Feline immunodeficiency virus vaccine: Implications for diagnostic testing and disease management

Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is a common feline pathogen, with an overall infection prevalence of approximately 11% in cats worldwide. Most infected cats eventually succumb due to direct viral effects or, more commonly, to secondary infections resulting from virus-induced immunosuppression. FIV infection is considered lifelong, and diagnosis most often relies on detection of virus-specific antibodies. A currently available whole virus, adjuvanted, inactivated FIV vaccine induces antibodies in vaccinates that is indistinguishable from those induced by infection. As a result, currently available diagnostic tests cannot reliably distinguish vaccinated cats from infected cats, or from cats that are both vaccinated and infected. From both an epidemiologic and an individual cat perspective, it is impossible to determine whether use of this vaccination is more beneficial than it is harmful.     

Survey of Scalp Dermatophyte Carriage in a Day Care Center in Turkey

The prevalence of tinea capitis and the symptom-free colonisation of the scalp with dermatophytes were examined in 502 mentally retarded participants who attended day care centers in the Tarsus district, Mersin, Turkey. Between December 2006 and May 2007, a screening study was conducted in three centers on a total of 316 (62.9%) male and 186 (37.1%) female participants aged 12 ± 6.2 years. The examinations were carried out in parallel with the hairbrush, toothbrush, and cotton swab methods by inoculation onto Sabouraud glucose agar. No participant was diagnosed with tinea capitis; however, we detected three carriers, all of whom were boys aged 2–16 years. The total prevalence of carrier state was 0.6%. Of three boys, T. tonsurans was seen in two cases (66.7%), and in one case a zoophilic variant of T. mentagrophytes (33.3%) was isolated. The diagnosis was made via the hairbrush method in all three carriers. We also did a screening study on ten households of the three asymptomatic carriers. T. mentagrophytes also was isolated in a 5-year-old sister of the boy with T. mentagrophytes colonisation. All the carriers were followed-up without any antimycotic treatment. In two of the participants, the carrier state persisted at the 13th and 17th week follow-ups, and mycological clearance was documented at the 20th and 24th week for these individuals. The third case and the household’s culture were found negative at the 7- and 12-week follow-ups. Despite poor hygienic conditions and the participants’ difficulties in performing basic hygiene practices, asymptomatic carriage was found to be surprisingly less prevalent among the mentally retarded individuals.     

尿道损伤的诊断治疗现状

尿道损伤一直是个棘手的泌尿外科常见疾病.逆行尿道造影是评价尿道损伤的金标准.尿道损伤的治疗方法的选择在泌尿系创伤中是争议最多的.目前没有一种方法是最简单有效的处理方法.组织工程技术的诞生和发展,给尿道损伤的处理带来了新的希望,有望为尿道损伤的修复提供新的材料.本文仅就尿道损伤疾病的基本概况及国内外在诊断和治疗方面的的研究现状作简要综述.     

Disparities in colorectal cancer time-to-treatment and survival time associated with racial and economic residential segregation surrounding the diagnostic hospital,Georgia 2010–2015

PurposeTo evaluate patient-level colorectal cancer outcomes in relation to residential income and racial segregation and composition of the neighborhood surrounding the diagnosing hospitals, and characterize presence of cancer-relevant diagnosis and treatment modalities that might contribute to these associations.MethodsWe utilized Georgia state cancer registry data (2010–2015), matching diagnosis information to hospital technology provided by the American Hospital Association and spatial information to the US Census. We modeled time-to-treatment and survival time, using Cox proportional hazards models, stratified by segregation. Segregation was examined as residential economic and racial evenness (Atkinson index) and isolation (isolation index) and mean income at the Census tract level. To assess possible contributing factors, analysis of hospital diagnosis and treatment technologies in relation to segregation was conducted.ResultsAverage income of the Census tract and racial residential segregation of the diagnosing hospital’s neighborhood was generally unassociated with time-to-treatment or survival time. Higher income evenness around the diagnosing hospital was associated with shorter time-to-treatment, with no association with time-to-death. Higher income isolation for the diagnosing hospital, conversely, was associated with longer times to treatment, but also longer survival times. Hospitals in regions with higher level of residential income segregation were less likely to have a particular diagnosing or treatment technologies, such as virtual colonoscopy and chemotherapy.ConclusionHospital resources may be a function of their immediate economic environment, and this may have influence on cancer outcomes. Future work should evaluate patient outcomes in light of technologies or therapies utilized within particular economic environments.     

