Sunflower sea star predation on urchins can facilitate kelp forest recovery.

The recent collapse of predatory sunflower sea stars (Pycnopodia helianthoides) owing to sea star wasting disease (SSWD) is hypothesized to have contributed to proliferation of sea urchin barrens and losses of kelp forests on the North American west coast. We used experiments and a model to test whether restored Pycnopodia populations may help recover kelp forests through their consumption of nutritionally poor purple sea urchins (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus) typical of barrens. Pycnopodia consumed 0.68 S. purpuratus d-1, and our model and sensitivity analysis shows that the magnitude of recent Pycnopodia declines is consistent with urchin proliferation after modest sea urchin recruitment, and even small Pycnopodia recoveries could generally lead to lower densities of sea urchins that are consistent with kelp-urchin coexistence. Pycnopodia seem unable to chemically distinguish starved from fed urchins and indeed have higher predation rates on starved urchins owing to shorter handling times. These results highlight the importance of Pycnopodia in regulating purple sea urchin populations and maintaining healthy kelp forests through top-down control. The recovery of this important predator to densities commonly found prior to SSWD, whether through natural means or human-assisted reintroductions, may therefore be a key step in kelp forest restoration at ecologically significant scales.

Predictors of therapeutic effect of transarterial chemoembolisation using drug-eluting beads for hepatocellular carcinoma.

AIMS: To identify predictors of a therapeutic effect after transarterial chemoembolisation using drug-eluting beads (DEB-TACE) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January 2015 and July 2015, tumour variables and angiographic data were collected for 25 patients (49 target lesions) after they had undergone the DEB-TACE procedure for HCC. The therapeutic effect was evaluated according to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Cancer of the Liver at follow-up dynamic computed tomography (CT) performed within 1-4 months after the procedure. A p<0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: On a target lesion basis, the objective response (TE3/4) rate was 63.3% (31 of 49). On univariate analysis, larger size (≥2 cm) was a predictor of an objective response (p=0.029). The tumour location of the medial (segment 4) or caudate (segment 1) lobe also indicated a poor therapeutic effect (TE1/2), but not at the level of significance (p=0.051). Multivariate analysis identified tumour size (odds ratio, 8.60; 95% confidence interval, 1.87-62.8) and tumour location (odds ratio, 12.2; 95% confidence interval, 2.12-129.8) as significant factors associated with a therapeutic effect. On a patient basis, 10 of 25 (40%) patients showed complete response/partial response. There were no significant differences between complete response/partial response and stable disease/progressive disease regarding age, gender, tumour markers, history of previous treatment, Child-Pugh class, T-stage, or Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer Staging. CONCLUSION: A short-term therapeutic effect was associated with tumour size and location on a target lesion basis.

Fatty change in moderately and poorly differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma on MRI: a possible mechanism related to decreased arterial flow.

AIM: To clarify the frequency of fatty change in moderately and poorly differentiated hepatocellular carcinomas (mHCCs and pHCCs) and its relationship to arterial blood flow. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and thirty-six surgically resected HCC lesions were studied. All patients had undergone dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with chemical-shift-encoded water-fat imaging (CSI). The presence of fat was identified by a signal drop-off on CSI and confirmed at pathology. Lesions were classified into four groups in the arterial phase; G1, hypointense; G2, isointense; G3, slightly and heterogeneously hyperintense; G4, markedly and homogeneously hyperintense. The number of cumulative arteries (CAs) in the tumours in the pathology examination were counted. RESULTS: A fat component was observed significantly more frequently in the pHCCs (13/21; 61.9%) compared to the mHCCs (32/101; 31.7%; p=0.013). The numbers of lesions in each group were as follows: (G1, G2, G3, G4) = (18, 9, 23, 4) in the HCCs with fat; (1, 6, 24, 51) in the HCCs without fat (p<0.001); (5, 5, 18, 4) in the mHCCs with fat; (0, 3, 19, 47) in the mHCCs without fat (p<0.001); (11, 0, 2, 0) in the pHCCs with fat; (0, 2, 3, 3) in the pHCCs without fat (p=0.001). The number of CAs in the fat-containing HCCs (5.5±2.9) was significantly lower than that in the HCCs without fat (10.8±5.3; p<0.001). CONCLUSION: A fat component was more commonly observed in the pHCCs than in the mHCCs. The present results showed a possible mechanism of fatty change in mHCCs and pHCCs in relation to decreased arterial blood supply.

