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Medical Image Analysis Jul 2024Segmentation of bladder tumors from medical radiographic images is of great significance for early detection, diagnosis and prognosis evaluation of bladder cancer. Deep...
Segmentation of bladder tumors from medical radiographic images is of great significance for early detection, diagnosis and prognosis evaluation of bladder cancer. Deep Convolution Neural Networks (DCNNs) have been successfully used for bladder tumor segmentation, but the segmentation based on DCNN is data-hungry for model training and ignores clinical knowledge. From the clinical view, bladder tumors originate from the mucosal surface of bladder and must rely on the bladder wall to survive and grow. This clinical knowledge of tumor location is helpful to improve the bladder tumor segmentation. To achieve this, we propose a novel bladder tumor segmentation method, which incorporates the clinical logic rules of bladder tumor and bladder wall into DCNNs to harness the tumor segmentation. Clinical logical rules provide a semantic and human-readable knowledge representation and are easy for knowledge acquisition from clinicians. In addition, incorporating logical rules of clinical knowledge helps to reduce the data dependency of the segmentation network, and enables precise segmentation results even with limited number of annotated images. Experiments on bladder MR images collected from the collaborating hospital validate the effectiveness of the proposed bladder tumor segmentation method.
Topics: Urinary Bladder Neoplasms; Humans; Neural Networks, Computer; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; Deep Learning
PubMed: 38776840
DOI: 10.1016/j.media.2024.103189 -
Cureus Apr 2024Chronic intestinal schistosomiasis (CIS) refers to the long-term effects of infection with Schistosoma parasites in the intestines. This condition typically develops...
Chronic intestinal schistosomiasis (CIS) refers to the long-term effects of infection with Schistosoma parasites in the intestines. This condition typically develops after repeated or prolonged exposure to contaminated freshwater containing Schistosoma eggs. The current study reports a case of an adult male, who complained of abnormal abdominal and anal pain for a month and had a medical history of complex perianal fistulae. The endoscopic investigation revealed different degrees of hyperemia, concentrated in the sigmoid colon and rectum. Lesions were localized in the rectum and sigmoid colon. Yellow granular hyperplasia, whether concentrated or dispersed, single or multiple polyps, along with observations of mucosal congestion, edema, faint vascular striations, erosions, superficial ulcers, and scattered petechial hemorrhages were noted. Also, the segmented areas of the colon had different degrees of inflammation. The microscopic histopathological analysis showed a culprit of surgical scar tissue. The granulomas harbored Schistosome parasites at the submucosal depth. Also, an erosion in the colonic mucosal tissues accompanied by lymphoplasmacytic and micro-abscess infiltrates was seen. A Schistosoma bilharzial ova was observed in the granuloma at the submucosal level. Endoscopic and histopathological investigations are useful tools to differentiate between CIS and Crohn's disease. These tools can distinguish CIS from Crohn's disease. Early detection and treatment are essential to prevent the progression of the disease and minimize long-term complications.
PubMed: 38770490
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.58614 -
Revista Espanola de Enfermedades... May 2024A 70-year-old male was admitted with severe haematochezia and lipothymia. His medical history was relevant for coronary artery disease and radiation proctopathy. During...
A 70-year-old male was admitted with severe haematochezia and lipothymia. His medical history was relevant for coronary artery disease and radiation proctopathy. During hospitalization, was hemodynamically stable with persistent haematochezia. Laboratory examination revealed continuous haemoglobin fall, despite erythrocyte reposition, with administration of 11 units since admission. Colonoscopy showed an 8mm fibrinous lesion with an adherent clot, at 40cm from the anal verge. During exploration, a heavy spurting haemorrhage developed, with haemostasis being achieved with 4 clips, followed by site tattoo. Considering the risk of severe bleeding relapse in a high-risk patient, the patient underwent emergent Hartmann type colectomy. Histopathology report revealed a vascular lesion with arterial and venous vessels, protruding through the submucosa, muscular and subserosa, with a focal mucosal erosion, without neoplastic disease, compatible with an arteriovenous malformation (AVM).
