Background/Aims: Most studies have found that right-sided colon cancer (RCC) has worse prognosis than left-sided colon cancer (LCC), especially in stage III, but the reported prognosis of stage II ...colon cancer is variable. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of tumor location on survival outcomes in stage II colon cancer. Materials and Methods: Patients with stage II colon cancer were identified in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database from 2004 to 2009. The effect of tumor location on overall survival and cancer-specific survival was analyzed using Cox proportional hazards regression models and propensity score matching. Results: Of 16,519 patients, 69.6% had RCC and30.4% had LCC. In unadjusted analyses, RCC had a 13% increased overall mortality risk (hazards ratio HR, 1.13; 95% confidence interval CI, 1.07-1.19; p<0.001) but an18% reduction in cancer-specific mortality risk compared with LCC (HR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.76-0.89; p<0.001). After propensity scores matching analyses, RCC had a 21% reduced overall mortality risk (HR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.72-0.87; p<0.001) and a 49% reduction in cancer-specific mortality risk compared with LCC (HR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.44-0.60; p<0.001). Conclusion: When adjusted for multiple clinicopathological features, stage II RCC showed better prognosis than stage II LCC. Keywords: Right colon cancer, left colon cancer, survival colonic neoplasms, SEER program, survival analysis
Ultrasound-guided treatment of Morton’s neuroma Klontzas, Michail E.; Koltsakis, Emmanouil; Kakkos, George A. ...
Journal of ultrasonography,
06/2021, Letnik:
21, Številka:
85
Journal Article
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Morton’s neuroma is a painful lesion of the interdigital nerve, usually at the third intermetatarsal space, associated with fibrotic changes in the nerve, microvascular degeneration, and deregulation ...of sympathetic innervation. Patients usually present with burning or sharp metatarsalgia at the dorsal or plantar aspect of the foot. The management of Morton’s neuroma starts with conservative measures, usually with limited efficacy, including orthotics and anti-inflammatory medication. When conservative treatment fails, a series of minimally invasive ultrasound-guided procedures can be employed as second-line treatments prior to surgery. Such procedures include infiltration of the area with a corticosteroid and local anesthetic, chemical neurolysis with alcohol or radiofrequency thermal neurolysis. Ultrasound aids in the accurate diagnosis of Morton’s neuroma and guides the aforementioned treatment, so that significant and potentially long-lasting pain reduction can be achieved. In cases of initial treatment failure, the procedure can be repeated, usually leading to the complete remission of symptoms. Current data shows that minimally invasive treatments can significantly reduce the need for subsequent surgery in patients with persistent Morton’s neuroma unresponsive to conservative measures. The purpose of this review is to present current data on the application of ultrasound for the diagnosis and treatment of Morton’s neuroma, with emphasis on the outcomes of ultrasound-guided treatments.
Achilles tendinopathy is a common overuse condition affecting the adult population. The incidence is on the rise because of greater participation of people in recreational or competitive sporting ...activities. Chronic Achilles tendinopathy occurs most commonly in the tendon’s mid-portion, and it is challenging to manage, leading to significant patient morbidity. Despite conservative management many patients still require surgical intervention. The mechanism underlying pain is not entirely understood; however, high-resolution color Doppler ultrasound has shown that neovascularisation could be involved. Minimally-invasive treatments for chronic Achilles tendinopathy may prevent the need for surgery when conservative methods have failed. Ultrasound provides an option to guide therapeutic interventions accurately, so that treatment is delivered to the desired site of pathology. High-volume image-guided injection is a relatively new technique where a high volume of liquid is injected between the anterior aspect of the Achilles tendon and the Kager’s fat pad, used to strip away the neovascularity and disrupt the nerve ingrowth seen in chronic cases of Achilles tendinopathy. High-volume image-guided injection has shown promising results in terms of reducing pain and improving function in patients where conservative measures have failed. This review aims to describe the fundamental technical factors, and investigate the efficacy of high-volume image-guided injection with reference to the available literature.
