Case-report: a case of peritoneal tuberculosis in young women without lung lesion

Scopul lucrării. Prezentarea unui caz dificil de diagnostic diferențiat cu stabilirea afecțiunii tuberculoase extrapulmonare peritoneale. Materiale și metode. Pacientă tânără fără semne de leziuni pulmonare și alte comorbidități, cu leziuni neclare peritoneale. Rezultate. A fost aplicat algoritmul complet de examinare pentru cancer ovarian și anume: analize clinice generale, ecografie transvaginala ale organelor bazinului mic, tomografie computerizată a toracelui, abdomenului si bazinului mic cu contrastare intravenoasă, rezonanță magnetică nucleară a bazinului mic cu contrastare intravenoasă, endoscopie digestivă superioară și inferioară, markerii tumorali CA 125, HE4, indicele ROMA, examenul citologic al lichidului ascitic. Diagnosticul definitivat după biopsie peritoneala în cadrul laparoscopiei diagnostice, examenul patomorfologic și imunohistochimic fiind unul de tuberculoza peritoneală. Concluzii. Procesul de diagnostic și apreciere a tacticii de tratament pacienților cu suspiciune de carcinomatoză peritoneală necesită abordare multidisciplinară și imperative sunt dependente de rezultatele examinărilor patomorfologice și imunohistochimice ale probelor bioptice.Aim of study. To demonstrate a diagnostically hard case of peritoneal tuberculosis without pulmonary manifestations. Materials and methods. We perform diagnostically hard cases of peritoneal tuberculosis in young women without pulmonary lesions or other comorbidities. Results. We performed a full plan of investigations that are typical for ovarian cancer. Clinical signs and investigations results were mostly corresponded to ovarian cancer: routine blood analyses, transvaginal US, CT of thorax, abdomen and pelvis with contrast, MRI of pelvis with contrast, video gastroscopy, video colonoscopy, markers CA 125, HE4, ROMA index, laparocentesis with cytological investigation of peritoneal fluid. The diagnosis was made only after diagnostic laparoscopy, random peritoneal biopsy and subsequent pathology and immunohistochemistry. Conclusions. All diagnosis for peritoneal canceromatosis and choice of treatment must be based on multidisciplinary approach and results of pathology and immunohistochemistry of peritoneal biopsies

Secondary debulking surgery for reccurent ovarian and Fallopian tube cancer. Case report and literature review

Scopul lucrării. Prezentarea managementului chirurgical al recidivei carcinomului ovarian și trompei uterine și compararea lui cu propriile noastre cazuri. Materiale și metode. Această analiză descrie cazurile din experiență proprie și examinează literatura electronică relevantă din bazele de date PubMed, MEDLINE, NCCN și ESMO din 2010 până în decembrie 2022. Rezultate. Discutăm cazul unei femei de 56 de ani cu recidiva de carcinom de trompa uterina, sensibil la a preparatele de platină și cazul unei femei de 51 de ani cu recidiva de carcinom ovarian, sensibil la preparatele de platină. Pacientele descrise prezintă boală în stadiu incipient: FIGO IC și respectiv FIGO 1A. În ambele cazuri, recidiva a apărut în decurs de 1,5 ani după intervenția chirurgicală primară, recidiva fiind confirmată prin RMN. Ambele paciente sunt supuse unei intervenții chirurgicale de citoredictia secundară (citoreducție optimă) după cure de chimioterapie adjuvantă. Discutăm despre prezentarea, investigarea și gestionarea recidivei cancerului ovarian și a trompei uterine și comparăm cu cazurile noastre proprii. Concluzii. În mod frecvent, recidiva cancerul ovarian și cancerului de trompe uterine apare la paciente supuse intervenției chirurgicale primare suboptimale. Este de preferat abordarea laparoscopică. Abordarea laparoscopică duce la spitalizare scurtă, scăderea sângerării, a disconfortului și duce la inițierea precoce a tratamentului medicamentos antiangiogenic (bevacizumab).Aim of study. To present the surgical management of recurrent ovarian and Fallopian tube carcinoma and compare it to our own cases. Materials and methods. This review demonstrates own experience cases and examines all the relevant electronic literature from the PubMed, MEDLINE, NCCN and ESMO databases from 2010 through December 2022. Results. We discuss the case of a 56-year-old woman with a Recurence Platinum-Sensitive Fallopian Tube Carcinoma and the case of a 51-year-old woman with a Recurence Platinum-Sensitive Ovarian Carcinoma. Described patients present with early-stage disease: FIGO IC and FIGO 1A respectively. In both cases recurrence occurred within 1,5 years after primary surgery, confirmed by MRI. Both patients undergo secondary laparoscopic debulking surgery (optimal cytoreduction) after adjuvant chemotherapy. We discuss the presentation, investigation and management of recurrent ovarian/Fallopian tube cancer and compare it to our own case. Conclusions. Commonly ovarian cancer and Fallopian tube cancer recurrence occurs in patients with suboptimal primary surgery. Laparoscopic approach is preferred. Laparoscopic approach leads to short hospital stay, decreasing blood loss, discomfort and early initiation of anti- angiogenic drug treatment (bevacizumab)

