Benefits of Music Therapy in the Cognitive Impairments of Alzheimer's-Type Dementia: A Systematic Review.

Background/Objective: Alzheimer's disease is a condition that can cause memory, thinking, and behaviour impairments. This type of dementia affects approximately 50 million people globally. Currently, there is no remedy for this disease, but there are different treatment approaches, both pharmacological and non-pharmacological, that try to alleviate the symptoms. The remarkable fact about Alzheimer's response to music is that musical abilities can be preserved even though language could be lost. The objective of this systematic review is to assess the benefits of music therapy on cognitive impairments in older adults with Alzheimer's disease. Methods: This is a systematic review carried out following the PRISMA guidelines. The literature searches were conducted in the following databases: PubMed, SCOPUS, Cochrane Library, and Dialnet. The inclusion criteria established were as follows: randomised controlled studies and clinical trials published in English and Spanish from 2010 to 2024, patients diagnosed with dementia of the Alzheimer's type, aged 65 years or older, who had participated in music interventions and had cognitive changes. Results: Eleven studies were included in this review. They showed that music therapy interventions mainly improved memory, language, and orientation. The results of a methodological quality analysis showed that six of the articles had good methodological quality and four had excellent methodological quality. Conclusions: The results of this review suggest that treatment with music therapy improves cognitive impairments in patients with Alzheimer's disease. In addition, we can be sure that music creates a link between the patient and the specialist.

Recommendations for the use of biomarkers for head and neck cancer, including salivary gland tumours: A Consensus of the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology and the Spanish Society of Pathology.

The treatment of head and neck and salivary gland tumours is complicated and is constantly evolving. Prognostic and predictive indicators of response to treatment are enormously valuable for designing individualized therapies, which justifies their research and validation. Some biomarkers, such as p16, Epstein-Barr virus, PD-L1, androgen receptors and HER-2, are already used routinely in clinical practice. These biomarkers, along with other markers that are currently under development, and the massively parallel sequencing of genes, ensure future advances in the treatment of these neoplasms. In this consensus, a group of experts in the diagnosis and treatment of tumours of the head and neck and salivary glands were selected by the Spanish Society of Pathology (Sociedad Española de Anatomía Patológica - SEAP) and the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (Sociedad Española de Oncología Médica - SEOM) to evaluate the currently available information and propose a series of recommendations to optimize the determination and daily clinical use of biomarkers.

Recommendations for the use of biomarkers for head and neck cancer, including salivary gland tumours: A Consensus of the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology and the Spanish Society of Pathology / Recomendaciones para el uso de biomarcadores para cáncer de cabeza y cuello, incluyendo tumores de glándulas salivares: consenso de la Sociedad Española de Oncología Médica y la Sociedad Española de Patología

The treatment of head and neck and salivary gland tumours is complicated and is constantly evolving. Prognostic and predictive indicators of response to treatment are enormously valuable for designing individualized therapies, which justifies their research and validation. Some biomarkers, such as p16, Epstein–Barr virus, PD-L1, androgen receptors and HER-2, are already used routinely in clinical practice. These biomarkers, along with other markers that are currently under development, and the massively parallel sequencing of genes, ensure future advances in the treatment of these neoplasms.In this consensus, a group of experts in the diagnosis and treatment of tumours of the head and neck and salivary glands were selected by the Spanish Society of Pathology (Sociedad Española de Anatomía Patológica – SEAP) and the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (Sociedad Española de Oncología Médica – SEOM) to evaluate the currently available information and propose a series of recommendations to optimize the determination and daily clinical use of biomarkers.(AU)

El tratamiento de los tumores de cabeza y cuello y de glándulas salivales es complejo, y evoluciona de forma constante. Los indicadores pronósticos y predictivos de respuesta al tratamiento son enormemente valiosos para diseñar terapias individualizadas, lo que justifica su investigación y validación. Algunos biomarcadores como p16, el virus de Epstein-Barr, PD-L1, los receptores de andrógenos o HER-2, ya se utilizan de manera rutinaria en la práctica clínica. Estos biomarcadores, junto con otros marcadores que están actualmente en desarrollo, y la secuenciación masiva de genes, aseguran los futuros avances en el tratamiento de estas neoplasias. En este consenso, un grupo de expertos en el diagnóstico y tratamiento de los tumores de cabeza y cuello y glándulas salivales seleccionado por la Sociedad Española de Anatomía Patológica (SEAP) y la Sociedad Española de Oncología Médica (SEOM) evalúan la información actualmente disponible y proponen una serie de recomendaciones para optimizar la determinación y utilización en la práctica clínica diaria de los biomarcadores.(AU)

Diagnostic role of DOG-1, GFAP and B-catenin in Basal cell Adenoma and Cellular Pleomorphic Adenoma of the Salivary Gland.

