Metastatic Malignant Melanoma Presenting as an Appendiceal Mucocele

Melanoma metastatic to the appendix is extremely rare. Here we describe a case of a 31-year-old female from Bolivia with a remote history of metastatic malignant melanoma first diagnosed as a cutaneous malignant melanoma ten years prior to this presentation. The patient was being followed for a mucocele which on resection was found to be metastatic melanoma. “Mucocele” is a generic diagnosis that warrants further characterization and treatment

Pre-Clinical Evaluation of a 213Bi-Labeled 2556 Antibody to HIV-1 gp41 Glycoprotein in HIV-1 Mouse Models as a Reagent for HIV Eradication

Any strategy for curing HIV infection must include a method to eliminate viral-infected cells. Based on our earlier proof-of-principle results targeting HIV-1 infected cells with radiolabeled antibody (mAb) to gp41 viral antigen, we embarked on identifying a suitable candidate mAb for preclinical development.Among the several human mAbs to gp41 tested, mAb 2556 was found to have high affinity, reactivity with multimeric forms of gp41 present on both the surface of virus particles and cells expressing HIV-1 Env, and recognition of a highly conserved epitope of gp41 shared by all HIV-1 subtypes. Also, mAb 2556 was the best in competition with HIV-1+ serum antibodies, which is an extremely important consideration for efficacy in the treatment of HIV patients. When radiolabeled with alpha-emitting radionuclide 213-Bismuth ((213)Bi) - (213)Bi-2556 efficiently and specifically killed ACH-2 human lymphocytes chronically infected with HIV-1, and HIV-1 infected human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (hPBMCs). The number of binding sites for (213)Bi-2556 on the surface of the infected cells was >10(6). The in vivo experiments were performed in two HIV-1 mouse models--splenic and intraperitoneal. In both models, the decrease in HIV-1 infected hPBMCs from the spleens and peritoneum, respectively, was dose-dependent with the most pronounced killing of hPBMCs observed in the 100 µCi (213)Bi-2556 group (P = 0.01). Measurement of the blood platelet counts and gross pathology of the treated mice demonstrated the lack of toxicity for (213)Bi-2556.We describe the preclinical development of a novel radiolabeled mAb reagent that could potentially be part of an HIV eradication strategy that is ready for translation into the clinic as the next step in its development. As viral antigens are very different from "self" human antigens - this approach promises high selectivity, increased efficacy and low toxicity, especially in comparison to immunotoxins

Corrosion inhibition performance of copper using N-benzylhy-drazinecarbothioamide in a 3.5 % NaCl solution

In this report, N-benzylhydrazinecarbothioamide (BHCTA) was investigated as an organic inhibitor for the corrosion of copper substrate in 3.5 wt.% sodium chloride electrolyte at 298 K. The inhibition efficiency of BHCTA was examined using electrochemical, chemical and theoretical tools. The gained outcomes indicated a supreme inhibition efficiency of BHCTA which exceeded 95 % upon addition of 1.00 mM of BHCTA. Such supreme efficiency was discussed on the basis of decisive adsorption of BHCTA molecules on the copper substrate that hinders concurrently the anodic oxidation and cathodic reduction reactions progressions. The adsorption of BHCTA on the copper surface was discovered to obey Langmuir isotherm. The resulting value of DGads0 = −35.7 kJ mol−1 indicates that BHCTA molecules adsorb on the copper surface through a spontaneous mix of physisorption and chemisorption processes. A scanning electron microscope was used to examine the effect of BHCTA adsorption on the morphology of the copper surface. Theoretical calculations showed that BHCTA has good adsorption properties on Cu substrate. There is a good consistency between the applied experimental and theoretical tools, confirming the validity of the gained outcomes

Organs dosimetry in targeted radionuclide therapy

The objective of this study is to assess the patients' effective and organ dose during theranostic applications in Kuwait. In total, eighteen adults' patients were conducted nuclear medicine procedures with 177Lu Dotatate for theranostic purpose in Kuwait Cancer control center (KCCC), Kuwait. Medium energy collimator (MEC) (208 keV Scatter 26% better than 113 keV Scatter 60%) was utilized to obtain scans in definite time intervals ranged from one to 2 h (before voiding), 6:00, 24:00, 48:00, 72:00 h. Patients, tissue and organ radiation doses were computed utilizing OLINDA/EXM Software. The average radiation effective dose (in mSv/MBq) for bladder, liver, and both kidneys (left & right), were 0.36, 0.08, 0.61 & 0.60. The range of the effective dose was from 0.55 mSv to 7.7 mSv. The acquired scans using 177Lu were delivered diagnostic findings. The patients’ effective dose is lower compared to the previous studies. Variation is attributed to the departmental protocol and administered activity. The values of the mean organ dose were comparable and lower than previously published studies. Different organs have different level of doses, which may affected by the presence of the metastatic tumors in the entire organ. © 2021 Elsevier Lt

Health-related quality of life in adult patients with hemophilia, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Background: Despite a reduction in mortality rates, hemophilia patients continue to suffer the consequences of repeated bleeding episodes. Assessment of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) attempts to determine how different life aspects are affected and helps guide future decision-making. AIMS: The aim of the study was to assess HRQoL in adult patients with hemophilia managed at King Khalid University Hospital (KKUH), Riyadh and to identify factors affecting HRQoL. Settings and Design: An observational cross-sectional study was conducted at KKUH in Riyadh from September 2014 to April 2015. Subjects and Methods: Sixty-one patients followed up and treated at KKUH from 2000 to 2015 were enrolled in the study. Patients were asked to complete the Arabic version of the Hemophilia-Specific QoL (HAEMO-QoL-A) Questionnaire. Results: Forty-Nine hemophilic patients completed the HAEMO-QoL-A questionnaire. Of these, 81.6% had hemophilia A, with a mean age of 29.84 years. The most common target joint was the knee (89.7%). The majority used on-demand treatment (55.1%). The HAEMO-QoL-A mean total score was 99.89. “Treatment concerns” were the most impaired dimension, whereas the “work/school, family, and social life” dimension was least affected. Patients receiving on-demand treatment had the lowest average bleeding events (8.22, P = 0.007). Conclusion: Frequent bleeding events, prophylactic treatment, and presence of clotting factor inhibitors negatively impact the HRQoL of patients with hemophilia