Heterogeneity of non-cancerous liver parenchyma on gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI: an imaging biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma development in chronic liver disease.

AIM: To clarify whether the heterogeneity of non-cancerous liver parenchyma (NLP) in the hepatobiliary phase on gadoxetic acid enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is correlated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Institutional review board approval was obtained, and the requirements for informed consent were waived for this retrospective study. The imaging characteristics of 84 patients with chronic liver disease who underwent gadoxetic acid-enhanced 3T MRI between January 2013 and October 2014 were examined retrospectively. For the evaluation of the heterogeneity of the intensity in the hepatobiliary phase, the largest possible region of interest was placed on the NLP, and the skewness and kurtosis were calculated using ImageJ software. Skewness is the degree of asymmetry of a histogram, and kurtosis is a measure of the peak. Based on the median values of kurtosis and skewness, the patients were classified into four categories and the categories were compared between the 49 patients with HCC (HCC group) and the 35 patients without HCC (non-HCC group). RESULTS: Kurtosis was significantly higher in the HCC group compared to the non-HCC group (1.19±1.15 versus 0.43±0.83; p=0.0006). Skewness was significantly lower in the HCC group than in the non-HCC group (1.19±1.15 versus 0.43±0.83; p=0.0152). In a multivariate logistic analysis, the category showing lower-than-the-median (-0.1185) skewness and higher-than-the-median (0.547) kurtosis was significantly and independently associated with HCC development (p=0.0031). CONCLUSION: The heterogeneity of NLP in the hepatobiliary phase on gadoxetic acid enhanced MRI may reflect the development of HCC.

Inflammatory pseudotumor of the liver in association with spilled gallstones 3 years after laparoscopic cholecystectomy: report of a case.

We report on a case of a female patient diagnosed with inflammatory pseudotumor of the liver in association with spilled gallstones 3 years after laparoscopic cholecystectomy for calculous acute cholecystitis. She was asymptomatic, but CT revealed an intrahepatic mass and two other extrahepatic masses between the liver and the diaphragm. Furthermore, diffusion-weighted MRI and PET suggested all three lesions could be malignant tumors. As the preoperative diagnosis was intrahepatic cholangiocellular carcinoma with peritoneal disseminations, we performed a posterior segmentectomy of the liver combined with partial resection of the diaphragm. Histological examination showed the intrahepatic tumor was an inflammatory granuloma with abscess formations. There were bilirubin stones between the liver and the diaphragm. Therefore, the tumor was diagnosed as inflammatory pseudotumor of the liver in association with spilled gallstones. In conclusion, the liver tumor emerged after laparoscopic cholecystectomy and may involve inflammatory pseudotumor of the liver in association with spilled gallstones.

Hepatic falciform ligament artery in patients with chronic liver diseases: detection on computed tomography hepatic arteriography.

BACKGROUND: The detection rate of hepatic falciform ligament artery (FLA) has been reported as ranging from 2-25%. The rate of FLA on laparotomy, however, is reported to be higher, at 68%. PURPOSE: To compare the detection rate of FLA on computed tomography hepatic arteriography (CTHA) with that on angiography and dynamic CT, and to clarify the clinical significance of FLA in patients with chronic liver disease. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 126 consecutive patients underwent CTHA angiography and dynamic CT to evaluate suspected liver tumors. Liver function was classified as follows: normal, n=5; Child-Pugh class A, n=94; B, n=21; and C, n=6. All CT images were obtained using multidetector (MDCT) scanners (Aquilion; Toshiba, Tokyo, Japan). For CTHA, CT images were obtained during contrast material injection through the left hepatic, proper, or common hepatic artery. On CT, FLAs were retrospectively identified within the hepatic falciform ligament and the hepatic round ligament by the paging method on a workstation (TWS-5000; Toshiba, Tokyo, Japan). The detection rates were compared among the three modalities (hepatic arterial phase of dynamic CT, CTHA, and angiography). The calibers of FLA were also correlated with the hepatic function of the patients. RESULTS: The detection rates of FLA by angiography, dynamic CT, and CTHA were 37% (47/126), 10% (13/126), and 77% (97/126), respectively. The calibers of FLA increased as the hepatic function deteriorated (P=0.001). CONCLUSION: The detection rates of FLA with CTHA are far higher than those with angiography and dynamic CT. Careful interpretation with recognition of FLA on CTHA images is important, as inadvertent embolization or chemotherapeutic infusion of the FLA may result in supraumbilical skin rash.

