Neuroimaging Appearance of Cerebral Malignant Epithelioid Glioneuronal Tumors in Children.

Malignant epithelioid glioneuronal tumor is a rare high-grade, aggressive brain tumor that shows both glial and neuronal differentiation on histopathology but is not included in the current World Health Organization classification. The neuroimaging appearance is variable but may be secondary to the size of the mass and/or location of the tumor. In our series, all epithelioid glioneuronal tumors were encountered in the supratentorial space and included pineal, temporal, and extratemporal lobar cerebral hemisphere locations. When large, the tumors demonstrate cystic degeneration and necrosis, hemorrhage, contrast enhancement, and regions of low apparent diffusion coefficient scalars consistent with patterns seen with other high-grade pediatric brain tumors. The tumors also have a propensity to spread into the meninges at presentation and for distant CSF spread on follow-up imaging.

Dynamics of ultra-thin polystyrene with and without a (artificial) dead layer studied by resonance enhanced dynamic light scattering.

Using non-invasive, marker-free resonance enhanced dynamic light scattering, the dynamics of capillary waves on ultrathin polystyrene films' coupling to the viscoelastic and mechanical properties have been studied. The dynamics of ultrathin polymer films is still debated. In particular the question of what influence either the solid substrate and/or the fluid-gas interface has on the dynamics and the mechanical properties of films of glass forming liquids as polymers is in the focus of the present research. As a consequence, e.g., viscosity close to interfaces and thus the average viscosity of very thin films are prone to change. This study is focused on atactic, non-entangled polystyrene thin films on the gold surface. A slow dynamic mode was observed with Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann temperature dependence, slowing down with decreasing film thickness. We tentatively attribute this relaxation mode to overdamped capillary waves because of its temperature dependence and the dispersion with a wave vector which was found. No signs of a more mobile layer at the air/polymer interface or of a "dead layer" at the solid/polymer interface were found. Therefore we investigated the influence of an artificially created dead layer on the capillary wave dynamics by introducing covalently bound polystyrene polymer brushes as anchors. The dynamics was slowed down to a degree more than expected from theoretical work on the increase of density close to the solid liquid interface-instead of a "dead layer" of 2 nm, the interaction seems to extend more than 10 nm into the polymer.

[Infantile systemic hyalinosis: a case report and literature review].

Objective: To investigate the clinical, pathological and gene mutation features of infantile systemic hyalinosis(ISH). Method: Data of a child with ISH seen in Haikou Hospital were retrospectively analyzed for the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of infantile systemic hyalinosis and the relevant reports in literature were reviewed. Result: A 1 year and 1 month old boy showed limbs joint stiffness, limited mobility and double knee flexion at his first month of life. At third month, red rashes appeared on the body and gradually became purple, most of them were seen on the back and they were higher than the skin surface, uneven and did not fade when pressed. Undergoing X-ray the boy showed double knee varus deformity. Histopathological examination of the neck skin lesions proved hyalinosis. The gene examination revealed ANTXR2 exon 13, c. 1073 delC/c.1074 delT mutations, which were hot spots mutation of ISH, then the diagnosis of ISH was confirmed. Using "Infantile systemic hyalinosis" as a keyword, literature in Wanfang network, PubMed and China National Knowledge Infrastructure from 1978 to 2015 was searched, we found 48 foreign cases, one Chinese Taiwan case. All the cases had joint contractures. Short stature and skin lesions with hyperpigmentation in 40 cases, gingival hyperplasia in 36 cases, perianal nodules in 32 cases, skin thickening in 31 cases, osteoporosis in 30 cases, recurrent diarrhea in 30 cases, repeated infections in 25 cases; 49 cases were reported as autosomal recessive genetic disease, of whom 18 cases underwent genetic testing, the pathogenic gene was located in the fourth chromosome q21 position, the gene was encoded as capillary morphogenesis Protein 2 (CMG2), also known as anthrax toxin receptor 2 (ANTXR2), but there were various mutation spots in the gene. Among the 18 cases, 9 were of frameshift, 8 of missense and 1 of splice defect . Onset ages were mainly within 4 months after birth. Without special treatment most patients died at about 2 years of age due to repeated infections. Conclusion: ISH is a rare disease, which occurs at early age. ISH has special clinical features: joint contracture and limited mobility, special skin rash and pigmentation, skin hyaline degeneration of pathological examination. ISH is an autosomal recessive genetic disease with mutation gene located in the fourth chromosome q21 position. Currently there is no effective treatment for ISH, with which patients are prone to die of recurrent infections.

