Dual Pathology in a Patient with Right Lower Quadrant Pain

Meckel diverticula are remnants of the omphalomesenteric duct. They have 2% incidence in the general population, are usually asymptomatic, and tend to be diagnosed incidentally. The generally held principle had been that asymptomatic cases do not require resection, as exemplified by a 2008 systematic review of over 200 studies. However, a recent series reported an increased risk of malignancies, and recommended mandatory resection. We present a case of Meckel diverticulitis with concurrent infiltrative appendiceal carcinoid in a patient with right lower quadrant pain.     

Molecular identification of man-eating carnivores from scat samples

We describe a simple, rapid molecular method for identifying man-eating carnivores. We designed mitochondrial control region based human-specific primers. These selectively amplify human DNA. We sequenced PCR amplicons and the presence of human remains was confirmed in two tiger scats collected in conflicting sites. PCR-based human-specific amplification with DNA extracted from scats is a confirmatory test for the presence of human remains. The protocol is useful in identifying man-eating carnivores.