[Epidemiological, clinical and therapeutic features of hepatocellular carcinoma in cirrhotic patients]

Hepatocellular carcinoma [HCC] is the most frequent primitive hepatic tumor, the fifth most common cancer in the world, and the third highest cause of cancer-related mortality. The presence of cirrhosis is the main risk factor. To describe the epidemiological, clinical and therapeutic features of HCC. Retrospective study including all the patients with HCC occurring in cirrhotic liver followed in the gastroenterological department of Charles Nicolle hospital between 1997 and 2009. A hundred and one patient were enrolled; 64 men and 37 women with a median age of 65.4 years [31-88 years]. Cirrhosis was due to viral hepatitis B or C in 25.7% and 62.2% of cases respectively and was classified Child Pugh A, B and C in 30.7%, 50.5% and 18.8% of patients respectively. HCC was inaugural in most cases [68.3%] and it was revealed by a tumoral syndrome in 38.6% of cases, by decompensation in 22.7% and was discovered during systematic screening when cirrhosis was already known in 19.8% of cases. Diagnosis of HCC was non invasive, relying imaging and alphafetoprotein in most cases [95%].84 patients [83.2%] had and advanced HCC, with vascular or extra hepatic spread in 58 [57.5%] of them. Treatment was curative in 14 cases, based on surgical resection in one and percutaneous ablation in 13 cases. Six patients received transarterial chemoembolization as a palliative treatment. In 71 patients, only symptomatic treatment was given. The median survival time was 11 months. In the majority of the cases, HCC was diagnosed at an advanced stage and treatment was only symptomatic

Mitochondrial 16S rDNA analysis of Tunisian androctonus species [scorpions, buthidae]: phylogenetic approach

Tunisian Androctonus species, for long time discussed, were recognized on the basis of mitochondrial 16S rDNA sequences. Although the analysed nucleotide sequence is rather short [about 300 bp], the obtained phlogenetic trees revealed that A. amoreuxi and A. aeneas form two well-supported sister clades against A. australis haplotypes. Each specimen of the very rare species A. aeneas showed a specific haplotype, but together formed a well-defined clade. Some A. amoreuxi specimens highlighted unidirectional mitochondrial introgression from neighbouring A. australis population. Within A. australis, previously described, subspecies subdivision [A. a. hector and A. a. garzonii] was not supported