Lesions Of Different Etiologies Research Articles

Microwave ablation of synovial hypertrophy in recurrent monoarthritis: the results of extended cohort and long-term follow-up

Abstract Objectives Recurrent monoarthritis (RM) is a major challenge of many rheumatic diseases. Ablation is a well-known technique in the treatment of benign or malign lesions of different aetiologies. We aimed to investigate the success and safety of microwave ablation (MWA) as an adjunctive therapy in a cohort of medical treatment-resistant RM. Methods Patients with RM associated with different inflammatory diseases were included. MWA was performed after measuring the size of synovial hypertrophy with 15 or 20 W power and different durations until microbubbles were shown, indicating necrosis. Both clinical and radiologic data were recorded. Results We applied MWA in total of 24 knee joints of 10 female and 12 male patients aged between 22 and 71 years. Median IA aspiration (IAA) need in the last 6 months before MWA was 5 (0–15). The median follow-up was 10 (3–16) months. Overall IAA count in the last 6 months before MWA in total of 144 months was 129, and decreased to 7 in post-MWA in total of 226 months (0.89 vs 0.03 per month, P < 0.001). The second MWA session was needed for three patients and a third session for one. Functional disability and pain scores were improved significantly (median score from 9 to 1, P < 0.00001, in both). In MRI, follow-up significant regression in synovial hypertrophy size was shown especially after the 6th month. No complication was observed during the procedure or follow-up. Conclusion As a less invasive technique compared with the surgical approach, MWA of synovial hypertrophy showed significant clinical improvement in RM safely. MWA seems promising as a treatment option candidate in the management of RM.

Clinical and microbiological features of host-bacterial interplay in chronic venous ulcers versus other types of chronic skin ulcers.

Chronic venous ulcers of the lower limbs develop in the context of advanced venous disease and have a significant impact on the patient's quality of life, being associated with depression and worrisome suicide rates, as well as with an economic burden caused by increased medical care costs and high epidemiological risks of healthcare associated infections and emergence of strains resistant to multiple classes of antibiotics and/ or antiseptics. Although numerous studies have investigated the composition of the chronic wounds microbiome, either by culture-dependent or independent methods, there are no data on the association between virulence and resistance profiles of strains isolated from venous ulcers and the clinical picture of this pathology. The elucidation of pathogenic mechanisms, at both phenotypic and molecular level, is crucial in the fight against these important human microbial agents, in order to develop novel biomarkers and discover new therapeutic targets. In this study we aimed to characterize the phenotypic virulence profiles (including the ability to develop biofilms) of microorganisms isolated from chronic skin wounds and to correlate them with the clinical symptomatology. Considering the high incidence of Staphylococcus aureus infections in chronic ulcers, but also the ability of this species to develop multi-drug resistance, we performed an more in-depth study of the phenotypic and genotypic virulence profiles of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus. The study revealed important differences regarding the clinical evolution and virulence profiles of microorganisms isolated from lower limb wounds, as well as between patients diagnosed with chronic venous ulcers and those with lesions of different etiology.

Aortic calcification correlates with pseudoaneurysm or penetrating aortic ulcer of different etiologies

Chronic risk factors for pseudoaneurysm (PSA) or penetrating aortic ulcer (PAU) have not been fully clarified. This study aims to evaluate the association of aortic calcification with PSA or PAU of different etiologies. Totally 77 pseudoaneurysms, 80 PAU, and 160 healthy controls (HCs) were retrospectively included, of which 30 were infected, 34 were immunological, and 93 were atherosclerotic etiologies. The aortic calcification status, position of aortic tears/ulcers, and risk factors for disease or acute aortic syndrome (AAS) were identified. Atherosclerotic patients aged more than 65 and infective patients aged more than 60 had significantly higher calcification scores. The immunological group had a lower level of calcification in the infrarenal aorta. For patients of infective or atherosclerotic etiology, 60% (18/30) and 60.22% (56/93) of the tears/ulcers occurred at the aortic parts with the highest level of calcification. Patients with longitudinal calcification exceeding 1/3 of the aortic arch had an increased risk of acquiring diseases (OR = 13.231). The presence of longitudinal calcification of the descending aorta or cross-sectional calcification of the infrarenal aorta increased the risks of acquiring diseases (OR = 8.484 and 8.804). After adjusting for age, longitudinal calcification of the descending aorta exceeding 1/3 length was found to be associated with AAS (OR = 4.662). Tears/ulcers of pseudoaneurysm and PAU were both generally found at the part of the aorta with most calcification. Distinct aorta calcification characteristics were observed for lesions of different etiologies. Longitudinal thoracic and cross-sectional infrarenal abdominal aortic calcification increased the risk of acquiring diseases, and descending aortic calcification was associated with symptomatic patients.

