Polymorphous low-grade adenocarcinoma of the tongue: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Polymorphous low-grade adenocarcinoma is a distinct neoplasm of the salivary gland composed of luminal and non-luminal tumor cells admixed in varying proportions. Its resemblance to lobular carcinoma of the breast had led to its earlier nomenclature of 'terminal duct carcinoma'. Most patients present with an asymptomatic mass in the hard palate. In rare cases, the mass can also occur in the tongue. We report an unusual case of polymorphous low-grade adenocarcinoma at the base of tongue.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 47-year-old Asian Caucasian woman presented with a painless swelling at the right lateral border of the tongue with an intact overlying mucosa. There were no other associated complaints. The lesion was excised and subjected to histopathological examination that revealed an interesting and unusual morphology of polymorphous low-grade adenocarcinoma.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Polymorphous low-grade adenocarcinoma is a well-defined entity in the minor salivary glands. Its occurrence in the tongue is rare with very few cases reported in the literature. It is a malignant neoplasm with low aggressiveness and it is thus important to identify and treat it accordingly.</p

Podoplanin expression in fibroblasts determines lymph node architecture and adaptive immune function

Lymph nodes are uniquely organised to form specialised niches for immune interactions. Fibroblastic reticular cells (FRCs) are an essential stromal component of lymph nodes – forming intricate 3-dimensional networks to facilitate communication between immune cells and depositing and ensheathing extracellular matrix on the conduit network. However, beyond these structural roles, FRCs regulate immune function through the production of growth factors, chemokines and inflammatory cues. Here we sought to determine how the immunoregulatory properties of FRCs are determined. Since PDPN has been implicated in lymph node development, we directly tested how the PDPN/CLEC-2 signalling axis impacted the immunoregulatory properties of FRCs in vitro and in vivo. We find that FRCs use the PDPN/CLEC-2 signalling axis to switch transcriptional states and alter the expression of immune related genes. In vivo, genetic deletion of PDPN from fibroblastic stroma in PDGFRαmGFPΔPDPN mice downregulated key immunoregulatory molecules CCL21, VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 and attenuated the activation, proliferation and differentiation of lymphocyte populations. Further, PDGFRαmGFPΔPDPN mice exhibited severe disruption of the FRC network structure, leading to a failure to separate B and T lymphocytes and misdistribution of myeloid cells through the tissue. We conclude that PDPN expression controls signalling pathways beyond cytoskeletal regulation and cell mechanics and that PDPN expression is required for FRC phenotype and function in lymph nodes

Laser cooling of a diatomic molecule

It has been roughly three decades since laser cooling techniques produced ultracold atoms, leading to rapid advances in a vast array of fields. Unfortunately laser cooling has not yet been extended to molecules because of their complex internal structure. However, this complexity makes molecules potentially useful for many applications. For example, heteronuclear molecules possess permanent electric dipole moments which lead to long-range, tunable, anisotropic dipole-dipole interactions. The combination of the dipole-dipole interaction and the precise control over molecular degrees of freedom possible at ultracold temperatures make ultracold molecules attractive candidates for use in quantum simulation of condensed matter systems and quantum computation. Also ultracold molecules may provide unique opportunities for studying chemical dynamics and for tests of fundamental symmetries. Here we experimentally demonstrate laser cooling of the molecule strontium monofluoride (SrF). Using an optical cycling scheme requiring only three lasers, we have observed both Sisyphus and Doppler cooling forces which have substantially reduced the transverse temperature of a SrF molecular beam. Currently the only technique for producing ultracold molecules is by binding together ultracold alkali atoms through Feshbach resonance or photoassociation. By contrast, different proposed applications for ultracold molecules require a variety of molecular energy-level structures. Our method provides a new route to ultracold temperatures for molecules. In particular it bridges the gap between ultracold temperatures and the ~1 K temperatures attainable with directly cooled molecules (e.g. cryogenic buffer gas cooling or decelerated supersonic beams). Ultimately our technique should enable the production of large samples of molecules at ultracold temperatures for species that are chemically distinct from bialkalis.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figure

Over 1000 genetic loci influencing blood pressure with multiple systems and tissues implicated.

