Formulation of energy loss in a four-way circular manhole at crossroad.

Energy loss at a manhole which is at a junction of storm sewers or combined sewers is important for accurately estimating its discharge capacity. However, even in Japan, the energy loss at the manhole is usually ignored in designing sewers and flood inundation analysis. One of the reasons for the ignorance is difficulty to formulate the energy loss at the manhole because the number of variables which must be considered increases as the number of sewers connected to the manhole increases. The authors have formulated the energy loss of a four-way circular manhole with three inflow sewers and one outflow sewer at crossroad. The formula is applicable only to the equal flow rates in two opposite lateral inflow sewers. In this paper, a new formula for the energy losses is proposed based on experimental data on a four-way circular manhole with different flow rates on three inflow sewers. It shows that the energy losses calculated with it almost reproduce the measured ones.

Effect of doses and administration routes of 9R vaccine on protection of Japanese quails against experimental infection with Salmonella Gallinarum / Efeito das doses e vias de administração da vacina 9R na proteção de codornas japonesas contra infeccção experimental com Salmonella Gallinarum

Coturniculture has increased significantly in the last decades. There are several pathogens that can affect these birds. Among the diseases, fowl typhoid stands out as a disease with a potentially great impact to the poultry industry. The objective of this the study was to evaluate the effect of doses and administration routes of live 9R vaccine on protection of Japanese quails against experimental infection with Salmonella Gallinarum (SG). Two hundred and fifty birds were used, divided into five groups: G1, oral vaccination with one dose; G2, oral vaccination with 2 doses; G3, subcutaneous vaccination with one dose; G4, subcutaneous vaccination with two doses and G5 not vaccinated. All birds from all five groups were challenged with SG at an age of 45 days. SG was quantified in the periods of one, four, seven and twelve days after the challenge. The presence of clinical signs and macroscopic lesions of the disease were observed. The groups vaccinated by subcutaneous route had a higher egg production and lower mortality rate. Birds receiving a dose of the vaccine by subcutaneous route also showed lower amount of SG in the liver and spleen seven days after the challenge.(AU)

A coturnicultura tem aumentado significativamente nas últimas décadas. Existem vários patógenos que podem afetar essas aves. Entre as doenças, o tifo aviário se destaca como uma doença de grande impacto para a indústria avícola. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o efeito de doses e vias de administração da vacina viva 9R na proteção de codornas japonesas contra infecção experimental por Salmonella Gallinarum (SG). Foram utilizadas duzentos e cinquenta aves, divididas em cinco grupos: G1, vacinação oral com uma dose; G2, vacinação oral com 2 doses; G3, vacinação subcutânea com uma dose; G4, vacinação subcutânea com duas doses e G5 não vacinado. Todas as aves dos cinco grupos foram desafiadas com SG aos 45 dias de idade. A SG foi quantificada nos períodos de um, quatro, sete e doze dias após o desafio. Foi observada a presença de sinais clínicos e lesões macroscópicas da doença. Os grupos vacinados por via subcutânea apresentaram maior produção de ovos e menor taxa de mortalidade. Aves recebendo uma dose da vacina por via subcutânea também apresentaram menor quantidade de SG no fígado e baço sete dias após o desafio.(AU)

Predictors of progression free survival, overall survival and early cessation of chemotherapy in women with potentially platinum sensitive (PPS) recurrent ovarian cancer (ROC) starting third or subsequent line(≥3) chemotherapy - The GCIG symptom benefit study (SBS).

