Photodynamic Therapy Interventions in Facial Photodamage: A Systematic Review.

INTRODUCTION: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) involves the combination of a light source and a photosensitizing agent to induce tissue damage via the generation of singlet oxygen. Although topical PDT has been approved for other indications, its use in facial photodamage is uncertain. AIMS: To assess the efficacy and safety of PDT in facial skin photoaging. METHODS: All randomized clinical trials (RCTs) evaluating the efficacy and safety of any form of topical PDT for the treatment of facial photodamage (dermatoheliosis) or photoaging in patients older than 18 years, were included. Photodynamic-therapy using any topical photosensitizing agent at any dose, and with any light-source, were considered. Comparators were chemical exfoliation, intense pulsed light (IPL), light emitting diodes (LED), dermabrasion or microdermabrasion, ablative or non-ablative lasers, injectables, surgery, placebo and/or no treatment. A systematic search in PubMed, Embase, Lilacs, Google Scholar and RCT's registry databases, was performed. RESULTS: Search was conducted up to May 4th 2016. Four authors independently selected and assessed methodological quality of each RCT. According to inclusion criteria, twelve studies were included (6 aminolevulinate (ALA) trials and 6 methyl aminolevulinate (MAL) trials), but the majority of them had methodological constraints particularly in randomization description and patients/outcome assessors blindness. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Overall results indicated that PDT either with ALA or with MAL was effective and safe for facial photodamage treatment, but high quality of evidence was found mainly for MAL studies.

Effects of an Educational Intervention on Breast Self-Examination, Breast Cancer Prevention-Related Knowledge, and Healthy Lifestyles in Scholars from a Low-Income Area in Bogota, Colombia.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of an educational intervention on breast self-examination, cancer prevention-related knowledge, practices, and behavior change in scholars from a low-income area in Bogota, Colombia. Uncontrolled trial was conducted in 155 scholars. Two educational sessions, 90 min each, were carried out in March 2015 according to the Colombian guidelines for educational communication in the framework of cancer control. All participants completed a self-reported questionnaire at pre- and post-intervention, as well as 1, 3, and 6 months after the intervention. Breast self-examination was practiced by 78.1% of the scholars, and the overall knowledge of breast cancer risk factors was poor. The educational intervention resulted in significant improvements on breast self-examination practice, the knowledge of the technique, and the knowledge of the main risk factors for breast cancer as well as the practice of physical activity and vegetable intake at 6 months follow-up. An educational intervention according to the Colombian guidelines for educational communication in the framework of cancer control improved the practice of breast self-examination, cancer prevention-related knowledge, as well as the practice of physical activity and vegetable consumption in scholars from a low-income area in Bogota, Colombia. Further randomized controlled studies are warranted.

Raising Awareness for Lung Cancer Prevention and Healthy Lifestyles in Female Scholars from a Low-Income Area in Bogota, Colombia: Evaluation of a National Framework.

This study aims to determine the effects of an educational intervention, based on the Colombian guidelines for educational communication in the framework of cancer control, for raising lung cancer prevention-related awareness, and improving healthy lifestyles in female scholars from a low-income area in Bogota, Colombia. Uncontrolled trial conducted in 243 female scholars (mean age 14 years ± 1.5 SD). Two 90 min educational sessions were carried out in March 2015 according to the Colombian guidelines for educational communication in the framework of cancer control. Posters and other educational materials were created by scholars after the intervention. All participants completed a self-reported questionnaire-The Cancer Awareness Measure-at pre and post-intervention, as well as 1, 3, and 6 months after the intervention. Smoking prevalence (8.2% at baseline) was reduced by 3.7% at 6 months follow-up (p < 0.005). The scholars exhibited low to moderate awareness of both warning signs and risk factors for lung cancer at baseline. These variables showed statistically significant improvements at 6 months follow-up (p < 0.005). Similar improvements were also found for physical activity, high-fat diet, and fruits and vegetable intake. This evaluation of the Colombian guidelines for educational communication in the framework of cancer control raised awareness towards lung cancer prevention, reduced smoking, and improved other healthy-lifestyle-related factors in a group of female scholars from a low-income area in Bogota, Colombia. Further randomized controlled studies are needed.

