Clinical and Multimodal Imaging Findings and Risk Factors for Ocular Involvement in a Presumed Waterborne Toxoplasmosis Outbreak,Brazil

In 2015, an outbreak of presumed waterborne toxoplasmosis occurred in Gouveia, Brazil. We conducted a 3-year prospective study on a cohort of 52 patients from this outbreak, collected clinical and multimodal imaging findings, and determined risk factors for ocular involvement. At baseline examination, 12 (23%) patients had retinochoroiditis; 4 patients had bilateral and 2 had macular lesions. Multimodal imaging revealed 2 distinct retinochoroiditis patterns: necrotizing focal retinochoroiditis and punctate retinochoroiditis. Older age, worse visual acuity, self-reported recent reduction of visual acuity, and presence of floaters were associated with retinochoroiditis. Among patients, persons >40 years of age had 5 times the risk for ocular involvement. Five patients had recurrences during follow-up, a rate of 22% per person-year. Recurrences were associated with binocular involvement. Two patients had late ocular involvement that occurred >34 months after initial diagnosis. Patients with acquired toxoplasmosis should have long-term ophthalmic follow-up, regardless of initial ocular involvement.     

Fibromatosis ovárica: “signo de la guirnalda negra”

The main objective in the imaging differential diagnosis of an ovarian mass is to establish whether it is cystic or solid; solid lesions are less common. Ovarian fibromatosis is a benign disease of the ovary that is rarely included in the differential diagnosis of solid ovarian lesions. Characteristic features of masses that have a fibrous component are low signal in T1-weighted MRI sequences and especially in T2-weighted MRI sequences. The presence of peripheral fibrotic tissue around the residual ovarian tissue is specific to ovarian fibromatosis; on MRI, this results in marked hypointensity on T2-weighted images that has been dubbed the “black garland sign”. This sign, together with slight peripheral enhancement after the administration of contrast material and the preservation of the ovarian architecture, facilitates the diagnosis, making it possible to avoid unnecessary surgical interventions.     

An evaluation of empagliflozin and it’s applicability to hypertension as a therapeutic option

ABSTRACT

Introduction

Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors such as Empagliflozin are novel antihyperglycemic drugs approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes (T2D). In addition to its glucose-lowering effects, Empagliflozin promotes weight loss, blood pressure reduction, and other beneficial metabolic benefits.     

Baastrup病的诊断与治疗研究进展

Baastrup病,又名吻合棘病(kissing spine),最早于1933年由丹麦放射科医生Baastrup发现并以自己的名字命名,是一种相邻棘突附着面及其间软组织发生病理改变的疾病[1]。本病通常累及腰椎,颈椎Baastrup病也有少数报道[2-3],最常见于L4~5节段[4-6],临床上常表现为下腰痛[7-9],是由于腰椎相邻棘突不断接近并撞击而导致,疼痛常与体位变化相关,在脊柱伸展时加剧,屈曲时可缓解[10],临床上可通过触诊相应的棘突间隙而引起疼痛。     

Deciphering the roles of caveolin in neurodegenerative diseases: The good,the bad and the importance of context

Neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs), which contribute to progressive and irreversible impairments of both the structure and function of the nervous system, pose a substantial socioeconomic burden on society. Mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, membrane damage, DNA damage, and abnormal protein degradation pathways play pivotal roles in the etiology of NDDs. Recently, growing evidence has demonstrated that caveolins are important in the pathology of NDDs due to their cellular functions in signal transduction, endocytosis, transcytosis, cholesterol transport, and lipid homeostasis. Given the significance of caveolins, here we review the literature to clarify their molecular mechanisms and roles in NDDs. We first briefly introduce the general background on caveolins. Next, we focus on the various important functions of caveolins in the brain. Finally, we emphasize recent progress regarding caveolins, especially Cav-1, which exert both benefit and unfavorable effects in NDDs such as AD and PD. Collectively, the data presented here should advance the investigation of caveolins for the future development of innovative strategies for the treatment of NDDs.     

论湿为病毒

王辉武教授临床观察认为“湿邪”可能与现代医学所说的“病毒”相类似,中医中药以祛风除湿、芳香化湿、苦温燥湿、淡渗利湿、健脾驱湿等治疗病毒性疾病均有明显疗效,可见“湿”为治疗核心,故大胆提出“湿为病毒”学术观点,并进行了多年的理念论证和临床验证。本文运用中医湿邪理论,探讨论证病毒性疾病与湿邪的相关性,希望有益于病毒性疾病的辨识,便于对疾病的早期干预,防止进一步恶化,以求丰富中医防治病毒性疾病的理念。     

Effects of mild intrauterine hypoperfusion in the second trimester on memory and learning function in rat offspring

Mild intrauterine hypoperfusion(MIUH) is a serious pathological event that affects the growth and development of fetuses and offspring. MIUH can lead to growth restriction, low birth weight, neurodevelopmental disorders, and other adverse clinical outcomes. To study the effects of MIUH on learning and memory function in offspring, a model of MIUH was established by placing a coil(length 2.5 mm, diameter 0.24 mm) on the uterine artery and ovarian uterine artery of Sprague-Dawley rats in the second trimester of pregnancy(day 17). Next, 120 mg/kg lithium chloride(the MIUH + Li group) or normal saline(the MIUH group) was injected intraperitoneally into these rats. In addition, 120 mg/kg lithium chloride(the Li group) or normal saline(the SHAM group) was injected intraperitoneally into pregnant rats without coil placement. The Morris water maze was used to detect changes in learning and memory ability in the offspring at 4 weeks after birth. In the MIUH group, the escape latency and journey length before reaching the platform were both increased, and the number of times that the platform was crossed and the activity time in the target quadrant within 90 seconds were both decreased compared with the SHAM group. Immunofluorescence double staining and western blot assays demonstrated that hippocampal nestin and Ki67(both cell-proliferation-related proteins) expression was significantly downregulated in the MIUH group compared with the SHAM group. Furthermore, western blot assays were conducted to investigate changes in related signaling pathway proteins in the brains of offspring rats, and revealed that glycogen synthase kinase 3β(GSK3β) expression was upregulated and β-catenin expression was downregulated in the MIUH group compared with the SHAM group. In addition, compared with the MIUH group, the expression levels of p-GSK3β and β-catenin were upregulated in the MIUH + Li group. These results suggest that MIUH may affect learning and memory function in rat offspring by regulating the GSK3β signaling pathway. The experimental procedures were approved by Animal Ethics Committee of Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University(approval No. 2018 PS07 K) in June 2018.