High blood pressure (BP) remains the major heritable and modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Persistent high BP, or hypertension, is a complex trait with both genetic and environmental interactions. Despite swift advances in genomics, translating new discoveries to further our understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms remains a challenge. More than 500 loci implicated in the regulation of BP have been revealed by genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in 2018 alone, taking the total number of BP genetic loci to over 1000. Even with the large number of loci now associated to BP, the genetic variance explained by all loci together remains low (~5.7%). These genetic associations have elucidated mechanisms and pathways regulating BP, highlighting potential new therapeutic and drug repurposing targets. A large proportion of the BP loci were discovered and reported simultaneously by multiple research groups, creating a knowledge gap, where the reported loci to date have not been investigated in a harmonious way. Here, we review the BP-associated genetic variants reported across GWAS studies and investigate their potential impact on the biological systems using in silico enrichment analyses for pathways, tissues, gene ontology and genetic pleiotropy

Sisyphus Cooling of Electrically Trapped Polyatomic Molecules

The rich internal structure and long-range dipole-dipole interactions establish polar molecules as unique instruments for quantum-controlled applications and fundamental investigations. Their potential fully unfolds at ultracold temperatures, where a plethora of effects is predicted in many-body physics, quantum information science, ultracold chemistry, and physics beyond the standard model. These objectives have inspired the development of a wide range of methods to produce cold molecular ensembles. However, cooling polyatomic molecules to ultracold temperatures has until now seemed intractable. Here we report on the experimental realization of opto-electrical cooling, a paradigm-changing cooling and accumulation method for polar molecules. Its key attribute is the removal of a large fraction of a molecule's kinetic energy in each step of the cooling cycle via a Sisyphus effect, allowing cooling with only few dissipative decay processes. We demonstrate its potential by reducing the temperature of about 10^6 trapped CH_3F molecules by a factor of 13.5, with the phase-space density increased by a factor of 29 or a factor of 70 discounting trap losses. In contrast to other cooling mechanisms, our scheme proceeds in a trap, cools in all three dimensions, and works for a large variety of polar molecules. With no fundamental temperature limit anticipated down to the photon-recoil temperature in the nanokelvin range, our method eliminates the primary hurdle in producing ultracold polyatomic molecules. The low temperatures, large molecule numbers and long trapping times up to 27 s will allow an interaction-dominated regime to be attained, enabling collision studies and investigation of evaporative cooling toward a BEC of polyatomic molecules

In vitro test of external Qigong

BACKGROUND: Practitioners of the alternative medical practice 'external Qigong' generally claim the ability to emit or direct "healing energy" to treat patients. We investigated the ability of experienced Qigong practitioners to enhance the healthy growth of cultured human cells in a series of studies, each following a rigorously designed protocol with randomization, blinding and controls for variability. METHODS: Qigong practitioners directed healing intentionality toward normal brain cell cultures in a basic science laboratory. Qigong treatments were delivered for 20 minutes from a minimum distance of 10 centimeters. Cell proliferation was measured by a standard colony-forming efficiency (CFE) assay and a CFE ratio (CFE for treated samples/CFE for sham samples) was the dependent measure for each experiment. RESULTS: During a pilot study (8 experiments), a trend of increased cell proliferation in Qigong-treated samples (CFE Qigong/sham ratios > 1.0) was observed (P = 0.162). In a formal study (28 experiments), a similar trend was observed, with Qigong-treated samples showing on average more colony formation than sham samples (P = 0.036). In a replication study (60 experiments), no significant difference between Qigong-treated samples and sham samples was observed (P = 0.465). CONCLUSION: We observed an apparent increase in the proliferation of cultured cells following external Qigong treatment by practitioners under strictly controlled conditions, but we did not observe this effect in a replication study. These results suggest the need for more controlled and thorough investigation of external Qigong before scientific validation is claimed

