Telepathology for routine light microscopic and frozen section diagnosis

Telepathology (TP) uses telecommunication linkages to electronically capture, store, retrieve, and transmit images to distant sites. We assessed the feasibility of a dynamic real-time TP system for light microscopic (LM) diagnosis of anatomic pathology specimens, including frozen sections. Six pathologists, in 2 separate periods, read a set of 160 retrospectively retrieved slides (80 of which were frozen sections) by TP and LM. Reading times were recorded. Diagnoses were compared with the reference diagnosis (established by a group of 5 independent pathologists) and graded on a scale of 0 to 2 (2, correct; 1, incorrect but no clinical impact; 0, incorrect with clinical impact). Overall, LM was more accurate than TP compared with the reference diagnosis (score, 1.68 vs 1.54). There was no difference in accuracy between frozen section and paraffin-embedded tissue. Intraobserver agreement ranged from 82.5% to 88.2%. The average reading time was 6.0 minutes for TP and 1.4 minutes for LM. During the study, reading time decreased for TP but not for LM. These results show that despite marginally lower accuracy and longer reading times, TP isfeasible for routine light microscopic diagnosis, including frozen sections.     

Apparent replication of suggestive linkage on chromosome 16 in the NIMH genetics initiative bipolar pedigrees

Analyses of a replication sample of families collected as part of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Genetics Initiative for bipolar disorder provide further evidence for linkage to a region of chromosome 16. Families who had a bipolar I (BPI) proband and at least one BPI or schizoaffective, bipolar type (SABP) first-degree relative were ascertained for the purpose of identifying genes involved in bipolar affective disorder. A series of hierarchical models of affected status was used in linkage analyses. Initial genetic analyses of chromosomes 3, 5, 15, 16, 17, and 22, completed at Indiana University in 540 subjects from 97 families, suggested evidence of linkage to chromosomes 5, 16, and 22 [Edenberg et al., 1997: Am J Med Genet 74:238-246]. Genotyping was subsequently performed on these chromosomes in a replication sample of 353 individuals from 56 families. Nonparametric linkage analyses were performed using both affected relative and sibling pair methods. Analyses in the new sample on chromosome 16, using the broadest model of affected status, corroborate previously reported suggestive linkage to the marker D16S2619. Combining the initial and replication samples further increased the evidence of linkage to this region, with a peak lod score of 2.8.     

Identification of PTPN22, ST6GAL1 and JAZF1 as psoriasis risk genes demonstrates shared pathogenesis between psoriasis and diabetes

The biological connections between psoriasis and diabetes have been suggested by epidemiological, immunological and genetic studies. To identify additional shared susceptibility loci and investigate shared pathogenesis between these two diseases, we genotyped 89 reported diabetes susceptibility loci in 4456 psoriasis cases and 6027 controls of Chinese population using the MassARRAY system from Sequenom. We discovered three significant associations at rs6679677 on 1p13.2 (P=6.15×10^?5, OR=5.07), rs16861329 on 3q27.3 (P=2.02×10^?4, OR=0.87) and rs849135 on 7p15.1 (P=6.59×10^?9, OR=1.78), which suggested PTPN22, ST6GAL1 and JAZF1 as novel susceptibility genes for psoriasis in Chinese population. Our findings implicated the involvement of T‐cell receptor signalling pathway in the pathogenesis of psoriasis and further confirmed the shared genetic susceptibility between psoriasis and diabetes.     

A novel approach to control brown dog tick,Rhipicephalus sanguineus using sustained release poly-ɛ-caprolactone-pheromone microspheres

Control of brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus was attempted by utilizing sustained release preparations of synthetic analogues of assembly pheromones. The assembly pheromone, in defined ratio, was encapsulated using poly-?-caprolactone by water-in-oil-in-water double emulsion solvent evaporation technique. In the in vitro bioassay, percent mortality with test microspheres was 95.6, 64 and 44 among the unfed larvae, unfed nymph and unfed adults respectively, 24 hours post-exposure. Field trials were carried out to evaluate the efficacy of microspheres in luring and killing environmental stages of R. sanguineus in dog houses/kennels. Engorged and unfed stages in the environment were found adhered and dead on the specially designed lure.     

