Primary solitary retro-clival amyloidoma.

Amyloidosis encompasses a group of disorders sharing the common feature of intercellular deposition of amyloid protein by several different pathogenetic mechanisms. Primary solitary amyloidosis, or amyloidoma, is a rare subset of amyloidosis in which amyloid deposition is focal and not secondary to a systemic process or plasma cell dyscrasia.This 84-year-old female presented with history of multiple syncopal episodes, dysphagia, and ataxia. Motor strength was 3+/5 in the right upper extremity. Rheumatoid factor, cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP), and anti-nuclear antibody (ANA) were normal. Serum and urine immune-electrophoresis detected no abnormal bands. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated a non-enhancing soft-tissue mass extending from the retro-clivus to C2 posteriorly, eccentric to the right with severe mass effect on the upper cervical medullary junction. Endoscopic trans-nasal debulking of the retro-clival mass was performed with occiput to C5 posterior instrumentation for spinal stabilization.Primary solitary amyloidosis, unlike other forms of amyloidosis, has an excellent prognosis with local resection. Diagnosis requires special stains and a degree of suspicion for the disease. This is the first report to document an endoscopic trans-nasal approach for removal of a primary solitary amyloidosis of the retro-clivus. Management of vertebral amyloidoma involves aggressive local resection of the tumor when feasible and spine stabilization as the degree of tumor involvement mandates. Complete evaluation for the diagnosis of systemic amyloidosis is essential for the management and prognostication. Surgeons encountering such lesions must maintain high suspicion for this rare disease and advise pathologists accordingly to establish the correct diagnosis

Overexpression of β1 integrin contributes to polarity reversal and a poor prognosis of breast invasive micropapillary carcinoma

© Liu et al. Invasive micropapillary carcinoma (IMPC) of the breast is a highly aggressive breast cancer. Polarity reversal exemplified by cluster growth is hypothesized to contribute to the invasiveness and metastasis of IMPC. In this study, we demonstrate that levels of β1 integrin and Rac1 expression were greater in breast IMPC than in invasive breast carcinoma of no specific type and paraneoplastic benign breast tissue. We show that silencing β1 integrin expression using the β1 integrin inhibitor AIIB2 partially restored polarity in IMPC primary cell clusters and downregulated Rac1. Thus, overexpression of β1 integrin upregulates Rac1. Univariate analysis showed that overexpression of β1 integrin and Rac1 was associated with breast cancer cell polarity reversal, lymph node metastasis, and poor disease-free survival in IMPC patients. Multivariate analysis revealed that polarity reversal was an independent predictor of poor disease-free survival. These findings indicate that overexpression of β1 integrin and the resultant upregulation of Rac1 contribute to polarity reversal and metastasis of breast IMPC, and that β1 integrin and Rac1 could be potential prognostic biomarkers and targets for treatment of breast IMPC

Characteristics of Sediment Bacterial Community in Response to Environmental Impacts in a Sewage Polluted River

The Jiaolai River is the main source of industrial and irrigation water for its catchment of 3900 km(2). Anthropogenic activities have caused heavy pollution of this river, but their impacts on biota have never been evaluated. In this study, molecular techniques were applied to investigate the impacts of environmental pollution on the river. Quantitative PCR revealed that total bacterial abundance ranged from 2.90x10(7) to 2.12x10(8) copies/g, with no significant differences among sampling sites or seasons. Bacterial abundance and pore water ammonium concentration were negatively correlated. Cluster analysis revealed that bacterial communities were mainly distributed into groups corresponding to nitrate concentration. Two clone libraries were constructed to compare the bacterial composition of samples with high (J308) and moderate (J304) nitrate impact. Sample J308 was characterized by more members in Clostridia and disappearance of Betaproteobacteria members, which are the primary contributors to nitrogen biogeochemical cycling. Bacterial communities in the sediment were clearly differentiated by environmental nitrogen pollution, suggesting that nitrogen eutrophication was the main environmental problem influencing the Jiaolai River