Microcoil embolization through a downsized coaxial catheter system: an experimental study.

BACKGROUND: Most of the recently developed microcatheters for abdominal angiography still have large diameters at their trailing ends, and thus cannot be used for microcoil embolization in combination with a 3-French (F) system. PURPOSE: To evaluate the in vitro passage of microcoils through a newly developed 2-F microcatheter (Meister Cath Superselective Plus, MC6) that is compatible with a downsized coaxial catheter system (3-F system) in an experimental study. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We evaluated the passage of microcoils through MC6 within a blood vessel model using the saline flush technique. Six types of microcoils and 17 size variations (maximal curled diameter 2-10 mm, total length 20-140 mm) were used. We evaluated the passage and post-deployment shape of the microcoils as well as the volume of saline required to flush them. RESULTS: In the experimental study, all microcoils passed through the MC6 and deployed in a satisfactory manner without catheter occlusion. The mean volumes of saline required to flush the TORNADO (n=1), Reverse TORNADO (n=6), HILAL (n=1), Micronester (n=3), VortX (n=4), and C-Stopper Coil (n=2) were 0.7 ml, 0.58+/-0.20 ml, 0.5 ml, 0.57+/-0.058 ml, 3.5+/-1.5 ml, and 0.70+/-0.14 ml, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference in the mean volume of saline required between the VortX and Reverse TORNADO (P=0.029), and between the VortX and C-Stopper Coil (P=0.031). The VortX required the greatest volume of saline. CONCLUSION: Microcoil embolization through a 3-F system appears to be feasible for the coils examined in this study.

Stable transformation of rice (Oryza sativa L.) via microprojectile bombardment of highly regenerative, green tissues derived from mature seed.

A highly efficient and reproducible transformation system for rice ( Oryza sativa L. cv. Taipei 309) was developed using microprojectile bombardment of highly regenerative, green tissues. These tissues were induced from mature seeds on NB-based medium containing 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and high concentrations of cupric sulfate under dim light conditions; germinating shoots and roots were completely removed. Highly regenerative, green tissues were proliferated on the same medium and used as transformation targets. From 431 explants bombarded with transgenes [i.e. a hygromycin phosphotransferase ( hpt) gene plus one of a wheat thioredoxin h ( wtrxh), a barley NADP-thioredoxin reductase ( bntr), a maize Mutator transposable element ( mudrB) or beta-glucuronidase ( uidA; gus) gene], 28 independent transgenic events were obtained after an 8- to 12-week selection period, giving a 6.5% transformation frequency. Of the 28 independent events, 17 (61%) were regenerable. Co-transformation of the second introduced transgene was detected in 81% of the transgenic lines tested. Stable integration and expression of the foreign genes in T(0) plants and T(1) progeny were confirmed by DNA hybridization, western blot analyses and germination tests.

Expression of green fluorescent protein and its inheritance in transgenic oat plants generated from shoot meristematic cultures.

The expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP) and its inheritance were studied in transgenic oat ( Avena sativa L.) plants transformed with a synthetic green fluorescent protein gene [sgfp(S65T)] driven by a rice actin promoter. In vitro shoot meristematic cultures (SMCs) induced from shoot apices of germinating mature seeds of a commercial oat cultivar, Garry, were used as a transformation target. Proliferating SMCs were bombarded with a mixture of plasmids containing the sgfp(S65T) gene and one of three selectable marker genes, phosphinothricin acetyltransferase (bar), hygromycin phosphotransferase (hpt) and neomycin phosphotransferase (nptII). Cultures were selected with bialaphos, hygromycin B and geneticin (G418), respectively, to identify transgenic tissues. From 289 individual explants bombarded with the sgfp(S65T) gene and one of the three selectable marker genes, 23 independent transgenic events were obtained, giving a 8.0% transformation frequency. All 23 transgenic events were regenerable, and 64% produced fertile plants. Strong GFP expression driven by the rice actin promoter was observed in a variety of tissues of the T(0) plants and their progeny in 13 out of 23 independent transgenic lines. Stable GFP expression was observed in T(2) progeny from five independent GFP-expressing lines tested, and homozygous plants from two lines were obtained. Transgene silencing was observed in T(0) plants and their progeny of some transgenic lines.

Hematocrit stability following intravenous versus subcutaneous administration of epoetin alfa to dialysis patients: a post hoc analysis.

