Biochemical parameters and oxidative stress markers in Tunisian patients with periodontal disease.

BACKGROUND: Oxidative stress is involved in many diseases including diabetes and cancer. Numbers of studies have suggested its involvement in the pathogenesis of periodontal diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the levels of biochemical parameters and oxidative stress markers in plasma of healthy and chronic periodontitis patients. METHODS: One hundred thirty subjects were divided into two groups; patients (mean age = 42 ± 13.6 y.o) and control (mean age = 44.8 ± 12.6 y.o). Patients and healthy subjects were free from any infection, coronary or heart disease, diabetes or liver failure. Total cholesterol, LDLc, HDLc, Triglycerides (TG), creatinine, uric acid (UA), glucose and urea levels as well as the activities of enzymatic antioxidants such as catalase, glutathione reductase (GR) and total antioxidant capacity (TAOC), were measured in plasma samples using colorimetric assays. Statistical differences between groups were determined by Student's t-test and p ≤ 0.05 was considered as significant. RESULTS: Periodontitis patients exhibited significant decrease in the activities of catalase, TAOC, GR and TG, cholesterol, LDLc, glucose, HDLc, uric acid levels in plasma samples in comparison with healthy subjects. However, no statistically significant differences in the levels of creatinine and urea were observed between the two groups. CONCLUSION: The reduction of plasma antioxidant activities (Catalase, TAOC, GR) may have a role in the pathogenesis of periodontal diseases. Our findings suggest a decrease in the host capacity to control the damage caused by oxidative stress. Therefore, therapeutic strategies, aiming at modulating the oxidative stress could be considered as potential tools for the prevention or treatment of periodontal diseases and their potential systemic effects on the general health.

Cavernous hemangioma of the forearm muscles: Three case reports and literature review.

Introduction: Hemangiomas are common benign vascular tumors. Intramuscular hemangioma is a very rare type of hemangioma occurring in the skeletal muscle. The lower limb muscles are more likely to be affected. The location within the muscles of the forearm is extremely rare. Case Report: We present three cases of intramuscular hemangioma of the upper limb. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a vascular tumor within the pronator teres muscle in two cases and the extensor pollicis brevis muscle in the other. The tumors were surgically excised, and histopathologic examination confirmed the diagnosis of intramuscular cavernous hemangioma. The limb function was good and there was no recurrence at 12-month follow-up in the three cases. Conclusion: Intramuscular hemangiomas of the forearm are a condition that should be evoked by orthopedic surgeons in front of pain and swelling of this region. MRI is the most effective imaging method to suspect the diagnosis.

Al2O3 Dot and Antidot Array Synthesis in Hexagonally Packed Poly(styrene-block-methyl methacrylate) Nanometer-Thick Films for Nanostructure Fabrication.

Nanostructured organic templates originating from self-assembled block copolymers (BCPs) can be converted into inorganic nanostructures by sequential infiltration synthesis (SIS). This capability is particularly relevant within the framework of advanced lithographic applications because of the exploitation of the BCP-based nanostructures as hard masks. In this work, Al2O3 dot and antidot arrays were synthesized by sequential infiltration of trimethylaluminum and water precursors into perpendicularly oriented cylinder-forming poly(styrene-block-methyl methacrylate) (PS-b-PMMA) BCP thin films. The mechanism governing the effective incorporation of Al2O3 into the PMMA component of the BCP thin films was investigated evaluating the evolution of the lateral and vertical dimensions of Al2O3 dot and antidot arrays as a function of the SIS cycle number. The not-reactive PS component and the PS/PMMA interface in self-assembled PS-b-PMMA thin films result in additional paths for diffusion and supplementary surfaces for sorption of precursor molecules, respectively. Thus, the mass uptake of Al2O3 into the PMMA block of self-assembled PS-b-PMMA thin films is higher than that in pure PMMA thin films.

Primary sclerosing epithelioid fibrosarcoma presenting as lombosciatic syndrome: Case report and literature review.

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE: Sclerosing epithelioid fibrosarcoma (SEF) is a rare variant of low grade fibrosarcoma, with specific histological and immunohistochemical features. SEF is a difficult to diagnose. The prognosis is poor with a 40% mortality rate. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a case of 45-year-old female patient who presented to our department with a history of right sciatalgia evolving for three months. On physical examination, a firmly not well-defined mass was found in the right gluteal region. The histological diagnosis revealed a SEF. CLINICAL DISCUSSION: SEF appears to be a slowly growing tumor often present for several months or years before diagnosis. The 3-month delay of our diagnosis shows the difficulty arising from the inconclusive clinical of this tumor. CONCLUSION: SEF of the gluteal region can induce sciatalgia. The diagnosis should be made as early as possible in order to improve the prognosis.

Intra-articular leiomyoma of the knee mimicking a ganglion cyst in a child: A case report and review of literature.

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE: Angioleiomyoma is a rare benign soft tissue tumor of smooth muscle getting its origin from the muscular layer of vessel walls. The localized type of leiomyoma occurs on the skin, deep soft tissues, in the genitourinary, gastrointestinal, and respiratory tracts. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a case of a 16-year-old patient who presented with an intra-articular leiomyoma developed in the anterior cruciate ligament and treated with arthroscopy. CLINICAL DISCUSSION: Angioleiomyoma can occur anywhere in the body and is most often seen in the extremities, particularly the lower limbs, but is very rare in the knee joint. Angioleiomyoma should be included in the differential diagnosis of nodular lesions mimicking loose body, such as lipomas, inclusion cysts, ganglion, pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS), fibroma, nodular synovitis, hemangioma, synovial sarcoma, myopericytoma, leiomyosarcomas, glomus tumor. CONCLUSION: Angioleiomyoma related to the cruciate ligaments of the knee should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a painful knee especially when associated with a decreased of range of motion of knee. The arthroscopic debridement should be considered the treatment of choice in order to reliably restore active ROM.

[Role of lumbar puncture for febrile seizure among infants under one year old]. / L'utilité de la ponction lombaire en cas de convulsion fébrile chez le nourrisson agé de moins d'un an.

BACKGROUND: Febrile seizure is a frequent cause of hospitalization. Its management remains problematic. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, lumbar puncture, which is not devoid of risk, is strongly recommended in infants under 1 year. AIM: to define the utility of lumbar puncture in the management of febrile seizures in infants under 12 months and to identify risk factors of meningitis and to respond to this question: "lumbar punction should be done in which infant with febrile seizure?" PATIENTS AND METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted in the department of pediatrics B in the Children Hospital of Tunis on eight-year period (2000-2008). In all statistical tests, significance level was set at 0.05. RESULTS: One hundred and six cases were collected during the period of study. Seizures related to bacterial meningitis were seen in 11 cases (10%). We have separated two groups: GI infants presented bacterial meningitis, and G2 infants with febrile seizure. The comparison between the two groups G1 and G2 showed the following predictors factors of meningitis: age < or = 7 months (p = 0.035), partial seizure (p = 0.028), duration of seizure > 5 min (p < 0.001), recurrence of seizure in the same day(p = 0,006), neurological abnormalities p < 0.001), CRP > 20 mg/l (p = 0.03), hyponatremia < or = 125 mmol/l (p = 0.01). The risk of meningitis is very low: 3.1 x 10 -3, if this condition is met: infants older than 7 months, having a unique and short seizure < or = 5 min, and with a CRP < or = 20mg/l. CONCLUSION: If the infant is older than 7 months, presenting a unique, febrile and short (< or = 5 min) seizure, having a normal neurological examination with CRP < or = 20 mg/l, lumbar puncture should be discussed a case by case but an hospitalization for 24 hours is required for monitoring.

Resist-Free Directed Self-Assembly Chemo-Epitaxy Approach for Line/Space Patterning.

This work reports a novel, simple, and resist-free chemo-epitaxy process permitting the directed self-assembly (DSA) of lamella polystyrene-block-polymethylmethacrylate (PS-b-PMMA) block copolymers (BCPs) on a 300 mm wafer. 193i lithography is used to manufacture topographical guiding silicon oxide line/space patterns. The critical dimension (CD) of the silicon oxide line obtained can be easily trimmed by means of wet or dry etching: it allows a good control of the CD that permits finely tuning the guideline and the background dimensions. The chemical pattern that permits the DSA of the BCP is formed by a polystyrene (PS) guide and brush layers obtained with the grafting of the neutral layer polystyrene-random-polymethylmethacrylate (PS-r-PMMA). Moreover, data regarding the line edge roughness (LER) and line width roughness (LWR) are discussed with reference to the literature and to the stringent requirements of semiconductor technology.

Exploring Strategies to Contact 3D Nano-Pillars.

This contribution explores different strategies to electrically contact vertical pillars with diameters less than 100 nm. Two process strategies have been defined, the first based on Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) indentation and the second based on planarization and reactive ion etching (RIE). We have demonstrated that both proposals provide suitable contacts. The results help to conclude that the most feasible strategy to be implementable is the one using planarization and reactive ion etching since it is more suitable for parallel and/or high-volume manufacturing processing.

Giant condyloma acuminatum in an infant.

We report a 10-month-old boy who presented with a giant perianal condyloma acuminatum, and a similar lesion on the neck. These lesions were treated by surgical excision with satisfactory results. This size, extent, and early age of appearance make this case highly unusual.

[Community acquired pneumonia in children]. / Pneumopathies communautaires chez l'enfant.