BACKGROUND: Pleomorphic Adenoma (PA) and Basal cell adenoma (BCA) are benign salivary gland tumors that may pose a diagnostic challenge if typical features are not present. Due to the increased relapse and malignant transformation rate of the former, a correct diagnosis carries relevant prognostic information. Even though immunohistochemistry (IHC) plays a limited role in the diagnosis of these tumors, the use of IHC panels could increase diagnostic accuracy. In the present work, we aimed to demonstrate that the use of an IHC panel consisting of Glial Fibrillary Acid Protein (GFAP), B-Catenin and Discovered On GIST 1 (DOG-1) can aid in the differential diagnosis between PA and BCA. METHODS: We analyzed 18 cases of benign salivary gland tumors (Pleomorphic adenomas and Basal cell adenomas) with overlapping histologic features. First, a head and neck pathologist diagnosed the cases relying on morphology alone. Afterwards, cases were re-evaluated considering the IHC panel results. Inter-observer IHC scoring concordance was evaluated with pre-defined marker cut-off points using Cohen's Kappa scores. RESULTS: Based on morphology alone, 9 cases were classified as PA while the remaining tumors were considered to be BCA. Five out of nine BCA cases showed GFAP staining and absent nuclear B-catenin and DOG-1 positivity. Conversely, 2 PA cases showed absent GFAP and positive nuclear B-catenin with concurrent DOG-1 expression. Therefore, after IHC evaluation, up to 40% of morphologic diagnoses were reconsidered. Overall, the inter-observer concordance for IHC evaluation was good (resulting Kappa Scores between 0.78 and 1). CONCLUSION: Our work supports the use of a concise IHC panel to improve the diagnostic accuracy of benign salivary gland tumors with overlapping histologic features.

Recommendations for the use of biomarkers for head and neck cancer, including salivary gland tumours: a consensus of the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology and the Spanish Society of Pathology.

The treatment of head and neck and salivary gland tumours is complicated and evolves constantly. Prognostic and predictive indicators of response to treatment are enormously valuable for designing individualized therapies, which justifies their research and validation. Some biomarkers, such as p16, Epstein-Barr virus, PD-L1, androgen receptors and HER-2, are already used routinely in clinical practice. These biomarkers, along with other markers that are currently under development, and the massively parallel sequencing of genes, ensure future advances in the treatment of these neoplasms. In this consensus, a group of experts in the diagnosis and treatment of tumours of the head and neck and salivary glands were selected by the Spanish Society of Pathology (Sociedad Española de Anatomía Patológica-SEAP) and the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (Sociedad Española de Oncología Médica-SEOM) to evaluate the currently available information and propose a series of recommendations to optimize the determination and daily clinical use of biomarkers.

Cardiac involvement in Adult Multisystemic Inflammatory Syndrome related to COVID-19. Two case reports.

In this article we describe two cases that presented with persistent fever and a hyperinflammatory state in association with severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 infection with various negative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction results. These cases subsequently developed myocarditis with cardiogenic shock that required vasoactive drugs and had a good response to corticosteroid treatment. All cases met criteria for a definitive case of multisystemic inflammatory syndrome in adults, a recently described entity associated with coronavirus disease 2019, which has a good response to immunomodulators and a good prognosis in most cases. .

A tree-based machine learning model to approach morphologic assessment of malignant salivary gland tumors.

