Unilateral tubo-ovarian agenesis with contralateral adnexal torsion in a premenarchal girl

Unilateral adnexal agenesis is a rare entity. Most of these cases are reported in reproductive age group. A case of a 10-year-old premenarchal girl is reported who presented with acute abdominal pain and vomiting. BothUltrasonography (USG) and MRI suggested right ovarian mass with torsion. Laparoscopic evaluation revealed an enlarged right ovary with torsion and contralateral agenesis of uterine tube and left ovary. Detortion of the ovary and an ovarian fixation to the ovarian pedicle was done. This is the first reported case of a premenarchal girl presenting with an acute abdomen due to adnexal torsion along with contralateral tubo-ovarian agenesis.

Gynaecological cancers and leptin: A focus on the endometrium and ovary

Obesity has an influence on the risk and prognosis of different types of cancers of the female reproductive tract. In the uterus, a common site for neoplasms is the endometrium, the inner lining tissue. Generally, obesity has been documented to be involved in endometrioid carcinoma of the endometrium. Obesity may influence the cancer risk by various mechanisms such as chronic inflammation, dysregulation of sex hormones and abnormal secretion of hormone-like cytokines or adipokines from adipose tissue. One of the important pro-inflammatory adipokines is leptin, which acts via its transmembrane receptors (Ob-R). In normal conditions, leptin functions in the hypothalamic anorexigenic pathway to maintain the energy homeostasis. Conversely, in obesity, leptin participates in the pro-inflammatory processes. Several clinical studies have suggested that leptin and Ob-R play a role in the pathological processes of endometrial cancer. In different endometrial cancer cell lines, laboratory findings also have demonstrated leptin's link to various neoplastic phenomena such as cellular proliferation, angiogenesis, and oestrogenic activity. Furthermore, endometrial cancer risk could be increased in ovarian pathology like polycystic ovary syndrome, which is commonly associated with obesity. It is noteworthy that leptin participates in both physiological and pathological conditions of the ovary. Leptin has shown pro-tumorigenic effects in both in-vitro and in-vivo studies. Generally, reduced serum leptin levels have been observed in ovarian cancer patients. However, overexpression of leptin and Ob-R in ovarian cancer tissue has indicated aggressive disease. Understanding the role of leptin-related intracellular signalling pathways in tumour development could be helpful in early cancer detection.

Direct observation of slow fission from the width of K x-ray line

An atomic clock based on the measurement of the intrinsic width of K x-ray lines has been used to obtain evidence of long-lived fission of the highly excited plutonium nuclei produced in the fusion of 4He+238U at E(4He)Lab=60 MeV. The mean fission time of the long-lived fission could be obtained from the increase of the intrinsic width of plutonium K x-ray line using quantum energy-time uncertainty principle. The presence of long-lived fission (mean fission time >1×10-18 s) has been found and the fluorescence yield per fission event shows that most of the fission events are slow (~10-18 s).

Assessment of the inferior mesenteric vein diameter as a surrogate marker to evaluate response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced rectal adenocarcinoma

AIM

Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced rectal cancer aims to downstage prior to definitive management. Repeat imaging assessment of the tumour post-therapy has implications for treatment. Our aim was to assess if the inferior mesenteric vein (IMV) diameter measured on CT can be used as a surrogate marker for evaluation of tumour response to neoadjuvant treatment.

METHOD

IMV diameter was assessed in patients with and without locally advanced rectal cancer, pre- and post-radiotherapy, to ascertain if IMV diameter is a surrogate marker of tumour response.

RESULTS

IMV diameter was 5.9 mm in patients with rectal cancer vs 4.7 mm in patients without (P = 0.0001). The baseline IMV diameter was significantly higher for cases with local lymphadenopathy [N0 5.2 mm vs N1/2 6 mm (P = 0.0059)] and extramural venous invasion (EMVI) [negative 5.4 mm vs positive 6.4 mm (P = 0.0001)]. Post-radiotherapy there was a significant decrease in the IMV diameter in cases with treatment response compared to non-responders: the percentage change in IMV diameter was a 17.54% decrease vs 1.39% increase (P = 0.0001). These results were reproduced on comparing between magnetic resonance tumour regression grades using ANOVA (P = 0.0001). There was also a significant decrease in IMV diameter when assessing lymph node (LN) and EMVI response vs non-responders (P = 0.0001 and 0.0001 respectively).

CONCLUSION

Patients with rectal cancer have a dilated IMV compared with patients without rectal cancer. We confirm that IMV diameter is a potential surrogate marker of LN status and EMVI at baseline. IMV diameter is also a marker of tumour, LN and EMVI response to chemoradiotherapy.

