A sterile abscess following a corticosteroid injection for the treatment of plantar fasciitis has not been reported in the literature. This case report demonstrates such a complication. A 45-year-old ...man presented with pain, erythemia, edema, and increased warmth to his left foot after 2 cortisone injections into his left heel over a 2-month period for plantar fasciitis. The symptoms began shortly after the second injection and after a 10-day course of oral antibiotics, the condition slowly worsened. A computerized axial tomography scan was suggestive of an abscess. Following incision and drainage, cultures that were taken during the surgical procedure did not produce any organism, prompting a diagnosis of a sterile abscess. The patient was discharged home and recovered from the abscess without reoccurrence or further surgical intervention.
The aim of the current study was to evaluate the activity and toxicity of a combination of oxaliplatin with bolus fluorouracil and leucovorin in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients pretreated for ...advanced disease with various schedules including continuous fluorouracil infusion. Thirty consecutive patients with pretreated advanced CRC received oxaliplatin 130 mg/m2 by 2-h infusion dl, leucovorin 100 mg/m2 by 1-h infusion followed by fluorouracil 425 mg/m2 i.v. bolus from day 1 to 3 every 3 weeks for a maximum of 6 cycles. The best overall response rate in an intent-to-treat analysis was 13% (2 complete responses and 2 partial responses) (95% CI, 1.2-25.5%) and 37% of patients obtained stable disease with a tumor growth control rate of 50% (95% CI, 32.1-67.9%). The median progression-free survival was 4.0 months (95% CI, 1.4-6.5 months) and median overall survival was 12.0 months (95% CI, 9.9-14.1 months). The independent prognostic factors for improved overall survival were a good performance status and a response/stabilization of disease to chemotherapy. Severe neutropenia was quite common (43.3% of patients and 14.4% of cycles), although complicated by fever only in one case (3.3% of patients). There was one toxic death. In conclusion, the study combination showed an interesting rate of tumor growth control in a cohort of patients previously treated for advanced disease with various schedules including continuous fluorouracil infusion.
Fluoxetine hydrochloride has been prepared using two similar synthetic routes, both of which rely upon an ether formation reaction mediated by a base. The base used can affect the impurity profile of ...this reaction. It was proposed that the synthesis of fluoxetine carried out using potassium
t-butoxide as base and 4-chlorobenzotrifluoride (or 4-fluorobenzotrifluoride) in the ether formation step may result in the formation of 4-benzotrifluoride
t-butyl ether as a reaction by-product. To test this hypothesis, capillary gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) was utilized to evaluate samples of free base fluoxetine synthesized using sodium hydride (NaH) or potassium
t-butoxide as the base. Assay conditions using selected ion monitoring (SIM) were developed, which allowed detection of trace levels (parts per million, ppm) of 4-benzotrifluoride
t-butyl ether in fluoxetine free base sample matrix. Response linearity, precision, and standard spike recovery were examined during development, and were found to be suitable. Comparisons of fluoxetine samples generated from both NaH and potassium
t-butoxide processes were performed using the GC/MS assay.
The authors stress the value of the routine use of endorectal US for the preoperative staging of rectal cancer. This method accurately demonstrates the exact level of the lesion, the degree of ...circumferential invasion, the depth of local involvement and the extent of eventual spread beyond the rectal wall, the invasion of the surrounding structures and the presence of enlarged perirectal lymph nodes. A hundred and forty-one patients with rectal carcinoma located 3-16 cm from the ano-cutaneous line were examined with endorectal US preoperatively; a comparison was made between US findings and pathological data, so that a correlation could be made between US (uT) and histologic (pT) findings. A radial probe and a 7-MHz transducer were employed. Our results show US accuracy to be 93.6% with only 4 cases of understaging and 5 of overstaging. A hundred and twenty-nine patients who had undergone major surgery were also studied to evaluate US accuracy in lymph node detection: in 110 cases the actual lymph node status was correctly demonstrated; US diagnostic accuracy was 85.3% with 16 false positives and 3 false negatives. The correct evaluation of the actual local tumor spread, as demonstrated by endoluminal US, allows the choice of the correct treatment, together with a personalized therapeutic schedule, to reduce the incidence of local recurrences and to save, whenever possible, sphincter functionality.
The reliability of the echographic approach to the diagnosis of expansive lesions of the parotid area has been evaluated by comparing in 45 patients the echographic data with the results of the ...clinical and/or histopathological investigations. There was a satisfactory agreement between conclusions based on the two approaches. In particular, echography was able to differentiate between: (a) intra- and extraglandular nodules; (b) diffuse and focal involvement of the gland and, (c) malignant and nonmalignant proliferative processes.
Pediatric stroke presents unique challenges, and optimizing treatment strategies is essential for improving outcomes in this vulnerable population. This review aims to provide an overview of new, ...innovative, and potential treatments for pediatric stroke, with a primary objective to stimulate further research in this field.
Our review highlights several promising approaches in the realm of pediatric stroke management, including but not limited to stem cell therapy and robotic rehabilitation. These innovative interventions offer new avenues for enhancing functional recovery, reducing long-term disability, and tailoring treatments to individual patient needs.
The findings of this review underscore the importance of ongoing research and development of innovative treatments in pediatric stroke. These advancements hold significant clinical relevance, offering the potential to improve the lives of children affected by stroke by enhancing the precision, efficacy, and accessibility of therapeutic interventions. Embracing these innovations is essential in our pursuit of better outcomes and a brighter future for pediatric stroke care.
•Early diagnosis in a fundamental step in improving stroke outcome in children•Rehabilitation and neuroplasticity play an important role in stroke recovery in children•Multidisciplinary approaches are needed in pediatric stroke•Children are not small adults and need different approaches•Stroke risk factors and causes in children are very different from adults
Copines are a family of calcium-dependent membrane-binding proteins. To study these proteins, anull mutant for
was created in
, which has six copines genes (
). During development,
cells were able to ...aggregate, but did not form streams. Once aggregated into mounds, they formed large ring structures.
cells were less adherent to plastic substrates, but more adherent to other cells. These phenotypes correlated with changes in adhesion protein expression with decreased expression of SibA and increased expression of CsaA in developing
cells. We also measured the expression of RegA, a cAMP phosphodiesterase, and found that
cells have reduced RegA expression. The reduced RegA expression in
cells is most likely responsible for the observed phenotypes.