Efeito da composição genética nas caraterísticas de conformação em equinos / Effect of genetic composition in conformation traits in horse

Objetivou-se verificar o efeito da composição genética nas características morfológicas em equinos com diferentes objetivos de seleção. Foram utilizados 234 equinos sendo 136 da raça Mangalarga Marchador e 90 entre mestiços e puros Quarto de Milha utilizados em vaquejada. Foram mensuradas as medidas lineares de altura na cernelha, na garupa, no dorso, no costado e na cintura pélvica; os comprimentos de corpo, de cabeça, de pescoço, de dorsolombo, de garupa, de espádua, de braço, de antebraço, de canela anterior, de quartela anterior, de coxa, de perna, de canela posterior e de quartela posterior; os perímetros de tórax, de cintura pélvica, de canela anterior e de canela posterior; as larguras de cabeça, de peito e de garupa. O peso corporal foi estimado por meio de fita métrica (em kg). Os ângulos mensurados foram escápulo-solo, escápulo-umeral, úmero-radial, metacarpo-falangiano, pelve-solo, pelve-femoral, fêmur-tíbio-patelar, tíbio-tarso-metatarsiano e metatarso-falangiano descritos. O modelo estatístico considerou os efeitos de sexo, raça e interação sexo*raça com as médias comparadas pleo teste SNK a 5% de significância. Houve interação sexo x raça para as todas as características de alturas e larguras, para as medidas de comprimento do pescoço, do dorsolombo, garupa, espádua, braço antebraço e canela anterior e para as angulações apenas a escápulo-umeral, enquanto a raça teve efeito para todas as medidas angulares (P<0,01) exceto a úmero-radial. Os autores conluíram que os animais das raças Mangalarga Marchador e Quarto de Milha são biótipos geneticamente diferentes em suas medidas lineares e angulares e que as diferenças observadas entre as raças podem estar associadas ao tipo de andamento e à funcionalidade atribuída a cada uma delas induzidas pela seleção.(AU)

This study aimed to verify the effect of the genetic conformation of the tarits in horses with different selection goals. In a total of 234 horses, 136 were from the Mangalarga Marchador breed and 90 were Quarter Horse crossed and pure used in vaquejada. The linear measurements of height at the withers, the rump, the back, on the side and pelvic girdle; the length as body, head, neck, backing sirloin, rump, shoulder, arm, forearm, fore cannon, fore pastern, thigh, leg, hind cannon and hind pastern; the chest perimeters of pelvis, fore hind cannon; the head width, chest and hip; and body weight estimated by measuring tape (kg) were recorded. The measured angles of joints were shoulder-floor, scapulohumeral, humerus-radial, metacarpal-phalangeal, pelvis-floor, pelvis-femoral, femoral-tibial-patellar, tibial-tarsal-metatarsal and metatarsal-phalangeal. The statistical model considered the effects of sex, race and sex x race interaction with means compared byt the SNK test at 5% significance level. There was sex x race interaction for all the features of heights and widths for the neck length measures, the back-loin, rump, shoulder, arm, forearm and fore cannon lenght and angulation just scapulohumeral while the race had effect for all angular measurements (P<0.01) except the radial-humeral. The authors concluded that animals of Mangalarga Marchador and Quarter are genetically different biotypes in their linear and angular measurements and the differences between races may be associated with the type of running and the functionality assigned to each induced selection.(AU)

Going straight to the point: intra-BM injection of hematopoietic progenitors.

Intra-BM injection (IBMI) has been used clinically as a technique to deliver medications, blood products and fluids to critically ill children and war-wounded soldiers. Interest in IBMI has now been renewed in the setting of hematopoietic cell transplantation, in particular when umbilical cord blood is the graft source. Clinical studies have not yet unequivocally shown improvement in hematopoietic recovery. However, most intriguing is the observation, both in the clinical setting and in murine models, that the IBMI delivery of hematopoietic grafts and lymphocytes may reduce in the risk of acute GVHD. The underlying mechanism of the reduced risk of GVHD requires further investigation. In this study, we review the rationale as well as the clinical and pre-clinical data that support the study of IBMI as a method to deliver hematopoietic cells.

[Vaginal evisceration. Report of a case and review of the literature]. / Evisceración vaginal. Presentación de un caso y revisión de la literatura.

A case report of small bowel penetration through the cult the sac in a 23 year old female patient is presented and the management is discussed, with review of the world literature.

[Antithrombin III activity in health cats and its changes in selected disease]. / Antithrombin III-Aktivität bei der gesunden Katze und ihre Veränderung bei ausgewählten Erkrankungen.

