Nutritional basis of type 2 diabetes remission.

Roy Taylor and colleagues explain how type 2 diabetes can be reversed by weight loss and avoidance of weight regai

Fibroma with minor sex cord elements – an incidental finding in a normal sized ovary A case report with literature review

Ovarian fibroma with minor sex cord element is a rare neoplasm. Microscopically it is composed of predominantly fibromatous or a thecomatous tumor containing scattered minor sex cord elements in less than 10% of the tumor area

Dietary and nutritional approaches for prevention and management of type 2 diabetes.

Common ground on dietary approaches for the prevention, management, and potential remission of type 2 diabetes can be found, argue Nita G Forouhi and colleagues Dietary factors are of paramount importance in the management and prevention of type 2 diabetes. Despite progress in formulating evidence based dietary guidance, controversy and confusion remain. In this article, we examine the evidence for areas of consensus as well as ongoing uncertainty or controversy about dietary guidelines for type 2 diabetes. What is the best dietary approach? Is it possible to achieve remission of type 2 diabetes with lifestyle behaviour changes or is it inevitably a condition causing progressive health decline? We also examine the influence of nutrition transition and population specific factors in the global context and discuss future directions for effective dietary and nutritional approaches to manage type 2 diabetes and their implementation.NGF receives funding from the Medical Research Council Epidemiology Unit (MC_UU_12015/5)

Nutritional basis of type 2 diabetes remission

Roy Taylor and colleagues explain how type 2 diabetes can be reversed by weight loss and avoidance of weight regai

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor of the breast: case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor is a rare soft tissue sarcoma of ectomesenchymal origin. It is the malignant counterpart of benign soft tissue tumors like neurofibromas and schwannomas and may often follow them. Common sites include deeper soft tissues, usually in the proximity of a nerve trunk. Breast is an extremely rare location of this lesion and presentation as a breast lump in the absence of pain or previous benign neural tumor is even rarer.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 38-year-old female presented with complaints of painless, hard breast lump for three months which was clinically suspected to be a ductal carcinoma with inconclusive fine needle aspiration cytology. Histopathology revealed a malignant spindle cell tumor which was confirmed to be malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor on the basis of immunopositivity for vimentin, neurone specific enolase and S-100.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>To the best of our knowledge only six such case reports have been published in literature. The differential diagnosis of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor should be considered by the clinician as well as the pathologists in the work-up of a breast neoplasm as treatment and prognosis of this rare malignancy is different.</p

Sub-terahertz, microwaves and high energy emissions during the December 6, 2006 flare, at 18:40 UT

The presence of a solar burst spectral component with flux density increasing with frequency in the sub-terahertz range, spectrally separated from the well-known microwave spectral component, bring new possibilities to explore the flaring physical processes, both observational and theoretical. The solar event of 6 December 2006, starting at about 18:30 UT, exhibited a particularly well-defined double spectral structure, with the sub-THz spectral component detected at 212 and 405 GHz by SST and microwaves (1-18 GHz) observed by the Owens Valley Solar Array (OVSA). Emissions obtained by instruments in satellites are discussed with emphasis to ultra-violet (UV) obtained by the Transition Region And Coronal Explorer (TRACE), soft X-rays from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) and X- and gamma-rays from the Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI). The sub-THz impulsive component had its closer temporal counterpart only in the higher energy X- and gamma-rays ranges. The spatial positions of the centers of emission at 212 GHz for the first flux enhancement were clearly displaced by more than one arc-minute from positions at the following phases. The observed sub-THz fluxes and burst source plasma parameters were found difficult to be reconciled to a purely thermal emission component. We discuss possible mechanisms to explain the double spectral components at microwaves and in the THz ranges.Comment: Accepted version for publication in Solar Physic

Renal tubular SGK1 deficiency causes impaired K+ excretion via loss of regulation of NEDD4-2/WNK1 and ENaC.

The stimulation of postprandial K(+) clearance involves aldosterone-independent and -dependent mechanisms. In this context, serum- and glucocorticoid-induced kinase (SGK)1, a ubiquitously expressed kinase, is one of the primary aldosterone-induced proteins in the aldosterone-sensitive distal nephron. Germline inactivation of SGK1 suggests that this kinase is fundamental for K(+) excretion under conditions of K(+) load, but the specific role of renal SGK1 remains elusive. To avoid compensatory mechanisms that may occur during nephrogenesis, we used inducible, nephron-specific Sgk1(Pax8/LC1) mice to assess the role of renal tubular SGK1 in K(+) regulation. Under a standard diet, these animals exhibited normal K(+) handling. When challenged by a high-K(+) diet, they developed severe hyperkalemia accompanied by a defect in K(+) excretion. Molecular analysis revealed reduced neural precursor cell expressed developmentally downregulated protein (NEDD)4-2 phosphorylation and total expression. γ-Epithelial Na(+) channel (ENaC) expression and α/γENaC proteolytic processing were also decreased in mutant mice. Moreover, with no lysine kinase (WNK)1, which displayed in control mice punctuate staining in the distal convoluted tubule and diffuse distribution in the connecting tubule/cortical colleting duct, was diffused in the distal convoluted tubule and less expressed in the connecting tubule/collecting duct of Sgk(Pax8/LC1) mice. Moreover, Ste20-related proline/alanine-rich kinase phosphorylation, and Na(+)-Cl(-) cotransporter phosphorylation/apical localization were reduced in mutant mice. Consistent with the altered WNK1 expression, increased renal outer medullary K(+) channel apical localization was observed. In conclusion, our data suggest that renal tubular SGK1 is important in the regulation of K(+) excretion via the control of NEDD4-2, WNK1, and ENaC

