Raised plasma levels of thromboxane B2 in systemic mastocytosis

Plasma levels of thromboxane B2 and 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha were measured in six patients with systemic mastocytosis. Patients with systemic mastocytosis had significantly higher plasma thromboxane B2 levels (530 +/- 105 pg/ml, mean +/- SEM) than controls (118 +/- 8.2 pg/ml, P less than 0.001) and significantly lower 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha levels (40 +/- 3.1 pg/ml, mean +/- SEM) than controls (49 +/- 1.6 pg/ml, P less than 0.05). The mechanism of the raised plasma thromboxane B2 levels is not clear. One possible explanation is that the high thromboxane levels are secondary to an increased production of leukotrienes C and D, which are constituents of slow reacting substances of anaphylaxis.     

Perioperative evaluation of regional aortic wall shear stress patterns in patients undergoing aortic valve and/or proximal thoracic aortic replacement

Objectives

To assess in patients with aortopathy perioperative changes in thoracic aortic wall shear stress (WSS), which is known to affect arterial remodeling, and the effects of specific surgical interventions.

Variation in training and use of the focused assessment with sonography in trauma (FAST)

Background

Training in ultrasound is variable among residents and practicing traumatologists. Focused Assessment with Sonography in Trauma (FAST) may be underused in non-urbanized areas, possibly due to lack of training.

DNAH6 is a novel candidate gene associated with sperm head anomaly

Globozoospermia and acephalic spermatozoa are two rare sperm head anomalies associated with male infertility. Combination of the two phenotypes in the same patient is extremely rare, so the underlying pathogenesis of this disorder remains unclear. Here, we report a 35‐year‐old infertile male, who presented with 30% of sperm‐lacked heads and 69% of sperm round‐headed or small‐headed with neck thickening in his ejaculate. Subsequent whole‐exome sequencing (WES) analysis identified compound heterozygous variants within the DNAH6 gene. DNAH6 is a testis‐specific‐expressed protein that was localised to the neck region in the spermatozoa of normal control; however, immunofluorescent staining failed to detect DNAH6 protein in the patient's spermatozoa. Quantitative real‐time PCR analysis also showed the complete absence of DNAH6 mRNA in the patient's spermatozoa. Moreover, two cycles of in vitro fertilisation (IVF)‐assisted reproduction were carried out, but pregnancy was not achieved after embryo transfer. Therefore, rare sequence variants in DNAH6 might be susceptibility risks for human sperm head anomaly.