Oxidative stress and biochemical markers in prenatally androgenized sheep after neonatal treatment with GnRH agonist.

BACKGROUND: Disruption of the balance between the production of ROS and their removal through enzymatic and non-enzymatic (antioxidant) processes has been proposed as a new mechanism in the pathology of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Evidence from animal models of PCOS (prenatally androgenized sheep) has suggested that treatment with insulin sensitizers, but not antiandrogens, can reduce increases in ROS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the present study, we investigated the effects of neonatal treatment with a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist (leuprolide acetate) on prenatally androgenized sheep with testosterone propionate to determine its impact on oxidative stress molecules (ferric reducing antioxidant power [FRAP], advanced oxidation protein product [AOPP], nitric oxide [NOx], albumin) at 8, 12, and 18 months of age. RESULTS: Androgenized ewes (but not leuprolide-treated ewes) showed reduced total cholesterol levels associated with a decrease in the ratio of visceral to subcutaneous adiposity (adjusted to abdominal area) as determined by computed tomography. In androgenized ewes at 12 months of age, an increase in subcutaneous fat and relative decrease in the visceral fat compartment did not affect the expression of REDOX markers. At 18 months of age, however, the levels of NOx metabolites decreased in androgenized animals, but remained close to normal in ewes subjected to neonatal treatment with leuprolide acetate. Other oxidative stress parameters (FRAP, AOPP, albumin) did not vary among groups. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that the GnRH agonist leuprolide (as a single dose after birth) had weak effects on markers of the oxidative stress balance.

Pulmonary Acinus: Understanding the Computed Tomography Findings from an Acinar Perspective.

The lung acinus is the most distal portion of the airway responsible for the gas exchange. The normal acini are not visible on conventional computed tomography (CT), but the advent of micro-CT improved the understanding of the microarchitecture of healthy acini. The comprehension of the acinar architecture is pivotal for the understanding of CT findings of diseases that involve the acini. Centriacinar emphysema, for example, presents as round areas of low attenuation due to the destruction of the most central acini with compensatory enlargement of proximal acini due to alveolar wall destruction. In pulmonary fibrosis, intralobular septal fibrosis manifests as acinar wall thickening with an overlap of acinar collapse and compensatory dilation of surrounding acini constituting the cystic disease typical of the usual interstitial pneumonia pattern. This is a state-of-the-art review to describe the acinar structure from the micro-CT perspective and display how the comprehension of the acinar structure can aid in the interpretation of its microarchitecture disruption on conventional CT.

Treatment of multiple test readers in diagnostic accuracy systematic reviews-meta-analyses of imaging studies.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the handling of multiple readers in imaging diagnostic accuracy systematic reviews-meta-analyses. METHODS: Search was performed for imaging diagnostic accuracy systematic reviews that performed meta-analysis from 2005-2015. Handling of multiple readers was classified as: 1) averaged; 2) 'best' reader; 3) 'most experienced' reader; 4) each reader counted individually; 5) random; 6) other; 7) not specified. Incidence and reporting of multiple reader data was assessed in primary diagnostic accuracy studies that were included in a random sample of reviews. RESULTS: Only 28/296 (9.5%) meta-analyses specified how multiple readers were handled: 7/28 averaged results, 2/28 included the best reader, 14/28 treated each reader as a separate data set, 1/28 randomly selected a reader, 4/28 used other methods. Sample of 27/268 'not specified' reviews generated 442 primary studies. 270/442 (61%) primary studies had multiple readers: 164/442 (37%) reported consensus reading, 87/442 (20%) reported inter-observer variability, 9/442 (2%) reported independent datasets for each reader. 26/27 (96%) meta-analyses contained at least one primary study with multiple readers. CONCLUSIONS: Reporting how multiple readers were treated in imaging systematic reviews-meta-analyses is uncommon and method used varied widely. This may result from a lack of guidance, unavailability of appropriate statistical methods for handling multiple readers in meta-analysis, and sub-optimal primary study reporting.

Ectopic Intrathoracic Kidney Presenting as Recurrent Pneumonias in a 1-year-old Infant: A Case Report.

Ectopic intrathoracic kidney is a rare congenital anomaly, representing less than 5% of all renal ectopias. Most cases are discovered in asymptomatic adult patients undergoing imaging exams for unrelated reasons. Less than twenty cases of thoracic kidneys in the infant group have been reported in the literature, mostly comprising asymptomatic patients. Herein, we report a case of an 18-month-old boy with recurrent pneumonia episodes who was found to have a right-sided intrathoracic ectopic kidney. A brief literature review addressing the pathogenesis, prognosis, and treatment of this condition is also presented.