Dermscan Group (France)

Inhalation of mineral dust was suggested to contribute to sarcoidosis. We compared the mineral exposome of 20 sarcoidosis and 20 matched healthy subjects. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples were treated by digestion-filtration and analyzed by transmission electron microscopy. The chemical composition of inorganic particles was determined by energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy. Dust exposure was also assessed by a specific questionnaire. Eight sarcoidosis patients and five healthy volunteers had a high dust load in their BAL. No significant difference was observed between the overall inorganic particle load of each group while a significant higher load for steel was observed in sarcoidosis patients (p=0.029). Moreover, the building activity sub-score was significantly higher in sarcoidosis patients (p=0.018). These results suggest that building work could be a risk factor for sarcoidosis which could be considered at least in some cases as a granulomatosis caused by airborne inorganic dust. The questionnaire should be validated in larger studies. (Sarcoidosis Vasc Diffuse Lung Dis 2018; 35: 327-332)

The incidence of coronary artery disease (CAD) varies depending on ethnicity, but the precise differences remain to be firmly established. This study therefore evaluated the disparity in coronary artery calcification (CAC), as a marker of CAD, in asymptomatic US and Korean adults. CAC score was compared between asymptomatic Korean (n=15,128) and US (n=7,533) adults. Propensity score matching was performed according to age, gender, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and current smoking, which generated 2 cohorts of 5,427 matched pairs. Both cohorts were categorized according to age group: 45-54, 55-64, and 65-74 years. Overall, the prevalence of CAC score >0, >100, and >400 in Korean adults was lower than in US adults (P<0.001, all). According to increasing age groups, the likelihood of CAC was most often lower in Korean adults, especially in Korean women. The odds of having CAC >400 in Korean adults aged 65-74 years was 0.66 (95% CI: 0.48-0.91) overall, 0.78 (95% CI: 0.52-1.19) in men, and 0.50 (95% CI: 0.29-0.86) in women, compared with US counterparts. Korean adults have a lower prevalence and severity of atherosclerotic burden as assessed on CAC, compared with US adults, but the disparity in CAC according to ethnicity may decline with older age. (Circ J 2016; 80: 2349-2355).

Xerostomia is a subjective sensation of mouth dryness often occurring as an unwanted effect of psychotropic drugs. The clinical efficacy and acceptability of a new oxygenated glycerol triester (OGT) oral spray (1 or 2 sprays up to 4 times daily) in the treatment of xerostomia was compared with those of a commercially available artificial saliva substitute (ASS [Saliveze]) in a 2-week, open-labeled, randomized, parallel-group study. Clinical assessment of xerostomia included evaluation of mouth dryness by means of a 10-cm-long visual analog scale, objective blinded assessment of the oral tissue condition by a dental hygienist by means of a 4-point ordinal scale, and subjective patient-based assessment of dry mouth symptoms by means of dichotomous responses to a questionnaire. [Day 14 - baseline] patient-based mouth dryness score was the primary end point. Seventy-four patients (41 women and 33 men, 44 +/- 15 years) undergoing long-term psychotropic drug treatment were consecutively enrolled. At day 14, OGT resulted in better efficacy than ASS in mouth dryness score (mean difference, 1.2 +/- 0.4; P = 0.006), speech difficulties (mean difference, 1.2 +/- 0.4; P = 0.005), taste (mean difference, 1.1 +/- 0.4; P = 0.02), and overall mouth condition (mean difference, 1.4 +/- 0.9; P = 0.005). Taste of OGT was better than that of ASS (mean difference, 1.4 +/- 0.6; P = 0.04), as was OGT acceptability (mean difference, 1.4 +/- 0.9; P = 0.005). Oxygenated glycerol triester lubricant oral spray was superior to a commercially available ASS in improving xerostomia and overall condition of the oral tissue.

In this study we present Vista-Mamma 50, a novel detection system for high resolution real-time digital mammography. A matrix sensor (12 cm x 12 cm) consists of a high luminance CsI:Tl crystal grown with columnar structure on the top of a <i>pin</i> photodiode matrix driven by CMOS transistors. This imaging technology is known to allow achievement of a pixel size as small as 50 &#956;m or less with a fill factor of the sensitive area of about 80%. The sensor is equipped with a fast real-time electronic system for readout and digitization of images with a dynamic range of 12 bits. Images can be obtained at a frame rate as high as 9 images per second in a 4 x 4 binning operation mode. Appropriate computerized control tools, real-time image treatment, data representation and off-line analysis have been developed. On-line image processing is automatically applied to each frame, including offset and gain corrections and masking of defective pixels. Quantitative measurements including dose response, modulation transfer function (MTF) and detective quantum efficiency are presented. It was found that the detector response shows linear dependence on the entrance dose. The results from the MTF showed that a resolution of equal to or greater than 8 lp/mm could be achieved. The high value of the DQE obtained could be ascribed to the large fill factor. The high resolution detector that we present is well adapted to the image quality which is required by the standards for applications in mammography. Some preliminary results have been obtained for microcalcifications performed on equivalent breast phantoms. Clinical tests are in progress.

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