Parathyroid Cyst: Differential Diagnosis

Parathyroid cysts are rare lesions of the cervical region and less frequently of the mediastinum. They occur mostly in women and are usually asymptomatic. They generally occur in the fourth and fifth decades of life and mainly are non-functioning. They commonly present as a neck mass that is found incidentally during surgery or in imaging test. Its importance lies in the difficulty in diagnosis, often confusing itself with thyroid pathology. The diagnosis is usually made intraoperatively, confirmed by histopathological examination.The aim of this paper is to report a case of parathyroid cyst that mimics a thyroid nodule.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Superficial Venous Aneurysms. Casuistic, Case Reports and Literature Review

Os aneurismas venosos são uma entidade patológica pouco frequente, embora a sua deteção possa vir a aumentar como consequência da crescente utilização do ecodoppler como meio complementar de diagnóstico. Podem apresentar-se, clinicamente, como massas dos tecidos moles, ocasionalmente simulando hérnia ou adenopatia da região inguinal, particularmente os que surgem no sistema venoso superficial dos membros inferiores. Estão descritos na literatura casos de aneurismas venosos superficiais associados a tromboembolismo pulmonar. Considerando a potencial morbimortalidade, a abordagem terapêutica é cirúrgica na maioria dos casos. Os autores apresentam a sua casuística de aneurismas venosos superficiais num período de 20 anos, três casos clínicos mais exemplificativos e fazem uma revisão da literatura.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Multi-tissue transcriptomic-informed in silico investigation of drugs for the treatment of dengue fever disease

Transcriptomics, proteomics and pathogen-host interactomics data are being explored for the in silico–informed selection of drugs, prior to their functional evaluation. The effectiveness of this kind of strategy has been put to the test in the current COVID-19 pandemic, and it has been paying off, leading to a few drugs being rapidly repurposed as treatment against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Several neglected tropical diseases, for which treatment remains unavailable, would benefit from informed in silico investigations of drugs, as performed in this work for Dengue fever disease. We analyzed transcriptomic data in the key tissues of liver, spleen and blood profiles and verified that despite transcriptomic differences due to tissue specialization, the common mechanisms of action, “Adrenergic receptor antagonist”, “ATPase inhibitor”, “NF-kB pathway inhibitor” and “Serotonin receptor antagonist”, were identified as druggable (e.g., oxprenolol, digoxin, auranofin and palonosetron, respectively) to oppose the effects of severe Dengue infection in these tissues. These are good candidates for future functional evaluation and clinical trials.Funding was provided by FEDER, Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional funds, through the COMPETE 2020, Competitiveness and Internationalization Operational Programme (POCI), Portugal 2020, and by Portuguese funds through FCT/Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação, in the framework of the project “Institute for Research and Innovation in Health Sciences” (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007274)

Expression and clinical relevance of SOX9 in gastric cancer

Gastric cancer is one of the most frequent tumours and the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. The investigation of new biomarkers that can predict patient outcome more accurately and allow better treatment and follow-up decisions is of crucial importance. SOX9 (sex-determining region Y (SRY)-box 9) is a regulator of cell fate decisions in embryogenesis and adulthood. Here, we sought to ascertain the relevance of SOX9 transcription factor as a prognostic marker in gastric cancer. SOX9 expression was analyzed by immunohistochemistry in 333 gastric adenocarcinoma cases, and its association with clinicopathological and follow-up data was evaluated. SOX9 nuclear expression was absent in 17% of gastric cancer cases and predicted worse disease-free survival (P = 0 03). SOX9 expression was associated with lower risk of relapse in Cox univariable analysis (HR = 0 58; 95% CI = 0 35-0.97; P = 0 04). The prognostic value of SOX9 was more pronounced in tumours with expansive growth (P = 0 01) or with venous invasion (P = 0 02). Two validation cohorts from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Asian Cancer Research Group (ACRG) confirmed that low SOX9 expression was significantly associated with poor patient outcome. In conclusion, we have identified SOX9 as a biomarker of disease relapse in gastric cancer patients. Further experiments are needed to elucidate its biological relevance at the cellular level.The authors wish to acknowledge the tumour and tissue bank at Hospital de São João for providing all the means to collect the human tissue samples included in this study. This work was supported by FEDER—Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional funds through the COMPETE 2020—Operacional Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalisation (POCI), Portugal 2020, and by Portuguese funds through FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia/Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação in the framework of the project “Institute for Research and Innovation in Health Sciences” (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007274). This work was also financed by the projects NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000003 (DOCnet) and NORTE-07-0124-FEDER-000029 supported by Norte Portugal Regional Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). BP and RB acknowledge FCT for financial support (grants SFRH/BPD/109794/2015 and SFRH/BPD/68276/2010, respectively)

Inhibition of CXCR2 Plays a Pivotal Role in Re-Sensitizing Ovarian Cancer to Cisplatin Treatment

cDNA microarray data conducted by our group revealed overexpression of CXCL2 and CXCL8 in ovarian cancer (OC) microenvironment. Herein, we have proven that the chemokine receptor, CXCR2, is a pivotal molecule in re-sensitizing OC to cisplatin, and its inhibition decreases cell proliferation, viability, tumor size in cisplatinresistant cells, as well as reversed the overexpression of mesenchymal epithelium transition markers. Altogether, our study indicates a central effect of CXCR2 in preventing tumor progression, due to acquisition of cisplatin chemoresistant phenotype by tumor cells, and patients’ high lethality rate. We found that the overexpression of CXCR2 by OC cells is persistent and anomalously confined to the cellular nuclei, thus pointing to an urge in developing highly lipophilic molecules that promptly permeate cells, bind to and inhibit nuclear CXCR2 to fight OC, instead of relying on the high-cost genetic engineered cells.acknowledge financial support from CAPES, FAPES and CNPq, as well as the Biotechnology Program/ RENORBIO from the Federal University of Espirito Santo, Espirito Santo, Brazil; Institute of Pathology and Molecular Immunology (IPATIMUP) and the Institute of Innovation and Health Research (I3s), Porto, Portugal

Blood sampling methodology is crucial for precise measurement of plasma catecholamines concentrations in mice.

