Cryptococcal granulomas of basal ganglia due to Cryptococcus neoformans in a cat: a case report and literature review.

A 3-year-old spayed female domestic short-haired cat presented with a head turning to the left, circling to the right, seizures, and opisthotonos for approximately one month. Neurological examination revealed a deficit in the postural reaction of the left limbs and visual abnormalities. Forensic computed tomography revealed a hyperattenuating round mass of 1.3 cm diameter with a hypoattenuating center in the right hemisphere. Histopathology showed multifocal granuloma lesions with the major mass mostly affecting the right basal ganglia. Cryptococcus neoformans variety grubii molecular type VNI/ST31 was isolated from the cryptococcal granulomas. This report highlights the epidemiological distribution and differential diagnosis of a feline central nervous system cryptococcosis caused by C. neoformans that occurred in an Asian country.

Superior Ionic Transferring Polymer with Silicon Dioxide Composite Membrane via Phase Inversion Method Designed for High Performance Sodium-Ion Battery.

Superior sodium-ion-conducting polymer poly(vinyledene fluoride)-silicon dioxide (PVdF-SiO2) composite separator membrane was prepared via simple phase inversion method, which is a suitable alternative conventional polypropylene membrane. Basically, PVdF is the promising for use as high porous polymer electrolyte membrane due to its high dielectric constant ( = 8.4). In this work, we prepared a composite membrane using PVdF-SiO2 via phase inversion method. This work was systematically studied towards the morphology, porosity, and electrochemical properties of as prepared membrane. The electrolyte uptake capability of separator membrane tested with 1 M NaPF6 electrolyte solution and temperature-dependent ionic conduction test were performed at various temperatures. This membrane exhibits higher ionic conductivity of 4.7 × 10-2 S cm-1 at room temperature. The physical properties were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, FT-IR, and FE-SEM micrographs analyses. The electrochemical performances with impedance analysis carried for prepared membrane with the as-prepared sodium P2-type cathode material. The material showed an initial discharge capacity of 178 mAh g-1 at 0.1 C between 2 and 4 V with 98% columbic efficiency and 81% capacity retention after 50 cycles upon using the as-prepared PVdF-SiO2 composite separator membrane.

Ethnobotanical Survey of Natural Galactagogues Prescribed in Traditional Chinese Medicine Pharmacies in Taiwan.

Natural medicinal materials have been used to promote breast milk secretion. Here, we investigated the natural medicinal materials prescribed in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) pharmacies across Taiwan to induce lactation. We collected medicinal materials from 87 TCM pharmacies, identified them in the prescriptions, and analyzed their drug contents. We examined their botanical origins, biological classifications, traditional usage, and modern pharmacological properties. We used the TCM Inheritance Support System to identify core medicinal materials in galactogenous prescriptions. We collected 81 medicinal materials from 90 galactogenous prescriptions. Leguminosae accounted for 12%, whereas Apiaceae accounted for 7% of all materials examined. The primary medicinal plant parts used were roots and seeds. Nineteen frequently used medicinal materials had a relative frequency of citation of greater than or equal to 0.2. According to their efficacy, 58% were warm, 54% were sweet, and 63% were tonifying; 74% of the frequently used medicinal materials have been showed efficacy against breast cancer. The primary core medicinal material was Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels, whereas the secondary core medicinal materials were Tetrapanax papyrifer (Hook.) K. Koch and Hedysarum polybotrys Hand.-Mazz. Most galactogenous prescriptions consisted of multiple materials from Leguminosae and Apiaceae. The mechanisms underlying galactogenous efficacy warrant further investigations.

Carbon Loaded Nano-Designed Spherically High Symmetric Lithium Iron Orthosilicate Cathode Materials for Lithium Secondary Batteries.

