The potential of accelerator-based techniques as an analytical tool for forensics: The case of coffee.

We discuss how different accelerator-based techniques can be employed synergistically as a powerful analytical tool for forensic studies of foodstuff. Brazilian and Jamaican coffees were chosen as a showcase due to its popularity and potential risk of adulteration and/or falsification. Comprehensive characterization of major and trace elements, age since production and compound contents were achieved using different techniques, including PIXE (Particle-Induced X-ray Emission), FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared), and AMS-14C (Accelerator Mass Spectrometry - Radiocarbon Analysis). While PIXE provides information on the elements present in the samples, FTIR probes the types of compounds through their vibrational spectra. Finally, AMS-14C is capable of dating organic samples regarding their harvesting time. Five different laboratories from research institutions around the world took part in the experiments. The integration of the results obtained with different techniques provided multifaceted perspectives on the coffee under study, thus allowing a direct assessment of the material for forensic purposes such as authentication, determination of provenance, and combat counterfeiting.

[Central venous cannulation under ultrasonographic and fluoroscopic navigation - 2 year experience]. / Centrální kanylace s vyuzitím sonografie a skiaskopie - 2leté zkusenosti.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of our study was to evaluate the influence of ultrasonographic and fluoroscopic navigation on the rate of procedural and early complications during central venous cannulation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated procedural and early complications in patients who had undergone central venous cannulation under sonographic and fluoroscopic control within a two year period (from January 2010 to December 2011). We studied procedural and early complications (within 24 hours after the procedure). We summarized all cases of pneumothorax, haemothorax and haematoma of soft tissue larger than 5 cm in long axis, and other severe complications e.g. ardiac arrhythmias or hypotension. The set of patients indicated for central venous cannulation included mainly oncological patients who were implanted central venous port systems, and a small group of patients who were cannulated either at the intensive care unit (ICU) or at the department of anesthesiology after unsuccessful blind cannulation. There were three patients cannulated because of transjugular liver biopsy. RESULTS: We cannulated 165 patients under sonographic control within two years. There were 66 men, the mean age of 58.6 years (20-82) and 99 women, the mean age of 58.3 years (36- 94). We cannulated internal jugular vein 148 times and subclavian vein 17 times. The primary technical success was 100% in our study group. Totally, we had 6 complications (3.6%). Immediatelly after the procedure we observed two pneumothoraxes (1.2%) which did not require chest drainage. We punctured artery wall three times, but without haematoma developement, and after a ten-minute commpression, all procedures were successfully finished. We had serious vagal reaction during the cannulation in one patient. We had no fatal procedural complication in our group. There are significantly fewer complications using jugular approach compared to subclavian one. CONCLUSION: We conclude that the ultrasonographic central venous cannulation is a very safe method with a low risk of procedural and early complications. There were significantly fewer complications in case of jugular cannulation compared to subclavian approach in our group of patients. Ultrasonographically navigated central venous cannulation should be used more fequently in emergency medicine as well as in case of non-acute central venous cannulation performed a tan intensive care unit or by anesthesiologists.

[The effect of gender on prevalence and survival in thyroid carcinoma]. / Vliv pohlaví na prevalenci a prezití karcinomu stítné zlázy.

Based on their own experience with a large group of patients with thyroid cancers, the authors confirm the higher prevalence of differentiated thyroid cancers both papillary and follicular (1 : 3,5) in females, while the differences in anaplastic and medullary cancers are much less prominent. Survival of females in univariate studies is much higher in both papillary and follicular cancers compared to males, in multivariate studies these differences lose their significance and only in papillary cancers under the age of 40 years at diagnosis and in a subgroup of papillofollicular cancers the differences retain their significance. The authors therefore deduce that differences found in univariate studies are significantly influenced by other factors such as age at the diagnosis and the spread of disease at the diagnosis.

[Prognostic factors and their importance in the modification of therapeutic approaches in patients with Hodgkin's disease]. / Prognostické faktory a jejich význam pro modifikaci lécebného postupu u nemocných s Hodgkinovou chorobou.

A prognostic study was performed in a group of 236 long-term followed patients. Eleven factors in total were included into a multivariate analysis--they were global, clinical and therapeutical factors. For complete remission, clinical stage, age at the time of diagnosis and size of affliction of mediastinum are important. Signs of poor prognosis for complete remission are "bulky" mediastinal disease, male sex and absence or reduction of chemotherapy in primary treatment. Prognostic factors as to the total survival are age at the time of diagnosis, clinical stage, total number and size of afflicted lymphatic areas and absence or reduction of chemotherapy in primary treatment. Emphasis is laid upon evaluation of the amount of individual risk to adjust therapeutic procedures to every individual patient.

[Causes of death in patients with Hodgkin's disease]. / Príciny úmrtí nemocných s morbus Hodgkin.