4EGI-1 represses cap-dependent translation and regulates genome-wide translation in malignant pleural mesothelioma

Deregulation of cap-dependent translation has been implicated in the malignant transformation of numerous human tissues. 4EGI-1, a novel small-molecule inhibitor of cap-dependent translation, disrupts formation of the eukaryotic initiation factor 4F (eIF4F) complex. The effects of 4EGI-1-mediated inhibition of translation initiation in malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) were examined. 4EGI-1 preferentially inhibited cell viability and induced apoptosis in MPM cells compared to normal mesothelial (LP9) cells. This effect was associated with hypophosphorylation of 4E-binding protein 1 (4E-BP1) and decreased protein levels of the cancer-related genes, c-myc and osteopontin. 4EGI-1 showed enhanced cytotoxicity in combination with pemetrexed or gemcitabine. Translatome-wide polysome microarray analysis revealed a large cohort of genes that were translationally regulated upon treatment with 4EGI-1. The 4EGI-1-regulated translatome was negatively correlated to a previously published translatome regulated by eIF4E overexpression in human mammary epithelial cells, which is in agreement with the notion that 4EGI-1 inhibits the eIF4F complex. These data indicate that inhibition of the eIF4F complex by 4EGI-1 or similar translation inhibitors could be a strategy for treating mesothelioma. Genome wide translational profiling identified a large cohort of promising target genes that should be further evaluated for their potential significance in the treatment of MPM.

Comprehensive analysis of fly ash induced changes in physiological/growth parameters, DNA damage and oxidative stress over the life cycle of Brassica juncea and Brassica alba

Fly ash (FA) being a heterogeneous mixture of heavy metal affects plant system in various ways. Previous studies have shown bioaccumulation of toxic metals in the plants and disturbance in cellular activities. Here, we have studied the impacts of FA treatment through the life cycle of economically important, annual crop plant mustard (Brassica juncea and Brassica alba). Result revealed that FA did not alter germination rate and photosynthetic pigment levels. Tolerance index of B. juncea was higher compared to B. alba. Seed setting was significantly affected by FA in B. alba. Significant increase in DNA damage was observed in both B. alba and B. juncea. Proline accumulation was significantly higher in B. alba. In B. juncea catalase activity and reduced glutathione content declined in initial days which were restored at the end of experimental period. Significant decrease in non-enzymatic antioxidants was noted in B. alba. Higher accumulation of Pb and As was noted in shoot of B. juncea and in B. alba Cu, Pb, Cr and As accumulated in shoots. As observed from these results, both plants could translocate certain toxic heavy metals from roots to the shoot which affected the physiological and biochemical balance and induced genotoxic response.

Fish and broiler optimal harvesting models in imprecise environment

In this paper, a two-species harvesting model has been considered and developed a solution procedure which is able to calculate the equilibrium points of the model where some biological parameters of the model are interval numbers. A parametric mathematical program is formulated to find the biological equilibrium of the model for different values of parameters. This interval-valued problem is converted into an equivalent crisp model using interval mathematics. The main advantage of the proposed procedure is that different characteristics of the model can be presented in a single framework. Analytically, the existence of steady state and stabilities are looked into. Using mathematical software, the model is illustrated and the results are obtained and presented in tabular and graphical forms.

Expression of BrpA in Streptococcus mutans is regulated by FNR-box mediated repression

Our previous studies showed that brpA in Streptococcus mutans, which encodes a member of the LytR-CpsA-Psr family of proteins, can be co-transcribed with brpB upstream as a bicistronic operon, and the intergenic region also has strong promoter activity. To elucidate how brpA expression is regulated, the promoter regions were analyzed using polymerase chain reaction-based deletions and site-directed mutagenesis and a promoterless luciferase gene as a reporter. Allelic exchange mutagenesis was also used to examine genes encoding putative trans-acting factors, and the impact of such mutations on brpA expression was analyzed by reporter assays. Multiple elements in the short brpA promoter (nucleotide -1 to -344 relative to start cordon ATG) were shown to have a major impact on brpA expression, including an FNR-box, for a putative binding site of an FNR-type of transcriptional regulator. When compared with the intact brpA promoter, mutations of the highly conserved nucleotides in FNR-box from TTGATgtttAcCtt to TTACAgaaaGtTac resulted in 1362-fold increases of luciferase activity (P < .001), indicative of the FNR-box-mediated repression as a major mechanism in regulation of brpA expression. When luciferase reporter was fused to the upstream brpBA promoter (nucleotides -784 to -1144), luciferase activity was decreased by 4.5-fold (P < .001) in the brpA mutant, TW14D, and by 67.7-fold (P < .001) in the brpB mutant, JB409, compared with the wild-type, UA159. However, no such effects were observed when the reporter gene was fused to the short brpA promoter and its derivatives. These results also suggest that brpA expression in S. mutans is auto-regulated through the upstream brpBA promoter.

