Multimodality imaging of developmental splenic anomalies: tips and pitfalls.

Anomalies in number and location may occur during splenic development. This review aims to offer a brief overview of splenic function and embryology and a detailed account of the imaging appearances using different imaging techniques of the normal spleen and various congenital splenic anomalies including (1) abnormal viscero-atrial situs, (2) splenogonadal fusion, (3) intrapancreatic accessory spleen, (4) wandering spleen, and (5) splenosis. Emphasis is placed on the salient features that help radiologists recognise important associations (e.g., asplenia/polysplenia in situs abnormalities), avoid diagnostic pitfalls (e.g., mistaking intrapancreatic accessory spleen as pancreatic neoplasms), and potential complications (e.g., acute torsion in wandering spleen). The correct identification of the said anomalies from more sinister causes, such as malignancies, are essential, where early intervention is necessary.

The Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10) is reliable and has construct validity in Chinese patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Systemic lupus erythematosus is a chronic, progressive, autoimmune disease that causes significant stress on patients. There is no specific instrument for assessing stress in Chinese systemic lupus erythematosus patients. The objective of this study was to test the reliability and validity of the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale in Chinese systemic lupus erythematosus patients. Validity evaluation included structural and construct validity (convergent and discriminant validity). Structural validity was assessed by exploratory factor analysis. Convergent validity was assessed by correlating the total score of the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Self-Efficacy for Managing Chronic Disease 6-Item Scale, the Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire, and the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index. Discriminant validity was determined by the statistically significant differences in perceived stress scores among patients with different education levels and disease activity. Reliability was assessed by internal consistency and test-retest reliability. The test-retest reliability was measured at 1-week intervals. Exploratory factor analysis extracted two dimensions that explained 66.45% of the variation. Moderate-to-strong correlations were also found between the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Self-Efficacy for Managing Chronic Disease 6-Item Scale, the Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire, and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index. Excellent test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.954) and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.810) were demonstrated. In conclusion, the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale can be used to measure stress among Chinese systemic lupus erythematosus patients and serve as a basis for further research.

[Study on the effects of target-silencing CXCR3 expression on malignant proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma].

Objective: To explicit, the expression of chemokine receptor 3 in HCC tissues and its relationship with overall survival of patients, and to explore the effect of targeted silencing CXCR3 gene on proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma cells and its mechanism of action. Methods: The expression of CXCR3 in 60 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma and its adjacent tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry. The clinicopathological correlations between the expression levels of CXCR3 in hepatoma tissues of liver cancer patients were analyzed and univariate Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed in combination with follow-up data. Huh7 hepatoma cells were infected with lentivirus LV-CXCR3-shRNA. The effects of CXCR3 deletion on proliferation of hepatoma cells were determined by CCK-8 assay and tumor-bearing nude mice experiment. Results: CXCR3 was highly expressed in HCC tissues, and the overall survival rate (OS) of patients with high CXCR3 expression was significantly lower than that of patients with low expression. After the CXCR3 gene was successfully silenced in Huh7 hepatocellular carcinoma cells, the proliferation ability of Huh7 cells was significantly inhibited in vitro, and the tumor growth rate of nude mice was slowed down, and the activity of JAK-STAT pathway in Huh7 cells was decreased, and the levels of c-MYC and Bcl-xl protein were decreased. In addition, deletion of CXCR3 can effectively inhibit IL-6-mediated JAK-STAT pathway activation. Conclusion: CXCR3 high expression indicated that the survival rate was poor, and the target silencing of CXCR3 gene could inhibit the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma cells and maybe related to inhibition of JAK-STAT pathway activity. CXCR3 may be a potential target for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Design of metasurface polarizers based on two-dimensional cold atomic arrays.

Engineering light-matter interaction using cold atomic arrays is one of the central topics in modern optics. Here we have demonstrated the capability of two-dimensional asymmetric cold atomic arrays as microscopic metasurfaces for controlling polarization states of light. The designed linear polarizer can lead to an extinction ratio over 20dB as well as a high transmittance over 0.8 for the permitted polarization at zero detuning. For detuned driving light, changing lattice constants can also achieve high performance linear polarizers. We have also accomplished a circular polarizer by manipulating the phases of transmitted light. A theoretical analysis based on Bloch theorem shows the underlying mechanism for this performance is actually attributed to cooperative effects in periodic lattices. Finally, we discuss in detail the effects of system size, lattice imperfection and nonzero driving light linewidth in practical implementation. The present study paves a way to design extremely miniaturized metasurfaces using cold atoms and other two-level systems, showing great potential in quantum information and quantum metrology sciences as well as the fundamental physics of light-matter interaction.

