Review of scientific research on air quality and environmental health risk and impact for PICTS.

Air quality (AQ) significantly impacts human health, influenced by both natural phenomena and human activities. In 2021, heightened awareness of AQ's health impacts prompted the revision of the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, advocating for stricter pollution standards. However, research on AQ has predominantly focused on high-income countries and densely populated cities, neglecting low- and middle-income countries, particularly Pacific Island Countries, Territories, and States (PICTS). This systematic review compiles existing peer-reviewed literature on AQ research in PICTS to assess the current state of knowledge and emphasize the need for further investigation. A systematic literature search yielded 40 papers from databases including Web of Science, Scopus, and Embase. Among the 26 PICTS, only 6 (Hawai'i, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, Republic of Marshall Islands, and Pacific) have been subject to AQ-related research, with 4 considering the World Health Organization (WHO) parameters and 26 addressing non-WHO parameters. Analysis reveals AQ parameters often exceed 2021 WHO guidelines for PM2.5, PM10, SO2, and CO, raising concerns among regional governments. Studies primarily focused on urban, agricultural, rural, and open ocean areas, with 15 based on primary data and 14 on both primary and secondary sources. Research interests and funding sources dictated the methods used, with a predominant focus on environmental risks over social, economic, and technological impacts. Although some papers addressed health implications, further efforts are needed in this area. This review underscores the urgent need for ongoing AQ monitoring efforts in PICTS to generate spatially and temporally comparable data. By presenting the current state of AQ knowledge, this work lays the foundation for coordinated regional monitoring and informs national policy development.

Primary adrenal teratoma: An unusual tumor - Challenges in diagnosis and surgical management.

We report a rare case of a 25-year-old lady who presented with right hypochondriac pain associated with weakness for 3 months. Her hormonal evaluation was normal. Computed tomography scan revealed an adrenal mass for which a right open transperitoneal adrenalectomy was performed, and the lesion was diagnosed as mature teratoma on histopathological examination. Teratoma is an unusual neoplasm which arises from one or all the three germ layers. Extragonadal teratomas are rare in adults as compared to children and are mostly retroperitoneal in location, constituting only 4% of all primary teratomas. Primary adrenal teratomas are even rarer and to the best of our knowledge, only eight cases have been reported in adults in the past 10 years. Adrenal teratoma can pose a diagnostic challenge because radiologically it mimics myelolipoma, angiomyolipoma, liposarcoma, or pheochromocytoma. Mature teratomas are usually benign but may possess malignant potential, the chances of which are greater in adults as compared to children, making it an important entity requiring a proper diagnosis and management.

Conservative management of a case of traumatic pancreatitis in childhood: a case report.

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is relatively uncommon in pediatric age group. Traumatic injury is an important cause of AP in children. Ductal disruption resulting from pancreatic trauma usually needs surgical intervention. A three-and-a-half year old child presented with complaints of abdominal pain and distension following blunt trauma abdomen. Computed tomography of abdomen revealed presence of grade III pancreatic injury with fluid collection in lesser sac. The patient was managed with antibiotics and pigtail drainage and he improved. Therapy for traumatic pancreatitis in paediatric patients must be individualised. Even high grade injuries can be managed non-operatively.

The appearance, distribution, and longevity of receptor-[125I]T3 complexes within the nuclei of isolated rat hepatocytes.

The nuclei of isolated rat hepatocytes were separable into three receptor compartments based upon their differential salt extractabilities: nucleoplasmic receptors (NP) extractable with 0.15 M KCl, high-salt extractable receptors (HSE) extractable with 0.4 M KCl, and salt-resistant receptors (SR) extractable with 0.4 M KCl/5 mM dithiothreitol. The receptor distribution among the three compartments was approximately NP, 45%; HSE, 30%; SR, 25%. The mean percent occupancy with endogenous T3 of the SR receptors (86%) was higher than the occupancies of the NP receptors (68%) and the HSE receptors (63%). When hepatocytes were pulsed with 3 nM [125I]T3 at 37 degrees C for brief intervals, receptor-[125I]T3 complexes were detectable in all three nuclear compartments within 15 sec. With increasing pulse intervals up to 120 sec, the receptor content of each nuclear compartment increased progressively and without evidence of preferential accumulation in any of the three compartments. To determine the life span and intercompartmental "migration" pattern of nuclear receptors, hepatocytes were pulsed with 3 nM [125I]T3 at 37 degrees C for 2.5 min or 5 min, followed by a chase with a 500-fold excess of nonlabeled T3. The population of receptor-[125I]T3 complexes generated during the pulse was serially recovered at increasing intervals after the chase. The complexes of each compartment dissociated with a half-life of approximately 3 min and manifested no predilection to accumulate in any of the compartments. Exposure of isolated hepatocytes to 3 nM T3 for 5 min or 10 min at 37 degrees C induced no change in the gross intercompartmental distribution of receptors compared to control hepatocytes incubated without T3.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

A bryostatin-sensitive protein kinase C required for nerve growth factor activity.