UNLABELLED: BACKGROUND, SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A previous study of epoetin alfa dose requirements [Paganini et al. 1995] among hemodialysis patients who were switched from thrice weekly intravenous (i.v.) to thrice weekly subcutaneous (s.c.) administration showed that the weekly epoetin alfa dose requirement decreased by 18.5% after 13 to 16 weeks s.c. treatment and 26.5% after 21 to 24 weeks, without significant change in hematocrit. There was patient-to-patient variation in response, however, and 39% of the patients required the same or greater doses of epoetin alfa after the change from i.v. to s.c. administration. The present study reexamines the database to compare hematocrit stability between the two routes of administration. RESULTS: During 4 weeks of i.v. epoetin alfa administration, the pooled standard deviation (SD) for the patients' (n = 72) weekly hematocrit measurements was 1.40, compared with weeks 13 to 16 of s.c. epoetin alfa administration when the SD was 1.66 (p < 0.01). Among 41 patients who completed 24 weeks of s.c. therapy, the pooled SD for the 4 weeks of i.v. treatment was 1.37 compared with 2.02 during weeks 21-24 of s.c. treatment (p < 0.01). Sixty-eight percent of patients had lower hematocrit SD during 4 weeks of i.v. therapy than during the 4 weeks of s.c. therapy (p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: These data suggest that hematocrits may be more stable when epoetin alfa is administered i.v. rather than s.c. to patients on dialysis. These results would be expected since 100% of i.v.-administered epoetin alfa reaches the systemic circulation compared with 18% to 80% bioavailability of s.c.-administered epoetin alfa. Within-patient variation in s.c. epoetin alfa absorption may be related to non-uniformity of adipose tissue, blood supply, lymphatic drainage, and other factors at sequential injection sites, and may explain the variability in hematocrit after s.c. administration.

[Spontaneous peripelvic urine extravasation associated with ileocecal cancer: a case report].

A case of spontaneous peripelvic extravasation with ileocecal cancer is reported. A 60-year-old man with right flank pain was referred to our department. Dripinfusion pyelography showed right peripelvic extravasation. Neither computed tomography (CT) nor retrograde pyelography revealed any ureteral stones or tumors. Urinary cytology was negative. One month later, right retrograde pyelography demonstrated the filling defect in the right ureter, but no stones, ureteral tumors or other tumors related to the ureter were detected by CT. An exploratory laparotomy was done. We found an ileocecal tumor invading to the right ureter and disseminated to the peritoneum. Histological diagnosis was mucinous carcinoma.

The effects of normal as compared with low hematocrit values in patients with cardiac disease who are receiving hemodialysis and epoetin.

BACKGROUND: In patients with end-stage renal disease, anemia develops as a result of erythropoietin deficiency, and recombinant human erythropoietin (epoetin) is prescribed to correct the anemia partially. We examined the risks and benefits of normalizing the hematocrit in patients with cardiac disease who were undergoing hemodialysis. METHODS: We studied 1233 patients with clinical evidence of congestive heart failure or ischemic heart disease who were undergoing hemodialysis: 618 patients were assigned to receive increasing doses of epoetin to achieve and maintain a hematocrit of 42 percent, and 615 were assigned to receive doses of epoetin sufficient to maintain a hematocrit of 30 percent throughout the study. The median duration of treatment was 14 months. The primary end point was the length of time to death or a first nonfatal myocardial infarction. RESULTS: After 29 months, there were 183 deaths and 19 first nonfatal myocardial infarctions among the patients in the normal-hematocrit group and 150 deaths and 14 nonfatal myocardial infarctions among those in the low-hematocrit group (risk ratio for the normal-hematocrit group as compared with the low-hematocrit group, 1.3; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.9 to 1.9). Although the difference in event-free survival between the two groups did not reach the prespecified statistical stopping boundary, the study was halted. The causes of death in the two groups were similar. The mortality rates decreased with increasing hematocrit values in both groups. The patients in the normal-hematocrit group had a decline in the adequacy of dialysis and received intravenous iron dextran more often than those in the low-hematocrit group. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with clinically evident congestive heart failure or ischemic heart disease who are receiving hemodialysis, administration of epoetin to raise their hematocrit to 42 percent is not recommended.

Characterization of Pathogenic Races of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis Causing Fusarium Wilt of Melon in New York.