Epinephrine (E) and norepinephrine (NE) play a major role in regulating metabolism and cardiovascular physiology. Both are secreted in response to stress and their measurement in plasma allows the study of sympathoadrenal function. Several studies investigating sympathoadrenal physiology are conducted using mice. Review of the literature revealed that basal mouse NE and E plasma concentrations range within 4-140 nM depending on the blood sampling method. Such variability doesn't allow study comparison and may conceal catecholamine variations in response to stress. Therefore, our aim was to determine a reliable sampling method to measure mouse plasma catecholamine concentrations. Results showed that arterial catheterization is the most accurate sampling method: E and NE basal levels were similar to those found in humans (1.1+/-0.3 nM and 4.1+/-0.5 nM, respectively). Retro-orbital bleeding led to analogous results. On the contrary, decapitation was stressful for mice and consequently NE and E concentrations were high (24.6+/-2.7 nM and 27.3+/-3.8 nM, respectively). These different bleeding methods were compared in terms of their ability to detect sympathoadrenal system stimulation (cold-pressure test). With catheter and retro-orbital samplings the expected increase in NE and E levels was easily perceived. In contrast, with decapitation no significant change in E was detected. In conclusion, arterial-catheter and retro-orbital blood sampling methods appear to be the most accurate procedures for studying the sympathetic nervous system in mice in both unstressed and stressed conditions

Antony and Cleopatra

Analysis done 199

BAD Plastics | Relato de uma atividade IBL sobre a problemática dos plásticos

A manutenção do equilíbrio dos oceanos é um desafio comum a várias nações do mundo, encarando-se como uma prioridade de ação por estes constituírem uma chave para o futuro (Parlamento Europeu, 2018). As escolas podem contribuir para esse desafio devido ao seu papel no desenvolvimento de competências dos alunos, levando-os a serem capazes de tomar decisões conhecedoras e prudentes em relação aos oceanos e aos seus recursos (Sea Change, 2015). No âmbito das unidades curriculares de Didática das Ciências Físico-Naturais II e Didática da Matemática II do curso de Mestrado em Ensino do 1º CEB e de Matemática e Ciências Naturais no 2º CEB, da Escola Superior de Educação de Santarém, foi implementada a proposta de trabalho CreativeLab_Sci&Math | BAD Plastics (Linhares & Cavadas, 2018), com o objetivo de contribuir para a formação das futuras professores sobre as causas, consequências e medidas de remediação da poluição por plástico e microplástico no meio ambiente.N/

Cardiovascular effects of fentanyl in conscious rats

The polymicrobial sepsis induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) in the rat is widely used in shock research. For ethical reasons, narcotic analgesics are often administered in this model, with the potential risk of confounding effects. In conscious non-septic rats, we investigated the cardiovascular effects of a continuous i.v. infusion of fentanyl (20 microg/kg per h) administered with fluid loading (10 ml/kg per h) for 24 h, a regimen commonly applied in rat CLP. Animals were randomly allocated to receive analgesia with fluid loading (Fentanyl group), or fluid loading alone (Control). All endpoints were assessed after 24 h of infusion. At that time, Control animals had mild respiratory alkalosis, which was essentially abolished by fentanyl. Analgesia mildly elevated the plasma norepinephrine levels [median (interquartile range): Control 232 pg/ml (0-292), Fentanyl 302 pg/ml (234-676), P=0.045] but was devoid of any effect on blood pressure, heart rate, cardiac output (mean +/-SD: Control 388+/-61 ml/kg per min, Fentanyl 382+/-62 ml/kg per min, P=0.87) and indices of left ventricular function derived from high-fidelity recordings of left ventricular pressure (dP/dtmax: Control 11782+/-2324 mmHg/s, Fentanyl 12107+/-2816 mmHg/s, P=0.77). In ex vivo experiments carried out immediately after animal sacrifice, no differences were noted between the Control and Fentanyl groups in the sensitivity of endothelium-intact aortic rings to norepinephrine-induced vasoconstriction (-logEC50: Control 8.78+/-0.28, Fentanyl 8.83+/-0.26, P=0.52) or acetylcholine-induced vasodilatation (-logEC50: Control 7.00+/-0.37, Fentanyl 7.06+/-0.26+/-0.53, P=0.75). In conclusion, the present data provide no contraindication, and even some support for the ethical use of a high dose i.v. infusion of fentanyl in cardiovascular studies of conscious catheterized rats undergoing CLP or other painful procedures

Surgical management of a diabetic calcaneal ulceration and osteomyelitis with a partial calcanectomy and a sural neurofasciocutaneous flap

The treatment of calcaneal osteomyelitis in diabetic patients poses a great challenge to the treating physician and surgeon. The use of a distally based sural neurofasciocutaneous flap after an aggressive debridement of non-viable and poorly vascularized tissue and bone that is combined with a thorough antibiotic regimen provides a great technique for adequate soft tissue coverage of the heel. In this case report, the authors describe the aforementioned flap as a versatile alternative to the use of local or distant muscle flaps for diabetic patients with calcaneal osteomyelitis and concomitant large wounds