Microperforated hymen with pregnancy presenting at term: an accidental diagnosis

Anatomic variations of the patent hymen exist, the most common configuration having a central orifice. Difficulty in inserting a tampon or the inability to achieve vaginal intercourse in an adolescent is the typical presenting symptom of incomplete hymenal obstruction. Here, a case is reported wherein the patient presented with normal pregnancy at term with an apparently intact hymen. Later in labour, a microperforate hymen (MH) was noted. An emergency lower segment caesarean section along with hymenectomy was performed

inTrack: High Precision Tracking of Mobile Sensor Nodes

Radio-interferometric ranging is a novel technique that allows for fine-grained node localization in networks of inexpensive COTS nodes. In this paper, we show that the approach can also be applied to precision tracking of mobile sensor nodes. We introduce inTrack, a cooperative tracking system based on radio-interferometry that features high accuracy, long range and low-power operation. The system utilizes a set of nodes placed at known locations to track a mobile sensor. We analyze how target speed and measurement errors affect the accuracy of the computed locations. To demonstrate the feasibility of our approach, we describe our prototype implementation using Berkeley motes. We evaluate the system using data from both simulations and field tests

Molprint 2D-Based Identification and Synthesis of Novel Chromene Based Small Molecules that Target Pla2: Validation through Chemo-And Bioinformatics Approaches

Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) is known to regulate inflammation and hence it is considered as a validated drug-target by medicinal chemists. In this report, we have identified and considered a highly ranked ligand from the ZINC-drug-like compounds database that targets PLA2 via the MOLPRINT-2D based chemoinformatics drug-design approach. The computationally predicted lead molecule was found to contain a core moiety of a chromene ring, which is well known for its varied biological properties. Here, a novel and efficient retro-synthetic protocol for the synthesis of highly substituted chromene libraries was made. A one-pot synthesis of chromene was carried out using different aromatic primary alcohols, malononitrile and 4-hydroxy coumarin in the presence of a mild oxidant mixture called T3P®–DMSO, followed by a Suzuki coupling reaction to obtain the lead molecules. All of the tested compounds of the chromene series displayed inhibition of the venom PLA2 in the range of 12 to 68 μM. Among the tested compounds, 2-amino-4-(2′-methyl-[1,1′-biphenyl]-4-yl)-5-oxo-4,5-dihydropyrano[3,2-c]chromene-3-carbonitrile (7b) showed maximum inhibitory efficacy against venom PLA2 with an IC50 value of 12.5 μM. Furthermore, the designed PLA2 ligands bound to the active site of venom PLA2, whose binding affinity was comparable to nimesulide, indicating that the chromene moiety containing ligands could be novel lead-structures that serve as anti-inflammatory agents

Cooperative effects in two-dimensional ring-like networks of three-center hydrogen bonding interactions

Cooperative effects in two-dimensional cyclic networks containing intermolecular three-centered hydrogen bonding interactions of the type H1&#;A&#;H2 are investigated by means of ab intio molecular orbital and density functional theory calculations. Ring-like clusters consisting of three and up to nine monomers of the cis–cis isomer of carbonic acid H2CO3 are used as basic models, where each unit acts simultaneously as a double hydrogen-bond donor and double hydrogen-bond acceptor. Cooperative effects based on binding energies are evident for (H2CO3)n, where n goes from 2 to 9. Thus, the ZPVE-corrected dissociation energy per bifurcated hydrogen bond increases from 11.52 kcal/mol in the dimer to 20.42 kcal/mol in the nonamer, i.e., a 77% cooperative enhancement. Cooperative effects are also manifested in such indicators as geometries, and vibrational frequencies and intensities. The natural bond orbital analysis method is used to rationalize the results in terms of the substantial charge delocalization taking place in the cyclic clusters. Cooperativity seems close to reaching an asymptotic limit in the largest ring considered, n=9

UK clinical practice guidelines for the management of gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GIST).

Background Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are rare tumours arising in mesenchymal tissues. Gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST) is the commonest STS and arises within the wall of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. While most GISTs occur in the stomach they do occur in all parts of the GI tract. As with other STS, it is important that GISTs are managed by expert teams, to ensure consistent and optimal treatment, as well as recruitment to clinical trials, and the ongoing accumulation of further knowledge of the disease. The development of appropriate guidance, by an experienced panel referring to the evidence available, is therefore a useful foundation on which to build progress in the field.Methodology British Sarcoma Group guidelines for the management of GIST were initially developed by a panel of physicians experienced in the management of GIST. This current version has been updated and amended with reference to other European and US guidance. We have received input from representatives of all diagnostic and treatment disciplines as well as patient representatives. Levels of evidence and strength of recommendation gradings are those used by ESMO adapted from those published by the Infectious Disease Society of America.Conclusions The guidelines cover aetiology, genetics and underlying molecular mechanisms, diagnosis and initial investigations, staging and risk stratification, surgery, neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapy, the management of advanced disease and follow-up. The importance of mutational analysis in guiding treatment is highlighted, since this can indicate the most effective treatment and avoid administration of ineffective drugs, emphasising the need for management in specialist centres

