Peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumor associated with paraneoplastic Cushing's syndrome: The rare case

Introduction: Primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNET) form a group of tumors defined by their appearance that are thought to develop from primitive (undifferentiated) nerve cells in the brain. They are rare tumors and their incidence is not well defined. Case presentation: An 18-month-old male presenting with typical Cushingoid appearance (moon face, central obesity, hirsutism and growth arrest) was admitted for evaluation of endocrine problems. Subsequent laboratory studies revealed markedly elevated adrenocorticotropic (ACTH) and cortisol levels, as well as a hypokalemic metabolic alkalosis, these data are consistent with the diagnosis of Cushing's disease. He was treated with metyrapone to control hypercortisolemia. One month and a half later, a mass was detected in the abdomen by ultrasonography. An abdominal Computed tomography confirmed a large heterogeneous retroperitoneal mass with a significant amount of extension into surrounding structures which was removed by laparoscopic abdominal surgery. The patient's symptoms completely resolved and the ACTH and cortisol levels were also greatly reduced. Histologically, the tumor tissue consistent with the diagnosis of the retroperitoneal primitive neuroectodermal tumor which was confirmed immunohistochemically. This case demonstrates the successful diagnosis and treatment of a rare neoplasm. Conclusion: This is the first rare case with ectopic ACTH syndrome caused by the peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumor. © 201

Identification of polymorphism in promoter region of growth hormone receptor (GHR) gene and its association with milk related traits in Holstein cows

It is widely accepted that hormones, growth factors and other agents exert their biological effects on target tissues by binding to specific receptors on the plasma membrane. The variability in constituent sequences of growth hormone receptor (GHR) gene is very important because of its major role in mammary gland development. The aim of the present study is to detect polymorphism in promoter region of GHR gene and its association with milk related traits in Holstein cows. Blood samples were randomly collected from 93 Holstein cows, transported to the laboratory and stored at -20°C for further analysis. DNA was extracted using modified salting-out method and a fragment of 836 base pair from promoter region of GHR gene was amplified by a specific primer pairs using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The PCR products were digested by AluI restriction enzyme and electrophoresed on 2% agarose gel. Result of enzyme digestion for GHR gene, showed allele AluI(-) with the fragment sizes of 14, 75 and 747, and allele AluI(+) with the fragment sizes of 14, 75, 145 and 602 base pairs. Frequency estimation of AluI(-) and AluI(+) alleles were 56 and 44%, respectively, and mean of heterozygosity was 0.49. Statistical analysis showed that cows with AluI(+) allele had significantly higher milk protein and fat percentage at first lactation compared with cows with AluI(-/-), while there was no significant relation between different genotypes and other traits.Keywords: Growth hormone receptor, polymorphism, milk, HolsteinAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 9(33), pp. 5460-5464, 16 August, 201

Noscapine modulates neuronal response to oxygen-glucose deprivation/reperfusion injury via activation of sigma-1 receptor in primary cortical cultures

In the present study, we investigated the effects of noscapine (0.5-2 μM), an alkaloid from the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum), on primary murine cortical neurons exposed to 60 min oxygen�glucose deprivation (OGD) in the presence of 5 μM BD-1047, a selective sigma-1 receptor antagonist. The experiments were performed on cortical neurons after 11�16 days of culture. To initiate oxygen�glucose deprivation, the culture medium was transferred to glucosefree DMEM, and placed in a humidified incubation chamber containing a mixture of 95 N2 and 5 CO2 at 37 °C for 60 min. In order to explore the effect on neurons under oxygen�glucose deprivation in this condition, some cultures were pretreated with noscapine and BD1047 together, 24 h prior to OGD followed by 24 h recovery. Cell viability, nitric oxide (NO) production and intracellular calcium concentration (Ca2+i) levels were evaluated by MTT assay, the modified Griess method, and Fura-2, respectively. Pretreatment of the cultures with noscapine in the presence of BD1047 significantly increased cell viability and decreased NO generation in a dosedependent manner compared to BD1047 alone. Pretreatment with 2 μM noscapine and BD-1047 was shown to decrease the rise in Ca2+i induced by sodium azide (NaN3) and glucose deprivation. We concluded that noscapine in the presence of BD1047 could protect primary cortical neurons after oxygen�glucose deprivation-induced cell injury but this effect was not complete. Our results indicate that neuroprotective effects of noscapine could be mediated partially through activation of sigma-1 receptor and by decreasing NO production and Ca2+i levels. © 2020, Iranian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research. All rights reserved

A simplified model for calculating atmospheric radionuclide transport and early health effects from nuclear reactor accidents

During certain hypothetical severe accidents in a nuclear power plant, radionuclides could be released to the environment as a plume. Prediction of the atmospheric dispersion and transport of these radionuclides is important for assessment of the risk to the public from such accidents. A simplified PC-based model was developed that predicts time-integrated air concentration of each radionuclide at any location from release as a function of time integrated source strength using the Gaussian plume model. The solution procedure involves direct analytic integration of air concentration equations over time and position, using simplified meteorology. The formulation allows for dry and wet deposition, radioactive decay and daughter buildup, reactor building wake effects, the inversion lid effect, plume rise due to buoyancy or momentum, release duration, and grass height. Based on air and ground concentrations of the radionuclides, the early dose to an individual is calculated via cloudshine, groundshine, and inhalation. The model also calculates early health effects based on the doses. This paper presents aspects of the model that would be of interest to the prediction of environmental flows and their public consequences

