Generalized Lymphangiomatosis: Radiologic Findings in Three Pediatric Patients

Generalized lymphangiomatosis is a rare disease that is characterized by widespread bony and soft tissue involvement of lymphangioma. Radiological evaluation is crucial because the site and extent of the lymphangioma are important prognostic factors. We reported here on three cases of generalized lymphangiomatosis and all three cases showed similar radiologic findings, but a different clinical course. The CT, US and MR images showed sharply defined, non-enhanced cystic lesions involving the mediastinum, bones, spleen, lung and lower neck. The whole body MR imaging with the short tau inversion recovery (STIR) sequence showed good capability for evaluating the extent of disease

Characterization of Pontibacter altruii, sp. nov., isolated from a human blood culture

The genus Pontibacter is a recent addition to the family Cytophagaceae, phylum Bacteroidetes. Previous reports of its cultivation and molecular detection are from a variety of environmental sources, including marine and desert habitats. We report the first description of a Pontibacter sp., which was initially identified as Elizabethkingia meningoseptica, isolated from a human clinical specimen. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence, unique mass spectral profile and phenotypic characterization, this isolate represents a novel species within the genus Pontibacter that has been named Pontibacter altruii, sp. nov., strain Grand Forks

A Review of Prolonged Post-COVID-19 Symptoms and Their Implications on Dental Management

The available data regarding the short and long-term consequences of COVID-19 is still insufficient. This narrative review aims to provide information on the prolonged COVID-19 symptoms in recovered patients and their implications during dental management. Additionally, this manuscript highlights the oral manifestations of COVID-19 and its management. A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library and Web of Science databases, WHO and CDC websites, and grey literature was searched through Google Scholar. Clinical articles (clinical trials, case-reports, cohort, and cross-sectional studies) were included, reporting prolonged post-COVID-19 symptoms. Although COVID-19 is an infectious disease primarily affecting the lungs, its multi-organ involvement is responsible for several prolonged symptoms, including oral implications. In recovered patients with prolonged COVID-19 symptoms, considerations for providing dental treatment has to be made as they can present with assortment of symptoms. These prolonged post-COVID-19 symptoms can affect the delivery of the required dental treatment. Hence, the recommendations proposed in this narrative review can be a useful starting point to aid dental teams providing adequate care for such recovered patients

The Pathogenesis of Pulmonary Hypoplasia in Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia: A continuing quest

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia or CDH is a developmental defect of the diaphragm that allows abdominal organs, such as intestines and liver, to herniate into the thoracic cavity during lung development. CDH has a prevalence of 1 in 2000 – 3000 newborns and accounts for approximately 8% of the known major congenital anomalies 1. In humans, three different types of hernia can be distinguished: a posterolateral Bochdalek-type (~70% of the cases), an anterior Morgagni-type (~27% of the cases) and a central hernia, septum transversum-type (~2 – 3% of the cases). Eighty-fi ve percent of the hernias occur on the left side, 13% on the right and only 2% bilateral (reviewed in 2-4). Children with a CDH suffer from a substantial amount of morbidity and mortality due to the associated abnormal pulmonary development resulting in two clinical problems, pulmonary hypoplasia and persistent pulmonary hypertension of the neonate (PPHN). Characteristics of pulmonary hypoplasia in CDH are thickened alveolar walls, an increase in interstitial tissue, reduced alveolar air spaces and reduced gas-exchange surface area. Apart from the gas exchange layer, well-documented changes are present in the vascular components consisting of media hyperplasia, peripheral muscularization of pre-acinar vessels and adventitial thickening. Both conditions are present in patients with CDH to a variable extent and despite the fact that recent progress in the care of these children has resulted in survival rates of up to 90% in some tertiary care centers, these measures have not led to a lower morbidity 5-7. In contrast, due to the absence of suffi cient lung-protective strategies, most of the newer treatment modalities have replaced mortality for a higher morbidity in these babies. The problem with these new treatment modalities, such as high frequency oscillation (HFO) and/or inhaled nitric oxide (NO) and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), is that they are designed for treating the sequelae of CDH, pulmonary hypoplasia and PPHN and do not contribute to the prevention of these conditions. Prenatal modulation by minimal invasive techniques such as tracheal occlusion may potentially lead to diminished need of supportive care postnatally by inducing lung growth 8. However, a sound understanding of the etiology and pathogenesis of CDH is necessary in order to prevent the severe morbidity or the anomalies altogether. Essential elements required for a better understanding, such as how the different clinical problems relate to each other, are still lacking. A basic understanding of CDH together with pulmonary hypoplasia and PPHN is fundamental in our quest for new answers to protect these children from the sequelae of this anomaly. Consequently, the aim of this dissertation was to improve our understanding of the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypoplasia in CDH, to eventually aid in fi nding ways to modulate the natural course in a prenatally diagnosed child