Neural computations of threat in the aftermath of combat trauma

© 2019, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature America, Inc. By combining computational, morphological, and functional analyses, this study relates latent markers of associative threat learning to overt post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in combat veterans. Using reversal learning, we found that symptomatic veterans showed greater physiological adjustment to cues that did not predict what they had expected, indicating greater sensitivity to prediction errors for negative outcomes. This exaggerated weighting of prediction errors shapes the dynamic learning rate (associability) and value of threat predictive cues. The degree to which the striatum tracked the associability partially mediated the positive correlation between prediction-error weights and PTSD symptoms, suggesting that both increased prediction-error weights and decreased striatal tracking of associability independently contribute to PTSD symptoms. Furthermore, decreased neural tracking of value in the amygdala, in addition to smaller amygdala volume, independently corresponded to higher PTSD symptom severity. These results provide evidence for distinct neurocomputational contributions to PTSD symptoms

Accumulation capacity of ions in cabbage (Brassica oleracea L.) supplied with sea water

Cabbage seedlings were grown hydroponically to study the effects of different concentrations of seawater on the seedling growth, ion content under one-fourth strength Hoagland's nutrient solution in the greenhouse. The biomass of various organs of cabbage seedlings as well as the whole plants was significantly higher in the treatments with 1 g and 2 g sea salt/L than the no-salt control, but the treatments with 4, 5 or 6 g sea salt/L caused a decrease in growth. Root/shoot ratio remained at the level of control regardless of the sea salt treatment. Na+ and Cl- concentration in different parts of cabbage seedlings increased significantly, whereas K+ and Ca2+ concentration generally increased at low concentrations of sea salt and then decreased with increasing seawater concentration. Sodium and K+ concentrations were significantly higher in the stems than roots and leaves regardless of the sea salt treatment. The sea salt treatment increased Mg2+ concentration in stems and leaves of cabbage seedlings. An increase in Na+ and Cl- concentration in roots, stems and leaves of cabbage seedlings was the main contributor to declining ratios of K+/Na+, Ca2+/Na+ and Mg2+/Na+. The obtained data suggest that cabbage seedlings have strong ability to sustain seawater stress by the regulation of transport and distribution of ions

Thermogravimetric and kinetic analysis of energy crop Jerusalem artichoke using the distributed activation energy model

Jerusalem artichoke has great potential as future feedstock for bioenergy production because of its high tuber yield (up to 90 t ha(-1)), appropriate biomass characteristics, low input demand, and positive environmental impact. The pyrolytic and kinetic characteristics of Jerusalem artichoke tubers were analyzed at heating rates of 5, 10, 20 and 30 A degrees C min(-1). TG and DTG curves in an inert (nitrogen) atmosphere suggested that there were three distinct stages of mass loss and the major loss occurs between about 190-380 A degrees C. Heating rate brought a lateral shift toward right in the temperature. And, it not only affects the temperature at which the highest mass loss rate reached, but also affect the maximum rate of mass loss. The distributed activation energy model (DAEM) was used to study the pyrolysis kinetics and provided reasonable fits to the experimental data. The activation energy (E) of tubers ranged from 146.40 to 232.45 kJ mol(-1), and the frequency factor (A) changed greatly corresponding to E values at different mass conversion.Jerusalem artichoke has great potential as future feedstock for bioenergy production because of its high tuber yield (up to 90 t ha(-1)), appropriate biomass characteristics, low input demand, and positive environmental impact. The pyrolytic and kinetic characteristics of Jerusalem artichoke tubers were analyzed at heating rates of 5, 10, 20 and 30 A degrees C min(-1). TG and DTG curves in an inert (nitrogen) atmosphere suggested that there were three distinct stages of mass loss and the major loss occurs between about 190-380 A degrees C. Heating rate brought a lateral shift toward right in the temperature. And, it not only affects the temperature at which the highest mass loss rate reached, but also affect the maximum rate of mass loss. The distributed activation energy model (DAEM) was used to study the pyrolysis kinetics and provided reasonable fits to the experimental data. The activation energy (E) of tubers ranged from 146.40 to 232.45 kJ mol(-1), and the frequency factor (A) changed greatly corresponding to E values at different mass conversion

