Pleomorphic adenoma of the nasal septum

SummaryIntroductionPleomorphic adenoma is the most common benign tumour of the salivary glands. The major salivary glands are most commonly involved, or more rarely accessory salivary glands, especially the oral cavity. Other locations, such as the nasal cavity, paranasal sinuses or upper aerodigestive tract, are exceptional.Case reportA 26-year-old female presented with right-sided nasal obstruction. Radiology found a lesion involving the anterior third of the nasal septum. The patient underwent complete surgical resection of the tumour via an endonasal approach. Histological examination found a mixed cellular component (epithelial and myoepithelial) and mesenchymatous tissue with chondromyxoid stroma, enabling diagnosis of a typical pleomorphic adenoma.Discussion/ConclusionPleomorphic adenoma is exceptional in the nasal cavity, with only a few cases reported in the literature. Although benign, the risk of local recurrence, malignant transformation and metastasis requires close long-term follow-up

In-vitro Anti-Ulcer Activities of Mallotus Japonicus

Objectives: This study\u27s objective was to investigate whether or not a methanolic extract of Mallotus japonicas could decrease H+-K+ ATPase activity and neutralise acid. Materials and Methods: We assessed the total phenolic and flavonoid contents of the sample while it was exposed to varying amounts of standard esmoprazole and methanol extract. Results: The proton pump inhibitory activity of the extract from stomach mucosal homogenate was found to be significant (*P<0.05) and on par with the standard. Conclusions: Based on these findings, it may be concluded that the proton pump can be effectively blocked by the methanolic extract

Antibacterial effect of a fluoride-containing ZnO/CuO nanocomposite

© 2019 Elsevier B.V. Dental materials that are antimicrobial and acid-resistant can inhibit bacterial colonization and demineralization, thereby preventing caries. Zinc and copper are well-known for their antibacterial effect, as is nanostructured ZnO–CuO composite. Minerals such as fluorine and calcium, can remineralize and demineralize teeth. Therefore, we developed novel fluoride-containing ZnO–CuO (ZCF) nanocomposites; to the best of our knowledge, these are the first nanocomposites of this kind. The fluoride concentrations and antibacterial effects of the ZCF nanocomposites were evaluated. Nanocomposites comprising zinc and copper (ZC), and zinc, copper, and fluorine (ZCF), were prepared by a simple one-step homogeneous coprecipitation method at a low temperature (80 °C), without the use of organic solvent or surfactant. The structure and composition of the ZC and ZCF nanocomposites were examined by scanning electron microscopy–energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). Quantitative analysis of the mass concentration was performed by using ZAF correction methods. The fluorine content in nanocomposites was evaluated by using proton-induced gamma emission (PIGE) at the Takasaki Advanced Radiation Research Institute in Japan. By using 96-well microtiter plates, we analyzed the antibiotic susceptibility of ZC, ZCF, and the control buffer (phosphate-buffered saline) with Streptococcus mutans (ATCC 25175). The SEM images showed that ZC and ZCF nanocomposites were composed of 3D flower-like microstructures with diameters of approximately 1 μm. Environmental SEM-EDS analysis revealed that ZC contained 43.2% Cu, 55.1% Zn, 2.2% F, and 0.1% Cl, whereas ZCF contained 47.5% Cu, 40.5% Zn, 6.7% F, and 5.9% Cl. Analysis by PIGE showed that ZCF nanocomposite contained 2553.6 ± 199.2 ppm fluorine, whereas no fluoride was detected in ZC. The control buffer enabled bacterial growth to 4 × 107 ± 9 × 106 CFU/mL, whereas ZC allowed growth of 12 ± 8 CFU/mL, and ZCF showed no bacterial growth. Thus, we developed novel fluoride-containing ZnO–CuO nanocomposites, which exhibited antibacterial effects and have the potential for remineralization, thereby demonstrating their potential as multifunctional dental materials

Biosynthesis of a cholesterol-derived brassinosteroid, 28-norcastasterone, in Arabidopsis thaliana

