Volume 67, Number 3, 2021
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Category Archives: AMM 2021, Volume 67, Number 3
Adenosquamous and squamous cell carcinoma of the pancreas: two histopathological variants of ductal adenocarcinoma
DOI: 10.2478/amma-2021-0025
Introduction: Primary squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and adenosquamous carcinoma of the pancreas are rare malignancies for which diagnostic and treatment strategy are challenging. In this paper we present a literature review of these tumors based on two case reports.
Case presentation: In the first case, a 55-year-old male presented with an inoperable pancreatic head/body junction tumor. Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration was practiced, and histopathological examination revealed a squamous cell carcinoma of the pancreas. After exclusion of any another tumor, the diagnosis of cT4N0M0-staged primary pancreatic SCC was made. The patient is under treatment with gemcitabine and oxaliplatin. The second case is represented by a 73-year-old patient in which imagistic examinations highlighted a cystic mass of the pancreatic body. Following coporeo-caudal splenic-pancreatectomy and histopathological-proved diagnosis of adenosquamous carcinoma, the patient started chemotherapy but died at 11 months after surgery. Both tumor components displayed positivity for markers which prove ductal (cytokeratin19, maspin) and squamous differentiation (p63, cytokeratin5/6) same as vimentin, as indicator of epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT).
Conclusions: SCC and adenosquamous carcinoma of the pancreas are aggressive malignancies which prognosis remains highly reserved. These tumors might be variants of ductal adenocarcinomas which are dedifferentiated through EMT phenomenon.
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Breastfeeding and diversification attitudes among Romanian mothers
DOI: 10.2478/amma-2021-0029
Introduction: Recommended by the World Health Organization as the optimal way of infant feeding, maternal breast milk represents the best nourishment for the newborn baby during its first six months. The purpose of this study was to evaluate some of the Romanian mothers’ characteristics that can influence their attitude towards breastfeeding and food diversification.
Methods: A questionnaire about 32 questions, including demographics items and breastfeeding attitudes, was sent online (socializing platforms) in 2020 to mothers from all Romania districts. Our sample included at the end 1768 subjects, who fully completed the questionnaire. Statistical analysis was carried out using the GraphPad statistical software.
Results: The prevalence of breastfeeding for more than six months was only 32.18% in our group, and most of them were educated mothers who lives in urban areas (OR=2.76), were married (OR=1.98), had over 30 years old (OR=1.43) and have more than one child (OR=1.74).
Conclusions: We underline the importance of tackling in our future community interventions some of the socio-demographic characteristics of pregnant women (like groups education, good and accessible information about breastfeeding, young age, first pregnancy, or mothers from rural areas as well) in developing good habits of breastfeeding or complementary feeding, in order to improve their children health status and proper development.
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Life Endangerment – A Paramount Condition in Forensic and Judicial Practice
DOI: 10.2478/amma-2021-0026
Life-threatening injuries represent those types of lesions that certainly lead to the victim’s death if no qualified medical care is applied in due time. We hold important the aspect of imminent danger, and that the lesion, in its natural way of evolution, will determine the person’s death, his life being saved only by a qualified medical intervention. The juridical correspondent is represented in article 194: bodily harm – The new criminal code and the new criminal procedure code. The authors review and comment on the main particular aspects of life-threatening traumas, based on topography, anatomical aspects and forensic interpretation, in order to offer arguments to be incorporated from a medico-legal point of view, reported to the criteria of life-threatening conditions. We shall illustrate the subject by 6 case reports.
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The benefits of manual therapy and active cervical exercises in pacients with cerviogenic headache
DOI: 10.2478/amma-2021-0022
Introduction: Cervicogenic headache stems from a dysfunctional mechanism that frequently affects the upper region of the cervical spine, often involving multiple tissues connected with the occipital, submandibular, and orofacial region.
Objectives: The main objective of this study is to demonstrate the therapeutic effectiveness of a personalized program of manual therapy and specific exercises in patients with cervicogenic headaches.
