Ovarian leydig cell hyperplasia: an unusual case of virilization in a postmenopausal woman.

Objective. To report an unusual case of ovarian Leydig cell hyperplasia resulting in virilization in a postmenopausal woman. Methods. Patient\u27s medical history and pertinent literature were reviewed. Results. A 64-year-old woman presented with virilization with worsening hirsutism, deepening of her voice, male musculature, and male pattern alopecia. Her pertinent past medical history included type 1 diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension. Her pertinent past surgical history included hysterectomy due to fibroids. On further work-up, her serum total testosterone was 506 ng/dL (nl range: 2-45) and free testosterone was 40 pg/mL (nl range: 0.1-6.4). After ruling out adrenal causes, the patient underwent an empiric bilateral oophorectomy that showed Leydig cell hyperplasia on pathology. Six weeks postoperatively, serum testosterone was undetectable with significant clinical improvement. Conclusion. Postmenopausal hyperandrogenism can be the result of numerous etiologies ranging from normal physiologic changes to ovarian or rarely adrenal tumors. Our patient was found to have Leydig cell hyperplasia of her ovaries, a rarely reported cause of virilization

The Guinea Pig as a model for sporadic Alzheimer's Disease (AD): the impact of cholesterol intake on expression of AD-related genes

Extent: 12p.We investigated the guinea pig, Cavia porcellus, as a model for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), both in terms of the conservation of genes involved in AD and the regulatory responses of these to a known AD risk factor - high cholesterol intake. Unlike rats and mice, guinea pigs possess an Aβ peptide sequence identical to human Aβ. Consistent with the commonality between cardiovascular and AD risk factors in humans, we saw that a high cholesterol diet leads to up-regulation of BACE1 (β-secretase) transcription and down-regulation of ADAM10 (α-secretase) transcription which should increase release of Aβ from APP. Significantly, guinea pigs possess isoforms of AD-related genes found in humans but not present in mice or rats. For example, we discovered that the truncated PS2V isoform of human PSEN2, that is found at raised levels in AD brains and that increases γ-secretase activity and Aβ synthesis, is not uniquely human or aberrant as previously believed. We show that PS2V formation is up-regulated by hypoxia and a high-cholesterol diet while, consistent with observations in humans, Aβ concentrations are raised in some brain regions but not others. Also like humans, but unlike mice, the guinea pig gene encoding tau, MAPT, encodes isoforms with both three and four microtubule binding domains, and cholesterol alters the ratio of these isoforms. We conclude that AD-related genes are highly conserved and more similar to human than the rat or mouse. Guinea pigs represent a superior rodent model for analysis of the impact of dietary factors such as cholesterol on the regulation of AD-related genes.Mathew J. Sharman, Seyyed H. Moussavi Nik, Mengqi M. Chen, Daniel Ong, Linda Wijaya, Simon M. Laws, Kevin Taddei, Morgan Newman, Michael Lardelli, Ralph N. Martins, Giuseppe Verdil

Longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis (LETM) following varicella infection in a 13-year immunocompetent child: A case report

Varicella infection in children is a common self-limited illness with neurological complications in less than 0.1% of cases. Longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis (LETM) is uncommon in children following infection with varicella zoster virus. We describe a case of 13-year immunocompetent girl with LETM following varicella infection that had shown a dramatic clinical response to a combination of acyclovir and pulse steroids. 

Raas Leela

This piece is a modernized Garba-Raas, a folk dance originating in Gujarat, India. Garba is traditionally performed in a circle around a lit clay lantern to honor Goddess Durga. In Raas, dancers use wooden sticks called dandiyas. The dance requires an even number of people to form pairs. High energy, large movements, and vividly colorful costumes characterize both Garba and Raas. In this dance, the costumes and movements are largely folkloric, interspersed with glimpses of cinematic steps that accompany the Bollywood tracks. The women’s embroidered blouses, decorated flared skirts, and the heavy silver jewelry, are all enhanced with beads, shells, and mirrors. Men typically wear ornate Kedias (high waist tops) also with some jewelry. The cinematic essence of this piece is its reference to the divine love story of Radha and Lord Krishna, played by Mansi and Rima, respectively. Their relationship is an embodiment of their love, passion, and devotion to each other, and ultimately, to God. The Raas Leela, the circular dance of love, is the zenith of Radha and Krishna’s love

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Not AvailableIn recent time, mango shoot gall psylla pest emerged as a most noxious pest in the state of Uttarakhand owing to its ability to transform reproductive and vegetative buds into galls results in poor to no fruit setting on affected mango plant. In Dehradun conditions it was observed that the severity of the infestation was as high as 70-80 per cent in Dushehari, followed by Bombay Green (40-55%) and Mallika (20-25%) whereas pest infestation was not noticed in the cv. Amrapali. Management of pest is possible by spraying of profenophos @ 2 ml/litre in the second week of March followed by Dimethoate (0.15%) or Thiomithoxam (0.05%) in second fortnight of August to first fortnight of September.Not Availabl