Left ventricle-right atrial communication: A specific type of ventricular septal defect.

Left ventricular-right atrial communication (LV-RAC) refers to the shunt from the left ventricle to the right atrium caused by an abnormal channel between the left ventricle and the right atrium, and is a specific type of ventricular septal defect that is rare. We diagnosed one case using echocardiography.

Pulmonary artery dissection secondary to ventricular septal defect and pulmonary valve stenosis.

The aortic short axis view demonstrated the widening of the pulmonary artery and the membrane-like echo in the pulmonary artery divided it into true lumen and false lumen. And the flow of the ruptured openings on the band-like echo was clearly revealed by Color Doppler.

Myxoma with rich blood supply in the left atrium.

Cardiac myxoma is the most common primary benign cardiac tumors, mostly found in the left atrium. It was previously reported that the main component of myxoma was myxoid stroma riched in acid-mucopolysaccharide, the blood vessels in which were sparsely distributed, being characterized as hypovascular tumor by contrast echocardiography (CE) and computed tomography angiography (CTA). There are few reports of myxoma with rich blood supply and we report one in the left atrium.

Imaging of pulmonary artery sling: Prenatal and postnatal imaging findings.

During the fetal period, the pulmonary artery bifurcation revealed the absence of the left pulmonary artery. Instead, an anomalous artery originated from the right pulmonary artery, coursing posteriorly the trachea to the left lung. The diagnosis of PAS was established following prenatal ultrasound screening, which was subsequently confirmed by postnatal echocardiography and CT after delivery.

Prenatal ultrasound diagnosis of fetal isolated left innominate vein under the aortic arch: A case report.

Abnormalities of the left innominate vein beneath the aortic arch are exceedingly rare. While they may not exhibit overt clinical symptoms, misdiagnosis, or failure to diagnose can significantly complicate and increase the risk associated with cardiac interventional procedures.

A rare case of fluid overload-associated large B-cell lymphoma and antigen loss at relapse.

Fluid overload-associated large B-cell lymphoma (FO-LBCL) is a new addition to the list of large B-cell lymphomas in the 5th edition of the World Health Organization Classification of Haematolymphoid Tumours (WHO-HAEM5). This report presents an unusual case of FO-LBCL with partial B cell antigen loss at relapse and reviews the characteristics, treatment, and prognosis of these patients to enhance our understanding of this disease. Immunophenotyping was performed through immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry. Immunoglobulin gene rearrangements were analyzed using BIOMED-2 multiplex primers. MYC, BCL2, and BCL6 gene rearrangements were detected by fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) from pleural effusion and peripheral blood was subjected to somatic mutation evaluation using next-generation sequencing (NGS). In 2020, the patient was initially diagnosed with tuberculous pleurisy and received anti-tuberculous drugs. Subsequent testing of the pleural effusion cell block revealed that the large cells to be positive for CD10, CD20, CD79a, PAX5, MUM1, Bcl-2, Bcl-6, and c-myc and negative for CD3, CD30, Cyclin D1, and HHV8. In situ hybridization for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated mRNA (EBER-ISH) was negative. Additionally, a clonal rearrangement of immunoglobulin heavy locus (IGH) FR2-JH was detected; the results of MYC, BCL2, and BCL6 gene rearrangements were all negative. Following pleural drainage treatment, the patient achieved symptom remission and was diagnosed with large B-cell lymphoma (HHV8-unrelated PEL-like lymphoma). In 2022, the patient was readmitted due to the recurrence of pleural effusion. The pleural effusion cell block revealed a distinct immunophenotype compared to previous findings, positivity for PAX5 and negativity for CD20, CD10, CD3, CD5, CD30, CD38, CD138, CD79a, MUM1, Bcl-2, Bcl-6, Cyclin D1, c-myc, ALK, and HHV8. Identical IGH FR2-JH clonal rearrangement suggested the recurrence of the original clone. CfDNA analysis showed mutations in CD79B, MYD88, CCND3, and DTX1. The patient was ultimately diagnosed with FO-LBCL based on the WHO-HAEM5 classification. Diagnosis of FO-LBCL should be differentiated from primary effusion lymphoma (PEL). The features of this case align with the description of "FO-LBCL" in WHO-HAEM5 and "HHV8 and EBV-negative primary effusion-based lymphoma" in International Consensus Classification (ICC). FO-LBCL patients generally have a more favorable prognosis compared to PEL. In this case, the patient exhibited a favorable prognosis for over 22 months without additional treatment apart from pleural drainage.

