Project description:We report a case of a patient with pulmonary melioidosis which radiologically mirrored a bronchogenic carcinoma with mediastinal lymphadenopathy. Such findings were observed in a Computed Tomography (CT) scan (Thorax) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan (Body) in a previously healthy 57-year-old man with no significant medical risk factors for melioidosis other than his previous exposures to soil during outfield military training in Thailand, 37 and 28 years ago. He presented with acute symptoms of dry cough, pleuritic pain and fever. A CT Scan thorax revealed a left lower lobe mass with left pleural and pericardial effusion and mediastinal lymph nodes. Similarly, the PET scan showed various fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron uptake in these areas. However the lung mass biopsy cultured Burkholderia pseudomallei concurrently with a Melioidosis serology titre of >1:1024. He responded to intravenous Meropenem followed by Co-Trimoxazole and Doxycycline over the course of 21 weeks, ultimately leading to the resolution of any significant radiological findings.
Project description:In order to examine bee pollen hydrolysates to assess their anticancer and antioxidant properties, hydrolysis of bee pollen was first performed using three different commercially available enzymes: Alcalase®, Neutrase®, and Flavourzyme®. The study used DPPH and ABTS assay to evaluate the antioxidant properties of the hydrolysates obtained from bee pollen. All of the tested hydrolysates demonstrated antioxidant activity, while hydrolysate based on Alcalase® offered a high value for IC50 and was therefore chosen for further separation into five sub-fractions via ultrafiltration. The greatest antioxidant activity was presented by the MW < 0.65 kDa fraction, which achieved an IC50 value of 0.39 ± 0.01 µg/mL in the DPPH assay and 1.52 ± 0.01 µg/mL for ABTS. Purification of the MW < 0.65 kDa fraction was completed using RP-HPLC, whereupon the three fractions from the original six which had the highest antioxidant activity underwent further examination through ESI-Q-TOF-MS/MS. These particular peptides had between 7 and 11 amino acid residues. In the case of the MW < 0.65 kDa fraction, testing was also carried out to determine the viability of lung cancer cell lines, represented by ChaGo-K1 cells. Analysis of the antiproliferative properties allowed in vitro assessment of the ChaGo-K1 cells' viability following treatment using the MW < 0.65 kDa fraction. Flow-cytometry generated date which revealed that it was possible for the MW < 0.65 kDa fraction to induce apoptosis in the ChaGo-K1 cells in comparison to the results with cells which had not been treated.
Project description:Posterior nutcracker syndrome is caused by the compression of left renal vein between the abdominal aorta and the vertebral body. Most seen symptoms are haematuria, left flank pain, abdominal pain and varicocele. The nutcracker syndrome may lead to left renal vein thrombosis due to blood congestion within compression of the vessel. Both endovascular and open surgical interventions can relieve symptoms; however, traditional surgical repair is still considered as the gold standard. Here, we present the surgical treatment of a 36-year old female with complaints of hypertension, hyperaldosteronism and diagnosed with posterior nutcracker syndrome.
Project description:Kleefstra syndrome is caused by chromosome 9q34.3 deletion or heterozygous mutations in the euchromatin histone methyl transferase 1 (EHMT1) gene. It can be accompanied by intellectual disability, distinctive facial features, microcephaly, psychiatric disorders, hypotonia in childhood, hearing loss, heart defects, renal defects, epilepsy, speech anomalies, and obesity. Furthermore, genital anomalies are present in 30%-40% of male patients with Kleefstra syndrome, but their mechanisms have not been elucidated. Herein, we report a patient with Kleefstra syndrome presenting with micropenis. The patient was transferred to Kyungpook National University Children's Hospital for management of imperforate anus on the day of birth. Physical examination revealed micropenis with stretched penile length of 0.9 cm and facial dysmorphisms, including hypertelorism and anteverted nares. Chromosomal microarray revealed 424-kb heterozygous deletion at chromosome 9q34.3 (arr[hg19] 9q34.3 (140,234,315-140,659,055)x1). Among the involved main OMIM genes, phenotypically relevant genes were EHMT1 and NSMF. Endocrinological investigation showed low basal gonadotropin and testosterone levels. Anterior pituitary hormones and steroid hormone levels were in the normal range. Testicular function was normal based on human chorionic gonadotropin stimulation test. The patient experienced improvement in penile length growth with intramuscular testosterone enanthate injection initiated at 4 months of age. The purpose of this study is to describe the etiology, endocrine laboratory tests, and treatment of micropenis in Kleefstra syndrome.
