Are polypropylene mesh implants associated with systemic autoimmune inflammatory syndromes? A systematic review

Purpose The surgical implantation of polypropylene (PP) meshes has been linked to the occurrence of systemic autoimmune disorders. We performed a systematic review to determine whether PP implants for inguinal, ventral hernia or pelvic floor surgery are associated with the development of systemic autoimmune syndromes. Methods We searched Embase, Medline, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane library, clinicaltrialsregister.eu, clinicaltrails.gov and WHO-ICTR platform. Last search was performed on November 24th 2021. All types of studies reporting systemic inflammatory/autoimmune response in patients having a PP implant for either pelvic floor surgery, ventral or inguinal hernia repair were included. Animal studies, case reports and articles without full text were excluded. We intended to perform a meta-analysis. The quality of evidence was assessed with the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale. This study was registered at Prospero (CRD42020220705). Results Of 2137 records identified, 4 were eligible. Two retrospective matched cohort studies focused on mesh surgery for vaginal prolapse or inguinal hernia compared to hysterectomy and colonoscopy, respectively. One cohort study compared the incidence of systemic conditions in women having urinary incontinence surgery with and without mesh. These reports had a low risk of bias. A meta-analysis showed no association when comparing systemic disease between mesh and control groups. Calculated risk ratio was 0.9 (95% CI 0.82–0.98). The fourth study was a case series with a high risk of bias, with a sample of 714 patients with systemic disease, 40 of whom had PP mesh implanted. Conclusion There is no evidence to suggest a causal relationship between being implanted with a PP mesh and the occurrence of autoimmune disorders.

Oncological Outcomes After Hippocampus-Sparing Whole-Brain Radiotherapy in Cancer Patients With Newly Diagnosed Brain Oligometastases: A Single-Arm Prospective Observational Cohort Study in Taiwan

BackgroundPromisingly, the technique of hippocampus sparing during WBRT (HS-WBRT) might preserve NCFs. In this research, we examined oncological outcomes, with emphasis on neurologic/non-neurologic causes of death, CNS progression, and leptomeningeal disease (LMD) recurrence in cancer patients who underwent HS-WBRT.MethodsOne hundred and fourteen cancer patients with newly diagnosed brain oligometastases underwent HS-WBRT were consecutively enrolled. The cumulative incidence of cancer-specific deaths (neurologic or non-neurologic), LMD recurrence, and the composite endpoint of CNS progression (CNS-CE) as the first event were computed with a competing-risks approach to characterize the oncological outcomes after HS-WBRT.ResultsPatients with intact brain metastases had a significantly increased likelihood of dying from non-neurologic causes of death associated with early manifestation of progressive systemic disease (hazard ratio for non-neurologic death, 1.78; 95% CI, 1.08–2.95; p = 0.025; competing-risks Fine–Gray regression), which reciprocally rendered them unlikely to encounter LMD recurrence or any pattern of CNS progression (HR for CNS-CE as the first event, 0.13; 95% CI, 0.02–0.97; p = 0.047; competing-risks Fine–Gray regression). By contrast, patients with resection cavities post-craniotomy had reciprocally increased likelihood of CNS progression which might be associated with neurologic death eventually.ConclusionsPatterns of oncological endpoints including neurologic/non-neurologic death and cumulative incidence of CNS progression manifesting as LMD recurrence are clearly clarified and contrasted between patients with intact BMs and those with resection cavities, indicating they are clinically distinct subgroups.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov, Identifier: NCT02504788, NCT03223675.

Livedo of the Forearm in the Aftermath of Forearm Erysipelas

Livedo is an ischemic dermopathy caused by vasculopathies or prothrombotic states, and characterized by the violaceous lace-like mottling of the skin. We report on a patient who developed livedo reticularis – livedo racemosa overlap syndrome as a late sequel of erysipelas, the livedo being restricted to the limb segment affected earlier by erysipelas and devoid of systemic vasculopathy. Though erysipelas and livedo are common disorders, we could not find in the literature reports of an occurrence like that observed in this patient. In this case a favorable prognosis of livedo could be predicted. In a different context, livedo may be the alarming signal of an undiagnosed systemic disease.

Biobank data for studying the genetic architecture of osteoporosis and developing genetic risk scores

Osteoporosis is a chronic systemic disease of the skeleton, characterized by a decrease in bone mass and an impairment of bone microarchitecture, which can lead to a decrease in bone strength and an increase in the risk of minor trauma fractures. Osteoporosis is diagnosed on the basis of bone mineral density (BMD). BMD is characterized by high heritability that ranges according to various sources from 50 to 85%. As in the case of other complex traits, the most common approach to searching for genetic variants that affect BMD is a genome-wide association study. The lower effect size or frequency of a variant is, the larger the sample size is required to achieve statistically significant data on associations. Therefore, the studies involving hundreds of thousands of participants based on biobank data can identify the largest number of variants associated with BMD. In addition, biobank data are used in the development of genetic risk scores for osteoporosis that can be used both in combination with existing prognosis algorithms and independently of them. The aim of this review was to present the most significant studies of osteoporosis genetics, including those based on biobank data and genome-wide association studies, as well as studies on the genetic risk scores and the contribution of rare variants.