Pyrolytic and Kinetic Analysis of Two Coastal Plant Species: Artemisia annua and Chenopodium glaucum

The large amount of coastal plant species available makes them ideal candidates for energy production. In this study, thermogravimetric analysis was used to evaluate the fuel properties of two coastal plant species, and the distributed activation energy model (DAEM) was employed in kinetic analysis. The major mass loss due to devolatilization started at 154 and 162 degrees C at the heating rate of 10 degrees C min(-1) for Artemisia annua and Chenopodium glaucum, respectively. The results showed that the average activation energies of Artemisia annua and Chenopodium glaucum were 169.69 and 170.48 kJ mol(-1), respectively. Furthermore, the activation energy changed while the conversion rate increased, and the frequency factor k(0) decreased greatly while the activation energy decreased. The results also indicated that the devolatilization of the two coastal plant species underwent a set of first-order reactions and could be expressed by the DAEM. Additionally, a simplified mathematical model was proposed to facilitate the prediction of devolatilization curves.The large amount of coastal plant species available makes them ideal candidates for energy production. In this study, thermogravimetric analysis was used to evaluate the fuel properties of two coastal plant species, and the distributed activation energy model (DAEM) was employed in kinetic analysis. The major mass loss due to devolatilization started at 154 and 162 degrees C at the heating rate of 10 degrees C min(-1) for Artemisia annua and Chenopodium glaucum, respectively. The results showed that the average activation energies of Artemisia annua and Chenopodium glaucum were 169.69 and 170.48 kJ mol(-1), respectively. Furthermore, the activation energy changed while the conversion rate increased, and the frequency factor k(0) decreased greatly while the activation energy decreased. The results also indicated that the devolatilization of the two coastal plant species underwent a set of first-order reactions and could be expressed by the DAEM. Additionally, a simplified mathematical model was proposed to facilitate the prediction of devolatilization curves

Impact of the Kuroshio intrusion on the nutrient inventory in the upper northern South China Sea: insights from an isopycnal mixing model

Based on four cruises covering a seasonal cycle in 2009-2011, we examined the impact of the Kuroshio intrusion, featured by extremely oligotrophic waters, on the nutrient inventory in the central northern South China Sea (NSCS). The nutrient inventory in the upper 100m of the water column in the study area ranged from similar to 200 to similar to 290 mmol m(-2) for N+N (nitrate plus nitrite), from similar to 13 to similar to 24 mmol m(-2) for soluble reactive phosphate and from similar to 210 to similar to 430 mmol m(-2) for silicic acid. The nutrient inventory showed a clear seasonal pattern with the highest value appearing in summer, while the N+N inventory in spring and winter had a reduction of similar to 13 and similar to 30 %, respectively, relative to that in summer. To quantify the extent of the Kuroshio intrusion, an isopycnal mixing model was adopted to derive the proportional contribution of water masses from the SCS proper and the Kuroshio along individual isopycnal surfaces. The derived mixing ratio along the isopycnal plane was then employed to predict the genuine gradients of nutrients under the assumption of no biogeochemical alteration. These predicted nutrient concentrations, denoted as N-m, are solely determined by water mass mixing. Results showed that the nutrient inventory in the upper 100m of the NSCS was overall negatively correlated to the Kuroshio water fraction, suggesting that the Kuroshio intrusion significantly influenced the nutrient distribution in the SCS and its seasonal variation. The difference between the observed nutrient concentrations and their corresponding Nm allowed us to further quantify the nutrient removal/addition associated with the biogeochemical processes on top of the water mass mixing. We revealed that the nutrients in the upper 100m of the water column had a net consumption in both winter and spring but a net addition in fall.Based on four cruises covering a seasonal cycle in 2009-2011, we examined the impact of the Kuroshio intrusion, featured by extremely oligotrophic waters, on the nutrient inventory in the central northern South China Sea (NSCS). The nutrient inventory in the upper 100m of the water column in the study area ranged from similar to 200 to similar to 290 mmol m(-2) for N+N (nitrate plus nitrite), from similar to 13 to similar to 24 mmol m(-2) for soluble reactive phosphate and from similar to 210 to similar to 430 mmol m(-2) for silicic acid. The nutrient inventory showed a clear seasonal pattern with the highest value appearing in summer, while the N+N inventory in spring and winter had a reduction of similar to 13 and similar to 30 %, respectively, relative to that in summer. To quantify the extent of the Kuroshio intrusion, an isopycnal mixing model was adopted to derive the proportional contribution of water masses from the SCS proper and the Kuroshio along individual isopycnal surfaces. The derived mixing ratio along the isopycnal plane was then employed to predict the genuine gradients of nutrients under the assumption of no biogeochemical alteration. These predicted nutrient concentrations, denoted as N-m, are solely determined by water mass mixing. Results showed that the nutrient inventory in the upper 100m of the NSCS was overall negatively correlated to the Kuroshio water fraction, suggesting that the Kuroshio intrusion significantly influenced the nutrient distribution in the SCS and its seasonal variation. The difference between the observed nutrient concentrations and their corresponding Nm allowed us to further quantify the nutrient removal/addition associated with the biogeochemical processes on top of the water mass mixing. We revealed that the nutrients in the upper 100m of the water column had a net consumption in both winter and spring but a net addition in fall