BACKGROUND: Potentially platinum sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer (PPS ROC) is defined by a platinum-free interval of >6 months, and usually treated with platinum-based chemotherapy with variable response and benefit in women who have had 3 or more lines of chemotherapy(≥3). We identified baseline characteristics (health-related quality of life[HRQL] and clinicopathological factors), associated with PFS, OS and early progression (within 8 weeks). The goal is to improve patient selection for chemotherapy based on a nomogram predicting PFS. METHODS: HRQL was assessed with EORTC QLQ-C30/QLQ-OV28. Associations with PFS and OS were assessed with Cox proportional hazards regression. Variables significant in univariable analysis were included in multivariable analyses using backward elimination to select those significant. Associations with stopping chemotherapy early were assessed with logistic regression. RESULTS: 378 women were enrolled, with median(m)OS and PFS of 16.6 months and 5.3 months, respectively. The majority had ECOGPS 0-1. Chemotherapy was stopped early in 45/378 participants (12%); with mOS 3.4 months (95% CI: 1.7-7.2). Physical function(PF), role function(RF), cognitive function(CF), social function(SF), Global Health Status(GHS) and abdominal/GI symptoms(AGIS) were significant univariable predictors of PFS(p < 0.030). SF remained significant after adjusting for clinicopathological factors; p = 0.03. PF, RF, CF, SF, GHS and AGIS were significant univariable predictors of OS (p < 0.007); PF, RF, SF and GHS remained significant predictors of OS in multivariable models; p < 0.007. Poor baseline PF and GHS were significant univariable predictors of stopping chemotherapy early (p < 0.007) but neither remained significant after adjusting for clinicopathological factors. CONCLUSION: Baseline HRQL is simple to measure, is predictive of PFS and OS and when used in conjunction with clinicopathological prognostic factors, can assist with clinical decision making and treatment recommendations for women with PPSROC≥3.

Salmonella Enteritidis infection, corticosterone levels, performance and egg quality in laying hens submitted to different methods of molting.

In commercial layer poultry farming, molt induction is an important tool used by egg producers to prolong the production cycle of laying hens. Conventional molt induction programs involve total feed withdrawal, which raises questions about animal welfare and increased infection susceptibility. The high incidence of paratyphoid salmonellosis infections in commercial poultry farming is still an important health challenge because in addition to affecting the birds, such infections also cause public health problems. In this context, experiments were performed with laying hens at 79 wk of age to compare the conventional forced molting method (fasting) with an alternative method (free wheat bran supply) and determine their effect on the persistence of vaccine antibodies against Newcastle disease, the control and reduction of experimentally inoculated Salmonella Enteritidis, and the performance and egg quality of hens. A reduction (P < 0.05) of Salmonella Enteritidis in the crop and lower production of corticosterone were observed in the birds that received wheat bran compared with those subjected to total fasting. Moreover, a better performance (P < 0.05) with regard to egg production, egg mass, and feed conversion/kg and dozen eggs was observed in the hens that received the alternative treatment compared to the conventional forced molting method. Thus, the use of wheat bran for forced molting was found to be feasible and met the welfare needs of the hens.

Harmonising clinical trials within the Gynecologic Cancer InterGroup: consensus and unmet needs from the Fifth Ovarian Cancer Consensus Conference.

The Gynecologic Cancer InterGroup (GCIG) Fifth Ovarian Cancer Consensus Conference (OCCC) was held in Tokyo, Japan from 7 to 9 November 2015. It provided international consensus on 15 important questions in 4 topic areas, which were generated in accordance with the mission statement to establish 'International Consensus for Designing Better Clinical Trials'. The methodology for obtaining consensus was previously established and followed during the Fifth OCCC. All 29 clinical trial groups of GCIG participated in program development and deliberations. Draft consensus statements were discussed in topic groups as well as in a plenary forum. The final statements were then presented to all 29 member groups for voting and documentation of the level of consensus. Full consensus was obtained for 11 of the 15 statements with 28/29 groups agreeing to 3 statements, and 27/29 groups agreeing to 1 statement. The high acceptance rate of the statements among trial groups reflects the fact that we share common questions, and recognise important unmet needs that will guide future research in ovarian cancer.

Age influence on quality of shell and penetration in bacterial laying lightweight eggs / Influência da idade na qualidade da casca e na penetração bacteriana em ovos de poedeiras leves

This study evaluated the influence of the bird's age on the quality of the shell and percentage of bacterial penetration in commercial eggs. White-shelled commercial eggs were used, laid by light laying hens in their first laying cycle at 21, 39, 51, and 62 weeks of age. Shell quality evaluations comprised: egg weight, specific gravity, percentage and thickness of shell, number and size of pores. For evaluations regarding bacterial penetration, strains of several enterobacterias and one salmonella were used, all of which resistant to Nalidixic acid (100µg/ml). The method employed for evaluation of bacterial penetration was filling the eggs with growth medium. The data were subjected to variance analysis with 5% of probability using SAS (Education Analytical Software, 2013). Eveb though increase in the laying hen's age caused reduction of the quality of eggshells, it failed to affect the percentage of penetration of the bacterial samples evaluated.(AU)

