Introduction: The second trimester ultrasound remains an important screening tool for detecting fetal abnormalities. This pictorial guide for the second trimester ultrasound is designed to assist practitioners to produce a high quality diagnostic survey of the fetus by demonstrating and describing recommended images.
Methods: Each image is discussed in detail and has an associated drawn line diagram to aid in the identification of the important features of that image. There is a description of the salient landmarks and relevant measurements.
Result: The authors hope this article may act as a useful guide to all practitioners performing second trimester ultrasounds.
Perianal fistulas are a common and debilitating manifestation of Crohn's disease. Since the advent of biological agents, patient outcomes appear to have improved. While rates of clinical response and remission are well characterized in literature, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) outcomes remain less so. This is despite previous studies demonstrating the persistence of fistula tracts on MRI, in spite of clinical healing, suggesting radiological markers of improvement may be more accurate. The aims of this study were to systematically review the literature for all studies reporting on MRI outcomes following biological therapy and to compare rates of radiological healing to clinical remission. A search was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items For Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. Nine articles were included, with a total sample size of 259 patients. Of these 259 patients, 47% achieved clinical remission following induction therapy and 42% following a median of 52 weeks' maintenance therapy. Out of the 259 patients, 7% achieved radiological healing in the short term and 25% in the long term. The odds ratio of MRI versus clinical healing was 0.10 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.02–0.39) and 0.43 (95% CI, 0.26–0.71), respectively, at those corresponding time points. MRI healing of perianal fistulizing Crohn's, while arguably a more accurate assessment of treatment response, is significantly less common than clinical remission. Heterogeneity exists in the definition of radiological and clinical response, leading to variation in reported rates. Further studies, directly comparing the long‐term outcomes of patients achieving clinical remission and MRI healing are required, to better inform the role of MRI follow up in clinical practice.
Cholinergic nerves are identified by labelling molecules in the ACh synthesis, release and destruction pathway. Recently, antibodies against another molecule in this pathway have been developed. Choline reuptake at the synapse occurs via the high-affinity choline transporter (CHT1). CHT1 immunoreactivity is present in cholinergic nerve fibres containing vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT) in the human and rat central nervous system and rat enteric nervous system. We have examined whether CHT1 immunoreactivity is present in nerve fibres in human intestine and whether it is colocalised with markers of cholinergic, tachykinergic or nitrergic circuitry. Human ileum and colon were fixed, sectioned and processed for fluorescence immunohistochemistry with antibodies against CHT1, class III beta-tubulin (TUJ1), synaptophysin, common choline acetyl-transferase (cChAT), VAChT, nitric oxide synthase (NOS), substance P (SP) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP). CHT1 immunoreactivity was present in many nerve fibres in the circular and longitudinal muscle, myenteric and submucosal ganglia, submucosa and mucosa in human colon and ileum and colocalised with immunoreactivity for TUJ1 and synaptophysin confirming its presence in nerve fibres. In nerve fibres in myenteric ganglia and muscle, CHT1 immunoreactivity colocalised with immunoreactivity for VAChT and cChAT. Some colocalisation occurred with SP immunoreactivity, but little with immunoreactivity for VIP or NOS. In the mucosa, CHT1 immunoreactivity colocalised with that for VIP and SP in nerve fibres and was also present in vascular nerve fibres in the submucosa and on epithelial cells on the luminal border of crypts. The colocalisation of CHT1 immunoreactivity with VAChT immunoreactivity in cholinergic enteric nerves in the human bowel thus suggests that CHT1 represents another marker of cholinergic nerves.
Rothia aeria has only rarely been described as a human pathogen. We describe a case of Rothia aeria causing mitral valve endocarditis and multiple mycotic aneurysms, including cerebral mycotic aneurysms. In the case described, early identification of Rothia aeria was achieved using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS).
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