Microstructural basis of contusion expansion in traumatic brain injury: insights from diffusion tensor imaging

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is often exacerbated by events that lead to secondary brain injury, and represent potentially modifiable causes of mortality and morbidity. Diffusion tensor imaging was used to characterize tissue at-risk in a group of 35 patients scanned at a median of 50 hours after injury. Injury progression was assessed in a subset of 16 patients with two scans. All contusions within the first few days of injury showed a core of restricted diffusion, surrounded by an area of raised apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC). In addition to these two well-defined regions, a thinner rim of reduced ADC was observed surrounding the region of increased ADC in 91% of patients scanned within the first 3 days after injury. In patients who underwent serial imaging, the rim of ADC hypointensity was subsumed into the high ADC region as the contusion enlarged. Overall contusion enlargement tended to be more frequent with early lesions, but its extent was unrelated to the time of initial imaging, initial contusion size, or the presence of hemostatic abnormalities. This rim of hypointensity may characterize a region of microvascular failure resulting in cytotoxic edema, and may represent a ‘traumatic penumbra'' which may be rescued by effective therapy.     

A common tattoo chemical for energy storage: henna plant-derived naphthoquinone dimer as a green and sustainable cathode material for Li-ion batteries

The burgeoning energy demands of an increasingly eco-conscious population have spurred the need for sustainable energy storage devices, and have called into question the viability of the popular lithium ion battery. A series of natural polyaromatic compounds have previously displayed the capability to bind lithium via polar oxygen-containing functional groups that act as redox centers in potential electrodes. Lawsone, a widely renowned dye molecule extracted from the henna leaf, can be dimerized to bislawsone to yield up to six carbonyl/hydroxyl groups for potential lithium coordination. The facile one-step dimerization and subsequent chemical lithiation of bislawsone minimizes synthetic steps and toxic reagents compared to existing systems. We therefore report lithiated bislawsone as a candidate to advance non-toxic and recyclable green battery materials. Bislawsone based electrodes displayed a specific capacity of up to 130 mA h g⁻¹ at 20 mA g⁻¹ currents, and voltage plateaus at 2.1–2.5 V, which are comparable to modern Li-ion battery cathodes.

The burgeoning energy demands of an increasingly eco-conscious population have spurred the need for sustainable energy storage devices, and have called into question the viability of the popular lithium ion battery.     

Supralevator abscess: Diagnosis and Treatment

Anorectal suppurations are quite common. Supralevator abscesses, previously regarded as a rare subgroup, were seen in 9.1 per cent of 506 patients admitted to Cook County Hospital in a two-year period. Aggressive supportive management was followed by early, adequate drainage through single or multiple radial perianal incisions or through the rectum whenever indicated. When fistulas were identified, either a primary fistulotomy or a two-stage fistulotomy using a seton was performed in the majority of cases. Important factors in the prevention of morbidity and mortality included debridement of all necrotic tissue, careful bacteriologic studies and judicious use of antibiotics, close postoperative observation, and long-term follow-up of the patients. Read at the meeting of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, Hollywood, Florida, May 11 to 16, 1980.     

Glucose Transporters and Glucose Utilization in Rat Brain after Acute Ethanol Administration

In the normal adult brain, glucose provides 90% of the energy requirements as well as substrate for nucleic acid and lipid synthesis. In the present study, effects of ethanol on glucose transporters (GLUT) and glucose utilization were examined in rat brain. Male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 250-300 gms were given either ethanol 3 gm/kg BW or saline IP 4 hrs prior to the animal sacrifice and removal of the cerebral cortical tissue. The cortical plasma membranes analyzed by cytochalasin B binding assay showed a decrease in GLUT number but not in GLUT affinity in the ethanol treated rats as compared to the control rats. The estimated Ro values were 70 ± 8.9 Vs 91 ± 8.9 pmoles/mg protein (p < 0.05 N=4) and the estimated Kd values were 0.37 ± 0.03 and 0.28 ± 0.05 M (p: NS) in ethanol and control experiments respectively. Immunoblots of purified cerebral plasma membranes and low density microsomal fraction showed 17% and 71% decrease for GLUT1 and 54% and 21% (p<0.05 or less; n=6) for GLUT3 respectively in ethanol treated rats than in control animals. Immunofluoresence studies also showed reduction of GLUT1 immunoreactively in choroid plexus and cortical microvessels of ethanol treated rats as compared to control rats. The effect of ethanol on regional cerebral metabolic rates for glucose (CMR_Gle) was studied using [6-¹⁴C] glucose and showed statistically insignificant decrease in brain glucose utilization. These data suggest that ethanol invivo decrease GLUT number and protein content in rat cerebral cortex