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Yaya Sow, Ousmane Sow, Boubacar Fall, Babacar Sine, Alioune Sarr, Cyrille Zé Ondo, Babacar Diao, Alain Khassim Ndoye, Mamadou BaUrology and Andrology Department at Aristide Le Dantec Hospital, Cheikh Anta Diop University, Dakar, SenegalObjective: To assess the impact of tumor cytoreduction on cancer outcomes and patient survival in metastatic prostate cancer.Patients and methods: It is a prospective study spanning a two-year period between October 1st 2015 and March 31st 2017. We enrolled 102 cases of metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer. Fifty-seven (57) patients had exclusively androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) (group 1) and 45 had, in addition, an open prostatectomy or Transurethral resection of the Prostate (group 2). We compared both groups using the total PSA nadir, the time to PSA nadir, the overall survival (OS), and the progression-free survival (PFS).Results: The average nadir PSA was lower for the tumor cytoreduction group (16.8±1.6 ng/mL (0.01–193.5) versus 110.7±17.9 ng/mL (0.01–1379)). Median time to PSA nadir was shorter in patients in the ADT only group (8 months vs 3 months (p=0.025)). The OS was shorter in patients treated with ADT only compared to the tumor cytoreduction group (median 14 months vs 24 months, respectively (p=0.03)). Similarly, tumor cytoreduction had a positive impact on patient progression (median PFS 20 months (group 1) vs 43 months (group 2)).Conclusion: Tumor cytoreduction has a positive impact on the oncological results and the survival of patients under ADT.Keywords: prostate cancer, cytoreduction, androgen suppression, TURP

Reaction of dimethyl N-cyanodithioiminocarbonate, NCNC(SCH3)2 (L), and SnPh3Cl led to the formation of [ClPh3SnNCNC(SCH3)2] (1) which crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2/c with Z=8, a=19.152(2) Å, b=12.8659 (16) Å, c=19.063(3) Å, β=108.608(3) and V=4451.6(10) Å3. The structure of 1 consists of a SnPh3 moiety trans-coordinated in apical positions by one L ligand, N-coordinated, and one chlorine atom involving a trigonal bipyramid geometry around the Sn(IV) atom. To our knowledge, this is the first isolation of a discrete triorganotin(IV) complex with a N-cyanodithioiminocarbonate adduct. The structural characterization of 1 was completed by infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and elemental analysis which confirm the X-ray elucidation.

