Non- Hodgkin lymphoma of the lips: A rare entity

AimTo investigate clinico-pathological features of lymphoma of the lips, and review the literature.Materials and MethodsRetrospective analysis and review of English literature, 1996-2016.ResultsAnalysis included 23 cases, 7 new cases and 16 from literature, 12 M: 11 F, age 7–82 years. Four occurred in children, mean age 10.1; 19 in adults, mean 61.1 years.The lower lip was involved in the majority of cases (16, 69.56%). 14 (60.87%) were isolated to the lips, 8 (34.78%) were multifocal. Nine (39.13%) occurred in association with Sjogren's syndrome, of which one also had Hashimoto thyroiditis. IgG4-related disease and HIV were reported in one case each. The lip salivary glands were involved in most cases (19, 82.6%); 3 (13.6%) showed only cutaneous involvement.The typical presentation was single or multiple nodules (15, 65.21%), with surface ulceration in only two (8.69%). Constituent symptoms were absent in all cases, paresthesia was reported in one (4.34%). The majority (18, 78.26%) was extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma - mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma (EMZB-MALT), and one case each was mantle cell, NK-T cell, CD30 positive and plasmablastic lymphoma.ConclusionThe lips seem to have a unique pattern of non-Hodgkin lymphoma dominated by EMZB-MALT lymphoma, rarely other types. In more than half, neither Sjogren's syndrome nor other chronic inflammation was identified. Lesions tend to present as asymptomatic slowly progressing, non-ulcerated submucosal masses. Lymphoma should be considered even in the absence of constituent symptoms, as most cases showed none. Although the number of reported cases is rather small, disease course is usually prolonged and prognosis seems to be good.     

Review of the Captain America Graphic Novel ‘TRUTH: Red,White and Black’ Focusing on Parallels with the Infamous USPHS Syphilis Study at Tuskegee

This review presents the first detailed presentation of the parallelism between the Tuskegee Syphilis Study and the Captain America graphic novel ‘TRUTH: Red, White and Black’, published as a graphic novel by Marvel Comics in 2004 as a paperback, and then in 2009 as a hardcover. First written, published and distributed monthly in 2003 as pre-sequel seven comic book series to tell the story of the origins of the WWII superhero Captain America. In 2003, Marvel Comics chose to tell a ‘very dark story’ to explain the origins of Captain America, a half century after the initial introduction of Captain America as a WWII action hero in 1940. By detailing—for the first time—nine parallel aspects between these two storylines, this review demonstrates how Marvel Comics brought the tragic Tuskegee Syphilis Study story into the popular press, thus reaching an audience far beyond traditional bioethics academicians. This review is intended to stimulate and guide classroom discussions on the ethical issues at the core of the infamous Tuskegee Syphilis Study allowing bioethical issues to be made more accessible to the general public, via school curriculums, by the use of graphic novels.     

A biomarker for tegumentary and visceral leishmaniasis based on a recombinant Leishmania hypothetical protein

The measures for leishmaniasis control include the precise diagnosis of disease. However, although several recombinant antigens have been tested with this biotechnological purpose, no effective product exists, which could detects patients with the active disease, as well as differentiates them from cured and treated patients. In this study, a conserved Leishmania hypothetical protein, which was identified in Leishmania infantum parasites, but evaluated to presents high homology in the amino acid sequences between distinct parasite species, was evaluated for the diagnosis of tegumentary and visceral leishmaniasis. In addition, PBMCs collected from treated and untreated mucosal leishmaniasis (ML) and visceral leishmaniasis (VL) patients, as well as in healthy subjects living in endemic region of disease, were in vitro stimulated, when IFN-γ, IL-4 and IL-10 levels were evaluated in the cell supernatant. Regarding the serological analyses, ELISA experiments using the recombinant protein (rLiHyL) and a human serological panel revealed high sensitivity and specificity values to detect both diseases, while control antigens showed worst results. Regarding the cellular response, results showed that rLiHyL-stimulated cells produced higher IFN-γ and lower IL-4 and IL-10 levels in the supernatants. Also, the anti-protein antibody production was evaluated in these patients, and data showed higher IgG2 and lower IgG1 levels found in the treated patients and healthy controls, demonstrating the stimulation of a Th1-type response induced by the rLiHyL protein. In conclusion, this hypothetical protein can be considered as antigenic in TL and VL, as well as a vaccine candidate to be tested in future studies to protect against disease.     

An Optogenetic Study of the Electrophysiological Properties of Hippocampal Neurons in PS1-M146V Transgenic Mice (a model of Alzheimer’s disease)

Neuroscience and Behavioral Physiology - We report here a comparative (using chemical, electrical, and optical stimulation) study of the electrophysiological properties of cultured hippocampal...     

Optogenetic Stimulation of the Axons of Visual Cortex and Hippocampus Pyramidal Neurons in Living Brain Slices

Neuroscience and Behavioral Physiology - Widening and deepening our understanding of how the brain works requires constant improvements not only in methods of recording neuron activity, but also...