"Heterotopic abdominal wall ossification: A case report" information.

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE: Heterotopic ossification is forming a new bone in tissues that do not normally ossify. HO was first reported in 1901 by Askanazy and Lubarsh in a case report study. The range of HO is wide from minute foci to large clinically significant ossification. The incidence of HO in abdominal scars is extremely low. CASE PRESENTATION: We present an 84-year-old man referred to our hospital after an unsuccessful elective colostomy reversal in a local hospital. The colostomy was made for fecal diversion after sigmoidectomy due to treatment of sigmoid volvulus about three months ago. The patient had a past medical history of hypertension for 8 years under treatment of amiloride. CLINICAL DISCUSSION: In general appearance, the patient was not ill or toxic. Vital signs were normal. Postoperatively Patient did not defecate. In his physical examination was not found abdominal tenderness or rebound tenderness. The patient underwent laparotomy which revealed significant retroperitoneal adhesion and colostomy was reversed. Accidentally was found a dense structure with bone-like consistency in the abdominal wall close to the scar was resected. The specimen Pathologic examination showed metaplastic bone deposition with mature bone trabeculae and heterotopic ossification was confirmed. CONCLUSION: We report a rare case of HO that was identified at the abdominal wall. Heterotopic ossification can lead to serious complications. However, in symptomatic patients, surgical excision is an acceptable treatment, unlike in asymptomatic patients.

The invasive legume Lupinus polyphyllus has minor site-specific impacts on the composition of soil bacterial communities.

Plant invasions can have major impacts on ecosystems, both above- and belowground. In particular, invasions by legumes, which often host nitrogen-fixing symbionts (rhizobia), are known to modify soil bacterial communities. Here, we examined the effect of the invasive herbaceous legume Lupinus polyphyllus on the alpha diversity and community composition of soil bacteria. We also explored the relationships between these bacterial communities and vegetation cover, the cover of other (non-invasive) legumes, or the number of vascular plants present. For this, we sampled rhizosphere soil and surveyed vegetation from ten paired sites (uninvaded versus invaded more than 10 years ago) in southwestern Finland, and identified bacterial DNA using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. The presence of the plant invader and the three vegetation variables considered had no effect on the alpha diversity of soil bacteria in terms of bacterial richness or Shannon and Inverse Simpson diversity indices. However, the composition of soil bacterial communities differed between invaded and uninvaded soils at four out of the ten sites. Interestingly, the relative abundances of the top bacterial families in invaded and uninvaded soils were inconsistent across sites, including for legume-associated rhizobia in the family Bradyrhizobiaceae. Other factors-such as vegetation cover, legume cover (excluding L. polyphyllus), number of plant species-also explained a small proportion of the variation in bacterial community composition. Our findings indicate that L. polyphyllus has the potential to modify the composition of local soil bacterial community, at least in sites where it has been present for more than a decade.

Gamma-oryzanol attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced cognitive impairment by modulation of hippocampal inflammatory response and glial activation in mice.

Systemic inflammation can cause chronic neuroinflammation, which is a significant risk factor for neurodegenerative disorders. Therefore, anti-inflammatory agents that reduce peripheral inflammation are potential targets for the prevention or treatment of these debilitating diseases. In the present study, we investigated whether gamma-oryzanol (ORY) could protect against chronic neuroinflammation induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in adult male mice. Mice were injected with LPS (0.75 mg/kg/day) or saline for 7 consecutive days and orally received ORY (100 mg/kg) or vehicle for 14 days (7 days before LPS injections and 7 days co-treated with LPS). After two weeks, mice were subjected to behavioral assessments using the Morris water maze and Y-maze. Moreover, the expression level of several inflammatory mediators was measured in the hippocampus of treated animals. Also, neuronal loss, microglia, and astrocyte densities were evaluated in the CA1 and CA3 hippocampus. We found that ORY treatment significantly improved spatial and working memory in LPS-treated mice. This behavioral improvement was accompanied by a significant reduction in the number of microglia and astrocytes in the CA1 and CA3 hippocampus. Moreover, ORY treatment effectively prevented LPS-induced increases in the expression of inflammatory mediators and enhanced neuronal survival in the CA1 hippocampus. Our findings suggest that ORY treatment can be a therapeutic option to improve cognitive impairments and neuroinflammation induced by endotoxins.

