Presenting symptoms of glioma in adults.

OBJECTIVE: Studies on the presenting symptoms of glioma in adults in the age of readily available MRI imaging are scarce. This study investigates presenting symptoms of glioma and assesses the correlations of the presenting symptoms with patient age and histopathological class of the tumor. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective review of the medical records of histologically verified glioma patients treated in Turku University Hospital, during 2006-2010, was conducted. The associations between the presenting symptoms and other covariates were assessed individually. RESULTS: One hundred and fifty patients were ascertained. The most common presenting symptoms of glioma were seizure and cognitive disorder. Patients presenting with seizures were younger than patients with cognitive disorders, and the grade of the tumor was also found to significantly correlate with the most common presenting symptoms. Age group and tumor grade were statistically significant factors of cognitive disorder (P = 0.0037 and P = 0.0069) and age group of seizure (P = 0.0065). The associations between the presenting symptoms and the anatomical location, spread into adjacent brain areas, or laterality of the tumor or site of diagnosis were found to be statistically insignificant. Headache was not a common presenting symptom in glioma patients. CONCLUSIONS: The main presenting symptoms of glioma in adults in the MRI age still are seizures and cognitive disorder. Patient age and tumor grade correlate positively with the incidence of cognitive disorder and patient age negatively with incidence of seizure as a presenting symptom. Headache is an uncommon manifestation and does not appear as a sole symptom.

A model for shear stress sensing and transmission in vascular endothelial cells.

Arterial endothelial cell (EC) responsiveness to flow is essential for normal vascular function and plays a role in the development of atherosclerosis. EC flow responses may involve sensing of the mechanical stimulus at the cell surface with subsequent transmission via cytoskeleton to intracellular transduction sites. We had previously modeled flow-induced deformation of EC-surface flow sensors represented as viscoelastic materials with standard linear solid behavior (Kelvin bodies). In the present article, we extend the analysis to arbitrary networks of viscoelastic structures connected in series and/or parallel. Application of the model to a system of two Kelvin bodies in parallel reveals that flow induces an instantaneous deformation followed by creeping to the asymptotic response. The force divides equally between the two bodies when they have identical viscoelastic properties. When one body is stiffer than the other, a larger fraction of the applied force is directed to the stiffer body. We have also probed the impact of steady and oscillatory flow on simple sensor-cytoskeleton-nucleus networks. The results demonstrated that, consistent with the experimentally observed temporal chronology of EC flow responses, the flow sensor attains its peak deformation faster than intracellular structures and the nucleus deforms more rapidly than cytoskeletal elements. The results have also revealed that a 1-Hz oscillatory flow induces significantly smaller deformations than steady flow. These results may provide insight into the mechanisms behind the experimental observations that a number of EC responses induced by steady flow are not induced by oscillatory flow.

Chemical and bacteriological characteristics of Pichtogalo Chanion cheese and mesophilic starter cultures for its production.

Sixty-two samples of Pichtogalo Chanion cheese traditionally produced in Crete, a few (3 to 6) days old, were analyzed for some chemical and bacteriological characteristics. The results of physicochemical analyses were as follows: (1) moisture content 61.63% (standard deviation 4.67); (2) fat in dry matter 54.03% (SD 7.73); (3) protein content 14.23% (SD 1.72); (4) salt content 1.02% (SD 0.38); (5) water activity (aw) 0.990 (SD 0.003); and (6) pH 4.36 (SD 0.25). None of the samples yielded Salmonella spp. Listeria monocytogenes and coagulase-positive staphylococci were present in 6.45% of the samples. Bacillus cereus and sulfite-reducing clostridia were isolated from 14.51% and 40.32% of the samples, respectively. High populations of coliforms were determined in the cheese samples. In 11.3% of the samples, Escherichia coli was not detected, while 88.7% of the samples yielded E. coli most probable number levels from 1.32 to 5.66 log10/g. The log10 CFU/g counts of enterococci were 6.89 (SD 0.84), of yeasts 6.79 (SD 0.61), of molds 4.68 (SD 0.69), and of psychrotrophic bacteria 7.63 (SD 0.62). The log10 CFU/g counts of lactic acid streptococci and lactococci were 7.91 (SD 0.68) and of lactobacilli 8.11 (SD 0.65). Lactic acid bacteria, mainly mesophilic, were isolated and confirmed using API 50 CH test trips. A pasteurized mixture of ewe's and goat's milk was made into Pichtogalo Chanion cheese according to standard procedure at 23 degrees C, after the addition of 4% commercial mesophilic starter culture or 2%, 3%, and 4% starter culture of the isolated and confirmed lactic acid bacteria and the addition of rennet. Results of this work indicated that high quality of Pichtogalo Chanion cheese can be produced using a pasteurized mixture of ewe's and goat's milk and 4% (vol/vol) of mesophilic starter culture.

[Neuroendocrine carcinoma of the larynx. Review of literature in reference to one case report]. / Carcinoma neuroendocrino de laringe. Revisión de la literatura a propósito de un caso.

Neuroendocrin tumors are unusual neoplasies, even more within the ENT-sphere. Report of 1 case treated in our Service. Review of immunohistochemical criteria with the aim of achieving the diagnosis. Some bibliographical series are analyzed with the target to pick up the treatment of these uncommon growths.

[Cervical metastasis of choriocarcinoma]. / Metástasis cervical de un coriocarcinoma.

Neck metastatic adenopathy involves to set off a protocol aiming to specify the growth's origin. Complete ENT-examination facing a hard, movable, laterocervical lump is compulsory. Lacking the primary next comes fine needle biopsy and if it's not clear enough a cervicotomy must be performed. We report the diagnosis, the treatment and the follow-up of a testicle choriocarcinoma case, diagnosed through neck biopsy. Perusal of the bibliography.

[Anomalies of the first branchial cleft]. / Anomalías de la primera hendidura branquial.

Account of the case of a little girl of four and a half years brought to the consulting otologist because of her earache, otorrhoea, retroauricular inflammatory swelling and oedema of the external ear canal on left side. Frequency, evolution, diagnostic means and management measures for first branchial cleft are reviewed.

[Update of surgical criteria in thyroid pathology]. / Actualización de los criterios quirúrgicos en la patología tiroidea.

Review of an aleatory sample composed by 100 patients suffering some thyroid disorder, operated at ENT Department of the Hospital, during the last 5 years. Statistical evaluation of the significance and reliability of several parameters, clinical items, diagnostic tests and surgical judgements contrasted with the corresponding nowadays bibliography.

[Ethmoid-maxillary mucocele as a manifestation of primary lymphoma of the orbit]. / El mucocele etmoido-maxilar como manifestación del linfoma primario de orbita.

A primary lymphoma of the orbit developed at par with a mucocele of the sinus (perhaps originated by the tumor) made very difficult the diagnosis of the patient. About this case the AA, consider the aspects more interesting of the primary lymphoma of the orbit and the possible influence of this kind of tumors as starting point of the mucocele.