Tongue-Coating Microbial and Metabolic Characteristics in Halitosis.

Halitosis is a common oral condition, which leads to social embarrassment and affects quality of life. Cumulative evidence has suggested the association of tongue-coating microbiome with the development of intraoral halitosis. The dynamic variations of tongue-coating microbiota and metabolites in halitosis have not been fully elucidated. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the tongue-coating microbial and metabolic characteristics in halitosis subjects without other oral diseases using metagenomics and metabolomics analysis. The participants underwent oral examination, halitosis assessment, and tongue-coating sample collection for the microbiome and metabolome analysis. It was found that the microbiota richness and diversity were significantly elevated in the halitosis group. Furthermore, species from Actinomyces, Prevotella, Veillonella, and Solobacterium were significantly more abundant in the halitosis group. However, the Rothia and Streptococcus species exhibited opposite tendencies. Eleven Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways were significantly enriched in the halitosis tongue coatings, including cysteine and methionine metabolism. Functional genes related to sulfur, indole, skatole, and cadaverine metabolic processes (such as serA, metH, metK and dsrAB) were identified to be more abundant in the halitosis samples. The metabolome analysis revealed that indole-3-acetic, ornithine, and L-tryptophan were significantly elevated in the halitosis samples. Furthermore, it was observed that the values of volatile sulfur compounds and indole-3-acetic abundances were positively correlated. The multiomics analysis identified the metagenomic and metabolomic characteristics to differentiate halitosis from healthy individuals using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator logistic regression and random forest classifier. A total of 19 species and 39 metabolites were identified as features in halitosis patients, which included indole-3-acetic acid, Bacillus altitudinis, Candidatus Saccharibacteria, and Actinomyces species. In conclusion, an evident shift in microbiome and metabolome characteristics was observed in the halitosis tongue coating, which may have a potential etiological significance and provide novel insights into the mechanism for halitosis.

High prevalence of hepatitis A and B nonimmunity in pediatric liver transplant recipients.

BACKGROUND: Pediatric liver transplant recipients are at increased risk of post-transplant infections. The purpose of this study was to quantify hepatitis A and B non-immunity based on antibody titers in liver transplant recipients. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective chart review of 107 pediatric liver transplant recipients at a single medical center from 2000 to 2017. We compared hepatitis immune patients to non-immune patients and studied response to vaccination in patients immunized post-transplantation. RESULTS: Eighty-one percent of patients had pre-transplant immunity to hepatitis A whereas 68% had pre-transplant immunity to hepatitis B. Post-transplant hepatitis B immunity decreased to 33% whereas post-transplant hepatitis A immunity remained high at 82%. Older age and time since transplantation were significantly associated with hepatitis B non-immunity. Most patients responded to doses post-transplantation with 78% seroconversion following hepatitis A re-immunization and 83% seroconversion following hepatitis B re-immunization. CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric liver transplant recipients are at risk of hepatitis A and B non-immunity, particularly with respect to hepatitis B. Boosters post-transplant may improve immunity to hepatitis viruses.

Triple-negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) and Its Luminal Androgen Receptor (LAR) Subtype: A Clinicopathologic Review of Cases in a University Hospital in Northwestern Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer (BC) is a common malignancy; the most frequent in Nigeria. BC characteristically exhibits great biologic diversity. Amongst its variants, the triple-negative subtype is also characterized by heterogeneity (thus making it a study in diversity within diversity) and also by some unique clinicopathologic features including clinical aggressiveness, lack of response to current targeted therapies, and tendency to cluster amongst young premenopausal women especially in populations of women of African ancestry. AIMS: The objective of this study was to conduct a retrospective clinicopathologic survey of all breast carcinomas to profile the triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) amongst them and illustrate their immunohistochemical pattern of luminal androgen receptors (LARs) expression. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All the cases entered into the departmental records as breast carcinomas over the study period were extracted including patients' request cards, hematoxylin and eosin-stained slides, and paraffin-embedded tissue blocks of those diagnosed as triple-negative cancers. These were immunohistochemically stained using a monoclonal antibody for androgen receptor (AR). The whole data were analyzed and presented in tabular formats. RESULTS: A total of 660 breast carcinomas of which 89 (13.48%) cases were identified as TNBCs with a mean age of occurrence of 42.89 ± 11.88 years. Most TNBCs (95.5%) were carcinoma no special type and 61.8% had low or intermediate histologic grading. LAR expression was noted in 11.24% of the TNBCs. CONCLUSION: Triple-negative cancer in this study shares some of the known characteristics but also portrays some divergence from the commonly described features.

