Hace unos días me encontré en un debate improvisado con un ser querido sobre la posibilidad de “prohibir la Navidad”. A principios de diciembre oíamos en todas las noticias las graves consecuencias que había dejado tras su paso la celebración de Acción de Gracias en Estados Unidos, con récord de mortalidad y más de 100.000 hospitalizaciones en un sólo día. Por ello no parecía tan descabellado el intentar minimizar el impacto de una celebración de semejante calibre en nuestro país.

Figure 1. Lithiasis on suture thread in a 79-year-old man. A) and B) Lithiasis on suture thread. C) Fragment: 55% whewellite, 40% weddellite and 5% hydroxyapatite. D) Infrared spectrum (IRS) of organic matter. E) IRS corresponding to whewellite, weddellite, and hydroxyapatite.

The main cause of lithogenesis is supersaturation of some constituents in urine. Other factors as extreme pH, anatomical malformations or presence of promoters can facilitate this process too.

Figure 1. Electropherogram of a healthy male studied to rule out the carrier status of the CGG triplet expansion in the FMR1 gene after the identification of family history.

Figure 1, electropherogram of a healthy 53-year-old male studied to rule out the carrier status of the CGG triplet expansion in the FMR1 gene after the identification of the premutation in this gene in his three siblings. AmplideXTM FMR1 PCR Reagents (Asuragen) with CGG Repeat Primed PCR and analysis of the fragments using the ABI 3130xl sequencer and GeneMapper 4.0 software were used in this study. The Triplet Primed Repeat-PCR (TP-PCR) is a modification of the PCR, specific for the study of repeated areas.

Figure 1. Images taken in contrast phase (oc x10, obj x40). A) Cells grouped in nests and with great disproportion in nuclear size.  B) Cells with significant cytoplasmic nucleus disproportion.

Bladder cancer is the fifth most frequent cancer in men in developed countries, the principal risk factor is the smoking habit.
 
The treatments vary greatly depending on the stage in which the patient is, from simple transurethral resection, and intravesical BCG instillations to protocols with adjuvant chemotherapy or cystectomy in the most severe cases. The survival and quality of life of the patient depends largely on early diagnosis.

Figure 1. May-Grünwald-Giemsa staining picture taken with Cellavision® of peripheral blood frame of the patient, showing blasts with a high nuclear-to-cytoplasmic ratio and some nucleoli.

It is presented the case of an 89-year-old woman with sudden and non-transient onset of strength loss, disorientation and speech difficulties. The patient was presented to the nearest referral hospital, where initial examination showed dysphagia, facial asymmetry and severe headache, besides worsening of previous motor deficits.