Single coronary artery; extremely rare coronary anomaly successfully treated surgically in young adult male.

Single coronary artery arising from aortic root, is a rare congenital anomaly. A 30-year-old male presented with acute myocardial infarction (MI) complaining of chest pain and raised troponin levels. Emergency angiography showed no coronary lesions but both left and right coronary arteries arising from single ostium. Patient was operated electively and perioperative findings confirmed the diagnosis of single coronary artery, as left coronary artery after taking origin from right sinus of valsalva runs through the septum, before dividing into left anterior descending and circumflex branches. The single coronary ostium opened with a slit like incision over the course of left main coronary, making the size of ostium three to four times bigger than the native one. In addition left internal mammary artery was harvested and grafted to the left anterior descending branch distally. Patient made successful recovery. Four months follow up dobutamine stress echo showed no inducible ischemia.

Anterior skull base olfactory tumours, which is what? A case report and review.

Intracranial schwannomas not originating from cranial nerves are rare. In this paper, we report a case of a 50-year-old male who presented with worsening headaches, diplopia and nausea over two years. Radiological imaging revealed a large tumour arising from the olfactory groove region with a preoperative diagnosis of olfactory groove meningioma (OGM). Intraoperatively, the tumour originated from the region of the attachment of the falx to the crista galli. The patient recovered without complication and histopathology reported an unexpected diagnosis of WHO Grade 1 schwannoma. However, as olfactory groove schwannomas (OGSs) cannot be distinguished from olfactory ensheathing cell tumours (OECTs), it is possible that the tumour could have been either an OGS or an OECT. Distinguishing between OGSs, OECTs and OGMs preoperatively is difficult. OGMs exhibit distinct histopathological features from OGSs/OECTs, however, OGSs and OECTs currently cannot be distinguished from each other. Here, we review the literature to discuss the differentiating features and cellular origins of these three tumours.

Schwannosis induced medullary compression in VACTERL syndrome.

A 7-year-old boy with a history of VACTERL syndrome was found collapsed in bed. MRI had shown basilar invagination of the skull base and narrowing of the foramen magnum. Angulation, swelling and abnormal high signal at the cervicomedullary junction were felt to be secondary to compression of the medulla. Neuropathologic examination showed bilateral replacement of the medullary tegmentum by an irregularly circumscribed cellular lesion which was composed of elongated GFAP/S 100-positive cells with spindled nuclei and minimal atypia. The pathologic findings were interpreted as intramedullary schwannosis with mass effect. Schwannosis, is observed in traumatized spinal cords where its presence may represent attempted, albeit aberrant, repair by inwardly migrating Schwann cells ofperipheral origin. In our view the compressive effect of the basilar invagination on this boy's medulla was of sufficient magnitude to have caused tumoral medullary schwannosis with resultant intermittent respiratory compromise leading to reflex anoxic seizures.

The difficulty with audit of high grade cervical cytology in the absence of a national screening programme.

Audit is an essential requirement of a cervical screening programme to ensure that laboratories are practising to agreed standards, and to ensure high quality patient care. The aim of this study was to assess the ability to audit high-grade cytology smear reports in a large cervical cytology laboratory in Ireland, where a nationally organised screening programme does not exist. Seven hundred and five questionnaires were forwarded to smear takers requesting follow-up data regarding high grade smear results from 2003. Seventy-four percent of the questionnaires were returned containing insufficient data, with a "don't know result" rate of >50%. This attempt at detailed audit took place 5 years ago. Annual internal audit continues to the best of the laboratory's ability but the situation, in terms of a centralised database in the context of a national screening programme, remains unchanged. A National Cervical Cytology Screening Programme is essential to centralise patient data, to allow for improved patient care, patient follow-up and audit.

Plasmablastic lymphoma presenting as a paravertebral mass in a patient with Crohn's disease after immunosuppressive therapy.

The case of a 32-year-old man with a paravertebral mass and skin nodules, occurring against a background of immunosuppressive therapy for Crohn's disease, is presented. The tumours showed morphological and immunophenotypical features of plasmablastic lymphoma. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of plasmablastic lymphoma presenting in this location, and also after immunosuppression with infliximab treatment for Crohn's disease.

Light rare earth element depletion during Deepwater Horizon blowout methanotrophy.