Gene cloning and expression profile of a novel carotenoid hydroxylase (CYP97C) from the green alga Haematococcus pluvialis

A full-length complementary DNA (cDNA) sequence of epsilon-ring CHY (designated Haecyp97c) was cloned from the green alga Haematococcus pluvialis by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and rapid amplification of cDNA ends methods. The Haecyp97c cDNA sequence was 1,995 base pairs (bp) in length, which contained a 1,620-bp open reading frame, a 46-bp 5'-untranslated region (UTR), and a 329-bp 3'-UTR with the characteristic of the poly (A) tail. The deduced protein had a calculated molecular mass of 58.71 kDa with an estimated isoelectric point of 7.94. Multiple alignment analysis revealed that the deduced amino acid sequence of HaeCYP97C shared high identity of 72-85 % with corresponding CYP97Cs from other eukaryotes. The catalytic motifs of cytochrome P450s were detected in the amino acid sequence of HaeCYP97C. The transcriptional levels of Haecyp97c and xanthophylls accumulation under high light (HL) stress have been examined. The results revealed that Haecyp97c transcript was strongly increased after 13-28 h under HL stress. Meanwhile, the concentrations of chlorophylls, carotenes, and lutein were decreased, and zeaxanthin and astaxanthin concentrations were increased rapidly, respectively. These facts indicated that HaeCYP97C was perhaps involved in xanthophyll biosynthesis, which plays an important role in adaption to HL for H. pluvialis.A full-length complementary DNA (cDNA) sequence of epsilon-ring CHY (designated Haecyp97c) was cloned from the green alga Haematococcus pluvialis by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and rapid amplification of cDNA ends methods. The Haecyp97c cDNA sequence was 1,995 base pairs (bp) in length, which contained a 1,620-bp open reading frame, a 46-bp 5'-untranslated region (UTR), and a 329-bp 3'-UTR with the characteristic of the poly (A) tail. The deduced protein had a calculated molecular mass of 58.71 kDa with an estimated isoelectric point of 7.94. Multiple alignment analysis revealed that the deduced amino acid sequence of HaeCYP97C shared high identity of 72-85 % with corresponding CYP97Cs from other eukaryotes. The catalytic motifs of cytochrome P450s were detected in the amino acid sequence of HaeCYP97C. The transcriptional levels of Haecyp97c and xanthophylls accumulation under high light (HL) stress have been examined. The results revealed that Haecyp97c transcript was strongly increased after 13-28 h under HL stress. Meanwhile, the concentrations of chlorophylls, carotenes, and lutein were decreased, and zeaxanthin and astaxanthin concentrations were increased rapidly, respectively. These facts indicated that HaeCYP97C was perhaps involved in xanthophyll biosynthesis, which plays an important role in adaption to HL for H. pluvialis