In the present study, Li2FeSiO4 (LFS) cathode material has been prepared via a modified polyol method. The stabilizing nature of polyol solvent was greatly influenced to reduce the particle size (~50 nm) and for coating the carbon on the surface of the as-mentioned materials (~10 nm). As-prepared nano-sized Li2FeSiO4 material deliver initial discharge capacity of 186 mAh·g-1 at 1C with the coulombic efficiency of 99% and sustain up to 100 cycles with only 7 mAh·g-1 is the difference of discharge capacity from its 1st cycle to 100th cycle. The rate performance illustrates the discharge capacity 280 mAh·g-1 for lower C-rate (C/20) and 95 mAh·g-1 for higher C-rate (2C).

Impacts of AURKA Genetic Polymorphism on Urothelial Cell Carcinoma Development.

Urothelial cell carcinoma (UCC) is the most common primary malignancy of the urinary system and the second-most common type of renal cell carcinoma. Aurora kinase A (AURKA), a serine/threonine kinase, has a critical role in centrosome duplication, spindle assembly checkpoint, and cytokinesis. Here, we determined the correlation between UCC susceptibility and AURKA polymorphisms. We used real-time polymerase chain reaction to compare the genotype distributions and allelic frequencies of four single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of AURKA, namely rs1047972, rs2273535, rs2064863, and rs6024836, between 431 UCC cases and 862 healthy controls. Logistic regression models demonstrated that the G allele of rs2064863, a genetic polymorphism of AURKA, exhibited a significant protective effect against UCC among the 862 nonsmokers. Moreover, patients with rs2064863 G allele exhibited a slightly lower risk of lymph node metastasis and those with rs6024836 G allele exhibited a lower risk of distant metastases. Our study suggested that several variants of AURKA SNPs rs2064863 and rs6024836 may serve as critical predictors for the clinical status of UCC.

Risk of Cancer after Lower Urinary Tract Infection: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

To investigate the association among lower urinary tract infection (UTI), the type and timing of antibiotic usage, and the subsequent risk of developing cancers, especially genitourinary cancers (GUC), in Taiwan. This retrospective population-based cohort study was conducted using 2009⁻2013 data from the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database. This study enrolled patients who were diagnosed with a UTI between 2010 and 2012. A 1:2 propensity score-matched control population without UTI served as the control group. Multivariate analysis with a multiple Cox regression model was applied to analyze the data. A total of 38,084 patients with UTI were included in the study group, and 76,168 participants without UTI were included in the control group. The result showed a higher hazard ratio of any cancer in both sexes with UTI (for males, adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) = 1.32; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.12⁻1.54; for females, aHR = 1.21; 95% CI = 1.08⁻1.35). Patients with UTI had a higher probability of developing new GUC than those without UTI. Moreover, the genital organs, kidney, and urinary bladder of men were significantly more affected than those of women with prior UTI. Furthermore, antibiotic treatment for more than 7 days associated the incidence of bladder cancer in men (7⁻13 days, aHR = 1.23, 95% CI = 0.50⁻3.02; >14 days, aHR = 2.73, CI = 1.32⁻5.64). In conclusion, UTI is significantly related to GUC and may serve as an early sign of GUC, especially in the male genital organs, prostate, kidney, and urinary bladder. During UTI treatment, physicians should cautiously prescribe antibiotics to patients.

Efficient two-photon luminescence for cellular imaging using biocompatible nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots conjugated with polymers.

Nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dot (N-GQD) nanomaterials conjugated with polyethylenimine (PEI)-polystyrene sulfonate (PSS)-anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (AbEGFR) antibody (N-GQD-PEI-PSS-AbEGFR) demonstrated impressive two-photon properties and stability, signifying that they can serve as an effective two-photon contrast agent in two-photon bioimaging. Furthermore, they provided high intensity, brightness, and signal-to-noise ratios at an ultra-low two-photon excitation (TPE) power level in an observation extending to a deep, three-dimensional depth.

Chelating agent-assisted heat treatment of a carbon-supported iron oxide nanoparticle catalyst for PEMFC.

Iron complexes were supported on commercial carbon black and heat treated to create FeO(x)/C catalysts that showed a larger normalized current density and normalized power density than commercial Pt/C catalysts; the coordination number of the iron complexes used affected the formation of the active site for oxygen reduction in PEMFC.