Measuring the solubility of solids in non-solvents: case of polystyrene in alkanes.

We introduce a simple and sensitive technique for measuring extremely low solubilities with a small sample size and small solvent volume. This technique involves measuring the decrease in the thickness of a supported thin film after exposure to a drop of known volume of solvent and removal of the solution. The feasibility of measuring very small changes in film thickness directly translates to the ability to measure extremely low solubility while at the same time using only µL of solvent. We apply the technique to the case of polystyrene with Mw values in the range 2500 g/mol to 22200 g/mol in alkane solvents and show that we can easily measure a solubility of 0.1 g/L using only 1[Formula: see text] g of material and 3[Formula: see text] L of solvent for each sample.

The GroEL protein of Porphyromonas gingivalis accelerates tumor growth by enhancing endothelial progenitor cell function and neovascularization.

Porphyromonas gingivalis is a bacterial species that causes destruction of periodontal tissues. Additionally, previous evidence indicates that GroEL from P. gingivalis may possess biological activities involved in systemic inflammation, especially inflammation involved in the progression of periodontal diseases. The literature has established a relationship between periodontal disease and cancer. However, it is unclear whether P. gingivalis GroEL enhances tumor growth. Here, we investigated the effects of P. gingivalis GroEL on neovasculogenesis in C26 carcinoma cell-carrying BALB/c mice and chick eggs in vivo as well as its effect on human endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) in vitro. We found that GroEL treatment accelerated tumor growth (tumor volume and weight) and increased the mortality rate in C26 cell-carrying BALB/c mice. GroEL promoted neovasculogenesis in chicken embryonic allantois and increased the circulating EPC level in BALB/c mice. Furthermore, GroEL effectively stimulated EPC migration and tube formation and increased E-selectin expression, which is mediated by eNOS production and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase activation. Additionally, GroEL may enhance resistance against paclitaxel-induced cell cytotoxicity and senescence in EPC. In conclusion, P. gingivalis GroEL may act as a potent virulence factor, contributing to the neovasculogenesis of tumor cells and resulting in accelerated tumor growth.

Pharmacokinetic of four probe drugs in adriamycin-induced nephropathy rat.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Probe drugs have been widely used to assess the activities of various CYP450 (cytochromes P450) isoenzymes in many fields of drug metabolism and pharmacogenetics. The nephrotic syndrome characterized by massive proteinuria and hypoproteinemia, whether that would influence the pharmacokinetics of probe drugs or not is still unclear. The purpose of the study was to investigate the pharmacokinetic of four probe drugs in adriamycin (ADR)-induced nephropathy rat. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The rats were randomly divided into Control-group (n = 10) and ADR-group (n = 10). Nephrotic syndrome was established by weekly injections of ADR for 2 weeks. After dynamic monitoring of 24-h total urinary protein for 4 weeks, we confirmed that nephrotic syndrome had developed. The rats were administered intragastrically with phenacetin, tolbutamide, omeprazole and bupropion (15, 5, 15, and 15 mg/kg, respectively). The blood samples were determined by LC-MS (Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry) method. RESULTS: The pharmacokinetics parameter of tolbutamide in ADR-group and Control-group were AUC(0-t) 15.371 ± 4.107, 6.901 ± 5.738 (mg/L*h), MRT(0-t) 8.751 ± 0.754, 6.032 ± 0.63 (h), t1/2 3.88 ± 0.423, 3.602 ± 0.693 (h), Tmax 6.2 ± 3.768, 1.95 ± 0.798 (h), CL/F 0.038 ± 0.005, 0.107 ± 0.037 (L/h/kg), V/F 0.212 ± 0.043, 0.567 ± 0.258 (L/kg), Cmax 1.853 ± 0.384, 1.422 ± 1.312 (mg/L). There was statistical difference in AUC, MRT, CL, V and Tmax of tolbutamide between two groups (p < 0.05), but no pharmacokinetics difference for phenacetin, bupropion and omeprazole. CONCLUSIONS: The pharmacokinetics of tolbutamide was changed in ADR-induced nephropathy rat. It is not suitable for tolbutamide to evaluate the activity of CYP450 in nephrotic syndrome.

The status of heart transplantation in Taiwan, 2005-2010.