The dark side of T2: central nervous system lesions with low signal intensity on T2-weighted imaging.

The majority of central nervous system diseases show high signal intensity on T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. Diseases of the central nervous system with low signal intensity are less common, which makes it a finding that helps narrow the differential diagnosis. This was a retrospective analysis of brain and spine magnetic resonance imaging examinations in which that finding was helpful in the diagnostic investigation. We selected the cases of patients examined between 2015 and 2022. All diagnoses were confirmed on the basis of the clinical-radiological correlation or the histopathological findings. We obtained images of 14 patients with the following central nervous system diseases: arteriovenous malformation; cavernous malformation; metastasis from lymphoma; medulloblastoma; embryonal tumor; metastasis from melanoma; Rathke's cleft cyst; Erdheim-Chester disease; aspergillosis; paracoccidioidomycosis; tuberculosis; syphilis; immunoglobulin G4-related disease; and metastasis from a pulmonary neuroendocrine tumor. We described lesions of different etiologies in which the T2-weighted imaging profile helped narrow the differential diagnosis and facilitated the definitive diagnosis.

U-fiber analysis: a toolbox for automated quantification of U-fibers and white matter hyperintensities.

Whether white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) involve U-fibers is of great value in understanding the different etiologies of cerebral white matter (WM) lesions. However, clinical practice currently relies only on the naked eye to determine whether WMHs are in the vicinity of U-fibers, and there is a lack of good neuroimaging tools to quantify WMHs and U-fibers. Here, we developed a multimodal neuroimaging toolbox named U-fiber analysis (UFA) that can automatically extract WMHs and quantitatively characterize the volume and number of WMHs in different brain regions. In addition, we proposed an anatomically constrained U-fiber tracking scheme and quantitatively characterized the microstructure diffusion properties, fiber length, and number of U-fibers in different brain regions to help clinicians to quantitatively determine whether WMHs in the proximal cortex disrupt the microstructure of U-fibers. To validate the utility of the UFA toolbox, we analyzed the neuroimaging data from 246 patients with cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD) enrolled at Zhongshan Hospital between March 2018 and November 2019 in a cross-sectional study. According to the manual judgment of the clinician, the patients with cSVD were divided into a WMHs involved U-fiber group (U-fiber-involved group, 51 cases) and WMHs not involved U-fiber group (U-fiber-spared group, 163 cases). There were no significant differences between the U-fiber-spared group and the U-fiber-involved group in terms of age (P=0.143), gender (P=0.462), education (P=0.151), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores (P=0.151), and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores (P=0.411). However, patients in the U-fiber-involved group had higher Fazekas scores (P<0.001) and significantly higher whole brain WMHs (P=0.046) and deep WMH volumes (P<0.001) compared to patients in the U-fiber-spared group. Moreover, the U-fiber-involved group had higher WMH volumes in the bilateral frontal [P(left) <0.001, P(right) <0.001] and parietal lobes [P(left) <0.001, P(right) <0.001]. On the other hand, patients in the U-fiber-involved group had higher mean diffusivity (MD) and axial diffusivity (AD) in the bilateral parietal [P(left, MD) =0.048, P(right, MD) =0.045, P(left, AD) =0.015, P(right, AD) =0.015] and right frontal-parietal regions [P(MD) =0.048, P(AD) =0.027], and had significantly reduced mean fiber length and number in the right parietal [P(length) =0.013, P(number) =0.028] and right frontal-parietal regions [P(length) =0.048] compared to patients in the U-fiber-spared group. Our results suggest that WMHs in the proximal cortex may disrupt the microstructure of U-fibers. Our tool may provide new insights into the understanding of WM lesions of different etiologies in the brain.