Case Report: Multicentric Reticulohistiocytosis Associated With Posterior Mediastinal Adenosquamous Carcinoma, Antinuclear Antibody Positivity and Lupus Anticoagulant Positivity

Multicentric reticulohistiocytosis (MRH) is a rare systemic disease of non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis. A number of studies in the literature have documented that it can coexist with malignancy or autoimmune disease, making it difficult to determine the most appropriate therapy. Here, we present a case study of MRH associated with posterior mediastinal adenosquamous carcinoma along with antinuclear antibody positivity and lupus anticoagulant positivity. The patient experienced 6 months of clinical benefit after surgical resection and chemoradiotherapy of the mediastinal malignancy. This case adds to the available literature on multicentric reticulohistiocytosis associated with different types of malignancy and provides supplementary clinical data on the coexistence of this syndrome with malignancy and immune system abnormalities. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case study describing MRH accompanied by posterior mediastinal adenosquamous carcinoma and lupus anticoagulant positivity. The unknown aetiology and polymorphic clinical presentation of MRH warrants further investigation.

Integrative transcriptomic and proteomic analysis reveals mechanisms of silica-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats

Background Silicosis is a systemic disease characterized by persistent inflammation and incurable pulmonary fibrosis. Although great effort has been made to understand the pathogenesis of the disease, molecular mechanism underlying silicosis is not fully elucidated. This study was aimed to explore proteomic and transcriptomic changes in rat model of silicosis. Methods Twenty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into two groups with 10 rats in each group. Rats in the model group were intratracheally instilled with 50 mg/mL silicon dioxide (1 mL per rat) and rats in the control group were treated with 1.0 mL saline (1 mL per rat). Twenty-eight days later, transcriptomic analysis by microarray and tandem mass tags (TMT)-based proteomic analysis were performed to reveal the expression of mRNAs and proteins in lung tissues. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) were applied to analyze the altered genes and proteins. The integrated analysis was performed between transcriptome and proteome. The data were further verified by RT-qPCR and parallel reaction monitoring (PRM). Results In total, 1769 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 650 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified between the silicosis model and control groups. The integrated analysis showed 250 DEPs were correlated to the corresponding DEGs (cor-DEPs-DEGs), which were mainly enriched in phagosome, leukocyte transendothelial migration, complement and coagulation cascades and cellular adhesion molecule (CAM). These pathways are interrelated and converged at common points to produce an effect. GM2a, CHI3L1, LCN2 and GNAI1 are involved in the extracellular matrix (ECM) and inflammation contributing to fibrosis. Conclusion Our comprehensive transcriptome and proteome data provide new insights into the mechanisms of silicosis and helpful information for more targeted prevention and treatment of silicosis.

Marginal Zone B-cell Lymphoma of the Gasserian Ganglion: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is a rare subtype of extranodal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma that accounts for 4% of newly diagnosed central nervous system (CNS) tumors. Most primary lymphomas of the central nervous system are of the subtype of diffuse large B-cell lymphomas, which have highly aggressive behavior and may involve the brain, leptomeninges, eyes or spinal cord without evidence of systemic disease. Primary CNS lymphomas are very rare in immunocompetent patients, but their rates are increasing. So far, only 11 primary Gasser ganglion lymphomas have been reported, with an incidence of 2.5 cases per 30,000,000 inhabitants. However, B cell lymphomas of the marginal zone of the Gasserian ganglion have been very rarely reported. We report here a clinical presentation characteristic of B cell lymphoma of the marginal zone of the Gasser ganglion in an immunocompetent patient who was treated with surgery and radiotherapy, evolving with improvement of symptoms and without recurrence in 3 months of follow-up.

Necrotizing Anterior Scleritis in a Woman with Terrien’s Marginal Degeneration: A Case Report

Purpose: The aim of the study was to report the first case of a patient with Terrien’s Marginal Degeneration (TMD) who developed necrotizing anterior scleritis without systemic disease association, requiring systemic immunosuppressive treatment. Case Report: A 32-year-old female consulted for bilateral ocular burning and hyperemia. Initially, she was diagnosed with conjunctivitis and treated with topical antibiotics and corticosteroids, with mild transitory improvement but the progression of the disease. Years later, she attended the ocular immunology consultation for a second opinion where TMD with ocular inflammatory component OU was diagnosed. Seven months later, she presented with severe pain, decreased visual acuity, and photophobia in OS. At the slit-lamp examination, necrotizing anterior scleritis with a high risk of perforation in OS was observed. The patient was referred to the rheumatologist and started treatment with systemic corticosteroids and cyclophosphamide, exhibiting a clinical improvement. The patient did not meet the criteria for any systemic illness associated with scleritis, such as autoimmune diseases or vasculitis. Thus, scleritis was related to the adjacent inflammatory process associated with TMD, as an atypical presentation of this disease. Conclusion: Although an inflammatory type of TMD has been proposed, it is essential to follow up closely these patients and consider necrotizing anterior scleritis, a severe ocular disease that requires prompt immunosuppressive management, as a possible atypical associated presentation of this disease.