Designing ultrabroadband absorbers based on Bloch theorem and optical topological transition.

In this Letter, we propose a method to design ultrabroadband near-perfect absorbers, consisting of a periodic dielectric-metal multilayer. In the method, the Bloch theorem and optical topological transition (OTT) of iso-frequency surfaces are employed to manipulate the start and end of the near-perfect spectral absorption band, respectively. Moreover, we design and fabricate an ultrabroadband near-perfect absorber utilizing the proposed method. The average absorption of the designed absorber is ∼95% in the focused visible and near-infrared range (0.4-2 µm). This omnidirectional and polarization-independent near-perfect absorber is promising for solar energy harvesting, emissivity control, and thermal imaging.

First Report of Dieback Disease on Cedars Caused by Diplodia seriata in China.

Cedars (Cedrus deodara (Roxb.) G. Don) are well known as evergreen ornamental trees widely used in horticulture in temperate climates. In March 2013, dieback symptoms were found on cedar trees in different locations (including the campus of Nanyang Normal University) in Nanyang (33°01' N, 112°29' E), a southwestern city of Henan Province, China. Characteristic symptoms included needle discoloration and defoliation, canker formation and gummosis on trunks and branches, browning and tissue necrosis under the bark as well as dieback of branches/trunks. Of 873 cedar trees investigated, 139 (16%) were symptomatic. A total of 21 Diplodia sp. isolates were obtained from 102 tissue pieces randomly sampled from the lesion margins of 31 affected trees with a conventional method for isolation of culturable fungal species from plant tissues. Monohyphal cultures were isolated from actively growing edges of colonies to purify the isolates. The purified isolates were grown on 2% water agar with sterilized stems of Foeniculum vulgare to induce their colonies to form pycnidia (4). Unmatured conidia were hyaline, aseptate, and turned light to dark brown with maturity. Mature conidia were aseptate (rarely uniseptate), ovoid with truncated or rounded base and obtuse apex, externally smooth, roughened on the inner surface, and 8 to 11 × 23 to 26 µm (n = 50). These morphological characteristics of the isolates agreed with those of Diplodia seriata (the anamorph of Botryosphaeria obtusa) (5). The rDNA-ITS sequences of two representative isolates (xs-01 and xs-06) were amplified with primers ITS1 and ITS4. PCR products were purified and ligated with PMD-19T vector for sequencing. The rDNA-ITS sequences were submitted to GenBank with accession nos. KJ463386 and KJ549774 for isolates xs-01 and xs-06, respectively, showing 100% identity with multiple isolates of D. seriata (HQ660463, KC461297, and KF535906). Koch's postulates were fulfilled in greenhouse tests on 2-year-old cedar plantlets inoculated by the two isolates. Ten plantlets were used for the inoculation tests for each of the isolates, and their trunks were wounded to a 2 mm depth with a sterilized cork borer (3 mm diameter). The wounds were inoculated by mycelial plugs cut from 7-day-old colonies grown on potato dextrose agar (PDA) plates and wrapped with Parafilm, and those inoculated with pure PDA plugs served as control. Inoculated plantlets were incubated in a greenhouse with alternating cycles of 14 h fluorescent light/10 h darkness under moist conditions for 30 to 60 days at 28°C. Nine of 20 inoculated plantlets developed needle discoloration and shoot blight symptoms similar to those observed on naturally infected cedar trees. The control plantlets remained symptomless during the incubation period. D. seriata cultures were constantly recovered from each diseased plantlet, indicating that the isolated D. seriata isolates were responsible for the disease. D. seriata has been reported as a phytopathogen causing dieback diseases worldwide on multiple woody plant species such as olive (4), mulberry (1), Pinus spp., and Picea glauca (2,3). To our knowledge, this is the first report of D. seriata causing dieback disease on cedars in China. References: (1) M. Arzanlou et al. Arch. Phytopathol. Plant Protect. 46:682, 2013. (2) T. Burgess et al. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 67:354, 2001. (3) G. Hausner et al. Can. J. Plant Pathol. 21:256, 1999. (4) J. Kaliterna et al. Plant Dis. 96:290, 2012. (5) A. J. L. Phillips et al. Fungal Divers. 25:141, 2007.

