Giant uterine tumor and miscarriage: how to proceed?

Expanding uterine masses can be the cause of pregnancy loss and add technical difficulties to uterus evacuation due to the intense anatomical distortion of the endocervical canal and uterine cavity. The literature is scarce in the peculiarities of the management of missed abortions in uterus with important distorted anatomies. We report a case of a primigravida patient who presented a rapid and expressive increase of abdominal volume due to a giant uterine mass, evolving to miscarriage. Ultrasound can be a useful tool, allowing visualization of the endocervical path and uterine cavity, helping to perform uterine evacuation in the presence of anatomical distortion without compromising the reproductive future. To the best of our knowledge, no such case has been previously reported.

Giant uterine tumor and miscarriage: how to proceed?

Expanding uterine masses can be the cause of pregnancy loss and add technical difficulties to uterus evacuation due to the intense anatomical distortion of the endocervical canal and uterine cavity. The literature is scarce in the peculiarities of the management of missed abortions in uterus with important distorted anatomies. We report a case of a primigravida patient who presented a rapid and expressive increase of abdominal volume due to a giant uterine mass, evolving to miscarriage. Ultrasound can be a useful tool, allowing visualization of the endocervical path and uterine cavity, helping to perform uterine evacuation in the presence of anatomical distortion without compromising the reproductive future. To the best of our knowledge, no such case has been previously reported.

Full-field fluorescence lifetime dual-comb microscopy using spectral mapping and frequency multiplexing of dual-comb optical beats.

Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) is a powerful tool for quantitative fluorescence imaging because fluorescence lifetime is independent of concentration of fluorescent molecules or excitation/detection efficiency and is robust to photobleaching. However, since most FLIMs are based on point-to-point measurements, mechanical scanning of a focal spot is needed for forming an image, which hampers rapid imaging. Here, we demonstrate scan-less full-field FLIM based on a one-to-one correspondence between two-dimensional (2D) image pixels and frequency-multiplexed radio frequency (RF) signals. A vast number of dual-comb optical beats between dual optical frequency combs are effectively adopted for 2D spectral mapping and high-density frequency multiplexing in the RF region. Bimodal images of fluorescence amplitude and lifetime are obtained with high quantitativeness from amplitude and phase spectra of fluorescence RF comb modes without the need for mechanical scanning. The parallelized FLIM will be useful for rapid quantitative fluorescence imaging in life science.

Evaluation of the histological and mechanical features of tendon healing in a rabbit model with the use of second-harmonic-generation imaging and tensile testing.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the histological and mechanical features of tendon healing in a rabbit model with second-harmonic-generation (SHG) imaging and tensile testing. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of eight male Japanese white rabbits were used for this study. The flexor digitorum tendons in their right leg were sharply transected, and then were repaired by intratendinous stitching. At four weeks post-operatively, the rabbits were killed and the flexor digitorum tendons in both right and left legs were excised and used as specimens for tendon healing (n = 8) and control (n = 8), respectively. Each specimen was examined by SHG imaging, followed by tensile testing, and the results of the two testing modalities were assessed for correlation. RESULTS: While the SHG light intensity of the healing tendon samples was significantly lower than that of the uninjured tendon samples, 2D Fourier transform SHG images showed a clear difference in collagen fibre structure between the uninjured and the healing samples, and among the healing samples. The mean intensity of the SHG image showed a moderate correlation (R2 = 0.37) with Young's modulus obtained from the tensile testing. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that SHG microscopy may be a potential indicator of tendon healing.Cite this article: E. Hase, K. Sato, D. Yonekura, T. Minamikawa, M. Takahashi, T. Yasui. Evaluation of the histological and mechanical features of tendon healing in a rabbit model with the use of second-harmonic-generation imaging and tensile testing. Bone Joint Res 2016;5:577-585. DOI: 10.1302/2046-3758.511.BJR-2016-0162.R1.

Pancreaticoduodenectomy as treatment of adenocarcinoma of the papilla of Vater diagnosed during pregnancy. A case report.

BACKGROUND: Papillary adenocarcinomas are rare tumors of the gastrointestinal tract. There are few reports of this neoplasm diagnosed during pregnancy. CASE: A case of adenocarcinoma of the papilla of Vater was diagnosed by sonographically guided biopsy during pregnancy. The patient underwent radical resection of the tumor at 25 weeks' gestation; pregnancy termination was not indicated. At 39 weeks' gestation, a cesarean-section was performed. The postoperative period entailed total parenteral nutrition until intestinal motility stabilized. This ensured the mother and fetus' well-being until delivery. CONCLUSION: Papillary adenocarcinoma is associated with good prognosis since it is totally removed by radical resection, and pancreaticoduodenectomy can be performed successfully during pregnancy, but the patient must receive special prenatal care.

A convenient imino aldol reaction in ethyl alcohol catalyzed by a cation-exchange resin.

Imino aldol reaction of ketene silyl acetals with imines proceeds smoothly to give beta-amino esters in good yields under the influence of a cation-exchange resin in ethanol, and the work-up of the reaction consists only of a simple filtration followed by concentration of the crude mixture and purification.

Behavior of mitochondria in synchronized cells of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (Chlorophyta).

Cells of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Dangeard were synchronized under a 12 hour:12 hour light:dark regimen. Behavior of mitochondria in these cells was studied by fluorescence microscopy using a mitochondrial membrane-binding fluorescent dye, dimethylaminostyrylmethyl-pyridiniumiodine (DASMPI), as well as by electron microscopy. Following time courses of change in frequency of occurrence of five typical morphologies of mitochondria in synchronized cells, strikingly dynamic behavior of mitochondria was demonstrated. The five types are (A) a giant global mitochondrion with large matrix and peripherally localized cristae, a part of which is in close contact with the nucleus, (B) a mitochondrion composed of thick-corded bodies connected to each other, a part of which is in contact with the nucleus, (C) thin-corded forms with a few branches, (D) small lump forms scattered in the cytoplasm, and (E) stringy forms with intricate branchings extended throughout the cytoplasm. During the early half of the light period, changes of C-->B-->C-->D occur, while the inversely sequential changes of D-->C-->B-->C proceed during the later half of the light period. The appearance of the B-type mitochondrion is accompanied by a transient decrease of O2-uptake activity of cells. The early appearing B-type mitochondrion is temporarily turned into a giant A-type mitochondrion, concomitant with discharge of membranes into the cytoplasm and their retake by the A-type form in the process of reversion to B-type. In the reversion process, partitioning membranes are also formed in the large matrix of A-type mitochondrion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Immunogold localization of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase in developing proplastids of dark-grown wax-rich cells of Euglena gracilis.

Wax-rich cells of Euglena gracilis Z grown in the dark without agitation were subjected to freeze-substitution procedures in electron microscopy, which gave intact images of wax accumulated as globules in the cytoplasm. The proplastids in these wax-rich cells were shown to contain no extensive internal structures. When these cells were transferred to an inorganic medium containing ammonium salt and aerated in the dark the specific activity of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO) increased concurrently with the development of a prolamellar body and a rudimentary pyrenoid. When cell sections were labeled with antisera prepared against RuBisCO subunits followed by protein A-gold, gold particles (RuBisCO) were localized in a narrow peripheral region between the plastid envelope and the prolamellar body during an earlier phase of the dark incubation of cells. Subsequently, immunogold particles were concentrated over the rudimentary pyrenoid formed at a site adjacent to the prolamellar body, while the stroma was only slightly labeled with gold particles. It was postulated that the small subunits of RuBisCO made in the cytoplasm combined with the plastid-made large subunits to form the holoenzyme at the peripheral region near the prolamellar body before transfer to the rudimentary pyrenoid.

Photocontrol and processing of LHCP II apoprotein in Euglena: possible role of Golgi and other cytoplasmic sites.

Like other green photosynthetic eukaryotes, cells of Euglena gracilis var. bacillaris and strain Z contain a light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b complex associated with photosystem II. In Euglena, the formation of the 26.5 kDa principal light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b binding protein of photosystem II (LHCP II) has a number of unusual features. The precursors to LHCP II are large polyproteins containing multiple copies of LHCP II, and photocontrol of their formation is largely translational. Under conditions favoring LHCP II accumulation in the thylakoids, a reaction with anti-LHCP II antibody can be observed in the Golgi by immunogold electron microscopy. The timing of the immunoreaction in the Golgi in synchronous cells and in cells undergoing normal light-induced chloroplast development suggests that the nascent LHCP II passes through the Golgi on the way to the thylakoids. The compartmentalized osmiophilic structure (COS) also shows an immunoreaction. These observations, and other discussed in this paper, suggest that light permits translation of polyprotein LHCP II precursors on cytoplasmic ribosomes of the rough endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and that these pass through the ER to the Golgi where, presumably, further modifications take place. Since an LHCP II immunoreaction is found in Golgi vesicles, these may transport the nascent LHCP II to the plastid and facilitate its uptake.

Stage-dependent localization of LHCP II apoprotein in the Golgi of synchronized cells of Euglena gracilis by immunogold electron microscopy.

We have localized LHCP II apoprotein in the Golgi and thylakoids of Euglena gracilis Klebs var. bacillaris Cori and strain Z Pringsheim by electron microscopy using a specific antibody and protein A-gold. Using synchronized cells (light, 14 h:dark, 10 h) we show that thylakoids are always immunoreactive. There is no reaction in the Golgi at 0 h (the beginning of the light period) but immunoreaction appears in the Golgi soon thereafter, rises to a peak at 8 h and declines to zero by 16 h (2 h into the dark period). The peak in immunoreaction in the Golgi immediately precedes the peak in cellular 14C-labeling of thylakoid LHCP II apoprotein seen by Brandt and von Kessel (Plant Physiol. (1983) 72, 616), supporting our suggestion that processing in the Golgi precedes deposition of LHCP apoprotein in the thylakoids. Substitution of preimmune serum for antiserum eliminates the immunoreaction in the Golgi, and thylakoids of synchronized cells of mutant Gr1BSL which lacks LHCP II apoprotein show no immunoreaction in the Golgi or thylakoids at any stage. Random observations indicate that the compartmentalized osmiophilic structure (COS) shows an immunoreaction with anti-LHCP II apoprotein antibody at 1 h into the light period (when the Golgi is not immunoreactive) and at 10 h into the light period (when the Golgi is fully reactive), suggesting that the COS remains immunoreactive throughout the cell cycle.