Academic literature on the topic 'Anedoctes'

The European land snail Cepaea nemoralis (Linnaeus, 1758) was introduced in North America in 1857 in Burlington, New Jersey, U.S.A. There is only one anedoctal record of C. nemoralis from Montreal, Canada, but without a date or an exact location. In this note, recent records of C. nemoralis are presented for Montreal, based on surveys from 7 to 9 August 2009 along a southwest to northeast transect parallel to the Montreal-Dorion-Rigaud commuter railroad.

Schistosomiasis is a cutaneously acquired infection caused by trematodes (fla¬tworms from the phylum Platyhelminthes), due to swimming in contaminated waters. The central nervous system (CNS) schistosomiasis is a rare presen¬tation of the disease. Brain infection due to S. Mansoni has been rarely reported, in anedoctal fashion. It should be early recognized , since an available treatment may prevent neurological deterioration. A high index of sus¬picion is necessary, mainly in patients coming from endemic areas, with brain or spinal cord lesions associated with eosino¬philia and inflammatory CSF. The finding schistosoma eggs in stools or in a CNS biopsy confirms the diagnosis. We re¬port on a 35-year old brazilian man harboring an isolated brain infection due to S. mansoni.

SummaryHematopoietic colony-stimulating factors (CSFs) are largely used in patients with cancer undergoing cytotoxic treatment to accelerate neutrophil recovery and decrease the incidence of febrile neutropenia. Clinical practice guidelines for their use have been recently established (1), taking into account clinical benefit, but also cost and toxicity. Vascular occlusions have been recently reported among the severe reactions associated with the use of CSFs, in anedoctal case reports (2, 3), consecutive case series (4) and randomized clinical trial (5, 6). However, the role of CSFs in the pathogenesis of thrombotic complications is difficult to ascertain, because pertinent data are scanty and widely distributed over a number of heterogenous investigations. We report here a systematic review of relevant articles, with the aims to estimate the prevalence of thrombosis associated with the use of CSFs and to assess if this rate is significantly higher than that observed in cancer patients not receiving CSFs.

Genetic and environmental factors have been widely suggested to contribute to the pathogenesis of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), an autoimmune disease of unknown etiology leading to destruction of small bile ducts. Interestingly, epidemiologic data indicate a variable prevalence of the disease in different geographical areas. The study of clusters of PBC may provide clues as to possible triggers in the induction of immunopathology. We report herein four such unique PBC clusters that suggest the presence of both genetic and environmental factors in the induction of PBC. The first cluster is represented by a family of ten siblings of Palestinian origin that have an extraordinary frequency of PBC (with 5/8 sisters having the disease). Second, we describe the cases of a husband and wife, both having PBC. A family in which PBC was diagnosed in two genetically unrelated individuals, who lived in the same household, represents the third cluster. Fourth, we report a high prevalence of PBC cases in a very small area in Alaska. Although these data are anedoctal, the study of a large number of such clusters may provide a tool to estimate the roles of genetics and environment in the induction of autoimmunity.

AbstractWe review the information currently available on the reproduction of the Amphisbaenia and provide original data on the reproductive biology of four Neotropical species: Amphisbaena alba; A. mertensi; Cercolophia roberti, and Leposternon infraorbitale. In total, we compiled data for 22 species: 17 Amphisbaenidae, 1 Rhineuridae, 3 Bipedidae, and 1 Trogonophidae. The majority of the species were oviparous with the exceptions of Loveridgea ionidesii, Monopeltis anchietae, M. capensis, and Trogonophis wiegmanni. Viviparity was interpreted as a derived trait that evolved independently for at least 3 times within the Amphisbaenia. In most species, reproduction is synchronized with the hot and rainy season and seems to vary with latitude. Although Amphisbaenia eggs have been found in ant nests, it remains disputable whether this is an obligatory or even a preferable location for egg-laying. Incubation time in A. mertensii lasts 59 days and this is the first report encompassing egg-laying to hatching for any Amphisbaenia species. Nonetheless, a two months incubation period seems to be the common rule for oviparous Amphisbaenia. The general pattern of reproductive output in Amphisbaenia is characterized by a low number of eggs/embryos per clutch whose individual size is comparatively large in relation to adult body size. Eggs are markedly elongated on the long axis and arranged in-line within the abdominal cavity possibly to prevent/diminish biomechanic drawbacks of egg bearing. Hatchlings of A. mertensi possess an egg-tooth implanted at the upper jaw, exhibit positive geotropism, and display defensive behaviors known to be present in adults. Our review shows that our current knowledge of Amphisbaenia reproduction is fragmentary, often based on the examination of small samples, and heavily dependent on the publication of anedoctal observations. Future publications on this subject are encouraged.

