A Rare Presentation of Conjunctival Myxoma with Pain and Redness: Case Report and Literature Review

Background: Conjunctival myxoma is a type of rare, benign tumor of mesenchymal cells, with fewer than 30 reported cases in the English literature. It is mostly an isolated occurrence but can sometimes be associated with systemic diseases such as Carney complex or Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. It is necessary in clinical practice to differentiate it from other similar lesions, such as amelanotic nevus, lymphangioma, myxoid liposarcoma, spindle-cell lipoma, myxoid neurofibroma, and rhabdomyosarcoma. Case Presentation: The usual presentation of conjunctival myxoma is a translucent, well-circumscribed, and painless conjunctival mass, but in this report we discuss an unusual case of conjunctival myxoma in a 47-year-old Taiwanese woman who presented initially with pain and redness. This atypical presentation complicated the diagnosis and the management at first. Surgical excision of the mass was performed. The mass was found to be a conjunctival myxoma. The patient subsequently underwent extensive evaluation but was found not to have any systemic diseases with known association with conjunctival myxoma. Conclusions: In summary, we present a case of conjunctival myxoma in a 47-year-old Taiwanese woman. The initial presentation with pain and redness was atypical for conjunctival myxoma. The lesion was successfully managed with complete excisional biopsy

A statistical reconstruction algorithm for positronium lifetime imaging using time-of-flight positron emission tomography

Positron emission tomography (PET) has been widely used for the diagnosis of serious diseases including cancer and Alzheimer's disease, based on the uptake of radiolabelled molecules that target certain pathological signatures. Recently, a novel imaging mode known as positronium lifetime imaging (PLI) has been shown possible with time-of-flight (TOF) PET as well. PLI is also of practical interest because it can provide complementary disease information reflecting conditions of the tissue microenvironment via mechanisms that are independent of tracer uptake. However, for the present practical systems that have a finite TOF resolution, the PLI reconstruction problem has yet to be fully formulated for the development of accurate reconstruction algorithms. This paper addresses this challenge by developing a statistical model for the PLI data and deriving from it a maximum-likelihood algorithm for reconstructing lifetime images alongside the uptake images. By using realistic computer simulation data, we show that the proposed algorithm can produce quantitatively accurate lifetime images.Comment: Submitted to IEEE-TPRM

High efficiency silicon nanodisk laser based on colloidal CdSe/ZnS QDs

Using colloidal CdSe/ZnS quantum dots in the submicron-sized silicon disk cavity, we have developed a visible wavelength nanodisk laser that operates under extremely low threshold power at room temperature. Time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) of QDs; nanodisk by e-beam lithography. Observation of lasing action at 594 nm wavelength for quantum dots on a nanodisk (750 nm in diameter) cavity and an ultra-low threshold of 2.8 µW. From QD concentration dependence studies we achieved nearly sevenfold increase in spontaneous emission (SE) rate. We have achieved high efficient and high SE coupling rate in such a QD nanodisk laser

Sialolipoma of the Floor of the Mouth: A Case Report

Intra-oral lipoma is a well-known entity, but lipomatous tumors including salivary gland tissue containing clustered or peripherally located ducts and acinar cells are uncommon. They are a newly recognized entity of salivary gland lipoma, designated sialolipoma. We describe a case of sialolipoma arising in the floor of the mouth presenting with apparently normal salivary gland tissue, as demonstrated by both histologic and immunohistochemical findings, in a 67-year-old female. Complete surgical removal of the tumor with preservation of the sublingual gland was implemented after a careful examination confirming that the lesion did not originate from the sublingual gland

Infectious Alopecia in a Dog Breeder After Renal Transplantation

Tinea capitis rarely occurs in renal transplant recipients. We report this living-related renal transplant patient receiving cyclosporine-based therapy who initially presented with severe exfoliation of the scalp with yellowish-white scales and marked hair loss. The lesions extended to the frontal area and both cheeks, resulting in several skin ulcers with perifocal erythematous inflammatory changes, and palpable cervical lymph nodes. A biopsy of a skin lesion revealed fungal infection and culture yielded Microsporum canis. The patient mentioned an outbreak of ringworm in her breeding dogs during this period. After adequate treatment of the patient and her infected animals with griseofulvin and disinfection of the environment, her skin lesions resolved dramatically, with regrowth of hair

A novel randomly textured phosphor structure for highly efficient white light-emitting diodes

We have successfully demonstrated the enhanced luminous flux and lumen efficiency in white light-emitting diodes by the randomly textured phosphor structure. The textured phosphor structure was fabricated by a simple imprinting technique, which does not need an expensive dry-etching machine or a complex patterned definition. The textured phosphor structure increases luminous flux by 5.4% and 2.5% at a driving current of 120 mA, compared with the flat phosphor and half-spherical lens structures, respectively. The increment was due to the scattering of textured surface and also the phosphor particles, leading to the enhancement of utilization efficiency of blue light. Furthermore, the textured phosphor structure has a larger view angle at the full width at half maximum (87°) than the reference LEDs

Examining the Relationship between Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Body Weight Status: Empirical Evidence from a Population-Based Survey of Adults in Taiwan

Background. Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death worldwide. Meanwhile, obesity has been recognized as a global epidemic. This study aims to examine the extent to which cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with body mass among adult males and females in Taiwan. Materials and Methods. A nationally representative dataset consisting of 68,175 adults aged 18–60, including 31,743 males and 36,432 females, was used. Several multivariate regression models were used to investigate the relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and body weight status, after controlling for adults’ sociodemographic status. Results. A one-unit increase in the BMI lowered the cardiorespiratory fitness score by 0.316 and 0.368 points for adult males and females, respectively. Among adult males, compared to those of normal weight, adult males who were underweight, overweight, or obese had a lower cardiorespiratory fitness score by 1.287, 0.845, and 3.353 points, respectively. Similar results could be found in female samples. Conclusion. The overweight and obese adults had much lower levels of cardiorespiratory fitness as compared to their normal weight counterparts. Given the upward trend in the prevalence of overweight and obesity, it is important to help overweight and obese people to become more fit and reach their healthy weight

Neglschisandrins E–F: Two New Lignans and Related Cytotoxic Lignans from Schisandra neglecta

Phytochemical investigation of an ethanolic extract of stems of Schisandra neglecta led to the isolation and identification of two new dibenzocyclooctadiene lignans, designated neglschisandrins E ( 1) and F ( 2), and thirteen known lignans. All structures and stereochemistries were determined by spectroscopic methods, including 2D-NMR techniques. The isolates were evaluated for in vitro cytotoxic activity. Among them, compounds 2– 6 exhibited moderate to weak cytotoxicity against the human colorectal carcinoma HCT-8 cell line with EC 50 values of 7.33~19.8 μg/mL. In addition, compounds 2– 4 also exhibited marginal cytotoxicity against the human lung carcinoma A549 cell line with EC 50 values of 11.8~15.0 μg/mL