BACKGROUND: Community acquired pneumonia is responsible for a high morbidity in children. The etiological diagnosis is not always easy and treatment remains probabilistic. AIM: To analysis clinical patterns and the outcome of community acquired pneumonia and to find arguments in favour of its origin. METHODS: A prospective analysis of the files of 39 children (20 boys, 19 girls) hospitalized between (1 december 2004 - 30 june 2005) for community acquired pneumonia was performed. Included dchildren whad between 6 months and 15 years-old. RESULTS: The mean age was of 3 years and three months. Germ was identified in 41% of cases: Mycoplasma pneumoniae was the most important germ found in 9 cases, pneumococcus was found in 4 cases and hemophilus in four cases. Coinfection pneumococcus and mycoplasma were found in two cases. None virus was identified. We have separated two groups: bacterial pneumonia and pneumoniae without definite etiology. Fat cough was associated to bacterial pneumonia. mycoplama pneumoniae was significantly associated with high fever and dry cough. We haven't found any others associations between clinical, biological or radiological patterns and the two groups of pneumonia. C-reactive protein more than 66 mg/l has sensitivity of 77%, specificity of 73.3%, positive predictive value of 46.7% of and negative predictive value of 91.7%. The outcome was favourable in all cases. CONCLUSION: Theses results showed the necessity to improve our microbiological methods to identify infectious agents of pneumonia. Mycoplasma pneumonia seems to be a frequent germ in preschool children.

X-ray characterization of contact holes for block copolymer lithography.

The directed self-assembly (DSA) of block copolymers (BCPs) is a promising low-cost approach to patterning structures with critical dimensions (CDs) which are smaller than can be achieved by traditional photolithography. The CD of contact holes can be reduced by assembling a cylindrical BCP inside a patterned template and utilizing the native size of the cylinder to dictate the reduced dimensions of the hole. This is a particularly promising application of the DSA technique, but in order for this technology to be realized there is a need for three-dimensional metrology of the internal structure of the patterned BCP in order to understand how template properties and processing conditions impact BCP assembly. This is a particularly challenging problem for traditional metrologies owing to the three-dimensional nature of the structure and the buried features. By utilizing small-angle X-ray scattering and changing the angle between the incident beam and sample we can reconstruct the three-dimensional shape profile of the empty template and the residual polymer after self-assembly and removal of one of the phases. A two-dimensional square grid pattern of the holes results in scattering in both in-plane directions, which is simplified by converting to a radial geometry. The shape is then determined by simulating the scattering from a model and iterating that model until the simulated and experimental scattering profiles show a satisfactory match. Samples with two different processing conditions are characterized in order to demonstrate the ability of the technique to evaluate critical features such as residual layer thickness and sidewall height. It was found that the samples had residual layer thicknesses of 15.9 ± 3.2 nm and 4.5 ± 2.2 nm, which were clearly distinguished between the two different DSA processes and in good agreement with focused ion beam scanning transmission electron microscopy (FIBSTEM) observations. The advantage of the X-ray measurements is that FIBSTEM characterizes around ten holes, while there are of the order of 800 000 holes illuminated by the X-ray beam.

An embedded neutral layer for advanced surface affinity control in grapho-epitaxy directed self-assembly.

Advanced surface affinity control for grapho-epitaxy directed self-assembly (DSA) patterning is essential for providing reliable DSA-based solutions for the development of semiconductor patterning. Independent control of surface affinity between the bottom and the sidewalls of a topographical guiding structure was achieved by embedding an ultrathin layer in the guiding template stack. The implementation of an embedded layer with tunable surface properties for DSA grapho-epitaxy was evaluated and optimized on 300 mm wafers by critical dimension SEM characterization. It was demonstrated that a thin protective layer, placed between the hard mask guiding template and the embedded layer, allows the preservation of the surface properties of the embedded layer during guiding template etching. The DSA performances of this novel grapho-epitaxy integration, using a topographical template patterned with 193 nm immersion lithography, were evaluated by monitoring the success rate and the critical dimension uniformity of the shrunk contacts. FIB-STEM analyses were further carried out to analyze the residual polymer thickness on the resulting contacts. This new integration leads to the control of the polymer residual thickness (a few nanometers) and uniformity (inferior to 1 nm) at the bottom of the guiding template which will facilitate the subsequent DSA pattern transfer.

[Laparoscopic repair of a post-traumatic ruptured diaphragm. Case report]. / Traitement laparoscopique d'une rupture diaphragmatique post-traumatique. A propos d'un cas.

