Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Arising from a Median Ectopic Thyroid with No Thyroglossal Duct Remnant

Thyroid carcinomas arising from ectopic thyroid tissue are uncommon;most of them arise from thyroid tissue in thyroglossal cysts. A rare case of a 66-year-old woman with papillary thyroid carcinoma arising from median ectopic thyroid tissue lacking a thyroglossal duct remnant is reported. The tumor was resected by Sistrunk's procedure, and the patient's postoperative course was good

catena-Poly[[(ethanol-κO)sodium(I)]-di-μ-aqua-[(rac-2′-hydr­oxy-1,1′-binaphthyl-2-yl phosphato-κO)sodium]-tri-μ-aqua]

The asymmetric unit of the polymeric title compound, [Na2(C20H13O5P)(C2H6O)(H2O)5]n, consists of two NaI ions, one 2′-hydr­oxy-1,1′-binaphthyl-2-yl phosphate anion, one ethanol ligand and five water molecules of crysallization. Each NaI ion has a distorted octa­hedral coordination geometry. The phosphate anion coordinates to one NaI ion and the ethanol mol­ecule coordinates to the other. The five water mol­ecules bridge the NaI ions, forming an inorganic chain structure along the b axis. The chains are connected by O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds into an organic–inorganic hybrid layer parallel to (001)

Tracheal Stenosis Caused by Unnoticed Foreign Bodies

We describe an extremely rare case of tracheal stenosis caused by unnoticed microscopic fiber-like foreign bodies. A 66-year-old woman complained of dyspnea with inspiratory stridor. Magnifying electroendoscopy and computed tomography revealed stenosis involving the entire circumference of the tracheal lumen. Tracheotomy and biopsy were performed. Histologically, the lesion showed chronic inflammation with a deposition of fiber-like foreign bodies. The patient had no history of trauma or inhalation injury, but had undergone intratracheal intubation on 4 occasions. The lesion was incised using semiconductor laser photoresection, and the postoperative course was good. To the best of our knowledge, this represents the first report in the English literature of tracheal stenosis caused by unnoticed foreign bodies. The origin of these fiber-like foreign bodies remains unclear but might be related to chronic inflammation resulting from intratracheal intubations

Utilization of a Biodegradable Mulch Sheet Produced from Poly(Lactic Acid)/Ecoflex®/Modified Starch in Mandarin Orange Groves

We have developed a mulch sheet made by inflation molding of PLA, Ecoflex® and modified starch, which all have different biodegradabilities. A field test of use as an agricultural mulch sheet for mandarin oranges was carried out over two years. The mechanical properties of the mulch sheet were weakened with time during the field test, but the quality of the mandarin oranges increased, a result of the controlled degradation of the sheet. The most degradable modified starch degraded first, allowing control of the moisture on the soil. Accelerator mass spectroscopy was used for evaluation of the biomass carbon ratio. The biomass carbon ratio decreased by degradation of the biobased materials, PLA and modified starch in the mulch sheet

Biotin levels in blood and follicular fluid

It has been shown that biotin, a water-soluble vitamin (B7), plays roles in reproductive functions, such as oocyte maturation and embryo development, in experimental animals. On the other hand, little is known about the clinical effects of biotin on human reproduction. In this study, serum and follicular fluid biotin levels were measured in patients who underwent in vitro fertilization / intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF / ICSI), and their associations with reproductive outcomes were evaluated. As a result, biotin was detected in follicular fluid, as well as serum, and the biotin levels of follicular fluid were found to be positively correlated with those of serum. The biotin levels of serum were higher than those of follicular fluid, suggesting that biotin may be taken up into the follicular fluid from the blood. Although serum and follicular fluid biotin levels tended to be higher in pregnant patients than in non-pregnant patients, these data did not show the significant statistical difference. These findings indicate that biotin does not contribute to the maintenance of oocyte quality, and hence, it does not increase fertilization and pregnancy rates

生殖補助医療を行っている患者において卵胞液中のキスペプチン濃度は卵成熟および性腺ホルモン値と関連している

Purpose: To assess the kisspeptin concentrations in follicular fluid and their relationship with clinical outcomes during assisted reproductive technology. Methods: Thirty-nine patients who were aged 24-40 years and underwent oocyte retrieval for in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection participated in this study. In 65 follicular fluid samples that had been obtained from 30 patients and their blood samples, the kisspeptin levels were measured in order to investigate the correlations with their gonadal hormone levels. Venous blood samples were collected from 14 patients to investigate their plasma kisspeptin levels across different phases of assisted reproductive technology. Results: The follicular fluid kisspeptin level was significantly higher than that of the plasma level and was positively associated with the follicular fluid estradiol concentration and with the serum estradiol and number of mature oocytes. In the plasma, the maximum concentration of kisspeptin was observed on the day of ovum pick-up and on the day of embryo transfer during ovarian stimulation for assisted reproductive technology. Conclusion: Kisspeptin was present in the follicular fluid and the plasma kisspeptin concentration was affected by ovarian stimulation. Kisspeptin appears to affect oocyte maturation and ovulation

PPAR beta/delta activation of CD300a controls intestinal immunity

Macrophages are important for maintaining intestinal immune homeostasis. Here, we show that PPAR beta/delta (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor beta/delta) directly regulates CD300a in macrophages that express the immunoreceptor tyrosine based-inhibitory motif (ITIM)-containing receptor. In mice lacking CD300a, high-fat diet (HFD) causes chronic intestinal inflammation with low numbers of intestinal lymph capillaries and dramatically expanded mesenteric lymph nodes. As a result, these mice exhibit triglyceride malabsorption and reduced body weight gain on HFD. Peritoneal macrophages from Cd300a(-/-) mice on HFD are classically M1 activated. Activation of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/MyD88 signaling by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) results in prolonged IL-6 secretion in Cd300a(-/-) macrophages. Bone marrow transplantation confirmed that the phenotype originates from CD300a deficiency in leucocytes. These results identify CD300a-mediated inhibitory signaling in macrophages as a critical regulator of intestinal immune homeostasis

A dehydrated space-weathered skin cloaking the hydrated interior of Ryugu

Without a protective atmosphere, space-exposed surfaces of airless Solar System bodies gradually experience an alteration in composition, structure and optical properties through a collective process called space weathering. The return of samples from near-Earth asteroid (162173) Ryugu by Hayabusa2 provides the first opportunity for laboratory study of space-weathering signatures on the most abundant type of inner solar system body: a C-type asteroid, composed of materials largely unchanged since the formation of the Solar System. Weathered Ryugu grains show areas of surface amorphization and partial melting of phyllosilicates, in which reduction from Fe3+ to Fe2+ and dehydration developed. Space weathering probably contributed to dehydration by dehydroxylation of Ryugu surface phyllosilicates that had already lost interlayer water molecules and to weakening of the 2.7 µm hydroxyl (–OH) band in reflectance spectra. For C-type asteroids in general, this indicates that a weak 2.7 µm band can signify space-weathering-induced surface dehydration, rather than bulk volatile loss