Abstract Abstract 2845 Introduction: Telomere length (TL) at diagnosis has been established as an independent outcome predictor in CLL (Rossi et al Leukemia 2009). However data on TL dynamics over time are scant and anedoctal. Aim of this study was to evaluate telomere dynamics in the natural history of CLL. This issue has been here addressed on a series of 88 CLL patients (pts). Methods: 25 pts were assessed for TL at diagnosis and at relapse and 63 pts had two determinations during the “watch and wait” (WW) phase. The series was fully characterized in terms of Binet stage, ALC, CD38, ZAP-70, IGHV mutational status (IGHV-MS), stereotyped receptors, cytogenetics and detailed clinical history. LDH, B2-microglobulin, p53 mutations and CD49d were available in more than 70% of pts. Treatment-free survival (TFS) analysis was performed exclusively in pts undergoing kinetic evaluation during the WW phase. This population had a median follow-up of 73 months and a median TFS of 130 months. TL was analyzed as previously described (Rossi et al Leukemia 2009; Ladetto et al Blood 2004). Median time between TL determinations was 44 months (range 12–231). Telomere loss was calculated in terms of both absolute loss (AL) and yearly loss (YL). Continuous variables were compared by the Mann-Whitney test, while TFS by the stratified Kaplan-Meyer method. Results: Telomeres were shorter at follow-up compared to baseline with a median loss of 651bp (range +493bp, −5874bp; p<0.001) (Fig 1A). AL and YL were greater in cases with higher baseline TL while those with short telomeres at diagnosis had only modest additional erosion (p=ns for pts in the 25th lowest percentile) (Fig 1B). Telomere loss over time was noticeable both in pts assessed at diagnosis and at relapse as well as in those assessed during the WW phase, but clearly inferior in the former subgroup (YL of −61bp, p<0.05 and −210bp, p<0.01, respectively), possibly due to the higher number of patients with short telomeres. AL and YL did not correlate with any available clinical or biological parameter, with the exception of a positive association with IGHV-MS (p<0.05). Pts with baseline TL shorter than the validated cut-off value of 5000bp (Rossi et al Leukemia 2009) were associated to an inferior TFS (median TFS 41 months vs 182 months; p<0.0001) as expected. Moreover also Binet status and IGVH-MS were predictive for TFS in this series. Surprisingly, also an YL above the median value (-210bp) appeared to be predictive for an inferior TFS (median TFS 82 months vs 182 months; p<0.05) (Fig 1C), despite being more common in pts with longer telomeres and VH-mutated IgH genes. Following stratification of pts according to baseline TL (< or > 5000bp), YL was predictive for TFS in both pts subgroups (Fig 1D i.e. baseline TL >5000bp; YL ≥ −210bp vs YL <-210bp: TFS 88 months vs not reached p<0.01. Figure 1E i.e. baseline TL <5000bp; YL ≥-210bp vs TL <210bp: median TFS 36 months vs 50 months, p<0.01). Conclusions: The results of the first systematic analysis on TL dynamics in CLL indicate the following: i) progressive telomere erosion occurs as part of the natural history of CLL; ii) telomere loss is more pronounced when baseline TL is higher; iii) accelerated telomeric loss associates to an inferior TFS. The results described in the present analysis corroborate basic studies suggesting that telomere disruption represents a critical step associated to CLL progression. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Background: Urinary retention is a poorly studied opioid-related adverse effect. There is a paucity of data regarding the treatment of such disturbance in patients with advanced cancer receiving opioids. Actual case: A young man, without comorbidities, was receiving 30 mg/day of oxycodone for abdominal pain due to pancreatic cancer, unsuccessfully. He also complained of severe urinary retention that developed after initiation of opioid therapy. Methadone therapy was effective on pain intensity, but bladder dysfunction persisted. Possible courses of action: Only anedoctal experience exists for opioid-induced urinary retention. The options included alpha-receptor blockers and flavoxate, which are symptomatic drugs, not addressed to the possible mechanism. Formulation of a plan: The use of a peripheral opioid antagonist was planned, according to the presumed mechanism of urinary retention. Thus, naldemedine 200 mcg was prescribed for relieving urinary retention. Outcome: The day after starting naldemedine, urinary retention completely reversed and pain was well-controlled. Lessons: The rational of using naldemedine was based on the component of opioid-induced urinary retention due to involvement of peripheral receptors in the bladder and sphincter. View: In this case report, the effect of the peripheral opioid antagonist was prompt and long-lasting. Future studies of this neglected adverse effect of opioids should be performed to confirm this observation.