Electron Microscopy and Optical Characterization of Cadmium Sulphide Nanocrystals Deposited on the Patterned Surface of Diatom Biosilica

Intricately patterned biosilica obtained from the shell of unicellular algae called diatoms serve as novel templates for fabrication of optoelectronic nanostructures. In this study, the surface of diatom frustules that possessed hierarchical architecture ordered at the micro and nanoscale was coated with a nanostructured polycrystalline cadmium sulphide (CdS) thin film using a chemical bath deposition technique. The CdS thin film was composed of spherical nanoparticles with a diameter of about 75 nm. The CdS nanoparticle thin film imparted new photoluminescent properties to the intricately patterned diatom nanostructure. The imparted photoluminescent properties were dependent on the CdS coverage onto the frustules surface. The intrinsic photoluminescent properties of the frustules were strongly quenched by the deposited CdS. The origin of PL spectra was discussed on the basis of the band theory and native defects

CpeF is the Bilin Lyase that Ligates the Doubly Linked Phycoerythrobilin on Phycoerythrin in the Cyanobacterium Fremyella Diplosiphon

Phycoerythrin (PE) is a green light-absorbing protein present in the light-harvesting complex of cyanobacteria and red algae. The spectral characteristics of PE are due to its prosthetic groups, or phycoerythrobilins (PEBs), that are covalently attached to the protein chain by specific bilin lyases. Only two PE lyases have been identified and characterized so far, and the other bilin lyases are unknown. Here, using in silico analyses, markerless deletion, biochemical assays with purified and recombinant proteins, and site-directed mutagenesis, we examined the role of a putative lyase-encoding gene, cpeF, in the cyanobacterium Fremyella diplosiphon. Analyzing the phenotype of the cpeF deletion, we found that cpeF is required for proper PE biogenesis, specifically for ligation of the doubly linked PEB to Cys-48/Cys-59 residues of the CpeB subunit of PE. We also show that in a heterologous host, CpeF can attach PEB to Cys-48/Cys-59 of CpeB, but only in the presence of the chaperone-like protein CpeZ. Additionally, we report that CpeF likely ligates the A ring of PEB to Cys-48 prior to the attachment of the D ring to Cys-59. We conclude that CpeF is the bilin lyase responsible for attachment of the doubly ligated PEB to Cys-48/Cys-59 of CpeB and together with other specific bilin lyases contributes to the post-translational modification and assembly of PE into mature light-harvesting complexes

Clinical features and outcomes of patients with myasthenia gravis admitted to an intensive care unit: A 20-year retrospective study

Background. There are limited data on the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital (CMJAH). Objectives. The aim was to study the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with MG admitted to the CMJAH over two decades. Methods. A retrospective study was undertaken of patients with MG admitted to the multidisciplinary ICU of CMJAH over a 20-year period, from 1998 to 2017. Demographic data, clinical features, management and outcomes of patients were assessed and reviewed from the case records. Results. Thirty-four patients with MG were admitted to the ICU during this period: 24 female and 10 male. The mean age ± SD was 37.4 ± 13.0 years, with a range of 16 - 66 years. Four patients were human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive. The mean length of stay (LOS) in ICU was 10.6 ± 20.1 days, ranging from 1 to 115 days. Two patients were diagnosed with MG in the ICU after failure to wean from the ventilator. Overall, 22 patients were intubated and ventilated on admission. Morbidities included self-extubation, aspiration pneumonia and iatrogenic pneumothorax. History of thymectomy was present in 12 patients. The treatments received for MG included pyridostigmine (73.5%), corticosteroids (55.9%), azathioprine (35.3%), plasmapheresis (26.5%) and intravenous immunoglobulin (8.8%). The overall mortality in the ICU was 5.9%. Conclusion. MG is a serious disorder with considerable morbidity and mortality. It is, however, a potentially manageable disease, provided that appropriate ICU resources are available

Purification and Activity Testing of the Full-Length YycFGHI Proteins of Staphylococcus aureus

Background: The YycFG two-component regulatory system (TCS) of Staphylococcus aureus represents the only essential TCS that is almost ubiquitously distributed in Gram-positive bacteria with a low G+C-content. YycG (WalK/VicK) is a sensor histidine-kinase and YycF (WalR/VicR) is the cognate response regulator. Both proteins play an important role in the biosynthesis of the cell envelope and mutations in these proteins have been involved in development of vancomycin and daptomycin resistance. Methodology/Principal Findings: Here we present high yield expression and purification of the full-length YycG and YycF proteins as well as of the auxiliary proteins YycH and YycI of Staphylococcus aureus. Activity tests of the YycG kinase and a mutated version, that harbours an Y306N exchange in its cytoplasmic PAS domain, in a detergent-micelle-model and a phosholipid-liposome-model showed kinase activity (autophosphorylation and phosphoryl group transfer to YycF) only in the presence of elevated concentrations of alkali salts. A direct comparison of the activity of the kinases in the liposomemodel indicated a higher activity of the mutated YycG kinase. Further experiments indicated that YycG responds to fluidity changes in its microenvironment. Conclusions/Significance: The combination of high yield expression, purification and activity testing of membrane and membrane-associated proteins provides an excellent experimental basis for further protein-protein interaction studies an