Child with hepatic hydatid cyst: A diagnostic uncertainty

Many parts of India are endemic for hydatid cyst, and hence, the most common diagnosis of a hepatic cyst in such regions is hydatid cyst. Undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma of the liver (UESL) is a rare differential diagnosis for hepatic hydatid cyst as the clinical and radiological features of hydatid cysts and UESL overlap. Here, we report a 4-year-old boy with hepatic cyst, who was initially diagnosed as hepatic hydatid cyst, which was later confirmed as UESL. The child was successfully treated with chemotherapy. This case report highlights the need to spread awareness about UESL, as prompt diagnosis and treatment improves prognosis of the same

Evolution of reproductive division of labor - lessons learned from the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum during its multicellular development

The origin of multicellular life from unicellular beings is an epochal step in the evolution of eukaryotes. There are several factors influencing cell fate choices during differentiation and morphogenesis of an organism. Genetic make-up of two cells that unite and fertilize is the key factor to signal the formation of various cell-types in due course of development. Although ploidy of the cell-types determines the genetics of an individual, the role of ploidy in cell fate decisions remains unclear. Dictyostelium serves as a versatile model to study the emergence of multicellular life from unicellular life forms. In this work, we investigate the role played by ploidy status of a cell on cell fate commitments during Dictyostelium development. To answer this question, we created Dictyostelium cells of different ploidy: haploid parents and derived isogenic diploids, allowing them to undergo development. The diploid strains used in this study were generated using parasexual genetics. The ploidy status of the haploids and diploids were confirmed by microscopy, flow cytometry, and karyotyping. Prior to reconstitution, we labeled the cells by two methods. First, intragenic expression of red fluorescent protein (RFP) and second, staining the amoebae with a vital, fluorescent dye carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester (CFSE). RFP labeled haploid cells allowed us to track the haploids in the chimeric aggregates, slugs, and fruiting bodies. The CFSE labeling method allowed us to track both the haploids and the diploids in the chimeric developmental structures. Our findings illustrate that the haploids demonstrate sturdy cell fate commitment starting from the aggregation stage. The haploids remain crowded at the aggregation centers of the haploid–diploid chimeric aggregates. At the slug stage haploids are predominantly occupying the slug posterior, and are visible in the spore population in the fruiting bodies. Our findings show that cell fate decisions during D. discoideum development are highly influenced by the ploidy status of a cell, adding a new aspect to already known factors Here, we report that ploidy status of a cell could also play a crucial role in regulating the cell fate commitments

A case of successful treatment of mucor pyelonephritis in a child with acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Invasive fungal infection (IFI) is a known complication in children with malignancy. Mucormycosis is a rare cause of IFI in children receiving chemotherapy. Isolated renal involvement of mucormycosis is extremely rare and carries a grave prognosis. A high index of suspicion and early management with antifungals and surgery is essential in the treatment of mucormycosis. Here, we describe a child with mucor pyelonephritis treated successfully with antifungals and surgery with the review of literature

The thyroxine inactivating gene, type III deiodinase, suppresses multiple signaling centers in Dictyostelium discoideum

Thyroxine deiodinases, the enzymes that regulate thyroxine metabolism, are essential for vertebrate growth and development. In the genome of Dictyostelium discoideum, a single intronless gene (dio3) encoding type III thyroxine 5′ deiodinase is present. The amino acid sequence of D. discoideum Dio3 shares 37% identity with human T4 deiodinase and is a member of the thioredoxin reductase superfamily. dio3 is expressed throughout growth and development and by generating a knockout of dio3, we have examined the role of thyroxine 5′ deiodinase in D. discoideum. dio3− had multiple defects that affected growth, timing of development, aggregate size, cell streaming, and cell-type differentiation. A prominent phenotype of dio3− was the breaking of late aggregates into small signaling centers, each forming a fruiting body of its own. cAMP levels, its relay, photo- and chemo-taxis were also defective in dio3−. Quantitative RT-PCR analyses suggested that expression levels of genes encoding adenylyl cyclase A (acaA), cAMP-receptor A (carA) and cAMP-phosphodiesterases were reduced. There was a significant reduction in the expression of CadA and CsaA, which are involved in cell–cell adhesion. The dio3− slugs had prestalk identity, with pronounced prestalk marker ecmA expression. Thus, Dio3 seems to have roles in mediating cAMP synthesis/relay, cell–cell adhesion and slug patterning. The phenotype of dio3− suggests that Dio3 may prevent the formation of multiple signaling centers during D. discoideum development. This is the first report of a gene involved in thyroxine metabolism that is also involved in growth and development in a lower eukaryote