Heart transplantation (HT) is the standard therapy used to treat end-stage heart disease. Taiwan Organ Registry and Sharing Center (TORSC) is a registry and database of organ donations and transplantations. To understand the profiles of heart donors and recipients is crucial for efficient utilization. Data was provided by the TORSC and 487 HT were performed from 2005 to 2010. The main causes of donor brain death were head injury (n = 243; 51.1%) and cerebrovascular accidents/strokes (n = 147; 30.9%). The mean age of the recipients was 46.3 ± 14.6 years, and 80.3% were men (n = 391). Physicians and nurses were responsible for most organ procurement. In multivariate analysis, considering donor and recipient gender, donor and recipient age, and donor-to-recipient weight ratio as independent variables, factors that were significantly predictive of graft survival were donor age (hazard rate [HR], 1.02; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.00-1.03; P = .01) and recipient age (HR, 1.03; 95% CI, 1.01-1.04; P < .01). Our results showed that age is a determinant of allograft survival and healthcare professionals are the primary impetus for obtaining consent for organ donation.

Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin in dogs with naturally occurring renal diseases.

BACKGROUND: Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) is released from renal tubular cells after injury and serves in humans as a real-time indicator of active kidney damage, including acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, NGAL concentrations in dogs with naturally occurring AKI or CKD rarely have been explored in detail. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to evaluate whether NGAL can serve as a useful biomarker in dogs with naturally occurring renal disease. ANIMALS: Client-owned dogs with renal disease (57) and control dogs without any disease (12) were examined. METHODS: Serum NGAL (sNGAL) and urine NGAL (uNGAL) concentrations were measured in each animal by a newly developed ELISA system. Demographic, hematologic, and serum biochemical data were recorded. Survival attributable to AKI and CKD was evaluated at 30 days and 90 days, respectively. RESULTS: Serum and urine NGAL concentrations in azotemic dogs were significantly higher than in nonazotemic dogs and were highly correlated with serum creatinine concentration (P < .05). Among CKD dogs, death was associated with significantly higher sNGAL and uNGAL concentrations compared with survivors. Receiver-operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis showed that sNGAL was better than serum creatinine concentration when predicting clinical outcomes for CKD dogs (P < .05). The best cutoff point for sNGAL was 50.6 ng/mL, which gave a sensitivity and a specificity of 76.9 and 100%, respectively. Furthermore, dogs that had higher concentrations of sNGAL survived for a significantly shorter time. CONCLUSION: sNGAL is a useful prognostic marker when evaluating dogs with CKD.

Testosterone replacement therapy can increase circulating endothelial progenitor cell number in men with late onset hypogonadism.

Circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are bone marrow-derived cells required for endothelial repair. A low EPC number can be considered as an independent predictor of endothelial dysfunction and future cardiovascular events. Recent evidence shows that patients with hypogonadal symptoms without other confounding risk factors have a low number of circulating progenitor cells (PCs) and EPCs, thus highlighting the role of testosterone in the proliferation and differentiation of EPCs. Here, we investigate if testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) can increase circulating EPC number in men with late onset hypogonadism. Forty-six men (age range, 40-73 years; mean age, 58.3 years) with hypogonadal symptoms were recruited, and 29 men with serum total testosterone (TT) levels less than 350 ng/dL received TRT using transdermal testosterone gel (Androgel; 1% testosterone at 5 g/day) for 12 months. Circulating EPC numbers (per 100 000 monocytes) were calculated using flow cytometry. There was no significant association between serum TT levels and the number of circulating EPCs before TRT. Compared with the number of mean circulating EPCs at baseline (9.5 ± 6.2), the number was significantly higher after 3 months (16.6 ± 11.1, p = 0.027), 6 months (20.3 ± 15.3, p = 0.006) and 12 months (27.2 ± 15.5, p = 0.017) of TRT. Thus, we conclude that serum TT levels before TRT are not significantly associated with the number of circulating EPCs in men with late onset hypogonadism. However, TRT can increase the number of circulating EPCs, which implies the benefit of TRT on endothelial function in hypogonadal men.

First Report of Zonate Leaf Spot of Cinnamomum kanehirae Caused by Hinomyces moricola in Taiwan.

