Solitary primary intraosseous xanthoma of the mandible in a 15-year-old boy: a case report

BACKGROUND

A xanthoma is a rare bone condition consisting of a predominant collection of lipid-rich, foamy histiocytes. The central xanthoma of the jaws is a unique benign tumor.

CASE REPORT

A 15-year-old Caucasian male has been presented to our department. He had radiological changes in the area of the left mandibular angle, with an area of diffuse osteolysis of 3.0 cm by 2.0 cm. Computed tomography reveals an area of diffuse osteolysis that starts from the distal root of the lower second molar and reaches the ascending process. A bone biopsy was performed, which revealed a benign proliferative process composed of histiocytic cells involving and infiltrating trabecular bone in a background of loose fibrous connective tissue devoid of any other significant inflammatory infiltrate. The size of the formation was 2.9 cm by 2.0 cm. Immunohistochemical staining for CD68 was strongly positive and negative for S-100 and CD1a. From routine blood tests, cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood sugar are within normal values, which excludes systemic metabolic disease. Subsequent to the surgical intervention, the patient underwent postoperative assessments at intervals of 14, 30, 60 days, and a year later, revealing the absence of any discernible complications during the aforementioned observation periods.

CONCLUSION

The diagnosis of primary xanthoma of the mandible is rare and can often be confused with other histiocytic lesions. A differential diagnosis should be made with nonossifying fibroma and Langerhans cell histiocytosis, as in our case. In these cases, immunohistochemistry with CD 68, S-100, and CD1a, as well as blood parameters, are crucial for the diagnosis.

Absolute treatment effects for the primary outcome and all-cause mortality in the cardiovascular outcome trials in type 2 diabetes: a meta-analysis of individual patient data

Background and purpose

Treatment effects from the large cardiovascular outcome trials (CVOTs) in diabetes are almost exclusively communicated as hazard ratios, although reporting guidelines recommend to report treatment effects also on an absolute scale, e.g. as numbers needed to treat (NNT). We aimed to analyze NNT in CVOTs of novel oral antidiabetic drugs comparing dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, or sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors to placebo.

Methods and results

We extracted individual time-to-event information for the primary outcome and all-cause mortality from 19 CVOTs that compared DPP-4 inhibitors, GLP-1 receptor agonists, or SGLT2 inhibitors to placebo. We estimated Weibull models for each trial and outcome and derived monthly NNTs. NNTs were summarized across all trials and within drug-classes by random effects meta-analysis methods. Treatment effects in the CVOTs appear smaller if they are reported as NNTs: Overall, 60 (95%-CI: 40–124) patients have to be treated for 29 months (the median follow-up time across all trials) to avoid a single event of the primary outcome, and 101 (95%-CI: 69–191) patients have to be treated for 39 months to avoid a single death.

Conclusion

We found that the respective treatment effects of novel oral antidiabetic drugs look less impressive when communicated on an absolute scale, as numbers needed to treat. For a valid overall picture of the benefit of these drugs, trial authors should thus also report treatment effects on an absolute scale.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: None.

Absolute treatment effects for the primary outcome and all-cause mortality in the cardiovascular outcome trials of new antidiabetic drugs: a meta-analysis of digitalized individual patient data

AIMS

Treatment effects from the large cardiovascular outcome trials (CVOTs) of new antidiabetic drugs are almost exclusively communicated as hazard ratios, although reporting guidelines recommend to report treatment effects also on an absolute scale, e.g. as numbers needed to treat (NNT). We aimed to analyse NNTs in CVOTs comparing dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, or sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors to placebo.

METHODS

We digitalized individual time-to-event information for the primary outcome and all-cause mortality from 19 CVOTs that compared DPP-4 inhibitors, GLP-1 receptor agonists, or SGLT2 inhibitors to placebo. We estimated Weibull models for each trial and outcome and derived monthly NNTs. NNTs were summarized across all trials and within drug classes by random effects meta-analysis methods.

RESULTS

Treatment effects in the CVOTs appear smaller if they are reported as NNTs: Overall, 100 (95%-CI: 60, 303) patients have to be treated for 29 months (the median follow-up time across all trials) to avoid a single event of the primary outcome, and 128 (95%-CI: 85, 265) patients have to be treated for 39 months to avoid a single death. NNT time courses are very similar for GLP-1 receptor agonists and SGLT2 inhibitors, whereas treatment effects with DPP-4 inhibitors are smaller.

CONCLUSIONS

We found that the respective treatment effects look less impressive when communicated on an absolute scale, as numbers needed to treat. For a valid overall picture of the benefit of new antidiabetic drugs, trial authors should also report treatment effects on an absolute scale.

The role of mitochondria in the pathophysiology and treatment of common metabolic diseases in humans

Common metabolic diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease significantly contribute to morbidity and mortality worldwide. They frequently associate with insulin resistance and altered mitochondrial functionality. Insulin-responsive tissues can show changes in mitochondrial features such as oxidative capacity, mitochondrial content and turnover, which do not necessarily reflect abnormalities but rather adaption to a certain metabolic condition. Lifestyle modifications and classic or novel drugs can modify these alterations and help treating these metabolic diseases. This review addresses the role of mitochondria in human metabolic diseases and discusses potential future research directions.

Acute effects of progressive muscle relaxation on state anxiety and subjective well-being in chronic Bulgarian patients with schizophrenia

BACKGROUND

Recently, there has been an interest in the relative effectiveness of progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) within the multidisciplinary treatment of patients with schizophrenia.The present study is aimed at providing evidence on the efficacy of PMR as means of alleviating the state anxiety and psychological distress and a way to increase subjective well-being in chronic patients with schizophrenia.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Sixty four schizophrenia patients underwent 2 sessions of PMR. On the third session they were randomly allocated to either the PMR or the reading control condition. The State Anxiety Inventory (SAI) was used to assess state anxiety and the Subjective Exercise Experience Scale (SEES) to assess psychological distress and subjective well-being before and after the third session for both groups.