Background: There is no established standard of care for treating central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA), and treatment approaches vary widely., Objective: To develop consensus statements regarding the use of various pharmacological therapies in treating adults with CCCA., Methods: We invited 27 dermatologists with expertise in hair and scalp disorders to participate in a 3-round modified Delphi study between January and March 2023. Statements met strong consensus if 75% of respondents agreed or disagreed. Statements met moderate consensus if 55% or more but less than 75% agreed or disagreed., Results: In round 1, 5 of 33 (15.2%) statements met strong consensus, followed by 9 of 28 (32.1%) in round 2. After the final round 3 meeting, strong consensus was reached for 20 of 70 (28.6%) overall statements. Two statements achieved moderate consensus., Limitations: This study included only English-speaking, US-based dermatologists and did not consider nonpharmacological therapies., Conclusion: Despite varying opinions among dermatologists, consensus was reached for several statements to help clinicians manage CCCA. We also highlight areas that lack expert consensus with the goal of advancing research and therapeutic options for CCCA., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest Dr Barbosa has served as a consultant or advisory board member to the following companies in the last 2 years: Eli Lilly, Pfizer, UCB, and Vichy. Dr Harvey has served as a consultant or advisory board member for Eli Lilly, Skinceuticals, Janssen, L’Oréal, Unilever, Pfizer, and Abbvie. Dr Mayo has served as an investigator or consultant for Arcutis, Acelyrin, BMS, ChemoCentryx, Eli Lilly, Galderma, Janssen, Leo Pharma, Novartis, Pfizer, and Procter & Gamble. Dr McMichael has grants/research or consulting relationships with Concert, Procter & Gamble, Incyte, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Pfizer, Arcutis, Almirall, AbbVie, Galderma, Bristol Meyers Squibb, Sanofi-Genzyme, UCB, Revian, Johnson & Johnson, L'oreal, and Leo. Dr Piliang has relationships with Eli Lilly and Company, Pfizer Inc, and Procter & Gamble Company. Dr Tosti is consultant for DS Laboratories, Monat Global, Almirall, Tirthy Madison, Eli Lilly, P&G, Pfizer, Myovant, Bristol Myers Squibb, Ortho Dermatologics, Curallux LLC and PI for Eli Lilly, Concert. Dr Frey has served as a consultant or advisor for the following: Procter & Gamble, Sun Pharma, Galderma, CeraVe, La Roche Posay, Regeneron, Avita, and Ferndale. Dr Adotama has served as a consultant or advisory board member for Sanofi Regeneron, Janssen, Bristol-Myers, and Argenx. Dr Taylor has served as a consultant, advisory board member, and/or speaker for AbbVie, Arcutis, Armis Scientific, Avita, Beiersdorf, Biorez, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Cara Therapeutics, Dior, Eli Lilly, EPI Health, Evolus, Galderma, GloGetter, Hugel America, Incyte, Johnson & Johnson, L'Oreal USA, MedScape, MJH LifeSciences, Pfizer, Piction Health, Sanofi, Scientis US, UCB, and Vichy Laboratoires. She has received royalties from McGraw-Hill. She has served as an investigator for Allergan, Concert Pharmaceuticals/Sun Pharma, Croma-Pharma GmbH, Eli Lilly, and Pfizer. Authors Jackson, Sow, Dinkins, Drs Aguh, Ayoade, Burgess, Callender, Cotsarelis, Grimes, Kindred, Lester, Sicco, Oboite, Ogunleye, Olsen, Osei-Tutu, and Shapiro have no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: Central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA) is a scarring alopecia seen primarily in women of African descent but rarely reported in men. The etiology of CCCA is unknown, but genetic variants, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and bacterial infections may play a role., Objectives: We aimed to characterize the demographics, medical histories, and clinical findings of male patients with CCCA with the hypothesis that features may differ from women., Methods: This was a case series of adult male patients with biopsy-confirmed CCCA seen at an academic dermatology department between 2012 and 2022., Results: In total, 17 males had a scalp biopsy and clinical findings consistent with CCCA. The average age was 43 years, and 88.2% of cases identified as Black race. Scalp pruritus was the most common symptom, and few patients endorsed high-risk hair care practices. None of the cases had diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus, but 17.6% had history of latent tuberculosis, and 47.1% had a positive family history of alopecia. We observed 8 patients with atypical CCCA, and 29.4% had an overlapping scalp diagnosis., Limitations: This study is limited by the single center, retrospective design and small sample size., Conclusions: It is important to consider CCCA in the differential diagnosis of alopecia in adult Black males., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest None disclosed., (Copyright © 2023 American Academy of Dermatology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest: N.S. has participated in advisory boards for Bristol Myers Squibb. A.G. is an advisor for AbbVie, Aclaris Therapeutics, Anaptys Bio, Aristea Therapeutics, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Incyte, Insmed, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, Sonoma Biotherapeutics, UCB, Union Therapeutics, Ventyx Biosciences and Viela Biosciences, and receives honoraria. A.G. receives research grants from AbbVie, UCB, National Psoriasis Foundation and CHORD COUSIN Collaboration (C3). He is co-copyright holder of the HS-IGA and HiSQOL instruments. L.A.V.O. has participated on advisory boards for Novartis and UCB, was a consultant and investigator for ChemoCentryx and has received research grants from Pfizer.

Farmers' entrepreneurship is an important engine to comprehensively help promote rural revitalization. Based on data from the China Household Finance Survey (CHFS2019), this paper empirically examines the effect of digital literacy on farmers' entrepreneurial behavior using the Probit model and instrumental variable method; and examines the mediating role of health status in this effect using the mediation effect model, combined with the Sobel and Bootstrap tests. The results of the study showed that (1) digital literacy positively influenced farmers' entrepreneurial behavior at the 1% significant level, and this positive influence showed some differences across gender and age; (2) health status played a mediating effect in the positive influence of digital literacy on farmers' entrepreneurial behavior. Accordingly, policy recommendations are made to foster farmers' digital literacy, encourage farmers' entrepreneurship, and ensure farmers' "digital health" services., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Bai et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Aim: To evaluate the epidemiological, etiological and evolutionary profile of vesico-vaginal fistulas (VVF) in university hospitals in Senegal., Patients and Method: This is a retrospective, descriptive, single-center study, collecting the records of patients followed for VVF between January 2014 and December 2019 at the Urology and Andrology Department of the Centre hospitalier universitaire Aristide Le Dantec, Dakar, Senegal. The following parameters were studied: age, geographical origin, parity, and etiology of VVF. To assess the evolution of the epidemiological and etiological profile of VVF, we compared our results with those of series published by our structure., Results: Forty-five (45) VVFs were identified over a period of 6 years. This represents an annual average of 7.5 fistulas. The average age was 40±15.13 years with extremes of 13 years and 75 years; 17 patients (37.8%) were older than 45 years. The average parity was 3 with extremes from 0 to 12 children. Multiparous women represented 68.8% of the patients. Obstetric VVF (OVF) was more frequent (48.9%) followed by iatrogenic VVF (33.3%). The mean age was higher in the IVF group compared to the VVF group (32 years) (P = 0.0004). Thirty patients were from the Dakar region and its suburbs (66.6%). The etiology of VVF did not vary according to the geographical origin of the patients (P=NS). VVF was frequently associated with the management of cervical cancer in 42.2% of cases. Comparison of our current data with previous series shows a reduction in the annual incidence of VVF. VVFs, although they have decreased significantly, are still predominant. There is a constant increase in the number of IVF., Conclusion: There is an evolution of the epidemiological and etiological profile marked by a decrease in the frequency of VVFs and an increase in that of IVFs. It is also worth noting the frequent association between cervical cancer and VVF., Level of Evidence: Level 4: retrospective study., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.)

Background: The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants may have contributed to prolonging the pandemic, and increasing morbidity and mortality related to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This article describes the dynamics of circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants identified during the different COVID-19 waves in Mali between April and October 2021., Methods: The respiratory SARS-CoV-2 complete spike (S) gene from positive samples was sequenced. Generated sequences were aligned by Variant Reporter v3.0 using the Wuhan-1 strain as the reference. Mutations were noted using the GISAID and Nextclade platforms., Results: Of 16,797 nasopharyngeal swab samples tested, 6.0% (1008/16,797) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 on quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Of these, 16.07% (162/1008) had a cycle threshold value ≤28 and were amplified and sequenced. The complete S gene sequence was recovered from 80 of 162 (49.8%) samples. Seven distinct variants were identified: Delta (62.5%), Alpha (1.2%), Beta (1.2%), Eta (30.0%), 20B (2.5%), 19B (1.2%) and 20A (1.2%)., Conclusions and Perspectives: Several SARS-CoV-2 variants were present during the COVID-19 waves in Mali between April and October 2021. The continued emergence of new variants highlights the need to strengthen local real-time sequencing capacity and genomic surveillance for better and coordinated national responses to SARS-CoV-2., Competing Interests: None declared., (© 2022 The Author(s).)

Background: Patients with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) experience high physical and emotional symptom burden and may benefit from palliative care interventions, though no studies have explored the unmet palliative care needs in this population., Objective: This case series aimed to qualitatively evaluate unmet needs and palliative care interventions among patients with HS who were referred to palliative care., Methods: We reviewed medical records of patients with HS who were referred from an HS specialty clinic and seen in an interprofessional palliative care ambulatory clinic. Palliative care notes were qualitatively analyzed inductively and deductively to identify themes characterizing unmet needs and palliative care interventions., Results: Thirteen patients with HS (median [IQR] age, 38 [31-45] years; 11 [85%] women; 11 [85%] Black) were referred and seen in a palliative care specialty clinic. Topics discussed included uncontrolled HS pain, housing insecurity, and emotional distress. Palliative care interventions included a thorough assessment of pain, multimodal pain management approaches, social worker weekly check-ins, and management of psychotropic medications., Limitations: Small study at a single tertiary center., Conclusions: Care models integrating palliative care approaches with multidisciplinary support services may reduce disease burden in a subset of patients with HS., Competing Interests: Dr Orenstein received grants from Pfizer. Dr Orenstein has been a consultant to ChemoCentryx, Incyte, UCB, and Novartis and participated in clinical trials with ChemoCentryx. Authors Chu and Gangal, Dr Echuri, Authors Siira and Sow, and Drs Williams and Curseen have no conflicts of interest to declare., (© 2023 Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of the American Academy of Dermatology, Inc.)

