Blog Archive

Αλέξανδρος Γ. Σφακιανάκης

Tuesday, April 19, 2022

Stereotactic MRI-guided radiation therapy for localized prostate cancer (SMILE): a prospective, multicentric phase-II-trial

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader

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Normofractionated radiation regimes for definitive prostate cancer treatment usually extend over 7–8 weeks. Recently, moderate hypofractionation with doses per fraction between 2.2 and 4 Gy has been shown to b...
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Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease with dizziness initially presenting to the otolaryngology department

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader

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Publication date: Available online 17 April 2022

Source: Auris Nasus Larynx

Author(s): Satoshi Hara, Ayako Inoshita, Nobukazu Miyamoto, Yusuke Takata, Rina Matsuoka, Takashi Anzai, Masahiro Nakamura, Katsuhisa Ikeda, Fumihiko Matsumoto

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Intestinal Blautia may protect against neutropenic fever in allogeneic transplant patients by augmenting the intestinal epithelium

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Abstract
Background
Neutropenic fever (NF) occurs in >70% of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) recipients, without a documented etiology in most cases. Antibiotics used to prevent and treat NF disrupt the gut microbiota; these disruptions predict higher post-transplant mortality. We hypothesized that specific features in the gut microbial community may mediate the risk of NF.
Methods
We searched a large gut microbiota database in allogeneic HCT recipients (12,546 stool samples, 1,278 patients) to find pairs with (cases) vs. without (controls) NF on the same day relative to transplantation and with a stool sample on the previous day. 179 such pairs were matched in the underlying disease and graft source. Several other important clinical variables were similar between the groups.
Results
The gut microbiota of cases on the day before NF had a lower abundance of Blautia than their m atched controls on the same day post-transplant, suggesting a protective role for Blautia. Microbiota network analysis did not find any differences in community structure between the groups, suggesting a single-taxon effect. To identify putative mechanisms, we searched a gut microbiome and serum metabolome database of acute leukemia patients receiving chemotherapy and identified 139 serum samples collected within 24 hours after a stool sample from the same patient. Greater Blautia abundances predicted higher levels of next-day citrulline, a biomarker of total enterocyte mass.
Conclusions
These findings support a model where Blautia protects against NF by improving intestinal health. Therapeutic restoration of Blautia may help prevent NF, thus reducing antibiotic exposures and transplant-related mortality.
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Study of effect of nimodipine and acetaminophen on postictal symptoms in depressed patients after electroconvulsive therapy (SYNAPSE)

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Postictal phenomena as delirium, headache, nausea, myalgia, and anterograde and retrograde amnesia are common manifestations after seizures induced by electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Comparable postictal phen...
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FDG PET/CT Image of Soft Tissue Aneurysmal Bone Cyst

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader
imageSoft tissue aneurysmal bone cyst is very rare. Herein, we report FDG PET/CT findings of aneurysmal bone cyst in a 19-year-old man. On conventional image, it presented as a paravertebral soft tissue mass with heterogeneous enhancement and rim eggshell-like calcification. On PET/CT, this solitary lesion had intense FDG uptake with an SUVmax of 10.33. The final pathology supported a diagnosis of aneurysmal bone cyst. Our case suggests that soft tissue aneurysmal bone cyst should be regarded as a differential diagnosis of solitary paravertebral mass with intense FDG uptake.
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Is Glucagon Administration Compatible With FDG PET/MRI?

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader
imageDigestive peristalsis generates many artifacts that limit the abdominal and pelvic MRI interpretation. Apart from the hypoglycemia treatment in patients with diabetes, glucagon analog is also indicated for the digestive peristalsis reduction to reduce MRI artifacts. However, its use in PET/MRI is not described, given the risk of interaction with the metabolism of FDG. To assess the importance of this interaction on the FDG PET images, we report FDG PET/MRI images obtained with and without glucagon analog injection.
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Incidental Diagnosis of Right Renal Subcapsular Urinoma on an 18F-FDG PET/CT Scan Performed for Staging of Cervical Cancer

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imageA 53-year-old woman with cervical cancer underwent FDG PET/CT staging, which demonstrated an avid cervical mass with right parametrial involvement and presence of bilateral lymph node metastases. The right ureter was encased, resulting in obstruction and renal pelvic dilatation. Avid right renal subcapsular lesions were also noted, which were hyperintense on T2-weighted imaging compatible to encapsulated fluid collections. These lesions were diagnosed as subcapsular urinoma due to transmitted back pressure caused by obstruction of the right ureter.
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Prognostic Potential of Postoperative 18F-Fluorocholine PET/CT in Patients With High-Grade Glioma. Clinical Validation of FuMeGA Postoperative PET Criteria

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader
imageObjective The aim of this study was to assess the prognostic performance of postoperative 18F-fluorocholine PET/CT in patients with high-grade glioma (HGG). Methods Patients with HGG who underwent preoperative and postoperative 18F-fluorocholine PET/CT were prospectively enrolled in the study. Postoperative MRI was classified as complete versus incomplete resection. Postoperative 18F-fluorocholine PET/CT was classified as negative (complete) or positive for metabolic residual tumor (incomplete resection) using a 5-point score system. The correlation of positive locations on PET/CT with the sites of subsequent tumor recurrence was evaluated. The concordance of postoperative imaging techniques (Cohen κ) and their relation with progression-free survival and overall survival were assessed using Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression analysis. Results Fifty-one studies, belonging to 47 patients, were assessed. Four patients underwent 2 postoperative 18F-fluorocholine PET/CT scans as they needed a second tumor resection for recurrence. In the follow-up, 42 patients progressed, and 37 died. Concordance between postoperative PET/CT and MRI assessment was poor. Resection grade on MRI did not show any significant association with prognosis. In multivariate analysis, only age and postoperative PET/CT showed significant association with progression-free survival (hazard ratio [HR], 1.03 [1.01–1.06, P = 0.006] and 1.88 [0.96–3.71, P = 0.067], respectively) and overall survival (HR, 1.04 [1.01–1.07, P = 0.004] and 2.63 [1.22–5.68, P = 0.014], respectively). Postoperative positive 18F-fluorocholine PET/CT locations correlated with the sites of subsequent tumor recurrence in 81.82% of cases. Conclusion Postoperative 18F-fluorocholine PET/CT seems superior to postoperative MRI in the outcome prediction of patients with HGG, outperforming it in the identification of the most probable location of tumor recurrence.
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Comparative analysis of the biological characteristics of three CV‐A10 clones adaptively cultured on Vero cells

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Abstract

Coxsackievirus A10 (CV-A10) is a major pathogen that causes hand, foot, and mouth disease. There are no effective therapeutic drugs for CV-A10 infection; therefore, CV-A10 vaccines should be developed. Previously, we isolated a CV-A10 strain (N25) that can be cultured on Vero cells. In this study, the N25 strain was plaque-purified thrice from Vero cells, and three clones were selected for adaptive culture. The three clones of the 5th, 12th, and 19th generations were compared and analyzed in terms of viral titers, plaque morphology, pathogenicity in suckling mice, and nucleotide and amino acid sequences of the complete genome. The infectivity titers of the three clones (P2-P22) were maintained at 6.5–7.0 lgCCID50/ml. The three clones began to proliferate at 6 h and peaked at 36 h; the corresponding CCID50 was in the range of 106.5−106.875/ml, which gradually decreased. The suckl ing mice in the challenged group exhibited clinical symptoms such as paralysis of the limbs, which gradually worsened until death. The inactivated vaccines prepared using the three clones efficiently induced antigen-specific serum antibodies in mice. There were eight nucleotide mutations in the three clones, which resulted in two and four amino acid substitutions in the VP3 and VP1 coding regions, respectively. The nucleotide and amino acid sequence homology between the three clones and N25 were 99.92%−100% and 99.78%−100%, respectively, indicating high genetic stability. Our findings provide a theoretical basis for screening CV-A10 vaccine candidate clones.