Cinnamomum kanehirae, a native tree of Taiwan, is an important tree that hosts popular medicinal fungi. In the winter of 2011, zonate leaf spots were observed at a nursery garden in Wu-Lai, Taiwan. Initial symptoms included small brown lesions on leaves that became larger leaf spots after expanding or fusing together, causing a leaf blight and eventually defoliation. Sporophores on the host were generally hypophyllous but sometimes amphigenous, solitary, erect, easily detachable. The upper portion of the sporophore was considered an individual conidium and consisted of a pyramidal head that was fusiform to ventricose, 320 to 580 µm long and 100 to 130 µm wide at the broadest point. Branches within the pyramidal head were short and compact, and dichotomously or trichotomously branched. The sporophore initials were hyaline, broad, septate, tapering toward an acute apex, and sometimes constricted at the basal septum. Sclerotia were observed in older lesions, grey or black, spherical, and 1 to 2.5 mm in diameter. The fungus was isolated from infected tissue and sporophores, maintained on potato dextrose agar (PDA) at 20°C in darkness. Sclerotia were produced on PDA after 4 to 5 weeks and were irregular or spherical, but sporophores didn't develop on agar medium. The fungus was identified as Hinomyces moricola on the basis of morphological characteristics (1). Koch's postulates were performed by inoculating four 1-year-old, asymptomatic, potted C. kanehirae plants; every plant was inoculated with sporophores from infected leaves on each of five leaves. Four noninoculated plants were kept in separate pots and served as controls. All plants were covered with transparent plastic bags individually and incubated in a growth chamber at 18 to 20°C. Symptoms were observed after 2 to 4 days on every inoculated plant but not on uninoculated plants. The leaf spots were similar to those originally observed. The pathogen was reisolated from spots of inoculated plants. The pathogenicity test was repeated once. H. moricola is known to cause severe defoliation on woody and annual plants, including at least 73 host species and 36 families distributed in the eastern United States and Japan (2). References: (1) N.-S. Tomoko et al. Mycoscience. 47:351, 2006. (2) J. C. Trolinger et al. Plant Dis. Reptr. 62:710, 1978.

First Report of Southern Blight of Mexican Petunia (Ruellia brittoniana) Caused by Sclerotium rolfsii in Taiwan.

Mexican petunia (Ruellia brittoniana) is an herbaceous flowering perennial with strikingly colored flowers, widely cultivated commercially as a potted plant and a popular garden plant. In July of 2010, root and stem rot that caused death was observed on Mexican petunia at the flower nursery of the Council of Agriculture & Chiayi County in Taiwan. Plants had rotted and girdled stem bases. Necrotic areas were covered with fans of white mycelium as well as abundant spherical sclerotia. A fungus was isolated from infected tissue and sclerotia, and maintained on potato dextrose agar (PDA) plates incubated at 25°C without light. Colonies were white, cottony, often forming fans; pure cultures were prepared by transferring hyphal tips to PDA. Sclerotia formed after 10 days, initially white becoming dark brown with age, and 0.5 to 0.6 mm in diameter. To confirm identity of the causal fungus, the complete internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rDNA region of the causal fungus was amplified using the primers ITS4 and ITS5 (2) and sequenced. The resulting sequence of 687 bp was uploaded in NCBI. The sequence was 98% similar to sequences of Athelia rolfsii (Sclerotium rolfsii) in NCBI (Accession No. JN543691.1). Koch's postulates were performed using two inoculation techniques. The soil near the base of healthy Mexican petunia plants (four plants per pot) were exposed to recently matured sclerotia (10 sclerotia per plant) developed from pure fungal cultures or 10-mm-diameter agar plugs of mycelium (one plug per plant). Noninoculated plants, in a separate pot, were used as a control. All plants were incubated in a growth chamber at 28 to 33°C. Disease symptoms occurred on all inoculated plants by 5 to 7 days and included yellowing of leaves, basal stem rot, and wilt. Ten days after inoculation, inoculated plants were dead whereas control plants remained healthy. The pathogenicity test was repeated twice with similar results and S. rolfsii was reisolated from infected plants in each test. The pathogen has been reported to cause substantial loss of Mexican petunia in Louisiana (1). The disease is becoming more common in Taiwan and could cause losses in Mexican petunia production. To our knowledge, this is the first report of disease on Mexican petunia caused by S. rolfsii in Taiwan. References: (1) G. E. Holcomb. Plant Dis. 88:770, 2004. (2) T. J. White et al. Page 315 in: PCR Protocols: A Guide to Methods and Applications. M. A. Innis et al., eds. Academic Press, 1990.

