Down-regulation of ARC contributes to vulnerability of hippocampal neurons to ischemia/hypoxia

AbstractARC is a caspase recruitment domain-containing molecule that plays an important role in the regulation of apoptosis. We examined ARC expression during neuronal cell death following ischemic injury in vivo and in vitro. After exposure to transient global ischemic conditions, the expression of ARC was substantially reduced in the CA1 region of hippocampus in a time-dependent manner with concomitant increase of TUNEL-positive cells. Quantitative analysis using Western blotting exhibited that most of ARC protein disappeared in the cultured hippocampal neurons exposed to hypoxia for 12 h and showing 60% cell viability. Forced expression of ARC in the primary cultures of hippocampal neurons or B103 neuronal cells significantly reduced hypoxia-induced cell death. Further, the C-terminal P/E rich region of ARC was effective to attenuate hypoxic insults. These results suggest that down-regulation of ARC expression in hippocampal neurons may contribute to neuronal death induced by ischemia/hypoxia

Opalski's Syndrome with Cerebellar Infarction

A 64-year-old man presented with sudden onset of right-sided hemiparesis, headache, gait disturbance, and recurrent vomiting. A physical examination revealed right-sided hemiparesis, right Horner syndrome, ataxia of the right limbs, and diminished sensation on the left side of his body. Diffusion-weighted MRI revealed an acute right lateral medullary infarction extending from the rostral medulla to the upper cervical cord, and an acute cerebellar infarction in the territory of the medial branch of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery. Magnetic resonance angiography revealed suspicious severe stenosis or near occlusion of the proximal and distal parts of the right vertebral artery, and hypoplasia of the left vertebral artery. We diagnosed ipsilateral hemiparesis with lateral medullary infarction (Opalski's syndrome) and concomitant cerebellar infarction

Endoscopic Thyroidectomy via an Axillo-Breast Approach without Gas Insufflation for Benign Thyroid Nodules and Micropapillary Carcinomas: Preliminary Results

PURPOSE: To examine the feasibility of endoscopic thyroidectomy (ET) via an axillo- breast approach without gas insufflation for large thyroid tumors and micropapillary carcinomas. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The patients in the benign group were separated into groups 1 (n=95, <4 cm in tumor diameter) and 2 (n=37, ≥4 cm in tumor diameter). Also, 57 patients in the micropapillary carcinoma group underwent an endoscopic hemithyroidectomy (HT) (group 3) and were compared with 60 patients who received conventional open HT (group 4). Postoperative functional outcome, local complications, surgical outcomes, and pathological outcomes were compared between the groups. RESULTS: In the benign group, there was no significant difference in mean operating time, hospital stay, or overall perioperative complications between the two groups. In the micropapillary carcinoma group, mean operating time and hospital stay in group 3 were significantly longer than in group 4 (p=0.015 and p≤0.001). The overall perioperative complications did not differ significantly between the groups. The postoperative cosmetic result was better in groups 1-3 (endo group) than in group 4 (open group). CONCLUSION: ET via a gasless axillo-breast approach seems to be a safe procedure even for benign thyroid lesions ≥4 cm and micropapillary carcinomas. Although it has the advantage of better cosmetic results over open thyroidectomy, there is room for improvement in terms of lessening its invasiveness and shortening the operative time.ope

Association between humidifier disinfectant exposure during infancy and subsequent neuropsychiatric outcomes during childhood: a nation-wide cross-sectional study

Background The purpose was to determine the association between infant exposure to humidifier disinfectant (HD) with neuropsychiatric problems in pre-school children. Methods A total of 2,150 children (age 4–11 months) were enrolled in the Panel Study of Korean Children (PSKC) study. The Korean version of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) was used for assessments of neuropsychiatric problems. 1,113 children who participated in all the first to third PSKC studies and answered a question about HD exposure were finally enrolled. Results There were 717 (64.5%) children in non-HD group who were not exposed to HD and 396 (35.5%) in HD group with former exposure to HD. Exposure to HD was associated with total neuropsychiatric problems (adjusted odds ratio, aOR = 1.54, 95% CI = 1.15–2.06), being emotionally reactive (aOR = 1.55, 95% CI = 1.00–2.39), having attention problems (aOR = 1.96, 95% CI = 1.10–3.47), having oppositional defiant problems (aOR = 1.70, 95% CI = 1.07–2.71), and having attention deficit/hyperactivity problems (aOR = 11.57, 95% CI = 1.03–2.38). The risks for neuropsychiatric problems were clearly increased in boy, firstborn, and secondary smoker. Conclusions Exposure to HD during early childhood had a potential association with subsequent behavioral abnormalities.This study was supported by a grant from the Seongnam Atopy Project of the Seongnam City Government, Republic of Korea