A metabolic study revealed that 28-norcastasterone in Arabidopsis is synthesized from cholesterol via the late C-6 oxidation pathway. On the other hand, the early C-6 oxidation pathway was found to be interrupted because cholestanol is converted to 6-oxocholestanol, but further metabolism to 28-norcathasterone was not observed. The 6-oxoBRs were found to have been produced from the respective 6-deoxoBRs administered to the enzyme solution, thus indicating that these 6-oxoBRs are supplied from the late C-6 oxidation pathway. Heterologously expressed CYP85A1 and CYP85A2 in yeast catalysed this C-6 oxidation, with CYP85A2 being much more efficient than CYP85A1. Abnormal growth of det2 and dwf4 was restored via the application of 28-norcastasterone and closer precursors. Furthermore, det2 and dwf4 could not convert cholesterol to cholestanol and cholestanol to 6-deoxo-28-norcathasterone, respectively. It is, therefore, most likely that the same enzyme system is operant in the synthesis of both 28-norcastasterone and castasterone. In the presence of S-adenosyl-L-methionine, the cell-free enzyme extract catalysed the C-24 methylation of 28-norcastasterone to castasterone, although the conversion rates of 28-norteasterone to teasterone and 28-nortyphasterol to typhasterol were much lower; this suggests that 28-norcastasterone is the primary precursor for the generation of C28-BRs from C27-BRs

Validation of the SCID-hu Thy/Liv mouse model with four classes of licensed antiretrovirals.

BackgroundThe SCID-hu Thy/Liv mouse model of HIV-1 infection is a useful platform for the preclinical evaluation of antiviral efficacy in vivo. We performed this study to validate the model with representatives of all four classes of licensed antiretrovirals.Methodology/principal findingsEndpoint analyses for quantification of Thy/Liv implant viral load included ELISA for cell-associated p24, branched DNA assay for HIV-1 RNA, and detection of infected thymocytes by intracellular staining for Gag-p24. Antiviral protection from HIV-1-mediated thymocyte depletion was assessed by multicolor flow cytometric analysis of thymocyte subpopulations based on surface expression of CD3, CD4, and CD8. These mice can be productively infected with molecular clones of HIV-1 (e.g., the X4 clone NL4-3) as well as with primary R5 and R5X4 isolates. To determine whether results in this model are concordant with those found in humans, we performed direct comparisons of two drugs in the same class, each of which has known potency and dosing levels in humans. Here we show that second-generation antiretrovirals were, as expected, more potent than their first-generation predecessors: emtricitabine was more potent than lamivudine, efavirenz was more potent than nevirapine, and atazanavir was more potent than indinavir. After interspecies pharmacodynamic scaling, the dose ranges found to inhibit viral replication in the SCID-hu Thy/Liv mouse were similar to those used in humans. Moreover, HIV-1 replication in these mice was genetically stable; treatment of the mice with lamivudine did not result in the M184V substitution in reverse transcriptase, and the multidrug-resistant NY index case HIV-1 retained its drug-resistance substitutions.ConclusionGiven the fidelity of such comparisons, we conclude that this highly reproducible mouse model is likely to predict clinical antiviral efficacy in humans

Identification of 90 NAFLD GWAS loci and establishment of NAFLD PRS and causal role of NAFLD in coronary artery disease

The prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), now also known as metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), is rapidly increasing worldwide due to the ongoing obesity epidemic. However, currently the NALFD diagnosis requires non-readily available imaging technologies or liver biopsy, which has drastically limited the sample sizes of NAFLD studies and hampered the discovery of its genetic component. Here we utilized the large UK Biobank (UKB) to accurately estimate the NAFLD status in UKB based on common serum traits and anthropometric measures. Scoring all individuals in UKB for NAFLD risk resulted in 28,396 NAFLD cases and 108,652 healthy individuals at a >90% confidence level. Using this imputed NAFLD status to perform the largest NAFLD genome-wide association study (GWAS) to date, we identified 94 independent (R2 < 0.2) NAFLD GWAS loci, of which 90 have not been identified before; built a polygenic risk score (PRS) model to predict the genetic risk of NAFLD; and used the GWAS variants of imputed NAFLD for a tissue-aware Mendelian randomization analysis that discovered a significant causal effect of NAFLD on coronary artery disease (CAD). In summary, we accurately estimated the NAFLD status in UKB using common serum traits and anthropometric measures, which empowered us to identify 90 GWAS NAFLD loci, build NAFLD PRS, and discover a significant causal effect of NAFLD on CAD