Nasal Glioma: Prenatal Diagnosis and Multidisciplinary Surgical Approach

Nasal gliomas are congenital, nonmalignant rests of neuroglial tissue that typically present as a craniofacial mass. The differential diagnosis of such masses includes lesions that often require the involvement of various surgical subspecialties, including otolaryngology, neurosurgery, plastic surgery, and ophthalmology. Early surgical excision of these masses is advised to minimize nasal and craniofacial distortion. Accordingly, early diagnosis and management planning are paramount, and advances in prenatal imaging are creating a new role for obstetricians and radiologists in the initiation of diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. We describe the case history of a young patient found to have a craniofacial mass on routine prenatal ultrasound and subsequently managed with a multidisciplinary team approach

Optimizing psma radioligand therapy for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. A systematic review and meta-analysis

The aim of the review was to evaluate patient and treatment characteristics for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) treated with PSMA radioligand therapy (PRLT) associated with above-average outcome. The systematic review and meta-analysis followed recommendations by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA). We searched for publications in PubMed, Embase, and ClinicalTrials.gov up to 31 September 2020. Thirty-six publications and four duplicates reported 2346 patients. Nearly two-thirds of the patients had bone metastases. Median overall survival (OS) was 16 months. Asymptomatic patients and patients with only lymph node metastases lived longer than symptomatic patients and patients with more extensive metastases. Patients treated with an intensified schedule of177Lu PRLT lived longer than those treated with a conventional schedule. Half of the patients obtained a PSA decline ≥ 50% and these patients lived longer than those with less PSA decline. Approximately 10% of the patients developed hematologic toxicity with anemia grade 3 as the most severe adverse effect. Characteristics for patients, cancer, restaging, and PRLT predict above average overall survival following treatment with PRLT

The effect of noscapine on oxygen-glucose deprivation on primary murine cortical neurons in high glucose condition

In the present work we set out to investigate the neuroprotective effects of noscapine (0.52 µM) in presence of D-glucose on primary murine foetal cortical neurons after oxygen� glucose deprivation/24 h. recovery. Cell viability, nitric oxide production and intracellular calcium ((ca2+)i) levels were evaluated by MTT assay, the modified Griess method and Fura-2 respectively. 25 and 100 mM D-glucose could, in a concentration dependent manner, improve cell viability and decrease NO production and (ca2+)i level in neuronal cells after ischemic insult. Moreover, pre-incubation of cells with noscapine, noticeably enhanced protective effects of 25 and 100 mM D-glucose compared to similar conditions without noscapine pretreatment. In fact, noscapine attenuated NO production in a dose-dependent fashion, after 30 minutes (min) OGD, during high-glucose (HG) condition in cortical neurons. Pretreatment with 2 μM noscapine and 25 or 100 mM D-glucose, was shown to decrease the rise in (ca2+) induced by Sodium azide/glucose deprivation (chemical OGD) model. These effects were morei pronounced than that of 25 or 100 mM D-glucose alone. The present study demonstrated that the neuroprotective effects of HG before an ischemic insult were augmented by pre-treatment with noscapine. Our results also suggested that the neuroprotection offered by both HG and noscapine involve attenuation of NO production and (ca2+)i levels stimulated by the experimental ischemia in cortical neurons. © 2016 by School of Pharmacy

Deuteron-Proton Elastic Scattering at Intermediate Energies

The deuteron-proton elastic scattering has been studied in the multiple scattering expansion formalism. The essential attention has been given to such relativistic problem as a deuteron wave function in a moving frame and transformation of spin states due to Wigner rotation. Parameterization of the nucleon-nucleon $t$-matrix has been used to take the off-energy shell effects into account. The vector, $A_y,$ and tensor, $A_{yy}$, analyzing powers of the deuteron have been calculated at two deuteron kinetic energies: 395 MeV and 1200 MeV. The obtained results are compared with the experimental data

Dilatation tracheoscopy for laryngeal and tracheal stenosis in patients with Wegener’s granulomatosis

Wegener’s granulomatosis (WG) frequently involves the subglottis and trachea and may compromise the upper airway. The objective of this study is to evaluate retrospectively the effect of treatment of subglottic stenosis (SGS) and tracheal stenosis (TS) by dilatation tracheoscopy (DT) in patients with WG. We performed a cohort study on all patients who underwent DT between February 2001 and September 2005 in our institution. From this cohort we identified a total of nine WG patients. In all patients, clinical, serological and histopathological data had been prospectively collected by a standardized protocol from the time point of diagnosis. In the nine patients that were identified with SGS or TS due to WG (eight women and one man), a total of 22 DT’s were performed. Two patients needed a tracheostoma (one temporarily). The mean follow-up after the first DT was 25.4 ± 14.1 months. Two patients did not experience a recurrence of SGS or TS. Six patients required a second DT without recurrence of local disease. The remaining patient underwent 8 DT's in a 4-year period. DT can offer a simple and repeatable solution to SGS and TS due to WG. Seven of the nine patients required more than one dilatation and some patients experience a functional restriction. One patient has a definitive tracheostoma