First Report of Southern Blight of Iresine herbstii Caused by Sclerotium rolfsii in Taiwan.

Widely cultivated commercially, Iresine herbstii Hook is a potted herbaceous plant popular for its foliage, which varies from a dark red to brownish maroon. In the summer of 2010, a sudden wilt of I. herbstii plants was observed at a recreational farm in Taipei City in northern Taiwan. The initial symptoms were water-soaked lesions that became soft and then rotted. Necrotic areas on the stems were covered with fans of white mycelium as well as abundant spherical, brown sclerotia. A fungus was isolated from both infected tissue and sclerotia and maintained on potato dextrose agar (PDA) plates incubated at 25°C without light. Colonies were white and cottony, often forming mycelial fans. Pure cultures were prepared by transferring single hyphal tips to PDA. Sclerotia formed after 7 days. Sclerotia were initially white becoming dark brown with age and were 0.8 to 1 mm in diameter at maturity. These are typical features of Sclerotium rolfsii. Koch's postulates were performed by inoculating five healthy, potted I. herbstii plants with 10 fresh sclerotia placed on the soil surface around the base of each plant. In a second test, five healthy potted plants were inoculated with a single 10-mm-diameter mycelial agar plug placed at the stem base of each plant. Five noninoculated plants served as controls. All plants were incubated in a growth chamber at 25 to 35°C. Basal stem rot and wilt developed within 4 days on plants inoculated with sclerotia or mycelial plugs. All plants were dead by 7 days after inoculation whereas the controls remained healthy. The fungus was reisolated from the symptomatic tissue and produced sclerotia and mycelium consistent with S. rolfsii. To confirm identity of the causal fungus, the complete internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rDNA region of the causal fungus was amplified using the primers ITS4 and ITS5 (3) and sequenced. The resulting sequence of 687 bp was uploaded in NCBI (Accession No. JN543691.1). The sequence was 98% similar to sequences of Athelia rolfsii (anamoprh S. rolfsii). This disease has been observed on many species of plants (1, 2). To our knowledge, this is the first report of I. herbstii caused by S. rolfsii in Taiwan or any other part of the world. References: (1) T. T. Chang. Bull. Taiwan For. Res. Inst. 9:191, 1994. (2) Y. N. Wang et al. J. Exp. For. Nat. Taiwan Univ. 20:45, 2006. (3) T. J. White et al. PCR Protocols: A Guide to Methods and Applications. Academic Press, San Diego, 1990.

Effect of dietary fiber intake on breast cancer risk according to estrogen and progesterone receptor status.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: There is few data on the association between dietary fiber intake and estrogen receptor (ER)/progesterone receptor (PR)-defined breast cancer risk. The present study aimed to investigate the associations between total dietary fiber and dietary fiber fractions intake and breast cancer risk by ER and PR status in a hospital-based case-control study among Chinese women. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Four hundred and thirty-eight cases with primary breast cancer were consecutively recruited from June 2007 to August 2008 and frequency matched to 438 controls by age (5-year interval) and residence (rural/urban). A validated food frequency questionnaire was used to assess the dietary intake through a face-to-face interview. Unconditional logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence interval (CI) after adjusting for various potential confounders. RESULTS: A statistically significant inverse association was found between total dietary fiber and fiber fractions intake and breast cancer risk. The adjusted ORs (95% CIs) for the highest versus the lowest quartile of intake were 0.31 (0.20-0.47) for total dietary fiber, 0.73 (0.48-1.11) for soy fiber, 0.48 (0.22-0.97) for vegetable fiber and 0.54 (0.31-0.92) for fruit fiber. No association was observed for cereal fiber intake and risk. An inverse association between dietary fiber intake and breast cancer risk was observed in ER+, ER-, PR+, ER+PR+ and ER-PR+ tumors. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that consumption of total dietary fiber and fiber from vegetable and fruit was inversely associated with breast cancer risk. These inverse associations were more prominent in some subtypes of ER and PR breast cancers.

Treatment of vitamin D deficiency in CKD patients with ergocalciferol: are current K/DOQI treatment guidelines adequate?

