Calcified tissue of fetal origin in utero

Hysteroscopic examination in a woman with secondary infertility revealed calcified tissue in the uterine cavity. Histopathological examination demonstrated mature bone. Genetic analysis supports its fetal origin.     

Meroditerpenoids and derivatives from the brown alga Cystoseira baccata and their antifouling properties

The brown alga Cystoseira baccata harvested along the Atlantic coasts of Morocco yielded seven new meroditerpenoids (1-4) and derivatives (5-7), whose chemical structures were elucidated mainly by 2D NMR and mass spectrometry. Surprisingly, for all these compounds, which possess a bicyclo[4.3.0]nonane ring system, a trans fusion of the bicyclic system was deduced by stereochemical studies even though such compounds isolated from Cystoseira species are known to have a typical cis orientation for the bridgehead methyls. The antifouling and antibacterial activities of compounds 1-5 and 7 were evaluated, as well as their toxicity toward nontarget species. Compounds 4, 5, and 7 showed antifouling activities against growth of microalgae, macroalgal settlement, and mussel phenoloxidase activity, while being nontoxic to larvae of sea urchins and oysters.     

Antidiabetic effect of alcoholic extract of Caralluma sinaica L. on streptozotocin-induced diabetic rabbits

People of Asir region of Saudi Arabia chew Caralluma sinaica (CS) to lower glucose level. To establish its utility in diabetes mellitus we have under taken this study. The effect of CS on streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic model as well as effect on oral glucose tolerance test were studied. The extract was shown to have positive test for possessing following chemical constituents like phenolic alkaloids, glycosides, flavonoids, coumarins, steroids and tannins. Administration of CS in different doses (50, 100, 150 and 200mg/kg, p.o.) to normal animals caused significant (P<0.01) decrease in glucose level. Prior administration of either CS (100mg/kg, p.o.) or glibenclamide (GB) (5mg/kg, p.o.) blocked the rise of glucose caused by the streptozotocin. Antidiabetic activity of CS was compared with clinically available drug GB. Administration of CS (100mg/kg, p.o.) to diabetic rabbits for 30 days has been shown to decrease plasma glucose level to almost normal level (P<0.001). Liver and kidney weight expressed as percentage of body weight significantly (P<0.05; P<0.01) increased in diabetic rabbits versus normal control (CNT). CS significantly (P<0.05) reversed the increasing weight of liver caused by STZ but not GB. STZ induced lowering of glycogen content of liver and muscle was reversed by both CS and GB. STZ induced a significant (P<0.001) increase in renal glycogen content this was almost normalized by CS (P<0.001) whereas GB significantly decreased (P<0.002) glycogen content. In oral glucose tolerance test administration of glucose increased plasma glucose level significantly in the diabetic control over the 2-h period. Compared to diabetic control plasma glucose levels in rabbits given CS or GB were significantly lower at all the time points that blood was sampled after oral glucose load. Comparing with the GB treatment blood glucose lowering effect was more pronounced for diabetic rabbits given CS. All these effects could explain the basis for use of this plant extract to manage diabetes mellitus.     

流式细胞术检测细胞周期分析软件的比较

目的探讨流式细胞术中不同细胞周期分析软件在细胞周期分析中的特点和差异。方法采用碘化丙啶染色,在Epics XL流式细胞仪上检测细胞周期,分别应用MultiCycle和Modfit LT软件对检测数据进行分析,并比较分析结果。结果 MultiCycle和Modfit LT软件分析细胞周期各时相比例、DNA倍体分析、细胞增殖及细胞凋亡数值,比较其结果基本一致。仅人肺癌细胞系A549细胞G2/G1值应用2种不同软件分析其数据差异有统计学意义(P<0.01);Jurkat T细胞聚集体的比例应用2种不同软件分析其数据差异有统计学意义(P<0.01)。结论 MultiCycle和Modfit LT软件分析同一样本所得拟合结果有较高的一致性;对G2/G1值进行限制的操作可能更适用于组成成分较复杂的样本;虽然不同采集软件区分粘连细胞和细胞集落的方法不同,导致聚集体的比例差异显著,但并未对细胞周期分析结果的判定产生影响。     