Material and Methods: The study included 44 patients. Specific functional tests of the cranio-cervical-mandibular complex, namely the evaluation of the cranio-cervical-mandibular complex (according to Rocabado), cervical flexion-rotation test, cervical flexor endurance test, cervical extensors endurance test, and palpation of trigger points and cervical spine dynamics, were employed.
Results: The analysis of demographic data shows a significantly increased prevalence of headache among women. The symptomatology that almost always accompanies episodes of cervicogenic headache is localized neck pain. The intensity and frequency of the symptoms are strongly associated with alterations in the dynamics of the upper cervical spine and chronic sleep disorders.
Conclusion: Cranio-cervical manual therapy has proven effective in patients with cervicogenic headaches. The implementation of a strategy based on manual therapy and active exercise had a superior statistical and clinical result compared to the exclusively manual therapeutic approach.
Keywords: headache, active exercise, cervicogenic headache, manual therapy, cranio-cervical-mandibular
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Vascular injury in macroscopically normal skin of patients with severe COVID-19 infection: clinical-pathologic correlations
DOI: 10.2478/amma-2021-0027
Objectives: Taking into account that the documentation of the histopathological features in severe disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 has been scarce due to the avoidance of performing autopsies, the aim of the study was to detect the microscopic changes associated with severe COVID-19 infection in normal-appearing skin, without prominent dermatologic signs of a generalized microvascular thrombotic disorder, in accordance with the clinical evolution of disease.
Methods: In this morphological and immunohistochemical study we included cutaneous biopsy samples from 12 symptomatic patients with severe and critical type SARS-CoV-2 infection (with the admission date between February and June 2020), treated in the Intensive Therapy Unit Care of Emergency County Hospital Targu-Mures, Romania.
Results: The average age of our patients was 65.18 ± 14.21 years (range 41 to 83), and 66.67% of the patients were male. The histological and immunohistochemical assessment of cutaneous biopsies: in 4 cases the histological examination revealed small fibrin thrombi in deep-seated venules and small veins of subcuticular adipose tissue, and also 4 cutaneous biopsies showed occlusive vascular thrombosis in association with massive perivascular inflammatory infiltrate destroying and compromising the integrity of the vessel wall. The immunohistochemical examination of the composition of perivascular inflammatory infiltrate showed a predominance of CD3 positive lymphocytes, admixed with CD68 positive Mo/MF, some of them activated with FXIII expression. In the perivascular infiltrate, the presence of granulocytes and B lymphocytes was not characteristic.
Conclusion: According to our observations, in severe COVID-19, the cutaneous tissue is involved even in the absence of clinically obvious changes. Due to the relatively easy accessibility of skin samples, these could be applied to determine the severity of the patient’s clinical status, and to predict the necessity for anti-complement or anticoagulant treatments in the early stages of a severe SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Keywords: vascular injury, endothelial cell injury, perivascular inflammatory infiltrate, thrombosis, COVID-19, skin histopathology
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Para-Infectious Acute Transverse Myelitis Following Sars-Cov2 Infection: A Case Report
DOI: 10.2478/amma-2021-0024
Introduction: The new pandemic has highlighted new ways of clinical presentation of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) including a possible link to central nervous system (CNS) manifestation.
Case report: We present a case of acute transverse myelitis following a SARS-CoV 2 infection in a 34-year-old man who presented with bilateral lower-extremity weakness and acute urinary retention. Cervical magnetic resonance imaging showed a T2 hyperintense signal abnormality at C3-C6 and D3-D7 levels consistent with acute myelitis.
Conclusion: SARS-CoV 2 can cause myelitis by immune-mediated mechanisms, therefore it is extremely important for the clinicians to recognise the signs and promptly treat this neurological complication.