Histopathologic spectrum of paediatric eye and ocular adnexal tumours: A 10-year review from a referral centre in Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Tumours of the eye and adnexa demonstrate great histologic variety and constitute a serious threat to vision especially in children. AIMS: The study aims to review the epidemiologic and pathologic characteristics of tumours of the eye and ocular adnexa in the paediatric age group (0-14 years). METHODS: All the cases entered into the departmental records as tumours of the eye and ocular adnexa over a 10-year period in the age group 0-14 years were extracted. The patients' request cards with all relevant Haematoxylin & Eosin (H & E)-stained histology slides were retrieved. All the slides were reviewed and the cases were classified in accordance with the 4th edition of the WHO Classification of Tumours of the Eye (2018). The collected data were subjected to descriptive statistical tabulation and analysis. RESULTS: A total of 104 tumours of the eye and ocular adnexae were diagnosed in the paediatric age group, accounting for 40.5% of all eye and ocular adnexal tumours diagnosed over the study period. The male to female ratio was 1.7:1 and malignant tumours greatly outnumbered benign tumours by a ratio of 5.5:1. Majority (76%) of the tumours occurred in the retina with retinoblastoma representing all the tumours diagnosed in this location. Rhabdomyosarcoma was the most common paediatric orbital tumour accounting for over half (53.8%) of all tumours in the orbit. Tumours of the conjunctiva and the eyelid were infrequent with benign soft tissue tumours (vascular, neural and lipomatous tumours) being the major tumours at these sites. CONCLUSION: Retinoblastoma is the single most common tumour in this age group.

Multiple symmetric lipomatosis of the male breast: An unusual mimic of gynecomastia.

Multiple symmetric lipomatosis (MSL) is a very uncommon disease. Its etiopathogenesis is uncertain, although it has been linked to a variety of factors. Its main characteristic is the overgrowth of fat in form of an unencapsulated lesion. Most of the cases reported are in the head and neck region. We report a case that occurred in the breasts of a 62-year-old man. A clinical diagnosis of gynecomastia was initially made. Partial mastectomy was done and MSL was reported on histopathologic examination. Our literature search revealed no previous case of MSL in the breast reported from our environment.

Tuberculosis of the Breast: An Initial Presentation of the Metabolic Syndrome with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in a Young Nigerian Woman.

Breast tuberculosis is an uncommon presentation of extra pulmonary tuberculosis. A 40-year-old obese woman presented with a right breast abscess which had failed to heal after surgical drainage. There was no family history of breast disease. Biopsy and histology of the lesion showed chronic granulomatous inflammation with positive stains for acid fast bacilli compatible with tuberculosis. Further evaluation confirmed metabolic syndrome with type 2 diabetes mellitus. She was placed on antituberculosis chemotherapy and appropriate therapy for diabetes mellitus with complete resolution of the lesion. We report this case because of its rarity and to highlight the association between tuberculosis an infectious disease and overnutrition in diabetes mellitus, a noncommunicable disease.

Recurrent depressive illness or craniopharyngioma: a diagnostic dilemma.

BACKGROUND: Brain tumors have been associated with various psychiatric and neurological manifestations. However in some patients with brain tumors psychiatric symptom might be the only clinical presentation for various lengths of time. As such they would be treated as straight forward psychiatric disorders. OBJECTIVE: To report a case of craniopharyngioma presenting as recurrent depressive illness in a 42 years old man. METHODS: Clinical follow up of a patient presenting with recurrent depressive illness till death RESULTS: recurrent severe depressive illness in the absence of focal neurological deficit that is unresponsive to anti-depressant might be due to intracranial neoplasm. CONCLUSION: Brain tumors can sometime present as psychiatric disorders and be difficult to detect in the absences of focal neurological deficit and Neuro-imaging studies.

Evaluation of accuracy of the Finnish elbow dysplasia screening protocol in Labrador retrievers.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the current Finnish screening method using a single flexed mediolateral view as scored by osteophyte is sufficient to diagnose mild elbow dysplasia in Labrador retrievers and to determine if an additional craniocaudal oblique projection would result in improvement in the screening protocol. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirteen dogs with one mildly affected elbow joint and one elbow joint without radiological evidence of osteophytes were studied. Radiographic and computed tomography studies were performed and the results compared with each other. RESULTS: Medial compartment disease was observed in 14 of 26 joints based on computed tomography. The sensitivity and specificity of the grading based mainly on osteoarthritis was 79 and 92%, respectively. A strong association existed between elbow dysplasia based on computed tomography and medial humeral epicondylar osteophytes on the craniocaudal projection. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: A single mediolateral flexed radiograph is reliable in diagnosing mild elbow dysplasia in Labrador retrievers. However, the craniocaudal oblique projection increases the specificity of the diagnosis, and it is proposed that it be included in the radiographic protocol in this breed.

Reconstruction of the chest wall after excision of a giant malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor.