The recent and current discourse on education policy across Europe places great emphasis on the importance of incorporating aspects of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) in science education. ...A key aspect of education policy is that citizens should become better equipped to enquire into and understand socio-scientific issues, as well as to apply scientific knowledge and ethical values in order to form evidence-based opinions. The question of how the intentions of policy-makers can be translated effectively into educational practice, however, has yet to be answered. Against this background, the present paper will investigate how aspects of RRI can be embedded in the curricula of science education in various European countries. The framework we will present illuminates both the intentions of policy-makers and current practices with regard to RRI within science curricula. It also helps map such policies and strategies in the area of science education across Europe. In the context of the ENGAGE project, this framework has been used as a tool for analysing the RRI components of curricula in the science education of students aged 11–16. The analysis is based on data gathered in 2014, takes into account prospective reforms and covers 11 European countries. The results of the analysis illustrate the potential of this framework as a tool for investigating how RRI can be embedded in science education and for exploring the space for intervention that policy-makers have. They also show that this framework can shed light on how the intentions of policy-makers and current practices with regard to RRI interrelate and on how moving from “words to deeds” can be achieved in a meaningful and constructive manner.
The development of an efficient manufacturing route to 2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-4-methyl-3-oxo-1H-1,4-benzodiazepine-2-acetic acid methyl ester SB-235349, a key intermediate in the synthesis of lotrafiban ...is described. The synthesis starts with 2-nitrobenzyl alcohol which is mesylated, reacted with methylamine and then dimethylacetylene dicarboxylate followed by reduction of the nitro group. Treatment of the resultant aniline with acid gives an intermediate quinazoline which rearranges on treatment with base to give a 1,4-benzodiazapine. Reduction of the exocyclic double bond affords SB-235349. The process can be run without isolation of any of the intermediates and has been used to prepare several tons of SB-235349.
This study was conducted to evaluate the possibility of using heated-inactivated lactobacilli to protect neonates from harmful effects of antibiotics. Thirty neonate mice were randomly divided into ...three groups of ten and treated with either sterilized water, an antibiotics cocktail, or the same antibiotics plus heat-inactivated Lactobacillus paracasei N1115. The administration of antibiotics significantly increased the serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels of the tested mice (p<0.01, p<0.001, respectively) and decreased their serum corticosterone levels (p<0.01, p<0.01, respectively). The colonic crypts were significantly less deep in mice treated with antibiotics and with antibiotics plus N1115 (p<0.05). Antibiotics caused significantly abnormal expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptor α1 (GABAAα1), γ-aminobutyric acid type B receptor1 (GABAb1), and 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor1A (5-HT1A) in the hippocampus (p<0.05, p<0.01, p<0.01, respectively) and of GABAAα1 in the prefrontal cortex (p<0.01). Heat-inactivated lactobacilli alleviated these abnormal changes. Antibiotics greatly decreased the Shannon index of the fecal microbiota and significantly increased the number of Proteobacteria (p<0.001), with fewer Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes (p<0.05). Antibiotics not only cause microbiota dysbiosis, but also cause abnormal changes in important molecules in the gut-brain axis. All these abnormal changes are alleviated by heat-inactivated L. paracasei N1115. This indicates that heat-inactivated L. paracasei N1115 has a certain improvement effect on changes caused by antibiotics.
Recent meta-analysis has demonstrated that attitudes and associates are among the best predictors of antisocial behavior. Despite this finding, there are few psychometrically developed and validated ...measures of criminal and antisocial attitudes and associates. This study reviews the theoretical and empirical development of the Measures of Criminal Attitudes and Associates (MCAA), which is composed of two parts. Part A is a quantified self-report measure of criminal friends. Part B contains four attitude scales: Violence, Entitlement, Antisocial Intent, and Associates. The MCAA showed reasonable reliability (internal consistency and temporal stability) and appropriate convergent and discriminant validity. Criterion validity was evidenced in the scale’s relationship with criminal history variables, and a factor analysis confirmed the four distinct scale domains.