema occurring after thrombosis of a giant intracranial aneurysm are discussed.

Paraseptal structural abnormalities are common in patients with sinusitis. They may coexist with radiographic changes suggestive of sinusitis. Their etiological role in patients with no history of sinus disease is still controversial. In this study, computerized tomographic scan of orbits of 89 cases with no history of sinusitis were reviewed between 1996 and 1998. The incidence of septal deviation, concha bullosa and paradoxical middle turbinates was looked at. Their correlation with sinusitis was analyzed using CM-square statistical method. Results showed that the presence of these anatomical abnormalities is not associated with an increased incidence of sinusitis as shown radiologically. We conclude that the presence of septal deviation or large middle turbine on routine rhinoscopy does not mandate further radiological evaluation of the sinuses in the absence of history of sinusitis.

To study the clinical and radiological manifestations in patients with retained surgical foreign bodies.Over the last five years, seven patients were found to have retained surgical foreign bodies after abdominal surgery. An analysis of the clinical signs, laboratory findings and imaging features was performed.The clinical and laboratory data were non-specific. The diagnosis of textiloma was suggested based on imaging findings and surgical history before surgical exploration. The characteristic imaging findings at ultrasound and computed tomography consisted of a fluid collection with internal wavy structures. The differential diagnosis includes pyogenic abscesses, hematomas and ruptured hydatid cysts.Ultrasonography and computed tomography are essential for the diagnosis and management of retained surgical foreign bodies after abdominal surgery.

Until recently, intravenous urography and ultrasonography have been the standard diagnostic modalities in the initial evaluation of acute flank pain. However, since 1995 the role of non-enhanced CT scan (NECT) has become more important in establishing the diagnosis of renal colic. In this retrospective descriptive study, we evaluated the usefulness of NECT in the diagnosis and management of patients with suspected urinary tract stones at the American University of Beirut-Medical Center (AUBMC).We reviewed the records of 102 patients who presented to AUBMC over a period of two years for flank pain with or without hematuria. NECT were obtained in all patients. We studied the images for the presence of stones and frequency of associated urinary findings. Incidental abdominal and pelvic abnormalities were recorded.Fifty-four patients were found to have positive CT examinations for the presence of urinary tract stones on the ipsilateral side of the flank pain. Twenty-two stones were present in the kidneys, 23 in the ureters and 16 at the ureterovesical junction (UVJ). In these 54 patients with stone disease, 31 had associated pelvicalyceal dilatation (57%), and 16 had perinephric streaking (29.6%). In the 39 patients with ureteral and UVJ stones, 26 had ureteral dilatation (66.6%), and 17 had periureteral streaking (43.5%). In the 23 patients with only ureteral stones, 10 had a positive rim sign (43.4%).A diagnosis of urinary tract stone is not always readily apparent on the basis of physical exam and laboratory studies. NECT is now universally accepted as a preferred method for the evaluation of ureteral and kidney stones in patients with suspected renal colic.