Etiology and Outcome of Intestinal Obstruction in Neonates: A 5-Year Investigation of Admitted Cases From a Tertiary Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Northern Iran.

Background: Neonatal intestinal obstruction is a challenging issue, especially in developing countries. There is an apparent difference in the etiology, complications, and mortality of intestinal obstruction in neonates in different countries. Objectives: We aimed to describe the causes, early postoperative outcomes, and predictors of morbidities in neonates with intestinal obstruction in a tertiary neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in Iran. Design & methods: We conducted a retrospective study on neonates who were admitted with intestinal obstruction requiring surgery in the NICU of Boo-Ali Sina Hospital in northern Iran during 2018 to 2022. Demographic and clinical characteristics of the newborns, final diagnosis, postoperative complications, and mortality rate were documented. Also, the relationship between postoperative complications and risk factors, including birth weight, gestational age, and surgical intervention time, was evaluated. Results: A total of 169 neonates with intestinal obstruction requiring surgery were admitted with a male ratio of 60.9% and mean age of 3.85 ± 8.01 days. Imperforate anus with a prevalence of 42% was the most common cause of neonatal intestinal obstruction, followed by Hirschsprung's disease and duodenal atresia. Death after surgery occurred in 4.1% of the patients. Sepsis with a prevalence of 1.4% was the most common early postoperative complication. The late surgical intervention had a statistically significant relationship with the increase in postoperative sepsis (P = .048). Conclusion: The time of surgical intervention is the main predictor of complications in neonatal intestinal obstruction, so prompt diagnosis and timely treatment of these babies can significantly improve the prognosis. It is also necessary to improve access to pediatric surgery services in developing countries.

Comparison of early surgical and conservative therapy in children with ureteropelvic junction obstruction.

BACKGROUND: Ureteropelvic junction obstruction is a relatively common urologic problem in children. Most cases present with pelvicaliceal dilatation in antenatal period. Historically most UPJO cases were treated with surgical procedures, but recently many of these children have been treated by nonsurgical observational plans. We compared the outcome of children with UPJO treated in surgical and observational ways. METHODS: In a retrospective study, we assessed the medical history of patients diagnosed as UPJO, march 2011 to march 2021. The case definition was based on grade 3-4 hydronephrosis and obstructive pattern in dynamic renal isotopes can. Patients were put into two groups; Group 1 children were treated with a surgical procedure, and group 2 patients without any surgical procedure for at least a six months' period after diagnosis. We assessed long-term events and improvement of obstruction. RESULTS: Seventy-eight children (mean age 7.32mo., 80% male) enrolled in the study, 55 patients in group one and 23 as group 2. Severe hydronephrosis was the problem of 96% of all patients significantly led to 20% in group 1 and 9% in group 2 (P < 0.001). Severe kidney involvement was observed at 91% in group 1 and 83% in group 2, decreased to 15% and 6%, respectively (P < 0.001). There were no significant differences in sonographic and functional improvement between the two intervention groups. Long-term prognostic issues; growth, functional impairment, and hypertension were not different between the two groups, but group 1 children experienced more recurrence of UTI than group 2 patients. CONCLUSION: Conservative management is as effective as early surgical treatment in the management of infants with severe UPJO.

International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes, Subcommittee on the taxonomy of Rhizobia and Agrobacteria, minutes of the annual meeting by videoconference, 5 July 2021, followed by online discussion until 31 December 2021.

Minutes of the closed meeting of the International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes Subcommittee on the Taxonomy of Rhizobia and Agrobacteria held by videoconference, 5 July 2021, followed by online discussion until 31 December 2021, and list of recent species.

Prenatal chest wall mesenchymal hamartoma: a case report and review of the literature.

Mesenchymal hamartoma of the chest wall (MHCW) is a rare but benign tumor of childhood. Its clinical presentation varies from nonsymptomatic to respiratory distress. It is rarely detected in prenatal period and usually is diagnosed after birth. We discuss a male-fetus with MHCW detected by ultrasound during pregnancy. He was managed surgically due to scoliosis and multiple rib involvement also respiratory symptoms.

Association of omphalocele with a patent urachus presenting as a large umbilical cystic mass in a newborn.

Simultaneous presentation of omphalocele, patent urachus, and umbilical cyst is very rare. There is wide range of differential diagnosis for umbilical cyst. Accurate assessment of umbilical cysts is important to evaluate other abnormalities.

Zinc Supplementation During Pregnancy Alleviates Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Glial Activation and Inflammatory Markers Expression in a Rat Model of Maternal Immune Activation.

Maternal immune activation (MIA) model has been profoundly described as a suitable approach to study the pathophysiological mechanisms of neuropsychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia. Our previous study revealed that prenatal exposure to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced working memory impairments in only male offspring. Based on the putative role of prefrontal cortex (PFC) in working memory process, the current study was conducted to examine the long-lasting effect of LPS-induced MIA on several neuroinflammatory mediators in the PFC of adult male pups. We also investigated whether maternal zinc supplementation can alleviate LPS-induced alterations in this region. Pregnant rats received intraperitoneal injections of either LPS (0.5 mg/kg) or saline on gestation days 15/16 and supplemented with ZnSO4 (30 mg/kg) throughout pregnancy. At postnatal day 60, the density of both microglia and astrocyte cells and the expression levels of IL-6, IL-1ß, iNOS, TNF-α, NF-κB, and GFAP were evaluated in the PFC of male pups. Although maternal LPS treatment increased microglia and astrocyte density, number of neurons in the PFC of adult offspring remained unchanged. These findings were accompanied by the exacerbated mRNA levels of IL-6, IL-1ß, iNOS, TNF-α, NF-κB, and GFAP as well. Conversely, prenatal zinc supplementation alleviated the mentioned alterations induced by LPS. These findings support the idea that the deleterious effects of prenatal LPS exposure could be attenuated by zinc supplementation during pregnancy. It is of interest to suggest early therapeutic intervention as a valuable approach to prevent neurodevelopmental deficits, following maternal infection. Schematic diagram describing the experimental timeline. On gestation days (GD) 15 and 16, pregnant dams were administered with intraperitoneal injections of either LPS (0.5 mg/kg) or vehicle and supplemented with ZnSO4 (30 mg/kg) throughout pregnancy by gavage. The resulting offspring were submitted to qPCR, immunostaining, and morphological analysis at PND 60. Maternal zinc supplementation alleviated increased expression levels of inflammatory mediators and microglia and astrocyte density induced by LPS in the PFC of treated offspring. PND postnatal day, PFC prefrontal cortex.

Competition for electrons favours N2 O reduction in denitrifying Bradyrhizobium isolates.

Bradyrhizobia are common members of soil microbiomes and known as N2 -fixing symbionts of economically important legumes. Many are also denitrifiers, which can act as sinks or sources for N2 O. Inoculation with compatible rhizobia is often needed for optimal N2 -fixation, but the choice of inoculant may have consequences for N2 O emission. Here, we determined the phylogeny and denitrification capacity of Bradyrhizobium strains, most of them isolated from peanut-nodules. Analyses of genomes and denitrification end-points showed that all were denitrifiers, but only ~1/3 could reduce N2 O. The N2 O-reducing isolates had strong preference for N2 O- over NO3 - -reduction. Such preference was also observed in a study of other bradyrhizobia and tentatively ascribed to competition between the electron pathways to Nap (periplasmic NO3 - reductase) and Nos (N2 O reductase). Another possible explanation is lower abundance of Nap than Nos. Here, proteomics revealed that Nap was instead more abundant than Nos, supporting the hypothesis that the electron pathway to Nos outcompetes that to Nap. In contrast, Paracoccus denitrificans, which has membrane-bond NO3 - reductase (Nar), reduced N2 O and NO3 - simultaneously. We propose that the control at the metabolic level, favouring N2 O reduction over NO3 - reduction, applies also to other denitrifiers carrying Nos and Nap but lacking Nar.