We report an observation of traumatic rupture of the diaphragm repaired laparoscopically. A 23-year-old man was admitted to our hospital two days after having undergone a traffic accident. The diagnosis was evoked by chest radiograph, then confirmed by Computed tomography scan, in front of an ascension of the left diaphragmatic cupola and an intrathoracic digestive clarity. Seen the hemodynamic stability of the patient, a laparoscopic repair was indicated. The intra-abdominal pressure was fixed at 10 mm Hg. Despite the retraction of the diaphragmatic banks and the posterior seat of the breach, the intervention was held without any major incident. The postoperative course was marked by the formation of an encysted left pleural hematoma evacuated by a lung decortication. The evolution was normal thereafter.

[Late post-operative adhesive small bowel occlusions. About 258 cases]. / Les occlusions du grele par brides post-operatoires tardives. A propos de 258 cas.

This retrospective study reports a series of 258 patients operated on for late developing post-operative adhesive occlusions. The impact of anterior interventions on these occlusions. The impact of anterior interventions on the occllusions as well as he clinical and paraclinical patterns are discussed before any approach to the different therapeutic aspects of this complication. Previous surgery had an impact not by number of the operations performed (80% of patient had undergone only one intervention on the pelvis or abdomen) but essentially by the nature of the opertions since most of the adhesions occured following surgery on the appendix. The diagnosis should be made urgently ont basis of findings yielded by physical examination and plain abdominal x-rays (ct-scan of the abdomen is hardly indicated for the absence of hydroaeric levels on the plain abdominal film does not defintely exclude the strangulation). Laparoscopic adhesiolys is an adegnate treatment in case of a single adhesion. This laparoscopic is an adegnate treatment in case of a single adhesion. This laparoscopic procedure practised on 11 patients had to be transformed in 3 cases in to an open laparoctomy. Resection rate was 11.6%. Mortality and morbidity rates were 2% and 17% respectively.

Acute cholangitis caused by intra-biliary rupture of pancreatic hydatid cyst.

A case of intra-biliary rupture of pancreatic hydatid cyst is presented. The site of the cyst in the pancreatic head, cholangitis, the advanced age of patient, previous history of cholecystectomy, liver hydatidosis and gastrectomy for ulcer disease, led to diagnostic and therapeutic difficulties. As in some cases of intra-biliary rupture of the liver hydatid cyst, surgical treatment of this pancreatic hydatid cyst included evacuation of cystic contents through choledocotomy and biliary-enteric anastomosis with uneventful postoperative course.

[Carcinoid tumors of the appendix. A report of 46 cases]. / Tumeurs carcinoïdes de l'appendice. A propos de 46 cas.

Carcinoïd tumors of the appendix are rare. The appendix constitutes the most frequent localization of these tumors. We studied of a retrospective way all cases that had an appendectomy in the service of general surgery of Sfax on a period of 7 years going from 1995 to 2001. During this period, 9584 patients had an appendectomy in our service. Among which, 46 cases (0.48%) of carcinoid tumor of the appendix have been diagnosed. In more than 95% of cases, patients were admitted due to acute appendicitis; but none of them had the signs of the carcinoid syndrome. The treatment was a simple appendectomy in 44 cases (95%). The right hemicolectomy was necessary in two cases, because of an invasion of the appendicular base in a case and a tumor greater than 2 cm in the other case. There is no reported case of lymph node or systemic metastasis. The authors discuss data in the literature and analyse the features of the clinical picture, diagnosis, and try to define a convenient attitude of treatment of these tumors.

[Mucus secreting tumors of the appendix. Report of 22 cases]. / Les tumeurs mucosécrétantes de l'appendice. A propos de 22 cas.

The retrospective study presented in this article was realized on a series of 22 cases of mucus secreting tumor of the appendix compiled among 8373 appendicectomies. The clinical picture was dominated by an appendiceal syndrome (73%). The diagnosis was made pre or peroperatively in 10 cases and it was only with to the systematic anatomopathologic exam that 12 other cases were discovered. The histological study of the appendectomy piece showed a retention mucocele (12 cases), a mucosal hyperplasia (8 cases) and a cystadenoma (2 cases). For 5 patients, the diagnosis of peritoneal pseudomyxoma (4 cases) or extraperitoneal (1 case) was retained. All the patients underwent an appendicectomy, associated to an evacuation of the peritoneal gelatinous ascites for 5 patients among whom two underwent in more an omentectomie. Two cases of recurrence were recorded 5 months later.

[Acute cholangitis caused by intra-biliary rupture of pancreatic hydatid cyst]

A case of intra-biliary rupture of pancreatic hydatid cyst is presented. The site of the cyst in the pancreatic head, cholangitis, the advanced age of patient, previous history of cholecystectomy, liver hydatidosis and gastrectomy for ulcer disease, led to diagnostic and therapeutic difficulties. As in some cases of intra-biliary rupture of the liver hydatid cyst, surgical treatment of this pancreatic hydatid cyst included evacuation of cystic contents through choledocotomy and biliary-enteric anastomosis with uneventful postoperative course