Adult-type rhabdomyoma of the thyroid: A case report

Adult-type rhabdomyoma (AR) is a benign myogenous neoplasm. It is rarely located in the thyroid. We present a case of a 61-year-old man, presenting with complaints of a mass found in his left neck for three years. Ultrasonography and computed tomography showed a mass in the left lobe of the thyroid. Subsequently, a fine-needle aspiration biopsy showed that the lesion was suspected to be an oncocytic neoplasm, and the patient underwent surgery. Finally, the lesion was confirmed to be an AR of the thyroid by postoperative pathological diagnosis. In conclusion, AR that occurs in the thyroid is remarkably rare. No case reports to date have described in detail the imaging findings of AR in the thyroid. This study demonstrates the imaging characteristics of a patient with AR of the thyroid, in order to provide more extensive insights to consider the differential diagnosis of thyroid lesions

The role of spinal GABAB receptors in cancer-induced bone pain in rats

Cancer-induced bone pain (CIBP) remains a major challenge in advanced cancer patients due to our lack of understanding of its mechanisms. Previous studies have demonstrated the vital role of GABAB receptors (GABABRs) in regulating nociception and various neuropathic pain models have shown diminished activity of GABABRs. However, the role of spinal GABABRs in CIBP remains largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the specific cellular mechanisms of GABABRs in the development and maintenance of CIBP in rats. Our behavioral results show that both acute and chronic intrathecal treatment with baclofen, a GABABR agonist, significantly attenuated CIBP-induced mechanical allodynia and ambulatory pain. The expression levels of GABABRs were significantly decreased in a time-dependent manner and colocalized mostly with neuron and a minority with astrocyte and microglia. Chronic treatment with baclofen restored the expression of GABABRs and markedly inhibited the activation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) and the cAMP-response element-binding protein (CREB) signaling pathway

Synthesis, characterization, and the antifungal activity of chitosan derivatives containing urea groups

As an abundant and renewable polysaccharide, chitosan has been drawing broad attention due to its natural properties. For the further utilization of chitosan, chemical modification can be applied in improving its water solubility and the bioactivities. In this study, four chitosan derivatives were synthesized by the reaction of chloracetyl chitosan derivative with quaternary ammonium salt (CTCS) and urea groups bearing 4-amino-pyridine, including BCTCS, 2CBCTCS, 3CBCTCS, and 4CBCTCS. The structure characteristics of synthesized products were established based on FT-1R spectroscopy, H-1 NMR, and elemental analysis. Their antifungal activities against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum, Phomopsis asparagus, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumebrium Owen, and Botrytis cinerea were estimated by hyphal measurement in vitro. Generally, the inhibition ratio of most products was higher than 80% at 1.0 mg/mL. Their inhibitory activity decreased roughly in the order: 4CBCTCS > 3CBCTCS > 2CBCTCS> BCTCS > CTCS> chitosan, resulted from the different degrees of substitution of the effectively active groups-urea groups. Meanwhile, the effects on beneficial soil microbes, including Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, and Sinorhizobium saheli LMG7837, of these synthesized chitosan derivatives were evaluated by disk diffusion method. The results showed that these substances do not inhibit the growth of beneficial bacteria and some of them could be employed as green antifungal biomaterials. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Minocycline attenuate bone cancer pain in rats by inhibiting NFkB in spinal astrocytes

Aim: To investigate the mechanisms underlying the anti-nociceptive effect of minocycline on bone cancer pain (BCP) in rats. Methods: A rat model of BCP was established by inoculating Walker 256 mammary carcinoma cells into tibial medullary canal. Two weeks later, the rats were injected with minocycline (50, 100 μg, intrathecally; or 40, 80 mg/kg, ip) twice daily for 3 consecutive days. Mechanical paw withdrawal threshold (PWT) was used to assess pain behavior. After the rats were euthanized, spinal cords were harvested for immunoblotting analyses. The effects of minocycline on NF-κB activation were also examined in primary rat astrocytes stimulated with IL-1β in vitro. Results: BCP rats had marked bone destruction, and showed mechanical tactile allodynia on d 7 and d 14 after the operation. Intrathecal injection of minocycline (100 μg) or intraperitoneal injection of minocycline (80 mg/kg) reversed BCP-induced mechanical tactile allodynia. Furthermore, intraperitoneal injection of minocycline (80 mg/kg) reversed BCP-induced upregulation of GFAP (astrocyte marker) and PSD95 in spinal cord. Moreover, intraperitoneal injection of minocycline (80 mg/kg) reversed BCP-induced upregulation of NF-κB, p-IKKα and IκBα in spinal cord. In IL-1β-stimulated primary rat astrocytes, pretreatment with minocycline (75, 100 μmol/L) significantly inhibited the translocation of NF-κB to nucleus. Conclusion: Minocycline effectively alleviates BCP by inhibiting the NF-κB signaling pathway in spinal astrocytes

Frank-van der Merwe Growth in Bilayer Graphene

Bilayer graphene has attracted significant interest due to its unique properties, including fascinating electrical behavior when one layer is slightly rotated relative to the other. However, the quality of large-area bilayer graphene is often limited by the layer-plus-island growth mode in which islands of thicker graphene present as unavoidable impurities. Here, we report the observation of the layer-by-layer, Frank-van der Merwe (FM) growth mode in bilayer graphene where multilayer impurities are suppressed. Instead of the conventional surface adhesive energy, it is found that interface adhesive energy is possible to be tuned with an oxidative pretreatment. The FM-grown bilayer graphene is of AB-stacking or with small-twisting-angle (θ = 0-5°), which is more mechanically robust compared to monolayer graphene, facilitating a free-standing wet transfer technology

Highly Efficient Oxidation of Propane at Low Temperature over a Pt-Based Catalyst by Optimization Support

Pt-based catalysts have attracted widespread attention in environmental protection applications, especially in the catalytic destruction of light alkane pollutants. However, developing a satisfying platinum catalyst with high activity, excellent water-resistance, and practical suitability for hydrocarbon combustion at low temperature is challenging. In this study, the Pt catalyst supported on the selected Nb2O5 oxide exhibited an efficient catalytic activity in propane oxidation and exceeded that of most catalysts reported in the literature. More importantly, the Pt/Nb2O5 catalyst maintained excellent activity and durability even after high-temperature aging at 700 °C and under harsh working conditions, such as a certain degree of moisture, high space velocity, and composite pollutants. The excellent performance of the Pt/Nb2O5 catalyst was attributed to the abundant metallic Pt species stabilized on the surface of Nb2O5, which prompted the C–H bond dissociation ability as the rate-determining step. Furthermore, propane was initially activated via oxidehydrogenation and followed the acrylate species path as a more efficient propane oxidation path on the Pt/Nb2O5 surface. Overall, Pt/Nb2O5 can be considered a promising catalyst for the catalytic oxidation of alkanes from industrial sources and could provide inspiration for designing superb catalysts for the oxidation of light alkanes