Clinical Usefulness of Measuring Red Blood Cell Distribution Width in Patients with Hepatitis B

BACKGROUND: Red blood cell distribution width (RDW), an automated measure of red blood cell size heterogeneity (e.g., anisocytosis) that is largely overlooked, is a newly recognized risk marker in patients with cardiovascular diseases, but its role in persistent viral infection has not been well-defined. The present study was designed to investigate the association between RDW values and different disease states in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-infected patients. In addition, we analyzed whether RDW is associated with mortality in the HBV-infected patients. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: One hundred and twenty-three patients, including 16 with acute hepatitis B (AHB), 61 with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), and 46 with chronic severe hepatitis B (CSHB), and 48 healthy controls were enrolled. In all subjects, a blood sample was collected at admission to examine liver function, renal function, international normalized ratio and routine hematological testing. All patients were followed up for at least 4 months. A total of 10 clinical chemistry, hematology, and biochemical variables were analyzed for possible association with outcomes by using Cox proportional hazards and multiple regression models. RDW values at admission in patients with CSHB (18.30±3.11%, P<0.001), CHB (16.37±2.43%, P<0.001) and AHB (14.38±1.72%, P<0.05) were significantly higher than those in healthy controls (13.03±1.33%). Increased RDW values were clinically associated with severe liver disease and increased 3-month mortality rate. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that RDW values and the model for end-stage liver disease score were independent predictors for mortality (both P<0.001). CONCLUSION: RDW values are significantly increased in patients with hepatitis B and associated with its severity. Moreover, RDW values are an independent predicting factor for the 3-month mortality rate in patients with hepatitis B

Search for new physics with a monojet and missing transverse energy in pp collisions at √s=7 TeV

This is the pre-print version of the Published Article which can be accessed at the link below.A study of events with missing transverse energy and an energetic jet is performed using pp collision data at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV. The data were collected by the CMS detector at the LHC, and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 36  pb-1. An excess of these events over standard model contributions is a signature of new physics such as large extra dimensions and unparticles. The number of observed events is in good agreement with the prediction of the standard model, and significant extension of the current limits on parameters of new physics benchmark models is achieved

Corneal involvement in Papillon-Lefevre syndrome

We describe a 7-year-old boy with classic dental and dermatologic findings of Papillon-Lefevre syndrome. In addition to these manifestations, he had bilateral, almost symmetric, hypertrophic-looking corneal leukoma. This case demonstrates that patients with Papillon-Lefevre syndrome should undergo ophthalmologic examination in addition to frequent dental examination

Changes of Stress Distributions Around Pterygomaxillary Junction With Different Osteotome Angulations

PMID = 3231086

Sigmoid sinus thrombosis following mastoiditis - Early diagnosis enhances good prognosis

Sigmoid sinus thrombosis following mastoiditis is a rare, but potentially life-threatening, condition. Its treatment usually consists of systemic antibiotics and mastoidectomy. In this report, we describe a pediatric case of sigmoid sinus thrombosis following mastoiditis, presenting with nonspecific symptoms such as fever, otalgia, and headache. Diagnosis was based on magnetic resonance imaging. The patient responded very well to intravenous antibiotics with a rapid clinical improvement and complete recanalization of the thrombosed sigmoid sinus. In conclusion, mastoiditis may present few clinical symptoms. In case of treatment failure or new onset neurologic deficit in children with acute otitis media, life-threatening complications associated with mastoiditis should be considered. Early diagnosis is important, as favorable prognosis can be achieved with conservative management without performing any surgical intervention

Anti-neuronal and stress-induced-phosphoprotein 1 antibodies in neuro-Behcet's disease.

No disease-specific neuronal antibodies have so far been defined in neuro-Behçet's disease (NBD). Immunohistochemistry and immunocytochemistry studies showed antibodies to hippocampal and cerebellar molecular layers and the surface antigens of cultured hippocampal neurons in sera and/or cerebrospinal fluids (CSF) of 13 of 20 NBD and 6 of 20 BD patients but not in multiple sclerosis or headache controls. Screening with a protein macroarray led to identification of stress-induced-phosphoprotein-1 (STIP-1) as an antigenic target. High-titer STIP-1-antibodies were detected in 6 NBD patients' sera but not in controls. These results suggest that neuronal antibodies could be useful as diagnostic biomarkers in NBD