On the bound for anonymous secret sharing schemes

AbstractIn anonymous secret sharing schemes, the secret can be reconstructed without knowledge of which participants hold which shares. In this paper, we derive a tighter lower bound on the size of the shares than the bound of Blundo and Stinson for anonymous (k,n)-threshold schemes with 1<k<n. Our bound is tight for k=2. We also show a close relationship between optimum anonymous (2,n)-threshold secret schemes and combinatorial designs

Cor Triatriatum in the Adult with Aortic Stenosis and Mitral Stenosis

Background：Cor triatriatum is a rare congenital cardiac anomaly, in which the left atrium or right atrium is separated by an abnormal fibromuscular membrane with one or more restrictive orifices. This condition typically presents in infancy or early childhood and can be associated with other cardiac anomalies.Case presentation：A 75-year-old woman was admitted for exertional dyspnea with moderate aortic and mitral stenosis. As cor triatriatum was revealed by a computed tomography and echocardiography, she was referred to our department for surgery. Aortic valve replacement, mitral valve replacement and excision of the membranous septum in the left atrium was performed. This report presents an incidental findings of cor triatriatum with aortic stenosis, moderate mitral stenosis in septuagenarian.Conclusion：We encountered a rare case of cor triatriatum with aortic stenosis and mitral stenosis in septuagenarian. She was incidentally diagnosed by rheumatic aortic and mitral stenosis which had advanced to moderate level

Serotonin- and Somatostatin-Positive Goblet Cell Carcinoid of the Duodenum

In the duodenum, mixed exocrine-endocrine tumors exhibiting both neuroendocrine and glandular differentiations [cf. appendiceal goblet cell carcinoids (GCCs)] are rare. We present a Japanese case with a duodenal GCC that was found during pathologic examination of a gastrectomy specimen removed for gastric mucosal cancer. The tumor was widely distributed within both the first portion of the duodenum and the gastric antrum, although mucosal involvement was observed only in the duodenum. The tumor cells formed solid nests, trabeculae, or tubules, and some displayed a goblet cell appearance. They were immunoreactive against antibodies for both serotonin and somatostatin, and showed an argentaffin reaction (similar to a “midgut” enterochromaffin cell carcinoid). Ultra-structurally, the tumor cells had an amphicrine nature. Physicians encounter GCC in the duodenum only rarely, and its discovery may be incidental. Its diagnosis will be challenging and will require careful clinical and pathologic examinations