Metastasizing placental site trophoblastic tumor: Immunohistochemical and DNA analysis 2 case reports and a review of the literature

Placental-site trophoblastic tumor (PSTT) is a rare form of gestational trophoblastic neoplasia. The clinical behaviour of PSTT is usually benign, but sometimes it can be highly malignant with late recurrence and metastasis. We describe two cases of PSTT with pulmonary metastasis in patients aged 35 and 29 years respectively. The mitotic rate was elevated to 9 and 13 mitotic figures per 10 high-power fields respectively. Immunohistochemical staining showed a predominance of human placental lactogen (hPL) positive cells when compared with human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) reactive cells in one case, and a reverse pattern in the other one. DNA measurement in one case showed an aneuploid tumor with a tetraploid DNA peak. The clinical behaviour of PSTT remains unpredictable, and there are no reliable means of predicting clinical outcom

Effet des extraits de compost sur la croissance mycélienne et l'agressivité du Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. radicis-lycopersici

Effect of compost tea on mycelial growth and disease severity of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. radicis-lycopersici. Simultaneous addition, on culture media, of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. radicis-lycopersici and compost teas revealed that the latest induced the inhibition of the mycelial growth of the pathogen. This inhibition, noted after an incubation period of about six days at 25°C, was more important when compost teas were enriched in PDB (Potato Dextrose Broth), where it may reach 70% compared to the control. Transplantation of tomato seedlings, previously inoculated by a conidial suspension of F. oxysporum f. sp. radicis-lycopersici, in a container media (peat, perlite or the mixture of the two substrates) treated by compost teas has signifi cantly reduced Fusarium crown and root rot incidence compared to inoculated and untreated control seedlings. Disease incidence is more reduced when tomato inoculated plants are transplanted in peat treated by compost teas; indeed, these plants donʼt show any wilting and present a vigorous root system and a better vegetative growth

On the multivariate components of variance problem

Statistical procedures for making inferences on the variance components in univariate mixed effect models have been developed and extensively used in many fields. Development for multivariate mixed models has been relatively limited. One important issue in the multivariate problem is determining the rank of a covariance component. Testing for the rank can be considered a natural extension of the univariate problem of testing for the existence of a random effect. Knowledge on the rank can be utilized to obtain efficient estimators. Also, the true unknown rank of a covariance component influences properties of estimators of this and other covariance components. This issue on the rank is one of the underlying themes throughout this dissertation. A difficulty in developing asymptotic inference procedures for the general random effect problem is the nonexistence of a single index over which the limit is taken. For example, a one-way model has two indices, the numbers of groups and replicates. In order to develop inference procedures useful for various practical situations, asymptotic theory has to be developed under correspondingly various conditions. An eventual goal of this dissertation is to develop approximate inference procedures which can be justifiably used for a wide range of practical sampling configurations;To develop asymptotic theory, a certain nonstandard result on the limiting distribution of the roots of a determinantal equation is needed. The first paper of this dissertation presents general results on such a limiting distribution. The second paper deals with the rank testing problem. A number of asymptotic and exact procedures are discussed for a large class of multivariate mixed effect models. Practical testing procedures which can be used under various sampling configurations are derived. The third paper discusses asymptotic properties of the covariance component estimators in the multivariate one-way random effect model with possibly incorrect specification of the rank of the between-group component. Approximate inference procedures for covariance components which are useful for most practical situations are proposed

Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) breast cancer susceptibility loci in Arabs: susceptibility and prognostic implications in Tunisians