PubMed: 38767028
DOI: 10.17235/reed.2024.10419/2024 -
Surgical Case Reports May 2024The rectal and vaginal walls are typically sutured if severe perineal lacerations with rectal mucosal damage occur during vaginal delivery. In case of anal incontinence...
BACKGROUND
The rectal and vaginal walls are typically sutured if severe perineal lacerations with rectal mucosal damage occur during vaginal delivery. In case of anal incontinence after the repair, re-suturing of the anal sphincter muscle is standard procedure. However, this procedure may not result in sufficient improvement of function.
CASE PRESENTATION
A 41-year-old woman underwent suture repair of the vaginal and rectal walls for fourth-degree perineal laceration at delivery. She was referred to our department after complaining of flatus and fecal incontinence. Her Wexner score was 15 points. Examination revealed decreased anal tonus and weak contractions on the ventral side. We diagnosed anal incontinence due to sphincter dysfunction after repair of a perineal laceration at delivery. We subsequently performed sphincter re-suturing with perineoplasty to restructure the perineal body by suturing the fascia located lateral to the perineal body and running in a ventral-dorsal direction, which filled the space between the anus and vagina and increased anal tonus. One month after surgery, the symptoms of anal incontinence disappeared (the Wexner score lowered to 0 points), and the anorectal manometry values increased compared to the preoperative values. According to recent reports on the anatomy of the female perineal region, bulbospongiosus muscle in women does not move toward the midline to attach to the perineal body, as has been previously believed. Instead, it attaches to the ipsilateral surface of the external anal sphincter. We consider the fascia lateral to the perineal body to be the fascia of the bulbospongiosus muscle.
CONCLUSIONS
In a case of postpartum anal incontinence due to sphincter dysfunction after repair of severe perineal laceration, perineoplasty with re-suturing an anal sphincter muscle resulted in improvement in anal sphincter function. Compared to conventional simple suture repair of the rectal wall only, this surgical technique may improve sphincter function to a greater degree.
PubMed: 38724859
DOI: 10.1186/s40792-024-01917-7 -
International Journal of Surgery Case... Jun 2024Buschke-Löwenstein tumor (BLT) is a rare perianal lesion caused by low-risk mucosal HPV 6 or 11 but less frequently associated with high-risk HPV types. It is a large,...
INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE
Buschke-Löwenstein tumor (BLT) is a rare perianal lesion caused by low-risk mucosal HPV 6 or 11 but less frequently associated with high-risk HPV types. It is a large, exophytic, verrucous lesion of the anogenital region. BLT presents as a benign tumor but exhibits malignant clinical behavior and has a high rate of local recurrence and malignant transformation. The optimal treatment approach for BLT is still debated due to the lack of consensus. Various therapeutic modalities have been proposed, including topical agents, surgical excision, immunotherapy, chemo-radiotherapy, and electrocoagulation.
CASE PRESENTATION
This case report presents a heterosexual, immunocompetent patient with anal pain, pruritus, and spontaneous bleeding. The physical examination revealed an exophytic, pedunculated verrucous lesion, which appeared to be a typical fibroepithelial lesion.
CLINICAL DISCUSSION
The patient underwent wide excision, followed by a re-excision due to a surgical margin issue. The tumor exhibited malignant transformation into a well-differentiated SCC. However, due to the tumor's stage, size, location, histological type, and the extended time interval between the two surgeries, postoperative radiotherapy was not performed. Follow-up examinations over 12 months revealed no evidence of recurrence in either the patient's clinical evaluation or pelvic MRI.
CONCLUSIONS
Although comprehensive research is lacking, wide local excision is considered the preferred first-line treatment for early-stage cases without evidence of local invasion. Furthermore, HPV immunization can prevent the development of Buschke-Löwenstein tumor, and early administration of the HPV vaccine is recommended to avoid acquiring HPV infection.
