Pituitary macroadenoma resulting from primary hypothyroidism: A16-year-old girl

Background: Primary hypothyroidism is a common medical condition. It can lead to pituitary adenoma which is usually asymptomatic, but it can also lead to symptomatic macroadenomas which are hard to diagnose due to different clinical presentations. Case presentation: A 16-year-old girl presented for endocrinology consultation prior to neurosurgical operation. She had galactorrhea which was accompanied by vertigo & low grade blurred vision without a headache and was diagnosed with pituitary macroadenoma and was planned for a surgery. She had TSH level of more than 100 mU/L, free thyroxine of 1.9 pmol/L. Her thyroid peroxidase (TPO) antibody level was 13.3 IU/mL, insulin growth factor-1 392 µ/l and serum prolactin level 42 ng/ml. During physical exam and with the laboratory findings, we suspected for a primary hypothyroidism as the leading cause of pituitary macroadenoma. As the result, we cancel the surgery and start levothyroxine therapy 100µg daily for her. In the follow-up it revealed that our diagnosis was correct and she went into remission with pituitary gland shrinking and decreasing TSH and prolactin levels. Conclusion: It is important to understand the different presentation of primary hypothyroidism to decrease the unnecessary risk of maltreatment in patients

A NEW EXHAUST VENTILATION SYSTEM DESIGN SOFTWARE

A Microsoft Windows based ventilation software package is developed to reduce time-consuming and boring procedure of exhaust ventilation system design. This program Assure accurate and reliable air pollution control related calculations. Herein, package is tentatively named Exhaust Ventilation Design Software which is developed in VB6 programming environment. Most important features of Exhaust Ventilation Design Software that are ignored in formerly developed packages are Collector design and fan dimension data calculations. Automatic system balance is another feature of this package. Exhaust Ventilation Design Software algorithm for design is based on two methods: Balance by design (Static pressure balance) and design by Blast gate. The most important section of software is a spreadsheet that is designed based on American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists calculation sheets. Exhaust Ventilation Design Software is developed so that engineers familiar with American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists datasheet can easily employ it for ventilation systems design. Other sections include Collector design section (settling chamber, cyclone, and packed tower), fan geometry and dimension data section, a unit converter section (that helps engineers to deal with units), a hood design section and a Persian HTML help. Psychometric correction is also considered in Exhaust Ventilation Design Software. In Exhaust Ventilation Design Software design process, efforts are focused on improving GUI (graphical user interface) and use of programming standards in software design. Reliability of software has been evaluated and results show acceptable accuracy

Symptomatic Rathke’s Cleft Cyst Presenting With Decreased Visual Acuity

Background and Importance: Symptomatic Rathke’s cleft cyst is a rare lesion that often presents without any symptoms.  Case Presentation: We report a 40-year-old female with symptomatic Rathke’s cleft cyst located in the sellar and suprasellar region. She presented with visual disturbance, headache, weight gain, hypothyroidism and amenorrhea. The patient underwent surgery and the pathological examination confirmed Rathke’s cleft cyst. Conclusion: Although the symptomatic Rathke’s cleft cyst is rare, the differential diagnosis must be done with intrasellar and suprasellar lesions

Transplantation of Adult Monkey Neural Stem Cells into A Contusion Spinal Cord Injury Model in Rhesus Macaque Monkeys

Objective: Currently, cellular transplantation for spinal cord injuries (SCI) is the subject of numerous preclinical studies. Among the many cell types in the adult brain, there is a unique subpopulation of neural stem cells (NSC) that can self-renew and differentiate into neurons. The study aims, therefore, to explore the efficacy of adult monkey NSC (mNSC) in a primate SCI model. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, isolated mNSCs were analyzed by flow cytometry, immunocytochemistry, and RT-PCR. Next, BrdU-labeled cells were transplanted into a SCI model. The SCI animal model was confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and histological analysis. Animals were clinically observed for 6 months. Results: Analysis confirmed homing of mNSCs into the injury site. Transplanted cells expressed neuronal markers (TubIII). Hind limb performance improved in transplanted animals based on Tarlov’s scale and our established behavioral tests for monkeys. Conclusion: Our findings have indicated that mNSCs can facilitate recovery in contusion SCI models in rhesus macaque monkeys. Additional studies are necessary to determine the improvement mechanisms after cell transplantation