A desiccation compound as a biofilm- and necrosis-removing agent: a case series.

A new compound, Debrichem (DEBx Medical BV, the Netherlands), a topical desiccation agent (TDA), is an active gel that contains an acidic species with a potent hygroscopic action. When in contact with microorganisms and necrosis, rapid desiccation and carbonisation of the proteins in these microorganisms, as well as of the extracellular matrix of biofilms and necrosis, occurs. The resulting 'precipitate' rapidly dislodges from the wound bed, resulting in a clean wound which granulates, which is a prerequisite for healing by secondary intention. In a retrospective study, a series of mostly large and hard-to-heal lesions of different aetiologies were treated with a one-time application of the TDA, followed by weekly dressing changes. Of the total of 54 lesions included in this case series, 22 were diagnosed as venous leg ulcers (VLUs), 20 as diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs), nine as post-traumatic, hard-to-heal lesions, two as vascular ulcers and one as an ischaemic ulcer. All of the VLUs, 75% of the DFUs and all of the other lesions reached complete granulation. The use of a TDA may contribute to the consistent, fast and easy removal of both biofilms and necrosis, and hence to wound healing.

Clinical and morphological case of developing liver cirrhosis associated with viral hepatitis in a young patient

The significance of chronic hepatitis is determined not only by the disease per se, but also by the increased risk of the formation of long-term adverse effects such as liver cirrhosis. Viral cirrhosis of the liver (as the outcome of chronic hepatitis B, C, B + D) comprise from 10% to 24.5% of all liver cirrhosis cases. Cirrhosis of the liver is considered as an irreversible stage of chronic hepatitis, more often observed in men above 40 years, but recently more and more its cases are found in young, working ones leading to disability. Due to the high liver regenerative potential, a prognosis for liver lesions of different etiologies may be rather favorable. As a result, early diagnostics, dynamic monitoring and the use of promising methods for treating liver pathology to stimulate its regeneration that compensates for lost liver functions are necessary. In the clinical and morphological case, pathomorphological changes in organs with liver cirrhosis, which developed as a result of viral hepatitis are described. The aim of the study was to describe pathomorphological changes in organs during liver cirrhosis, which developed due to viral hepatitis, which led to multiple organ failure in a young patient. Materials and methods. The analysis of the obtained accompanying medical documentation (outpatient card, medical history) was performed. The standard methodology of autopsy was used. To process histological sections of autopsy material, hematoxylin-eosin staining was used. Results. Histological examination in the liver shows development of portal tract fibrosis with lymphohistio cytic infiltration, formation of monolobular regenerated nodes, signs of edema, areas of demyelination, dystrophic changes in neurocytes, signs of acute renal failure, a combined profound change in the kidneys detected in the lungs and brain, which resulted in multiple organ failure and subsequent lethal outcome in a young patient. The early formation of portal hypertension with liver cirrhosis, esophageal and gastric varicose veins dilatation lead to fatal bleeding in half of patients. Therefore, timely diagnosed cirrhosis and hepatitis as their predecessors is one of the most relevant issues in medicine.

Gastric cytoprotection as a basis for defense and restoration of gastrointestinal mucosa in erosive-ulcerative lesions of different etiologies

Aim: to analyze the mechanism of action and effectiveness of gastrointestinal (GI) tract mucosa defense within the scope of latest treatment scheme using the example of MMSC (Vitamin U) and to present possibility of its use in erosive-ulcerative lesions of different etiologies.General findings:Conclusion: Medications, that exert protective effect on gastroduodenal mucosa, MMSC (vitamin U), particularly, could be used for the purpose of main treatment schemes fortification and remission maintaining in erosive-ulcera- tive damage of upper GI tract.

Focal hyperechoic liver lesions in children: far beyond hemangiomas - pictorial essay.

The aim of this report was to present a selection of focal hyperechoic liver lesions of different etiologies, illustrating the wide spectrum of diagnostic possibilities for such lesions in the pediatric population.

