A rare case of malignant urinary bladder paraganglioma with distant metastases demonstrated by 18F-FDG PET/CT

Urinary bladder paragangliomas are rare tumors, with malignant ones being still rarer. Demonstration of metastases by imaging is crucial, as histological examination of primary cannot reliably distinguish between benign and malignant tumors. We describe a rare case of a patient with malignant urinary bladder paraganglioma in whom 18F-FDG PET/CT was useful in detection of regional lymph nodal and distant metastases. In addition, 18F-FDG PET/CT suggested an easily accessible site of biopsy to confirm the metastatic disease.     

Management and survival trends for adult patients with malignant gliomas in the setting of multiple primary tumors: a population based analysis

Journal of Neuro-Oncology - The impact of multiple primary tumors, in the setting of malignant glioma (MG), has not been heavily explored. We extracted demographics and clinical data from the...     

Palmaris brevis sign in ulnar neuropathy

A case of ulnar neuropathy, selectively affecting the deep branch and showing positive palmaris brevis sign, is reported. The palmaris brevis muscle was not only intact, but also showed excessive cocontraction with abductor digiti minimi. Palmaris brevis sign, when present, is useful in clinically localizing the site of the ulnar nerve lesion. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Muscle Nerve 21:675–677, 1998.     

Microbial Diversity and Characteristics of Kombucha as Revealed by Metagenomic and Physicochemical Analysis

Kombucha is a fermented tea made from a Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast (SCOBY) with a long history of use as a health tonic. It is likely that most health benefits come from the tea and fermentation metabolites from specific microbial communities. Despite its growing importance as a functional health drink, the microbial ecosystem present in kombucha has not been fully documented. To characterize the microbial composition and biochemical properties of ‘The Good Brew’ original base kombucha, we used metagenomics amplicon (16S rRNA and ITS) sequencing to identify the microbial communities at the taxonomic level. We identified 34 genera with 200 microbial species yet described in kombucha. The dominance of organic acid producing microorganisms Acetobacter, Komagataeibacter and Starmerella are healthy for the human gut and their glucose metabolising activities have a putative role in preventing conditions such as diabetes and obesity. Kombucha contains high protein (3.31 µg/mL), high phenolic content (290.4 mg/100 mL) and low sugars (glucose: 1.87 g/L; sucrose 1.11 g/L; fructose: 0.05 g/L) as compared to green tea. The broad microbial diversity with proven health benefits for the human gut suggests kombucha is a powerful probiotic. These findings are important to improve the commercial value of kombucha and uncover the immense prospects for health benefits.