Left caloric vestibular stimulation as a tool to reveal implicit and explicit parameters of body representation.

Homeostatic parameters, such as temperature, are related to body representation. In this study, we measured whether caloric vestibular stimulation (CVS) alters body temperature and tactile processing, and if in the direction predicted by a holistic body matrix representation. Skin temperature and tactile two-point discrimination (TPD) acuity were measured for both arms before, immediately after and with a delay from CVS. Participants were also administered a personality questionnaire and an anxiety inventory to rule out confounding factors. Two control experiments were planned to exclude casual variations. Our results show that temperature drops significantly in both arms after CVS. CVS also induces a bilateral improvement in tactile acuity (even though not immediately after but in the delayed condition). Finally, these effects are not due to learning, as demonstrated by the control experiment. In summary, our results suggest that vestibular stimulation updates body representation, supporting the evidence in favor of a body matrix.

Clostridium perfringens-induced massive hemolysis treatment with blood purification to target toxins: a case report.

Clostridium perfringens can rarely cause severe systemic infections, usually from an abdominal source, associated with massive hemolysis, which is usually fatal. Hemolytic anemia and acute renal injury resulting from toxin action are critical for the development of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODs), making this condition a real emergency, requiring multispecialty skills and aggressive multimodal therapies. We herein describe a case of septic shock from acute cholecystitis with massive hemolysis caused by C. perfringens in a 55 year-old man that was successfully treated with early blood purification and continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) along with antibiotic therapy and surgery. The effect of the enormous amount of toxins produced by Clostridium which elicit a strong cytokine response and the damage caused by the hemolysis products are the main pathogenetic mechanisms of this rare but lethal clinical entity. The main goal of treatment is to remove toxins from plasma, block toxin action, and further production by achieving bacterial killing with antimicrobial agents and controlling the infectious focus, remove waste products and prevent or limit multiorgan damage. Blood purification techniques play an important role due to a strong pathophysiological rationale, as they can remove toxins and cytokines as well as cell-free products from plasma and also replace renal function. Although this condition is rare and robust data are lacking, blood purification techniques for C. perfringens-induced massive hemolysis are promising and should be further explored.

[Postoperative complications and local recurrence of mid-lower rectal carcinoma treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and surgery. Preliminary results]. / Le complicanze post-operatorie e le recidive locali nel carcinoma del retto medio-inferiore trattato con chemioradio-terapia neoadiuvante e chirurgia. Risultati preliminari.

In our study we evaluate postoperative complications and local recurrence in local advanced rectal cancer after preoperative chemoradiation plus surgery. We treated 24 patients, 15 males and 9 females; in all cases the cancer was at stage II or III. Down-staging was observed in 14 patients (58.3%), 2 patients (8.3%) had no residual disease. We performed 2 APR, 20 low anterior resections (10 of which laparoscopic) and 2 transanal local excisions. In postoperative period we observed 8 complications, 4 minor and 4 major ones, with an over-all morbidity of 33.3% and of 16.6% if considering major complications. At present no local recurrence was registered.