Tubular Krukenberg Tumor with an Occult Primary

Tubular Krukenberg tumor with an occult primary can cause problems in histopathologic diagnosis, by mimicking primary ovarian tumors. We present one such occurrence in a 32year old female who underwent surgery for bilateral malignant ovarian tumor. Gross examination of both ovarian tumors revealed bosselated, smooth outer surface with a few cysts on the surface. Cut surface was grey-white to yellowish in colour with cysts filled with serous fluid at the periphery. Microscopic examination revealed mucin laden signet ring cells, predominantly showing tubular architecture within a cellular ovarian stroma. The cytoplasm of these cells varied from granular eosinophilic to pale vacuolated appearance and showed PAS and mucicarmine positive mucin. Differential diagnosis with other primary ovarian tumors is discussed

Health Inequities with Somali Women in Kuala Lumpur

Edited by Kirandeep Kau

Reducing the risk of acrylamide and other processing contaminant formation in wheat products

Wheat is a staple crop, consumed worldwide as a major source of starch and protein. Global intake of wheat has increased in recent years and overall wheat is considered to be a healthy food, particularly when products are made from whole grains. However, wheat is almost invariably processed before it is consumed, usually via baking and/or toasting, and this can lead to the formation of toxic processing contaminants, including acrylamide, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Acrylamide is principally formed from free (soluble, non-protein) asparagine and reducing sugars (glucose, fructose and maltose) within the Maillard reaction and is classified as a Group 2A carcinogen (probably carcinogenic to humans). It also has neurotoxic and developmental effects at high doses. HMF is also generated within the Maillard reaction but can also be formed via the dehydration of fructose or caramelisation. It is frequently found in bread, biscuits, cookies, and cakes. Its molecular structure points to genotoxicity and carcinogenic risks. PAHs are a large class of chemical compounds, many of which are genotoxic, mutagenic, teratogenic and carcinogenic. They are mostly formed during frying, baking and grilling due to incomplete combustion of organic matter. Production of these processing contaminants can be reduced with changes in recipe and processing parameters, along with effective quality control measures. However, in the case of acrylamide and HMF their formation is also highly dependent on the concentrations of precursors in the grain. Here we review the synthesis of these contaminants, factors impacting their production and the mitigation measures that can be taken to reduce their formation in wheat products, focussing on the role of genetics and agronomy. We also review the risk management measures adopted by food safety authorities around the world

Monitoring of Blood Pressure using Invasive or Non-invasive Method in Critically Ill Patients: A Review

Blood pressure is a core vital sign used as a basis for diagnosis and management of patients in critical care setting. Blood pressure (BP) can be monitored by both invasive and non-invasive methods. Invasive blood measurement using arterial access is considered the “gold” standard in critically ill patients. However, invasive methods put patient at risk of bleeding and infection as compared to non-invasive methods. Non-invasive blood pressure monitoring can be obtained through oscillometric or manual auscultatory sphygmomanometer. The objective of this review is to provide a global perspective of health care providers towards use of invasive or non-invasive method of measuring blood pressure. Both theoretical and existing clinical studies have suggested that non-invasive measurements may differ from invasive intra-arterial estimates of blood pressure

Epigenetic switch reveals CRISPR/Cas9 response to cytosine methylation in plants: Comment

Commentary on Přibylová et al. (2022). 235 p 2285-2299 Genome editing techniques, such as the CRISPR/Cas9 system, offer a game-changing opportunity for crop improvement by enabling precise modifications to be made at targeted genomic loci. The CRISPR/Cas9 system has been employed successfully in many plant species; however, in order to use the system to its full potential, it is important to understand precisely how it functions and the factors that may limit its effectiveness. The mechanistic details of Cas9-induced double-strand breaks (DSBs), which underpin the mutational ability of the system, have been well described. It is also known that the efficiency of editing varies for different target sequences. However, the impact of epigenetic modifications on CRISPR/Cas9 efficacy and subsequent DNA repair is poorly understood, especially in plants. Epigenetic modifications affect gene regulation and genome stability. As such, the epigenetic status of an editing target site may influence the frequency of CRISPR/Cas9-induced mutations, for example by affecting how well Cas9 binds and cuts, or the efficiency and accuracy of DNA repair mechanisms. Genome-wide analyses have shown the efficiency of CRISPR/Cas9 editing to be lower for heterochromatin than euchromatin (Daer et al., 2017), although this is still contested (Kallimasioti-Pazi et al., 2018). However, comparisons of editing efficiencies between heterochromatin and euchromatin have involved the analysis of two or more loci, and different target loci vary in more than just their epigenetic status. In this issue of New Phytologist, Přibylová et al. (2022) investigate the effect of cytosine methylation on the generation of CRISPR/Cas9-induced mutations at multiple target sites within the same locus in Nicotiana benthamiana, using a virus-based epigenetic switch. This epigenetic switch allows for the conversion of the chromatin state of the target locus and so can be used to shed light on how cytosine methylation affects the frequency and outcome of CRISPR/Cas9 induced editing at a single site. The authors also highlighted the important role of single-nucleotide microhomology-mediated DNA repair in genome editing

Impact of Vermicompost on Growth, Yield and Quality of Tomato Plant (Lycopersicum Esculentum)

The main objective of the study was to prepare vermicompost from the waste and to determine its effect on the qualitative and quantitative yield of tomato plant. The treatment groups consisted of VC (15, 30, 45 and control). The parameters like pH 7.2, Electrical Conductivity (10.70mmhos/cm), Total Hardness (360mg/l), Calcium (160mg/l) and Magnesium (200mg/l) were determined. The present results show that vermicompost treatment has significant growth impact on plant height, number of leaves, fruits, flowers and stem diameter as compared to control

Social media users’ online subjective well-being and fatigue: A network heterogeneity perspective

Scholars have drawn increasing attention to the implications of the dark side of social media for users’ online subjective well-being (OSWB). We develop a research framework based on the limited-capacity model to examine the relationship between OSWB and social media fatigue. Moreover, we explore the associations between specific aspects related to network heterogeneity and social media fatigue for social media users in the United States of America (USA). Further, we examine the mediating effect of network heterogeneity on the association between OSWB and social media fatigue. We utilised a cross-sectional research design to collect data from Prolific Academic (N = 320) and analysed the data through structural equation modelling. The results indicate that OSWB is positively correlated with the network heterogeneity aspect of self-disclosure and negatively correlated with social comparison. OSWB, moreover, is negatively correlated with fatigue, while privacy concerns and self-disclosure are positively correlated with fatigue. Further, of the network heterogeneity aspects we considered, only social comparison is a partial mediator for the relationship between OSWB and social media fatigue. The findings provide insights into the pathways through which social media users’ OSWB and network heterogeneity can induce social media fatigue, raising critical implications for theory and practice