Project description:BackgroundLeigh syndrome (LS) is a heterogeneous neurodegenerative disease that is the most common manifestation of mitochondrial disease in children.MethodsWe report a case of Leigh syndrome with paroxysmal body swing in a 1-year-old boy.ResultsThe boy presented with paroxysmal body swing, and the electroencephalogram showed no epileptic discharge during the paroxysmal episode. It was determined to be a nonepileptic seizure, which was the first LS phenotype described. After treatment with a vitamin cocktail, the paroxysmal body swing improved.ConclusionLS should be considered for children with onset of infantile and paroxysmal body swing combined with developmental regression, and early mitochondrial genetic testing can aid in diagnosis and guide early intervention.
Project description:BACKGROUND The present study aimed to evaluate the difference in microbiota diversity in the oral cavity and fluid bronchoalveolar lavage (BALF) of patients with lung cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS Buccal (saliva) and lower respiratory tract BALF samples were collected from 51 patients with primary bronchogenic carcinoma and 15 healthy controls, and bacterial genomic DNA was extracted. High-throughput 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing was performed, and microbial diversity, composition, and functions of microbiota were analyzed by bioinformatics methods. RESULTS Patients with lung cancer have lower microbial diversity than healthy controls in both saliva and BALF samples. Significant segregation was observed between the different pathological types of lung cancer groups and the control group regardless of the sampling site. Treponema and Filifactor were identified as potential bacterial biomarkers in BALF samples, while Filifactor was ideal to distinguish healthy controls from lung cancer patients. Moreover, the predictive variation analysis of the KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) metabolic pathway showed that the metabolic differences in microbiota varied by sampling site. CONCLUSIONS Lung cancer patients carry a different and less diverse microorganism community than healthy controls. Certain bacterial taxa might be associated with lung cancer, but the exact species depends on the sampling site and the pathological type. This study provides basic data on the microbiota diversity in BALF and saliva samples from lung cancer patients. Further investigation with a larger sample size should help validate the enriched species in different pathological types of lung cancers.
Project description:Intracardiac bronchogenic cysts are extremely rare congenital anomalies that arise during foregut development when the embryologic heart tube and ventral foregut are in close proximity to one another. We report a case of an interatrial septal bronchogenic cyst found on non-contrast enhanced computed tomography (CT) in a 66-year-old female who presented to the emergency department with chest pain. Further cardiac investigations, including contrast-enhanced CT angiogram of the heart, transthoracic echocardiogram, and transesophageal echocardiogram, revealed a cystic mass in the lipomatous interatrial septum. The patient was subsequently diagnosed with a bronchogenic cyst of the interatrial septum. No surgical intervention was pursued, as the mass remained stable, and the cardiothoracic surgeon did not recommend excision. This case highlights a rare case of a symptomatic bronchogenic cyst arising in the interatrial septum diagnosed by imaging modalities. Bronchogenic cysts should be included in the differential diagnosis of intracardiac tumors.
Project description:Bronchogenic cysts are congenital malformations caused by aberrant foregut budding. They major occur in the thorax, with subdiaphragmatic cases being uncommon. Here, we present a series of 19 patients diagnosed with subdiaphragmatic bronchogenic cysts histopathologically at a single institution in China from 2012 to 2021. A literature review was also conducted by searching the PubMed database using keywords related to “bronchogenic cysts” and “subdiaphragmatic,” yielding 107 cases. Taken together, the 126 cases had a median age of 41.0 years (interquartile range, 30.0–51.0 years) and 62 of them were male (49.2%). The cysts were most commonly detected in the left adrenal region (36.2%), followed by the pancreatic region (11.5%) and gastric cardia/lesser curvature of the stomach (9.2%). All patients except two underwent surgery for a definite diagnosis, symptom alleviation, and (or) malignancy prevention. Most patients recovered fast and were discharged from the hospital within 1 week after surgery, and the surgical complications were infrequent. The prognosis was generally favorable, as no recurrence was reported during the follow-up as long as 77 months.