不同超声造影参数在胰腺原发性良恶性病灶鉴别诊断中的应用

目的 探讨不同超声造影参数及模式对胰腺原发性良恶性病灶的鉴别诊断价值,以期能为诊断提供参考.方法 选择2010年6月～2013年6月赤壁市人民医院常规超声、CT等检查初步拟诊为胰腺原发性占位性病变的患者64例,其中病理证实为原发性胰腺恶性病变者48例,良性病变者16例;回顾性分析患者的临床资料,分析超声造影检查参数在良恶性病灶间的差异性;比较超声造影下胰腺原发性良恶性病灶与正常胰腺组织时间-强度曲线的不同参数指标.结果 ①超声造影低增强模式下进行胰腺良恶性病变的诊断敏感性为100.00％（48/48）、特异性为50.00％ （8/16）、阳性预测值为85.71％（48/56）、阴性预测值为100.00％（8/8）;超声造影晚增强模式下进行胰腺良恶性病变的诊断敏感性为75.00％（36/48）、特异性为12.50％（2/16）、阳性预测值为94.74％（36/38）、阴性预测值为53.84％（14/26）.②时间-强度曲线参数比较：恶性病变相对上升时间、相对平均渡越时间、相对最高增强百分数为（-1.27±4.03）s、（6.37±18.37）s、（3.84±23.24）％,良性病变为（0.97±3.12）s、（-7.50±20.18）s、（-32.37±42.15）％,两者比较差异有统计学意义（t=2.03、2.55、4.33,P＜0.05）;相对达峰时间、相对到达时间恶性病变为（-1.10±4.80）s、（-0.61±5.31）s,良性病变为（1.73±6.86）s、（1.02±6.30）s,两者比较差异无统计学意义（t=1.83、1.01,P＞0.05）.结论 超声造影检查能通过观察时间-强度曲线参数对胰腺原发性占位病灶进行鉴别诊断,具有较高的临床应用价值.     

Investigation of Friction and Wear Behavior of Cast Aluminum Alloy Piston Skirt with Graphite Coating Using a Designed Piston Skirt Test Apparatus

A piston skirt friction and wear apparatus that simulates the contact and the relative motion of piston and cylinder liner in a real engine has been designed and constructed. With this apparatus, the friction and wear behavior of a cast aluminum alloy piston with a graphite coating under different loads was studied, and the effectiveness of the apparatus was confirmed. The total wear of the piston skirt was higher under a higher load, and the upper part of the skirt surface (around the height of the piston pin) was worn more severely. The wear mechanisms were studied and, based on the test results and surface analyses, three main wear modes were believed to occur in the wear process of the piston skirt: abrasive, adhesive, and fatigue wear. The effects of skirt profile design, coating, and surface texturing on the friction and wear behavior of the piston skirt can be investigated well using the proposed apparatus, which can truly reflect actual working conditions and is useful to improve the tribological performances of piston skirts.     

Suppression of Anti-Inflammatory Mediators in Metabolic Disease May Be Driven by Overwhelming Pro-Inflammatory Drivers

Obesity is a multifactorial disease and is associated with an increased risk of developing metabolic syndrome and co-morbidities. Dysregulated expansion of the adipose tissue during obesity induces local tissue hypoxia, altered secretory profile of adipokines, cytokines and chemokines, altered profile of local tissue inflammatory cells leading to the development of low-grade chronic inflammation. Low grade chronic inflammation is considered to be the underlying mechanism that increases the risk of developing obesity associated comorbidities. The glucocorticoid induced protein annexin A1 and its N-terminal peptides are anti-inflammatory mediators involved in resolving inflammation. The aim of the current study was to investigate the role of annexin A1 in obesity and associated inflammation. To achieve this aim, the current study analysed data from two feasibility studies in clinical populations: (1) bariatric surgery patients (Pre- and 3 months post-surgery) and (2) Lipodystrophy patients. Plasma annexin A1 levels were increased at 3-months post-surgery compared to pre-surgery (1.2 ± 0.1 ng/mL, n = 19 vs. 1.6 ± 0.1 ng/mL, n = 9, p = 0.009) and positively correlated with adiponectin (p = 0.009, r = 0.468, n = 25). Plasma annexin A1 levels were decreased in patients with lipodystrophy compared to BMI matched controls (0.2 ± 0.1 ng/mL, n = 9 vs. 0.97 ± 0.1 ng/mL, n = 30, p = 0.008), whereas CRP levels were significantly elevated (3.3 ± 1.0 µg/mL, n = 9 vs. 1.4 ± 0.3 µg/mL, n = 31, p = 0.0074). The roles of annexin A1 were explored using an in vitro cell based model (SGBS cells) mimicking the inflammatory status that is observed in obesity. Acute treatment with the annexin A1 N-terminal peptide, AC2-26 differentially regulated gene expression (including PPARA (2.8 ± 0.7-fold, p = 0.0303, n = 3), ADIPOQ (2.0 ± 0.3-fold, p = 0.0073, n = 3), LEP (0.6 ± 0.2-fold, p = 0.0400, n = 3), NAMPT (0.4 ± 0.1-fold, p = 0.0039, n = 3) and RETN (0.1 ± 0.03-fold, p < 0.0001, n = 3) in mature obesogenic adipocytes indicating that annexin A1 may play a protective role in obesity and inflammation. However, this effect may be overshadowed by the continued increase in systemic inflammation associated with rapid tissue expansion in obesity.     

