What's in a name? Intolerance of uncertainty, other uncertainty-relevant constructs, and their differential relations to worry and generalized anxiety disorder.

A number of studies have examined the association of intolerance of uncertainty (IU) to trait worry and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). However, few studies have examined the extent of overlap between IU and other psychological constructs that bear conceptual resemblance to IU, despite the fact that IU-type constructs have been discussed and examined extensively within psychology and other disciplines. The present study investigated (1) the associations of IU, trait worry, and GAD status to a negative risk orientation, trait curiosity, indecisiveness, perceived constraints, self-oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism, intolerance of ambiguity, the need for predictability, and the need for order and structure and (2) whether IU is a unique correlate of trait worry and of the presence versus absence of Probable GAD, when overlap with other uncertainty-relevant constructs is accounted for. N = 255 adults completed self-report measures of the aforementioned constructs. Each of the constructs was significantly associated with IU. Only IU, and a subset of the other uncertainty-relevant constructs were correlated with trait worry or distinguished the Probable GAD group from the Non-GAD group. IU was the strongest unique correlate of trait worry and of the presence versus absence of Probable GAD. Indecisiveness, self-oriented perfectionism and the need for predictability were also unique correlates of trait worry or GAD status. Implications of the findings are discussed, in particular as they pertain to the definition, conceptualization, and cognitive-behavioral treatment of IU in GAD.

Analixity: An open source, low-cost analysis system for the elevated plus maze test, based on computer vision techniques.

Manual analysis of behavioral tests in rodents involves inspection of video recordings by a researcher that assesses rodent movements to quantify parameters related with a behavior of interest. The assessment of the researcher during the quantification of such parameters can introduce variability among experimental conditions or among sessions of analysis. Here, we introduce Analixity, a video processing software for the elevated plus maze test (EPM), in which quantification of behavioral parameters is automatic, reducing the time spent in analysis and solving the variability problem. Analixity is an adaptable multiplatform open-source system. Analixity generates an Excel file with the quantified behavioral variables, such as time spent in open and closed arms and in the center zone, number of entries to each zone and total distance traveled during the test. For validation, we compared results obtained by Analixity with results obtained by manual analysis. We did not find statistically significant differences. In addition, we compared the results obtained by Analixity with results obtained by the commercial software ANY-maze. We did not find statistically significant differences in the quantification of parameters such as time spent in open arms, time spent in closed arms, time spent in center zone, number of closed arms, open arms entries, and anxiety index. We concluded that Analixity is an open-source software as reliable and effective as a commercial software.

[Melanocytoma and meningeal melanocytosis, similar but different lesions]. / Melanocitoma y melanomatosis meníngea, lesiones similares pero diferentes.

BACKGROUND: Meningeal melanomatosis is an extra-axial well-encapsulated malignant tumour with diffuse meningeal growth and dark coloration (due to high melanin contents), while meningeal melanocytoma is the focalized benign variant. Melanocytic lesions may be secondary to melanoma or be histologically benign, however, their diffuse nature makes them impossible to cure. Melanocytosis is a diffuse tumour that can form solitary extra-axial tumours, which invades the parenchyma and presents signs of malignancy with increased mitosis and Ki67, observed in 1 to 6% of immunopathological exams. Melanoma of the leptomeninges, presents signs of malignancy with anaplastic cells, which cluster in fascicles of melanin in the cytoplasm, with more than 3 atypical mitoses per field and Ki67 presenting in more than 6% of the immunopathological fields analysed. CLINICAL CASE: We present the case of a patient with long-term meningeal melanomatosis, with progressive neurologic deficit and characteristic radiologic features, and another case of meningeal melanocytoma. CONCLUSIONS: Benign melanocytic neoplasms of the central nervous system must be treated aggressively in the early phases with strict follow-up to avoid progression to advanced phases that do not respond to any treatment method. Unfortunately, the prognosis for malignant melanocytic lesions is very poor irrespective of the method of treatment given.

Tumores sólidos seudopapilares del páncreas / Solid pseudopapillary tumors of the pancreas

El informe de tumores sólidos seudopapilares del páncreas, lesiones de potencial maligno incierto o francamente malignos, ha venido incrementándose a partir de su más amplio reconocimiento y caracterización como entidad anatomoclínica distintiva. Se les estima una frecuencia del 2 por ciento entre todas las neoplasias exocrinas del páncreas. Crecen lentamente sin correlación exacta entre aspecto histológico y comportamiento biológico. Presentamos los casos de dos pacientes femeninas de 24 y 15 años (casos 1 y 2), con excelente evolución luego del diagnóstico posquirúrgico, en el Centro Médico ABC de la Ciudad de México, de tumores sólidos seudopapilares del páncreas. Acudieron al hospital, por dolor abdominal, en el segundo caso precedido de trauma leve. El primer caso fue predominantemente quístico y el segundo predominantemente sólido, con 14 y 12 cm de diámetro respectivo. La histología, semejante en ambos, consistió en zonas sólidas y áreas de aspecto papilar con cambios mixoides. La inmunotinción destacó positividad para vimentina, expresión variable para marcadores neuroendocrinos, citoqueratina, receptores de progesterona y un hallazgo interesante: complejos ductuloinsulares en páncreas residual. Conclusiones: Ocurrencia en mujeres jóvenes; aspecto sólido-quístico; fácil exéresis; gran tamaño e histología sólida-papilar sugieren diagnóstico de tumor sólido seudopapilar pancreático, pudiendo evitar resecciones quirúrgicas excesivas.

Melanoma primario en el esófago. Caso inusual con esófago de Barrett / Primary melanoma in the esophagus. An unusual case with Barrettïs esophagus

Objetivo: presentar una entidad clinicopatológica rara, de difícil diagnóstico preoperatorio. Antecedentes: el melanoma primario esofágico no rebasa 0.1 por ciento de todas las neoplasias malignas en esta región, y puede asociarse con melanocitosis y melanosis en mucosa esofágica. Aunque la presentación clínica es semejante a la de cualquier otra neoplasia en el esófago, el comportamiento de los melanomas es más agresivo y fatal en la mayoría de los casos. La endoscopia generalmente muestra lesiones vegetantes no obstructivas, la pigmentación es oscura de la variante melánica, la única evidencia sugestiva diagnóstica previa al estudio microscópico. Es indispensable descartar clínicamente la posibilidad de un melanoma metastásico. Método: se revisan las características clínicas, imagenológicas, endoscópicas y anatomopatológicas de una neoplasia ulcerovegetante en la unión esofagogástrica, resecada a un hombre de 65 años de edad, que padecía disfagia progresiva. El paciente ha permanecido sin recidiva tumoral durante 18 meses ulteriores a la cirugía. Resultados: la masa tumoral resultó ser un tumor de células anaplásicas, con pigmentación melánica muy focal, teñido de manera difusa con el antígeno HMB-45 y la proteína S100, considerándolo como melanoma esofágico primario. La mucosa aledaña mostró un típico esófago de Barrett con hiperplasia melanocítica. Conclusiones: 1) la endoscopia puede sugerir la posibilidad de melanoma esofágico cuando se observa un tumor vegetante no obstructivo y pigmentado; 2) la inmunohistoquímica corrobora la entidad con la positividad para HMB-45 y S100, la negatividad para queratina y antígeno común leucocitario descartan carcinoma y linfoma, y 3) en este caso, la presencia de esófago de Barrett es excepcional, porque no ha sido descrita previamente en la literatura revisada.