Malignant salivary gland tumors represent a challenge for pathologists due to their low frequency and morphologic overlap. In recent years machine learning techniques have been applied to the field of pathology to improve diagnostic performance. In the present work, we fitted a machine learning algorithm to approach the diagnosis of malignant salivary gland tumors. Twelve morphologic variables were scored across 115 samples representing the most commonly encountered malignant salivary gland tumors. The sample was randomly split into a discovery and validation set. A recursive partitioning algorithm was used to systematically screen and organize candidate variables into a classification tree using the discovery set. A cross-validation strategy was used to tune the algorithm hyperparameters. Inter-observer concordance was calculated by independent evaluation of 26 randomly selected cases. The five-tiered tree built, required the evaluation of 6 morphological variables. Basaloid appearance, presence of mucous cells, necrosis, cribriform pattern, clear cells and keratinization were selected by the algorithm to build the tree. This diagnostic tool correctly classified 89.9% and 84.6% of the samples in the discovery and validation sets respectively. Misclassification pattern was consistent between both sets. Misclassified tumors belonged to one of three histologic types: epithelial-myoepithelial, polymorphous and mucoepidermoid carcinomas. Other histotypes demonstrated perfect recall in both the discovery and validation sets. Overall inter-observer concordance was good, with median kappa scores between the expert evaluator and training pathologists being 0.81. Overall, our classification tool developed using a recursive partitioning algorithm can effectively guide the morphological approach to malignant salivary gland tumors.

Fibrovascular Tumor-Like Lesions of the Facial Nerve.

BACKGROUND: Facial nerve tumors (FNTs) are relatively rare benign lesions that arise from any segment of the facial nerve (FN). About half of all patients present with FN dysfunction, mainly long-standing or progressive facial paralysis. Diagnosis of an FNT is usually based on radiological imaging and confirmed by histological study. Most reported cases of FNTs are schwannomas and hemangiomas. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to review 4 cases of lesions with clinical, radiological, and surgical findings that suggested an FNT, the pathology revealing a fibrovascular proliferation with no clear signs of a specific tumor. METHOD: Medical records of patients who had surgery due to an FN lesion were reviewed. Cases with known tumoral lesions were excluded. Four patients with tumor-like lesions were identified. Their imaging studies were re-evaluated. The pathological study included hematoxylin-eosin, Masson's trichrome, and immunohistochemistry for S100 protein, neurofilaments, CD31, Wilms' tumor 1 (WT1), and D240. RESULTS: The 4 cases revealed tumor-like fibrovascular lesions that could not be classified as typical pathological entities. All cases had a complete facial palsy preoperatively. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) suggested schwannoma or hemangioma. A complete excision was achieved, and a facial reconstruction was performed immediately after interruption. Postoperative FN function was improved in all cases. The histological study showed nervous tracts of normal morphology, with fibrous and vascular tissue interspersed in variable proportions. All cases showed areas of fibrosis with Masson's stain. In all cases, nervous tissue and Schwann cells tested positively for neurofilaments and S100, respectively. In vascular areas, endothelial cells stained positively for CD31, and negatively for D240 and WT1. CONCLUSIONS: Fibrovascular lesions of the FN may mimic primary FNTs, especially schwannomas and hemangiomas. Surgical excision with grafting or nerve transfer is the procedure of choice if a complete facial paralysis is found. This unusual condition should be considered when counseling patients with FN lesions. The lack of hyperintensity on MRI T2-weighted images may suggest the presence of fibrous tissue.

Metastatic neuroblastoma mimicking an infantile hemangioma.

Neuroblastoma is the most common solid tumor malignancy in the first year of life. We present a rare case of a 5-month-old girl with an infraorbital tumor that simulated an infantile hemangioma clinically but was ultimately diagnosed as metastatic neuroblastoma.

Biobanking in the COVID-19 Era and Beyond: Part 1. How Early Experiences Can Translate into Actionable Wisdom.

The era of COVID-19 has brought about a number of novel challenges for the global biobanking community. To better position the biobanking community to cope with current and future challenges, the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER) COVID-19 Response Task Force was convened to identify needs and gaps in biobanking tools (existing resources that support good practice), for example, standards, best practices, business, etc. and to make recommendations to benefit the community. Toward these goals, the Task Force assembled a set of questions to explore individual biobanks' experiences, with emphasis on identification of key challenges and approaches, including tools employed. A survey was designed with the use of these questions and administered by ISBER. This article presents a summary of the aggregated data obtained from the survey responses, illustrating some of the major issues encountered and identifying which tools the survey respondents found most useful. In particular, this article focuses on the challenges identified during the early months of the COVID-19 era. Recommendations are provided to support biobank emergency preparedness for the future, address lessons learned, and propose solutions to bridge identified gaps. The analysis and the complete survey dataset will also inform the larger Task Force goal to develop specific tool recommendations.

Two phase I/II clinical trials for the treatment of urinary incontinence with autologous mesenchymal stem cells.

