Bile duct adenocarcinoma with minor micropapillary component: a case report

Invasive micropapillary carcinoma (IMPC) is defined as a carcinoma composed of small clusters of tumor cells lying within clear spaces which simulate lymphovascular channels. This histologic pattern has been described in various organs, including the breast, lung, urinary bladder, ovary, stomach, pancreas, and major salivary glands. Although rarely observed as a pure histologic component, IMPC is usually mixed with conventional carcinoma, and is therefore often referred to as carcinoma with a micropapillary component. IMPCs are invariably associated with a high degree of aggressiveness, extensive lymphovascular invasion, extensive lymph node metastases, and poor prognosis. Here a case of bile duct adenocarcinoma with minor micropapillary component is described

Comparison of the efficiency (flash point, freezing point, and viscosity test) of biodiesels from Sargassum sp.

Biodiesel, an alkyl ester compound produced through an alcoholysis process (transesterification) between triglycerides and methanol or ethanol with the help of alkaline catalysts into alkyl esters and glycerol, is an alternative renewable fuel. A total of 75 ml of used cooking oil and 5 kg dry Sargassum sp. was used. Five different treatments, namely P0 (Commercial Biosolar), P1 (100% Sargasssum sp. Biodiesel), P2 (75% Sargasssum sp. Biodiesel + 25% Biosolar), P3 (50% Sargasssum sp. Biodiesel + 50% Biosolar) and P4 (25% Sargasssum sp. Biodiesel + 75% Biosolar) were tested according to the biodiesel efficiency parameters. The efficiency test of the biodiesel included the flash point, freezing point and viscosity test. The tests were conducted with the help of the panelists prior to laboratory testing the best biodiesel sample. The panelist tests were conducted by involving 9 panelists with a replication of 5 treatments each. Seaweed oil from Sargassum sp. and used cooking oil were proven to be capable of being used as materials to produce biodiesel. Based on the study results, the most efficient combination was 75% Sargassum sp. biodiesel and 25% biosolar.publishedVersio

Is a soft tissue graft harvested from the maxillary tuberosity the approach of choice in an isolated site?

Soft tissue augmentation procedures are becoming more popular these days. Different soft tissue graft harvesting approaches have been proposed. Nonetheless, the location of the donor site (whether anterior-, lateral-, superficial-, deep-palate or the maxillary tuberosity) can affect the graft shape and its composition. Soft tissue grafts from the maxillary tuberosity are rich in connective tissue fibers, with minimal presence of fatty or glandular components. Clinical, histological, and molecular evidence shows that a soft tissue graft obtained from the maxillary tuberosity has unique properties. In addition, harvesting from this area presents minimal risk for intra- or postoperative complications, leading to reduced patient morbidity. The aim of this commentary is to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of harvesting a soft tissue graft from the tuberosity and to compare it with the traditional palatal graft, while highlighting functional, esthetic, and patient-related outcomes.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/151301/1/jper10300_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/151301/2/jper10300.pd

Metabolic coupling in urothelial bladder cancer compartments and its correlation to tumour aggressiveness

Monocarboxylate transporters (MCTs) are vital for intracellular pH homeostasis by extruding lactate from highly glycolytic cells. These molecules are key players of the metabolic reprogramming of cancer cells, and evidence indicates a potential contribution in urothelial bladder cancer (UBC) aggressiveness and chemoresistance. However, the specific role of MCTs in the metabolic compartmentalization within bladder tumors, namely their preponderance on the tumor stroma, remains to be elucidated. Thus, we evaluated the immunoexpression of MCTs in the different compartments of UBC tissue samples (n = 111), assessing the correlations among them and with the clinical and prognostic parameters. A significant decrease in positivity for MCT1 and MCT4 occurred from normoxic toward hypoxic regions. Significant associations were found between the expression of MCT4 in hypoxic tumor cells and in the tumor stroma. MCT1 staining in normoxic tumor areas, and MCT4 staining in hypoxic regions, in the tumor stroma and in the blood vessels were significantly associated with UBC aggressiveness. MCT4 concomitant positivity in hypoxic tumor cells and in the tumor stroma, as well as positivity in each of these regions concomitant with MCT1 positivity in normoxic tumor cells, was significantly associated with an unfavourable clinicopathological profile, and predicted lower overall survival rates among patients receiving platinum-based chemotherapy. Our results point to the existence of a multi-compartment metabolic model in UBC, providing evidence of a metabolic coupling between catabolic stromal and cancer cells' compartments, and the anabolic cancer cells. It is urgent to further explore the involvement of this metabolic coupling in UBC progression and chemoresistance.This study was supported by the Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS) from the School of Health Sciences of the University of Minho. JA received a postdoctoral fellowship from ICVS (reference ICVS-SSRL: ON.2 SR&TD Integrated Program, NORTE-07-0124-FEDER-000017).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio