Betulinic acid in complex with a gamma-cyclodextrin derivative decreases proliferation and in vivo tumor development of non-metastatic and metastatic B164A5 cells.

Betulinic acid, a very promising anti-melanoma agent, has very low water solubility that causes low bioavailability. To overcome this inconvenience, a highly water-soluble cyclodextrin was used (octakis-[6-deoxy-6-(2-sulfanyl ethanesulfonic acid)]-γ-cyclodextrin). The complex was physico-chemically analyzed using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) methods and then in vitro tested for its antiproliferative activity by the MTT assay and by cell cycle analysis. Finally, the complex was tested in vivo using an animal model of murine melanoma developed in C57BL/6J mice, where it caused a reduction in tumor volume and weight. The study revealed the beneficial influence of betulinic acid inclusion into the cyclodextrin in terms of antiproliferative activity and in vivo tumor development.

Application of the susceptible-infected-recovered deterministic model in a GII.P17 emergent norovirus strain outbreak in Romania in 2015.

PURPOSE: This study shows the epidemiological profile of the first gastroenteritis outbreak of GII.P17 in the Romanian territory. An outbreak with such large amplitude in a European territory was previously undocumented. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Using a cross-sectional design, with the susceptible-infected-recovered (SIR) deterministic compartmental model for a fixed population, and the cluster method for establishing the high-incidence zones, we carried out our investigation by means of questionnaires containing personal data, affected collectivities, disease onset and duration, symptoms displayed, medical assistance provided, previous antibiotic intake where applicable, food consumption and water sources, and sanitation conditions. The confirmation of cases was done based on the typical norovirus gastroenteritis symptomatology and using three laboratory confirmations (by molecular diagnosis) for GII.P17-GII.17 genotype noroviruses from three patients. RESULTS: A gastroenteritis outbreak occurred in October-November 2015, affecting 328 people in Arad, a county in Western Romania, covering 44 neighbouring localities with a total population of 35,440 people. The study detected an inter-human transmission of the infection, with an intrafamilial risk of disease of 2.26 (95% CI 1.76 to 2.90) compared with the community transmission (in school collectivity). The basic reproduction number Ro dropped from 1.26 to 0.18 during weeks 43:44, after controlling the transmission by decontamination and isolation. CONCLUSION: SIR made it possible to highlight the expansion of the emerging norovirus strain infection from community to family collectivities. This study provides practical solutions to limit disease cases, even in the absence of etiology, and shows the importance of sometimes underestimated traditional control methods.

[Visceral leishmaniasis--surgical aspects]. / Leishmanioza viscerala--aspecte chirurgicale.

Visceral Leishmaniasis is a multi-organic parasitic disease caused by an intracellular protozoon named Leishmania Donovani; the mean signs are: weight loss, cough, fever, hepatosplenomegaly, adenopathy and cutaneous lesions; death without treatment is the rule. The main treatment is a conservative one. Surgical treatment is necessary for complications, especially for those intra-abdominally. We wish to present a young female patient who underwent two subsequent interventions due to an unclear diagnosis. We emphasize the difficulties in achieving a certain diagnostic, because of the rarity of disease in Romania; there are also revealed surgical aspects, which are important because of very few available data in the literature.

[Fournier's gangrene--atypical onset for lower rectal cancer]. / Gangrena Fournier--modalitate atipica de debut in neoplasmul rectal inferior.

The onset for rectal cancer is often revealed by one of its complications. With lower frequency, for the rectum below peritoneal reflexion, the perforative-suppurative onset is possible. We wish to expose a 64 years old woman's case, presenting with Fournier's gangrene as a unique sign of a lower rectal adenocarcinoma. Diabetes mellitus determined the extension of infectious process to its ultimate form, and the poor postoperative evolution, leading to death as well. The need for rectal examination is obvious in perianal abscesses, even in absence of malignant signs.

Diagnosing tuberculosis with a novel support vector machine-based artificial immune recognition system.

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) is a major global health problem, which has been ranked as the second leading cause of death from an infectious disease worldwide. Diagnosis based on cultured specimens is the reference standard, however results take weeks to process. Scientists are looking for early detection strategies, which remain the cornerstone of tuberculosis control. Consequently there is a need to develop an expert system that helps medical professionals to accurately and quickly diagnose the disease. Artificial Immune Recognition System (AIRS) has been used successfully for diagnosing various diseases. However, little effort has been undertaken to improve its classification accuracy. OBJECTIVES: In order to increase the classification accuracy of AIRS, this study introduces a new hybrid system that incorporates a support vector machine into AIRS for diagnosing tuberculosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patient epacris reports obtained from the Pasteur laboratory of Iran were used as the benchmark data set, with the sample size of 175 (114 positive samples for TB and 60 samples in the negative group). The strategy of this study was to ensure representativeness, thus it was important to have an adequate number of instances for both TB and non-TB cases. The classification performance was measured through 10-fold cross-validation, Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE), sensitivity and specificity, Youden's Index, and Area Under the Curve (AUC). Statistical analysis was done using the Waikato Environment for Knowledge Analysis (WEKA), a machine learning program for windows. RESULTS: With an accuracy of 100%, sensitivity of 100%, specificity of 100%, Youden's Index of 1, Area Under the Curve of 1, and RMSE of 0, the proposed method was able to successfully classify tuberculosis patients. CONCLUSIONS: There have been many researches that aimed at diagnosing tuberculosis faster and more accurately. Our results described a model for diagnosing tuberculosis with 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity. This model can be used as an additional tool for experts in medicine to diagnose TBC more accurately and quickly.

Assessement of angiogenesis reveals blood vessel heterogeneity in lung carcinoma.

Despite advances in treatment, the prognosis for lung cancer patients remains poor. Angiogenesis appears to be a promising target for lung cancer therapy; however, the clinical significance of vascular changes are not completely understood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the types and morphology of blood vessels in various lung carcinomas. Using double immunostaining, we investigated 39 biopsies from patients admitted with various histological types of lung carcinoma. Tumor blood vessels were quantified separately for CD34/smooth muscle actin and described as either immature, intermediate or mature. Double immunostaining evaluation of the type of blood vessels in lung carcinomas revealed a marked heterogeneity. The immature and intermediate type of vessels were more common in adenocarcinomas (ADCs) and squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) of the lung. Small cell lung carcinomas revealed a significant correlation between pathological and immature types of blood vessels. Therefore, quantifying the types of tumor vessels in lung carcinomas may be an important element to improve the results of anti-vascular therapy.