Axillary Lymph Node Tattooing and Targeted Axillary Dissection in Breast Cancer Patients Who Presented as cN+ Before Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy and Became cN0 After Treatment.

INTRODUCTION: Targeted axillary dissection (TAD) is an alternative to axillary dissection for breast cancer patients who presented as cN+ before neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) and became cN0 after treatment. TAD is defined as the removal of sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) along with the pre-NAC marked positive nodes. Tattooing is an option to mark positive nodes. In this study we aimed to investigate the identification rate of tattooed nodes during surgery, correspondence between tattooed nodes and SLNs, and difficulties and pitfalls of the method. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In 75 patients who were cN+, with axillary lymph nodes known to have or suspected to have disease were tattooed pre-NAC with a sterile carbon suspension (Spot). After NAC completion all patients became cN0 and underwent TAD as an axillary staging procedure. RESULTS: SLNs were identified successfully in 70 of 75 patients (93.3%). All tattooed nodes were identified successfully intraoperatively in 71 of 75 patients (94.6%). Retrieval of all tattooed nodes in surgical specimens was achieved in 74 patients (98.6%). Correspondence between tattooed nodes and SLNs was observed in 53 of 70 patients (75.3%). In 34 patients (45.3%) the number of pigmented nodes in pathological examination was greater than the number of initially tattooed nodes, indicating the possibility of tattoo ink migration. CONCLUSION: Tattoo of axillary lymph nodes is a feasible, accurate, and low-cost method of positive node marking pre-NAC. Pathological confirmation of black pigment in the lymph nodes excised is not by itself warranty of retrieval of all marked node because of tattoo ink migration from one node to another. Intraoperative identification using visual inspection is essential.

Exploring the Reaction Pathways of Bioglycerol Hydrodeoxygenation to Propene over Molybdena-Based Catalysts.

The one-step reaction of glycerol with hydrogen to form propene selectively is a particularly challenging catalytic pathway that has not yet been explored thoroughly. Molybdena-based catalysts are active and selective to C-O bond scission; propene is the only product in the gas phase under the standard reaction conditions, and further hydrogenation to propane is impeded. Within this context, this work focuses on the exploration of the reaction pathways and the investigation of various parameters that affect the catalytic performance, such as the role of hydrogen on the product distribution and the effect of the catalyst pretreatment step. Under a hydrogen atmosphere, propene is produced primarily via 2-propenol, whereas under an inert atmosphere propanal and glycerol dissociation products are formed mainly. The reaction most likely proceeds through a reverse Mars-van Krevelen mechanism as partially reduced Mo species drive the reaction to the formation of the desired product.

Depressive Symptoms Among Adolescent Students in Greek High Schools.

Depressive symptoms in adolescence have been a subject of considerable controversy in terms of their nature, severity and identification. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the presence of depressive symptoms in Greek adolescent high school students and to explore the relationship between depressive symptoms and sociodemographic characteristics. For that purpose, a cross-sectional study design was conducted in two public schools in Megalopolis, Greece, from April 2012 to July 2012, using a self-administered questionnaire based on DSM-IV. The target population involved 222 high school students and the response rate was 74.75%. Data was analyzed using trend χ(2) test, student's t-test and bivariate analysis. The analysis of survey data was conducted using the SPSS (19.0). Main findings demonstrate that 3.6% had symptoms of major depressive episode. Furthermore, depressive symptoms were significantly higher in girls, while statistically significant relationships were found between students' physical (P<0.01) and mental health (P<0.008), students' experiences in school (P<0.02), students' experiences with friends (P<0.008) and the frequency of depressive symptoms. Overall, the study results reveal that depressive symptoms can occur in adolescents. Early diagnosis, as well as the need for psychological care at adolescence is necessary for the prevention of major depressive disorders.