Nerve growth factor (NGF) stimulates rat pheochromocytoma cells (PC12) to differentiate into a neuronal-like cell that exhibits neurite extensions. The role of protein kinase C in signal transduction has been examined in PC12 cells treated with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and bryostatin, a macrocyclic lactone that activates protein kinase C at both the nuclear and the plasma membranes [Hocevar, B. A., & Fields, A. P. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 28-33]. In contrast to PMA down-regulation [Reinhold, D. S., & Neet, K. E. (1989) J. Biol. Chem. 264, 3538-3544], chronic (24 h) treatment with bryostatin blocked the formation of neurites in response to NGF or basic fibroblast-derived growth factor stimulation, but, like PMA, bryostatin did not block the induction of c-fos or c-jun protooncogenes by NGF. Chronic bryostatin treatment down-regulated protein kinase C activity in the cytosolic, membrane, and nuclear fractions. Acute (60 min) bryostatin or NGF treatment activated cytosolic and nuclear protein kinase C activity, suggesting possible translocation to the nucleus. Bryostatin did not induce neurite outgrowth, either alone or in combination with PMA. Thus, the bryostatin-sensitive protein kinase C is distinct from PMA- or K252a-sensitive kinases previously described. The bryostatin-sensitive protein kinase C is necessary, but not sufficient, for neurite outgrowth and acts in the nucleus in a manner independent of c-fos and c-jun transcription.

Failure of L-carnitine to protect mice against hyperammonemia induced by ammonium acetate or urease injection.

Reports indicate that L-carnitine administration before 100% lethal dose of ammonium acetate suppresses the symptoms of ammonia toxicity and prevents death in mice. However, we have been unable to confirm this observation. The cause of discrepancy between our results and the results of others was investigated with two models of hyperammonemia in mice: 1) that induced by intraperitoneal injection of urease and 2) that induced by intraperitoneal injection of ammonium acetate. L-Carnitine administration failed to protect mice against ammonia toxicity induced by intraperitoneal injection of urease. Mortality in mice treated with L-carnitine 30 min before injection of ammonium acetate was similar to that of controls pretreated with saline. Ammonia and urea levels in plasma, liver, and brain were also similar in both groups. However, the values were significantly lower than those in mice denied either pretreatment before the ammonium acetate challenge. These results indicate that pretreatment acts to reduce blood and tissue ammonia simply by diminishing the rate of absorption of the challenge, owing to the dilution of ammonium acetate upon mixing with the contents of the peritoneal cavity. Thus, any protocol that does not compare results of a putative protective agent with those obtained with an equal volume of solvents or saline runs the risk of ascribing protective property to the agent when the protection may, in fact, have been afforded by the solvent.

The fragile-X syndrome in twin sisters.

Two mentally handicapped dizygotic twin sisters were found to possess the Fragile-X lesion. They showed different levels of cognitive deficit. The hypothesis that the level of cognitive function in female carriers of the Fragile-X lesion may be influenced by Lyonization is discussed. The mother of the twins was schizophrenic. Although she was an obligate carrier her psychosis was thought not to be causally connected with the Fragile-X status.

Intrachromosomal insertion of chromosome 13 in a family with psychosis and mental subnormality.

A family is reported in which an apparently balanced intrachromosomal insertion of chromosome 13, inv ins(13)(q21.3q32q31), was detected in four members, three of whom also show psychiatric disorder including mental subnormality, personality defects and frank psychosis. The possible effects of the insertion are considered.

49, XXXYY chromosome anomaly in a mentally retarded man.

A case of 49, XXXYY chromosome anomaly in an adult male is reported. Features of Klinefelter's syndrome are predominant among the clinical findings. Characteristics suggestive of acromegaly have been associated with this chromosomal anomaly. Despite prognathism and an overhanging brow, acromegaly was not present in this case. Psychological traits sometimes reported in males with the XXY and XYY karyotypes were seen in this patient, but the variability of expression of these characteristics calls into question the validity of their correlation with the presence of supernumerary sex chromosomes.