La resonancia magnética como herramienta para el diagnóstico del cáncer de próstata: nuevas evidencias y posicionamiento de la ESUT (EAU Section of Uro-Technology) / Magnetic resonance as imaging diagnostic tool in prostate cancer: New evidences-The EAU Section of Uro-Technology position

El cáncer de próstata (CP) es la segunda causa principal de mortalidad por cáncer y la enfermedad diagnosticada con mayor frecuencia en la población masculina. El CP se manifiesta de diversas maneras: desde enfermedad indolente a altamente agresiva. A esto se debe la complejidad de su diagnóstico y de la elección del tratamiento adecuado. El enfoque utilizado actualmente, con pruebas de PSA y examen rectal digital seguido de biopsia transrectal ecodirigida, carece de sensibilidad y especificidad en la detección de CP y ofrece información limitada sobre la agresividad y el estadio del cáncer. La evidencia científica respalda el creciente uso de la resonancia magnética multiparamétrica como la herramienta de imagen más sensible y específica para la detección, la caracterización de lesiones y la estadificación del CP. El presente estudio hace una revisión actualizada del rol de la resonancia magnética en el diagnóstico de CP, revisando los últimos artículos publicados en PubMed

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality and the most frequently diagnosed male malignant disease among men. The manifestation of PCa ranges from indolent to highly aggressive disease and due to this high variation in PCa progression, the diagnosis and subsequent treatment planning can be challenging. The current diagnostic approach with PSA testing and digital rectal examination followed by transrectal ultrasound biopsies lack in both sensitivity and specificity in PCa detection and offers limited information about the aggressiveness and stage of the cancer. Scientific work supports the rapidly growing use of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging as the most sensitive and specific imaging tool for detection, lesion characterization and staging of PCa. Therefore, we carried out an updated review of magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnostic PCa reviewing the latest papers published in PubMed

Human mobility in bike-sharing systems: Structure of local and non-local dynamics.

The understanding of human mobility patterns in different transportation modes is an interdisciplinary research field with a direct impact in aspects as varied as urban planning, traffic optimization, sustainability, the reduction of operating costs as well as the mitigation of pollution in urban areas. In this paper, we study the global activity of users in bike-sharing systems operating in the cities of Chicago and New York. For this transportation mode, we explore the temporal and spatial characteristics of the mobility of cyclists. In particular, through the analysis of origin-destination matrices, we characterize the spatial structure of the displacements of users. We apply a mobility model for the global activity of the system that classifies the displacements between stations in local and non-local transitions. In local transitions, cyclists move in a region around each station whereas, in the non-local case, bike users travel with long-range displacements in a similar way to Lévy flights. We reproduce the spatial dynamics by using Monte Carlo simulations. The obtained results are similar to the observed in real data and reveal that the model implemented captures important characteristics of the global spatial dynamics in the systems analyzed.

Clinical and nerve conduction features in Guillain-Barré syndrome associated with Zika virus infection in Cúcuta, Colombia.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Zika virus (ZIKV) infection has been associated with an increased incidence of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) but the relative frequency of acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (AIDP) and axonal GBS subtypes is controversial. METHODS: Twenty GBS patients diagnosed according to the Brighton criteria during the ZIKV outbreak in Cúcuta, Colombia, were evaluated clinically and electrophysiologically. The electrodiagnosis of GBS subtypes was made according to a recently described criteria set that demonstrated a high diagnostic accuracy on the basis of a single test. The electrophysiological features of 34 Italian AIDP patients were used as control. RESULTS: All patients had symptoms compatible with ZIKV infection before the onset of GBS and ZIKV infection was laboratory confirmed through a plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT90 ) in 100% of patients. The median time from onset of ZIKV infection symptoms to GBS was 5 days (interquartile range 1-6 days). Cranial nerve palsy was present in 85% of patients (facial palsy in 75%, bulbar nerve involvement in 60%), autonomic dysfunction in 85%, and 50% of patients required invasive mechanical ventilation. AIDP was diagnosed in 70% of patients. 40% of nerves of AIDP patients showed a prevalent distal demyelinating involvement but this pattern was not different from the Italian AIDP patients without ZIKV infection. CONCLUSIONS: Guillain-Barré syndrome associated with ZIKV infection in Cúcuta is characterized by a high frequency of cranial nerve involvement, autonomic dysfunction and requirement of mechanical ventilation indicating an aggressive and severe course. AIDP is the most frequent electrophysiological subtype. Demyelination is prevalent distally but this pattern is not specific for ZIKV infection.

Human VRK2 modulates apoptosis by interaction with Bcl-xL and regulation of BAX gene expression.

