Pleomorphic adenoma of a deep orbital ectopic lacrimal gland

Ectopic lacrimal gland, being one of the choristomas, is comprised of lacrimal gland tissue outside the lacrimal gland fossa in the fronto-lateral part of the orbital roof. Ectopic lacrimal gland is a rare condition where the gland may be found in the orbit, eyelids, ocular adnexa or within the globe. Neoplastic transformation of such tissue may occur. A sixty-two-year old male patient presented with right eye proptosis and slight nasal displacement of the globe. Computerized tomography scan revealed a well-defined hypodense lesion of size 19 x 18 x 20 mm supero-lateral to lateral rectus muscle, with mild proptosis and thinning of the right lateral orbital wall. Excisional biopsy was performed through a lateral orbitotomy approach. A well circumscribed globular mass was removed from the right orbit, well behind the fossa for the lacrimal gland in the retrobulbar space. Histopathology was suggestive of pleomorphic adenoma of lacrimal gland. Pleomorphic adenoma is an epithelial tumor of the lacrimal gland which is extremely rare from an ectopic lacrimal gland and only few cases have been reported in literature till date.     

Development of a loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay for rapid detection of BK virus

Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is a novel method for rapid amplification of DNA. Its advantages include rapidity and minimal equipment requirement. The LAMP assay was developed for BK virus (BKV), which is a leading cause of morbidity in renal transplant recipients. The characteristics of the assay, including its specificity and sensitivity, were evaluated. BKV LAMP was performed using various incubation times with a variety of specimens, including unprocessed urine and plasma samples. A ladder pattern on gel electrophoresis, typical of successful LAMP reactions, was observed specifically only for BKV and not for other viruses. The sensitivity of the assay with 1 h of incubation was 100 copies/tube of a cloned BKV fragment. Additionally, a positive reaction was visually ascertained by a simple color reaction using SYBR green dye. BKV LAMP was also successful for urine and plasma specimens without the need for DNA extraction. Due to its simplicity and specificity, the LAMP assay can potentially be developed for "point of care" screening of BKV.     

Thermoplastic biodegradable polyurethanes: the effect of chain extender structure on properties and in-vitro degradation

Biodegradable polyurethanes are typically prepared from polyester polyols, aliphatic diisocyanates and chain extenders. We have developed a degradable chain extender (DCE) based on dl-lactic acid and ethylene glycol to accelerate hard segment degradation. Three series of polyurethane elastomers were synthesised to investigate the effect of incorporating DCE on synthesis, mechanical and thermal properties and in-vitro degradation. Polyurethane soft segments were based on poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) polyol. The hard segment was based on either ethyl lysine diisocyanate or hexamethylene diisocyanate in combination with ethylene glycol or DCE. Polyurethanes were characterised by gel permeation chromatography, tensile testing (Instron) and differential scanning calorimetry. Polymer degradation in-vitro (phosphate buffered saline) was tested by measuring mass loss, change in molecular weight and amine concentration in degradation products at three different time points over a 1 year period. Incorporation of DCE did not affect thermal or mechanical properties but had an influence on the in-vitro degradation. All polyurethanes exhibited considerable molecular weight decrease over the test period, and DCE-based polyurethanes showed the highest mass loss. The presence of the DCE and the initial molecular weight of the polyurethane are the key factors responsible for high mass losses. Differential scanning calorimetry, amine group analysis and the observation that mass loss was directly proportional to hard segment weight percentage, strongly supported that the polyurethane hard segment is the most susceptible segment to degradation in these polyurethanes. The PCL-based soft segment appears to undergo little or no degradation under these test conditions.     

