An Adult Paratesticular Malignant Ectomesenchymoma With Post-operative Flare-up of Lung Metastasis

AbstractMalignant ectomesenchymoma (MEM) which is derived from the remnants of migratory neural crest cells (ectomesenchyme) is a rare and rapidly progressing tumor consisting of neuroectodermal and mesenchymal neoplastic elements. This tumor occurs mostly in children and adolescents, but rarely in adults. We report a 34-year-old male with left paratesticular malignant ectomesenchymoma who received radical orchiectomy and was followed by post-operative flare-up of lung metastasis within 2 weeks. We present the overall treatment strategies for this extremely rare tumor and related findings

Organic fragments newly released from heat-treated peat soils create synergies with dissolved organic carbon to enhance Cr(VI) removal

Surface fires occur naturally or anthropogenically and can raise the temperature at the soil surface up to 600 °C.The heat derived from the surface fire can be subsequently transferred into CO2-enriched subsoils. As a result,the chemical compositions of soil organic matter (SOM) may be altered in fire-impacted anaerobic environments,indirectly influencing the redox transformations of pollutants, such as Cr(VI). In this study, a peat soil was heated up to 600 °C with limited air flow to simulate the effects of heat on the SOM during surface fire events. Then, Cr(VI) removal, including reduction and sorption, by the heat-treated peat soils was determined in relation to changes in the soil organic components. The results showed that the amount of O-containing functional groups, –CH2/–CH3 units of aliphatic groups, and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in the SOM gradually decreased with an increase in the heating temperature. The removal of 0.1932 mM Cr(VI) did not exhibit a consistent decline along with the changes in these soil components. The heating temperatures of 200 and 250 °C were the thresholds that led to the decomposition of temperature-sensitive soil organic components such as lignin and other labile SOM. Such newly released organic fragments synergized lignin-like substances and carboxyl groups,resulting in up to 99% removal of the initially added Cr(VI). As the heating temperatures were increased from 300 to 600 °C, Cr(VI) reduction decreased from 66% to 20%. The black carbon-like materials and/or aromaticcontaining moieties were the major components responsible for Cr(VI) reduction in 600°C-treated peat soils

Management of prostate enlargement with acute urinary retention: Diode laser vaporization in combination with bipolar transurethral resection of the prostate

Objective: Transurethral resection of prostate (TURP) has long been the gold standard for the management of benign prostate enlargement (BPE). Over the years, laser techniques have been developed as major alternative treatment for BPE. Retrospectively, we compared the preoperative status and surgical outcomes of conventional TURP with those of high-intensity diode laser vaporization in combination with bipolar TURP (DV + bTURP) in patients with BPE who are suffering from refractory acute urinary retention. Materials and methods: This is a retrospective chart review study. A total of 60 patients with BPE who were suffering from refractory acute urinary retention were enrolled between July 2011 and July 2013. Thirty-four patients were included in the TURP group and 26 in the DV + bTURP group. Perioperative parameters, including operation time, hemoglobin decrease, length of hospital stay, and time for catheter removal, were all recorded. Patients were followed postoperatively with peak flow rate measurement, international prostate symptom scores, and postvoid residual volume, and all adverse events were also recorded. Results: DV + bTURP was superior to TURP in terms of hospital stay (3.1 d vs. 4.2 d), catheter removal time (1.3 d vs. 3.2 d), hemoglobin reduction (0.8 g/dL vs. 2.5 g/dL), and fewer adverse events. However, it was inferior to TURP in terms of operation time (93.2 min vs. 68.5 min). Complications are also comparable. No significant differences were observed in peak flow rates, international prostate symptom score, and postvoid residual volume between the two procedures. Conclusion: DV + bTURP is comparable with monopolar TURP for relieving acute urinary retention in men with BPE in terms of complications and functional outcomes. The combined technique can provide better intraoperative hemostasis and shorter catheterization time, with no significant postoperative irritative symptoms

Removal and simultaneous reduction of Cr(VI) by organo-Fe(III) composites produced during coprecipitation and coagulation processes

