Case report: a rare case of intradural and pleural wall cystic echinococcosis.

BACKGROUND: Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is prevalent in livestock farming regions around the world. However, it remains relatively rare compared to other infectious diseases. CE typically affects the liver, lungs, brain, and kidneys. Spinal and pleural wall involvement is exceedingly rare. We report a unique case of intradural and pleural wall CE in a young male, successfully treated with surgery and postoperative medication. CASE PRESENTATION: A 19-year-old Tibetan male from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau was diagnosed with intradural and pleural wall CE through imaging, serology, and surgical pathology. According to the Dew/Braithwaite & Lees (BL) classification, his condition was an exceptionally rare form of spinal echinococcosis, compounded by an even rarer pleural wall involvement. Prompt surgical intervention and postoperative medication resulted in significant improvement in spinal cord compression symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: This case highlights the diagnostic and therapeutic challenges of rare CE locations. MRI proved superior to CT in diagnosing bony cystic echinococcosis. Early surgical intervention combined with medication facilitates spinal cord function recovery, providing valuable insights for managing similar cases.

Jaw relation recording and transferring: Using digital technology to augment its instruction in predoctoral prosthodontics.

OBJECTIVES: The study compared the learning effectiveness and teaching satisfaction of dental students from three teaching methods (traditional, digital, and combined pedagogy) for instructing jaw relation recording and transferring (JRRT). METHODS: Note that, 276 fourth-year undergraduate students from three classes were randomly divided into three groups to study JRRT in complete dentures using different teaching methods: traditional pedagogy group, digital pedagogy group, and combined digital and traditional pedagogy group. After the course, the learning effectiveness of basic knowledge and satisfaction questionnaire was administered to the three groups of participants using a quick response code for online answering. The questionnaire was customized by the teacher based on the content delivered to each group. RESULTS: The data were analyzed using the Chi-square test with Fisher's exact test. Both the digital and combined pedagogy groups showed a significant increase in basic knowledge test scores and higher satisfaction, compared to the traditional pedagogy group (p < 0.01). Particularly, the participants from combined pedagogy showed better teaching satisfaction than the digital pedagogy group (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The use of digital technology in JRRT significantly enhanced students' learning effectiveness and teaching satisfaction. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: This educational innovation emphasizes digital technology to visualize vital concepts and operational intricacies related to JRRT. The findings have major implications for improving teaching methods in the field of prosthodontic dentistry.

Unsaturated bond recognition leads to biased signal in a fatty acid receptor.

Individual free fatty acids (FAs) play important roles in metabolic homeostasis, many through engagement with more than 40G protein-coupled receptors. Searching for receptors to sense beneficial omega-3 FAs of fish oil enabled the identification of GPR120, which is involved in a spectrum of metabolic diseases. Here, we report six cryo-electron microscopy structures of GPR120 in complex with FA hormones or TUG891 and Gi or Giq trimers. Aromatic residues inside the GPR120 ligand pocket were responsible for recognizing different double-bond positions of these FAs and connect ligand recognition to distinct effector coupling. We also investigated synthetic ligand selectivity and the structural basis of missense single-nucleotide polymorphisms. We reveal how GPR120 differentiates rigid double bonds and flexible single bonds. The knowledge gleaned here may facilitate rational drug design targeting to GPR120.

Ligand recognition and allosteric regulation of DRD1-Gs signaling complexes.

Dopamine receptors, including D1- and D2-like receptors, are important therapeutic targets in a variety of neurological syndromes, as well as cardiovascular and kidney diseases. Here, we present five cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of the dopamine D1 receptor (DRD1) coupled to Gs heterotrimer in complex with three catechol-based agonists, a non-catechol agonist, and a positive allosteric modulator for endogenous dopamine. These structures revealed that a polar interaction network is essential for catecholamine-like agonist recognition, whereas specific motifs in the extended binding pocket were responsible for discriminating D1- from D2-like receptors. Moreover, allosteric binding at a distinct inner surface pocket improved the activity of DRD1 by stabilizing endogenous dopamine interaction at the orthosteric site. DRD1-Gs interface revealed key features that serve as determinants for G protein coupling. Together, our study provides a structural understanding of the ligand recognition, allosteric regulation, and G protein coupling mechanisms of DRD1.