Trichobezoar masquerading as massive splenomegaly: Rapunzel’s syndrome revisited

Trichobezoars are usually formed due to ingestion of hair or hair-like fibres and present with a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations. We report a case of Rapunzel’s syndrome associated with trichotillomania in a 16-year-old girl who presented to our Haematology unit with complaints of fatigue, abdominal distention, and early satiety. Initial evaluation demonstrated anaemia, thrombocytosis, and a left hypochondrial mass suggestive of splenomegaly. However, ultrasound of the abdomen showed no hepatosplenomegaly and blood investigations were not suggestive of haematological malignancy. Not long after, the patient presented to the emergency department with suspected acute abdomen. Computed tomography of the abdomen revealed intraluminal gastric and jejunal masses causing small bowel obstruction. Emergency laparotomy confirmed gastric and jejunal trichobezoars, and subsequent psychiatric evaluation confirmed trichotillomania. Clinicians should consider trichobezoar in the differential diagnosis of abdominal pain and a non-tender ‘spleen-like’ abdominal mass

Nuclear Factor Kappa B Activation Occurs in the Amnion Prior to Labour Onset and Modulates the Expression of Numerous Labour Associated Genes

Background: Prior to the onset of human labour there is an increase in the synthesis of prostaglandins, cytokines and chemokines in the fetal membranes, particular the amnion. This is associated with activation of the transcription factor nuclear factor kappa B (NFkB). In this study we characterised the level of NFkB activity in amnion epithelial cells as a measure of amnion activation in samples collected from women undergoing caesarean section at 39 weeks gestation prior to the onset of labour. Methodology/Principal Findings: We found that a proportion of women exhibit low or moderate NFkB activity while other women exhibit high levels of NFkB activity (n = 12). This activation process does not appear to involve classical pathways of NFkB activation but rather is correlated with an increase in nuclear p65-Rel-B dimers. To identify the full range of genes upregulated in association with amnion activation, microarray analysis was performed on carefully characterised nonactivated amnion (n = 3) samples and compared to activated samples (n = 3). A total of 919 genes were upregulated in response to amnion activation including numerous inflammatory genes such cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2, 44-fold), interleukin 8 (IL-8, 6-fold), IL-1 receptor accessory protein (IL-1RAP, 4.5-fold), thrombospondin 1 (TSP-1, 3-fold) and, unexpectedly, oxytocin receptor (OTR, 24-fold). Ingenuity Pathway Analysis of the microarray data reveal the two main gene networks activated concurrently with amnion activation are i) cell death, cancer and morphology and ii) cell cycle, embryoni

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

The regulation and function of nuclear factor kappa B in the amnion prior to labour

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Light-dependent phagotrophy in the freshwater mixotrophic chrysophyte Dinobryon cylindricum

19 pages, 6 figures, 3 tablesThe mixotrophic (bacterivorous), freshwater chrysophyte Dinobryon cylindricum was cultured under a variety of light regimes and in bacterized and axenic cultures to investigate the role of phototrophy and phagotrophy for the growth of this alga. D. cylindricum was found to be an obligate phototroph. The alga was unable to survive in continuous darkness even when cultures were supplemented with high concentrations of bacteria, and bacterivory ceased in cultures placed in the dark for a period longer than one day. Axenic growth of the alga was poor even in an optimal light regime. Live bacteria were required for sustained, vigorous growth of the alga in the light. Carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) budgets determined for the alga during growth in bacterized cultures indicated that bacterial biomass ingested by the alga may have contributed up to 25% of the organic carbon budget of the alga. Photosynthesis was the source of most (≥75%) of the organic carbon of the alga. D. cylindricum populations survived but did not grow when cultured in a continuous low light intensity (30 μE m-2 sec-1), or in a light intensity of 150 μE m-2 sec-1 for only two hours each day. Net efficiency of incorporation of bacterial C, N, and P into algal biomass under these two conditions was zero (i.e., no net algal population growth). We conclude that the primary function of bacterivorous behavior in D. cylindricum may be to provide essential growth factor(s) or major nutrients for photosynthetic growth, or to allow for the survival of individuals during periods of very low light intensity or short photoperiod. © 1993 Springer-Verlag New York In

Antioxidative and photocytotoxic effects of standardized Clinacanthus nutans and Strobilanthes crispus extracts toward HepG2 liver cells

Introduction: The methanolic extracts of Clinacanthus nutans (CME) and Strobilanthes crispus (SME) are used in Malaysia as a complementary and alternative medicine for cancer. Objective: The present study aimed to determine the antioxidative and photocytotoxic effects of CME and SME toward liver cancer cells. Materials and Methods: Cell‑based (2′,7′‑dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate) and chemical‑based (2,2‑diphenyl‑1‑picrylhydrazyl [DPPH]) experiments were utilized to determine the antioxidative properties of both herbal extracts. CME and SME were also tested for their photocytotoxic potentials after photodynamic therapy (PDT). Phytochemical analysis was performed to identify the phytocompounds present in the extracts. Results: Both the extracts demonstrated dose‑dependent DPPH radical scavenging activities, while SME was found to be a stronger reactive oxygen species scavenger than CME at all concentrations tested on liver cells. Interestingly, on PDT, HepG2 cells treated with SME and CME at nontoxic doses showed a decrease in cellular viability charting half‑maximal inhibitory concentration of 13.45 μg/mL and 81.03 μg/mL, respectively. Total phenolic content of SME (36.27 ± 1.31 mg GAE/g extract) was slightly higher than CME (31.76 ± 0.10 mg GAE/g extract). On the contrary, the total flavonoid content of CME (11.32 ± 0.28 mg QE/g extract) was approximately seven times more than SME (1.69 ± 0.03 mg QE/g extract). Phenolic acids, flavonoids, and pheophorbide‑a were identified in both extracts. In view of this, these phytocompounds present in CME and SME could lead to the observed beneficial effects. Conclusion: CME and SME, especially the latter, are strong antioxidants with photosensitizing potentials that should be further investigated

Interactions between p65 and Rel-B exist in pre-labour, human amnion.

<p>(<b>A</b>) Whole cell lysate from unstimulated and IL-1β stimulated pre-labour amnion epithelial cells was incubated p65 conjugated beads. The lysate was recaptured under denaturing conditions and Western immunoblotting performed with either anti-p65, anti-phospho-p65 or anti-Rel-B antibodies. Non-stimulated amnion was shown to contain both p65-pp65 and to a greater extent, p65-Rel-B dimers. When stimulated with IL-1β, p65-pp65 dimer levels increased maximally at 30 min and then decreased gradually over 24 h. Dimers of p65-Rel-B were maintained at high levels throughout the time series. (<b>B</b>) Non-radioactive DNA binding assay kit (TRANSAM perbioscience) measuring the binding of Rel-B to the NFκB consensus binding sequence in response to IL-1β showed an increase from the unstimulated state at 30 min before dropping slightly 1 h. Binding peaked at 4 h before again subsiding at 24 h.</p