Experimental Determination of η/s for Finite Nuclear Matter

We present, for the first time, simultaneous determination of shear viscosity (η) and entropy density (s) and thus, η/s for equilibrated nuclear systems from A∼30 to A∼208 at different temperatures. At finite temperature, η is estimated by utilizing the γ decay of the isovector giant dipole resonance populated via fusion evaporation reaction, while s is evaluated from the nuclear level density parameter (a) and nuclear temperature (T), determined precisely by the simultaneous measurements of the evaporated neutron energy spectra and the compound nuclear angular momenta. The transport parameter η and the thermodynamic parameter s both increase with temperature, resulting in a mild decrease of η/s with temperature. The extracted η/s is also found to be independent of the neutron-proton asymmetry at a given temperature. Interestingly, the measured η/s values are comparable to that of the high-temperature quark-gluon plasma, pointing towards the fact that strong fluidity may be the universal feature of the strong interaction of many-body quantum systems.

Application of various control strategies to Japanese encephalitic: A mathematical study with human, pig and mosquito

Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a public health problem that threats the entire world today. Japanese Encephalitis virus (JEV) mostly became a threat due to the significant number of increase of susceptible mosquito vectors and vertebrate hosts in Asia by which around 70,000 cases and 10,000 deaths per year took place in children below 15 years of age. In this paper, a mathematical model of JE due to JEV from the vector source (infected mosquito) and two vertebrate hosts (infected human and infected pig) is formulated. The disease can be controlled by applying several control measures such as vaccination, medicine and insecticide to the JE infection causing species. The model has been formulated as an optimal control problem and has been solved using Pontryagin's maximum principle. Also, the stability of the system has been studied with the help of basic reproduction number for disease free and endemic equilibrium. The results of fixed control for endemic equilibrium is presented numerically and depicted graphically. The effects of different control strategies on human, pig and mosquito has been analyzed using Runge-Kutta 4th order forward and backward techniques and presented thereafter graphically.

An integrated project of fish and broiler: SIS model with optimal harvesting

The paper analyzes the influence of a susceptible–infectious–susceptible (SIS) infectious disease affecting both fish and broiler species. The paper also considers a joint SIS project of fish and broiler in which the growth rates of both species vary with available nutrients and environmental carrying capacities of biomasses. The nutrients for both species are functions of the biomasses of the two species. The harvesting rates of fish and broiler depend linearly on common effort function. It is assumed that the diseases are transmitted to the susceptible populations by direct contact with the infected populations. Using the medicine, some portion of the infected populations are transmitted to the susceptible populations. The existence of steady states and their stability are investigated analytically. The joint profit of the SIS model is maximized using Pontryagin’s maximum principle and corresponding optimum harvesting rates are also obtained. Using Mathematica software, the models are illustrated and the optimum results are obtained and presented in tabular and graphical forms.

Surface capping and size-dependent toxicity of gold nanoparticles on different trophic levels

In the present study, the toxicity of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) was evaluated on various trophic organisms. Bacteria, algae, cell line, and mice were used as models representing different trophic levels. Two different sizes (CIT30 and CIT40) and surface-capped (CIT30-polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP)-capped) Au NPs were selected. CIT30 Au NP aggregated more rapidly than CIT40 Au NP, while an additional capping of PVP (CIT30-PVP capped Au NP) was found to enhance its stability in sterile lake water medium. Interestingly, all the forms of NPs evaluated were stable in the cell culture medium during the exposure period. Size- and dose-dependent cytotoxicities were observed in both bacteria and algae, with a strong dependence on reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release. CIT30-PVP capped Au NP showed a significant decrease in toxicity compared to CIT30 Au NP in bacteria and algae. In the SiHa cell line, dose- and exposure-dependent decline in cell viability were noted for all three types of Au NPs. In mice, the induction of DNA damage was size and dose dependent, and surface functionalization with PVP reduced the toxic effects of CIT30 Au NP. The exposure to CIT30, CIT40, and CIT30-PVP capped Au NPs caused an alteration of the oxidative stress-related endpoints in mice hepatocytes. The toxic effects of the gold nanoparticles were found to vary in diverse test systems, accentuating the importance of size and surface functionalization at different trophic levels.