RESULTS

Our data show a significant time by group interaction for the SAI and SEES (Wilks λ=0.58, p<0.001). Effect sizes for PMR were -0.22 (95%CI=-0.73 to 0.19) for state anxiety, -0.96 (95%CI=-0.41 to -1.43) for psychological stress, and +1.01 (95%CI=0.45 to 1.54) for subjective well-being.

CONCLUSION

The present study provides scientific evidence for the utility of PMR in the chronic psychiatric settings for patients with schizophrenia.

Prevention, management and rehabilitation of patients with cerebral palsy

The aim of this paper is to present the importance of orthopaedics in the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of persons with cerebral palsy.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The paper is based on a study realized at the University Orthopaedic Clinic, Medical School, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, with application of documentary analysis, observation and clinical analysis of 76 patients with cerebral palsy, aged between 1 and 15 years.

RESULTS

Orthopaedics is a surgical field of medicine, in which context there have been, are and will be, as a challenge, many questions for the present and future generations. Data analysis pointed out that surgical treatment in combination with conservative treatment give a hope that a definite or prolonged cure is possible, with maximal and possibly preserved function of the loco-motor system or, in the most serious cases, abatement of the impaired locomotor system symptoms.

SUMMARY

Early diagnosis and appropriate application of surgical treatment enable better functioning of persons with cerebral palsy by maximal exploitation of their remaining abilities.

[Administration of activated recombinant factor VII (novo seven) for the control of massive bleeding in gynecology]

We report our clinical opinion for recombinant activated factor VII (NovoSeven, Novo Nordisk, Copenhagen, Denmark) administration in gynecology patients with massive haemorrhage. 3 women with gynecology deseases and severe bleeding in recieved NovoSeven in bolus IV. The blood loss and laboratory changes in hematology and haemostasis parameters are monitored. The bleeding was ceased in all cases. Decrease in values of Hb, Er and PTT was noted. The use of recombinant factor VIIA in gynecology patients with severe bleeding is effective and safe enough and could be an alternative to the extreme surgical procedures.

[A case of invasive cervical carcinoma associated with pregnancy]

The cervical cancer is the most usual neoplastic disease, which takes place during the pregnancy. The prognosis for the women depends mostly of the clinical stage and the presence of nodal metastasis. The principes of the treatment do not differ from the standard oncologic therapy in nonpregnant women. Differencies exist in the way and the time of the terminanation of the pregnancy. The authors present y case of pregnancy and invasive cervical adenocarcinoma diagnosticated in m. 1.X. immeadiately after cesarean section an extended hysterectomy y modo Piver 111 with pelvic nodal dissection is done.

[Clinical difficulties and errors in making a diagnosis of chronic papillo-odditis]

138 patients with chronic papillooditis were investigated, 15 of them in a stage of decompensation. In 83.3% of the cases, the diagnosis was not clinically determined (including 68 of 92 endoscoped before their hospitalization--82.9%). 34 patients were diagnosed as having chronic gastroduodenitis, 15--ulcer, 42--chronic cholecystitis, 11--chronic pancreatitis, 4--cholangitis, 9--postcholecystectomic status. All these diseases developed simultaneously with the papillitis. In a second endoscopic check-up with an examination of papilla Vateri, the patients were in all the cases diagnosed without difficulties and the diagnose was confirmed by biopsy. In 21 patients there was confirmed primary papillooditis and in 127--accompanying disorders: chr. gastroduodenitis--29, chr. atrophic gastritis--18, ulcer--15, chr. cholecystitis--42, postcholecystectomic status--9, choledocholithiasis--14, chr. pancreatitis--11. Most often misdiagnosis occurs if: 1) during the routine endoscopic investigation the endoscopist does not examine papilla of Vater; 2) chr. papillitis exists simultaneously with one of the already mentioned diseases that are easier of approach for diagnostics and explanation of the disorders; 3) the clinical picture of papillitis cannot be differentiated from the one of the basic or accompanying disease; 4) the bile drainage is not prevented; 5) the result of the venous biligraphy does not lead to the diagnosis and ERCP is carried out only in a case of a clinical suspicion.

[Relaparotomy in middle-aged and elderly patients with peritonitis following a primary operation for digestive pathology--II]

The study covers 39,233 patients presenting biliodigestive pathology of which 12,230 in advanced and senile age, admitted to the emergency surgery section of the EMI "NI Pirogov" over a 12-year period (1985 through 1996). Of the total number, 6555 or 53.71 per cent are subjected to operation, with postoperative deaths amounting to 477 (7.27 per cent). In 320 cases (4.88 per cent) 218 men and 102 women, relaparotomy is done for postoperative peritonitis with 55 per cent lethality. Postoperative peritonitis is usually observed after operative treatment of ulcers. Operations for bleeding ulcers are performed in 175 patients of which 32 (18.28 per cent) are relaparotomized. Those operated for postoperative peritonitis are 65 per cent with 21 fatal outcomes; the commonest cause of death is insufficiency of the anastomosis or duodenal stump, followed by subhepatic and interfold abscesses.

Effect of medazepam on benzodiazepine receptors in brain of mice with isolation syndrome

The effect of medazepam in a model of isolation aggression in mice was studied according to Yen et al. It was established that the mean effective dose of medazepam was 250 micrograms/kg and the therapeutic index (LD50:ED50) 6200. The simultaneous biochemical investigations showed a reduction of the affinity and number of benzodiazepine receptors in the brain of aggressive animals. Medazepam 10 mg/kg p.o. led to the restoration of the number of benzodiazepine receptors at a single and 10-day treatment.