Effectiveness of nitrogen fixation in rhizobia.

Biological nitrogen fixation in rhizobia occurs primarily in root or stem nodules and is induced by the bacteria present in legume plants. This symbiotic process has fascinated researchers for over a century, and the positive effects of legumes on soils and their food and feed value have been recognized for thousands of years. Symbiotic nitrogen fixation uses solar energy to reduce the inert N2 gas to ammonia at normal temperature and pressure, and is thus today, especially, important for sustainable food production. Increased productivity through improved effectiveness of the process is seen as a major research and development goal. The interaction between rhizobia and their legume hosts has thus been dissected at agronomic, plant physiological, microbiological and molecular levels to produce ample information about processes involved, but identification of major bottlenecks regarding efficiency of nitrogen fixation has proven to be complex. We review processes and results that contributed to the current understanding of this fascinating system, with focus on effectiveness of nitrogen fixation in rhizobia.

Minimal standards for the description of new genera and species of rhizobia and agrobacteria.

Herein the members of the Subcommittee on Taxonomy of Rhizobia and Agrobacteria of the International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes review recent developments in rhizobial and agrobacterial taxonomy and propose updated minimal standards for the description of new species (and genera) in these groups. The essential requirements (minimal standards) for description of a new species are (1) a genome sequence of at least the proposed type strain and (2) evidence for differentiation from other species based on genome sequence comparisons. It is also recommended that (3) genetic variation within the species is documented with sequence data from several clearly different strains and (4) phenotypic features are described, and their variation documented with data from a relevant set of representative strains. Furthermore, it is encouraged that information is provided on (5) nodulation or pathogenicity phenotypes, as appropriate, with relevant gene sequences. These guidelines supplement the current rules of general bacterial taxonomy, which require (6) a name that conforms to the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes, (7) validation of the name by publication either directly in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology or in a validation list when published elsewhere, and (8) deposition of the type strain in two international culture collections in separate countries.

Diverse Mesorhizobium bacteria nodulate native Astragalus and Oxytropis in arctic and subarctic areas in Eurasia.

Rhizobia nodulating native Astragalus and Oxytropis spp. in Northern Europe are not well-studied. In this study, we isolated bacteria from nodules of four Astragalus spp. and two Oxytropis spp. from the arctic and subarctic regions of Sweden and Russia. The phylogenetic analyses were performed by using sequences of three housekeeping genes (16S rRNA, rpoB and recA) and two accessory genes (nodC and nifH). The results of our multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) of the three housekeeping genes tree showed that all the 13 isolates belonged to the genus Mesorhizobium and were positioned in six clades. Our concatenated housekeeping gene tree also suggested that the isolates nodulating Astragalus inopinatus, Astragalus frigidus, Astragalus alpinus ssp. alpinus and Oxytropis revoluta might be designated as four new Mesorhizobium species. The 13 isolates were grouped in three clades in the nodC and nifH trees. 15N analysis suggested that the legumes in association with these isolates were actively fixing nitrogen.

Congenital duodenal obstruction with delayed presentation: seven years of experience.

INTRODUCTION: The duodenum is the most common site for congenital intestinal obstruction. The duodenal web with a central hole can present without any overt signs of obstruction at a later age. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Over a 7-year period, children with congenital intestinal obstruction were identified in this study. The complications and operative findings of patients with duodenal web with conditions such as wind sock deformity and delayed diagnosis were evaluated in this study. RESULTS: This study included 81 infants with congenital intestinal obstruction. At operation, 48 patients demonstrated duodenal obstruction with atresia in 27, annular pancreas in 15 and malrotation in 6. Also, we observed incomplete obstruction of the duodenum due to a fenestrated web in 8 patients. The age of these patients at operation time ranged from 5 days to 72 months. Fifty percent of affected patients were associated with trisomy 21, all of whom exhibited failure to thrive due to food intolerance. The patients older than 2 years presented with major complications of gastroesophageal reflux such as esophageal ulcer, stricture and dysphagia. Additionally we had a unique case of a patient who had been referred with an epigastric mass. During the operation, we found 440 seeds of various fruits in the stomach and the first portion of the duodenum. CONCLUSIONS: Our study emphasizes that duodenal web with a central hole can present without signs of obstruction at a later age with only failure to thrive and food intolerance. Therefore a high index of suspicion is necessary for diagnosis when it presents beyond the usual age.