Printability of alloys for additive manufacturing

Although additive manufacturing (AM), or three dimensional (3D) printing, provides significant advantages over existing manufacturing techniques, metallic parts produced by AM are susceptible to distortion, lack of fusion defects and compositional changes. Here we show that the printability, or the ability of an alloy to avoid these defects, can be examined by developing and testing appropriate theories. A theoretical scaling analysis is used to test vulnerability of various alloys to thermal distortion. A theoretical kinetic model is used to examine predisposition of different alloys to AM induced compositional changes. A well-tested numerical heat transfer and fluid flow model is used to compare susceptibilities of various alloys to lack of fusion defects. These results are tested and validated with independent experimental data. The findings presented in this paper are aimed at achieving distortion free, compositionally sound and well bonded metallic parts.

Stability analysis of combined project of fish, broiler and ducks: Dynamical system in imprecise environment

In this paper, we consider three species harvesting model and develop a solution procedure which is able to calculate the equilibrium points of the model where some biological parameters of the model are interval numbers. A parametric mathematical program is formulated to find the biological equilibrium of the model for different values of parameters. This interval-valued problem is converted into equivalent crisp model using interval operations. The main advantage of the proposed procedure is that we can present different characteristics of the model in a single framework. Analytically, the existence of steady state and stabilities are looked into. Using mathematical software, the model is illustrated and the results are obtained and presented in tabular and graphical forms.

Antisense oligonucleotide targeting eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E reduces growth and enhances chemosensitivity of non-small-cell lung cancer cells

Elevated levels of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) enhance translation of many malignancy-related proteins, such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), c-Myc and osteopontin. In non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), levels of eIF4E are significantly increased compared with normal lung tissue. Here, we used an antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) to inhibit the expression of eIF4E in NSCLC cell lines. eIF4E levels were significantly reduced in a dose-dependent manner in NSCLC cells treated with eIF4E-specific ASO (4EASO) compared with control ASO. Treatment of NSCLC cells with the 4EASO resulted in decreased cap-dependent complex formation, decreased cell proliferation and increased sensitivity to gemcitabine. At the molecular level, repression of eIF4E with ASO resulted in decreased expression of the oncogenic proteins VEGF, c-Myc and osteopontin, whereas expression of β-actin was unaffected. Based on these findings, we conclude that eIF4E-silencing therapy alone or in conjunction with chemotherapy represents a promising approach deserving of further investigation in future NSCLC clinical trials.

Rapid microfluidic solid-phase extraction system for hyper-methylated DNA enrichment and epigenetic analysis

Genetic sequence and hyper-methylation profile information from the promoter regions of tumor suppressor genes are important for cancer disease investigation. Since hyper-methylated DNA (hm-DNA) is typically present in ultra-low concentrations in biological samples, such as stool, urine, and saliva, sample enrichment and amplification is typically required before detection. We present a rapid microfluidic solid phase extraction (μSPE) system for the capture and elution of low concentrations of hm-DNA (≤1 ng ml(-1)), based on a protein-DNA capture surface, into small volumes using a passive microfluidic lab-on-a-chip platform. All assay steps have been qualitatively characterized using a real-time surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor, and quantitatively characterized using fluorescence spectroscopy. The hm-DNA capture/elution process requires less than 5 min with an efficiency of 71% using a 25 μl elution volume and 92% efficiency using a 100 μl elution volume.

CCN5/WISP-2 promotes growth arrest of triple-negative breast cancer cells through accumulation and trafficking of p27(Kip1) via Skp2 and FOXO3a regulation

The matricellular protein CCN5/WISP-2 represents a promising target in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) because treatment or induced activation of CCN5 in TNBC cells promotes cell growth arrest at the G0/G1 phase, reduces cell proliferation and delays tumor growth in the xenograft model. Our studies found that the p27(Kip1) tumor suppressor protein is upregulated and relocalized to the nucleus from cytoplasm by CCN5 in these cells and that these two events (upregulation and relocalization of p27(Kip1)) are critical for CCN5-induced growth inhibition of TNBC cells. In the absence of CCN5, p27(Kip1) resides mostly in the cytoplasm, which is associated with the aggressive nature of cancer cells. Mechanistically, CCN5 inhibits Skp2 expression, which seems to stabilize the p27(Kip1) protein in these cells. On the other hand, CCN5 also recruits FOXO3a to mediate the transcriptional regulation of p27(Kip1). The recruitment of FOXO3a is achieved by the induction of its expression and activity through shifting from cytoplasm to the nucleus. Our data indicate that CCN5 blocks PI3K/AKT signaling to dephosphorylate at S318, S253 and Thr32 in FOXO3a for nuclear relocalization and activation of FOXO3a. Moreover, inhibition of α6β1 receptors diminishes CCN5 action on p27(Kip1) in TNBC cells. Collectively, these data suggest that CCN5 effectively inhibits TNBC growth through the accumulation and trafficking of p27(Kip1) via Skp2 and FOXO3a regulation, and thus, activation of CCN5 may have the therapeutic potential to kill TNBC.