Lithium carbonate-induced giant goiter and subclinical hyperthyroidism in a patient with schizophrenia: A case report and review of literature.

BACKGROUND: Lithium carbonate is used to manage various mood disorders, but it can cause thyroid abnormalities, including goiter, hypothyroidism, and hyperthyroidism. In rare cases, it can lead to giant goiter and subclinical hyperthyroidism, which may require surgical intervention in severe cases. CASE SUMMARY: This case represents a rare development of giant goiter and subclinical hyperthyroidism in a schizophrenia patient who was subjected to prolonged lithium carbonate treatment. The enlarged thyroid gland caused pressure on the airway and recurrent laryngeal nerve, which led to respiratory distress, hoarseness, and dysphagia. The immediate danger of suffocation required urgent surgical intervention. In this report, we describe the case of a 41-year-old Chinese woman. This sheds light on the etiology and challenges associated with managing a giant goiter. The patient underwent a subtotal thyroidectomy to relieve airway compression and facilitate airway expansion. Prior to the procedure, the patient was given iodine to prepare. Concurrently, changes were made to the psychiatric medication regimen. Following surgery, the patient's respiratory function and vocal cord functionality improved significantly, and her mental state remained stable. CONCLUSION: It is essential to monitor thyroid function, test thyroid antibody levels, and perform thyroid ultrasounds consistently in all patients undergoing long-term lithium carbonate treatment. This vigilance helps prevent severe and potentially life-threatening thyroid enlargement.

Intermittent melena and refractory anemia due to jejunal cavernous lymphangioma: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Lymphangiomas in the gastrointestinal tract are extremely rare in adults. As a benign lesion, small intestine lymphangiomas often remain asymptomatic and pose challenges for definitive diagnosis. However, lymphangiomas can give rise to complications such as abdominal pain, bleeding, volvulus, and intussusception. Here, we report a case of jejunal cavernous lymphangioma that presented with intermittent melena and refractory anemia in a male adult. CASE SUMMARY: A 66-year-old man presented with intermittent melena, fatigue and refractory anemia nine months prior. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy and colonoscopy were performed many times and revealed no apparent bleeding. Conservative management, including transfusion, hemostasis, gastric acid secretion inhibition and symptomatic treatment, was performed, but the lesions tended to recur shortly after surgery. Ultimately, the patient underwent capsule endoscopy, which revealed a more than 10 cm lesion accompanied by active bleeding. After single-balloon enteroscopy and biopsy, a diagnosis of jejunal cavernous lymphangioma was confirmed, and the patient underwent surgical resection. No complications or recurrences were observed postoperatively. CONCLUSION: Jejunal cavernous lymphangioma should be considered a cause of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding. Capsule endoscopy and single-balloon enteroscopy can facilitate diagnosis. Surgical resection is an effective management method.

Impurity Removal Leading to High-Performance CoSb3-Based Skutterudites with Synergistic Carrier Concentration Optimization and Thermal Conductivity Reduction.

Thermoelectric properties of CoSb3-based skutterudites are greatly determined by the removal of detrimental impurities, such as (Fe/Co)Sb2, (Fe/Co)Sb, and Sb. In this study, we use a facile temperature gradient zone melting (TGZM) method to synthesize high-performance CoSb3-based skutterudites by impurity removal. After removing metallic or semimetallic impurities (Fe/Co)Sb, (Fe/Co)Sb2, and Sb, the carrier concentration of TGZM-Ce0.75Fe3CoSb12 can be reduced to 1.21 × 1020 cm-3 and the electronic thermal conductivity dramatically reduced to 0.7 W m-1 K-1 at 693 K. Additionally, removing these impurities also effectively reduces the lattice thermal conductivity from 7.2 W m-1 K-1 of cast-Ce0.75Fe3CoSb12 to 1.02 W m-1 K-1 of TGZM-Ce0.75Fe3CoSb12 at 693 K. As a consequence, TGZM-Ce0.75Fe3CoSb12 approaches a high power factor of 11.7 µW cm-1 K-2 and low thermal conductivity of 1.72 W m-1 K-1 at 693 K, leading to a peak zT of 0.48 at 693 K, which is 10 times higher than that of cast-Ce0.75Fe3CoSb12. This study indicates that our facile TGZM method can effectively synthesize high-performance CoSb3-based skutterudites by impurity removal and set up a solid foundation for further development.