We evaluated the safety and feasibility of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells to treat endoscopically urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy in men or female stress urinary. We designed two prospective, nonrandomized phase I-IIa clinical trials of urinary incontinence involving 9 men (8 treated) and 10 women to test the feasibility and safety of autologous mesenchymal stem cells for this use. Cells were obtained from liposuction containing 150 to 200 g of fat performed on every patient. After 4 to 6 weeks and under sedation, endoscopic intraurethral injection of the cells was performed. On each visit (baseline, 1, 3, 6, and 12 months), clinical parameters were measured, and blood samples, urine culture, and uroflowmetry were performed. Every patient underwent an urethrocystoscopy and urodynamic studies on the first and last visit. Data from pad test, quality-of-life and incontinence questionnaires, and pads used per day were collected at every visit. Statistical analysis was done by Wilcoxon signed-rank test. No adverse effects were observed. Three men (37.5%) and five women (50%) showed an objective improvement of >50% (P < .05) and a subjective improvement of 70% to 80% from baseline. In conclusion, intraurethral application of stem cells derived from adipose tissue is a safe and feasible procedure to treat urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy or in female stress urinary incontinence. A statistically significant difference was obtained for pad-test improvement in 3/8 men and 5/10 women. Our results encourage studies to confirm safety and to analyze efficacy.

Musculo-skeletal problems of the hand in haemophilia.

Musculo-skeletal complications of the hand in the haemophilia patient are rare, and they include synovitis, arthropathy, pseudotumours, carpal tunnel syndrome and vascular aneurysms and pseudoaneurysms.The best way to prevent the aforementioned musculo-skeletal complications is early continuous haematological primary prophylaxis (intravenous infusion of the deficient coagulation factor, ideally from cradle to death).There is a wide range of procedures that a hand surgeon treating these patients should be able to manage, including synovectomy, prosthetic replacement of small joints, removal or curettage of pseudotumours, release of carpal tunnel and, occasionally, vascular reconstruction of aneurysms.The treatment of these patients should be made at an institution with close collaboration between haematologists and hand surgeons (all surgical procedures must always be performed under cover of the deficient coagulation factor). Cite this article: EFORT Open Rev 2020;5:328-333. DOI: 10.1302/2058-5241.5.190078.

Caracterización de la tuberculosis pulmonar en mayores de 15 años. Hospital de Día "Dr. Efrén Jurado López" / Characterization of pulmonary tuberculosis in over 15 years. "Dr. Efrén Jurado López Day Hospital"

La tuberculosis pulmonar constituye una enfermedad de salud pública en el territorio ecuatoriano en expansión que provoca muerte y sufrimiento para la población. El objetivo del estudio es caracterizar la tuberculosis pulmonar en individuos mayores de 15 años que asisten al Hospital de Día "Dr. Efrén Jurado López" de la ciudad de Guayaquil. Se realizó una investigación cuantitativa, descriptiva, retrospectiva. La muestra de estudio quedó conformada por 58 pacientes de ambos géneros mayores de 15 años, diagnosticados con tuberculosis en todas sus formas, atendidos en el contexto de estudio entre enero 2017 y enero de 2018. En la recolección de la información se aplicó una ficha de observación validada por expertos con previo consentimiento informado de los pacientes estudiados. Como resultados se obtuvo que el 72,4% eran del sexo masculino y el 27,6% femenino. El predominio de diagnóstico presentado fue sintomático TBP BK+ en un 100%. Por otra parte para el diagnóstico por TBP cultivo + fue 87,9% (51/58) y TBP cultivo- de 12,1% (7/58). Por otra parte la TB EP fue de 25,9% (15/58) con predominio en el sexo masculino 80%, las formas de tuberculosis y la comorbilidad asociada al al Virus de Inmunodeficiencia Humana (VIH), se observó una frecuencia de 6,9% (4/58) de personas con TB que tenían VIH, de las cuales el 5,2% correspondían a casos de VIH con tuberculosis extra pulmonar y 1,7% a casos de TBP BK+/VIH. Se debe continuar trabajando en la búsqueda de TB en pacientes sintomáticos respiratorios para un diagnóstico oportuno(AU)

