Primary cerebello-pontine angle melanoma: a case report

Intra-cranial melanomas are commonly metastatic from primary melanoma elsewhere in the body. The primary occurrence of a melanoma in the brain parenchyma is rare. We report a case of 38 year aged woman who presented with deviation of left eye and headache. On imaging, a space occupying lesion was found in the left Cerebello-pontine angle and a preoperative diagnosis of meningioma was made. She underwent left retro-mastoid sub-occipital craniectomy and excision of a black vascular tumor. Histopathological examination revealed a melanoma which was confirmed with Immunohistochemical assay. Search for dermal, mucous and ocular lesions were negative. She received adjuvant radiation to the post- operative tumor bed to 5400cGy in 30 fractions using Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy technique along with concurrent Temozolomide. She tolerated the treatment well and is symptom free 12 months after treatment. Primary Melanomas are rare lesions of the Cerebello-pontine angle and its radiological features, evaluation and management have been discussed.-------------------Cite this article as: Ponni A, Jagannatha A, Gururajachar J, Harjani R, Koushik K, Subramanian N, Sowmya R, Varma R. Primary cerebello-pontine angle melanoma: a case report. Int J Cancer Ther Oncol 2014; 2(3):020315. DOI: 10.14319/ijcto.0203.1

“Topological Significance” Analysis of Gene Expression and Proteomic Profiles from Prostate Cancer Cells Reveals Key Mechanisms of Androgen Response

The problem of prostate cancer progression to androgen independence has been extensively studied. Several studies systematically analyzed gene expression profiles in the context of biological networks and pathways, uncovering novel aspects of prostate cancer. Despite significant research efforts, the mechanisms underlying tumor progression are poorly understood. We applied a novel approach to reconstruct system-wide molecular events following stimulation of LNCaP prostate cancer cells with synthetic androgen and to identify potential mechanisms of androgen-independent progression of prostate cancer.We have performed concurrent measurements of gene expression and protein levels following the treatment using microarrays and iTRAQ proteomics. Sets of up-regulated genes and proteins were analyzed using our novel concept of "topological significance". This method combines high-throughput molecular data with the global network of protein interactions to identify nodes which occupy significant network positions with respect to differentially expressed genes or proteins. Our analysis identified the network of growth factor regulation of cell cycle as the main response module for androgen treatment in LNCap cells. We show that the majority of signaling nodes in this network occupy significant positions with respect to the observed gene expression and proteomic profiles elicited by androgen stimulus. Our results further indicate that growth factor signaling probably represents a "second phase" response, not directly dependent on the initial androgen stimulus.We conclude that in prostate cancer cells the proliferative signals are likely to be transmitted from multiple growth factor receptors by a multitude of signaling pathways converging on several key regulators of cell proliferation such as c-Myc, Cyclin D and CREB1. Moreover, these pathways are not isolated but constitute an interconnected network module containing many alternative routes from inputs to outputs. If the whole network is involved, a precisely formulated combination therapy may be required to fight the tumor growth effectively

Thrombospondin-4 controls matrix assembly during development and repair of myotendinous junctions.

Tendons are extracellular matrix (ECM)-rich structures that mediate muscle attachments with the skeleton, but surprisingly little is known about molecular mechanisms of attachment. Individual myofibers and tenocytes in Drosophila interact through integrin (Itg) ligands such as Thrombospondin (Tsp), while vertebrate muscles attach to complex ECM fibrils embedded with tenocytes. We show for the first time that a vertebrate thrombospondin, Tsp4b, is essential for muscle attachment and ECM assembly at myotendinous junctions (MTJs). Tsp4b depletion in zebrafish causes muscle detachment upon contraction due to defects in laminin localization and reduced Itg signaling at MTJs. Mutation of its oligomerization domain renders Tsp4b unable to rescue these defects, demonstrating that pentamerization is required for ECM assembly. Furthermore, injected human TSP4 localizes to zebrafish MTJs and rescues muscle detachment and ECM assembly in Tsp4b-deficient embryos. Thus Tsp4 functions as an ECM scaffold at MTJs, with potential therapeutic uses in tendon strengthening and repair

Need for an ethical framework on usage of generative AI in the legal realm

Excerpt: Generative AI chatbots, such as ChatGPT and Bing Chat, is one of the most remarkable advancements in the line of language processing applications. With an estimated user base of 100 million just two months after it was first launched, ChatGPT is also one of the most quickly adopted innovations in history. The alluring feature of generating detailed text outputs with nothing but a prompt or a gentle nudge in the form of a short text input has invited appreciation and provoked fear in equal measure

Thrombospondin-4 controls matrix assembly during development and repair of myotendinous junctions.