Comprehensive Analysis of N6-Methyladenosine-Related lncRNA Signature for Predicting Prognosis and Immune Cell Infiltration in Patients with Colorectal Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common tumor worldwide. Aberrant N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification can influence the progress of the CRC. Additionally, long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) plays a critical role in CRC and has a close relationship with m6A modification. However, the prognostic potential of m6A-related lncRNAs in CRC patients still remains to be clarified. METHODS: We use "limma" R package, "glmnet" R package, and "survival" R package to screen m6A-related-lncRNAs with prognostic potential. Then, we comprehensively analysed and integrated the related lncRNAs in different TNM stages from TCGA database using the LASSO Cox regression. Meanwhile, the relationship between functional enrichment of m6A-related lncRNAs and immune microenvironment in CRC was also investigated using the TCGA database. A prognostic model was constructed and validated to determine the association between m6A-related lncRNAs in different TNM stages and the prognosis of CRC. RESULT: We demonstrated that three related m6A lncRNAs in different TNM stages were associated with the prognosis of CRC patients. Patients from the TCGA database were classified into the low-risk and the high-risk groups based on the expression of these lncRNAs. The patients in the low-risk group had longer overall survival than the patients in the high-risk group (P < 0.001). We further constructed and validated a prognostic nomogram based on these genes with a C-index of 0.80. The receiver operating characteristic curves confirmed the predictive capacity of the model. Meanwhile, we also found that the low-risk group has the correlation with the dendritic cell (DC). Finally, we discovered the relationship between the m6A regulators and the three lncRNAs. CONCLUSION: The prognostic model based on three m6A-related lncRNAs exhibits superior predictive performance, providing a novel prognostic model for the clinical evaluation of CRC patients.

Ce Filling Limit and Its Influence on Thermoelectric Performance of Fe3CoSb12-Based Skutterudite Grown by a Temperature Gradient Zone Melting Method.

CoSb3-based skutterudite is a promising mid-temperature thermoelectric material. However, the high lattice thermal conductivity limits its further application. Filling is one of the most effective methods to reduce the lattice thermal conductivity. In this study, we investigate the Ce filling limit and its influence on thermoelectric properties of p-type Fe3CoSb12-based skutterudites grown by a temperature gradient zone melting (TGZM) method. Crystal structure and composition characterization suggests that a maximum filling fraction of Ce reaches 0.73 in a composition of Ce0.73Fe2.73Co1.18Sb12 prepared by the TGZM method. The Ce filling reduces the carrier concentration to 1.03 × 1020 cm-3 in the Ce1.25Fe3CoSb12, leading to an increased Seebeck coefficient. Density functional theory (DFT) calculation indicates that the Ce-filling introduces an impurity level near the Fermi level. Moreover, the rattling effect of the Ce fillers strengthens the short-wavelength phonon scattering and reduces the lattice thermal conductivity to 0.91 W m-1 K-1. These effects induce a maximum Seebeck coefficient of 168 µV K-1 and a lowest κ of 1.52 W m-1 K-1 at 693 K in the Ce1.25Fe3CoSb12, leading to a peak zT value of 0.65, which is 9 times higher than that of the unfilled Fe3CoSb12.

A nanostructured anti-biofilm surface widens the efficacy against spindle-shaped and chain-forming rod-like bacteria.

Current control of pathogenic bacteria at all biomaterial interfaces is poorly attuned to a broad range of disease-causing pathogens. Leading antimicrobial surface functionalization strategies with antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), defensins, have not shown their promised efficacy. One of the main problems is the lack of stability and swift clearance from the surface. Surface nanotopography bearing sharp protrusions is a non-chemical solution that is intrinsically stable and long-lasting. Previously, the geometrically ordered arrays of nanotipped spines repelled or rapidly ruptured bacteria that come into contact. The killing properties so far work on cocci and rod-like bacteria, but there is no validation of the efficacy of protrusional surfaces on pathogenic bacteria with different sizes and morphologies, thus broadening the utility of such surfaces to cover increasingly more disease entities. Here, we report a synthetic analogue of nanotipped spines with a pyramidal shape that show great effectiveness on species of bacteria with strongly contrasting shapes and sizes. To highlight this phenomenon in the field of dental applications where selective bacterial control is vital to the clinical success of biomaterial functions, we modified the poly(methyl)-methacrylate (PMMA) texture and tested it against Streptococcus mutans, Enterococcus faecalis, Porphyromonas gingivalis, and Fusobacterium nucleatum. These nanopyramids performed effectively at levels well above those of normal and roughened PMMA biomaterials for dentistry and a model material for general use in medicine and disease transmission in hospital environments.

[Pollution distribution and potential ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in sediments from the different eastern dredging regions of Lake Taihu].