BACKGROUND: Vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency (VDDI) is common in CKD patients and may be associated with abnormal mineral metabolism. It is not clear whether the K/DOQI recommended doses of ergocalciferol are adequate for correction of VDDI and hyperparathyroidism. METHODS: Retrospective study of 88 patients with CKD Stages 1 - 5 and baseline 25-hydroxyvitamin D level < 30 ng/ml (< 75 nmol/l). Patients treated with ergocalciferol as recommended by K/DOQI guidelines. Only 53 patients had elevated baseline PTH level for the CKD stage. Patients were excluded if they received vitamin D preparations other than ergocalciferol or phosphate binders. 25-hydroxyvitamin D level, intact PTH level (iPTH), and other parameters of mineral metabolism were measured at baseline and after completion of ergocalciferol course. RESULTS: 88 patients with CKD were treated with ergocalciferol. Mean age 56.8 +/- 9.5 years and 41% were males. The mean (+/- SD) GFR was 28.3 +/- 16.6 ml/min. At the end of the 6-month period of ergocalciferol treatment, the mean 25-hydroxyvitamin D level increased from 15.1 +/- 5.8 to 23.3 +/- 11.8 ng/ml (37.75 +/- 14.5 to 58.25 +/- 29.5 nmol/l) (p < 0.001). Treatment led to > or = 5 ng/ml (12.5 nmol/l) increases in 25-hydroxyvitamin D level in 54% of treated patients, and only 25% achieved levels > or = 30 ng/ml (75 nmol/l). Mean iPTH level decreased from 157.9 +/- 125.9 to 150.7 +/- 127.5 pg/ml (p = 0.5). Only 26% of patients had > or = 30% decrease in their iPTH level after treatment with ergocalciferol. CONCLUSIONS: Current K/DOQI guidelines are inadequate for correcting VDDI or secondary hyperparathyroidism in CKD patients. Future studies should examine the effects of higher or more frequent dosing of ergocalciferol on these clinical endpoints.

Moderating effects of coping styles on anxiety and depressive symptoms caused by psychological stress in Chinese patients with Type 2 diabetes.

AIMS: This study aimed to assess possible interactive effects of coping styles and psychological stress on depression and anxiety symptoms in Chinese patients with Type 2 diabetes. METHODS: Three hundred and four patients with Type 2 diabetes underwent a face-to-face interview by trained research staff according to a standardized questionnaire including information on socio-demographic characteristics, psychological stress, coping styles and anxiety and depressive symptoms. The interactive effects of coping styles and psychological stress on depression and anxiety symptoms were assessed by hierarchical multiple regression analyses. RESULTS: There were significant associations of the four domains of psychological stress with anxiety and depressive symptoms, except for the relationship between 'reduced economic condition' and depressive symptoms. 'Negative coping style' significantly increased the level of both anxiety and depressive symptoms; whereas, 'active coping style' and 'avoidant coping style' decreased the risk of depressive symptoms. The interactions of 'negative coping style' with 'worrying about decline in body/physical function' and 'reduced economic condition' significantly increased the risk of anxiety and depressive symptoms, and the interaction of 'social/family crisis caused by the disease' with 'avoidance coping style' and 'worrying about decline in body/physical function' with 'active coping style' significantly decreased the risk of depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that certain coping styles might moderate the association of psychological stress with anxiety and depressive symptoms in Chinese patients with Type 2 diabetes.

The significance of endograft geometry on the incidence of intraprosthetic thrombus deposits after abdominal endovascular grafting.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the incidence and risk factors of intraprosthetic thrombotic deposits in abdominal aortic endografts. METHODS: The clinical records of 51 patients (44 males; mean age 76.3 years, range: 63-90 years) with abdominal aortic aneurysm treated with transfemoral implantation of bifurcated stent graft between the years 2002 and 2008 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients underwent three-phase helical computed tomographic (CT) examinations at 1-, 3-, 6- and 12-month intervals and then annually. The formation of intraprosthetic thrombus associated with use of anti-platelet, preoperative mural thrombus in the aneurysm, ratio of cross-sectional area between the mainbody and bilateral limb grafts and length of mainbody were evaluated. RESULTS: Over a 10-month mean follow-up, intraluminal deposits of thrombotic material were observed in eight of 51 patients (15.6%, 95% confidence interval: 8.2-28). The first signs of thrombus formation occurred on average 9.8 months after endografting (range: 1-24 months). Intraprosthetic thrombotic deposits was not related to preoperative mural thrombus formation (p=0.38) or postoperative anti-platelet or anticoagulation medication (p=0.40). However, it was significantly related to the ratio of the cross-sectional area between the mainbody and the bilateral limb grafts and the length of mainbody (p=0.04 and p=0.01). There were three graft limbs occlusion owing to kinking with no intraprosthetic thrombus detected on CT scans taken prior to occlusion. One patient developed distal left proximal superior femoral artery embolisation 4 months after detectable intraprosthetic mainbody thrombus in a CT scan follow-up. In no case did the thrombotic deposits clear completely from the prosthesis lumen during follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: This short experience demonstrates that incidentally found thrombotic deposits in abdominal aortic endografts are common. The deposition of thrombus is mostly influenced by the geometry of the aortic stent graft with wider mainbody diameter coupled with smaller limb grafts and longer mainbody graft. Most of these thrombi are clinically silent and require no additional treatment.

