ABSTRACT
Key Clinical Message: Listeria can cause neurological symptoms in immunocompromised and older patients. Additionally, it is impossible to rule out meningitis by the absence of typical meningeal irritation signs. Therefore, patients with fever and neurological impairments should be rapidly examined for blood and cerebrospinal fluid cultures to rule out Listeria meningitis. Abstract: A woman in her 90s developed fever, dysarthria, and transient disturbance of consciousness. Physical examination revealed no meningeal irritation signs. Listeria monocytogenes were detected in her blood culture the following day. Because of an increased number of cells in cerebrospinal fluid, she was diagnosed with Listeria meningitis.
ABSTRACT
A 45-year-old woman developed chest pain on the previous day. High-attenuation mucus in the bronchus was found on the CT examination on admission, which led to a diagnosis of allergic bronchopulmonary mycosis. CT should be checked carefully for high-attenuation mucus because this finding is highly specific for allergic bronchopulmonary mycosis.
ABSTRACT
The sperm activating and attracting factor (SAAF) from the eggs of the ascidian Cionaintestinalis was identified as the sulfated polyhydroxysterol,3alpha,4beta,7alpha,26-tetrahydroxy-5alpha-cholestane-3,26-disulfate. We present a functional analysis of SAAF derivatives that reveals the roles of the various SAAF functional groups. Optical isomerism does not affect SAAF activities. Hydrolysis on one side, i.e. at the sulfate groups of SAAF, decreases the sperm-activating and sperm-attracting activities, while hydrolysis on both sides resulted in the loss of both activities. Biotinylated-SAAF lost its sperm-activating ability, but retained sperm-binding and chemotactic abilities. Thus, the sulfate groups of SAAF are responsible for these activities.
Subject(s)
Chemotaxis , Cholestanols/chemistry , Cholestanols/pharmacology , Ciona intestinalis/physiology , Spermatozoa/physiology , Sulfuric Acid Esters/chemistry , Sulfuric Acid Esters/pharmacology , Animals , Ciona intestinalis/cytology , Crystallization , Male , Molecular Structure , Quartz/chemistry , Receptors, Cell Surface/agonists , Receptors, Cell Surface/physiology , Spermatozoa/drug effects , Stereoisomerism , Structure-Activity RelationshipABSTRACT
We encountered a patient with a ciliated hepatic foregut cyst (CHFC), which is an uncommon cystic lesion of the liver and hard to distinguish from malignant tumor in imaging features. Cases of CHFC are very rare, five cases were reported in the 19th century and 53 cases in the 20th century. The histogenesis of CHFC is still unclear, but most authors consider that it could arise from the embryonic foregut. A few cases of CHFC mimicking neoplasm were reported. When the diagnosis of CHFC was obtained by fine needle aspiration, close follow-up is necessary in order to find early malignant change.
