De novo design of a nanoregulator for the dynamic restoration of ovarian tissue in cryopreservation and transplantation.

The cryopreservation and transplantation of ovarian tissue underscore its paramount importance in safeguarding reproductive capacity and ameliorating reproductive disorders. However, challenges persist in ovarian tissue cryopreservation and transplantation (OTC-T), including the risk of tissue damage and dysfunction. Consequently, there has been a compelling exploration into the realm of nanoregulators to refine and enhance these procedures. This review embarks on a meticulous examination of the intricate anatomical structure of the ovary and its microenvironment, thereby establishing a robust groundwork for the development of nanomodulators. It systematically categorizes nanoregulators and delves deeply into their functions and mechanisms, meticulously tailored for optimizing ovarian tissue cryopreservation and transplantation. Furthermore, the review imparts valuable insights into the practical applications and obstacles encountered in clinical settings associated with OTC-T. Moreover, the review advocates for the utilization of microbially derived nanomodulators as a potent therapeutic intervention in ovarian tissue cryopreservation. The progression of these approaches holds the promise of seamlessly integrating nanoregulators into OTC-T practices, thereby heralding a new era of expansive applications and auspicious prospects in this pivotal domain.

Meta-Analysis of Efficacy of Platelet-Rich Plasma Combined with Minoxidil for Androgenetic Alopecia.

BACKGROUND: Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is a prevalent type of hair loss that impacts individuals of both genders. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and minoxidil have been employed as therapeutic interventions for AGA, yet the efficacy of their concurrent use remains ambiguous. OBJECTIVE: To perform a comprehensive review and meta-analysis aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in combination with minoxidil for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia (AGA). METHODS: We conducted a comprehensive search of the databases PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library, encompassing their complete records up until December 2023. Eligible studies were randomized controlled trials that compared the combination of PRP and minoxidil with minoxidil or PRP alone in patients with AGA. The primary outcome measure was the change in hair growth as assessed by the hair density or hair thickness. Secondary outcome measures included patient satisfaction, and global photographic assessment. RESULTS: A total of 6 studies involving 343 participants were included in this meta-analysis. The results showed that PRP combined with minoxidil significantly improved hair growth compared to minoxidil or PRP alone. The pooled analysis demonstrated a significant increase in hair density (weighted mean difference [WMD] = 9.14; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 6.57-11.70) and hair diameter (WMD = 4.72; 95% CI 3.21-6.23) in the PRP combined with minoxidil group. Moreover, patients receiving PRP combined with minoxidil reported higher satisfaction rates compared to those using minoxidil or PRP alone. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis suggests that PRP combined with minoxidil is an effective treatment for AGA, providing significant improvement in hair growth and patient satisfaction. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE III: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Mechanism of static loading injury in human skeletal muscle cells.

OBJECTIVE: To establish a cellular-level mechanical injury model for human skeletal muscle cells and investigate changes in the mechanical effect mechanism after such injuries. METHODS: The FX-5000™ Compression System was used to apply constant static mechanical pressure to human skeletal muscle cells. A factorial design analysis was conducted to discover the optimal injury model by evaluating the correlation between the amount of pressure, the duration of mechanical stimulation, and the number of days of observation. Skeletal muscle cell injury was evaluated by measuring cell metabolism, morphology, and calcium homeostasis. RESULTS: Mechanical injury was modeled as continuous pressure of 1 MPa for 2 hours with observation for 3 days. The results show that mechanical injury increased creatine kinase, intracellular Ca2+ concentration, and malondialdehyde content, decreased superoxide dismutase, and caused cell swelling and severe cytoplasmic vacuolization (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: This model of mechanically-injured human skeletal muscle cells provides an experimental model for the clinically common skeletal muscle injury caused by static loading pressure. It may be used to study the mechanism of action of treatment methods for mechanically injured skeletal muscle.

Observation of the effect of angiojet to treat acute lower extremity arterial embolization.