The emergence of Marburg virus (MARV) in Guinea and Ghana triggered the assembly of the MARV vaccine "MARVAC" consortium representing leaders in the field of vaccine research and development aiming to facilitate a rapid response to this infectious disease threat. Here, we discuss current progress, challenges, and future directions for MARV vaccines., Competing Interests: T.W.G. holds U.S. patent number 7,635,485 issued to US Government, U.S. patent number 7,838,658 issued to Arbutus Biopharma, U.S. patent number 8,017,130 issued to US Government, U.S. patent number 8,716,464 issued to Arbutus Biopharma, and U.S. patent number 8,796,013 issued to Boston University. N.J.S. has a patent for Chimpanzee Adenoviral vector-based filovirus vaccines (for use in humans) with royalties paid to GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals. K.L.W. is a stockholder of Emergent BioSolutions. R.Z. holds a patent for “Methods and compositions for inducing protective immunity against Marburg virus infection”. All other authors declare no conflict of interest. The conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19 vaccines have been developed, and the World Health Oraganization (WHO) has granted emergency use listing to multiple vaccines. Studies of vaccine immunogenicity data from implementing COVID-19 vaccines by national immunization programs in single studies spanning multiple countries and continents are limited but critically needed to answer public health questions on vaccines, such as comparing immune responses to different vaccines and among different populations., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Farmland abandonment, as a manifestation of the low efficiency of the rural economy, has a profound impact on the process of agricultural and rural modernization. This study uses the 2016 China Labor Force Dynamic Survey data based on 8116 samples from 104 cities, constructs the Tobit model and IV Tobit model to analyze the land abandonment quantitatively from the perspective of environmental pollution. The results show that (1) environmental pollution can significantly increase the probability and area of land abandonment, (2) there is significant regional heterogeneity in the impact of environmental pollution on land abandonment, (3) the impact of environmental pollution on land abandonment varies significantly with different family sizes and land management scales, but the land management scale is relatively more sensitive. This study provides a deeper understanding of the relationship between environmental pollution and land abandonment in China and provides a basis for formulating relevant policies to strengthen the treatment of environmental pollution to solve the dilemma of land abandonment, which is of great practical significance to sustainable development of rural economy and the guarantee of food security in China., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

We here report a case of embryonal paratesticular rhabdomyosarcoma in a young adult. The purpose of this study is to highlight this uncommon histological type of tumor in this age group, the rapid evolution of the lesion and the challenges of managing it in our context., Competing Interests: Les auteurs ne déclarent aucun conflit d´intérêts., (Copyright: Boris Amougou et al.)

The purpose of this study was to assess outcomes of radical prostatectomy in patients with prostate cancer. We conducted a retrospective single-center study in the Department of Urology and Andrology at the Aristide Le Dantec Hospital in Dakar from June 1, 2010 to May 31, 2016. We collected data of 60 patients undergoing radical retropubic prostatectomy associated with dissection of the iliac and obturator nodes. After radical prostatectomy, prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels were undetectable (<0.1 ng/mL) in 20 patients (33.3%). Eleven patients (18.3%), who had biochemical relapse, received complementary hormone therapy. Patients achieved a response after initiation of treatment, and total PSA became undetectable again after an 8-month follow-up period. Mean overall survival was 17.5 months, with a median of 9.49. Cumulative overall survival rates at 1 year, 3 years and 4 years were 42.4, 13.6 and 6.8%, respectively. Mean relapse-free survival was 17.3 months, with a median biochemical relapse-free survival of eleven (11) months. The mean duration of specific survival was 8.1 months, with a median of 3 months. Seven patients had positive resection margins (11.6%). Four patients had lymph node involvement. Radical prostatectomy, suggested in some patients with prostate cancer in our practice, has been shown to be an effective therapeutic method leading to good outcomes., Competing Interests: Les auteurs ne déclarent aucun conflit d´intérêts., (Copyright: Ndiaga Seck Ndour et al.)

Aim: to evaluate the results of two-level urethroplasty in the treatment of complex urethral strictures in our clinical center., Patients and Method: Thiswas a retrospective cross sectional study from January 2012 to September 2015 in our clinical center. Patients operated according to Bengt Johanson technique were included. The parameters studied were age, the urological history, consultation reasons, duration of evolution, stenosis characteristics and treatment outcomes., Results: twelve patients were enrolled in our study. The mean age was 48 ± 20 years. The main reason consultation reason is urine retention. The mean duration of evolution was 30 ± 25 months. The most common etiology identified was scleroinflammatory one . All the patients already had at least one medical background. The physical examination showed a periurethral gangue in 10 patients. The mean length of the urethral stricture was 6.3 ± 2.2 cm. After an average follow-up of 3.8 ± 2.3 months; the treatment outcomes were considered satisfactory in 8 patients and bad in 4 patients., Conclusion: Bengt Johanson's two level urethoplasty gives good outcomes in the treatment of complex urethral strictures., (Le comité de rédaction se réserve le droit de renvoyer aux auteurs avant toute soumission à l'avis des lecteurs les manuscrits qui ne seraient pas conformes à ces modalités de présentation. En outre il leur conseille de conserver un exemplaire du manuscrit, des figures et des tableaux.)