PubMed: 38704971
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijscr.2024.109715 -
Journal of the Anus, Rectum and Colon 2024Lateral internal sphincterotomy is a conventional surgical intervention for chronic anal fissures, yet the potential for postoperative anal incontinence underscores the...
OBJECTIVES
Lateral internal sphincterotomy is a conventional surgical intervention for chronic anal fissures, yet the potential for postoperative anal incontinence underscores the need for an alternative approach. This study aimed to evaluate the outcomes of patients with chronic fissures who underwent a combination of fissurectomy, vertical non-full thickness midline sphincterotomy (VNMS), and mucosal advancement flap (MAF), as a means of mitigating the risk of incontinence.
METHODS
This retrospective analysis included forty-six consecutive patients with chronic anal fissures, unresponsive to topical diltiazem, who underwent fissurectomy combined with VNMS and MAF between April 2018 and May 2023. Primary outcome measures encompassed fissure healing rates. Continence was assessed using the Fecal Incontinence Severity Index (FISI), and manometric assessments were conducted before the procedure and three months postoperatively.
RESULTS
With a median follow-up of 27 months, there were no postoperative complications, and the overall fissure healing rate reached 96% (44/46). At three months post-procedure, FISI scores were reduced to 0, with no instances of fecal soiling. Anal resting pressure exhibited a significant reduction at 3 months [pre-op: 133 (95% CI, 128-150) vs. 3 mo: 109 (95% CI, 100-117) cmHO; = 0.01]. Similarly, maximum anal squeeze pressure showed a significant decrease three months post-surgery [pre-op: 317 cmHO (95% CI, 294-380) vs. 3 mo: 291 cmHO (95% CI, 276-359), = 0.03].
CONCLUSIONS
The combination of fissurectomy, VNMS, and MAF proved to be an effective approach for chronic anal fissures, yielding favorable medium-term outcomes without postoperative anal incontinence.
PubMed: 38689786
DOI: 10.23922/jarc.2023-072 -
Analytical Biochemistry Sep 2024Ionic microenvironment of the nasal secretions especially calcium ions play essential role in the olfactory transmission. However, there is a critical need to determine...
Ionic microenvironment of the nasal secretions especially calcium ions play essential role in the olfactory transmission. However, there is a critical need to determine the free calcium levels in healthy people's nasal secretions in contrast to those of patients with olfactory impairment. A selective spectrofluorometric method was created to quantify nasal calcium levels utilizing its quenching ability to the fluorescence of the functionalized carbon quantum dots. The surface of carbon quantum dots was functionalized with calcium ionophore A23187 and ion association complex, calcium phosphotungstate, to improve the selectively to quantify calcium ions. The functionalized carbon quantum dots exhibited a concentration-dependent fluorescence quenching upon interaction with calcium ions. Different factors influencing the quenching process were done to provide efficient analytical process. The new method, demonstrated accurate calcium determination over the concentration range of 200-4000 ng/mL. The suggested technique was used to measure the calcium in the nasal secretions of both healthy people and patients with olfactory impairment. The findings revealed significantly higher calcium levels in the patient with olfactory dysfunction (healthy vs. patient; 735 ± 20 ng/mL vs. 2987 ± 37 ng/mL, p < 0.05).
Topics: Humans; Calcium; Spectrometry, Fluorescence; Quantum Dots; Olfaction Disorders; Nasal Mucosa; Male; Adult; Smell; Female
PubMed: 38679192
DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2024.115549 -
Nature Microbiology May 2024The 2022 mpox virus (MPXV) outbreak was sustained by human-to-human transmission; however, it is currently unclear which factors lead to sustained transmission of MPXV....
The 2022 mpox virus (MPXV) outbreak was sustained by human-to-human transmission; however, it is currently unclear which factors lead to sustained transmission of MPXV. Here we present Mastomys natalensis as a model for MPXV transmission after intraperitoneal, rectal, vaginal, aerosol and transdermal inoculation with an early 2022 human outbreak isolate (Clade IIb). Virus shedding and tissue replication were route dependent and occurred in the presence of self-resolving localized skin, lung, reproductive tract or rectal lesions. Mucosal inoculation via the rectal, vaginal and aerosol routes led to increased shedding, replication and a pro-inflammatory T cell profile compared with skin inoculation. Contact transmission was higher from rectally inoculated animals. This suggests that transmission might be sustained by increased susceptibility of the anal and genital mucosae for infection and subsequent virus release.