Rare earth elements have generally not been thought to have a biological role. However, recent work has demonstrated that the light REEs (LREEs: La, Ce, Pr, and Nd) are essential for at least some methanotrophs, being co-factors in the XoxF type of methanol dehydrogenase (MDH). We show here that dissolved LREEs were significantly removed in a submerged plume of methane-rich water during the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) well blowout. Furthermore, incubation experiments conducted with naturally methane-enriched waters from hydrocarbon seeps in the vicinity of the DWH wellhead also showed LREE removal concurrent with methane consumption. Metagenomic sequencing of incubation samples revealed that LREE-containing MDHs were present. Our field and laboratory observations provide further insight into the biochemical pathways of methanotrophy during the DWH blowout. Additionally, our results are the first observations of direct biological alteration of REE distributions in oceanic systems. In view of the ubiquity of LREE-containing MDHs in oceanic systems, our results suggest that biological uptake of LREEs is an overlooked aspect of the oceanic geochemistry of this group of elements previously thought to be biologically inactive and an unresolved factor in the flux of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, from the ocean.

Food Insecurity and Peripheral Arterial Disease in Older Adult Populations.

OBJECTIVES: Food insecurity, defined as the limited or uncertain availability of nutritious and safe foods, is a complex phenomenon and is linked to poor nutrition and diet-sensitive chronic diseases. Dietary patterns that include saturated fats and meat products are potential risk factors for the progression of peripheral arterial disease (PAD). This study explored whether there is a relationship between food insecurity and PAD among a national sample of older adults. DESIGN: We conducted a cross-sectional data analysis using data from the 1999-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Food security was assessed using the US Household Food Security Survey Module. Bivariate analyses were conducted using the Rao-Scott Chi-square test to examine associations between PAD and sociodemographic variables. Multivariable generalized logistic regression was employed to assess the effect of food security on the presence of PAD, with adjustment for respondent's socio demographic characteristics. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 2,027 adults with PAD were included (Ankle Brachial Index (ABI) score ≤ 0.90).We excluded participants less than 60 years of age. RESULTS: Compared to older adults who are food secure, those who are food insecure have an increased risk for PAD. Food insecurity is associated with peripheral arterial disease among older adults (adults adjusted odds ratio, 1.50 [95% CI 1.11-2.03). CONCLUSION: Older adults with peripheral arterial disease are experiencing food insecurity. While nutrition and PAD are not well-defined, previous literature indicates there is a connection between food insecurity and diet-sensitive chronic diseases (diabetes and hypertension) which are risk factors for PAD. Food insecurity should be taken into consideration when treating older adults with PAD to help decrease poor health outcomes that are linked to an insufficient amount of nutritious foods.

Protein kinase C (calcium/phospholipid-dependent protein kinase) in developing chick heart: selective localization to atrium versus ventricle and changes in activity levels during cardiogenesis.

Activity levels of calcium/phospholipid-dependent protein kinase were examined in preparations of atria and ventricles from embryonic chick hearts at various stages of development. Activity of protein kinase C was much higher in atria than ventricles. Protein kinase C activity underwent a progressive increase in atria during cardiogenesis, being highest just prior to hatching, followed by a profound decrease in activity after hatching. In contrast, activity of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase (protein kinase A), while also higher in atria than ventricles, remained relatively constant at the developmental stages examined, likewise decreasing following hatching. These progressive changes in atrial protein kinase C activity suggest a potential regulatory role for this enzyme in cardiogenesis.

Rotavirus particles function as immunological carriers for the delivery of peptides from infectious agents and endogenous proteins.

A major problem in the development of useful animal subunit vaccines has been the generation of immune responses to weakly immunogenic molecules. For this purpose a new and effective delivery system has been devised. This system is based upon the inner capsid of bovine rotavirus. Under the appropriate conditions, the inner capsid protein, designated BP6, can be made to self-assemble in vitro and form spherical particles. These particles possess an inherent capacity to target to cells of the immune system. Exploitation of these properties has led to the development of technology to couple antigens to the VP6 particles such that the sphere acts as a novel immunological carrier. This is based on a "binding peptide" derived from another rotavirus peptide, VP4, as well as on more traditional techniques of chemical coupling. We have coupled peptides or proteins to this carrier via the binding peptide and have shown that every epitope tested to date gave excellent immune responses. Furthermore, using this carrier, immunity has been developed without the use of adjuvants. This has far-reaching implications for animal and human immunization.

Concentration of dopamine analogs in the adrenal medulla.