Background: Although several experimental therapeutics for Ebola virus disease (EVD) have been developed, the safety and efficacy of the most promising therapies need to be assessed in the context of a randomized, controlled trial., Methods: We conducted a trial of four investigational therapies for EVD in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where an outbreak began in August 2018. Patients of any age who had a positive result for Ebola virus RNA on reverse-transcriptase-polymerase-chain-reaction assay were enrolled. All patients received standard care and were randomly assigned in a 1:1:1:1 ratio to intravenous administration of the triple monoclonal antibody ZMapp (the control group), the antiviral agent remdesivir, the single monoclonal antibody MAb114, or the triple monoclonal antibody REGN-EB3. The REGN-EB3 group was added in a later version of the protocol, so data from these patients were compared with those of patients in the ZMapp group who were enrolled at or after the time the REGN-EB3 group was added (the ZMapp subgroup). The primary end point was death at 28 days., Results: A total of 681 patients were enrolled from November 20, 2018, to August 9, 2019, at which time the data and safety monitoring board recommended that patients be assigned only to the MAb114 and REGN-EB3 groups for the remainder of the trial; the recommendation was based on the results of an interim analysis that showed superiority of these groups to ZMapp and remdesivir with respect to mortality. At 28 days, death had occurred in 61 of 174 patients (35.1%) in the MAb114 group, as compared with 84 of 169 (49.7%) in the ZMapp group (P = 0.007), and in 52 of 155 (33.5%) in the REGN-EB3 group, as compared with 79 of 154 (51.3%) in the ZMapp subgroup (P = 0.002). A shorter duration of symptoms before admission and lower baseline values for viral load and for serum creatinine and aminotransferase levels each correlated with improved survival. Four serious adverse events were judged to be potentially related to the trial drugs., Conclusions: Both MAb114 and REGN-EB3 were superior to ZMapp in reducing mortality from EVD. Scientifically and ethically sound clinical research can be conducted during disease outbreaks and can help inform the outbreak response. (Funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and others; PALM ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03719586.)., (Copyright © 2019 Massachusetts Medical Society.)

Introduction: Endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) is the mainstay for treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis versus maximal medical therapy. We propose a more economical option, by using steroid-impregnated Gelfoam instead of Nasopore post ESS, as it is less expensive and has showed effectiveness in preventing post-operative bleeding., Materials and Methods: A randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial was carried out in eight patients with chronic rhinosinusitis or nasal polyposis who were planned for bilateral endoscopic sinus surgery. A Peri-operative Sinus Endoscopy (POSE) Score and Lund-Kennedy Endoscopic Score (LKES) were recorded. The use of hydrocortisone-impregnated Gelfoam dressing versus normal saline-impregnated Gelfoam dressing were compared. Scores were repeated post-operatively at one week, three weeks and three months interval., Results: For LKES, at the end of three months, 50% of the patients had the same score difference, 37.5% had better results on the study side while 12.5% had better results on the control side. Meanwhile, for POSE Score, at the end of three months, 75% of the patients had better score difference on the study side while 12.5% had better results on the control side., Conclusion: Gelfoam can be used as nasal packing material to deliver topical steroid after endoscopic sinus surgery. Steroid-impregnated nasal dressing after endoscopic sinus surgery may not provide better long-term outcome.

Penile strangulation is a clinical condition requiring emergency management. Several metallic or non-metallic objects can be placed around the penis to improve sexual performance or for auto-erotic purposes. We report the case of two schizophrenic patients aged 25 and 33years hospitalized in the Emergency Department due to penile strangulation by metal ring. The ring was placed at the level of the glans foreskin groove 3 days before in one case and at the level of the root of penis 2 days before in the other. There was no urinary disorder in both patients. Ring ablation was performed with taxis under local anesthesia in one case and under sedation followed by double ring section using an electric saw in the other case.

Inflammatory pseudo-tumors of the bladder are rare benign tumors that mostly arise in the differential diagnosis of sarcomas in children. The authors report an unusual case of pedunculated inflammatory pseudo-tumor of the bladder that externalized by the urethral meatus in a 13-year-old girl. The treatment consisted of a ligation-resection of the pedicle, followed by resection of the tumor. After regular follow-up for 18 months there was no tumor recurrence., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)