Giant cell tumors (GCTs) are rare, benign, and locally aggressive primary bone neoplasms. Spine is seldom affected, especially above the level of sacrum. In this report, we describe a case with GCT of the cervical vertebrae which causes collapse of the corpus. A 32-year-old female presented with gradual neck pain and abrupt paresthesia of the left hand. Computed tomography scan showed C6 vertebral collapse and magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated vertebral plana of C6 by a low signal intensity lesion on T1- and T2-weighted images. Emergent surgical intervention was taken due to the possibility of spinal injury. The tumor was removed by en-bloc resection and histopathological investigation confirmed GCT. In most of the cases, en-bloc resection of GCTs of the spine is not feasible. Despite the location and close contact of the lesion with spinal cord, later approach was successful for our case; thus, appropriate differential diagnosis for vertebral column lesions as well as selecting an optimum treatment is mandatory.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has been around for more than a year as a global problem, with nurses being among the first groups involved in treating epidemics. In addition to becoming infected and dying from the disease, nurses also suffer from death anxiety, affecting their mental health. It is necessary to investigate the modulating factors of this anxiety. The purpose of this study was to predict mental health by religious orientation and the mediating role of death anxiety among nurses in the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: The present descriptive-analytical and cross-sectional study was conducted on 208 nurses working in the Central Hospital for the Treatment of COVID-19 patients in the Persian Gulf Martyrs Hospital in Bushehr, who were enrolled in the census. Data collection tools were the General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28), the Templer’s Death Anxiety Scale (DAS), and the Revised Religious Orientation Scale (ROS). Data were analyzed by SPSS version 22 software using the Pearson correlation test and multiple regression analysis.Results: Among the subjects, 53.5% of nurses experienced high death anxiety. According to the findings, death anxiety had a significant negative effect on mental health (P<0.001, β=-0.54). Intrinsic religious orientation led to a reduction in death anxiety (P=0.01, β=-0.16) and improved mental health (P<0.001, β=0.40), while extrinsic socially-oriented religiousness resulted in increased death anxiety (P<0.001, β=0.19) and decreased mental health (P<0.001, β=-0.20).Conclusion: The prevalence of death anxiety in the COVID-19 pandemic was high in nurses, which led to a decrease in their mental health. The results of this study revealed that the intrinsic religious orientation had a positive effect on reducing death anxiety and promoting mental health.

Background: Glioma is a type of the primary tumors that progresses in the spinal cord and brain. Probiotics have probably a protective impact against the disease, especially when treated as a microbial flora in the gut. Objectives: Given the effective role of microbiota in body function, this study aimed to investigate the frequency of Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus acidophilus, and Enterococcus faecalis in patients suffering from glioma compared to healthy subjects. Materials and Methods: To achieve our study objectives, 20 patients with glioma tumors as well as 20 healthy individuals were enrolled. Stool samples were taken from the subjects and stored at minus 20 degrees after processing. Real-Time PCR technique was employed to assess the change in the copy number of L. acidophilus, L. plantarum, and E. faecalis in patients with glioma in comparison to healthy individuals. Results: The results showed significant difference between the population of L. plantarum in the patients and healthy individuals (P=0.0004). The patients with glioma were in the 35-60 age range and the mean age of healthy individuals was 45 years (P=0.48). Conclusion: It was concluded that L. plantarum had potential for tumor induction.

Background:In the pre-antiretroviral era, the frequency of neurologic complications was associated with low baseline CD4+ Tcell counts. Introduction of antiretroviral therapy (ART) has largely decreased the incidence of opportunistic infections and CNS neoplasia in the recent two decades; however, virus replication persists in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and neuronal tissues due to variable drug penetration as well as development of drug resistance. Although many previous studies have addressed the presence of neurologic manifestations in the course of HIV infection; an update on the type of neurologic involvement, presenting signs and symptoms, radiologic findings, and response to treatment is essential. Methods: In a case series, we recruited 42 patients presenting with neurologic symptoms/signs and concomitant HIV infection in 12 months during 2015 and 2016 at a tertiary academic hospital. Information regarding the course of diagnosis, laboratory findings, radiologic findings, and final diagnosis were documented and analyzed in relation to the survival status of each patient during up to one month of hospitalization. Results: The mean age of the patients was 39.7; 25 were men, 19 were newly diagnosed. Thirteen patients (31%) died during treatment; from them, six were newly diagnosed. Median CSF white blood cell counts were significantly higher in nonsurvivors; the most common diagnosis was focal brain lesions; toxoplasmosis and tuberculosis were the first common etiologies; 79% recovered with the intended treatment regimen. History of drug abuse, not receiving antiretrovirals, low baseline CD4 counts, and loss of consciousness at the time of admission has been seen more among deceased patients. Conclusions: Neurologic presentations or complications of HIV infection lead to high mortality rates. Early diagnosis of infection and improvement of patient compliance with antiretroviral treatment can reduce the mortality associated with neurologic diseases.