Usefulness of circulating tumor DNA from cerebrospinal fluid in recurrent high-grade glioma.

Molecular documentation at relapse of high-grade glioma is an urgent need for patient care. A prospective pilot study was conducted to assess the rate of mutation detection using targeted deep sequencing on circulating tumor DNA from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) after chemo-radiotherapy based treatment. Fifteen patients were included: 13 patients with glioblastoma, 1 patient with gliosarcoma and 1 patient with anaplastic astrocytoma. At progression, 10/15 patients (67%) had detectable mutations in the CSF. Among them, 5/10 patients harbored at least one common mutation between initial tumor and ctDNA. CSF protein level and cfDNA concentration were higher, although not significant, in the ctDNA positive group versus ctDNA negative group (1.17g/L vs. 0.79g/L). Molecular documentation obtained from ctDNA in CSF at the time of relapse is informative in around two-thirds of the patients.

[A Listeria breast abscess in a man]. / Un abcès du sein à Listeria chez un homme.

INTRODUCTION: Listeriosis is a food-borne illness leading to bacteriemia or central nervous system infection especially in pregnant women or high-risk patients. It is rarely a localized infection. Breast contamination has rarely been reported in lactating women. We report a breast abscess in man. CASE REPORT: A 80 year old man, hypertensive and arrhythmic, was explored for weakness and dehydration. Type 2 diabetes and chronic lymphocytic leukemia were diagnosed. Clinical examination disclosed a breast abcess related to L monocytogenes infection. Histopathological study also revealed a breast subcutaneous infiltration by chronic lymphocytic leukemia. CONCLUSION: Listeriosis sometimes uncover an unknown immunosuppression, especially in the elderly. Breast is a non-sterile tissue containing a stable microbiome partly from digestive origin. It can thereby be contaminated by Listeria. The specific cutaneous infiltrate of chronic lymphocytic leukemia can create the conditions for a local infection.

Entrapment and traumatic neuropathies of the elbow and hand: An imaging approach.

Ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging currently offer a detailed analysis of the peripheral nerves. Compressive and traumatic nerve injuries are the two main indications for imaging investigation of nerves with several publications describing the indications, technique and diagnostic capabilities of imaging signs. Investigation of entrapment neuropathies has three main goals, which are to confirm neuronal distress, search for the cause of nerve compression and exclude a differential diagnosis on the entire nerve. For traumatic nerve injuries, imaging, predominantly ultrasound, occasionally provides essential information for management including the type of nerve lesion, its exact site and local extension.

How long should arthroscopic clavicular resection be in acromioclavicular arthropathy? A radiological-clinical study (with computed tomography) of 18 cases at a mean 4 years' follow-up.

INTRODUCTION: Endoscopic clavicular resection is a common procedure, but few studies have analyzed predictive factors for outcome. HYPOTHESES: 1) Computed tomography (CT) of clavicular resection is reproductible; 2) Functional outcome correlates with resection length; 3) Other factors also influence outcome. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Patients operated on between 2005 and 2010 were called back to establish functional scores (Constant, Simple Shoulder Test [SST], satisfaction) and undergo low-dose bilateral comparative computed tomography (CT) centered on the acromioclavicular joints. The assessment criteria were resection edge parallelism and resection length, measured using OsiriX software. Radiological and clinical data were correlated. RESULTS: 18 out of 21 patients (85%: 3 female, 15 male) were assessed. Mean age at surgery was 49 years (range, 40-62 yrs); mean follow-up was 4.2 years (1.6-7.2 yrs). Mean Constant score rose from 57.7 (25-85) to 70.2 (30-96); mean postoperative SST was 9.3 (3-12). 11 patients had very good and 4 poor results. CT resection length was reproducible, with intraclass, intra- and interobserver correlation coefficients >95%. There was no significant correlation between articular resection length on CT and functional scores (P=0.2). Functional scores were negatively influenced by an occupational pathologic context (P<0.01) and by associated tendinopathy. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Low-dose CT enabled reproducible analysis of clavicular resection. The hypothesized correlation between resection length and functional result was not confirmed. Work accidents and occupational disease emerged as risk factors. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Single-center retrospective analytic cohort study. Level 4, guideline grade C.

Clinical pharmacology of high-dose etoposide associated with cisplatin. Pharmacokinetic and metabolic studies.

Twelve patients were treated with high-dose etoposide give alone or in combination with cisplatin during a clinical trial. We had previously observed, in some subjects who received a combination of high-dose etoposide (350 mg/m2/day X 5 days) and cisplatin (40 mg/m2/day X 5 days), delayed hematological recovery after autologous bone marrow transplantation. Therefore we investigated the pharmacokinetics of etoposide and did not find any drug interaction with cisplatin. In four of these patients we also monitored etoposide salivary excretion and found saliva to plasma ratios in the range 0.003-0.25. The secretion of etoposide into saliva may be of concern if we consider that peroxidases in salivary glands are able to oxidize the drug leading to free radicals. In vitro experiments showed that sulfhydryl compounds are able to inhibit the formation of the etoposide radical. Furthermore, we were able to detect the presence of a new biotransformation product of etoposide in plasma samples of some patients. Fast atom bombardment liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry allowed us to identify this metabolite as the etoposide aglycone. The presence of this derivative in plasma 48 h after the last injection prompted us to delay autologous bone marrow transplantation to 72 h after the end of treatment, since the aglycone is cytotoxic and able to induce DNA strand breaks mediated by topoisomerase II.