Cutaneous basal cell carcinoma with endobronchial metastasis

Although basal cell carcinoma is a very common malignancy, metastasis from this tumour is extremely rare. For this reason, many plastic surgeons, dermatologists and physicians dealing with skin malignancies consider this as a locally invasive malignancy. We present a rare case of metastatic basal cell carcinoma manifested as a bronchial tumour. This case highlights the fact that despite basal cell carcinoma’s local invasive potential, the possibility of distant metastasis still exists and clinicians should therefore be cautious about interpreting extracutaneous symptoms. Chest physicians should always consider the possibility of this rare tumour in the lungs in patients with a history of large basal cell carcinomas in the head and neck region.     

The Effectiveness of Cross-Tapering Switching to Ziprasidone in Patients with Schizophrenia or Schizoaffective Disorder

Objective

Switching antipsychotics is one useful therapeutic option when the treatment of schizophrenia encounters suboptimal efficacy and intolerability issues. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy and tolerability of cross-tapering switching to ziprasidone from other antipsychotics.

Methods

A total of 67 patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were recruited in this 12-week, multicenter, non-comparative, open-label trial. Prior antipsychotics were allowed to be maintained for up to 4 weeks during the titration of ziprasidone. Efficacy was primarily measured using the 18-item Brief Psychotic Rating Scale (BPRS) at baseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks. Efficacy was secondarily measured by the Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) scale and the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scale at each visit. Regarding the metabolic effects of switching to ziprasidone, weight, body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and lipid profile-including triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and total cholesterol levels-were measured at each follow-up visit.

Results

The BPRS scores were significantly improved at 12 weeks after switching to ziprasidone (F=5.96, df=2.11, p=0.003), whereas the CGI-S and GAF scores were not significantly changed. BMIs, WHRs, and TG levels were significantly decreased, with no significant changes in other lipid profiles.

Conclusion

Cross-tapering switching to ziprasidone is effective for patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Beyond the efficacy of the procedure, favorable metabolic profiles show that switching to ziprasidone may be helpful for maintenance therapy over an extended period.     

Development and characterization of novel microsatellite markers in yellowcheck (Elopichthys bambusa)

Out of 55 microsatellites isolated by an enriched genomic library from yellowcheck (Elopichthys bambusa), eighteen polymorphic loci were characterized in a wild population from the Zhangdu Lake of the Yangtze River. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 2 to 14, the observed and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.019 to 0.346 and 0.019 to 0.529, respectively. Eight loci deviated from Hardy–Weinberg Equilibrium (HWE) after Bonferroni correction, and ten loci were in HWE. Lower rate of polymorphic loci and heterozygosity may suggest a relative low level genetic diversity in the studied population. These novel microsatellite markers would facilitate molecular population genetic studies for yellowcheck.     

Characterization of twenty-six microsatellite markers for the tropical pioneer tree species Cecropia insignis Liebm (Urticaceae)

Cecropia insignis is an ecologically important Neotropical pioneer tree and major vertebrate food source. Although this species is relatively common in faunally intact tropical rainforests, its population dynamics may be negatively impacted by hunting of seed-dispersing animals. To better understand gene flow and regeneration dynamics in C. insignis, we characterized 26 microsatellite markers in a population sampled from Barro Colorado Island, Panama. Eleven loci of ≥3 alleles were tested on 48 individuals, whereas the remaining 15 loci of two alleles were tested on 12 individuals. Allelic richness ranged from 2 to 9 per locus. Observed and expected heterozygosity averaged 0.478 and 0.440 respectively. Polymorphism information content was between 0.141 and 0.757. Only two loci exhibited deviation from Hardy–Weinberg proportions.