Characterization of pulmonary tuberculosis in teenagers older than 15 years in thedr.Efrénjuradolópez day time hospital. Pulmonary tuberculosis is a public health disease in the expanding Ecuadorian territory that causes death and suffering for the population. The objective of the study is to characterize pulmonary tuberculosis in individuals over 15 years of age attending the "Dr. Efrén Jurado López" Day Hospital in the city of Guayaquil. A quantitative, descriptive, retrospective investigation was carried out. The study sample consisted of 58 patients of both genders over 15 years of age, diagnosed with tuberculosis in all its forms, treated in the context of the study between January 2017 and January 2018. A data sheet was applied in the collection of information observation validated by experts with prior informed consent of the patients studied. As a result, it was obtained that 72.4% were male and 27.6% female. The prevalence of diagnosis presented was symptomatic TBP BK + in 100%. On the other hand for the diagnosis by TBP culture + it was 87.9% (51/58) and TBP culture- of 12.1% (7/58). On the other hand, the TB TB was 25.9% (15/58) with a predominance in the male sex 80%, the forms of tuberculosis and the comorbidity associated with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), a frequency of 6 was observed, 9% (4/58) of people with TB who had HIV, of which 5.2% corresponded to HIV cases with extra pulmonary tuberculosis and 1.7% to cases of BK + / HIV TBP. Work should continue in the search for TB in symptomatic respiratory patients for a timely diagnosis(AU)

La cirugía ortognática en el tratamiento del síndrome de apnea obstructiva del sueño / Orthognathic surgery in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome

RESUMEN Introducción: El síndrome de apnea obstructiva del sueño provoca somnolencia diurna; incide negativamente sobre el sistema cardiovascular y disminuye la calidad de vida. La cirugía ortognática provoca cambios en el espacio aéreo faríngeo, por lo que ha sido empleada en el tratamiento de dicho síndrome. Objetivo: Caracterizar las técnicas en cirugía ortognática más empleadas en el tratamiento del síndrome de apnea obstructiva del sueño, sus influencias sobre la vía aérea faríngea y efectividad terapéutica. Métodos: Se realizó una revisión de la literatura científica desde diciembre del 2016 a junio del 2017 a través de los buscadores de información y plataformas SciELO, Medline, Pubmed y Hinari. Los descriptores empleados para la búsqueda fueron cirugía ortognática, síndrome de apnea obstructiva del sueño, vía aérea faríngea, avance máxilo mandibular y sus combinaciones. Se obtuvieron 127 artículos de los que se seleccionaron 28 por su contenido, actualidad y objetividad. Análisis e integración de la información: El adelanto quirúrgico del maxilar, mandíbula, mentón o sus combinaciones minimiza los efectos del síndrome de apnea obstructiva del sueño. Es recomendable la cirugía bimaxilar en la corrección de las clases III esqueletales para atenuar posibles efectos perjudiciales sobre la vía aérea por la retroposición mandibular aislada. Conclusiones: La cirugía ortognática de avance, incrementa el espacio faríngeo y mejora la calidad del sueño. Los movimientos de retroposición pueden tener efecto inverso, aspecto importante en la corrección de las clases III esqueletales(AU)

ABSTRACT Introduction: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome causes daytime sleepiness, affects the cardiovascular system and reduces the quality of life. Since orthognathic surgery brings about changes in the pharyngeal airway space, it has been used to treat this syndrome. Objective: Characterize the orthognathic surgery techniques most commonly used to treat obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, their impact on the pharyngeal airway and their therapeutic effectiveness. Methods: A bibliographic review was conducted from December 2016 to June 2017 using the search engines and platforms SciELO, Medline, Pubmed and Hinari. The search words used were orthognathic surgery, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, pharyngeal airway, maxillomandibular advancement, and combinations thereof. Of the 127 papers obtained, 28 were selected based on their content, topicality and objectivity. Data analysis and integration: Surgical advancement of the maxilla, mandible, chin or combinations thereof minimizes the effects of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Bimaxillary surgery is recommended to correct skeletal class III malocclusion so as to lessen potential damaging effects on the airway caused by isolated mandibular retroposition. Conclusions: Advancement orthognathic surgery broadens the pharyngeal airway space and improves the quality of sleep. The fact that retroposition movements may have an opposite effect is an important aspect to be considered in the correction of skeletal class III malocclusions(AU)

Oseltamivir-induced toxic epidermal necrolysis in a patient with Cushing's disease.

We report a case of a patient with Cushing's disease with oseltamivir-induced toxic epidermal necrolysis, who was treated with cyclosporine with favorable evolution. There is only one case reported of Cushing's disease and toxic epidermal necrolysis and very few oseltamivir-induced toxic epidermal necrolysis cases in literature. This report also discusses the role that the preexisting hypercortisolism condition may have played in the development and favorable resolution of the toxic epidermal necrolysis.