Expert system prototype of food aid distribution

The aim of this study was to improve efficiency of the food aid distribution process of international food relief organizations. An overall objective of this study was to develop a prototype expert system for monitoring and evaluating food aid by international disaster relief organizations. The research identifies data related to monitoring and evaluation processes of various international food-aid organizations. It then applies an artificial intelligence-based expert system to develop a prototype for those processes. Existing data related to monitoring and evaluation program cycles were obtained. An expert system shell called CLIPS(c) (National Aeronautics Space Administration) was used to develop a prototype system named Food Aid Monitor, a rule-based expert system, which uses facts and heuristic rules to provide an adaptive feedback regarding monitoring and evaluating processes at various stages of food aid operation. The Food Aid Monitor was evaluated and validated by three expert panels checking the prototype system for completeness, relevancy, consistency, correctness, precision, and use-ability. Finally, the panels indicated a belief that the system could have an overall positive impact on the stages of monitoring and evaluating food aid processes of the food relief organizations.     

Prevalence of iron deficiency and anemia among healthy women of reproductive age in Bhaktapur, Nepal

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of anemia and iron status as assessed by biochemical markers and to explore the associations between markers of iron status and iron intake. STUDY AREA AND POPULATION: Five hundred healthy women of reproductive age from the Bhaktapur district of Nepal were included in the study. METHODS: A cluster sampling procedure was applied for this cross-sectional study. Women without any ongoing infection aged 13-35 years were selected randomly from the population. We measured the plasma concentration of hemoglobin (Hb), ferritin and transferrin receptors. Dietary information was obtained by a food frequency questionnaire and two 24-h dietary recalls. RESULTS: The prevalence of anemia (Hb concentration <12 g/dl) was 12% (n=58). The prevalence of depleted iron stores (plasma ferritin <15 microg/l) was 20% (n=98) whereas the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia (anemia, depleted iron stores with elevated transferrin receptor i.e. >1.54 mg/l) was 6% (n=30). Seven percent (n=35) of women were having iron-deficient erythropoiesis (depleted iron stores and elevated transferrin receptor but normal Hb). Out of the 58 anemic women, 41 (71%) and 31 (53%) were also having elevated plasma transferrin receptor and depleted iron stores, respectively. Fifty-four percent of the women ate less than the recommended average intake of iron. The main foods contributing to dietary iron were rice, wheat flour and green and dry vegetables. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of anemia in our study was substantially lower than the national figure for non-pregnant women. Only about half of the women with anemia were also having depleted iron stores, suggesting that other causes of anemia may be prevalent in this population. SPONSORSHIP: Norwegian Universities Committee for Development, Research and Education (NUFU).     

Magnetic resonance quantitative myocardial perfusion reserve demonstrates improved myocardial blood flow after angiogenic implant therapy

Purpose The purpose of this study is to follow myocardial angiogenesis temporally using quantitative magnetic resonance first pass perfusion imaging and compare this with the “gold standard“ of radioactive microspheres in a random subset of animals. Materials and Methods Ameriod constrictors where placed around the left circumflex in 15 pigs to induce an ischemic area. Two groups were randomized to receive either a sham operation or treatment with angiogenic implants inserted into myocardium in the distribution of the left circumflex artery (LCX). These implants are designed to induce myocardial angiogenesis. Magnetic resonance first pass perfusion imaging was performed at baseline and also after treatment with either sham or implant therapy by using first pass perfusion imaging with a TurboFLASH sequence. Absolute myocardial blood flow was derived by applying a quantitative Fermi function model. Radioactive microspheres were also injected into a random subset of animals to measure myocardial blood flow. Results Angiogenic implant therapy increased absolute myocardial blood flow in the left circumflex territory relative to baseline and sham treated groups during adenosine infusion. Myocardial blood flows measured with radioactive microspheres was increased significantly in both the LCX and LAD territories during stress. Myocardial Perfusion reserve was also significantly increased in both the LCX and left anterior descending territories relative to baseline. Ejection Fraction during stress with dobutamine infusion increased significantly in the implant therapy group while that in the sham group was not affected. Conclusion Quantitative MR myocardial first pass perfusion imaging can be used to track the development of angiogenesis as corroborated by radioactive microspheres. Angiogenic implant therapy is a new device based therapy that has potential to protect an ischemic region by accelerating angiogenesis although further research is necessary with this device.