O presente estudo avaliou a influência da idade da ave sobre a qualidade da casca e na porcentagem de penetração bacteriana em ovos comerciais. Foram utilizados ovos brancos comerciais provenientes de poedeiras leves em primeiro ciclo de postura com 21, 39, 51 e 62 semanas de idade. As avaliações de qualidade da casca realizadas foram: peso do ovo, gravidade específica, porcentagem e espessura da casca, número e tamanho dos poros. Para as avaliações da penetração bacteriana, foram utilizadas cepas de diversas enterobactérias e uma salmonela, sendo todas resistentes ao ácido nalidíxico (100µg/mL). O método utilizado para a avaliação da penetração bacteriana foi por meio do preenchimento dos ovos com meio de cultura. Os dados foram submetidos à análise de variância com 5% de probabilidade utilizando-se o programa SAS - Statistical Analisys System (Education Analytical Software, 2013). O aumento da idade da poedeira promoveu a redução da qualidade da casca dos ovos, porém não foi capaz de influenciar a porcentagem de penetração das amostras bacterianas avaliadas.(AU)

Hydroxyapatite: catalyst for a one-pot pentose formation.

One of the possible synthetic routes to pentoses is the formose reaction pathway from C1 and C2 carbon sources, but preferential ribose generation in a one-pot reaction without any control of conditions has not been reported. We have tested a one-pot pentose formation and analyzed the products and mechanism in the reaction, using 1H-NMR and mass spectrometry. Hydroxyapatite (HAp), which consists of phosphate and calcium ions, worked continuously for cross-aldol reactions and Lobry de Bruyn-van Ekenstein transformations to yield ribose from formaldehyde and glycolaldehyde. The continuous reaction proceeds in one pot in hot water only in the presence of a HAp catalyst, without any fine pH control or any complicated condition control at each reaction step. Ribose production by HAp may be a reason why a pentose backbone was incorporated into nucleic acids in the prebiotic world.

Fifth Ovarian Cancer Consensus Conference of the Gynecologic Cancer InterGroup: first-line interventions.

The consensus statements regarding first-line therapies in women with ovarian cancer, reached at the Fifth Ovarian Cancer Consensus Conference held in Tokyo, Japan, in November 2015 are reported. Three topics were reviewed and the following statements are recommended: (i) Surgery: the subgroups that should be considered in first-line ovarian cancer clinical trials should be (a) patients undergoing primary debulking surgery and (b) patients receiving neo-adjuvant chemotherapy. The amount of residual disease following surgery should further stratify patients into those with absent gross residual disease and others. (ii) Control arms for chemotherapy: for advanced stage ovarian cancer the standard is intravenous 3-weekly carboplatin and paclitaxel. Acceptable alternatives, which should be stratified variables in trials when more than one regimen is offered, include weekly paclitaxel plus 3-weekly carboplatin, the addition of bevacizumab to 3-weekly carboplatin and paclitaxel, and intraperitoneal therapy. (iii) Trial Endpoints: overall survival is the preferred primary endpoint for first-line clinical trials with or without a maintenance component. Progression-free survival (PFS) is an alternative primary endpoint, but if PFS is chosen overall survival must be measured as a secondary endpoint and PFS must be supported by additional endpoints, including predefined patient reported outcomes and time to first or second subsequent therapy. For neoadjuvant therapy, additional 'window of opportunity' endpoints should be included.

Fifth Ovarian Cancer Consensus Conference: individualized therapy and patient factors.

This manuscript reports the consensus statements regarding the design and conduct of clinical trials in patients with newly diagnosed and recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), following deliberation at the Fifth Ovarian Cancer Consensus Conference (OCCC), held in Tokyo in November 2015. Three important questions were identified for discussion prior to the meeting and achieved consensus during the meeting: (i) What are the most important factors to be evaluated prior to initial therapy? (ii) What are the most important factors to be evaluated specifically in recurrent disease? (iii) Are there specific considerations for special patient subpopulations? In addition, we report a list of important unmet needs compiled during the consensus process, which is intended to guide future research initiatives.

Fifth Ovarian Cancer Consensus Conference of the Gynecologic Cancer InterGroup (GCIG): clinical trial design for rare ovarian tumours.

