Primary splenic hodgkin lymphoma masquerading as splenic abscess.

Hodgkin lymphoma is a form of malignant lymphoid neoplasm. It can have various clinical presentations such as prolonged fever, night sweats, weight loss and asymptomatic lymphadenopathy. It has a distinct fever pattern known as Pel Ebstein fever. However, in some instances, its clinical presentation can mimic some tropical infections. Here, we present a case of primary splenic lymphoma masquerading as splenic abscess in a 53-yearold man with underlying dyslipidemia.

A case of Takayasu Arteritis presenting with young stroke.

Stroke is a debilitating disease as it carries significant morbidity especially when it affects the younger population. There are various etiologies of young stroke, namely arterial dissection, cardioembolism, thrombophilia, inherited genetic disorder and vasculitis. Young patient with stroke should undergo complete evaluation to identify the underlying etiology in order to prevent recurrence of stroke. Here, we would like to illustrate a case of Takayasu arteritis presenting as young stroke in a 17-years-old lady with no known medical illness.

A case of severe Plasmodium knowlesi malaria in a post-splenectomy patient.

Malaria is a parasitic disease that is caused by the Plasmodium parasite. Worldwide, it remains a significant public health problem especially in the Africa region where it contributes to more than 90% of cases and malaria death. However, zoonotic (simian) Plasmodium knowlesi parasite is a widely prevalent cause of malaria in the South East Asian countries. It is known to cause severe human disease due to its 24hour erythrocytic cycles. Thus far, cases of severe falciparum malaria have been reported in asplenic patients. Here, we report a case of severe P.knowlesi malaria in a 51-year-old man who is a postsplenectomy patient.

The nuclear hormone receptor E75A regulates vitellogenin gene (Al-Vg) expression in the mirid bug Apolygus lucorum.

Apolygus lucorum is the predominant pest of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton in China. 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) plays a key role in the reproduction of this insect. To better understand the mechanism underlying 20E-regulated reproduction, the nuclear hormone receptor E75 isoform-A of Ap. lucorum (Al-E75A) was cloned and its expression analysed. A 2241-bp sequence of Al-E75A cDNA encoded an open reading frame of a polypeptide with a predicted molecular mass of 69.04 kDa. Al-E75A mRNA was detected in female adult stages of Ap. lucorum with peak expression in 7-day-old animals. Al-E75A was also expressed in several tissues, particularly in the fat body and ovary. A 3.2 kb Al-E75A mRNA was detected in all tissues by Northern blot. The fecundity and longevity were significantly decreased in female adults treated with Al-E75A small interfering RNA. The rates of egg incubation rates were considerably lower in the RNA interference-treated animals compared to the untreated controls. In order to investigate the molecular mechanism underlying the effects described above, vitellogenin (Al-Vg) was selected for further investigation. The expression pattern of Al-Vg was similar to that of Al-E75A and was up-regulated by 20E. After knockdown of Al-E75A, the expression profile of Al-Vg and the protein levels were down-regulated. These findings suggest that Al-E75A plays a crucial role in the regulation of Al-Vg expression in Ap. lucorum.

Ecdysone receptor isoform-B mediates soluble trehalase expression to regulate growth and development in the mirid bug, Apolygus lucorum (Meyer-Dür).

Ecdysone receptor (EcR) is the hormonal receptor of ecdysteroids and strictly regulates growth and development in insects. However, the action mechanism of EcR is not very clear. In this study, the cDNA of EcR isoform-B was cloned from Apolygus lucorum (AlEcR-B) and its expression profile was investigated. We reduced AlEcR-B mRNA expression using systemic RNA interference in vivo, and obtained knockdown specimens. Examination of these specimens indicated that AlEcR-B is required for nymphal survival, and that reduced expression is associated with longer development time and lower nymphal weight. To investigate the underlying molecular mechanism of the observed suppression effects, we selected trehalase for a detailed study. Transcript encoding soluble trehalase (AlTre-1) was up-regulated by 20-hydroxyecdysone and in agreement with the mRNA expression of AlEcR-B. The expression profile of AlTre-1, soluble trehalase activity and translated protein level in the midgut of surviving nymphs were down-regulated, compared with controls, after the knockdown expression of AlEcR-B. By contrast, membrane-bound trehalase activity, the related gene expression and translated protein level remained at their initial levels. However, trehalose content significantly increased and the glucose content significantly decreased under the same conditions. We propose that AlEcR-B controls normal carbohydrate metabolism by mediating the expression of AlTre-1 to regulate the growth and development in A. lucorum, which provide an extended information into the functions of AlEcR-B.