Genome-wide Association Studies (GWAS) revealed novel genetic markers for breast cancer susceptibility. But little is known about the risk factors and molecular events associated with breast cancer in Arab Population. Therefore, we designed a broad study to investigate the susceptibility and prognostic implications of the GWAS breast cancer loci in the Tunisian population. In a cohort of 640 unrelated patients with breast cancer and 371 healthy control subjects, we characterized the variation of 9 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), namely rs1219648, rs2981582; rs8051542, rs12443621, and rs3803662; rs889312; rs3817198; rs13387042 and rs13281615. Only 5 out of 9 GWAS breast cancer loci were found to be significantly associated with breast cancer in Tunisians: The rs1219648 (G vs. A allele: OR = 1.36, P = 1 × 10(−3)) and rs2981582 (A vs. G allele: OR = 1.55, P = 3 × 10(−6)) of FGFR2 gene; the rs8051542 of the TNRC9 gene (T vs. C allele: OR = 1.40, P = 4 × 10(−4)); the rs889312 of the MAP3K1 gene (C vs. A allele: OR = 1.33, P = 3 × 10(−3)) and the rs13281615 located on 8q24 (G vs. A allele: OR = 1.21, P = 0.03). Homozygous variant genotypes of rs2981582 were strongly related to lymph node negative breast cancer (OR = 3.33, P = 6 × 10(−7)) and the minor allele of rs2981582 was associated with increased risk of ER+ tumors (OR = 1.57, P = 0.02; OR = 2.15, P = 0.001, for heterozygous and homozygous variant genotypes, respectively) and increased risk of distant metastasis development (OR = 2.30, P = 4 × 10(−3); OR = 3.57, P = 6 × 10(−5), for heterozygous and homozygous variant genotypes, respectively) in a dose dependent manner. The association for rs8051542 was stronger for high-grade SBR tumors (OR = 2.54, P = 2 × 10(−4)). GG genotype of rs13387042 on 2q35 showed a significant association with the risk of developing distant metastasis (OR = 1.94, P = 0.02). The G allele of rs1219648 in FGFR2 and the A allele of rs13387042 on 2q35 indicated a better prognosis by showing a significantly higher overall survival rates (P = 0.013 and P = 0.005, respectively). In conclusion, GWAS breast cancer FGFR2, TNRC9, MAP3K1, and 8q24 loci are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer and genetic variation in FGFR2 gene may predict the aggressiveness of breast cancer in Tunisians. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10549-012-2202-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Mapping the global distribution of Buruli ulcer through a systematic review with an evidence consensus approach

Background Buruli ulcer can cause disfigurement and long-term loss of function. It is underdiagnosed and under-reported, and its current distribution is unclear. We aimed to synthesise and evaluate data on Buruli ulcer prevalence and distribution. Methods We did a systematic review of Buruli ulcer prevalence and used an evidence consensus framework to describe and evaluate evidence for Buruli ulcer distribution worldwide. We searched PubMed and Web of Science databases from inception to Aug 6, 2018, for records of Buruli ulcer and Mycobacterium ulcerans detection, with no limits on study type, publication date, participant population, or location. English, French, and Spanish language publications were included. We included population-based surveys presenting Buruli ulcer prevalence estimates, or data that allowed prevalence to be estimated, in the systematic review. We extracted geographical data on the occurrence of Buruli ulcer cases and M ulcerans detection from studies of any type for the evidence consensus framework; articles that did not report original data were excluded. For the main analysis, we extracted prevalence estimates from included surveys and calculated 95% CIs using Byar's method. We included occurrence records, reports to WHO and the Global Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology Network, and surveillance data from Buruli ulcer control programmes in the evidence consensus framework to grade the strength of evidence for Buruli ulcer endemicity. This study is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42018116260. Findings 2763 titles met the search criteria. We extracted prevalence estimates from ten studies and occurrence data from 208 studies and five unpublished surveillance datasets. Prevalence estimates within study areas ranged from 3·2 (95% CI 3·1–3·3) cases per 10 000 population in Côte d'Ivoire to 26·9 (23·5–30·7) cases per 10 000 population in Benin. There was evidence of Buruli ulcer in 32 countries and consensus on presence in 12. Interpretation The global distribution of Buruli ulcer is uncertain and potentially wider than currently recognised. Our findings represent the strongest available evidence on Buruli ulcer distribution so far and have many potential applications, from directing surveillance activities to informing burden estimates

Novel antimicrobial and anti-acetylcholinesterase dihydroisoxazoles from (R)-limonene

We report herein the convenient procedures for the efficient and easy synthesis, and the antimicrobial and the anti-acetylcholinesterase evaluation of two new series of (R)-limonene derivatives. A substantial modification aimed at targeting to discover novel structures with a better antimicrobial and anti-acetylcholinesterase (anti-AChE) activities. The condensation of (R)-limonene (1) with various arylnitrile oxides led, via the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction, conducted with complete region-specificity, to a series of new limonene-dihydroisoxazoles, 2a-h. On the other hand, N-alkylation of the previously prepared limonene-lactam derivative (3) yielded the corresponding dipolarophile (4), which affords by condensation with arylnitrile oxides the expected new dihydroisoxazoles, 5a-h. The target compounds were completely characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR and MS. All the synthesized heterocyclic compounds were tested for their antimicrobial and anti-acetylcholinesterase activities. The dihydroisoxazoles 2a (IZ = 13.25 mm, cc = 1 mg/mL) and 5b (IZ = 13.75 mm, cc = 1 mg/mL) exhibited the highest antifungal activity. The greatest anti-acetylcolinesterase activity was exhibited by 2f (IC50 = 82±3 µg/mL) and by 5a (IC50 = 99±1 µg/mL)