A limit model for thermoelectric equations

We analyze the asymptotic behavior corresponding to the arbitrary high conductivity of the heat in the thermoelectric devices. This work deals with a steady-state multidimensional thermistor problem, considering the Joule effect and both spatial and temperature dependent transport coefficients under some real boundary conditions in accordance with the Seebeck-Peltier-Thomson cross-effects. Our first purpose is that the existence of a weak solution holds true under minimal assumptions on the data, as in particular nonsmooth domains. Two existence results are studied under different assumptions on the electrical conductivity. Their proofs are based on a fixed point argument, compactness methods, and existence and regularity theory for elliptic scalar equations. The second purpose is to show the existence of a limit model illustrating the asymptotic situation.Comment: 20 page

Macropinocytosis renders a subset of pancreatic tumor cells resistant to mTOR inhibition

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) features a near-universal mutation in KRAS. Additionally, the tumor suppressor PTEN is lost in ∼10% of patients, and in mouse models, this dramatically accelerates tumor progression. While oncogenic KRAS and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) cause divergent metabolic phenotypes individually, how they synergize to promote tumor metabolic alterations and dependencies remains unknown. We show that in KRAS-driven murine PDAC cells, loss of Pten strongly enhances both mTOR signaling and macropinocytosis. Protein scavenging alleviates sensitivity to mTOR inhibition by rescuing AKT phosphorylation at serine 473 and consequently cell proliferation. Combined inhibition of mTOR and lysosomal processing of internalized protein eliminates the macropinocytosis-mediated resistance. Our results indicate that mTORC2, rather than mTORC1, is an important regulator of protein scavenging and that protein-mediated resistance could explain the lack of effectiveness of mTOR inhibitors in certain genetic backgrounds. Concurrent inhibition of mTOR and protein scavenging might be a valuable therapeutic approach

Super-distributed RFID Tag Infrastructures

With the emerging mass production of very small, cheap Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags, it is becoming feasible to deploy such tags on a large scale. In this paper, we advocate distribution schemes where passive RFID tags are deployed in vast quantities and in a highly redundant fashion over large areas or object surfaces. We show that such an approach opens up a whole spectrum of possibilities for creating novel RFID-based services and applications, including a new means of cooperation between mobile physical entities. We also discuss a number of challenges related to this approach, such as the density and structure of tag distributions, and tag typing and clustering. Finally, we outline two prototypical applications (a smart autonomous vacuum cleaner and a collaborative map-making system) and indicate future directions of research

The Herbal Drug Melampyrum pratense

Melampyrum pratense L. (Koch) is used in traditional Austrian medicine for the treatment of different inflammation-related conditions. In this work, we show that the extracts of M. pratense stimulated peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors- (PPARs-)α and -γ that are well recognized for their anti-inflammatory activities. Furthermore, the extract inhibited the activation of the proinflammatory transcription factor NF-κB and induction of its target genes interleukin-8 (IL-8) and E-selectin in vitro. Bioassay-guided fractionation identified several active flavonoids and iridoids including melampyroside and mussaenoside and the phenolic compound lunularin that were identified in this species for the first time. The flavonoids apigenin and luteolin were distinguished as the main components accountable for the anti-inflammatory properties. Apigenin and luteolin effectively inhibited tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α)-induced NF-κB-mediated transactivation of a luciferase reporter gene. Furthermore, the two compounds dose-dependently reduced IL-8 and E-selectin protein expression after stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or TNF-α in endothelial cells (ECs). The iridoids melampyroside and mussaenoside prevented the elevation of E-selectin in LPS-stimulated ECs. Lunularin was found to reduce the protein levels of the proinflammatory mediators E-selectin and IL-8 in ECs in response to LPS. These data validate the ethnomedical use of M. pratense for the treatment of inflammatory conditions and point to the constituents accountable for its anti-inflammatory activity

Relative Span weighted localization of uncooperative nodes in wireless networks

Increasingly ubiquitous wireless technologies require novel localization techniques to pinpoint the position of an uncooperative node, whether the target be a malicious device engaging in a security exploit or a low-battery handset in the middle of a critical emergency. Such scenarios necessitate that a radio signal source be localized by other network nodes efficiently, using minimal information. We propose two new algorithms for estimating the position of an uncooperative transmitter, based on the received signal strength (RSS) of a single target message at a set of receivers whose coordinates are known. As an extension to the concept of centroid localization, our mechanisms weigh each receiver's coordinates based on the message's relative RSS at that receiver, with respect to the span of RSS values over all receivers. The weights may decrease from the highest RSS receiver either linearly or exponentially. Our simulation results demonstrate that for all but the most sparsely populated wireless networks, our exponentially weighted mechanism localizes a target node within the regulations stipulated for emergency services location accuracy