Method development for determination of fluroxypyr in soil.

Four methods were developed for the analysis of fluroxypyr in soil samples from oil palm plantations. The first method involved the extraction of the herbicide with 0.05 M NaOH in methanol followed by purification using acid base partition. The concentrated material was subjected to derivatization and then cleaning process using a florisil column and finally analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) equipped with electron capture detector (ECD). By this method, the recovery of fluroxypyr from the spiked soil ranged from 70 to 104% with the minimum detection limit at 5 microg/kg. The second method involved solid liquid extraction of fluroxypyr using a horizontal shaker followed by quantification using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) equipped with UV detector. The recovery of fluroxypyr using this method, ranged from 80 to 120% when the soil was spiked with fluroxypyr at 0.1-0.2 microg/g soil. In the third method, the recovery of fluroxypyr was determined by solid liquid extraction using an ultrasonic bath. The recovery of fluroxypyr at spiking levels of 4-50 microg/L ranged from 88 to 98% with relative standard deviations of 3.0-5.8% with a minimum detection limit of 4 microg/kg. In the fourth method, fluroxypyr was extracted using the solid liquid extraction method followed by the cleaning up step with OASIS HLB (polyvinyl dibenzene). The recovery of fluroxypyr was between 91 and 95% with relative standard deviations of 4.2-6.2%, respectively. The limit of detection in method 4 was further improved to 1 pg/kg. When the weight of soil used was increased 4 fold, the recovery of fluroxypyr at spiking level of 1-50 microg/kg ranged from 82-107% with relative standard deviations of 0.5-4.7%.

Method development for determination of fluroxypyr in water.

Improved methods for extraction and clean up of fluroxypyr residue in water have been established. Two methods of fluroxypyr extraction were used, namely, Direct Measurement of fluroxypyr and Concentration of fluroxypyr onto A Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) Adsorbent, followed by elution with solvent before determination of fluroxypyr. The recovery for Direct Measurement of fluroxypyr in water containing 8-100 microg L(-1), ranged from 86 to 110% with relative standard deviation of 0.7 to 2.15%. For the second method, three types of SPE were used, viz. C18, C18 end-capped and polyvinyl dibenzene (ISOLUTE ENV+). The procedure involved concentrating the analyte from fluroxypyr-spiked water at pH 3, followed by elution of the analyte with 4 mL of acentonitrile. The recovery of fluroxypyr from the spiked sample at 1 to 50 microg L(-1) after eluting through either C18 or C18 end-capped ranged from 40-64% (with relative standard deviation of 0.7 to 2.15) and 41-65% (with standard deviation of 1.52 to 11.9). The use of ISOLUTE ENV+, gave better results than the C18, C18 end-capped or the Direct Measurement Methods. The recovery and standard deviation of fluroxypyr from spiked water using ISOLUTE ENV+ ranged from 91-102% and 2.5 to 5.3, respectively.

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Report of a case of the panencephalopathic type and experiences of a teaching hospital in Taiwan.

We report a case of the unusual panencephalopathic type of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in Taiwan. This 59-year-old woman presented in 1983 with typical clinical manifestations of CJD and died 16 months later. Postmortem examination revealed severe neuronal loss, spongiosis and gliosis extensively in cerebral cortex and striatum as well as in the white matter. We also report 6 other CJD patients seen from 1983 to 1991 at Veterans General Hospital-Taipei.