Aphallia: Report of three cases and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Aphallia or penile agenesis is a rare malformation accompanying with no phallus. This anomaly is extremely rare with abnormality of urogenital system and psychological consequences. Its outbreak is estimated 1 out of 10-30 million births. CASE: Reviewing 3 cases of male external genitalia agenesis, which associated with multiple anomalies of musculoskeletal, cardiovascular and genitourinary system. CONCLUSION: Aphallia has psychosocial consequences and a guarded prognosis. This study showed that if the kidney failure is due to its obstruction, these patients will be born in more favorable conditions and the future treatment measures will be directed to keep the external genitalia (male) through timely diagnosis and prenatal surgery and timely bladder drainage.

Evolution and taxonomy of native mesorhizobia nodulating medicinal Glycyrrhiza species in China.

Previously, 159 bacterial strains were isolated from the root nodules of wild perennial Glycyrrhiza legume species grown on 40 sites in central and north-western China, in which 57 strains were classified as "true symbionts" belonging to the genus Mesorhizobium based on amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) genomic fingerprinting and partial sequences of the 16S rRNA gene [20]. In the present work, the phylogeny of Glycyrrhiza nodulating mesorhizobia was further examined by multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA). The concatenated gene tree of three housekeeping genes (16S rRNA, recA, and rpoB) of 59 strains including the 29 mesorhizobial test strains and 30 type mesorhizobial species, was constructed applying the maximum likelihood method and Bayesian inference. In the concatenated gene tree, the 29 test strains were distributed in seven separate clades. Seventeen test strains clustered with Mesorhizobium tianshanense, Mesorhizobium temperatum, Mesorhizobium muleiense, and Mesorhizobium alhagi with high bootstrap support (BS>85%). Eight test strains did not cluster with any of the described Mesorhizobium species. Based on the results, we proposed these eight test strains might belong to a putative new species of the genus Mesorhizobium. The sequences of three accessory genes (nodA, nodC, and nifH) of the test strains were also analyzed and were compared with those of representatives of the 30 described mesorhizobial species. The results showed that mesorhizobia involved in symbiosis with Glycyrrhiza plants probably have acquired some genetic material from other rhizobia in co-evolution with Glycyrrhiza and other legume species.

Genomic features separating ten strains of Neorhizobium galegae with different symbiotic phenotypes.

BACKGROUND: The symbiotic phenotype of Neorhizobium galegae, with strains specifically fixing nitrogen with either Galega orientalis or G. officinalis, has made it a target in research on determinants of host specificity in nitrogen fixation. The genomic differences between representative strains of the two symbiovars are, however, relatively small. This introduced a need for a dataset representing a larger bacterial population in order to make better conclusions on characteristics typical for a subset of the species. In this study, we produced draft genomes of eight strains of N. galegae having different symbiotic phenotypes, both with regard to host specificity and nitrogen fixation efficiency. These genomes were analysed together with the previously published complete genomes of N. galegae strains HAMBI 540T and HAMBI 1141. RESULTS: The results showed that the presence of an additional rpoN sigma factor gene in the symbiosis gene region is a characteristic specific to symbiovar orientalis, required for nitrogen fixation. Also the nifQ gene was shown to be crucial for functional symbiosis in both symbiovars. Genome-wide analyses identified additional genes characteristic of strains of the same symbiovar and of strains having similar plant growth promoting properties on Galega orientalis. Many of these genes are involved in transcriptional regulation or in metabolic functions. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study confirm that the only symbiosis-related gene that is present in one symbiovar of N. galegae but not in the other is an rpoN gene. The specific function of this gene remains to be determined, however. New genes that were identified as specific for strains of one symbiovar may be involved in determining host specificity, while others are defined as potential determinant genes for differences in efficiency of nitrogen fixation.