Risk of appendiceal neoplasm in patients with appendix disorders

The most common appendicular disease is acute appendicitis,with a lifetime risk of 7%–8%.Complicated cases,which can occur in 2%–7%of patients,can signi-ficantly impact the severity of the condition and may require different manage-ment approaches.Nonoperative management with possible delayed appende-ctomy has been suggested for selected patients,however,there is a non-negligible risk of missing an underlying malignancy,which is reported to be as high as 11%.Diagnostic work-up is paramount to achieve optimal treatment with good results.

Long-term alpha interferon and lamivudine combination therapy in non-responder patients with anti-HBe-positive chronic hepatitis B:Results of an open,controlled trial

AIM: To investigate the safety and efficacy of long-term combination therapy with alpha interferon and lamivudine in non-responsive patients with anti-HBe-positive chronic hepatitis B.METHODS: 34 patients received combination treatment (1 month lamivudine, 12 month lamivudine+interferon, 6month lamivudine), 24 received lamivudine (12 months),24 received interferon (12 months). Interferon was administered at 6 MU tiw and lamivudine at 100 mg orally once daily. Patients were followed up for 6 months after treatment.RESULTS: At the end of treatment, HBV DNA negativity rates were 88 % with lamivudine+interferon, 99 % with lamivudine and 55 % with interferon, (P=0.004, combination therapy vs. interferon, and P=0.001 lamivudine vs.interferon), and serum transaminase normalization rates were 84 %, 91% and 53 % (P=0.01 combination therapy vs. interferon, and P=0.012 lamivudine vs. interferon). Six months later, HBV DNA negativity rates were 44 % with lamivudine+interferon, 33 % with lamivudine and 25 % with interferon, and serum transaminase normalization rates were 61%, 42 % and 45 %, respectively, without statistical significance. No YMDD variants were observed with lamivudine+interferon (vs. 12 % with lamivudine). The combination therapy appeared to be safe. CONCLUSION: Although viral clearance and transaminase normalization are slower with long-term lamivudine+interferon than that with lamivudine alone, the combination regimen seems to provide more lasting benefits and to protect against the appearance of YMDD variants. Studies with other regimens regarding sequence and duration are needed.

Commentary of the mRNA vaccines COVID-19

The World Health Organization(WHO)declared global SARS-CoV-2(COVID-19)pandemic status on March 11,2020[1].To date,data record approximately 106 million infected individuals and 2.32 million deaths due to pandemic COVID-19,worldwide.The most common symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection reported are:elevation of body temperature,fatigue,cough,loss of smell.In a percentage of patients,especially elderly individuals with comorbidities,COVID-19 infection can cause severe organ injury[2].Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic,numerous pharmacological treatments have been used off label,to treat the viral infection,with the primary aim of avoiding the most serious complications and organ injury.

A Smart Procedure for the Femtosecond Laser-Based Fabrication of a Polymeric Lab-on-a-Chip for Capturing Tumor Cell

Rapid prototyping methods for the design and fabrication of polymeric labs-on-a-chip are on the rise,as they allow high degrees of precision and flexibility.For example,a microfluidic platform may require an optimization phase in which it could be necessary to continuously modify the architecture and geometry;however,this is only possible if easy,controllable fabrication methods and low-cost materials are available.In this paper,we describe the realization process of a microfluidic tool,from the computer-aided design(CAD)to the proof-of-concept application as a capture device for circulating tumor cells(CTCs).The entire platform was realized in polymethyl methacrylate(PMMA),combining femtosecond(fs)laser and micromilling fabrication technologies.The multilayer device was assembled through a facile and low-cost solvent-assisted method.A serpentine microchannel was then directly biofunctionalized by immobilizing capture probes able to distinguish cancer from non-cancer cells without labeling.The low material costs,customizable methods,and biological application of the realized platform make it a suitable model for industrial exploitation and applications at the point of care.