Comparative study of local anesthetic efficacy of 5% tramadol versus 2 %Lignocaine with 1:100,000 adrenaline for extraction of fully erupted maxillary 3rd molars using infiltration anesthesia

IntroductionThe majority of dental procedures need local anesthesia for pain control, and lidocaine/ lignocaine is the most commonly used anesthetic agent in dentistry. Although effective and safest, the anesthetic agent still has some complications. To overcome these many alternatives have been used. Tramadol has been shown to have some local anesthetic (LA) effects when used for infiltration anesthesia in dentistry.MethodsIn the present study, the local anesthetic efficacy of tramadol was compared with 2% lignocaine containing 1: 100,000 adrenaline for the extraction of maxillary fully erupted 3rd molar teeth. The parameters recorded included the onset of action, duration of action, intraoperative pain, post-operative analgesic effect, and incidence of an allergic reaction. A total of 200 patients were randomly divided into two groups. In group A -Each patient received 0.6 ml of 5% tramadol (Tramataj- 50 mg prepared by Taj pharma company) 0.4 ml buccally and 0.2 ml palatally for extraction of maxillary 3rd molar as local infiltration following strict aseptic precaution. In Group B- patients received 0.6 ml of 2% lignocaine containing 1: 100,000 adrenaline buccally and 0.2 ml palatally as infiltrations.ResultsIt was found that 5% tramadol has a local anesthetic efficacy similar to 2% lignocaine with adrenaline but was found to be a comparatively weaker agent.Conclusiontramadol is a valid alternative for performing extractions in normal patients or patients allergic to lidocaine.     

Ultra-High-Performance Concrete (UHPC): A State-of-the-Art Review

The interest of researchers in UHPC has increased over the past decade. It is crucial to understand the structural behavior of reinforced UHPC (R/UHPC) components under various loading conditions before they can be used as a replacement for conventional concrete. Although several studies on ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) have been conducted, the knowledge is scattered, and no one can easily judge the performance and methodology of UPHC. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to review the research studies already carried out on UHPC. The review focuses on the materials’ physical and chemical composition, mechanical and durability characteristics, fire resistance, and environmental benefits of UHPC. Design considerations for effectively utilizing UHPC in structural elements are also presented. The best UHPFRC mixture is obtainable with a steel fiber content of 2–3% and a water-to-cement ratio of 0.2–0.3. The review also discusses the essentials recommendation for future research on UHPC.     

B-cell lymphoma-associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis: A case report

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a life-threatening condition characterized by an exaggerated but dysregulated immune response resulting in hyperinflammation, with a potential for progression to multiple organ dysfunction and failure. Infectious diseases, inflammatory disorders, malignancies and immunodeficiency syndromes are known triggers of HLH in adults. The present study reported the case of a middle-aged man with HLH triggered by B-cell lymphoma who was successfully treated with dexamethasone; etoposide, prednisone, vincristine, cyclophosphamide, hydroxy-doxorubicin and rituximab chemotherapy; and multiple intrathecal methotrexate with a good outcome.