Tomoelastography Distinguishes Noninvasively between Benign and Malignant Liver Lesions.

Patients with increased liver stiffness have a higher risk of developing cancer, however, the role of fluid-solid tissue interactions and their contribution to liver tumor malignancy remains elusive. Tomoelastography is a novel imaging method for mapping quantitatively the solid-fluid tissue properties of soft tissues in vivo. It provides high resolution and thus has clear clinical applications. In this work we used tomoelastography in 77 participants, with a total of 141 focal liver lesions of different etiologies, to investigate the contributions of tissue stiffness and fluidity to the malignancy of liver tumors. Shear-wave speed (c) as surrogate for tissue stiffness and phase-angle (φ) of the complex shear modulus reflecting tissue fluidity were abnormally high in malignant tumors and allowed them to be distinguished from nontumorous liver tissue with high accuracy [c: AUC = 0.88 with 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.83-0.94; φ: AUC = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.92-0.98]. Benign focal nodular hyperplasia and hepatocellular adenoma could be distinguished from malignant lesions on the basis of tumor stiffness (AUC = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.72-0.98; sensitivity = 94%, 95% CI = 89-100; and specificity = 85%, 95% CI = 62-100), tumor fluidity (AUC = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.77-0.96; sensitivity = 83%, 95% CI = 72-93; and specificity = 92%, 95% CI = 77-100) and liver stiffness (AUC = 0.84, 95% CI = 0.74-0.94; sensitivity = 72%, 95% CI = 59-83; and specificity = 88%, 95% CI = 69-100), but not on the basis of liver fluidity. Together, hepatic malignancies are characterized by stiff, yet fluid tissue properties, whereas surrounding nontumorous tissue is dominated by solid properties. Tomoelastography can inform noninvasively on the malignancy of suspicious liver lesions by differentiating between benign and malignant lesions with high sensitivity based on stiffness and with high specificity based on fluidity. SIGNIFICANCE: Solid-fluid tissue properties measured by tomoelastography can distinguish malignant from benign masses with high accuracy and provide quantitative noninvasive imaging biomarkers for liver tumors.

The proteolytic fraction from Vasconcellea cundinamarcensis accelerates wound healing after corneal chemical burn in rabbits.

Chemical ocular burns are among the most frequently eye-related injuries, which require immediate and intensive evaluation and care since they may lead to potential complications such as superinfection, corneal perforation, and blindness.Vasconcellea cundinamarcensis, a species from Caricaceae family, contains highly active proteolytic enzymes in its latex that show healing activity in animal models bearing lesions of different etiologies. We evaluate the ocular toxicity of the proteolytic fraction from V. cundinamarcensis (P1G10) by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay and Hen's Egg Test-Chorioallantoic Membrane test. The corneal healing property of P1G10 was studied by the ethanol-chemical burn in the rabbit's eyes. P1G10 is safe for ocular administration, except when administrated at 10μg/mL. P1G10 at 1μg/mL accelerates the corneal re-epithelization achieving complete wound closure after 72h of chemical burn. Also, P1G10 modulated the inflammatory response and controlled the arrangement of collagen fibers in the stroma, demonstrating its potential corneal healing properties. Our work was the first one to evaluate the ophthalmic application of P1G10. Here we demonstrated that P1G10 is suitable for ocular administration and it has a promising corneal healing activity which may emerge as a new pharmacological tool to the development of a new drug for ocular surface chemical injuries in the future.

Adult-Onset Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome: Psychogenic or Organic? The Challenge of Abnormal Neurophysiological Findings

Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS) is characterized by multiple motor and vocal tics. Adult-onset cases are rare and may be due to “reactivation” of childhood tics, or secondary to psychiatric or genetic diseases, or due to central nervous system lesions of different etiologies. Late-onset psychogenic motor/vocal tics resembling GTS have been described. Neurophysiology may serve to differentiate organic from functional GTS. Altered blink reflex pre-pulse inhibition (BR-PPI), blink reflex excitability recovery (BR-ERC), and short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) have been described in GTS. We report a 48-years-old male, who developed numerous motor/vocal tics 2 months after sustaining non-commotional craniofacial trauma in a car accident. Both his father and brother had died earlier in car crashes. He presented with blepharospasm-like forced lid closure, forceful lip pursing, noisy suction movements, and deep moaning sounds, occurring in variable combinations, without warning symptoms or internal “urge.” Tics showed low distractibility and these increased with attention. Standard magnetic resonance imaging, electroencephalography, and evoked potentials were unremarkable. Neuropsychology diagnosed moderately impaired intellect, attention, and executive functions. Psychiatric assessment revealed somatization disorder and generalized anxiety. BR-PPI was unremarkable, while BR-ERC was enhanced, even showing facilitation at short intervals. SICI was markedly reduced at 1 and 3 ms and intracortical facilitation (ICF) was enhanced at 10 ms. The patient fulfilled Fahn and Williams' diagnostic criteria for a psychogenic movement disorder. Neurophysiology, however, documented hyperexcitability of motor cortex and brainstem. We suggest that—similar to what has been reported in psychogenic dystonia—a pre-existing predisposition may have led to the functional hyperkinetic disorder in response to severe psychic stress.

Regenerative collagen biomembrane: Interim results of a Phase I veterinary clinical trial for skin repair

Background: The availability of commercial tissue engineering skin repair products for veterinary use is scarce or non-existent. To assess features of novel veterinary tissue engineered medical devices, it is therefore reasonable to compare with currently available human devices. During the development and regulatory approval phases, human medical devices that may have been identified as comparable to a novel veterinary device, may serve as predicate devices and accelerate approval in the veterinary domain. The purpose of the study was to evaluate safety and efficacy of the biomembrane for use in skin repair indications. Methods: In the study as a whole (3 year total length), 15 patients (animals), dogs and cats (male/female, <8 years) with skin lesions of different etiologies considered difficult to heal (size, >2 cm), with a wound depth equivalent to 2nd/3rd degree burns are to be studied from Day 0 to Day 120-240, post-application of the biomembrane. This interim report covers the 5 patients assessed to date and deemed eligible, of which 3 enrolled, and 2 have completed the treatment. Wound beds were prepared and acellular collagen biomembranes (Eva Scientific Ltd, São Paulo, Brazil) applied directly onto the wounds, and sutured at the margins to the patient's adjacent tissue. Wound size over time, healing rate, general skin quality and suppleness were assessed as outcomes. Qualitative (appearance and palpation) and quantitative (based on Image Analysis of photographs) wound assessment techniques were used. Results: Both patients’ wounds healed fully, with no adverse effects, and the healing rate was comparable in both, maxing out at approximately 1 cm 2/day. Conclusions: Early results on the biomembrane's safety and efficacy indicate suitability for skin repair usage in veterinary patients.

Laparo-endoscopic cooperative gastric surgery

Background: cooperative gastric surgery uses simultaneous, intraluminal peroral and intraperitoneal trans-abdominal pathways to localize and treat, in real time, dificult tumors with conventional procedures. The aim is to resect lesions of different etiology with video assited techniques, simultaneous, preserving tissue and functionality, with the benefits of minimally invasive surgery.Objective: the aim of our study was describe our experience in cooperative gastric procedures at the National Cancer Institute in Bogota, Colombia.Materials and methods: prospective review of a retrospective database. Descriptive analysis of patients in whom cooperative gastric procedures were performed at the National Cancer Institute of Bogota, Colombia, between October 2012 and November 2016.Results: sixteen laparoscopic endoscopic cooperative procedures were performed; eight of 16 resected tumors were subepithelial; four cases were done for resection of previous positive margins, two epithelial lesions and two for bleeding and palliative control. Fourteen procedures were exogastric, 1 intragastric and 1 transgastric. The operative time was 91 minutes, the average bleeding was 42 cc and negative margins were present in all cases. The mean hospital stay was 4 days.Conclusions: Our study shows that laparoscopic endoscopic cooperative surgery is a safe and feasible technique with acceptable operative times and minimal bleeding in patients with and without comorbidities, preserving the oncological and minimally invasive principles in the treatment of gastric neoplasms.

