PCBs and dioxins/furans in attic dust collected near former PCB production and secondary copper facilities in Sauget, IL

AbstractSamples of settled attic dust from fourteen buildings located within two miles of the Solutia W.G. Krummrich and Cerro Flow Products facilities in Sauget, Illinois were analyzed for PCBs and dioxins/furans using HRGC/HRMS. The facilities released vast quantities of PCBs and dioxins/furans into the environment over many decades. The concentrations and homologues present in the samples of attic dust and in samples of soil collected by U.S. EPA demonstrate atmospheric transport of PCBs and dioxins/furans from these manufacturing sites and local dumps contaminated with these pollutants. The results demonstrate that attic dust is a useful metric for assessing historical exposure to atmospheric emissions

Personal model-assisted identification of NAD(+) and glutathione metabolism as intervention target in NAFLD

To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), we recruited 86 subjects with varying degrees of hepatic steatosis (HS). We obtained experimental data on lipoprotein fluxes and used these individual measurements as personalized constraints of a hepatocyte genome-scale metabolic model to investigate metabolic differences in liver, taking into account its interactions with other tissues. Our systems level analysis predicted an altered demand for NAD(+) and glutathione (GSH) in subjects with high HS. Our analysis and metabolomic measurements showed that plasma levels of glycine, serine, and associated metabolites are negatively correlated with HS, suggesting that these GSH metabolism precursors might be limiting. Quantification of the hepatic expression levels of the associated enzymes further pointed to altered de novo GSH synthesis. To assess the effect of GSH and NAD(+) repletion on the development of NAFLD, we added precursors for GSH and NAD(+) biosynthesis to the Western diet and demonstrated that supplementation prevents HS in mice. In a proof-of-concept human study, we found improved liver function and decreased HS after supplementation with serine (a precursor to glycine) and hereby propose a strategy for NAFLD treatment.Peer reviewe

Ocular Adnexal Lymphoma: Epidemiology and Clinical Characteristics

The aim of the study is to emphasize the frequency, clinical presentation, histopathologic features and TNM staging for each type of ocular adnexal lymphoma (OAL), and investigating treatment results and prognosis in our region. A retrospective review of 54 patients treated for primary and secondary OAL between Jan 2012 and Jan 2019 was made. Epidemiologic data, clinical characteristics of the tumor and recurrence free survival rates were evaluated. Patients with ocular adnexal lymphoma included 27 (50%) women and 27 (50%) men, with a mean age of 60.38 +/- 15.36 (range: 18-93) years at the time of presentation. Mean follow-up time was 40.88 +/- 20.75 (range 1-84) months. Histopathological diagnosis was extranodal marginal zone lymphoma in 75.9%, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in 14.8%, chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma in 5.6%, mantle cell lymphoma in 1.9% and follicular cell lymphoma in 1.9% of patients. Among 54 patients with OAL 66.7% had orbital, 22.2% had conjunctival, 5.6% had orbital plus conjunctival, 3.7% had orbital plus conjunctival and choroidal, 1.9% had conjunctival plus choroidal involvement. No recurrences were observed in 87.1% of patients during their follow-up. Our data indicates patient epidemiologic data, TNM staging, most common clinical presentation and location of primary and secondary OALs from a single center

Chronic Subdural Hematomas: A Review of 94 Cases

Purpose: To investigate risk factors, preoperative findings, treatment, complications and prognosis of patients with chronic subdural hematoma treated in our university

The association between variant urothelial histologies, pathological stage and disease specific survival in patients with bladder cancer

Objective: We aimed to compare the oncological outcomes of patients with variant urothelial histologies (VH) with pure urothelial histology (PUH) in bladder cancer (BC) patients

Sexual Dimorphism in Hepatic, Adipose Tissue, and Peripheral Tissue Insulin Sensitivity in Obese Humans

Glucose and lipid metabolism differ between men and women, and women tend to have better whole-body or muscle insulin sensitivity. This may be explained, in part, by differences in sex hormones and adipose tissue distribution. Few studies have investigated gender differences in hepatic, adipose tissue, and whole-body insulin sensitivity between severely obese men and women. In this study, we aimed to determine the differences in glucose metabolism between severely obese men and women using tissue-specific measurements of insulin sensitivity. Insulin sensitivity was compared between age and body mass index (BMI)-matched obese men and women by a two-step euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp with infusion of [6,6-H-2(2)]glucose. Basal endogenous glucose production (EGP) and insulin sensitivity of the liver, adipose tissue, and peripheral tissues were assessed. Liver fat content was assessed by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in a subset of included subjects. We included 46 obese men and women (age, 48 +/- 2 vs. 46 +/- 2 years, p = 0.591; BMI, 41 +/- 1 vs. 41 +/- 1 kg/m(2), p = 0.832). There was no difference in basal EGP (14.4 +/- 1.0 vs. 15.3 +/- 0.5 mu mol.kg fat-free mass(-1) min(-1), p = 0.410), adipose tissue insulin sensitivity (insulin-mediated suppression of free fatty acids, 71.6 +/- 3.6 vs. 76.1 +/- 2.6%, p = 0.314), or peripheral insulin sensitivity (insulin-stimulated rate of disappearance of glucose, 26.2 +/- 2.1 vs. 22.7 +/- 1.7 mu mol.kg(-1).min(-1), p = 0.211). Obese men were characterized by lower hepatic insulin sensitivity (insulin-mediated suppression of EGP, 61.7 +/- 4.1 vs. 72.8 +/- 2.5% in men vs. women, respectively, p = 0.028). Finally, these observations could not be explained by differences in liver fat content (men vs. women, 16.5 +/- 3.1 vs. 16.0 +/- 2.5%, p = 0.913, n = 27). We conclude that obese men have lower hepatic, but comparable adipose tissue and peripheral tissue, insulin sensitivity compared to similarly obese women. Hepatic insulin resistance may contribute to the higher prevalence of diabetes in obese men. Further insight into the mechanisms underlying this gender difference may reveal novel targets for diabetes prevention and/or therap