In order to investigate the distribution characteristics of nutrients and heavy metals in sediments from different eastern dredging regions of Lake Taihu, the surface and core sediment samples at 5 sites (in East Taihu Lake and Xukou Bay) were collected in 2012. Contents of nutrients (TOC, TN and TP) and heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb and Zn) in the sediments were measured and the pollution degrees of heavy metals were evaluated with the potential ecological risk method. The results showed that the heavy metal contents in Xukou Bay were generally higher than those in East Taihu Lake, whereas the nutrients contents showed the reverse trend. There were significant differences between the phytoplankton-dominated and culture lake regions. The concentrations of both nutrients and heavy metals decreased with increasing profile depth. Moreover, the contents of nutrients and heavy metals in the sediments of all dredged areas were lower than those in the un-dredged areas, suggesting that dredging may be a useful approach for decreasing nutrients and heavy metals loading in sediments, but its effectiveness decreased with time. Significant positive correlations were found among different heavy metals and nutrients, indicating that they were from the same pollution source. The Hakanson potential ecological risk index was applied for assessing the status of sediment heavy metal enrichment and the result indicated that sediment dredging could reduce the extent of potential ecological risk. The risk index in different sites followed the order: X1 > D1 > D3 > X2 > D2, while the risk index in site X1 of Xukou Bay was higher than that in site D1 of East Taihu Lake. And the comprehensive ecological risk grades in sites X1 and D1 were in the moderate range, while the sites D2, D3 and X2 were low.

Increased leukocyte Rho-kinase activity in a population with acute coronary syndrome.

Accumulating evidence suggests that Rho-associated kinase (ROCK) may be important in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and coronary vasospasm. In the present study, we investigated whether ROCK activity is increased in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients. Twenty-one patients with ACS (12 males, mean age 58.0±8.0 years) and 20 control subjects (10 males, mean age 55.0±6.0 years) were enrolled. Blood samples were obtained and demographics were recorded. Peripheral leukocyte ROCK activity was determined by the ratio of phospho-myosin­binding subunit (P-MBS) on myosin light-chain phosphatase to total MBS. Compared with the control subjects, ROCK activity was significantly increased in ACS patients (0.69±0.07 vs. 0.45±0.04, P<0.001). There was no apparent correlation between the lipid levels (total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein) and ROCK activity (r=0.17, P>0.05; r=0.08, P>0.05; respectively). However, ROCK activity correlated with mean arterial pressure (r=0.58; P<0.01). ROCK activity is increased in ACS patients indicating that this may be a novel serological marker of ACS.

Di-µ-methano-lato-κ(4)O:O-bis-[bis-(3-methyl-5-phenyl-1H-pyrazole-κN(2))(nitrato-κO)copper(II)].

Copper nitrate in methanol solution cleaves the N-C(methanol) bond when reacted with 3-methyl-5-phenyl-pyrazole-1-methanol to yield the centrosymmetric dinuclear title compound, [Cu(2)(CH(3)O)(2)(NO(3))(2)(C(10)H(10)N(2))(4)], in which the Cu(II) atom is linked to a nitrate ion, two methano-late ions and two pyrazole ligands in a distorted square-pyramidal environment. The O atom of the nitrate anion occupies the apical site. The crystal structure features intra-molecular N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds.

Recombinant adeno-associated virus-mediated delivery of antisense angiotensin II receptor 1 gene attenuates hypertension development.

AIM: The renin-angiotensin system plays a crucial role in the development and establishment of hypertension, and the pharmacological blockade of the system results in a reduction in blood pressure. In the present study, we investigated whether the effects of a novel, double-stranded, recombinant adeno-associated virus vector (rAAV)-mediated antisense angiotensin II receptor 1 (AT1R) gene efficiently prevents the development of hypertension induced by a high-salt diet in adult, male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. METHODS: A rAAV was prepared with a cassette containing a cytomegalovirus promoter and partial cDNA (660 base pairs) for the AT1R inserted in the antisense direction (rAAV-AT1-AS). A single tail vein injection of the rAAV-AT1-AS or rAAV-GFP (green fluorescent protein, a reporter gene) was performed in adult, male SD rats. Two weeks after injection, the animals were fed a diet containing 8% NaCl, and the systolic blood pressure was measured weekly using the tail-cuff method for 12 weeks. RESULTS: The high-salt diet induced a significant rise in systolic blood pressure in the rAAV-GFP-treated animals; however, the rAAV-AT1-AS treatment attenuated the rise in blood pressure (142.7+/-4.5 mmHg vs 117+/-3.8 mmHg, P<0.01), and the hypotensive effect was maintained until the experiments ended at 12 weeks. In the rAAV-GFP-treated animals AT1 was overexpressed in various tissues, especially in the aorta and kidney at mRNA levels; in contrast, rAAV-AT1-AS treatment markedly attenuated AT1 expression. Furthermore, rAAV-AT1-AS treatment prevented target organ damages from hypertension, including cardiac dysfunction and renal injury compared to the rAAV-GFP group. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that rAAVmediated anti-AT1 delivery attenuates the development of hypertension and protects against renal injury and cardiac remodeling.