High uptake in schneiderian papillomas of the maxillary sinus on positron-emission tomography using fluorodeoxyglucose.

Schneiderian papillomas are benign tumors of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses often asymptomatic in their early stages. We report a case of a maxillary sinus oncocytic schneiderian papilloma first detected by positron-emission tomography by using fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG). Schneiderian papillomas demonstrate increased FDG uptake, similar to that of other oncocytic tumors, making it important for otolaryngologists and radiologists to realize that high uptake of FDG does not necessarily indicate a malignant lesion.

Porphyrin with amino acid moieties: a tumor photosensitizer.

A porphyrin with amino acid moieties was synthesized in this work, which may be a latent photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy (PDT). Adler's strategy was used to synthesize meso-tetra (4-nitrophenyl) porphyrin (TNPP) through cyclolization of 4-nitrobenzaldhyde and pyrrole in refluxed nitrobenzene. Reduction of TNPP yielded meso-tetra(4-aminophenyl) porphyrin (TAPP). The synthesis was improved by employing lactic acid as a catalyst. Based on TAPP, porphyrin with valine (TAPP-4Val) was obtained. The application of the resultant TAPP-4Val as tumor photosensitizer on human breast tumor cells for photodynamic therapy (PDT) was preliminarily explored. Dark-toxicity evaluations showed that, under a concentration at up to 6 x 10(-6) M, the survival of MCF-7 cells was larger than 90%, which means TAPP-4Val is almost of non-cytotoxicity. However, TAPP-4Val showed remarkable phototoxicity after visible light irradiation. Effects of irradiation time on the survival of cells under typical concentrations of TAPP-4Val were also studied. The new porphyrin with amino acid moieties, TAPP-4Val, is of high phototoxicity but minimal or no dark-toxicity, which can be used as an effective photosensitizer for PDT.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation hybrid with various ventricular assist devices as double bridge to heart transplantation.

Ventricular assist devices (VAD) have benefitted patients with end-stage heart failure as a bridge to heart transplantation (HTx). We present our experience with HTx after an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) hybrid with various ventricular assist devices (VAD). From May 1996 to December 2003, mechanical circulatory support with a Biopump VAD was performed in eight patients, HeartMate left VAD in eight patients, and Thoratec VAD in eight patients. Before VAD implantation, 19 patients maintained their circulation with ECMO. Half of the 24 patients were implanted with VAD to await a suitable donor for HTx. We observed that half of the patients supported by ECMO hybrid with various VAD awaited a suitable donor for HTx. In our experience, we recommend the application of ECMO for short-term support within 1 week and the Biopump VAD, Thoractec VAD, or HeartMate VAD for medium-term or long-term support as a bridge to HTx.

Single-center experience of pediatric heart transplantation in taiwan.

Heart transplantation (HTx) is a treatment for end-stage heart failure or a complex or inoperable congenital defect. The long-term survival and the adequate donor to recipient body weight (D/R BW) ratio remain to be determined. From March 1995 to May 2004, 14 children (6 months-16 years of age) underwent HTx due to underlying diseases of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (n = 10; 71.4%), congenital heart disease (n = 3; 21.4%), and Kawasaki disease (n = 1; 7.1%). Donor-recipient body weight ratio ranged from 0.89 to 3.9. Big heart syndrome was present in one patient when D/R BW ratio was more than 3. Actuarial survival was 92.9% at 5 years after transplantation. Only the one patient who had Kawasaki disease died due to early primary graft failure. HTx is a feasible method with good long-term survival rates for end-stage heart failure or for complex or inoperable congenital defects. After careful pretransplant evaluation, a high D/R BW ratio (more than 3) is acceptable.