The authors analyze the causes of death of 52 patients from a group comprising 236 patients with Hodgkin's disease. From 51 patients 16 died within one year, with a single exception. All were in clinical stage III-IV (at the time of diagnosis). Within 5 years 40 patients died incl. 4 who the time of diagnosis belonged to clinical stage II. After more than 5 years following establishment of the diagnosis 12 patients died. Of these at the time of the diagnosis 8 were in clinical stage II, 3 in clinical stage III and one patient in clinical stage IV. In the first clinical stage and according to histological classification 10 patients survive, in clinical stage II 93 patients, in clinical stage III 105 patients and 28 patients in clinical stage IV. The mortality rate increases with the advancing clinical stage. Causes of death: progression of the basic disease in 63%, intercurrent infectious diseases in 25%, inhibition of bone marrow in 6%, same percentage for development of secondary neoplasms. The lowest mortality rate was recorded in patients treated by a combination of actino- and chemotherapy (11%), as compared with 23% treated by actinotherapy only and 41% treated by chemotherapy only.

[Relation of HLA antigens to prognosis in Hodgkin's disease]. / Vztah HLA antigenu k prognóze Hodgkinovy choroby.

The prognostic value of HLA antigens in Hodgkin's disease was assessed by multivariate regression analyses. A significantly adverse prognostic impact for achieving complete remission by primary treatment and for its persistence was proved in four antigens locus B (B18, B5, B27 and B15). Five-year survival without signs of the disease, i.e. survival without relapse is significantly lower in subjects with antigen B5, as compared with the group of patients where the antigen was not detected (42% vs. 58%, p = 0.05). An independent prognostic impact of the selected HLA antigens was confirmed in models incl. also formerly tested risk factors for the relapse of Hodgkin's disease.

[BCG immunotherapy in malignant lymphogranuloma]. / BCG imunoterapie u maligniho lymfogranulomu.

The authors investigate within the framework of a multicentre, randomized and stratified investigation the influence of non-specific BCG immunotherapy in adult patients with Hodgkin's disease. The thus created data base was processed according to the Protocol of a prospective study. Supplementary BCG treatment was compared in a group of 112 patients with the fate of 114 patients in a control group without immunotherapy. Although the mean period of complete remission in the group of vaccinated patients regardless of the clinical stage of the disease was 94 months and in the control group 74 months, the difference was not statistically significant. The five-year survival was 93% in vaccinated patients and 91% in the control group. The probability of 10-year survival does not differ substantially in vaccinated patients (88%) and in non-vaccinated patients (85%). There was no difference in the work capacity of patients in the two groups. Immunotherapy was not selected, when testing prognostic factors by Cox' regression analysis, into any of the prognostically favourable models.

[Prognostic significance of mediastinal involvement and post-therapeutic radiographic changes in the intrathoracic area in Hodgkin's disease]. / Prognostický význam postizení mediastina a rtg-polécebné zmeny v nitrohrudní oblasti u Hodgkinovy choroby.

The prognostic importance of mediastinal affection and its extent was analyzed in a group of 220 patients with Hodgkin's disease in all clinical stages. The results of the total survival period in mediastinal patients are significantly worse, as compared with patients without primary affection of the mediastinum at all evaluated time intervals: in the 5th year after onset of treatment 79% vs. 95% in the 10th, 15th and 20th year 67% vs 86%, 63% vs. 86% and 56% vs. 86%. The survival of patients without a mediastinal tumour does not change after a 10-year period of follow-up, in case of a tumour mass up to 1/3 of the transverse chest diameter it declines from 81% in the 5th year to 59 and to 49% in the 10th and 15th year. In case of extensive mediastinal affection only 61% survive 5 years and 42% survive after 10 years. The differences in survival without signs of the disease are not statistically significant, obviously due to primary radiochemotherapy with alternation of cytostatic combinations. There are no significant differences in the frequency of posttherapeutic X-ray changes in the mediastinal area after primary X-ray therapy alone and after chemotherapy alone, as compared with combined radio-chemotherapy with the incidence of postirradiation changes in 30% of the patients: the incidence of post-irradiation changes is potentiated by the administration of bleomycin, depending on the dose. For evaluation of posttherapeutic X-ray changes in the area of the chest it is essential to monitor the patients by X-ray check-ups with concurrent functional examination of the lungs.

A multivariate analysis of prognostic factors in adult Hodgkin's disease.

A multivariate analysis of the prognostic factors was carried out with a Cox model on 167 patients with Stage I-IV Hodgkin's disease. The following indicators were prospectively registered: Sex, age, clinical stage, systemic symptoms, histological type, number of involved areas, nodal size, mediastinal thoracic ratio (MTR), localization of mediastinal involvement according to the aortic arcus, hilar involvement, extent of radiotherapy, and extent and mode of chemotherapy. A linear logistic analysis showed that most of the indicators were interrelated. This emphasizes the necessity of a multivariate analysis in order to assess the independent influence of each of them. The three main prognostic indicators for complete remission achievement were age, clinical stage and involvement of lung hili. The three main prognostic indicators for disease-free survival were sex, size of mediastinal involvement (MTR) and use of alternating chemotherapy COPP/ABVD in the initial treatment strategy. The most important prognostic factor for survival was clinical stage followed by hilar involvement, age, and nodal size. The coefficients estimated by Cox regression analysis can be used to combine the important prognostic factors into a single index for each patient at presentation. The prognostic index for each patient would allow the identification of cases with poor prognosis who might benefit from additional initial treatment.