BACKGROUND: Through significant advances in the treatment of peripheral arterial occlusive disease, acute ischemia of the lower extremity is still associated with significant morbidity, limb threat and mortality. The two main causes of acute ischemia in lower extremities are arterial embolism and atherosclerotic arteries. Timely recognition and treatment of acute limb ischemia in emergency situations is essential in order to minimize the duration of ischemia. AIM: To investigate the application effect of angiojet thrombolysis in the treatment of acute lower extremity arterial embolization. METHODS: Sixty-two patients with acute lower extremity arterial embolization admitted to our hospital from May 2018 to May 2020 were selected. Among them, the observation group (twenty-eight cases) had received angiojet thrombolysis, and the control group (thirty-four cases) had received femoral artery incision and thrombectomy. After thrombus clearance, significant residual stenosis of the lumen was combined with balloon dilation and/or stent implantation. When the thrombus removal was not satisfactory, catheter-directed thrombolysis was performed. The incidence of postoperative complications, recurrence rate and recovery of the two groups were compared. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in postoperative recurrence (target vessel reconstruction rate), anklebrachial index and the incidence of postoperative complications between the two groups (P > 0.05); there were statistically significant differences in postoperative pain score and postoperative rehabilitation between the two groups (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The application of angiojet in the treatment of acute lower limb artery thromboembolism disease is safe and effective, minimally invasive, quicker recovery after operation, less postoperative complications, which is more suitable for the treatment of femoral popliteal arterial thromboembolism lesions. If the thrombus removal is not satisfactory, the combination of coronary artery aspiration catheter and catheterized directed thrombolysis can be used. Balloon dilation and stent implantation can be considered for obvious lumen stenosis.

Regenerative plantlets with improved agronomic characteristics caused by anther culture of tetraploid potato (Solanum tuberosum L.).

Objective: As the primary means of plant-induced haploid, anther culture is of great significance in quickly obtaining pure lines and significantly shortening the potato breeding cycle. Nevertheless, the methods of anther culture of tetraploid potato were still not well established. Methods: In this study, 16 potato cultivars (lines) were used for anther culture in vitro. The corresponding relation between the different development stages of microspores and the external morphology of buds was investigated. A highly-efficient anther culture system of tetraploid potatoes was established. Results: It was shown in the results that the combined use of 0.5 mg/L 1-Naphthylacetic acid (NAA), 1.0 mg/L 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), and 1.0 mg/L Kinetin (KT) was the ideal choice of hormone pairing for anther callus. Ten of the 16 potato cultivars examined could be induced callus with their respective anthers, and the induction rate ranged from 4.44% to 22.67% using this hormone combination. According to the outcome from the orthogonal design experiments of four kinds of appendages, we found that the medium with sucrose (40 g/L), AgNO3 (30 mg/L), activated carbon (3 g/L), potato extract (200 g/L) had a promotive induction effect on the anther callus. In contrast, adding 1 mg/L Zeatin (ZT) effectively facilitated callus differentiation. Conclusion: Finally, 201 anther culture plantlets were differentiated from 10 potato cultivars. Among these, Qingshu 168 and Ningshu 15 had higher efficiency than anther culture. After identification by flow cytometry and fluorescence in situ hybridization, 10 haploid plantlets (5%), 177 tetraploids (88%), and 14 octoploids (7%) were obtained. Some premium anther-cultured plantlets were further selected by morphological and agronomic comparison. Our findings provide important guidance for potato ploidy breeding.