Seven labeled sulfonanilide analogs of dipamine were synthesized and their tissue distribution in rats were determined as a function of time. The methanesulfonanilide derivative, NP-27, showed significant uptake and retention in the rat adrenal, with 0.66% dose/gm at 5 min and 0.27% dose/gm at 24 h. The 24-hr target-to-nontarget concentration ratios for the adrenal versus liver, blood, kidney, and heart were 13, 27, 30, and 60, respectively. These results compared reasonably with the corresponding target-to-nontarget ratios of 23, 45, 8, and 15 obtained for 14C-dopamine. The six other analogs showed considerably less uptake and retention. Further evaluation of NP-27 in dogs indicated selective uptake in the adrenal medulla.

Tissue distribution of 14C-, 125I-, and 131I-diphenylhydantoin in the toadfish, rat, and human with insulinomas.

Carbon-14-diphenylhydantoin (DPH) concentrated maximally in pancreatic islet cells of the toadfish 10 min after its intravenous administration. The islet cell-to-acinar-tissue ratio at this time was 6:1. The islet cell-to-liver ratio was 20:1. Iodine-125-paroiodo-DPH at 10 min in the toadfish showed an islet cell-to-acinar-tissue ratio of 1.7:1 and an islet cell-to-liver ratio of 2.3:1. When 14C-DPH was given to four patients 10-17 min before removal of norma pancreatic tissue and of an insulinoma in three of the patients, the concentration of radioactivity in the insulinoma was never greater than in the pancreas and concentrations in insulinoma and pancreas were always less than in liver in the same individual. Forty-five to 90 min after administration of 131I-DPH, the liver and pancreas were delineated in three patients but the insulinoma was not imaged. Five days after administration of 131I-DPH, the concentration of 131I radioactivity in excised tissue was greater in the insulinomas than in the pancreas of two patient but not sufficient to produce positive images of the insulinoma in the pancreas.

Interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein in retinal rod cells and pineal gland.

Immunoelectron microscopic staining demonstrates Interphotoreceptor Retinoid-Binding Protein (IRBP) in monkey rod cell cytoplasm with virtually none in cone cells. The pineal also contains significant amounts of IRBP demonstrating a similarity of pinealocytes to rod but not cone photoreceptors.

beta-(1-->3, 1-->4) oat glucan enhances resistance to Eimeria vermiformis infection in immunosuppressed mice.

The effect of intragastrically or parenterally administered beta-glucan, extracted from oats, on the enhancement of disease resistance to Eimeria vermiformis was studied in C57BL/6 mice. Groups of mice were immunosuppressed with dexamethasone (DXM), infected with oocysts of E. vermiformis and treated with oat beta-glucan by the intragastric (i.g.) or subcutaneous (s.c.) routes. Faecal oocyst shedding was reduced in the beta-glucan-treated groups compared to the non-treated group. Immunosuppressed mice which received no beta-glucan treatment showed more severe clinical signs of the disease and a 50% mortality, while minimal clinical signs and no mortality were recorded in the beta-glucan-treated groups. Total IgG, IgG1, IgG2a, IgM and IgA immunoglobulins in the serum of beta-glucan-treated groups were overall higher than those in the non-treated group. Specific IgG anti-sporozoite and merozoite immunoglobulins in serum were significantly higher in the beta-glucan-treated groups than in the non-treated animals. No significant differences were found in the levels of intestinal IgA anti-sporozoite and anti-merozoite immunoglobulins. IFN-gamma- and IL-4-secreting cells, in response to sporozoite antigen, were detected in the spleen and mesenteric lymph nodes of the beta-glucan-treated groups only. In conclusion, the i.g. and s.c. oat beta-glucan treatment increased the resistance to E. vermiformis infection in immunosuppressed mice.

Primary pulmonary artery sarcoma. A method of resection.

Primary pulmonary artery sarcoma classically presents with symptoms and findings suggestive of acute pulmonary artery occlusion. An angiocentric mass or the finding of spindling neoplasm on needle biopsy should suggest this neoplasm. The rare unilateral location in the present case permitted resection by pneumonectomy. An endarterectomy technique was used to extract loosely adherent tumor-thrombus from the more proximal portions of the left pulmonary artery.

A molecular-genetic analysis of cytotoxic T lymphocyte function.

Two genes that are specifically expressed in T cells with cytolytic activity were isolated from a CTL cDNA library by differential screening. Both appear to encode serine proteases, thus suggesting a cascade mechanism, similar to complement, in activated CTL. Both CTL-specific proteases have a number of unusual structural features that suggest that they will have novel substrate specificities. One of the proteins (CCPI) has been oriented to the granules found in the cytoplasm of CTL. Taken together, these data strongly suggest that these molecules play an important role in target-cell lysis by CTL. Furthermore, we believe that the detailed molecular knowledge being accumulated through these studies may lead to the development of innovative forms of immunotherapy.