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Current and novel pharmacological therapeutic approaches in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. A brief review
DOI: 10.2478/amma-2021-0023
Objective: Although not highly prevalent among the general population, post-traumatic stress disorder is a serious psychiatric condition, associated with co-morbidities, mortality and high suicide rates. Currently, there are few approved pharmacological therapies, which count as second-line, augmented to psychotherapy. Studies from the literature emphasize the need for novel treatment options, due to high relapse rates and patients that do not achieve remission. This study provides an overview over the pharmacological treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, from a neurobiological perspective.
Methods: A systematic research has been conducted through PubMed, PLOS one, Cochrane library and Google Scholar databases.
Results: The neurobiological mechanisms which underlies the symptomatology are not fully elucidated. In the present, some theories involved in the onset/ manifestation are formulated (serotonergic, noradrenergic, glutamatergic, GABA-ergic, endocannabinoid) and the current therapy aims to modulate these neurotransmissions. In light of the studies along the years, a line should be drawn between the drugs acting on reducing the anxiety only and those that exhibit dual effect i.e. reducing the anxiety and affecting the memory reconsolidation processes. Although labelled as recreational drugs rather than compounds with intended therapeutic effects, cannabidiol and 3,4-methylenedioximethamphetamine appear to be the most promising from the perspective of efficacy and benefit-risk ratio.
Conclusion: Preclinical studies come with acceptable results, yet clinical trials are controversial and heterogeneous, given the small population size. Given the seriousness of post-traumatic stress disorder, the attempts to find effective and safe treatment in a context that lacks appropriate therapeutic approaches should be encouraged.
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Efficacy of transversus abdominis plane block in pain control after general abdominal surgery – a short review of the literature
DOI: 10.2478/amma-2021-0028
Objective: The aim of the study is the assessment of the analgesic efficacy of transversus abdominis plane block in patients undergoing general abdominal surgery.
Methods: Pubmed, Scopus, and Medline databases were searched for papers evaluating the effect of transversus abdominis plane block. The primary and secondary outcomes of the studies were analyzed.
Results: A total of 10 studies were analyzed, including 717 patients. Studies revealed that transversus abdominis plane block was associated with significantly reduced postoperative discomfort and reduced opioid consumption.
Conclusion: The present study shows the clear benefit brought by the transversus abdominis plane block as part of multimodal analgesia, with a significant reduction of pain and higher comfort scores.
Keywords: transversus abdominis plane block, abdominal surgery, postoperative pain management, analgesic efficacy
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The utility of MLPA in Familial Hypercholesterolemia diagnosis
DOI: 10.2478/amma-2021-0021
Background: Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an inherited disease, associated with an increased risk of atherosclerosis, manifested clinically as premature coronary heart disease. FH is biochemically characterized by increased Cholesterol and Low-density Lipoprotein Cholesterol serum levels. The diagnosis is often made using clinical scores however, the definitive FH diagnosis should point out the underlying molecular change, which can be: a point mutation within the three major genes, a number of single nucleotide polymorphisms determining the polygenic etiology, or copy number variations in the Low-density lipoprotein receptor gene.
Objective: In the present study we investigated copy number variations as a possible etiological factor for FH in a cohort of patients with documented premature coronary heart disease.
Methods: The study population consisted of 150 patients with premature coronary heart disease documented by angiography, all being under lipid-lowering therapy, and 20 apparently healthy controls. Serum lipids were assessed using the Cobas Integra 400 plus and commercial reagents. Copy number variations were evaluated with the SALSA MLPA Probemix P062 LDLR kit.
Results: Cholesterol, Triglycerides, Low-density Lipoprotein Cholesterol and High-density Lipoprotein Cholesterol showed no difference between patients and controls. No copy number variations were detected in the investigated regions, namely all 18 exons and the promoter region of the Low-density lipoprotein receptor gene.
Conclusions: Even in the presence of negative results, the Familial Hypercholesterolemia genetic diagnosis has to be further pursued in the presence of a clinical diagnosis, as the identification of the molecular etiology may bring additional clinical and therapeutical benefits, as well as open the possibility for “cascade screening”.
Keywords: atherosclerosis, familial hypercholesterolemia, premature coronary heart disease, low-density lipoprotein receptor
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