Orchiepididymitis in the context of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in a child with Covid-19 from Syria: a very rare presentation for SARS-Cov-19 in children

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is still striking the global population affecting all age groups. So far, many clinical features associated with COVID-19 illness remain under-identified, especially atypical manifestations. It is essential to characterize associated rare symptoms to better recognize complications. As severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in children (MIS-C) in severe infection manifesting as a generalized inflammatory reaction and immune response in many body systems, potential involvement of the male urogenital tract by SARS-CoV-2 should be considered.

Herein, we report a case of a pediatric patient with orchiepididymitis associated with COVID-19 infection, emphasizing the importance of considering other manifestations such as genital involvement of MIS-C in children with COVID-19 and highlighting the need to monitor the genitourinary function after infection. Therefore, andrological consultation is necessary to evaluate fertility as a long-term follow-up, especially as the effects of SARS-CoV-2 on male reproductive function are still to be thoroughly researched.

Results of a Randomized Pilot Trial of SHARE: A Self-Management Intervention for Head and Neck Cancer Patients Undergoing Radiotherapy and their Spousal Caregivers

Head and neck cancer (HNC) patients experience significant physical and psychological morbidity during radiotherapy (XRT) which contributes to treatment interruptions and poor quality of life. Although spouses/partners can help by encouraging patient self-management (e.g., self-care) during XRT, they often experience high psychological distress rates, lack basic healthcare knowledge/skills, and report increased marital conflict regarding patient self-management. This pilot study examined the feasibility and acceptability of a six-session telephone-based intervention called SHARE (Spouses coping with the Head And neck Radiation Experience), which teaches self-management, communication, and coping skills to HNC patients and their spouses. Treatment effects of SHARE relative to usual medical care (UMC) in controlling patient physical symptoms and improving patient/spouse psychological and marital functioning were also examined. METHODS: Thirty patients initiating XRT and their spouses (N = 60 participants; 40% racial/ethnic minorities) were randomized to SHARE or UMC, and pre- and post-intervention assessments were completed. RESULTS: Solid recruitment (70%) and low attrition rates (7%) demonstrated feasibility. Strong program evaluations and homework completion rates (72%) supported acceptability. Significant treatment effects (medium in magnitude) were observed for SHARE relative to UMC with regard to HNC-specific physical symptom burden (Cohen's d = −0.89) and symptom interference (d = −0.86). Medium-to-large effects favoring SHARE were also found for patient and spouse depressive symptoms (d = −0.84) and cancer-specific distress (d = −1.05). CONCLUSION: Findings support the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of SHARE. They also suggest that programs that empower HNC couples with the necessary skills to coordinate care and manage the challenges of XRT together hold great promise for controlling patient physical symptoms and improving both partners' psychological functioning.

Pursuing Quality in the Application of Bladder Cancer Quality of Life Research

Patient-reported outcomes (PRO), including health-related quality of life (HRQOL) measures, represent important means for evaluating patients' health outcomes and for guiding health care decisions made by patients, practitioners, investigators, and policy makers. In spite of the large number of studies examining HRQOL in patients with bladder cancer, very few review articles investigated this topic. Because these review studies report mixed results, incorporating bladder cancer HRQOL measures into standard urological practice is not a viable option. In this non-systematic review of the literature and commentary we note some general concerns regarding PRO research, but our primary focus is on the HRQOL methodology within the context of two types of bladder cancer: muscle invasive and non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. Considering bladder cancer HRQOL as the interaction of four areas of the assessment process (i.e., what model of HRQOL to choose, what instruments are available to fit the choice, how interpretation of the resulting data fits the model, and how to derive some utility from the chosen model) and the two types of disease (i.e., muscle invasive and non-muscle invasive) may move us toward a better understanding of bladder cancer HRQOL. Establishing a useful model of perceived general health or specific symptoms is the first and most important step in developing the responsive bladder cancer HRQOL measures necessitated by clinical settings.

Biomedical Applications of Biodegradable Polyesters

The focus in the field of biomedical engineering has shifted in recent years to biodegradable polymers and, in particular, polyesters. Dozens of polyester-based medical devices are commercially available, and every year more are introduced to the market. The mechanical performance and wide range of biodegradation properties of this class of polymers allow for high degrees of selectivity for targeted clinical applications. Recent research endeavors to expand the application of polymers have been driven by a need to target the general hydrophobic nature of polyesters and their limited cell motif sites. This review provides a comprehensive investigation into advanced strategies to modify polyesters and their clinical potential for future biomedical applications.

The Cancer Stroop Task as an Implicit Measure of Cognitive Interference in Head and Neck Cancer Patients

Given the stigmatizing and debilitating nature of head and neck cancer (HNC) and its treatment, patients are at risk of developing trauma symptoms such as cognitive interference (unwanted, disturbing thoughts) that can increase their risk for distress. Most measures of cognitive interference employ a self-report format making them susceptible to self-presentation and defensive biases. To address these limitations, we developed and implemented an implicit measure, a cancer Stroop task (CST), with the goal to establish a link between implicit intrusive cognitions and distress (BSI) and self-reported intrusive cognitions (Impact of Events Scale, IES). As part of an observational spousal support study, 70 patients (87% male) completed self-report measures and then engaged in problem-solving discussions with their spouses about cancer-related concerns in the lab. Afterward, the computerized CST was administered. Participants were instructed to color-name each stimulus word while ignoring word meaning. Slower responses to emotionally salient (cancer) versus neutral words reflect their power to automatically capture attention and become intrusive. Results revealed a significant inverse association between response time to cancer words and distress (P < 0.001) and self-reported cognitive intrusion (P < 0.01) so that individuals who responded more slowly revealed greater distress and cognitive intrusion compared to individuals with faster responses. These findings suggest that the CST is a promising measure of cognitive interference as it is associated with self-report measures of distress and cognitive intrusion. Unlike self-report measures assessing intrusive cognitions over the past 7 days, this implicit measure allows to examine the effects of immediate environmental antecedents on cognitive interference. Thus, our next step in this ongoing study will be to behaviorally code the cancer discussion for supportiveness on the spouse as a predictor of cognitive interference as measured by the CST.

Spectrum of Escherichia coli agglutinins in dam's sera, colostrum and calf's sera in Fresian cows and buffaloes in Egypt

Sera collected from 18 pregnant buffaloes and Fresian cows during the last two weeks before parturition and from the newborn calves during the first two weeks after birth. All the samples together with the colostral whey of the first three days were examined for the presence of E. coli agglutinins using the tube agglutination and passive hemagglutination tests. The latter test was more sensitive and demonstrated higher titres in all cases, and consequently more O groups. Agglutinins to various E. coli O groups were detected in all samples. It is worthy to note that agglutinins to all E. coli O groups used as antigens were detected in 13 dam's sera, 17 colostrum and in one buffaloe calf. The titres were higher in colostrum than in dam's or calf's sera. The highest titre was 1:640. The O groups 101, 115, 117, and 26 were the most common among Fresian cows whereby the O groups 101 and 115 showed the highest titres. In buffaloes the O groups 101, 115, 8 and 26 were the most common with the O8 having the highest titre.