Measurements of the antithrombin III (AT III) activity in feline plasma with a thrombin dependent chromogenic substrate assay using an automatic analyzer showed a high within run precision. The coefficient of variance was 1.82% (normal AT III activity) or 3.19% (decreased AT III activity), respectively. In comparison with the feline pool plasma the AT III activity in canine plasma was similar (93.7%) and in human reference plasma was lower (71.7%). Respecting healthy cats aged more than three months no distinct influence could be demonstrated on the AT III activity neither of age nor of gender (p = 0.2180). Based on the 2.5%- and 97.5%- quantile the reference range was 83.5-122.5% respecting the total number of healthy cats (n = 138) or 82.6-121.5% concerning the 116 European Shorthair cats. AT III activity of cats infected with feline immunodeficiency virus (n = 37) or teline leukemia virus (n = 20) as well as of cats suffering from different solitary tumors (n = 8) was not distinctly different from the control group (p > 0.05). On the contrary, a significant decrease of AT III activity was found in traumatized cats (n = 20; median = 80.8%, p < 0.0001) as well as in animals with chronic renal failure (n = 20; median = 91.7%, p = 0.0228) which can be mainly attributed to a consumption reaction or excessive renal loss, respectively.

[Hemophilia A in the dog: symptoms, blood coagulation analysis and treatment]. / Hämophilie A beim Hund: Symptome, Blutgerinnungsanalyse und Behandlung.

In our patients, haemophilia A was observed in German shepherd dogs and Siberian huskies. Frequently occurring clinical symptoms were excessive bleeding from the gums, when getting adult teeth, and haematomas in the regions of the proximal hindleg, the knee joint as well as the chest or abdominal wall, respectively. The activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) as a screening test of the intrinsic coagulation system reflects sensitively also a mildly reduced factor VIII:C activity which may be present for example during substitution therapy. Therefore, the aPTT is well suited for screening for haemophilia A. In haemophilic dogs suffering from hypovolaemic shock due to a considerable acute blood loss, besides the aPTT also the prothrombin time and partly the platelet number were beyond the respective reference range due to loss and consumption of coagulation factors and thrombocytes. For substitution therapy, fresh frozen plasma was used in the first line. Administered at a dose of 15 or 20 ml/kg BW, it caused an increase of factor VIII:C activity by 20 or 33%, respectively. 24 hours after the end of infusion the mean of the remaining activity increase in comparison with the value measured immediately after substitution was 27%. The fast, biphasic elimination of factor VIII:C in some cases required a repeated application until clinical recovery. Desmopressin acetate given at a dose of 1 microgram/kg KGW intravenously or subcutaneously to two dogs each did not cause a distinct increase of the factor VIII:C activity, and is, therefore, not an efficacious supplementary therapy to substitution therapy in haemophilic dogs.

[The effect of the albumin concentration on the relation between the concentration of ionized calcium and total calcium in the blood of dogs]. / Einfluss der Albuminkonzentration auf die Beziehung zwischen der Konzentration des ionisierten Calciums und Gesamtcalciums im Blut des Hundes.

Based on the results of 367 healthy dogs of different age, it could be demonstrated that the concentration of ionized calcium corrected to the pH-value of 7.4 ([Cai (7.4)]) as well as the concentration of total calcium ([Catot]) clearly decreased with increasing age. The most obvious changes were found during the first four months. The [Cai (7.4)] was not influenced distinctly by sex or by breed. The reference range (2.5-97.5% quantil) for [Cai (7.4)] in heparinized plasma was 1.32-1.51 mmol/l in 4-months- to 1-year-old dogs and 1.22-1.46 mmol/l in dogs older than one year, corresponding to a proportion of Cai to Catot of 44.9-54.9%. A moderately close correlation existed between [Cai (7.4)] and the [Catot] (r = 0.754) (n = 393 adult dogs: 180 healthy animals and 213 unselected patients). A similar correlation coefficient was found between the concentrations of Catot and albumin (r = 0.718) or total protein (r = 0.617), respectively. The proportion of Cai to Catot decreased with an increasing concentration of albumin, whereas [Cai (7.4)] tended to increase. The correction of the [Catot] for albumin did not lead to an increased correlation coefficient for the relation with [Cai (7.4)] (r = 0.676). In addition to albumin concentration, the relation between [Cai (7.4)] and the Catot is primarily influenced by complex-forming ions. This became clear by the transient citrate-induced decrease of [Cai (7.4)] whereas [Catot] increased after infusion of fresh frozen plasma in dogs suffering from diarrhea. This investigation shows the limits of the estimation of calcium homoeostasis on the basis of the [Catot].