Pleomorphic adenoma of the nasal septum

SummaryIntroductionPleomorphic adenoma is the most common benign tumour of the salivary glands. The major salivary glands are most commonly involved, or more rarely accessory salivary glands, especially the oral cavity. Other locations, such as the nasal cavity, paranasal sinuses or upper aerodigestive tract, are exceptional.Case reportA 26-year-old female presented with right-sided nasal obstruction. Radiology found a lesion involving the anterior third of the nasal septum. The patient underwent complete surgical resection of the tumour via an endonasal approach. Histological examination found a mixed cellular component (epithelial and myoepithelial) and mesenchymatous tissue with chondromyxoid stroma, enabling diagnosis of a typical pleomorphic adenoma.Discussion/ConclusionPleomorphic adenoma is exceptional in the nasal cavity, with only a few cases reported in the literature. Although benign, the risk of local recurrence, malignant transformation and metastasis requires close long-term follow-up

Decision analytic model for evaluation of suspected coronary disease with stress testing and coronary CT angiography.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to apply a decision analytic model for the evaluation of coronary artery disease (CAD) to define the optimal utilization of coronary computed tomographic angiography (cCTA) and stress testing. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The model tested in this study assumes that CAD is evaluated with a stress test and/or cCTA and that a patient with positive evaluation results undergoes cardiac catheterization. On the basis of values of sensitivity, specificity, and radiation dose from the published literature and test costs from the Medicare fee schedule, a decision tree model was constructed as a function of disease prevalence. RESULTS: The false-negative rate is lowest when cCTA is used as an isolated test. The false-positive rate is minimized when cCTA is used in combination with stress echocardiography. Effective radiation is minimized by use of stress electrocardiography or stress echocardiography alone or prior to cCTA. When the pretest probability of CAD is low, a strategy that uses stress echocardiography followed by cCTA minimizes the false-positive rate and effective radiation exposure, with relatively low imaging costs and with a false-negative rate only slightly higher than a strategy including stress myocardial scintigraphy. As the pretest probability of CAD increases above 20%, the false-negative rate of stress echocardiography followed by cCTA increases by \u3e5% relative to cCTA alone. CONCLUSION: Effective radiation dose and imaging costs for the workup of CAD may be minimized by an appropriate combination of stress testing and cCTA. A strategy that uses stress echocardiography followed by cCTA is most appropriate for the evaluation of low-risk patients with CAD with a pretest probability \u3c 20%, while cCTA alone may be more appropriate in intermediate-risk patients

Expression of Functional Anti-p24 scFv 183-H12-5C in HEK293T and Jurkat T Cells

Purpose: More than half of the diagnostic and therapeutic recombinant protein production depends on mammalian-based expression system. However, the generation of recombinant antibodies remains a challenge in mammalian cells due to the disulfide bond formation and reducing cytoplasm. Therefore, the production of functional recombinant antibodies in target cell line is necessary to be evaluated before used in therapeutic application such intrabodies against HIV-1. Methods: The work was to test expression of a single-chain variable fragment (scFv) antibody against HIV-1 Capsid p24 protein in a human mammalian-based expression system using HEK293T and Jurkat T cells as a model. Three expression plasmid vectors expressing scFv 183-H12-5C were generated and introduced into HEK293T. Expression of the scFv was analyzed, while ELISA and immunoblotting analysis verified its binding. The evaluation of the recombinant antibody was confirmed by HIV-1 replication and MAGI infectivity assay in Jurkat T cells. Results: Three plasmid vectors expressing scFv 183-H12-5C was successfully engineered in this study. Recombinant antibodies scFv (~29 kDa) and scFv-Fc (~52 kDa) in the cytoplasm of HEK293T were effectively obtained by transfected the cells with engineered pCDNA3.3-mu-IgGk-scFv 183-H12-5C and pCMX2.5-scFv 183-H12-5C-hIgG1-Fc plasmid vectors respectively. scFv and scFv-Fc are specifically bound recombinant p24, and HIV-1 derived p24 (gag) evaluated by ELISA and Western blot. Jurkat T cells transfected by pCDNA3.3-scFv 183-H12-5C inhibit the replication-competent NL4-3 viral infectivity up to 60%. Conclusion: Anti-p24 scFv 183-H12-5C antibody generated is suitable to be acted as intrabodies and may serve as a valuable tool for the development of antibody-based biotherapeutics against HIV-1

Topology of the World Trade Web

Economy, and consequently trade, is a fundamental part of human social organization which, until now, has not been studied within the network modelling framework. Networks are mathematical tools used in the modelling of a wide variety of systems in social and natural science. Examples of these networks range from metabolic and cell networks to technological webs. Here we present the first empirical characterization of the world trade web, that is, the network built upon the trade relationships between different countries in the world. This network displays the typical properties of complex networks, namely, scale-free degree distribution, the {\it small world} property, a high clustering coefficient and, in addition, degree-degree correlation between different vertices. All these properties make the world trade web a complex network, which is far from being well-described through a classical random network description