Cardiac myxoma shedding leads to lower extremity arterial embolism: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Left cardiac myxoma (CM) is the most common benign tumor of primary cardiac tumors, but because of its special position caused by pathological physiology change, caused by the complications of the heavier, the surface is often accompanied by blood clots, once fall out, it causes peripheral vascular embolization, such as acute lower limb artery embolization, harmfulness is large, high morbidity, and easy to occur repeatedly. CASE SUMMARY: A 67-year-old male patient suddenly appeared numbness and weakness of the left lower limb and could not walk without obvious incentive. The patient was finally diagnosed as left CM complicated with acute lower limb arterial embolism after completing cardiac ultrasound, computer tomography angiography, and histopathological analysis, such as hematoxylin-eosin stain staining, immunohistochemistry and special staining including alcian blue staining and periodic acid schiff staining. Arterial thrombosis was removed successfully by femoral artery thrombectomy, postoperative numbness and weakness of the patient's left lower limb disappeared, skin temperature became warm, and dorsal foot artery pulsation was accessible. The patient was readmitted to the hospital 8 mo after discharge for left atrial mass resection, and was diagnosed as CM by postoperative histopathological examination. CONCLUSION: Although CM is rare, it may be considered as the source of embolism in patients with acute limb ischemia. Repeated loss of thrombus on the tumor and its surface may lead to repeated embolism of peripheral vessels. Cardiac ultrasound is helpful for early diagnosis. Here, we use this case report to highlight left CM as an important cause of acute limb ischemia and to report our experience in the diagnosis and treatment of lower limb arterial embolism caused by CM detachment.

The mutation spectrum of Parkinson-disease-related genes in early-onset Parkinson's disease in ethnic Chinese.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Recent genetic progress has shown many causative/risk genes linked to Parkinson's disease (PD), mainly in patients of European ancestry. The study aimed to investigate the PD-related genes and determine the mutational spectrum of early-onset PD in ethnic Chinese. METHODS: In this study, whole-exome sequencing and/or gene dosage analysis were performed in 704 early-onset PD (EOPD) patients (onset age ≤45 years) and 1866 controls. Twenty-six PD-related genes and 20 other genes linked to neurodegenerative and lysosome diseases were analysed. RESULTS: Eighty-two (11.6%, 82/704) EOPD patients carrying rare pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants in PD-related genes were identified. The mutation frequency in autosomal recessive inheritance EOPD (42.9%, 27/63) was much higher than that in autosomal dominant inheritance EOPD (0.9%, 12/110) or sporadic EOPD (8.1%, 43/531). Bi-allelic mutations in PRKN were the most frequent, accounting for 5.1% of EOPD cases. Three common pathogenic variants, p.A53V in SNCA, p.G284R in PRKN and p.P53Afs*38 in CHCHD2, occur exclusively in Asians. The putative damaging variants from GBA, PRKN, DJ1, PLA2G6 and GCH1 contributed to the collective risk for EOPD. Notably, the protein-truncating variants in CHCHD2 were enriched in EOPD, especially for p.P53Afs*38, which was also found in three patients from an independent cohort of patients with late-onset PD (n = 1300). Functional experiments confirmed that truncated CHCHD2 variants cause loss of function and are linked to mitochondrial dysfunction. CONCLUSIONS: Our study reveals that the genetic spectrum of EOPD in Chinese, which may help develop genetic scanning strategies, provided more evidence supporting CHCHD2 in PD.

Efficacy of ultra-mini percutaneous nephrolithotomy and retrograde intrarenal surgery in the treatment of 2-3 cm lower calyceal stones / Eficacia de la nefrolitotomía percutánea ultramini y la cirugía intrarrenal retrógrada en el tratamiento de cálculos caliceales inferiores de 2-3 cm

Abstract We aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of ultra-mini percutaneous nephrolithotomy (UMP) and retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) for the management of lower calyceal stones. A group of 136 patients with a single lower calyceal stone (2-3 cm in diameter) was divided into the UMP or RIRS groups. The average operation time in the RIRS group was significantly longer than that in the UMP group, and the intraoperative blood loss in the former was markedly less than that in the latter. Besides, in the RIRS group, the decreased value of postoperative Hb was obviously lower, the postoperative hospital stay was evidently shorter, and the total hospitalization expenses were markedly less than those in UMP group were. Moreover, the success rate of the first-stage lithotripsy in the UMP group was notably higher than that in RIRS group. The RIRS group had an obviously lower VAS score but a markedly higher BCS score than the UMP group six hours after surgery. At 24 h after operation, the levels of serum CRP, TNF-α and IL -6 in patients in both groups were remarkably increased, and they were evidently lower in the RIRS group than those in the UMP group were. Three days after surgery, the levels of serum CRP, TNF-α and IL -6 were notably lower in the UMP group than those in RIRS group were. RIRS and UMP are safe and effective in the treatment of 2-3 cm lower calyceal stones. The first-stage UMP is characterized by a high stone-free rate (SFR), short operation time and low postoperative infection risk, while RIRS is associated with less blood loss and low total expenses.