Tissue-Informative Mechanism for Wearable Non-invasive Continuous Blood Pressure Monitoring

Accurate continuous direct measurement of the blood pressure is currently available thru direct invasive methods via intravascular needles, and is mostly limited to use during surgical procedures or in the intensive care unit (ICU). Non-invasive methods that are mostly based on auscultation or cuff oscillometric principles do provide relatively accurate measurement of blood pressure. However, they mostly involve physical inconveniences such as pressure or stress on the human body. Here, we introduce a new non-invasive mechanism of tissue-informative measurement, where an experimental phenomenon called subcutaneous tissue pressure equilibrium is revealed and related for application in detection of absolute blood pressure. A prototype was experimentally verified to provide an absolute blood pressure measurement by wearing a watch-type measurement module that does not cause any discomfort. This work is supposed to contribute remarkably to the advancement of continuous non-invasive mobile devices for 24-7 daily-life ambulatory blood-pressure monitoring.open

Dyadic adjustment, family coping, body image, quality of life and psychological morbidity in patients with psoriasis and their partners

Background Psoriasis is an incurable and chronic disease that includes unpredictable periods of remission and relapse requiring long-term therapy. Purpose This paper focuses on the relationship among family coping, psychological morbidity, body image, dyadic adjustment and quality of life in psoriatic patients and their partners. Method One hundred and one patients with psoriasis and 78 partners comprised the sample. They were regular users of the Dermatology Service of a Central Northern hospital in Portugal and a private dermatology clinic. Patients with psoriasis were assessed on anxiety, depression, body image, quality of life, dyadic adjustment and family coping. Partners were assessed on the same measures except body image and quality of life. Results A positive relationship among dyadic adjustment, psychological morbidity and family coping in patients and their partners was found. Also, patients with lower levels of quality of life had partners with higher levels of depressive and anxious symptoms. Better dyadic adjustment predicted family coping in the psoriatic patient. High levels of dyadic adjustment in patients and low partners’ trait anxiety predicted better dyadic adjustment in partners. Conclusion The results highlight the importance of incorporating family variables in psychological interventions in psoriasis’ care, particularly family coping and dyadic adjustment as well as the need for psychological intervention to focus both on patients and partners

Caterpillars and fungal pathogens: two co-occurring parasites of an ant-plant mutualism

In mutualisms, each interacting species obtains resources from its partner that it would obtain less efficiently if alone, and so derives a net fitness benefit. In exchange for shelter (domatia) and food, mutualistic plant-ants protect their host myrmecophytes from herbivores, encroaching vines and fungal pathogens. Although selective filters enable myrmecophytes to host those ant species most favorable to their fitness, some insects can by-pass these filters, exploiting the rewards supplied whilst providing nothing in return. This is the case in French Guiana for Cecropia obtusa (Cecropiaceae) as Pseudocabima guianalis caterpillars (Lepidoptera, Pyralidae) can colonize saplings before the installation of their mutualistic Azteca ants. The caterpillars shelter in the domatia and feed on food bodies (FBs) whose production increases as a result. They delay colonization by ants by weaving a silk shield above the youngest trichilium, where the FBs are produced, blocking access to them. This probable temporal priority effect also allows female moths to lay new eggs on trees that already shelter caterpillars, and so to occupy the niche longer and exploit Cecropia resources before colonization by ants. However, once incipient ant colonies are able to develop, they prevent further colonization by the caterpillars. Although no higher herbivory rates were noted, these caterpillars are ineffective in protecting their host trees from a pathogenic fungus, Fusarium moniliforme (Deuteromycetes), that develops on the trichilium in the absence of mutualistic ants. Therefore, the Cecropia treelets can be parasitized by two often overlooked species: the caterpillars that shelter in the domatia and feed on FBs, delaying colonization by mutualistic ants, and the fungal pathogen that develops on old trichilia. The cost of greater FB production plus the presence of the pathogenic fungus likely affect tree growth