This manuscript reports the consensus statements on designing clinical trials in rare ovarian tumours reached at the fifth Ovarian Cancer Consensus Conference (OCCC) held in Tokyo, November 2015. Three important questions were identified concerning rare ovarian tumours (rare epithelial ovarian cancers (eOC), sex-cord stromal tumours (SCST) and germ cell tumours (GCT)): (i) What are the research and trial issues that are unique to rare ovarian tumours? There is a lack of randomised phase III data defining standards of care which makes it difficult to define control arms, but identifies unmet needs that merit investigation. Internationally agreed upon diagnostic criteria, expert pathological review and translational research are crucial. (ii) What should be investigated in rare eOC, GCT and SCST? Trials dedicated to each rare ovarian tumour should be encouraged. Nonetheless, where the question is relevant, rare eOC can be included in eOC trials but with rigorous stratification. Although there is emerging evidence suggesting that rare eOC have different molecular profiles, trials are needed to define new type-specific standards for each rare eOC (clear cell, low grade serous and mucinous). For GCTs, a priority is reducing toxicities from treatment while maintaining cure rates. Both a robust prognostic scoring system and more effective treatments for de novo poor prognosis and relapsed GCTs are needed. For SCSTs, validated prognostic markers as well as alternatives to the current standard of bleomycin/etoposide/cisplatin (BEP) should be identified. (iii) Are randomised trials feasible? Randomised controlled trials (RCT) should be feasible in any of the rare tumours through international collaboration. Ongoing trials have already demonstrated the feasibility of RCT in rare eOC and SCST. Mucinous OC may be considered for inclusion, stratified, into RCTs of non-gynaecological mucinous tumours, while RCTs in high risk or relapsed GCT may be carried out as a subset of male and/or paediatric germ cell studies.

Fifth Ovarian Cancer Consensus Conference of the Gynecologic Cancer InterGroup: recurrent disease.

This manuscript reports the consensus statements regarding recurrent ovarian cancer (ROC), reached at the fifth Ovarian Cancer Consensus Conference (OCCC), which was held in Tokyo, Japan, in November 2015. Three important questions were identified: (i) What are the subgroups for clinical trials in ROC? The historical definition of using platinum-free interval (PFI) to categorise patients as having platinum-sensitive/resistant disease was replaced by therapy-free interval (TFI). TFI can be broken down into TFIp (PFI), TFInp (non-PFI) and TFIb (biological agent-free interval). Additional criteria to consider include histology, BRCA mutation status, number/type of previous therapies, outcome of prior surgery and patient reported symptoms. (ii) What are the control arms for clinical trials in ROC? When platinum is considered the best option, the control arm should be a platinum-based therapy with or without an anti-angiogenic agent or a poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor. If platinum is not considered the best option, the control arm could include a non-platinum drug, either as single agent or in combination. (iii) What are the endpoints for clinical trials in ROC? Overall survival (OS) is the preferred endpoint for patient cohorts with an expected median OS < or = 12 months. Progression-free survival (PFS) is an alternative, and it is the preferred endpoint when the expected median OS is > 12 months. However, PFS alone should not be the only endpoint and must be supported by additional endpoints including pre-defined patient reported outcomes (PROs), time to second subsequent therapy (TSST), or time until definitive deterioration of quality of life (TUDD).

Relationship between xerostomia and psychotropic drugs in patients with schizophrenia: evaluation using an oral moisture meter.

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE: Patients with schizophrenia are most commonly treated with antipsychotic medications, often with the addition of anxiolytics. This study used an oral moisture meter to evaluate xerostomia in patients with schizophrenia taking typical and atypical antipsychotics, anxiolytics and non-psychotropic medications. METHODS: Patients diagnosed with schizophrenia according to ICD-10 criteria in the Department of Psychiatry, Kitasato University East, and affiliated hospitals were studied. All patients were on psychotropic medications. Patients with diseases associated with xerostomia, such as Sjögren's syndrome I, were excluded. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: A total of 127 patients were enrolled. Mean oral moisture was 27·81 ± 2·27% (normal, ≥30·0%). A significant association was observed between objective oral moisture and the subjective sense of dry mouth. Multivariate analysis revealed a negative correlation between the number of antipsychotics and, especially, anxiolytics, and the degree of oral moisture. Drug dosages themselves were not significantly correlated with dry mouth. These findings suggest that objective oral moisture measurements show decreased moisture in patients on these medications and that the degree of moisture shows a greater negative correlation with the number, as opposed to the dosages, of psychotropic drugs administered. WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSIONS: When patients with schizophrenia visit a dental clinic, it is important for the dentist to accurately assess the degree of oral moisture and to determine the medications being taken. Based on these findings of the association of polypharmacy with xerostomia, dentists are encouraged to inform the psychiatrist of the need to actively manage patients' xerostomia.