An outbreak of refrigerant-induced acute hepatitis in Hong Kong.

We report a cluster of acute hepatitis in five air-conditioning maintenance workers following accidental exposure to 2,2-dichloro-1,1,1-trifluoroethane (HCFC-123). They presented to us with complaints of feverishness, generalised malaise, and epigastric discomfort. Their blood biochemistry tests were compatible with acute hepatitis. Viral hepatitis serology, tests for autoimmune hepatitis, and analyses for drugs and alcohol consumption were all negative. No focal hepatic lesion was detected by ultrasound imaging. Percutaneous liver biopsy samples were taken from two of them. The patients were managed with supportive treatment. All had spontaneous, but slow, recovery. Their liver function tests returned to normal after 4 months and their outcomes were favourable. Physicians should be aware of this occupational disease entity.

Prenatal diagnosis of sickle cell anaemia and thalassaemia by analysis of fetal cells in maternal blood.

Currently, amniocentesis, chorionic villus sampling (CVS) and fetal blood sampling are used to obtain fetal cells for genetic diagnosis. These invasive procedures pose a small but not negligible risk for the fetus. Efforts have been directed towards the enrichment of fetal cells, such as erythroblasts, from maternal blood and progress has been made in the diagnosis of some chromosomal disorders and in sex determinations. We now report the detection of point mutations in single gene disorders using this method of prenatal diagnosis by enriching fetal cells from maternal blood by magnetic cell sorting followed by isolation of pure fetal cells by microdissection. In two pregnancies at risk for sickle cell anaemia and beta-thalassaemia, we successfully identified the fetal genotypes. Thus, prenatal diagnosis of single gene disorders by recovering fetal cells from maternal circulation appears to be a feasible approach.

Non-magnetic shell coating of magnetic nanoparticles as key factor of toxicity for cancer cells in a low frequency alternating magnetic field.

This work is devoted to studying the effects of non-magnetic shell coating on nanoparticles in a low frequency alternating magnetic field (LF AMF) on tumor cells in vitro. Two types of iron oxide nanoparticles with the same magnetic core with and without silica shells were synthesized. Nanoparticles with silica shells significantly decreased the viability of PC3 cancer cells in a low frequency alternating magnetic field according to the cytotoxicity test, unlike uncoated nanoparticles. We showed that cell death results from the intracellular membrane integrity failure, and the calcium ions concentration increase with the subsequent necrosis. Transmission electron microscopy images showed that the uncoated silica nanoparticles are primarily found in an aggregated form in cells. We believe that uncoated nanoparticles lose their colloidal stability in an acidic endosomal environment after internalization into the cell due to surface etching and the formation of aggregates. As a result, they encounter high endosomal macromolecular viscosity and become unable to rotate efficiently. We assume that effective rotation of nanoparticles causes cell death. In turn, silica shell coating increases nanoparticles stability, preventing aggregation in endosomes. Thus, we propose that the colloidal stability of magnetic nanoparticles inside cells is one of the key factors for effective magneto-mechanical actuation.

Effects of Echinacea extract on the performance, antibody titres, and intestinal histology of layer chicks.