Topics: Animals; Virus Shedding; Female; Mucous Membrane; Poxviridae Infections; Humans; Virus Replication; Disease Models, Animal; Rodentia; Male; Rats; Vagina; Disease Outbreaks
PubMed: 38649413
DOI: 10.1038/s41564-024-01666-1 -
International Journal of Infectious... Jul 2024We report a long-term remission in candidiasis in a 57-year-old Finnish female with autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy (APECED) suffering...
We report a long-term remission in candidiasis in a 57-year-old Finnish female with autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy (APECED) suffering from recurrent oral, esophageal, gastric, vaginal, and anal candidiasis since childhood. Candidiasis treatment with antifungal medicines fluconazole, itraconazole, posaconazole, voriconazole, caspofungin, nystatin, or amphotericin-B during 2008-2021 had variable effects and intermittent development of antifungal resistance and hospital periods. The patient started using fermented lingonberry juice (FLJ) as a mouth rinse daily in April 2021. No symptoms or mucosal signs of candidiasis in any part of the digestive system or vaginal area have been noticed during this exceptionally long-term 2 ½ year remission in candidiasis without antifungal medications.
Topics: Humans; Female; Middle Aged; Polyendocrinopathies, Autoimmune; Antifungal Agents; Mouthwashes; Candidiasis; Remission Induction; Treatment Outcome; Fruit and Vegetable Juices
PubMed: 38649005
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2024.107066 -
Chemico-biological Interactions May 2024There is an increasing appreciation that colonic barrier function is closely related to the development and progression of colitis. The mucus layer is a crucial...
Biochanin a ameliorates DSS-induced ulcerative colitis by improving colonic barrier function and protects against the development of spontaneous colitis in the Muc2 deficient mice.
There is an increasing appreciation that colonic barrier function is closely related to the development and progression of colitis. The mucus layer is a crucial component of the colonic barrier, responsible for preventing harmful bacteria from invading the intestinal epithelium and causing inflammation. Furthermore, a defective mucus barrier is also a significant characteristic of ulcerative colitis (UC). Biochanin A (BCA), an isoflavonoid, has garnered increasing interest due to its significant biological activities. However, the impact of BCA on UC has not been reported yet. In this study, we used a dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis model and the Muc2 deficient (Muc2) mice spontaneous colitis model to explore the mechanisms of BCA in the treatment of UC. Here, we verified that DSS-induced UC was observably attenuated and spontaneous colitis in Muc2 mice was relieved by BCA. Treatment with BCA improved colitis-related symptoms and reduced intestinal permeability by upregulating the levels of goblet cells and tight junction (TJ) proteins. In addition, we confirmed that BCA promotes autophagy through the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)/Unc-51-like kinase 1 (ULK1) pathway, thereby alleviating DSS-induced UC. In addition, the administration of BCA was able to reduce apoptosis and promote proliferation by suppressing Cleaved Caspase-3 (Cleaved Cas-3) expression, and increasing PCNA and Ki67 levels. Further research revealed that BCA treatment ameliorated spontaneous colitis and alleviated epithelial damage in Muc2 mice by restoring the intestinal barrier and promoting autophagy. Our results demonstrated that BCA alleviated UC by enhancing intestinal barrier function and promoting autophagy. These findings indicate that BCA may be a novel treatment alternative for UC.
Topics: Animals; Mucin-2; Dextran Sulfate; Colitis, Ulcerative; Genistein; Mice; Colon; Autophagy; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Disease Models, Animal; Mice, Knockout; Apoptosis; Intestinal Mucosa; Male; AMP-Activated Protein Kinases; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases
PubMed: 38648921
DOI: 10.1016/j.cbi.2024.111014