Sclerosing Encapsulating Peritonitis (Abdominal Cocoon) after Abdominal Hysterectomy

Sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis (SEP) is a poorly understood and rarely documented cause of small bowel obstruction. Although recurrent peritonitis has been reported as the main contributory factor leading to secondary SEP, the pathogenesis of primary (idiopathic) SEP is still uncertain

Synchronous double primary cancers associated with a choledochal cyst and anomalous pancreaticobiliary ductal union

A 60-year-old female was admitted with epigastric pain lasting a month. Preoperative diagnosis was choledochal cyst with anomalous pancreaticobiliaryductal union (APBDU), C-P type. A papillary mass measuring 2.5 × 1.9 cm was found adjacent to the pancreaticocholedochal junction. Gallbladder (GB) cancer was also observed. Pyloric-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy (PPPD) was performed. The patient received adjuvant chemotherapy/radiation therapy on the tumor bed. The gallbladder cancer showed serosal invasion, while the bile duct cancer extended into the pancreas. Although common bile duct (CBD) cancer lesion showed focally positive for p53 and the gallbladder cancer lesion showed negative for p53, the Ki-67 labeling index of the CBD cancer and GB cancer were about 10% and 30%, respectively. Nine months after curative resection, a stricture on the subhepatic colon developed due to adjuvant radiation therapy. Localized peritoneal seedings were incidentally found during a right hemicolectomy. The patient underwent chemotherapy and had no evidence of tumor recurrence for two years after PPPD

The recent advances in scaffolds for integrated periodontal regeneration

The periodontium is an integrated, functional unit of multiple tissues surrounding and supporting the tooth, including but not limited to cementum (CM), periodontal ligament (PDL) and alveolar bone (AB). Periodontal tissues can be destructed by chronic periodontal disease, which can lead to tooth loss. In support of the treatment for periodontally diseased tooth, various biomaterials have been applied starting as a contact inhibition membrane in the guided tissue regeneration (GTR) that is the current gold standard in dental clinic. Recently, various biomaterials have been prepared in a form of tissue engineering scaffold to facilitate the regeneration of damaged periodontal tissues. From a physical substrate to support healing of a single type of periodontal tissue to multi-phase/bioactive scaffold system to guide an integrated regeneration of periodontium, technologies for scaffold fabrication have emerged in last years. This review covers the recent advancements in development of scaffolds designed for periodontal tissue regeneration and their efficacy tested in vitro and in vivo. Pros and Cons of different biomaterials and design parameters implemented for periodontal tissue regeneration are also discussed, including future perspectives

Role of a 193 nm ArF Excimer Laser in Laser-Assisted Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition of SiNx for Low Temperature Thin Film Encapsulation

In this study, silicon nitride thin films are deposited on organic polyethylene-naphthalate (PEN) substrates by laser assisted plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (LAPECVD) at a low temperature (150 °C) for the purpose of evaluating the encapsulation performance. A plasma generator is placed above the sample stage as conventional plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) configuration, and the excimer laser beam of 193 nm wavelength illuminated in parallel to the sample surface is coupled to the reaction zone between the sample and plasma source. Major roles of the laser illumination in LAPECVD process are to compete with or complement the plasma decomposition of reactant gases. While a laser mainly decomposes ammonia molecules in the plasma, it also contributes to the photolysis of silane in the plasma state, possibly through the resulting hydrogen radicals and the excitation of intermediate disilane products. It will also be shown that the LAPECVD with coupled laser illumination of 193 nm wavelength improves the deposition rate of silicon nitride thin film, and the encapsulation performance evaluated via the measurement of water vapor transmission rate (WVTR)

Insulin secretion and insulin resistance in Korean women with gestational diabetes mellitus and impaired glucose tolerance