Methodological Issues in Conducting Pilot Trials in Chronic Pain as Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Studies.

BACKGROUND: The efficacy of tapentadol extended release (ER) for managing chronic pain has been demonstrated in large-scale, randomized, controlled, phase 3 studies (N=318-1,030) in patients with chronic osteoarthritis (OA) pain, low back pain (LBP), and pain related to diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), which led to registration in many regions, including the United States and Europe. 2 pilot 12-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 2 studies of tapentadol ER for chronic pain (OA knee pain or LBP, n=91; DPN or peripheral herpetic neuralgia [PHN] pain; n=91) were conducted in Japan. These small exploratory studies were substantially underpowered compared with the registration trials. METHODS: Patients in both studies were randomized (2:1) to tapentadol ER (25-250 mg) or placebo for 12 weeks (≤6-week titration plus maintenance periods). RESULTS: For the primary efficacy endpoint (change in pain intensity from baseline to last week of treatment; last observation carried forward), both studies failed to differentiate between tapentadol ER and placebo; least-squares mean differences (95% confidence intervals) for tapentadol ER vs. placebo were -0.1 (-1.04, 0.80) in the OA/LBP study and -0.1 (-1.10, 0.99) in the DPN/PHN study. More than 80% of patients took concomitant analgesics during these studies. Tapentadol was well tolerated. CONCLUSIONS: Both studies were associated with methodological issues, including populations with different disease entities, small sample sizes, use of concomitant analgesics, and possible placebo effect that may have led to the failure to differentiate between tapentadol ER and placebo.

Investigation of in vitro parameters and fertility of mouse ovary after storage at an optimal temperature and duration for transportation.

STUDY QUESTION: How do the temperature and duration of storage affect ovaries during transportation? SUMMARY ANSWER: Fertility is reduced with the extension of the storage duration. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Live birth has been reported after ovarian transport overnight on ice before freezing ovarian tissue, but there have been no basic investigations of ovarian storage conditions focused on fertility. There are no guidelines on optimal ovarian storage conditions and the maximum storage time during transportation. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE AND DURATION: Experiments were performed using C57BL/6J mice. Ovaries of 4-week-old mice were harvested, stored at 4, 14, 37 °C or room temperature (RT) for 24 h, and subjected to histological examination. Next, ovaries were stored at 4 °C for 4, 8 or 24 h and subjected to histological examination. Then orthotopic transplantation of ovaries, stored at 4 °C for 4, 8 or 24 h, was performed in 6-week-old C57BL/6J mice, and fertility was assessed by in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer. Freshly harvested ovaries were used as controls for comparison with ovaries stored under the above-mentioned conditions and experiments were repeated at least three times. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING AND METHODS: In experiments on the ovarian storage temperature, haematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was performed for histological examination. In experiments on the storage duration, HE staining, the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labelling assay, Ki-67 staining and electron microscopy were performed, and the numbers of follicles were counted. Fertility was assessed from the number of oocytes, and the rates of fertilization, embryo development, implantation and live birth. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: Histological changes were minimal after storage of ovaries at 4 °C for up to 24 h. At 4 °C, there were no significant changes in the number of MII oocytes, fertilization rate or blastocyst development rate with storage up to 24 h. The implantation rate was 82.7 ± 17.3% in the control group, while it was 82.2 ± 7.7, 14.6 ± 14.6 and 4.4 ± 4.4% after storage for 4, 8 or 24 h, respectively. After 8 or 24 h of storage, the implantation rate was significantly lower in than in the control group (P< 0.05). The rate of live pups was 24.8 ± 13.2% in the control group, while it was 23.9 ± 6.6, 4.2 ± 4.2 and 4.4 ± 4.4% after storage for 4, 8 or 24 h, respectively. After 8 or 24 h of storage, the rate of live pups was significantly lower than in the control group (P< 0.05). LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: Further investigations are needed in mammals with ovaries of a similar size to human ovaries, and should include the assessment of fertility following transplantation of frozen and thawed ovaries. WIDER IMPLICATION OF THE FINDINGS: The present results suggest that prolonging the ovarian storage time reduces fertility in mice. Thus, ovaries should be frozen immediately after harvesting or transported as rapidly as possible to minimize damage. To allow young cancer patients to preserve fertility, regional medical centres need adequate ovarian tissue cryopreservation techniques. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTERESTS: This study supported by Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, St. Marianna University School of Medicine. The authors have no competing interests to declare.

