Intraoperative Thermography of the Electrical Stimulation Mapping: A Safety Control Study.

A standard procedure for continuous intraoperative monitoring of the integrity of the corticospinal tracts by eliciting muscle responses is the electric stimulation mapping (ESM). However, standard ESM protocols are ineffective in 20% of young children. We have developed a novel, highly efficient paradigm consisting of short-time burst (30 ms) of high frequency (500 Hz) and high peak current (≤100 mA), which may cause local tissue overheating. The presented safety control study was therefore designed. The infrared thermography camera captured to-be-resected cortex of 13 patients in vivo during ESM. Thermograms were image processed to reveal discrete ESM thermal effect of currents from 10 to 100 mA. Peak 100 mA currents induced a maximal increase in temperature of 3.1 °C, 1.23±0.72 °C in average. The warming correlated with stimulating electrode resistance ( ). The measurement uncertainty was estimated ± 1.01 ºC for the most skeptical conditions. The histopathological evaluation of stimulated tissue (performed in all cases) did not show any destructive changes. Our study demonstrates the ability of the thermographic camera to measure the discrete thermal effect of the ESM. The results provide evidence for the safety of the proposed protocol for full range currents with minimal risk of brain tissue damage.

Celiac disease manifested during the treatment of chronic hepatitis C by pegylated alpha interferon and ribavirin.

Authors report a case of patient suffering from haemophilia A and hepatitis C virus infection acquired probably after blood transfusions and substitution factors application. He was treated with pegylated interferon alpha and ribavirin, with the development of malabsorption symptoms during the therapy. Celiac disease was established by histological, histochemical and serological examinations. oth, interferon alpha and ribavirin treatment as well as virus of hepatitis C may trigger coeliac disease in genetically predisposed individuals. The immunological mechanism of celiac disease include balance disruption between Th1 and Th2 immunological response with Th1 predominance. Only few similar cases have been published in the professional literature to date. Development of celiac disease during interferon alpha therapy with haemophilia A was not published until now (Fig. 3, Ref. 13).

Imatinib mesylate in Philadelphia chromosome-positive, chronic-phase myeloid leukemia after failure of interferon alpha.

Imatinib mesylate (STI 571; Glivec) is a potent and selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor. The introduction of imatinib has chanced the philosophy of mechanisms of cancer therapy and already changed current management of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). A total of 49 patients with later chronic phase CML in whom previous therapy with interferon alpha had failed were treated with 400 mg of oral imatinib daily. Patients were evaluated for hematologic and cytogenetic responses. Time to progression, survival, and toxic effects were also evaluated. Complete hematologic responses were reported for 48 of 49 patients studied (98 percent). The median time to a complete hematologic response was 1.2 month; 89% of patients who had a response did so within 4 months. Imatinib induced major cytogenetic responses in 73%; 62% had a complete responses. After a median follow-up of 18 months, CML had not progressed to the accelerated or blast phases in an estimated 98% of patients, and 100 percent of the patients were alive. Grade 3 or 4 nonhematologic toxic effects were manageable. No one of patients discontinued treatment due to of drug-related adverse events, and no treatment-related deaths occurred. The results of current study indicate that imatinib has a significant therapy benefit in CML patients in whom treatment with IFN alpha had failed. Therefore, has favorably changed the prognosis for patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia.

[Endothelial cells in the blood in psoriasis]. / Endotelémia pri psoriáze.

The authors have examined the changes in the amount of endothelial cells in vascular bed in psoriatic patients, since one of the basic signs of pathogenesis of psoriasis is represented by angiogenesis. The authors have used the method of quantitative evaluation of endothelaemia.