Subset- and tissue-defined STAT5 thresholds control homeostasis and function of innate lymphoid cells

Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) patrol environmental interfaces to defend against infection and protect barrier integrity. Using a genetic tuning model, we demonstrate that the signal-dependent transcription factor (TF) STAT5 is critical for accumulation of all known ILC subsets in mice and reveal a hierarchy of STAT5 dependency for populating lymphoid and nonlymphoid tissues. We apply transcriptome and genomic distribution analyses to define a STAT5 gene signature in natural killer (NK) cells, the prototypical ILC subset, and provide a systems-based molecular rationale for its key functions downstream of IL-15. We also uncover surprising features of STAT5 behavior, most notably the wholesale redistribution that occurs when NK cells shift from tonic signaling to acute cytokine-driven signaling, and genome-wide coordination with T-bet, another key TF in ILC biology. Collectively, our data position STAT5 as a central node in the TF network that instructs ILC development, homeostasis, and function and provide mechanistic insights on how it works at cellular and molecular levels

An atlas of spider development at single-cell resolution provides new insights into arthropod embryogenesis

Spiders are a diverse order of chelicerates that diverged from other arthropods over 500 million years ago. Research on spider embryogenesis, particularly studies using the common house spider Parasteatoda tepidariorum, has made important contributions to understanding the evolution of animal development, including axis formation, segmentation, and patterning. However, we lack knowledge about the cells that build spider embryos, their gene expression profiles and fate. Single-cell transcriptomic analyses have been revolutionary in describing these complex landscapes of cellular genetics in a range of animals. Therefore, we carried out single-cell RNA sequencing of P. tepidariorum embryos at stages 7, 8 and 9, which encompass the establishment and patterning of the body plan, and initial differentiation of many tissues and organs. We identified 20 cell clusters, from 18.5 k cells, which were marked by many developmental toolkit genes, as well as a plethora of genes not previously investigated. We found differences in the cell cycle transcriptional signatures, suggestive of different proliferation dynamics, which related to distinctions between endodermal and some mesodermal clusters, compared with ectodermal clusters. We identified many Hox genes as markers of cell clusters, and Hox gene ohnologs were often present in different clusters. This provided additional evidence of sub- and/or neo-functionalisation of these important developmental genes after the whole genome duplication in an arachnopulmonate ancestor (spiders, scorpions, and related orders). We also examined the spatial expression of marker genes for each cluster to generate a comprehensive cell atlas of these embryonic stages. This revealed new insights into the cellular basis and genetic regulation of head patterning, hematopoiesis, limb development, gut development, and posterior segmentation. This atlas will serve as a platform for future analysis of spider cell specification and fate, and studying the evolution of these processes among animals at cellular resolution

Understanding perceptions on 'Buruli' in northwestern Uganda: A biosocial investigation.

BACKGROUND: An understudied disease, little research thus far has explored responses to Buruli ulcer and quests for therapy from biosocial perspective, despite reports that people seek biomedical treatment too late. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Taking an inductive approach and drawing on long-term ethnographic fieldwork in 2013-14, this article presents perspectives on this affliction of people living and working along the River Nile in northwest Uganda. Little is known biomedically about its presence, yet 'Buruli', as it is known locally, was and is a significant affliction in this region. Establishing a biosocial history of 'Buruli', largely obscured from biomedical perspectives, offers explanations for contemporary understandings, perceptions and practices. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We must move beyond over-simplifying and problematising 'late presentation for treatment' in public health, rather, develop biosocial approaches to understanding quests for therapy that take into account historical and contemporary contexts of health, healing and illness. Seeking to understand the context in which healthcare decisions are made, a biosocial approach enables greater depth and breadth of insight into the complexities of global and local public health priorities such as Buruli ulcer

Early cancer detection among rural and urban californians

BACKGROUND: Since the stage of cancer detection generally predicts future mortality rates, a key cancer control strategy is to increase the proportion of cancers found in the early stage. This study compared stage of detection for members of rural and urban communities to determine whether disparities were present. METHODS: The California Cancer Registry (CCR), a total population based cancer registry, was used to examine the proportion of early stage presentation for patients with breast, melanoma, and colon cancer from 1988 to 2003. Cancer stage at time of detection for these cancers was compared for rural and urban areas. RESULTS: In patients with breast cancer, there were significantly more patients presenting at early stage in 2003 compared to 1988, but no difference in the percentage of patients presenting with early stage disease between rural and urban dwellers. There were no differences in incidence in early stage cancer incidence between these groups for melanoma patients, as well. In colorectal cancer in 1988, significantly more patients presented with early stage disease in the urban areas (42% vs 34%, p < 0.02). However, over time the rural patients were diagnosed with early stage disease with the same frequency in 2003 as 1988. CONCLUSION: This analysis demonstrates that people in rural and urban areas have their breast, melanoma or colorectal cancers diagnosed at similar stages. Health care administrators may take this information into account in future strategic planning