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

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Systematic review of neuroendocrine carcinomas of the oropharynx

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Abstract

Data describing features and management of oropharyngeal neuroendocrine carcinomas (NEC) remain sparse. A systematic review was performed. Patients were stratified by treatment modality and examined for disease progression and survival outcomes. Ninety-four patients from 50 publications were included. Average age at diagnosis was 59.7 years (range 14–83). 73.4% were male. Most studies did not document HPV status. Forty patients (85.1%) were p16 positive, and 34 (85.0%) were HPV-ISH positive. Overall survival was 75.4% at 1 year, and 40.0% at 2 years. Of patients with locoregional disease, 33.8% developed distant metastasis. 12.5% of patients developed locoregional recurrence. Patients who developed distant metastases had worse overall survival (p = 0.0004). No significant difference was found between treatment modalities. Human papilloma virus may be associated with oropharyngeal NEC. Current treatments provide locoregional control, but distant metastas es are common and confer low overall survival.

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Efficacy and safety of carbohydrate counting versus other forms of dietary advice in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized clinical trials

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Abstract

Background and aims

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most prevalent chronic non-communicable diseases globally, and the only way to reduce its complications is good glycemic control. Insulin remains the only approved treatment for type 1 DM (T1DM) and is used by many with Type 2 DM (T2DM). Carbohydrate counting is considered the ideal way to calculate meal-related insulin doses since it allows greater flexibility in diet and could, in some people, reduce the burden of the disease.

This systematic review's primary objective was to assess carbohydrate counting efficacy in reducing glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and safety by not increasing hypoglycemia risk, inducing an increase in body weight or blood lipids, and reducing the quality of life of people with T1DM.

Methods

We included randomized controlled clinical trials with a parallel-group design comparing any carbohydrate counting forms with standard care or other forms of dietary advice or insulin dose calculation in people with T1DM with a follow up period of at least three months and with no restrictions in language, age, or settings. As a primary outcome, we consider the change of HbA1c within at least three months. Secondary outcomes were hypoglycemia events, body weight changes, blood lipids levels, and the total daily insulin dose. We also evaluated health-related quality of life changes and diabetes treatment satisfaction questionnaires.

Results

Data from 11 studies with 899 patients were retrieved with a mean follow of 52 ± 35.5 weeks. Carbohydrate counting is not better in reducing HbA1c, SMD – 0.24% (95%CI -0.68 to 0.21) than all dietary advice forms. However, this finding was highly heterogeneous. We identified three studies that account for most of the heterogeneity using clustering algorithms. A second analysis excluding these studies shows a meaningful HbA1c reduction, SMD – 0.52% (95%CI -0.82 to -0.23) with low heterogeneity. In the subgroup analysis, carbohydrate counting significantly reduces HbA1c compared to usual diabetes education. Carbohydrate counting doesn't relate to any substantial change in blood lipids, body weight, hypoglycemia risk, or daily insulin dose. Finally, we analyzed the effect of trial duration with HbA1c reduction and found no significant change related to time.

Conclusions

Carbohydrate counting is an efficacious technique to safely reduce HbA1c in adults and children compared to standard diabetes education. And its effect doesn't seem to change with prolonged time. Standardization in reporting important outcomes like hypoglycemia and quality of life is vital to produce comparable evidence in carbohydrate counting clinical trials.

This SR was registered in PROSPERO under code: CRD42020218499.

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Successful treatment of a case with synchronous follicular lymphoma and gastric adenocarcinoma with CD19 CAR T cells and literature review

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Successful treatment of a case with synchronous follicular lymphoma and gastric adenocarcinoma with CD19 CAR T cells and literature review

PET/CT showed the lymphoma achieved complete response through CD19 CAR-T therapy, and gastric cancer progressed during the therapy.


Abstract

What is known and objective

Anti-CD19 CAR-T cell therapy is effective in B-cell lymphoma. However, it is rarely used in lymphoma combined with other malignant tumours.

Case description

A relapsed/refractory follicular lymphoma (r/r FL) patient underwent anti-CD19 CAR-T cell therapy and achieved complete response to lymphoma. However, gastric adenocarcinoma (GAC) was diagnosed during the cellular therapy. After infusion of CAR-T cells, he received curative treatment for GAC, and maitained complete response in both r/r FL and GAC after the treatment.

What is new and conclusion

Anti-CD19 CAR-T therapy is an effective treatment for r/r FL, also provided opportunity for the sequential therapy of GAC, and remained significant quality of life afterwards.

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