A Case of Pulmonary Paragonimiasis with Involvement of the Abdominal Muscle in a 9-Year-Old Girl

In Korea, many people enjoy eating raw or underkooked freshwater crayfish and crabs which unfortunately may cause paragonimiasis. Here, we describe a case of pulmonary and abdominal paragonimiasis in a 9-year-old girl, who presented with a 1-month history of abdominal pain, especially in the right flank and the right inguinal area, with anorexia. A chest radiograph revealed pleural effusion in both lungs, and her abdominal sonography indicated an inflammatory lesion in the right psoas muscle. Peripheral blood analysis of the patient showed hypereosinophilia (66.0%) and an elevated total serum IgE level (>2,500 IU/ml). The pleural effusion tested by ELISA were also positive for antibodies against paragonimiasis. Her dietary history stated that she had ingested raw freshwater crab, 4 months previously. The diagnosis was pulmonary paragonimiasis accompanied by abdominal muscle involvement. She was improved after 5 cycles of praziquantel treatment and 2 times of pleural effusion drainage. In conclusion, herein, we report a case of pulmonary and abdominal paragonimiasis in a girl who presented with abdominal pain and tenderness in the inguinal area

Minimal Symptom Expression' in Patients With Acetylcholine Receptor Antibody-Positive Refractory Generalized Myasthenia Gravis Treated With Eculizumab

The efficacy and tolerability of eculizumab were assessed in REGAIN, a 26-week, phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody-positive (AChR+) refractory generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG), and its open-label extension

Adeno-Associated Viral Vector-Mediated mTOR Inhibition by Short Hairpin RNA Suppresses Laser-Induced Choroidal Neovascularization

Choroidal neovascularization (CNV) is the defining characteristic feature of the wet subtype of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and may result in irreversible blindness. Based on anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF), the current therapeutic approaches to CNV are fraught with difficulties, and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) has recently been proposed as a possible therapeutic target, although few studies have been conducted. Here, we show that a recombinant adeno-associated virus-delivered mTOR-inhibiting short hairpin RNA (rAAV-mTOR shRNA), which blocks the activity of both mTOR complex 1 and 2, represents a promising therapeutic approach for the treatment of CNV. Eight-week-old male C57/B6 mice were treated with the short hairpin RNA (shRNA) after generating CNV lesions in the eyes via laser photocoagulation. The recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) delivery vehicle was able to effectively transduce cells in the inner retina, and significantly fewer inflammatory cells and less extensive CNV were observed in the animals treated with rAAV-mTOR shRNA when compared with control- and rAAV-scrambled shRNA-treated groups. Presumably related to the reduction of CNV, increased autophagy was detected in CNV lesions treated with rAAV-mTOR shRNA, whereas significantly fewer apoptotic cells detected in the outer nuclear layer around the CNV indicate that mTOR inhibition may also have neuroprotective effects. Taken together, these results demonstrate the therapeutic potential of mTOR inhibition, resulting from rAAV-mTOR shRNA activity, in the treatment of AMD-related CNV. Keywords: retinal neovascularization, choroidal neovascularization, adeno-associated virus, mTOR, RNA interference, mTOR shRNA, autophag

Determination of Intramuscular Fat Content in Beef using Magnetic Resonance Imaging

The amount and distribution of intramuscular fat in beef and pork are some of the most important quality characteristics because they highly influence the nutritional value and eating quality of the meat. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a suitable non–invasive alternative method that can provide both qualitative and quantitative information on beef meats with high spatial information. In this study, we used MRI technique in combination with image processing tools for the visualization and prediction of intramuscular fat distribution in beef meats. The results from image analysis were compared with the chemical reference result for the percentage of intramuscular fat. The results show a strong correlation (R^2 = 0.98) between the MRI detected and chemically measured values. The distribution uniformity of intramuscular fat within the beef meats was evaluated by calculating their distribution and pixel size in the MRI according to four levels of beef quality grade (1+, 1, 2, and 3)

Development of a Detection Method for Adulterated Onion Powder using Raman Spectroscopy

The purpose of this study was to develop a detection technique for adulterated powder products using Raman spectroscopy. While conventional methods for food quality analysis require time and pretreatment procedures, Raman spectroscopy can be used to detect a food component rapidly and nondestructively without pretreatment. In this study, Raman spectra were measured using a 785 nm laser source in the range 3,200~170 cm^<−1> and multivariate analytical method using partial least square regression (PLSR) was applied to develop optimal models for predicting the mixed cornstarch concentration in adulterated onion powders. A range of preprocessing methods were applied to correct Raman spectra by reducing the systematic noise and variations produced by the light source and light scattering of the sample surface. Raman data were predicted with a high R^2 value and low standard error for the entire preprocessing data set. The method proved its effectiveness to rapidly detect adulteration in powdered food