Immunohistochemical Analysis for Cytokeratin 7, KIT, and PAX2 Value in the Differential Diagnosis of Chromophobe Cell Carcinoma

Immunohistochemical staining for cytokeratin 7 (CK7), KIT, and PAX2 expression was performed on 91 renal neoplasms, 37 conventional (clear cell) renal cell carcinomas (CRCCs), 20 papillary RCCs (PRCCs), 11 chromophobe RCCs (ChCs), and 23 oncocytomas, with available karyotypes. All ChCs, 19 PRCCs, 2 CRCCs, and 1 oncocytoma were CK7+; all ChCs, 22 oncocytomas, 2 CRCCs, and no PRCCs expressed KIT; PAX2 was positive in 31 CRCCs, 17 PRCCs, 20 oncocytomas, and 1 ChC. The predominant expression profiles were as follows: CRCC, CK7–/KIT–/PAX2+ (26/37); PRCC, CK7+/KIT–/PAX2+ (17/20); ChC, CK7+/KIT+/PAX2– (10/11); and oncocytoma, CK7–/KIT+/PAX2+ (19/23). Cytogenetic analysis showed that the sole PAX2+ ChC had a retained chromosome 10, and all ChCs with chromosome 10 loss were PAX2–. These results identify specific staining patterns of the 4 major histologic subtypes of renal neoplasms and raise the question of a relationship between chromosome 10 loss and loss of PAX2 expression in ChC

Role of promoter hypermethylation in Cisplatin treatment response of male germ cell tumors

BACKGROUND: Male germ cell tumor (GCT) is a highly curable malignancy, which exhibits exquisite sensitivity to cisplatin treatment. The genetic pathway(s) that determine the chemotherapy sensitivity in GCT remain largely unknown. RESULTS: We studied epigenetic changes in relation to cisplatin response by examining promoter hypermethylation in a cohort of resistant and sensitive GCTs. Here, we show that promoter hypermethylation of RASSF1A and HIC1 genes is associated with resistance. The promoter hypermethylation and/or the down-regulated expression of MGMT is seen in the majority of tumors. We hypothesize that these epigenetic alterations affecting MGMT play a major role in the exquisite sensitivity to cisplatin, characteristic of GCTs. We also demonstrate that cisplatin treatment induce de novo promoter hypermethylation in vivo. In addition, we show that the acquired cisplatin resistance in vitro alters the expression of specific genes and the highly resistant cells fail to reactivate gene expression after treatment to demethylating and histone deacetylase inhibiting agents. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that promoter hypermethylation of RASSF1A and HIC1 genes play a role in resistance of GCT, while the transcriptional inactivation of MGMT by epigenetic alterations confer exquisite sensitivity to cisplatin. These results also implicate defects in epigenetic pathways that regulate gene transcription in cisplatin resistant GCT

Prediabetes management in the Middle East, Africa and Russia: Current status and call for action:

Most data on the burden of diabetes and prediabetes are from countries where local infrastructure can support reliable estimates of the burden of non-communicable diseases. Countries in the Middle ..

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

CONTROLLABLE VIBRATING SYSTEM TO ENHANCE THE PERFORMANCE OF HEAT PIPE EVACUATED TUBE SOLAR COLLECTOR

Mechanical vibration is used to excite a heat pipe evacuated tube solar collector (HP-ETSC), where two (HP-ETSC's) are built identically to compare the performance of the solar collector with and without applying vibration. A controllable vibration system was designed and manufactured for increased the total collector efficiency. The vibration system consists of a motor with adjustable rotating unbalanced mass and a control circuit. The velocity (frequency) of the motor is controlled by mean of an Arduino circuit that applies the controlling signal in the form of pulses over a certain period of time. The vibration is applied on one of (HP-ETSC's) and the other is left in static condition under Iraq winter climatic conditions. The enhancement on the thermal performance at different frequency values (2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 Hz) and the three volumetric water flow rates are discussed. Results indicated that the evaporation and condensation heat transfer coefficients increased with vibrational frequencies, and the vibrational frequencies effectiveness depended on the water flow rate and the working conditions. The two heat transfer coefficients, hot water temperature and the total collector effectiveness of the HP-ETSC with controllable vibration system increased by 40%, 20%, and 22% during the test conditions

The Effect of Adding <i>Phragmites australis</i> Fibers on the Properties of Concrete

Nowadays, the increasing demand for concrete is causing serious environmental impact including pollution and waste generation, rapid depletion of natural resources, and increased CO2 emission. Incorporating natural fibers in concrete can contribute toward environmental sustainability. This paper is concerned with the use of natural fibers obtained from the plant species Phragmites australis (PA). The plant is invasive, and rapidly grows abundantly along rivers and waterways, causing major ecological problems. This research is part of a wide range investigation on the use of natural fibers produced from the stem of PA plants in concrete. Using a machine, plant stems were crushed into fibers measuring 40 mm in length and 2 mm in width, and treated with 4% NaOH solution for 24 h. A total of four concrete mixes were prepared with varying additions of treated fibers, ranging from 0% to 1.5% (by volume) with water to cement ratio of 0.5% (by volume). Concrete specimens were tested at 3, 7, and 28 days. Testing included compressive strength, density, total water absorption, and capillary water absorption. The results show that incorporating PA natural fibers reduces the water absorption by total immersion and capillary action by up to 45%. Moreover, there is a negligible decrease in concrete density and strength when fibers were added. It is concluded that adding up to 1.5% natural PA fibers to concrete is a feasible strategy to produce an eco-friendly material which can be used in the production of sustainable building material with adequate mechanical and durability performance

Experimental investigation of a solar evacuated tube collector embedded with a heat pipe using different nanofluids and controlled mechanical exciting pulsations

Numerous studies have been conducted to enhance the thermal performance of evacuated tube solar thermal collectors using various techniques, such as different working fluids, concentrators, and modifications to the absorber design. This work presents a parametric study to improve the thermal performance of a solar-evacuated tube collector embedded with a heat pipe (SETCHP) by utilizing different types of nanofluids and controlled mechanical excitation. The experiment involved six identical SETCHPs operating under the same conditions, with one setup filled with pure acetone as a reference. The second and third setups were filled with (0.5% vol Al2O3)/based acetone and (0.5% vol CuO)/based acetone, respectively. The remaining three setups were modified by imposing controlled mechanical excitation with different frequencies (27–82 Hz) to investigate the effect of vibration on thermal performance. The results demonstrated that the optimal enhancement was achieved with mechanical vibration pulses at 82 Hz, improving efficiency by 91% and 86% with Al2O3/based acetone and CuO/based acetone, respectively. The enhancement percentage of effective heat transfer coefficient (EHTC) and convective heat transfer coefficient (CHTC) varied with solar intensity and vibration, with improvements ranging from 5 to 82% and 3–53%, 26–160% and 5–60%, and 6.5–140% and 6.5–54% for pure acetone, Al2O3, and CuO (0.5% vol) acetone-based nanofluids, respectively