1. This research was conducted to determine the effect of diet supplementation with Echinacea extract (cichoric acid) on the growth performance, antibody titres and intestinal tissue histology of layer chicks. 2. White, 1-d-old, Hy-Line hybrid chicks (n = 540) were divided into three treatments, each consisting of 6 groups of 30 chicks (n = 180): (1) control; (2) 2·5 mg/kg cichoric-acid-fed; and (3) 5 mg/kg cichoric-acid-fed. The trial lasted 60 d. 3. While the growth performance of the chicks was depressed between d 1 and 45, it was found to improve between d 45 and 60. 4. Feed consumption was lower in both of the cichoric-acid-fed groups than in the control group between d 1-15 and 15-30, but was higher between d 30 and 45. Overall, mean feed consumption did not differ between the control and cichoric-acid-fed groups during the 60 d study period. 5. During the 60 d evaluation period, live weight gain, feed utilisation rate and final live weight were higher in the control group than in both of the cichoric-acid-fed groups. 6. Antibody titres against infectious bronchitis and infectious bursal disease did not differ between the three groups, but those for Newcastle disease were higher in the 2·5 mg/kg cichoric-acid-fed group than in the control group after 45 d. 7. Height and width of the jejunal villus and the thickness of the muscle layer were lower in the 5 mg/kg cichoric-acid-fed group than in both the control and the 2·5 mg/kg cichoric-acid-fed groups. The height of the ileal villus was also lower in the 5 mg/kg cichoric-acid-fed group than in the other two groups. 8. Echinacea extract supplementation for layer chicks appears not to benefit growth performance and intestinal histology during the growing period.

The diagnostic value of neutrophil: lymphocyte ratio in adults with suspected acute appendicitis.

AIM: To validate the use of neutrophil : lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in diagnosing appendicitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients who had had an appendicectomy but where no post-operative histology was available and those under the age of 16, or those who had undergone an interval appendicectomy in a non-emergency setting were excluded from this study. The NLR, WCC, CRP and NLR x CRP were recorded for all patients and these were then compared to their postoperative histology. To determine whether NLR on admission to hospital was an independent predictor of positive appendicitis histology, a multiple logistic regression model was constructed, using factors with a p-value of 0.1 or less in univariate analysis. RESULTS: One thousand one hundred and seventeen (1117) patients who underwent an appendicectomy between January 2005 and January 2009 were included in this study. The median age was 34 years, with a range of 16-94 years. The area under the ROC curve for NLR was 0.836, compared to 0.779 for WCC, 0.732 for CRP and 0.815 for NLR x CRP. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that as an adjunct to clinical examination, NLR appears to be of greater diagnostic accuracy than either WCC or CRP alone.

Tissue-specific targeting of retroviral vectors through ligand-receptor interactions.

The development of retroviral vectors that target specific cell types could have important implications for the design of gene therapy strategies. A chimeric protein containing the polypeptide hormone erythropoietin and part of the env protein of ecotropic Moloney murine leukemia virus was engineered into the virus. This murine virus became several times more infectious for murine cells bearing the erythropoietin receptor, and it also became infectious for human cells bearing the erythropoietin receptor. This type of tissue-specific targeting by means of ligand-receptor interactions may have broad applications to a variety of gene delivery systems.

Beta thalassemia trait: detection at birth.

The synthesis of alpha, beta, and gamma chains in samples of cord blood was measured by the incorporation of leucine labeled with carbon-14 into these chains. In a newborn affected with beta thalassemia trait, the presence of one beta thalassemia gene was revealed on the 1st day of life by the lower specific radioactivity of the beta chain.

Evolution of the hemoglobin S and C genes in world populations.

A polymorphic HpaI endonuclease recognition site on the 3' side of the beta-globin gene was used to analyze the evolution of the beta-globin gene mutants S and C. Study of the world wide distribution of the normal and variant HpaI sites showed that the mutation which resulted in the variant 13.0-kilobase fragment arose in a localized region in West Africa. It predated the hemoglobin S and C mutations, both of which arose separately from a chromosome with the variant 13.0-kilobase HpaI site. In contrast, the sickle genes in other parts of Africa and in Asia are associated with the normal 7.6-kilobase HpaI fragment, indicating that the sickle mutations in these other areas arose separately from that in West Africa.

Multiple mutations produce delta beta 0 thalassemia in Sardinia.

In Sardinia the common form of beta thalassemia is a beta 0 thalassemia due to a nonsense mutation at codon 39. delta beta 0 Thalassemia is rare in Sardinia and is associated with increased production of hemoglobin F of the A gamma type. In this study we used a synthetic oligomer assay and detected the beta 39 nonsense mutation on the delta beta 0 thalassemia chromosome. Hence at least two different mutations have occurred on this chromosome; one that increases A gamma globin synthesis and another that silences the beta globin gene.