[Detection of tumors in the central zone of the prostate with 11C-Choline PET/CT]

Prostate tumors originate 68% in the peripheral region and 24% in the transitional region where tumors originating in the central zone are rare (8%). However, diagnosis of the tumors in the central zone is important since they exhibit greater aggressiveness conditioned by their location and different biological behavior. Magnetic resonance imaging shows problems in identifying lesions in the central prostate zone, since this region has a heterogeneous signal, mainly after the primary treatment. Ultrasound guided sextant biopsy shows a negative result in 28% of prostate tumors. Therefore, it is advisable to repeat or even to perform saturation biopsies. We present two patients, one of them with suspected biochemical prostate cancer and one with biochemical recurrence after radical treatment. In both, (11)C-Choline PET/CT allowed detection of the tumor focus in the central zone of the prostate, with negative complementary diagnostic test and biopsies.

Ecological surveillance for West Nile in Catalonia (Spain), learning from a five-year period of follow-up

To enhance early detection of West Nile virus (WNV) transmission, an integrated ecological surveillance system was implemented in Catalonia (north-eastern Spain) from 2007 to 2011. This system incorporated passive and active equine surveillance, periodical testing of chicken sentinels in wetland areas, serosurveillance wild birds and testing of adult mosquitoes. Samples from 298 equines, 100 sentinel chickens, 1086 wild birds and 39 599 mosquitoes were analysed. During these 5 years, no acute WNV infection was detected in humans or domestic animal populations in Catalonia. WNV was not detected in mosquitoes either. Nevertheless, several seroconversions in resident and migrant wild birds indicate that local WNV or other closely related flaviviruses transmission was occurring among bird populations. These data indicate that bird and mosquito surveillance can detect otherwise silent transmission of flaviviruses and give some insights regarding possible avian hosts and vectors in a European setting.

[Detection of second tumors in 11C-choline PET/CT studies performed due to biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer]

Early localization of biochemical recurrence in patients after radical treatment of prostate cancer is a widely accepted clinical indication of (11)C-choline PET/CT. Its widespread clinical use has prompted the depiction of incidentalomas, unusual sites of metastatic lesions, as well as false positive and negative cases. Over the last 6 years, a total of 454 (11)C-choline PET/CT studies have been performed in our institution to locate biochemical recurrence of patients with prostate cancer. With these studies, a second neoplasm has been found in 7 patients (1.54%): 3 lung, 2 colorectal, 1 esophagus and 1 esophageal junction, respectively. Although the clinical usefulness of this technique for detecting cancer lesions other than prostate origin is known for those patients who undergo this technique in the accepted indication, the diagnosis of a second tumor has a significant impact on their therapeutic management.

Anatomical study of fibrous structures of the medial aspect of the canine elbow joint

Forces exerted by fibrous structures on the medial aspect of the canine elbow joint have been reported to be involved in elbow pathology. The purpose of this paper is to assess the relationships of the ligamentous and muscular structures of this region of the canine elbow joint, and how they relate to the medial coronoid process. Six cadavers of adult German shepherd cross-breed dogs were used in this study to make intra-articular and vascular injections of this region. Some joints were dissected and some were frozen to saw sagittal or dorsal cryosections to assess the relationships of the myotendinous structures. The brachialis muscle tendon passed through the division of the bicipital tendon of insertion which formed a fibrous tendon sheath that was reinforced by the oblique ligament. The biceps' brachii's main insertion is the radial tuberosity where it inserts along with the cranial branch of the oblique ligament and the cranial branch of the medial collateral ligament. Rotational and compression forces exerted by the insertion of the biceps brachii-brachialis tendon complex onto the ulna might influence medial coronoid disease. Therefore, sectioning these tendons could be considered as a treatment for medial coronoid disease.