VRK2 is a novel Ser-Thr kinase whose VRK2A isoform is located in the endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondrial membranes. We have studied the potential role that VRK2A has in the regulation of mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis. VRK2A can regulate the intrinsic apoptotic pathway in two different ways. The VRK2A protein directly interacts with Bcl-xL, but not with Bcl-2, Bax, Bad, PUMA or Binp-3L. VRK2A does not compete with Bax for interaction with Bcl-xL, and these proteins can form a complex that reduces apoptosis. Thus, high VRK2 levels confer protection against apoptosis. In addition, VRK2 knockdown results in an increased expression of BAX gene expression that is mediated by its proximal promoter, thus VRK2A behaves as a negative regulator of BAX. Low levels of VRK2A causes an increase in mitochondrial Bax protein level, leading to an increase in the release of cytochrome C and caspase activation, detected by PARP processing. VRK2A loss results in an increase in cell death that can be detected by an increase in annexinV+ cells. Low levels of VRK2A increase cell sensitivity to induction of apoptosis by chemotherapeutic drugs like camptothecin or doxorubicin. We conclude that VRK2A protein is a novel modulator of apoptosis.

Prevalence of infection with high-risk human papillomavirus in women in Colombia.

The prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) infections in 2109 females inhabiting five cities of Colombia was determined. Of the 49.2% with an HPV infection, 59.8% were infected with more than one viral type. Species 7 (of the the genus Alphapapillomavirus) was associated with multiple infections. Analysis of the socio-demographic data revealed a statistically significant protective effect associated with the status of civil union (civil recognition of cohabitation without marriage), and indigenous ethnicity proved to be a risk factor for HPV infection. This is the first study comparing HPV infection among women from geographical regions of Colombia with different socio-cultural structures.

Absceso cerebral por escherichia coli: ¿una simple diarrea doctor? / Brain abscess from escherichia coli: a simple diarrhea, doctor? / Abcesso cerebral por escherichia coli: uma simples diarréia doutor?

Se presenta el caso de un soldado de veinte años de edad que desarrolló un absceso cerebral por Escherichia coli, secundario a un episodio de diarrea de siete días de evolución. Además de mostrar el curso clínico de la enfermedad y su tratamiento, se discuten las etiologías de los abscesos cerebrales, resaltando la importancia del seguimiento de las enfermedades diarreicas por simples que estas parezcan...

A case of a 20 year-old soldier, who developed a brain abscess from Escherichia coli after a 7 day episode of diarrhea, is presented. The clinical course of the disease, its treatment and the different aetiologies of brain abscesses are discussed, emphasizing the importance of the follow up of diarrheic diseases no matter how simple they may look...

Apresenta-se o caso de um soldado de vinte anos de idade que desenvolveu um abcesso cerebral por Escherichia coli, secundário a um episódio de diarréia de sete dias de evolução. Além de mostrar o curso clínico da doença e seu tratamento, discutem-se as etiologias dos abcessos cerebrais, ressaltando a importância do seguimento das doenças diarréicas por simples que estas pareçam...

Quiste aracnoideo intraparenquimatoso. Reporte de caso / Intraparenchymatous arachnoid cyst. Case report

Se reporta el caso de un paciente de 20 años de edad con un quiste aracnoideo intraparenquimatoso, presentando el curso de la enfermedad y realzando la importancia de las imágenes. A la actualidad, los quistes aracnoideos intraparenquimatosos son raros.

Antigenic diversity of hepatitis B virus strains of genotype F in Amerindians and other population groups from Venezuela.

The adw4 subtype of hepatitis B virus (HBV) belongs to a unique genomic group (genotype F) representing the original HBV strains from the New World. Data regarding the prevalence of this subtype among HBV carriers in South America are, however, scarce, and those concerning HBV genotype F are based on only a few samples from Latin America. In this study, serum samples were obtained from 141 hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) carriers from Amerindians and urban populations from Venezuela. The HBsAg subtype was identified with monoclonal antibodies in 105 samples, and the HBV genotype was identified by reverse-phase hybridization with DNA fragments in 58 samples. The adw4 subtype was highly prevalent in the population studied (75%); among the Amerindians, the prevalence was 97%. The adw2 subtype was also present (10%), while other subtypes (ayw3 and ayw4) were only occasionally found. The HBV subtype was associated with the expected genotype in most cases (80%), and thus genotype F was highly prevalent. Sequencing of viral strains that gave genotypes unpredicted by the HBsAg subtyping confirmed seven of them as belonging to not previously described genotype-subtype associations: namely, adw2 and ayw4 within genotype F.