Terapias Celulares y Productos de Ingeniería de Tejidos para el Tratamiento de Lesiones Condrales de Rodilla

El cartílago articular es un tejido vulnerable a las lesiones de diferente etiología; siendo uno de los más afectados, el cartílago de la rodilla. Aunque la mayoría de los tratamientos convencionales reducen los síntomas, generalmente conducen a la formación de fibrocartílago; el cual, posee características diferentes a las del cartílago hialino de las articulaciones. Son pocas las aproximaciones terapéuticas que promueven el reemplazo del tejido dañado por cartílago hialino funcional; las más exitosas son las denominadas terapias avanzadas, que aplican células y productos de ingeniería de tejidos con el fin de estimular la regeneración del cartílago. La mayoría de ellas se basan en colocar soportes hechos con biomateriales de diferente origen, que sembrados o no con células exógenas o endógenas, reemplazan al cartílago dañado y promueven su regeneración. Este trabajo revisa algunas de las aproximaciones terapéuticas enfocadas en la regeneración del cartílago articular de rodilla; así como, los biomateriales más empleados en la elaboración de soportes para terapia celular e ingeniería de tejido cartilaginoso.

Abstract 1467: A large set of miRNAs is deregulated since the earliest steps of human HCC

Abstract Introduction: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the result of a stepwise process preceded by the development of premalignant lesions. To assess the involvement of microRNAs (miRNAs) in hepatocarcinogenesis it is critical to understand whether and which miRNAs are involved in the early stages of tumor development. To this end, changes in expression of miRNAs were investigated in low and high grade dysplastic nodules (LGDNs, HGDNs), early HCCs (eHCCs) and progressed HCCs (pHCCs). Materials and Methods: Small RNA sequencing (smallRNA-Seq) was applied to search for liver miRNAs and to profile their expression patterns in 14 cirrhotic nodules (CNs), 9 LGDNs, 6 HGDNs, 6 eHCCs and 20 pHCCs) from 17 patients with liver lesions of different etiology (HCV, HBV and alcohol). To investigate miRNAs differentially expressed in pHCCs towards their matched cirrhotic tissue, we applied the Random-Variance Model (F-test) and Multivariate Permutation Test (Fold Change, FC ≥ 2.0). QRT-PCR analysis was also performed on 14 additional patients with the same etiology of the first cohort for validation of the smallRNA-Seq results. Results: We identified a 62 miRNA expression signature that differentiates pHCCs from matched CNs. Notably, 52/62 miRNAs dysregulated in pHCCs were likewise altered in LGDN and HGDN, suggesting their possible role in HCC onset. Indeed, 28 miRNAs showed lower expression in CN that was significantly increased in LGDNs and remained high up to pHCCs. In contrast, 24 miRNAs displayed an opposite behavior, as their expression was very low or absent all throughout the tumorigenic process, compared to CNs. Interestingly, 2 miRNAs (let-7a-5p, miR-101-3p) showed a progressive decrease, suggesting that they are involved in later stages of the process. To further support the finding that dysregulation of miRNAs is a very early event in HCC development, we performed qRT-PCR in a series of LGDN, HGDN, eHCC and pHCCs from 14 additional patients. We selected for this analysis a handful of miRNAs found dysregulated by NGS analysis. The results demonstrate that all the 6 miRNAs examined (miR-429, miR-141-3p, miR-200a-3p and miR-200b-3p, miR-375 and miR-21-5p), were dysregulated at all stages of the tumorigenic process as compared to CNs. Conclusion: The results demonstrate that miRNAs deregulation may be a critical player in human hepatocarcinogenesis, from early stages to pHCC. They also suggest that some miRNAs might represent biomarkers useful for differential diagnosis of dysplastic and neoplastic liver lesions. Note: This abstract was not presented at the meeting. Citation Format: Francesca Rizzo, Luca Di Tommaso, Pia Sulas, Elena Coviello, Chiara Novello, Alessandro Weisz, Massimo Roncalli, Amedeo Columbano. A large set of miRNAs is deregulated since the earliest steps of human HCC [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1467. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-1467

Investigating the symptoms of white matter disorders

In this presentation, I will examine the intricate systemic connections in the white matter and the disturbances that occur due to diseases. In particular, I will discuss Marchiafava-Bignami disease, leukodystrophy with neuroaxonal spheroids, and myotonic dystrophy. Investigation of all three diseases reveals the crosstalk essential for the healthy brain and the resulting dysfunctions that follow lesions of different etiologies.