Monensin Inhibits Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer via Disrupting Mitochondrial Respiration and AMPK/mTOR Signaling.

OBJECTIVE: The clinical management of anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) remains challenging, and novel treatment methods are needed. Monensin is a carboxyl polyether ionophore that potently inhibits the growth of various cancer types. Our current work investigates whether monensin has selective anti-ATC activity and systematically explores its underlying mechanisms. METHODS: Proliferation and apoptosis assays were performed using a panel of thyroid cancer cell lines. Mitochondrial biogenesis profiles, ATP levels, oxidative stress, AMPK, and mTOR were examined in these cells after monensin treatment. RESULTS: Monensin is effective in inhibiting proliferation and inducing apoptosis in a number of thyroid cancer cell lines. The results are consistent across cell lines of varying cellular origins and genetic mutations. Compared to other thyroid cancer cell types, ATC cell lines are the most sensitive to monensin. Of note, monensin used at our experimental concentration affects less of normal cells. Mechanistic studies reveal that monensin acts on ATC cells by disrupting mitochondrial function, inducing oxidative stress and damage, and AMPK activation-induced mTOR inhibition. We further show that mitochondrial respiration is a critical target for monensin in ATC cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our pre-clinical findings demonstrate the selective anti-ATC activities of monensin. This is supported by increasing evidence that monensin can be repurposed as a potential anti-cancer drug.

A Multi-Parameter Perturbation Solution and Experimental Verification for Bending Problem of Piezoelectric Cantilever Beams.

The existing studies indicate that the application of piezoelectric polymers is becoming more and more extensive, especially in the analysis and design of sensors or actuators, but the problems of piezoelectric structure are usually difficult to solve analytically due to the force-electric coupling characteristics. In this study, the bending problem of a piezoelectric cantilever beam was investigated via theoretical and experimental methods. First, the governing equations of the problem were established and non-dimensionalized. Three piezoelectric parameters were selected as perturbation parameters and the perturbation solution of the equations was finally obtained using a multi-parameter perturbation method. In addition, the relevant experiments of the piezoelectric cantilever beam were carried out, and the experimental results were in good agreement with the theoretical solutions. Based on the experimental results, the effect of piezoelectric properties on the bending deformation of piezoelectric cantilever beams was analyzed and discussed. The results indicated that the multi-parameter perturbation solution obtained in this study is effective and it may serve as a theoretical reference for the design of sensors or actuators made of piezoelectric polymers.

A case of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy combined with muscular ventricular septal defect and abnormal origin of right coronary artery.

BACKGROUND: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a myocardial disease. However, the coexistence of HCM with muscular ventricular septal defect (VSD), especially those with both incomplete spontaneous closure and coronary abnormal origin, is relatively rare. CASE PRESENTATION: We report herein a unique case of HCM accompanied with incomplete spontaneous closure of muscular VSD and abnormal origin of right coronary artery (RCA) in a 26-year-old man, which was diagnosed by combination of transthoracic 2-dimensional (2D), color Doppler, Contrast-enhanced echocardiography and computed tomography angiography (CTA). CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the first report that HCM along with the incomplete spontaneous closure of muscular VSD and anomalous RCA arising from left coronary sinus was revealed through combination of transthoracic 2D, color Doppler, Contrast-enhanced echocardiography and CTA. These observations indicated that other associated anomalies in patients with HCM could be easily missed if examined by the single echocardiography. Therefore, HCM-associated congenital abnormalities should be screened by combination of transthoracic 2D, color Doppler, contrast-enhanced echocardiography, and CTA.

Suppression of human 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase (OGG1) augments ultrasound-induced apoptosis in cervical cancer cells.