Forty-six isolates of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis obtained from soil samples throughout melon-producing areas in New York State were identified on the basis of pathogenicity and colony morphology. Physiological races 1 and 2 were identified by their reaction on a set of differential melon cultivars. Race 1 was widely distributed, occurring in six of the seven New York counties surveyed. Twenty-seven of the 28 race 1 isolates were associated with vegetative compatibility group (VCG) 0134, whereas one was incompatible with all known VCGs of F. oxysporum f. sp. melonis. Twelve out of 18 race 2 isolates were associated with VCG 0131, and occurred in four counties in eastern and western New York. Five isolates of race 2, associated with VCG 0130, were recovered from a farm in Washington County, as was a single race 2 isolate which was incompatible with all known VCGs of F. oxysporum f. sp. melonis. Restriction fragment length polymorphisms in the nuclear DNA revealed variability among the isolates examined, but race 1/VCG 0134 isolates from New York and Maryland were identical or nearly so, as were race 2/VCG 0131 isolates from the two states. These findings suggest a close relationship between the populations of F. oxysporum f. sp. melonis in New York and Maryland. Race 2 isolates were more virulent than race 1 isolates, based on the number of days to first symptoms and death of melon seedlings.

Intravenous versus subcutaneous dosing of epoetin alfa in hemodialysis patients.

Hemodialysis patients were studied to determine whether the dose of recombinant human erythropoietin (Epoetin alfa; Amgen Inc, Thousand Oaks, CA) required to maintain a therapeutic hematocrit level changed when the route of administration was switched from intravenously (IV) three times per week to subcutaneously (SC) three times per week. Thirteen to 16 weeks after patients were changed from IV three times per week to SC three times per week treatment, the Epoetin alfa requirement was reduced by 18.5% +/- 3.8% (P < 0.001; n = 72), and after 21 to 24 weeks of SC treatment the mean dosage had decreased from the IV dose by 26.5% +/- 4.2% (P < 0.001; n = 41). Sixty-one percent (44 of 72) of patients experienced maintenance-dose reductions over 13 to 16 weeks of treatment and 80% (33 of 41) were maintained on lower weekly doses after 21 to 24 weeks of treatment than at baseline (IV). There was interpatient variability, however: 26% of the patients required greater doses SC than IV following 13 to 16 weeks of SC treatment, and 15% required greater doses SC than IV following 21 to 24 weeks. On completing the initial SC three-times-per-week stage of the study, patients were randomized to one of three SC dosing strategies for an additional 12 weeks: (1) once per week, (2) three times per week Epoetin alfa diluted 1:2 with bacteriostatic saline to mitigate stinging at the injection site, or (3) continued three times per week with undiluted Epoetin alfa. Patients who were switched to administration of SC once per week undiluted Epoetin alfa (n = 20) had their total weekly dose lowered by 18.0% +/- 9.4% (P > 0.05), but the mean hematocrit for this cohort also decreased, from 34.3% +/- 3.0% to 32.4% +/- 3.9% (P > 0.05), rendering dose comparison between the two schedules ambiguous. The maintenance dose for patients who received Epoetin alfa diluted 1:2 with bacteriostatic saline (n = 23) did not differ from the undiluted three times per week dose at the end of stage 1. The third cohort of patients (n = 24), who continued to receive undiluted Epoetin alfa on the same SC three-times-per-week schedule, did not require a significant change in dosage over the ensuing 12 weeks. Comparison of SC three times per week mean dosage after an average of 32 weeks following the switch from IV three times per week for this latter cohort revealed a decrease of 23.5% +/- 6.5% (P < 0.001).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Contribution of nitropyrene to the mutagenic activity of coal fly ash.

Stack-collected coal fly ash from western low-sulfur coal was extracted with 60:40 benzene/methanol. This extract was fractionated by preparative-scale high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and the mutagenic activity of 14 fractions was evaluated by microbial assay with Salmonella typhimurium TA1538. A widespread distribution of direct-acting mutagens, which probably includes both mono- and dinitroaromatics, was detected. HPLC methods were also used to isolate 1-nitropyrene from the total benzene/methanol extract. The identification of 1-nitropyrene was based on gas chromatographic and HPLC retention measurements and mass spectral data. The concentration of 1-nitropyrene in the ash extract was determined by quantitative HPLC analyses. Mutagenicity assays of the total extract and an authentic 1-nitropyrene standard with Salmonella strains TA1538, TA100, and TA98 indicated that the 1-nitropyrene accounts for approximately 0.03-0.16% of the total mutagenic activity of the extract.