The orphan nuclear receptor SHP is a positive regulator of osteoblastic bone formation

The orphan nuclear receptor small heterodimer partner (SHP; NR0B2) interacts with a diverse array of transcription factors and regulates a variety of cellular events such as cell proliferation, differentiation, and metabolism. However, the role of SHP in bone formation has not yet been elucidated. SHP expression is significantly increased during osteoblast differentiation, and its expression is partially regulated by bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2), which plays an important role in bone formation. In our study, inhibition of SHP expression significantly repressed BMP-2-induced osteoblast differentiation and ectopic bone formation. In accordance with these in vitro and in vivo results, osteoblast differentiation in SHP −/− mice primary osteoblasts was significantly repressed, and the mice showed decreased bone mass resulting from decreased numbers of osteoblasts. Finally, SHP physically interacts and forms a complex with runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2) on the osteocalcin gene promoter, and overexpression of SHP increased Runx2 transactivity via competition with histone deacetylase 4 (HDAC4), an enzyme that inhibits DNA binding of Runx2 to its target genes. Taken together, these results indicate that SHP acts as a novel positive regulator of bone formation by augmenting osteoblast differentiation through regulation of the transcriptional activity of Runx2. © 2010 American Society for Bone and Mineral ResearchPeer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/65055/1/90718_ftp.pd

Primary leiomyosarcoma of the pancreas

Primary sarcomas of the pancreas are extremely rare, accounting for 0.1% of malignant pancreatic (non-islet) neoplasms. Pancreatic leiomyosarcoma is a highly aggressive malignancy that spreads in a similar manner to gastric leiomyosarcoma, i.e., by adjacent organ invasion, hematogenous spread, and lymph node metastasis. These tumors are large at the time of diagnosis and are usually found at an advanced stage. We report a case of a 70-year-old female with intermittent right upper quadrant abdominal discomfort. Radiological, histopathological, and immunohistochemical studies revealed the tumor to be a primary leiomyosarcoma of the pancreas. Herein, we describe a patient with a primary leiomyosarcoma of the pancreas who presented with clinical and radiological findings indicative of a mass in the pancreatic head

Undifferentiated carcinoma of the pancreas with osteoclast-like giant cells

Undifferentiated carcinoma with osteoclast-like giant cells is a rare neoplasm of the exocrine pancreas. Some similar cases have been reported, but the histogenesis of these tumors varies and is controversial. We report here on a case of undifferentiated carcinoma of the pancreas with osteoclast-like giant cells. A 77-year old woman presented with abdominal pain and anorexia. Abdominal computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging showed an approximately 10 × 5 cm highly attenuated mass arising from the tail of the pancreas and invading the spleen and adjacent bowel loop. The initial impression was a malignant endocrine tumor or solid-pseudopapillary tumor of the pancreas. The patient underwent a distal pancreatectomy with splenectomy and left hemicolectomy. The histopathology and immunohistochemistry helped make the diagnosis that of an undifferentiated carcinoma with osteoclast-like giant cells of the pancreas

Tailored growth of single-crystalline InP tetrapods

Despite the technological importance of colloidal covalent III-V nanocrystals with unique optoelectronic properties, their synthetic process still has challenges originating from the complex energy landscape of the reaction. Here, we present InP tetrapod nanocrystals as a crystalline late intermediate in the synthetic pathway that warrants controlled growth. We isolate tetrapod intermediate species with well-defined surfaces of (110) and ((1) over bar(1) over bar(1) over bar) via the suppression of further growth. An additional precursor supply at low temperature induces [(1) over bar(1) over bar(1) over bar]-specific growth, whereas the [110]-directional growth occurs over the activation barrier of 65.7 kJ/mol at a higher temperature, thus finalizes into the (111)-faceted tetrahedron nanocrystals. We address the use of late intermediates with well-defined facets at the sub-10 nm scale for the tailored growth of covalent III-V nanocrystals and highlight the potential for the directed approach of nanocrystal synthesis