Breast adenomyoepithelioma from a radiologic perspective.

Adenomyoepithelioma of the breast (AB) is an uncommon tumor that is characterized by the biphasic proliferation of epithelial and myoepithelial cells. The radiologic findings for AB have been scantly reported. This paper aims to analyze the characteristic findings for AB on ultrasonography (US) and mammography. This retrospective descriptive study used the Breast Imaging-Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) to analyze the US and mammography findings for histologically confirmed AB in patients attended at our institution between 2007 and 2019. We identified a total of 13 AB in 13 women. All patients underwent US. On US, 12 lesions were seen as oval nodules, and the remaining lesion was irregular-shaped; 8 lesions had circumscribed margins, 3 had angled margins, and 2 had microlobulated margins. Regarding the echo pattern, 8 lesions were hypoechoic and 5 were complex (solid-cystic). On color Doppler, 11 lesions were vascularized nodules and 2 were avascular nodules. In conclusion, we present the imaging characteristics for a series of cases of AB. It is unlikely that this lesion can be suspected solely on the basis of the imaging findings; nevertheless, it is important for radiologists to be familiar with AB to carry out a good radiopathologic correlation.

Breast adenomyoepithelioma from a radiologic perspective. / Adenomioepitelioma de la mama desde una perspectiva radiológica.

Adenomyoepithelioma of the breast (AB) is an uncommon tumor that is characterized by the biphasic proliferation of epithelial and myoepithelial cells. The radiologic findings for AB have been scantly reported. This paper aims to analyze the characteristic findings for AB on ultrasonography (US) and mammography. This retrospective descriptive study used the Breast Imaging-Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) to analyze the US and mammography findings for histologically confirmed AB in patients attended at our institution between 2007 and 2019. We identified a total of 13 AB in 13 women. All patients underwent US. On US, 12 lesions were seen as oval nodules, and the remaining lesion was irregular-shaped; 8 lesions had circumscribed margins, 3 had angled margins, and 2 had microlobulated margins. Regarding the echo pattern, 8 lesions were hypoechoic and 5 were complex (solid-cystic). On color Doppler, 11 lesions were vascularized nodules and 2 were avascular nodules. In conclusion, we present the imaging characteristics for a series of cases of AB. It is unlikely that this lesion can be suspected solely on the basis of the imaging findings; nevertheless, it is important for radiologists to be familiar with AB to carry out a good radiopathologic correlation.

Factors associated with high use of a workplace web-based stress management program in a randomized controlled intervention study.

In web-based health promotion programs, large variations in participant engagement are common. The aim was to investigate determinants of high use of a worksite self-help web-based program for stress management. Two versions of the program were offered to randomly selected departments in IT and media companies. A static version of the program including health screening tool, diary and information about stress was offered to the control group. Additional materials, i.e. interactive, cognitive-based and classical stress management exercises and a chat room, were offered to the intervention group. Baseline data regarding participants' demographics, health (self-ratings and biological measures), lifestyle, work-related factors and group membership were analyzed to study determinants of employees' participation in the program during a period of 12 months. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used and found intervention group membership, being a woman, having at most a secondary education, regular physical exercise habits and having positive expectations of the program were significant predictors of high use. The findings demonstrate that the interactivity of a web-based program is an important factor for determining participation in a web-based worksite stress management program. Implications for those developing and implementing future web-based health promotion activities are discussed.

Prevalence and characteristics of hearing problems in a working and non-working Swedish population.

BACKGROUND: Hearing problems are among the top 10 most common burdens of disease and are projected to be become even more common by the year 2030. The aim of the present study was to give a current assessment of the prevalence of communication difficulties because of hearing loss and tinnitus, in the general Swedish working and non-working populations in relation to sex, age, socioeconomic status (SES) and noise exposure. How prevalence is affected by SES has not been previously established. METHODS: A total of 18 734 individuals were invited to participate in the study, of which 11 441 (61%) enrolled. Of the participants, 9756 answered the questionnaire for those who work and 1685 answered the version for non-workers. FINDINGS: The most important findings are that 31% in the working population and 36% in the non-working population report either hearing loss or tinnitus or both. The prevalence of hearing problems increases with age, is higher among men and persons with low self-rated SES, and covaries with exposure to noise at work. Severe hearing problems are already present in men and women under 40 years of age who are exposed to work-related noise. INTERPRETATION: Prevalence of hearing problems is far more common than previously estimated and is associated with SES and noise exposure history. Hearing problems have a gradual onset that can take years to become recognised. In order to proactively intervene and prevent this deleterious, yet avoidable handicap, statistics need to be regularly updated.

Threshold scaling limits of RO concentrates flowing in a long waste disposal pipeline.

Disposal of RO concentrates emanating from inland brackish water desalination plants presents a difficult environmental problem. The solution adopted by Mekorot--the National Water Company of Israel--is to construct a 30 km waste disposal pipeline for collecting concentrates emanating from several RO desalination plants and discharging them into the sea. The discharged concentrates are highly supersaturated with respect to CaCO3. Scale precipitation during concentrate flow through the RO module is inhibited by the presence of anti-scalants. The retention time of the concentrate solution in the discharge pipe will exceed 100 hours. This raises the issue of the risk of scale precipitation in the discharge pipe that could impair its proper functioning. The aim of the present study was to provide data for guiding the design and operation of the disposal pipeline. The extent of the induction period prior to the onset of precipitation was measured in a pilot plant simulating flow of concentrate solutions dosed with anti-scalants. The parameters investigated were the scaling potential, the anti-scalant concentration and the presence of a mixture of several anti-scalants. The results of this study provide threshold scaling limits under various conditions.

Levels of interleukin-6 in second-trimester amniotic fluid are not predictive of adverse neonatal outcome.