Composites formed during the coprecipitation and/or coagulation of ubiquitous dissolved organic matter (DOM) and Fe in natural and waste water systems might be potential scavengers for Cr(VI) in terms of sorption and reduction. Our objective here was to determine sorption and simultaneous reduction of Cr(VI) on organo-Fe(III) composites (OFC) in relation coprecipitated pH and C/(C + Fe) ratios. Results showed the greatest Cr sorption of 51.8 mg g−1 on the OFC sample that was precipitated at pH 3 and contained the C/(C + Fe) molar ratio of 0.71. Wherein the Cr(VI) removal subsequent to the coprecipitation was dominated by the sorption on Fe hydroxides. Although amounts of total sorbed Cr decreased with increasing C/(C + Fe) molar ratio, the reverse trend on Cr(VI) reducibility compensated the Cr(VI) removal capability of OFC samples. With C/(C + Fe) molar ratios ≥ 0.89, the increasing amounts of coprecipitated organic matter that homogeneously distributed with Fe domains on OFC surfaces could trigger a significantly pronounced Cr reduction. Collectively, our results suggested an alternative method for Cr(VI) remediation by manipulating C/Fe ratios in suspensions. After the sorption of most Cr(VI) on Fe hydroxides, increasing C/Fe ratio in systems could further improve the Cr(VI) removal efficiency by the reduction of remaining Cr(VI) to Cr(III)

Redox reactions between chromium(VI) and hydroquinone: Alternative pathways for polymerization of organic molecules

Chromium (VI) reduction by organic compounds is one of the major pathways to alleviate the toxicity and mobility of Cr(VI) in the environment. However, oxidative products of organic molecules receive less scientific concerns. In this study, hydroquinone (H2Q) was used as a representative organic compound to determine the redox reactions with Cr(VI) and the concomitant oxidative products. Spectroscopic analyses showed that Cr(III) hydroxides dominated the precipitates produced during redox reactions of Cr(VI) and H2Q. For the separated filtrates, the acidification induced the oxidative polymerization of organic molecules, accompanied with the complexation with Cr(III). The aromatic domains dominated the chemical structures of the black and fluffy organic polymers, which was different to the natural humic acids due to the shortage of aliphatic chains. Results of linear combination fitting (LCF) for Cr Kedge X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectra demonstrated that up to 90.4% of Cr inventory in precipitates derived after the acidification of filtrates was Cr(III) complexed with humic-like polymers, suggesting that Cr(III) possibly acted as a linkage among organic molecules during the polymerization processes of H2Q. This study demonstrated that Cr(VI) may lead to the polymerization of organic molecules in an acidic solution, and thus, it could raise scientific awareness that the oxidative decomposition of organic molecules may not be the only pathway while interacting with the strong oxidant of Cr(VI)

Insulin Downregulated the Infection of Uropathogenic <i>Escherichia coli</i> (UPEC) in Bladder Cells in a High-Glucose Environment through JAK/STAT Signaling Pathway

Diabetic individuals have a higher incidence of urinary tract infection (UTI) than non-diabetic individuals, and also require longer treatment. We evaluated the effects of insulin pretreatment on the regulation of JAK/STAT transduction pathways in UPEC-infected bladder cells in a high-glucose environment. A bladder cell model with GFP-UPEC and fluorescent-labeled TLR4, STAT1, STAT3, and insulin receptor antibodies, was used to evaluate the relationship between insulin receptor signaling, TLR-4-mediated, and JAK/STAT-dependent pathways. Pretreatment with 20 and 40 µg/mL insulin for 24 h significantly and dose-dependently reduced UPEC infection in SV-HUC-1 cells. Additionally, the expression levels of STAT1 and STAT3 were downregulated in a dose-dependent manner. However, insulin receptor (IR) expression was not affected by insulin pretreatment. Our results showed that insulin-mediated reduction of UPEC infection in a high-glucose environment was not only due to the downregulation of JAK1/2 and phosphorylated STAT-1/3, but also because of the decreased expression of TLR-4 proteins and pro-inflammatory IL-6. Here, we demonstrated that insulin reduced not only UPEC infection in bladder epithelial cells, but also inhibited the JAK/STAT transduction pathway during infection in a high-glucose environment. This study provides evidence to support the use of insulin in the treatment of UPEC infection in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D)