EUS is the most effective technique used in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, the present study demonstrating an accuracy of 92.7%. Moreover, EUS offers the possibility to collect samples for cytological examination by EUS guided fine needle aspiration. However, there are some limitations of EUS in identifying extra-abdominal metastases. Thus, the assessment of tumor extension must be completing by performing CT or MRI.

Background: the evaluation of cartilage thickness has become possible with new techniques such as musculoskeletal ultrasonography (US) and magnetic resonance imagining (MRI), making the evaluation of the treatment response and the progression of the disease more accurate. Objective: to evaluate the efficacy of a Symptomatic Slow Acting Drug for Osteoarthritis using both US and MRI for measuring cartilage thickness at baseline and after 1 year. Methods: The study included the clinical evaluation of 20 patients at baseline, at 6 and 12 months as well as imaging exams (US and MRI) at baseline and after 1 year. Measurements were performed in both knees, in lateral and medial condyles, and in the intercondylar area. After the baseline visit, patients underwent a SYSADOA treatment which included Harpagophytum procumbens (HPc) administered on a daily basis, in a specific regimen. Results and discussions: The US examination permitted the detailed evaluation of the femoral hyaline cartilage thickness, with statistically significant differences before and after treatment at the level of the medial compartment, both in the dominant (1.59 ± 0.49 vs. 1.68 ± 0.49, p = 0.0013) and non-dominant knee (1.73 ± 0.53 vs. 1.79 ± 0.52, p = 0.0106). The US and the MRI correlated well (r = 0.63) and showed no radiographic progression in knee osteoarthritis after one year of treatment with specific SYSADOA. Moreover, the US showed improvement in the cartilage thickness of the medial compartment. Conclusions: The combination with HPc could increase the delay in the radiographic progression of the knee osteoarthritis, with improvement of femoral hyaline cartilage thickness in the medial and lateral compartment. The US might be an important tool in OA evaluation and monitoring.

Elderly population frequently presents more than one prosthetic restoration realized from different types of dental alloys which, in time, suffer various alterations in the oral environment. Metallic ions are released in saliva due to its electrolytic qualities, interacting with the contact tissues. Studies regarding cytotoxicity of dental alloys are providing contradictory results. Besides biocompatibility, the microbial factor is also greatly influencing the long-term success of the prosthetic rehabilitation. This study's aim was to assess the response of the gingival tissue to nickel chromium (Ni-Cr) and copper (Cu)-based dental casting alloys from fixed dentures present in many patients from Romania. Gingival samples were taken from 124 patients wearing fixed dental restorations made from these two types of alloys from injured areas surrounding the abutment teeth; histological specimens were prepared, fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin, paraffin-embedded and stained with Hematoxylin-Eosin (HE). Histological analysis showed the existence of a chronic inflammatory infiltrate in the gingival chorion, necrosis areas, and vascular congestion. Various morphological alterations appeared, depending on the intensity of the inflammation and the immune response. The surface epithelium suffered a hyperplasic reaction, either limited to acanthosis or involving the whole epithelium, the release of the Cu2+ and Ni2+ ions from the dental alloys used in bridges and crowns being responsible for inducing gingival hyperplasia and a chronic inflammation in the areas situated around the abutment teeth. The immunohistochemical study allowed us to observe an increased number of positive cluster of differentiation 3 (CD3) T-lymphocytes in periodontium, proving that the cellular immune response is rapid and intense.

Surgical procedures on various artery aneurysms are difficult to perform and require careful preparation. We have developed and now present in this paper a software platform, CardioCTNav, that can help in planning such procedures. The planning consists of a 3D rendering of the area of interest, virtual angiography, automated measurements, and virtual stent simulation.

Connections between vitamin D and psoriasis have been a matter of interest for the past decades, with its active metabolite, 1,25(OH)₂ vitamin D, being valued for antiproliferative and immunomodulatory effects. However, none of vitamin D’s actions could be possible without the CYP27B1 enzyme that bio-activates this metabolite of interest. In order to see if there is any link between the enzyme expression and the disease’s particularities, we conducted a preliminary study that involved 11 skin biopsies of patients with mild (n = 4) or moderate to severe psoriasis (n = 7). The cell proliferation antigen Ki67 and the CD45RO+ marker were also assessed. Compared with healthy skin, in psoriasis, it is reported that the enzyme’s expression seems to be more ubiquitous, but a clear correlation between the disease’s severity and the CYP27B1 expression was, to our knowledge, lacking. We found that, in patients with very mild psoriasis, the enzyme expression was observed in the epidermal stratum basale in a similar manner as in healthy skin specimens. Contrary, for higher severity scores, a divergent result was observed, with the enzyme being either variably spread in the epidermal stratum spinosum or completely absent. Unlike malignant diseases, a significant connection between CYP27B1 and Ki67 (p = 0.313) or CYP27B1 and CD45RO+ (p = 0.657) does not seem to be relevant in psoriasis.