The Safety and Immunostimulatory Properties of Amorphous Silica Nanoparticles <10 nm in Diameter

Humans are exposed to high levels of amorphous silica on a daily basis, via the diet and the use of cosmetic and pharmaceutical products. Amorphous silica particles (10-200 nm) have also been developed for use in biomedical applications, including as binding agents in tissue repair, drug and gene therapy delivery agents, coatings for medical contrast agents and as vaccine adjuvants. Numerous studies have already been conducted to evaluate the cellular toxicity of these silica particles but still little is known about their effects both in vitro and in vivo, especially of nanosilica particles under 10 nm in diameter. The aim of this thesis was to investigate the cellular and in vivo activity of < 10 nm diameter nanosilica particles with different properties (e.g., size and dissolution rate in dilute conditions) as it may infer upon safety after exposure via the diet and intravenous administration (biomedical applications). First, the cytotoxicity of sub-10 nm nanosilica particles, fully characterized by size, dissolution rate, zeta-potential and by NMR spectroscopy, on immune cell function was assessed using transformed and cancerous cell lines and primary cells. The particles were toxic to the immune cells in a dose dependent manner and impaired certain cellular functions. Primary cells were most susceptible to nanosilica induced death and, of the primary cells, phagocytes were most susceptible to its cytotoxicity. Further investigations were conducted to assess the effect of nanosilica on T cells, as there was evidence suggesting that nanosilica particles were directly interacting with these cells. Nanosilica particles 3.6 nm in diameter were found to have a significant effect on T cell function. The particles induced numerous markers of T cell activation, including CD25 and CD69 on CD4 T cells, CD8 T cells, gamma-delta T cells and NK/NKT cells, CD95 on CD4 and CD8 T cells, CD40L, FoxP3, LAP, GARP on CD4 T cells, and IFN-gamma production, but it did not induce T cell proliferation. The particles were found to activate T cells regardless of their antigenic specificity. Further investigations showed that nanosilica interacts with the T cell receptor complex, the first documented case of a non MHC-coated nanoparticle directly interacting with this receptor complex. The nanoparticulate induced signalling through Zap70, LAT, and, eventually, through NFAT but not through MAPK. Similar signalling in the literature has been shown to induce a hyporesponsive T cell state (anergy) or activation induced cell death. The induction of the CD25 and CD69 T cell activation markers was limited to nanosilica particles below 10 nm in size, while similarly sized iron hydroxide nanoparticles (3-5 nm) only induced low levels of CD69 expression on T helper cells. Finally, it was shown that nanosilica is capable of inducing T cell activation in whole blood, though the T cell responses were greatly attenuated. Although identification of activation pathway in vivo remains elusive, the nanosilica particles were shown to have therapeutic value, decreasing murine subcutaneous tumour growth rate and significantly reducing the formation of lung metastases. Whether these in vivo responses are related to T cell activation identified in vitro remains unclear.HS Pharm

Histological analyses of the lungs in the SNP treated mice.

<p>Representative lung sections taken from control mice and 29.5 mg/kg, 103.5 mg/kg and 177.5 mg/kg administered mice at 400× magnification. Images from the SNP treated mice revealed pulmonary interstitial thickening (<i>black arrows</i>) and pulmonary arterioles dilatation and congestion (<i>gray arrows</i>) in the lung. Data are representative of at least eight mice.</p