Etiology-based classification of brain white matter hyperintensity on magnetic resonance imaging.

Brain white matter lesions found upon magnetic resonance imaging are often observed in psychiatric or neurological patients. Individuals with these lesions present a more significant cognitive impairment when compared with individuals without them. We propose a computerized method to distinguish tissue containing white matter lesions of different etiologies (e.g., demyelinating or ischemic) using texture-based classifiers. Texture attributes were extracted from manually selected regions of interest and used to train and test supervised classifiers. Experiments were conducted to evaluate texture attribute discrimination and classifiers' performances. The most discriminating texture attributes were obtained from the gray-level histogram and from the co-occurrence matrix. The best classifier was the support vector machine, which achieved an accuracy of 87.9% in distinguishing lesions with different etiologies and an accuracy of 99.29% in distinguishing normal white matter from white matter lesions.

Platelet-rich plasma as treatment for persistent ocular epithelial defects

Platelet- rich plasma (PRP) exhibits regenerative proprieties in wound healing but the biochemical mechanisms are unclear. In this study, autologous PRP with a mean value of 338 × 103 platelets/µL was used to treat corneal lesions of different aetiology, while homologous PRP with 1 × 106 platelets/µL was used to treat cornel lesions induced by a graft versus host disease. The impact of platelet count on the levels of PDGF AA and BB, VEGF, and EGF in the two PRPs was evaluated after a cycle of freezing/thawing. Treated corneal lesions healed or improved. The levels of PDGF AA and BB, VEGF, and EGF in the autologous PRP raised from 296 ± 61; 201.8 ± 24; 53 ± 14 and 8.9 ± 2 to 1017 ± 253; 924.7 ± 222; 101 ± 46.5 and 174 ± 15.5 pg/mL, while in the homologous PRP were 3.4, 4.5, 3.2 and 2 folds higher, respectively. High level of platelet counts seems not required to treat corneal lesions.

The impact of different aetiologies on the cognitive performance of frontal patients

Neuropsychological group study methodology is considered one of the primary methods to further understanding of the organisation of frontal ‘executive’ functions. Typically, patients with frontal lesions caused by stroke or tumours have been grouped together to obtain sufficient power. However, it has been debated whether it is methodologically appropriate to group together patients with neurological lesions of different aetiologies. Despite this debate, very few studies have directly compared the performance of patients with different neurological aetiologies on neuropsychological measures. The few that did included patients with both anterior and posterior lesions.We present the first comprehensive retrospective comparison of the impact of lesions of different aetiologies on neuropsychological performance in a large number of patients whose lesion solely affects the frontal cortex. We investigated patients who had a cerebrovascular accident (CVA), high (HGT) or low grade (LGT) tumour, or meningioma, all at the post-operative stage. The same frontal ‘executive’ (Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices, Stroop Colour-Word Test, Letter Fluency-S; Trail Making Test Part B) and nominal (Graded Naming Test) tasks were compared. Patients' performance was compared across aetiologies controlling for age and NART IQ scores. Assessments of focal frontal lesion location, lesion volume, global brain atrophy and non-specific white matter (WM) changes were undertaken and compared across the four aetiology.We found no significant difference in performance between the four aetiology subgroups on the ‘frontal’ executive and nominal tasks. However, we found strong effects of premorbid IQ on all cognitive tasks and robust effects of age only on the frontal tasks. We also compared specific aetiology subgroups directly, as previously reported in the literature. Overall we found no significant differences in the performance of CVA and tumour patients, or LGT and HGT patients or LGT, HGT and meningioma's on our four frontal tests. No difference was found with respect to the location of frontal lesions, lesion volume, global brain atrophy and non-specific WM changes between the subgroups.Our results suggest that the grouping of frontal patients caused by different aetiologies is a pragmatic, justified methodological approach that can help to further understanding of the organisation of frontal executive functions.