41 research outputs found
Clinical and histopathological profile of primary or secondary osteosarcoma of the jaws.
No full textOsteosarcoma of the jaw is a rare disease; we report two cases, one in which the primary osteosarcoma had occurred in the sacrum and ileum, the second at the mandible. Dissemination of osteosarcoma to other organs, especially early dissemination to the lung, is common, but metastasis to the jaw has only rarely been reported. About 10% of osteosarcomas occur in the head and neck, most in the mandible or maxilla. Clinically, both patients presented swelling, and pain at the jaw in the premolar-molar region. At radiography, extensive bone erosion and soft-tissue swelling were apparent. A biopsy was taken and a diagnosis of osteosarcoma rendered in both cases. Histological examination revealed a proliferation of atypical osteoblast-like cells with hyperchromatic nuclei and formation of scattered neoplastic osteoid tissue. Immunohistochemistry for a panel of antibodies showed strong positivity for CD99, weak positivity for S-100, but was negative for desmin, vimentin, and cytokeratins. The diagnosis for both cases was of osteogenic osteosarcoma, chondroblastic subtype. Unfortunately, both patients died, one before the planned chemotherapy regime could begin, the second during the chemotherapy course. Our report aims to highlight the importance of the diagnostic profile in formulating a diagnosis of osteosarcoma, and that this tumor, although very rare, may be primary or may metastasize to the jaws
Ameloblastic carcinoma in a young patient
No full textOwing to the rarity of publications describing ameloblastic carcinoma, little is known about this entity in pediatric patients. To our knowledge, malignant transformation from an odontogenic cyst into an ameloblastic carcinoma in a pediatric patient has not been documented to date. We present the case of a 14-year-old boy in whom a large osteolytic lesion associated with an impacted right maxillary third molar germ was fortuitously detected by orthopanoramic radiography. With a preoperative clinical-radiographic diagnosis of odontogenic cyst, the patient underwent surgical enucleation of the lesion. Histologic evaluation rendered a diagnosis of follicular cyst with a focal area of ameloblastic carcinoma. The literature addressing ameloblastic carcinoma is reviewed
Early Clinical Outcomes and Advantages of a Novel-Size Adjustable Second-Generation Cryoballoon: A Proof-of-Concept Study
No full text(1) Background/Objective Balloon-guided catheter ablation (CA) has emerged as an alternative option for atrial fibrillation (AF) management. The recent introduction of a novel-size adjustable second-generation cryoballoon (CB) system offers innovations, but clinical outcomes remain unexplored. This study aims to assess the acute performance of the POLARx FIT (TM) CB system in AFCA. (2) Methods: Consecutive patients undergoing AF ablation with the POLARx FIT (TM) CB system in our center were included. The primary outcome was the rate of 31 mm balloon-size utilization, with secondary outcomes including acute pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) rate, periprocedural complications, and in-hospital AF recurrences. (3) Results: Twenty-four patients with a mean age of 59.5 years, predominantly male (87.5%), and exhibiting paroxysmal AF (91.7%) were enrolled. Procedural characteristics demonstrated a high acute success rate (100% PV isolation) with a favorable safety profile. Notably, the 31 mm CB configuration was utilized in 51% of applications, showcasing its adaptability in challenging anatomies. No major complications occurred, with two patients experiencing in-hospital self-limiting AF recurrences. (4) Conclusions: This study represents the first comprehensive assessment of the POLARx FIT (TM) CB system in AF ablation. While acknowledging the study's limitations, this novel CB emerges as a promising tool, warranting further exploration in larger studies with extended follow-up periods
Facial emotion recognition in panic disorder: a mini-review of behavioural studies
No full textBackground
Panic Disorder (PD) is characterized by unexpected and repeated moments of intense fear or anxiety, which manifest themselves through strong cognitive and behavioural symptoms. However, a clear picture of how impairments in recognition and processing of facial emotions affect the everyday life of PD patients has yet to be delineated. This review attempts to provide an overview of behavioural studies of emotion detection from facial stimuli in PD patients.
Methods
A bibliographic research on PubMed of all studies investigating the recognition and processing of facial emotion stimuli in patients with PD and in high-risk offspring was performed, and nine articles (yrs: 2000 to 2019) were discovered.
Results
In several of the reviewed studies, PD patients showed significant deficits in detecting (particularly negative) emotions in facial stimuli. These impairments were also found in the offspring of parents with PD and high-risk individuals.
Limitations
Inferences are constrained by methodological heterogeneity, included but not limited to cross-study variability in the stimuli employed, and in the clinical characterization of PD patients.
Conclusions
In general, the results of this survey confirm that deficits in processing facially conveyed negative emotions should be considered a core impairment in PD. However, future larger and more homogenous studies are warranted to better highlight the connection between emotion recognition and PD
Executive Functions in panic disorder : a mini-review
No full textBackground: Panic disorder (PD) is an anxiety disorder characterized by recurrent panic attacks whose aetiology might be associated with alterations of the prefrontal-amygdala circuitry. The prefrontal cortex is a key region involved in executive functioning (EF) whose disturbance may imply harsh consequences over personal, social, and working aspects of PD patients. Indeed, defining the real involvement of EF in PD could lead to early assessment, better treatment, and rehabilitation options. These could have a substantial impact on the quality of life of these patients and their caregivers, thus reducing long-term health care needs.