Geographic variation in diagnostic and treatment interval,cancer stage and mortality among colorectal patients – An international comparison between Denmark and Scotland using data-linked cohorts

BackgroundRurald wellers with colorectal cancer have poorer outcomes than their urban counterparts. The reasons why are not known but are likely to be complex and be determined by an interplay between geography and health service organization. By comparing the associations related to travel-time to primary and secondary healthcare facilities in two neighbouring countries, Denmark and Scotland, we aimed to shed light on potential mechanisms.MethodsAnalysis was based on two comprehensive cohorts of patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer in Denmark (2010−16) and Scotland (2007−14). Associations between travel-time and cancer pathway intervals, tumour stage at diagnosis and one-year mortality were analysed using generalised linear models. Travel-time was modelled using restricted cubic splines for each country and combined. Adjustments were made for key confounders.ResultsTravel-time to key healthcare facilities influenced the diagnostic experience and outcomes of CRC patients from Scotland and Denmark to some extent differently. The longest travel-times to a specialised hospital appeared to afford the most rapid secondary care interval, whereas moderate travel-times to hospital (about 20−60 min) appeared to impact on later stage and greater one-year mortality in Scotland, but not in Denmark. A U-shaped association was seen between travel-time to the GP and one year-mortality.ConclusionsThis is the first international data-linkage study to explore how different national geographies and health service structures may determine cancer outcomes. Future research should compare more countries and more cancer sites and evaluate the impact and implications of differences in national health service organisation.     

子宫颈癌细胞学新型生物标志、诊断标志物的筛选和开发现状

子宫颈癌至今仍是全球范围内一个重要的公共卫生问题，是妇女疾病死亡的主要原因之一。因此，子宫颈癌细胞学的筛查、早期诊断和治疗越来越受到重视，虽然新的技术不断推出使子宫颈癌的早期筛查及诊治水平有了很大提高，但仍缺乏新型的特异性生物学标志物。本文从新的子宫颈癌相关蛋白生物标志物和诊断靶标的发现，治疗子宫颈癌的药物作用、治疗靶标和作用机制的评估，子宫颈癌相关微小核糖核酸作为诊断和治疗靶标的筛选等方面对子宫颈脱落细胞筛查方法的开发和研究进展进行综述，为子宫颈癌的早期筛查和诊断寻找新的生物学标志物。     

L1-logistic Discrimination as Used for Assistance of Medical Diagnosis in Chronic Airways Disease

The paper presents an application of L₁-logistic discriminant functions to the support of medical diagnosis in so called chronic airways disease which includes bronchial asthma, chronic bronchitis and lung ephysema. It is shown that the L₁-logistic discriminant function is more robust than the classical logistic function and gives higher rate of correctly classified individuals.     

Pulmonary enteric adenocarcinoma

Pulmonary enteric adenocarcinoma (PEAC) is an exceptionally rare subtype of non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). It is characterized by pathological features similar to those of colorectal adenocarcinoma. Most patients with PEAC have almost no special clinical manifestations, and it is often difficult to differentiate from metastatic colorectal adenocarcinoma (MCRC). As a special type of lung adenocarcinoma, PEAC has unique mutation expression and immune characteristics; its mutation profile shows higher Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene (KRAS), human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) , DNA mismatch repair(MMR) mutation rates, and much lower epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) rate. So in the future, targeted therapy may tend to be a new light in the treatment of PEAC. As for immunohistochemistry (IHC), CDX-2, villin, and CK7 are significantly positive in PEAC. This review focuses on the pathologic features, immunohistochemical examination, mutation analysis, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of PEAC.