Primary chest wall tumors are uncommon and constitute 0.2-2% of all tumors. Metastatic tumors and tumors of local extension are more common. Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) of the chest wall is even rarer and its incidence on the chest wall not stated in the literature. The incidence in the general population is 0.0001% while the risk is approximately 4600 times higher in patients with type I neurofibromatosis and 3-13% of them will finally develop into MPNST, usually after latent periods of 10-20 years. Clinically, these tumors are aggressive, locally invasive, and highly metastatic. Excision of giant chest wall tumor leaves a defect that is reconstructed using musculocutaneous flaps with or without a mesh. We report the case of a 24-year-old man who presented at the surgical outpatient clinic with 7 months history of persistent left sided chest pain minimally relieved by analgesics, 5 months of cough and worsening dyspnoea, and 3 months history of anterior chest swelling on the left side of the manubrium. Following evaluation and investigations, the tumor was excised and the residual defect closed with methylmetacrylate sandwiched between two prolene meshes and overlaid with both pectoralis major muscles. The histology of the excised mass revealed MPNST He made an uneventful postoperative recovery, but died barely 3 months later from widespread pulmonary metastases. A review of the literature revealed that such tumors hardly ever reach such large-size as in our case.

Angiosarcoma of the small intestine.

Primary gastrointestinal angiosarcomas are very rare and those of the small bowel even more rare. We report a case which is the first in the literature from this part of the world. It presented in a 25-year-old woman with multiple dissemination and rapid fatality. Diagnosis was based on histological morphology using Hematoxylin and Eosin (H and E) stains, plus reticulin special stain to outline the vascular nature.

Glycoprotein C of bovine herpesvirus 5 (BHV-5) confers a distinct heparin-binding phenotype to BHV-1.

Bovine herpesvirus type 1 (BHV-1) causes respiratory and genital diseases in cattle, whereas the closely related BHV-5 can induce severe meningoencephalitis in calves. To characterize BHV-5 glycoprotein C (gC5) within the backbone of BHV-1, three consecutive recombinant viruses were constructed: A deletion mutant (rBHV-1delta gC blue) with gC replaced by the lacZ gene, an exchange mutant (rBHV-1gC5) with the lacZ of BHV-1delta gC blue exchanged by gC5, and a rescue mutant (rescue BHV-1) from rBHV-1gC5 with an additional XbaI site in gC1. The recombinant and wildtype viruses were characterized on MDBK cells. Although no significant differences were observed in growth behaviour and entry kinetics, rBHV-1gC5 showed a distinct phenotype in a heparin blocking assay. The gC5 was able to transfer the heparin binding phenotype of BHV-5 to BHV-1. This indicates that gC1 and gC5 differ in their receptor binding qualities, which might modulate the ability of the viruses to spread within the central nervous system.

Unusual neurologic manifestation of enteric fever--case report and review of the literature.

Typhoid is an endemic disease in many countries in the tropics. Different modes of presentation have been reported. This case is one in which the patient presented with convulsions. It is necessary to have a high index of suspicion to make a diagnosis, especially in view of its occasional unusual mode of manifestation.

[Autonomic support of the systemic response under conditions of operator visual-stress activities]. / Vegetativnoe obespechenie sistemnogo otveta v usloviiakh zritel'no-napriazhennoi deiatel'nosti operatora.

The parameters of functioning of muscular, cardiac-respiratory, vegetative and other systems in the organism of healthy persons engaged in the work connected with visual strength have been studied. The optimal limits of system response are determined and thus its realization is shown to be provided with the activation of vegetative regulation apparatus. The structure of the relations between the distinguished parameters is maintained even when new level of functioning is established. Initial activation of vegetative mechanisms is a leading factor of the further rearrangements of visual and somatosensory analyzers with the given kind of activity.

[The working conditions of microscope operators and the ways for their sanitary improvement in the manufacture of microelectronic devices]. / Usloviia truda operatorov-mikroskopistov i puti ikh ozdorovleniia v proizvodstve mikroélektronnykh priborov.

The investigation of microelectronic devices showed that the working conditions of microscope operators in general satisfy the sanitary and hygienic requirements with the exception of lighting of places of work and the conditions of objects' illumination in the field of microscope view, this being the main reason of visual fatigue. The earliest and most distinct fatigue signs involve the changes in color discrimination acuity, adaptation time to darkness, response time to light stimulus. The measures intended for optimization of working conditions of microscope operators are proposed.

[Functional status of the visual analyzer in operators working with displays]. / Funktsional'noe sostoianie zritel'nogo analizatora u operatorov, rabotaiushchikh s displeiami.

The research was carried out at data processing sections of computer centres. The data on working conditions, psychologic work pattern and functional state of visual analyzer of 48 operators constantly working with displays were obtained. It was established that operators usually complained of visual fatigue, changes in colour perception, occurrence of retina angiodystonia. Recommendations on the optimization of labour conditions of those working with display terminals were given.