Background/Aims: The aim was to compare the insulin sensitivity and secretion index of pregnant Korean women with normal glucose tolerance (NGT), gestational impaired glucose tolerance (GIGT; only one abnormal value according to the Carpenter and Coustan criteria), and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed with 1,163 pregnant women with positive (1-hour plasma glucose ≥ 7.2 mmol/L) in a 50-g oral glucose challenge test (OGCT). The 100-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was used to stratify the participants into three groups: NGT (n = 588), GIGT (n = 294), and GDM (n = 281). Results: The GDM group had higher homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance and lower insulin sensitivity index (IS OGTT ), quantitative insulin sensitivity check index, homeostasis model assessment for estimation of index β-cell secretion (HOMA-B), first and second phase insulin secretion, and insulin secretion-sensitivity index (ISSI) than the NGT group (p ≤ 0.001 for all). Moreover, the GIGT group had lower IS OGTT , HOMA-B, first and second phase insulin secretion, and ISSI than the NGT group (p < 0.001 for all). Among the GIGT subjects, the 1-hour plasma glucose abnormal levels group showed significantly greater weight gain during pregnancy and higher values in the 50-g OGCT than the other two groups. Moreover, the 1-hour and 2-hour abnormal levels groups had poorer insulin secretion status than the 3-hour abnormal levels group. Conclusions: Korean women with GDM show impairments of both insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity. In addition, GIGT is associated with both β-cell dysfunction and insulin resistance. Keyword

Unidirectional spin Hall magnetoresistance in epitaxial Cr/Fe bilayer from electron-magnon scattering

Unidirectional Spin Hall magnetoresistance (USMR) is a non-linear phenomenon recently observed in ferromagnet (FM)/nonmagnetic metal (NM) bilayer structures. Two very different mechanisms of USMR have been proposed; one relies on the current-direction-dependence of electron-magnon scattering in a FM layer, and the other on the current-direction-dependence of the spin accumulation at the FM/NM interface. In this study, we investigate the USMR in epitaxial Cr/Fe bilayers finding that the USMR is significantly enhanced when the Fe magnetization is aligned to a particular crystallographic direction where the magnon magnetoresistance (MMR) by the electron-magnon scattering becomes stronger. This highlights the importance of the electron-magnon scattering for the understanding of USMR in Cr/Fe bilayers. Our result also suggests a route to enhance the efficiency of magnon generation in the magnonic devices. Lastly, we discuss the Ising-type spin exchange as a possible origin of the crystallographic direction dependences of the USMR and the MMR. Unidirectional spin Hall magnetoresistance (USMR) is a directionally dependent feature of a ferromagnetic/normal metal bilayer for which the underlying mechanisms are still under debate. Here, the authors investigate the crystallographic dependence of USMR in epitaxial Cr/Fe bilayers finding that electron-magnon scattering plays an important role.11Nsciescopu

A UDP-X Diphosphatase from <i>Streptococcus pneumoniae</i> Hydrolyzes Precursors of Peptidoglycan Biosynthesis

<div><p>The gene for a Nudix enzyme (<i>SP_1669</i>) was found to code for a UDP-X diphosphatase. The <i>SP_1669</i> gene is localized among genes encoding proteins that participate in cell division in <i>Streptococcus pneumoniae.</i> One of these genes, <i>MurF</i>, encodes an enzyme that catalyzes the last step of the Mur pathway of peptidoglycan biosynthesis. Mur pathway substrates are all derived from UDP-glucosamine and all are potential Nudix substrates. We showed that UDP-X diphosphatase can hydrolyze the Mur pathway substrates UDP-N-acetylmuramic acid and UDP-N-acetylmuramoyl-L-alanine. The 1.39 Å resolution crystal structure of this enzyme shows that it folds as an asymmetric homodimer with two distinct active sites, each containing elements of the conserved Nudix box sequence. In addition to its Nudix catalytic activity, the enzyme has a 3′5′ RNA exonuclease activity. We propose that the structural asymmetry in UDP-X diphosphatase facilitates the recognition of these two distinct classes of substrates, Nudix substrates and RNA. UDP-X diphosphatase is a prototype of a new family of Nudix enzymes with unique structural characteristics: two monomers, each consisting of an N-terminal helix bundle domain and a C-terminal Nudix domain, form an asymmetric dimer with two distinct active sites. These enzymes function to hydrolyze bacterial cell wall precursors and degrade RNA.</p></div