Tendons are extracellular matrix (ECM)-rich structures that mediate muscle attachments with the skeleton, but surprisingly little is known about molecular mechanisms of attachment. Individual myofibers and tenocytes in Drosophila interact through integrin (Itg) ligands such as Thrombospondin (Tsp), while vertebrate muscles attach to complex ECM fibrils embedded with tenocytes. We show for the first time that a vertebrate thrombospondin, Tsp4b, is essential for muscle attachment and ECM assembly at myotendinous junctions (MTJs). Tsp4b depletion in zebrafish causes muscle detachment upon contraction due to defects in laminin localization and reduced Itg signaling at MTJs. Mutation of its oligomerization domain renders Tsp4b unable to rescue these defects, demonstrating that pentamerization is required for ECM assembly. Furthermore, injected human TSP4 localizes to zebrafish MTJs and rescues muscle detachment and ECM assembly in Tsp4b-deficient embryos. Thus Tsp4 functions as an ECM scaffold at MTJs, with potential therapeutic uses in tendon strengthening and repair

A Global South Perspective for Ethical Algorithms and the State

This article explores the intersection between algorithms and the State from the perspectives of legislative action, public perception and the use of AI in public administration. Taking India as a case study, the authors discuss the potential fallout from the absence of rigorous scholarship on such questions for countries in the Global South

Culm anatomy revealed association of vascular bundle number and silicon content with lodging behaviour in Kodo millet (Paspalum scrobiculatum L.)

893-898In dry lands, small millets such as kodo millet contribute to regional food security to some extent. It is normally harvested using paddy combine harvester due to labour scarcity. However, the current varieties are not amenable for mechanized harvesting as they lodge at grain filling and maturity stages, thus resulting in heavy grain loss in terms of quality and quantity. In this context, we studied the anatomical features of culm and elemental composition in relation to lodging behaviour in kodo millet (Paspalum scrobiculatum L.), which is one of the important yield limiting factors in this crop. The strong culm genotype, Adari had higher culm thickness, thicker mechanical tissue, more lignin deposition and more number of vascular bundles per cross section when compared to the weaker counterpart, Aamo10. However, not all the genotypes with thicker culm were lodging resistant. Sel21 which recorded the highest culm thickness (1283.4 μm) among the genotypes lodged heavily as higher culm thickness in Sel21 was not supported by an increased number of vascular bundles. Interestingly, TNPsc183 which had a moderate culm thickness of 782.82 μm exhibited a low degree of lodging and had more number of vascular bundles per cross section than Sel21. Hence, ‘number of vascular bundles per unit area’ appears to be an important trait in contributing lodging resistance in kodo millet. SEM-EDX studies for silicon and potassium contents in culm implicated the role of silicon, but not potassium in imparting culm strength in kodo millet. However, more potassium content in parenchymatous cell wall suggests its role in imparting strength to the non-lignified cells of the culm

Neutron attenuation studies with borated polyethylene slabs containing 30% natural boron and its comparison with hydrogenous materials

583-586Providing suitable shielding for neutrons is one of the challenging tasks in fast reactor fuel reprocessing facilities. The shield material should have good moderating and absorbing properties. In order to find cost effective prospective materials, a series of neutron attenuation measurements are performed with hydrogenous materials at the south beam end of Kalpakkam Mini (KAMINI) reactor to understand their attenuation characteristics. In the present experiment, the neutron attenuating properties of borated polyethylene (BPE) containing 30% natural boron have been studied. The thermal and fast neutron flux attenuation characteristics of the material have been compared with 5% and 10% BPE and other hydrogenous materials. The thermal/epithermal neutron flux attenuation obtained with 30% BPE for a thickness of 30 cm is 1.5 times more than 5% and 10% BPE and 10 times more than normal polyethylene. It is also observed that there is no significant difference in the fast flux attenuation of 30%, 10% and 5% BPE. The outcome of the study indicates that if 30% BPE is used instead of normal polyethylene in fuel reprocessing facilities, 50% reduction in volume of shields can be achieved for thermal and epithermal neutron flux attenuation and 16 to 22% reduction in volume shields for fast neutron flux attenuation