Effects of 5-hydroxytryptophan and m-hydroxybenzylhydrazine associated to Lactobacillus spp. on the humoral response of broilers challenged with Salmonella Enteritidis.

This study investigates the effects of different doses of serotonin, its precursor 5-hydroxytry-ptophan (5HTP), and m-hydroxybenzylhydrazine inhibitor (NSD1015), administered via intraperitoneal for 5 consecutive days, on behavior and average body weight of broilers. We also measured the humoral immune response and quantification of Salmonella Enteritidis in broilers chickens that received the drugs evaluated and a Lactobacillus pool. The study was divided into 3 experiments: Experiment 1--administration of pharmaceuticals with choice of dosage; Experiment 2--administration of pharmaceuticals and a Lactobacillus pool in birds that were not challenged with S. Enteritidis, and Experiment 3--administration of pharmaceuticals and a Lactobacillus pool in birds challenged with S. Enteritidis. The ELISA was used to scan dosages of intestinal IgA and serum IgY. We used colony-forming units to quantify S. Enteritidis. The concentrations of IgA and IgY did not show significant differences (P>0.05) in Experiment 2. In Experiment 3, NSD1015 associated with Lactobacillus determined higher IgA concentrations, promoting greater stimulus to the immune system than 5HTP. Regarding quantification of S. Enteritidis in the cecal content of birds, 5HTP associated to Lactobacillus determined the smallest number of bacteria, showing possible interaction of 5-hydroxytryptophan and Lactobacillus spp. with the immune system of broiler chickens.

Increased expression of perforin, granzyme B, and C5b-9 in villitis of unknown etiology.

INTRODUCTION: Villitis of unknown etiology (VUE) is associated with fetal growth restriction. However, the underlying mechanisms of villous injury in placentas with VUE are still largely unknown. We aimed to verify whether apoptosis-related factors are increased in VUE placentas. Furthermore, we determined apoptosis of villous cells. METHODS: Six placentas with VUE and 3 control placentas were stained using immunohistochemistry with antibodies for CD3, CD4, CD8, CD68, CD163, perforin, granzyme B, granzyme K, and C5b-9. TUNEL assay analysis was also performed with these placentas. The percentage of cells that stained positive, CD163/CD68 ratio, percentage of C5b-9 positive area, and apoptosis index were quantified and compared between the inflammatory lesions of the VUE placentas, non-VUE inflammatory lesions of the VUE placentas, and control placentas. RESULTS: The percentages of CD3, CD4, CD8 CD68, CD163, perforin, and granzyme B positive cells were significantly higher in the inflammatory lesions of the VUE placentas (p < 0.05). The intravillous CD163/CD68 ratio was higher in the inflammatory lesions compared with the non-inflammatory lesion of the VUE placentas (p < 0.05). The percentage of granzyme K-positive cells was not significantly different between the groups. C5b-9 deposition was higher in the inflammatory lesions of the VUE placentas (p < 0.05). TUNEL-positive cells were significantly higher in the inflammatory lesions of the VUE placentas (p < 0.05). DISCUSSION: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to assess villous injury, especially from a viewpoint of villous apoptosis in VUE placentas. An activated perforin/granzyme pathway and C5b-9 are suggested as possible mechanisms of apoptosis.

Salmonella ovarian abscess in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis (RA): a case report with literature review.

Salmonella ovarian abscess in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is reported here. A 33-year-old nulliparous woman with a 16-year history of RA who had been treated with corticosteroid and immunosuppressive drugs was diagnosed as having a non-typhoidal Salmonella ovarian abscess which might have been preceded by an occurrence of endometriotic cyst. Multidisciplinary therapy including surgical intervention was required to complete the eradication of infection. Although Salmonella ovarian abscess is rare, it may cause a serious complication in the ovary harboring endometriotic cyst through sustained presence of Salmonella bacteraemia.