PURPOSE: Human 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase (OGG1) is a major base excision repair enzyme, and it was reported to suppress the activation of intrinsic apoptotic signaling pathway in response to oxidative stress. In this study, our aim was to investigate the effects of OGG1 downregulation on ultrasound-induced apoptosis in cervical cancer cells. METHODS: OGG1 expression was silenced by shRNA in the cervical cancer SW756 and CaSki cells. Cell viability was evaluated by MTT assay after OGG1 knockdown following ultrasound treatment. Ultrasound-induced apoptosis was measured by Annexin V-FITC/propidium iodide. Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and Ca(2+) concentration were detected using a fluorescent probe, 2',7'-dichlorofluorescin diacetate (DCFH-DA) and a green fluorescent dye fluo-4AM, respectively. Western blotting was used to analyze the expression of Bcl-2, Bax, cleaved caspase-3, and nuclear factor-κB p65 (NF-κB p65). RESULTS: The results indicated that OGG1 knockdown did not suppress cell proliferation, but significantly augmented ultrasound-induced inhibitory effects on the cell viability, and increased ultrasound-induced early apoptosis and late apoptosis and necrosis in the SW756 and CaSki cells when exposure to ultrasound (1MHz) at 1.5W/cm(2) for 30 and 60s. OGG1 knockdown significantly increased intracellular ROS production and Ca(2+) concentration after incubation of 6, 24, and 48h post-ultrasound treatment. The downregulation of Bcl-2 protein and the upregulation of Bax, cleaved caspase-3, and NF-κB p65 protein levels were observed in the shRNA-OGG1 cells and mock-shRNA cells, but no significant change of these protein levels was found between of them. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that downregulation of OGG1 expression can augment ultrasound-induced apoptosis in cervical cancer cells, which suggests that OGG1 suppression might provide a new insight for ultrasound-induced therapeutic effects on cervical cancer treatment.

[Clinical analysis of 6 cases of primary small cell carcinoma of the larynx].

OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical characteristics, pathological features, diagnosis, therapy and prognosis of primary small cell carcinoma of the larynx (PSCCL). METHODS: Six cases of PSCCL collected from 1990 to 2009 was retrospectively analyzed. The diagnosis was confirmed by pathological examination. Among six patients, one case belonged to stage III, and the others were in stage IVA. One case abandoned treatment; one case received chemotherapy; one case underwent supraglottic hemilaryngectomy and adjuvant chemoradiotherapy; one case underwent induction chemotherapy, radiotherapy and consolidation chemotherapy. Two cases received induction chemotherapy, concurrent chemoradiation and consolidation chemotherapy. The drug regimens included bleomycin, fluorouracil, cisplatin, etoposide and taxel for 3-6 cycles. The radiotherapy technique included conventional radiotherapy, CT-Sim and three dimensional conformal radiation therapy with (60)Co or 4 MV X-ray for 60 - 66 Gy during 6 - 7 weeks. RESULTS: The time of follow-up was 3 - 24 months and the median was 13 months. Two patients applied with concurrent chemoradiation were alive without tumor. The patient abandoning therapy died of respiratory failure, and the others died of lung or liver metastasis after 8 - 12 months. CONCLUSIONS: PSCCL is a disseminated disease, so the pretreatment evaluation is necessary. Concurrent chemoradiation is an ideal treatment model for this disease.

Concentration effect of gold nanoparticles on proliferation of keratinocytes.

34 nm gold nanoparticles with good stability were synthesized and characterized and their effect (as a function of concentration) on the proliferation of keratinocytes was evaluated by means of MTT and nucleolar organizer region (AgNOR) count (silver staining). The cell morphology was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results demonstrate that a low concentration of gold nanoparticles enhances the proliferation of keratinocytes. Specifically, a concentration of 5.0 ppm gold nanoparticle has the best effect on the promotion of cell growth. In the experiment group, the AgNOR-positive areas and AgNOR area/nuclear area ratios of keratinocytes co-cultured with 5.0 ppm gold nanoparticles were greater than those in the control group (p<0.01). At a level greater than 10.0 ppm, gold nanoparticles were found to have a cytotoxic effect on keratinocytes. It is concluded that a low concentration of gold nanoparticles may be used as a biomedical material in skin tissue engineering.