Pheochromocytoma Presenting with Hypertensive Encephalopathy in a 12-Year-Old Boy

Although pheochromocytoma is rare in children, it could result in hypertensive emergency. We describe the case of a 12-year-old boy with pheochromocytoma. His clinical manifestations indicated hypertensive encephalopathy; however, there were no space-occupying lesion in the brain and definitive evidence of secondary cause of hypertension. Knowing that he had extremely high blood pressure, headache, palpitation, and perspiration rendered sympathetic crisis a presumptive diagnosis. Subsequently, pheochromocytoma was diagnosed by computed tomography and catecholamine assay. After stabilizing the blood pressure with antihypertensive medications, such as phenoxybenzamine, laparoscopic adrenalectomy was performed, and he was discharged without residual discomfort. We would like to highlight expeditious diagnosis and proper management of pheochromocytoma with hypertensive encephalopathy

CHARACTERIZATION OF THERMOMECHANICAL PULP MADE FROM PINE TREES INFECTED WITH NEMATODES

Pine wilt is a lethal disease caused by the nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus. It causes tree death by blocking water and nutrient uptake in pine trees. Pine trees infected by these nematodes are used as fertilizer or fuel for thermal power plants, but their utilization is still only about 37%. To increase the utilization of the infected trees, this study investigated whether the shredded wood chips prepared from them could be used as raw materials for manufacturing thermomechanical pulp (TMP) and chemithermomechanical pulp (CTMP). TMP and CTMP prepared from the infected pine chips showed fewer pitch contents and better strength properties than those made from domestic pine. In conclusion, if the nematode-infected pine was used as raw materials for manufacturing TMP and CTMP, it is expected that it would contribute to the diversification of raw materials along with a high-temperature insecticidal effect. Keywords: Pine wilt, nematode disease, thermomechanical pulp, chemithermomechanical pulp, pulp strength, insecticidal effect &nbsp

Neuroblastoma in a 3-year-old boy presenting with pain in the bilateral hip and abdomen

A 3-year-old boy presented to our emergency department with a 3-week history of pain in the bilateral hip and abdomen that had persisted through antibiotic therapy based on diagnosis of acute osteomyelitis. At presentation, he had fever, anemia, and increased concentration of lactate dehydrogenase. After the identification of a left adrenal mass indicating neuroblastoma on computed tomography scan, he was admitted to the hospital by a pediatric oncologist. Subsequently, positron emission tomography and bone scintigraphy showed disseminated metastasis to the bone and bone marrow, and neuroblastoma was pathologically confirmed. This case highlights the importance of differential diagnosis of non-traumatic hip pain in toddlers considering the protean manifestations of neuroblastoma

COMPARISON OF THE EFFECT OF TMP PITCH CONTROL AGENTS WITH DIFFERENT MECHANISMS

The pitch contained in thermomechanical pulp negatively affects paper quality, pulp, and the papermaking process. Serious pitch and stickies problems may occur in paper recycling processes. In this study, the effects of chemicals used to control the pitch in the TMP(Themomechanical Pulp) rocess were compared. The method used to analyze the pitch-control effect was to perform image analysis after using a reagent that selectively stains only the hydrophobic pitch. Three different mechanisms, namely fixation, detackification, and dispersion, were applied to solve the pitch problem from TMP. All the control agents were effective in pitch control, and, in particular, the agents related to fixation and dispersion were found to be more effective in reducing the number and area of tacky particles per unit area in sheets and white water. However, for the detackifiers and the dispersants, but not for the fixatives, it was difficult to clearly distinguish the difference of the pitch control effects according to the change in the amount of these agents through image analysis after staining

A tracheoinnominate artery fistula presenting with massive hemorrhage in a 13-year-old boy

Despite its rarity, a tracheoinnominate artery fistula can result in catastrophic hemorrhage. Here, we describe a case of a 13-year-old boy with such a condition following tracheostomy. After identification of pulsatile bleeding from the tracheostoma, temporary control of hemorrhage was obtained using hyperinflation of the tracheostomy tube cuff. Subsequently, a lesion indicative of a tracheoinnominate artery fistula was found on a computed tomography scan, and the diagnosis was confirmed at surgery. After surgery, he was discharged with no recurrent bleeding. This case highlights the importance of high suspicion and prompt management of tracheoinnominate artery fistula

Polymer Micelle Formulation for the Proteasome Inhibitor Drug Carfilzomib: Anticancer Efficacy and Pharmacokinetic Studies in Mice

Carfilzomib (CFZ) is a peptide epoxyketone proteasome inhibitor approved for the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM). Despite the remarkable efficacy of CFZ against MM, the clinical trials in patients with solid cancers yielded rather disappointing results with minimal clinical benefits. Rapid degradation of CFZ in vivo and its poor penetration to tumor sites are considered to be major factors limiting its efficacy against solid cancers. We previously reported that polymer micelles (PMs) composed of biodegradable block copolymers poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and poly(caprolactone) (PCL) can improve the metabolic stability of CFZ in vitro. Here, we prepared the CFZ-loaded PM, PEG-PCL-deoxycholic acid (CFZ-PM) and assessed its in vivo anticancer efficacy and pharmacokinetic profiles. Despite in vitro metabolic protection of CFZ, CFZ-PM did not display in vivo anticancer efficacy in mice bearing human lung cancer xenograft (H460) superior to that of the clinically used cyclodextrin-based CFZ (CFZ-CD) formulation. The plasma pharmacokinetic profiles of CFZ-PM were also comparable to those of CFZ-CD and the residual tumors that persisted in xenograft mice receiving CFZ-PM displayed an incomplete proteasome inhibition. In summary, our results showed that despite its favorable in vitroperformances, the current CFZ-PM formulation did not improve in vivo anticancer efficacy and accessibility of active CFZ to solid cancer tissues over CFZ-CD. Careful consideration of the current results and potential confounding factors may provide valuable insights into the future efforts to validate the potential of CFZ-based therapy for solid cancer and to develop effective CFZ delivery strategies that can be used to treat solid cancers

NF-κB and CREB Are Involved in IL-8 Production of Human Neutrophils Induced by Trichomonas vaginalis-Derived Secretory Products

Trichomonas vaginalis is a flagellated lumen-dwelling extracellular protozoan parasite that causes human trichomoniasis via sexual intercourse. Human neutrophils play a crucial role in acute tissue inflammatory responses in T. vaginalis infection. In this study, we investigated the signaling mechanism of neutrophil responses when stimulated with T. vaginalis-derived secretory products (TvSP), which were collected from 1×107 live trichomonads. Incubation of human neutrophils isolated from peripheral blood with TvSP induced up-regulation of IL-8 protein secretion. In addition, stimulation with TvSP induced phosphorylation of NF-κB and CREB in neutrophils. Moreover, TvSP-induced IL-8 production was also significantly inhibited by pretreatment of neutrophils with iκB inhibitor or CREB inhibitor. These results suggest that transcription factors NF-κB and CREB are involved in IL-8 production in human neutrophils induced by stimulation with T. vaginalis infection