OBJECTIVE: Elevation of interleukin (IL)-6 in the amniotic fluid (AF) during the second trimester is associated with increased risk of preterm deliver

In vivo regulation of parathyroid hormone-related peptide messenger ribonucleic acid in the rat uterus by 17 beta-estradiol.

During pregnancy, elevated levels of PTH-related peptide (PTHrP) persist in the myometrium of the rat uterus. Near term, intrauterine occupancy is correlated with high levels of PTHrP messenger RNA in the gravid horn of the unilaterally pregnant uterus. In nongravid tissue from these same animals the presence of smaller yet significant elevations of PTHrP mRNA suggests that the PTHrP gene also may be regulated by humoral factor(s). To test this hypothesis, we assessed the action of 17 beta-estradiol (E2) on the expression of the PTHrP gene in the uterus of the ovariectomized rat. While low levels of PTHrP mRNA are detected in uteri from ovariectomized rats, a single dose of E2 (4, 40, or 400 micrograms/kg body weight) stimulated a 6- to 8-fold increase in the levels of PTHrP mRNA in the uterus at approximately 2 h after E2 treatment. This increase was transient with levels gradually declining to pretreatment (basal) levels within 24 h. Other steroid hormones tested, including dihydrotestosterone, dexamethasone, and progesterone, failed to stimulate this response. The increase of PTHrP mRNA accumulation required a dose greater than 0.4 micrograms/kg. The magnitude and duration of PTHrP mRNA accumulation were very similar when doses of 40 or 400 micrograms/kg were used. In addition, the stimulation of the PTHrP gene by E2 is neither age dependent nor specific to the rat and is, in part, under transcriptional control. Together, these data indicate that in vivo E2 regulates the levels of PTHrP mRNA in the rat uterus and support a role for E2 in the increased expression of PTHrP mRNA in early gestational tissue, as well as in the nongravid horn of the unilaterally pregnant uterus.

Leukemia inhibitory factor suppresses proliferation, alkaline phosphatase activity, and type I collagen messenger ribonucleic acid level and enhances osteopontin mRNA level in murine osteoblast-like (MC3T3E1) cells.

The effect of leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) on proliferation and phenotypic expression in murine osteoblast-like (MC3T3E1) cells was examined. LIF inhibited the proliferation of these cells by up to 20% and DNA synthesis was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner with an ED50 of about 0.2 ng/ml. The effect of LIF relative to matched controls increased with decreasing serum concentration, reaching 30% inhibition at 0.2% serum. LIF also reduced the stimulatory effects of platelet-derived growth factor and insulin-like growth factor I on DNA synthesis. The inhibition of the DNA synthesis by saturating concentration of transforming growth factor beta was further enhanced by the addition of LIF, suggesting independent pathways for the action of the two growth inhibitors. In addition, LIF reduced alkaline phosphatase activity and the abundance of type I collagen messenger RNA, but increased the level of osteopontin messenger RNA. These findings suggest that LIF may play a role in regulating the function of osteoblasts.

The dental management of patients with spontaneous acquired factor VIII inhibitors.

The histories of two patients without hemophilia but with spontaneous acquired factor VIII inhibitors are reported. A protocol is suggested for the combined hematologic and dental management of such patients.

Cardiac arrhythmias in the monkey during classically conditioned fear and excitement.

Rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) were tested in classic aversive and appetitive conditioning paradigms following complete coronary artery occlusion (CO) to test the hypothesis that "emotional stress" induces ventricular arrhythmias. Findings were based upon conditioning trials conducted for one or more weeks after occlusion in 13 animals. When all data from each animal for the week following CO were considered, there was no demonstrable tendency for arrhythmias to increase during "fear" conditioned to unavoidable electric shock or during "excitement" in anticipation of food. However, selected trials from six monkeys did reveal instances when changes in the frequency of occurrence of arrhythmias were coupled with behavioural conditioning. While analysis of these trials did not reveal any simple relationship between emotional stress and the development of ventricular arrhythmias after myocardial infarction, certain of the behavioral situations may be more potentially arrhythmogenic than others. For these selected trials, with respect to control, the number of arrhythmias may have increased or decreased upon presentation of the conditional stimulus; the exact response appears to depend upon the immediate physiologic status of the animal as well as on the behavioral condition. "More stressful" situations, such as aversive conditioning, are not necessarily associated with greater numbers of arrhythmias than were "less stressful" situations, such as appetitive conditioning. Arrhythmias appear to occur more frequently when an animal's heart rate is within a given range; this may reflect underlying cardiac sympathetic and parasympathetic nerve activity.

Acquisition and discrimination of appetitively and aversively conditioned heart rate responses in rhesus monkeys.

This report describes the acquisition of a conditional heart rate response to both classical aversive and appetitive conditioning in eight rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta). The behavioral paradigm consisted of two discrete one minute tones followed by the corresponding unconditional stimuli, i.e., electric shock or Purina monkey chow. A third tone followed by neither food nor shock served as a discriminative stimulus (DS). The conditional heart rate responses developed in two phases. The first phase was characterized by similar responses to both conditional stimuli and the DS. Control heart rate rose during this period. During the second phase, control heart rate decreased (five animals), the DS response disappeared, and different conditional heart rate patterns to food and shock emerged. The existence of distinct conditional response patterns indicates probable differences in the autonomic nervous regulation of the heart during aversive and appetitive conditioning.

A note on ECG changes observed during Pavlovian conditioning in a rhesus monkey following coronary arterial occlusion.

Changes in the ECG of a rhesus monkey during a classical aversive conditioning trial conducted 10 minutes after occlusion of the marginal branch of the left circumflex coronary artery have been observed. This appears to reflect an instance where myocardial ischemia following coronary occlusion was exacerbated by presentation of a conditional stimulus.