Uranium isotope variation within vein type uranium ore deposits

Isotopic composition of uranium has previously been used to infer the depositional redox environment of uranium ore concentrates and also provide a potential signature to inform nuclear forensic investigations. This study evaluates the diagnostic power of the U isotope signature by investigating (1) the heterogeneity of U isotope compositions in samples collected from the same mine and/or vein, and (2) the influence of U ore processing on 238U/235U and 234U/238U ratios. These characteristics are explored via high precision mass spectrometric measurement of vein type uranium ore samples collected predominantly from mines located in central Portugal and Southwest England. Samples collected from the same vein and mine exhibit δ238U values from −0.16 to +0.03 (±0.04) ‰ and −1.6 to −64.7 (±0.4) ‰ for δ234U (±2SD). These variations can be attributed to redox-driven isotope fractionation processes and/or U redistribution during localised leaching and re-precipitation. Analyses of residues and leachates from small-scale batch experiments designed to simulate industrial U ore leaching procedures reveal significant positive and negative changes in isotope composition in the leachate relative to the bulk material (up to 0.21 ± 0.06‰ for δ238U and 62.0 ± 0.6‰ for δ234U). These findings highlight the possibility of significantly different δ238U and δ234U of uranium ore concentrate from the same mine even if manufacturing processes remain unchanged

Acinic Cell Carcinoma with Extensive Neuroendocrine Differentiation: A Diagnostic Challenge

Primary salivary gland carcinoma with neuroendocrine differentiation is of rare occurrence, especially so in the parotid gland. Amongst the various reported primary tumors with neuroendocrine differentiation, acinic cell carcinoma (ACC) one such tumor. A 48 year old lady presented with a gradually increasing right infra-auricular swelling for a period of 1 year which enlarged suddenly in a short period. Contrast Enhanced Computed Tomography (CECT) suggested diagnosis of Pleomorphic Adenoma. Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology (FANC) yielded a cystic fluid suggesting a possibility of Warthin’s tumor or Oncocytic lesion. Intraoperative findings were suggestive of a Warthin’s tumor. Initial histopathological examination of the tumor was suggestive of neuroendocrine carcinoma. However, extensive sectioning revealed peripheral islands of ACC. Immunoexpression of S-100, Neuron specific Enolase (NSE), Chromogranin A and Synaptophysin confirmed the diagnosis. The possibility of neuroendocrine differentiation in a primary salivary gland tumor should be kept in mind whenever a salivary gland tumor shows only neuroendocrine histology

Comparison of Healthy and Dandruff Scalp Microbiome Reveals the Role of Commensals in Scalp Health

Several scalp microbiome studies from different populations have revealed the association of dandruff with bacterial and fungal dysbiosis. However, the functional role of scalp microbiota in scalp disorders and health remains scarcely explored. Here, we examined the bacterial and fungal diversity of the scalp microbiome and their potential functional role in the healthy and dandruff scalp of 140 Indian women. Propionibacterium acnes and Staphylococcus epidermidis emerged as the core bacterial species, where the former was associated with a healthy scalp and the latter with dandruff scalp. Along with the commonly occurring Malassezia species (M. restricta and M. globosa) on the scalp, a strikingly high association of dandruff with yet uncharacterized Malassezia species was observed in the core mycobiome. Functional analysis showed that the fungal microbiome was enriched in pathways majorly implicated in cell-host adhesion in the dandruff scalp, while the bacterial microbiome showed a conspicuous enrichment of pathways related to the synthesis and metabolism of amino acids, biotin, and other B-vitamins, which are reported as essential nutrients for hair growth. A systematic measurement of scalp clinical and physiological parameters was also carried out, which showed significant correlations with the microbiome and their associated functional pathways. The results point toward a new potential role of bacterial commensals in maintaining the scalp nutrient homoeostasis and highlights an important and yet unknown role of the scalp microbiome, similar to the gut microbiome. This study, therefore, provides new perspectives on the better understanding of the pathophysiology of dandruff