Cushing's syndrome due to atypical carcinoid of the mediastinum.

Ectopic Cushing's syndrome, caused by a neuroendocrine tumor (NET), is a rare finding. NETs of the mediastinum are extremely rare. NETs arising from the anterior mediastinum are generally aggressive. They are widely characterized at clinical presentations, and may be asymptomatic or present with atypical symptoms. Prognosis is often poor due to their local recurrence and distant metastasis despite a multimodal approach. A 33-year-old male patient was admitted to our department with a femoral soft tissue abscess, diabetes, and hypokalemia. He had no typical features of Cushing's syndrome. However, with a few simple tests, that is, a basal hormone profile, and low-dose and high-dose dexamethasone suppression tests, we diagnosed this complicated condition of ectopic adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) secretion. Thoracic computed tomography revealed an anterior mediastinal mass of 35 × 22 mm. A surgical excision of the tumor was proposed, and intra-operative pathology consultation returned positive for the suspected NET. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells were positive for CK, CD56, Chromogranin, Synaptophysin, S100, and CD117. No thymic tissue was found. The Ki-67 was 4%. A diagnosis of primary NETs of the mediastinum, intermediate grade (G2), of atypical carcinoids according to WHO 2015 was established. This patient survived with no sequelae, no distant metastasis, no recurrence, and without adjuvant radiotherapy or chemotherapy 2 years after surgery thanks to earlier diagnosis and prompt surgical intervention. Mediastinum ectopic ACTH-secreting tumors are a rare type of cancer. According to recent research, these tumors frequently display more aggressive behavior and are linked to endocrinopathies. It is noted that patient might have a better outcome and a longer survival time due to earlier detection and complete resection of malignancies.

Pressure effects on the EXAFS Debye-Waller factor of iron.

The pressure effects on atomic mean-square relative displacement characterizing the extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) Debye-Waller factor of iron metal have been investigated based on the Debye model. The analytical expressions of the Debye frequency and EXAFS Debye-Waller factor have been derived as functions of crystal volume compressibility. Based on the well established equation-of-state including the contributions of the anharmonic and electronic thermal pressures, numerical calculations have been performed for iron up to a pressure of 220 GPa and compared with experimental data when possible. These results show that the Debye frequency increases rapidly with compression, and beyond 150 GPa it behaves as a linear function of pressure. Meanwhile the mean-square relative displacement curve drops robustly with pressure, especially at pressures smaller than 100 GPa. This phenomenon causes the enhancement of EXAFS signals at high pressure. Reversely, the increasing of temperature will reduce the amplitude of EXAFS spectra.

Effectiveness of germinated brown rice on metabolic syndrome: A randomized control trial in Vietnam.

To treating Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) in the human body by using cooked pre-germinated brown rice (PGBR), a randomized control trial was done in Vietnam. 80 subjects (65.1 ± 3.81 years old) separated into two groups in pairs were assigned a daily intake of 200 g PGBR, and the subjects in the placebo group were kept in normal living ways (consuming white rice). Before baseline and after 3 months of the intervention, anthropometric measurements, blood chemical examinations, a nutrition survey, and physical activity measurements were conducted. The main finding showed that the percentages of patients with MetS in the PGBR group were reduced significantly compared to the placebo group (p < 0.05). Serum HDL cholesterol concentrations were significantly increased from 1.11 (mmol/l) to 1.44 (mmol/l) compared to the placebo group (p < 0.05). The findings suggest that PGBR may affect HDL cholesterol, PGBR might be considered in reducing the risk of MetS in Vietnam.

The optimal mid-upper-arm circumference cutoffs to screen severe acute malnutrition in Vietnamese children.

Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) remains a main cause of mortality among children under five years old. Vietnam needs further study to establish the optimal mid-upper-arm circumference (MUAC) cutoff for improving the accuracy of the MUAC indicator in screening SAM children aged 6-59 months. A survey was conducted at all 16 subdistricts across four provinces in Northern Midlands and mountainous areas. The data of 4,764 children showed that an optimal MUAC cutoff of 13.5 cm would allow the inclusion of 65% of children with weight-for-height z-scores (WHZs) below -3SD. A combination of MUAC and WHZ may achieve a higher impact on therapeutic feeding programs for SAM children. The MUAC cutoff of 13.5 cm (65% sensitivity and 72% specificity) should be used as the cutoff for improving and/or preventing SAM status among children under 5 in the Midlands and mountainous areas in Vietnam.