Surgical procedures and plasma exchange for ovarian teratoma-associated anti-N-methyl D-aspartate receptor encephalitis: a case report and review of literature.

We reported a case of ovarian teratoma-associated Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (anti-NMDAR) encephalitis with recurrent epileptic seizures and disturbance of consciousness. Although surgical excision of the tumor remains the established standard of care, unlike other reported cases, the patient exhibited limited response to early oophorocystectomy, as well as IVIG and steroid therapy; however, a favorable response was observed with Plasma exchange (PE) initiated on postoperative day 12. Literature review revealed no definite recommended surgical extent for ovarian teratomas, and outstanding improvement in patients with anti-NMDAR encephalitis following PE. Our case raises the question regarding the optimal surgical extent for tumor resection, necessitating careful consideration when deciding between oophorectomy and adnexectomy as the preferred surgical procedure for anti-NMDAR encephalitis in female teens and adults. Furthermore, for refractory patients who fail to respond following tumor resection, PE can be performed early instead of immediately initiating second-line therapy.

Subcutaneous etonogestrel implant combined with endometrial ablation for the treatment of adenomyosis: two case reports.

Adenomyosis is a common disease that affects many premenopausal women. Two patients with adenomyosis, aged 51 and 42 years, presented with dysmenorrhea and increased menstrual volume. They refused laparoscopy or laparotomy surgery and were not eligible for the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (LNG-IUS). The first patient underwent endometrial ablation and subcutaneous etonogestrel (ENG)-releasing implant placement at the same time. Her symptoms of dysmenorrhea and heavy menstruation improved significantly. When serum follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and estradiol (E2) levels suggested menopause, the ENG-releasing implant was removed. However, her abdominal pain recurred and was relieved by medication. For the second patient, an ENG-releasing implant was placed first, and her dysmenorrhea and heavy menstrual volume were relieved. However, the bleeding pattern changed from regular bleeding to prolonged bleeding, which troubled the patient. Endometrial ablation was performed 4 months later to solve the problem. Both patients had improved symptoms and were satisfied with the treatment. For patients with adenomyosis who refuse surgery and are not candidates for the use of LNG-IUS, an ENG-releasing implant combined with endometrial ablation may be an effective alternative.

A clinical observational study on the efficacy of subcutaneous etonogestrel implants for adenomyosis in 20 patients.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of subcutaneous etonogestrel implants for adenomyosis.Methods: We conducted a clinical observational study of 20 patients suffering from adenomyosis treated with subcutaneous etonogestrel implants from August 2015 to July 2017 and followed up for 36 months. We evaluated the efficacy of subcutaneous etonogestrel implants primarily based on the following indicators: the pictorial blood loss assessment chart (PBAC) for menstrual blood volume, changes in bleeding patterns, the visual analog scale (VAS) pain score for dysmenorrhea, uterine volume, serum cancer antigen 125 (CA125) levels, hemoglobin levels and side effects.Results: During the 3 years of follow-up, subcutaneous etonogestrel implants were removed from six patients, among whom one was diagnosed with endometrial cancer, four had an increased menstrual blood volume, and one entered menopause. In total, 14 patients were treated with subcutaneous etonogestrel implants for 3 years. Among these patients, the number of patients with heavy menstrual bleeding and high PBAC and VAS scores and serum CA125 levels was significantly decreased after implantation compared with that before implantation. In the eight patients with anemia, hemoglobin levels increased gradually. However, the uterine volumes did not significantly change. Bleeding patterns were changed but were tolerable.Conclusion: Subcutaneous etonogestrel implants represent a new option for the clinical treatment of adenomyosis for patients who refuse surgery.

Surface Roughness: A Crucial Factor To Robust Electric Double Layer Capacitors.

Electric double layer capacitors (EDLCs) usually show high rate performance and long cycling spans but inferior specific capacitance, which are mainly created by restriction of the charge storage mechanism. To improve the capacitive performance, traditional methods include enlarging surface area, optimizing porous structures, and readjusting functional groups through heteroatom doping to electrode materials. Besides that, another promising approach is suggested, which is to enhance surface roughness of the electrode materials for ion storage and transport. To prove this view, two porous carbon materials were fabricated by activation-calcination methods, which allowed the materials to have identical surface area, porous structures, and surface composition but the surface roughness. Further electrochemical measurements exhibited that the optimal sample with higher roughness has remarkable specific capacitance (up to 562 F g-1), and the increment rate is more than 50% when compared with contrast sample (367 F g-1). Therefore, optimization of the surface roughness of electrode materials is another efficient route to make robust EDLCs.

Matrix metalloproteinase-9 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 expression in early focal cerebral infarction following urokinase thrombolysis in rats.

Activity of matrix metalloproteinase-9 increases following cerebral ischemia/reperfusion, and is associated with cerebral microvascular permeability, blood-brain barrier destruction, inflammatory cell infiltration and brain edema. Matrix metalloproteinase-9 also likely participates in thrombolysis. A rat model of middle cerebral artery infarction was established by injecting autologous blood clots into the internal carotid artery. At 3 hours following model induction, urokinase was injected into the caudal vein. Decreased neurological severity score, reduced infarct volume, and increased expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 were observed in the cerebral cortex 24 hours after urokinase thrombolysis. These results suggest that urokinase can suppress damage in the acute-early stage of cerebral infarction.

trans-Bis[4-amino-N-(pyrimidin-2-yl)benzene-sulfonamidato]dipyridine-cobalt(II) hemihydrate.

The asymmeric unit of the title compound, [Co(C(10)H(9)N(4)O(2)S)(2)(C(5)H(5)N)(2)]·0.5H(2)O, contains the distorted octa-hedral trans-[Co(sdz)(2)(py)(2)] (sdz is the sulfadiazine anion and py is pyridine) complex mol-ecule and a half-mol-ecule of water, which lies on a twofold rotation axis. A three-dimensional network is generated by N-H⋯O and O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds between the complex and the water mol-ecules.

Tetra-aqua-bis(pyridine-κN)cobalt(II) bis-[4-amino-N-(6-chloro-pyridazin-3-yl)benzene-sulfonamidate].

The structure of the title compound, [Co(C(5)H(5)N)(2)(H(2)O)(4)](C(10)H(8)ClN(4)O(2)S)(2), consists of a discrete tetra-aqua-bis(pyridine-κN)cobalt(II) cation and two 4-amino-N-(6-chloro-pyridazin-3-yl)benzene-sulfonamidate anions. In the cation, the Co(II) ion sits on an inversion centre and is octa-hedrally coordinated by two pyridine N atoms and four O atoms. A two-dimensional network parallel to (010) is formed via inter-molecular O-H⋯O, O-H⋯N, N-H⋯N and N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds.

[Correlation between the polymorphism of platelet glycoprotein GPIb α Kozak gene and transient ischemic attack].

OBJECTIVE: Genic susceptibility could increase the risk of transient ischemic attack (TIA). The objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between the polymorphism of platelet glycoprotein GPIb α Kozak gene and TIA in Qindao Han population. METHODS: The polymorphisms of platelet glycoprotein GPIb α Kozak gene -5T/C in TIA patients and normal control were detected with sequence-specific primers polymerase chain reaction (PCR-SSP). RESULTS: The prevalence of the CC genotype and C alleles were significantly higher in TIA patients than in the control group (P<0.05). The positive correlation between C allele and TIA was showed by logistic regression analysis (P=0.016). CONCLUSION: The -5T/C polymorphism of the platelet glycoprotein GPIb α Kozak gene is implicated in the pathogenesis of TIA. C allele is an independent risk factor for TIA.