Methods: We reviewed findings from different studies that investigated executive functioning in PD patients using standardized neuropsychological measures. The review was conducted with the Preferred Reported Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA). In addition, peer-reviewed human-based research articles were selected and twelve studies were retrieved through a search on PubMed. Four uniquely focused on PD patients, two also included a sample of first-degree relatives, while six included a mixed sample of different psychiatric illnesses, including PD.
Results: The majority of the studies found no alterations in PD patients, suggesting that EF might not be a core deficit in this disorder. However, some studies (N = 4) found EF deficits in selective domains, which included attention and set-shifting processes, cognitive flexibility, decision-making abilities, and working memory in PD patients and/or in their first-degree relatives.
Limitations: Unbalanced and small samples, unmonitored therapies, and the heterogeneity of cognitive and diagnostic assessment measures might have limited the generalizability of the results.
Conclusions: Overall, the results point towards the hypothesis that PD patients had preserved EF. However, future studies with standardized methodological procedures and with a gold standard assessment of EF will be required to finally exclude its involvement in the disease
Clinical, dermoscopic, and histological findings of a solitary de novo syringocystadenoma papilliferum: a case report
No full textGold Stabilized Aqueous Sols Immobilized on Mesoporous CeO2-Al2O3 as Catalysts for the Preferential Oxidation of Carbon Monoxide
No full textNanostructured Au/Al2O3-CeO2 catalysts with a low content of precious metal (0.9%wt.) were prepared immobilizing two different stabilized Au sols on a high surface area Al2O3-CeO2 mixed oxide with a uniform pore size distribution, synthesized by a one-pot methodology. The samples were characterized by elemental analysis, N2 physisorption, XRPD, TEM and 27Al-MAS NMR techniques. The catalytic activity of the two samples in the preferential oxidation of CO in excess of H2 (CO-PROX) was comparatively evaluated in the 35-110°C temperature range. The Au-THPS/AlCe20 sample, prepared immobilizing a sol obtained reducing an aqueous solution of gold tetrachloroaurate salt with bis[tetrakis(hydroxymethyl)phosphonium sulfate], resulted very active and selective at low temperatures and its catalytic activity was correlated with the structural characteristics of the metal particles and of the ordered mesoporous support
Interleukin-13 in immunohistochemistry: implications for Grover disease, morphea, and immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced bullous pemphigoid
No full textInterleukin-13 (IL-13), a key T-helper 2 cytokine, has a central role in type 2 inflammation and is implicated in various skin disorders. This study investigated the IL-13 immunohistochemical expression in skin biopsies from patients with atopic dermatitis (AD), psoriasis vulgaris, morphea, Grover’s disease, and immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced bullous pemphigoid (ICI-BP). AD biopsies showed the highest IL-13 expression (mean 27.4%), consistent with its established role in the pathogenesis. Psoriasis displayed moderate positivity (mean 8.62%), indicating IL-13’s possible involvement in hybrid or phenotypic overlap forms. Minimal expression was detected in Grover’s disease (1.8%) and ICI-BP (2.13%), while no positivity was observed in morphea. These findings highlight the diverse roles of IL-13 across skin disorders, with potential implications for targeted therapies
Clinical, genetic, and ultrasonographic features of periumbilical perforating pseudoxanthoma elasticum
No full textSARS-CoV-2 Detection by Digital Polymerase Chain Reaction and Immunohistochemistry in Skin Biopsies from 52 Patients with Different COVID-19-Associated Cutaneous Phenotypes
No full textBackground: COronaVIrus Disease 19 (COVID-19) is associated with a wide spectrum of skin manifestations, but SARS-CoV-2 RNA in lesional skin has been demonstrated only in few cases. Objective: The objective of this study was to demonstrate SARS-CoV-2 presence in skin samples from patients with different COVID-19-related cutaneous phenotypes. Methods: Demographic and clinical data from 52 patients with COVID-19-associated cutaneous manifestations were collected. Immunohistochemistry and digital PCR (dPCR) were performed in all skin samples. RNA in situ hybridization (ISH) was used to confirm the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Results: Twenty out of 52 (38%) patients presented SARS-CoV-2 positivity in the skin. Among these, 10/52 (19%) patients tested positive for spike protein on immunohistochemistry, five of whom had also positive testing on dPCR. Of the latter, one tested positive both for ISH and ACE-2 on immunohistochemistry while another one tested positive for nucleocapsid protein. Twelve patients showed positivity only for nucleocapsid protein on immunohistochemistry. Conclusions: SARS-CoV-2 was detected only in 38% of patients, without any association with a specific cutaneous phenotype, suggesting that the pathophysiology of cutaneous lesions mostly depends on the activation of the immune system. The combination of spike and nucleocapsid immunohistochemistry has higher diagnostic yield than dPCR. Skin persistence of SARS-CoV-2 may depend on timing of skin lesions, viral load, and immune response