Resumen Nuestro objetivo fue comparar la eficacia y seguridad de la nefrolitotomía percutánea ultramini (UMP) y la cirugía intrarrenal retrógrada (CRIR) en el manejo quirúrgico de los cálculos caliceales inferiores. Un grupo de 136 pacientes con un solo cálculo calicial inferior (2-3 cm de diámetro) se dividió en un grupo UMP o un grupo CRIR. El tiempo de operación promedio en el grupo CRIR fue significativamente más largo que en el grupo UMP, y la pérdida de sangre intraoperatoria en el primero fue marcadamente menor que en el segundo. Además, en el grupo CRIR, el valor disminuido de la Hb postoperatoria fue obviamente menor, la estancia hospitalaria postoperatoria fue evidentemente más corta y los gastos totales de hospitalización fueron notablemente menores que los del grupo UMP. Además, la tasa de éxito de la litotricia de primera etapa en el grupo UMP fue notablemente más alta que en el grupo CRIR. El grupo CRIR tuvo una puntuación VAS obviamente más baja pero una puntuación BCS marcadamente más alta que el grupo UMP a seos horas después de la operación. A las 24 h después de la operación, los niveles séricos de PCR, TNF-α e IL -6 en los pacientes de ambos grupos aumentaron notablemente y fueron evidentemente más bajos en el grupo CRIR que en el grupo UMP. Tres días después de la operación, los niveles séricos de PCR, TNF-α e IL -6 fueron notablemente más bajos en el grupo UMP que en el grupo CRIR. Los procedimientos CRIR y el UMP son seguros y eficaces en el tratamiento de cálculos caliciales inferiores de 2-3 cm. El UMP de primera etapa se caracteriza por tener una tasa libre de cálculo (SFR) alta, un tiempo de operación corto y un riesgo de infección posoperatorio bajo, y el RIRS se caracteriza por una menor pérdida de sangre y gastos totales bajos.

Physiological and transcriptomic analyses reveal novel insights into the cultivar-specific response to alkaline stress in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.).

Soil alkalization severely limits plant growth and development, however, the mechanisms of alkaline response in plants remain largely unknown. In this study, we performed physiological and transcriptomic analyses using two alfalfa cultivars (Medicago sativa L.) with different sensitivities to alkaline conditions. The chlorophyll content and shoot fresh mass drastically declined in the alkaline-sensitive cultivar Algonquin (AG) following alkaline treatment (0-25 mM Na2CO3 solution), while the alkaline-tolerant cultivar Gongnong NO.1 (GN) maintained relatively stable growth and chlorophyll content. Compared with AG, GN had higher contents of Ca2+ and Mg2+; the ratios of Ca2+ and Mg2+ to Na+, proline and soluble sugar, as well as higher enzyme activities of peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) under the alkaline conditions. Furthermore, transcriptomic analysis identified three categories of alkaline-responsive differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the two cultivars: 48 genes commonly induced in both the cultivars (CAR), 574 genes from the tolerant cultivar (TAR), and 493 genes from the sensitive cultivar (SAR). Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses showed that CAR genes were mostly involved in phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, lipid metabolism, and DNA replication and repair; TAR genes were significantly enriched in metabolic pathways, such as biosynthesis of amino acids and secondary metabolites including flavonoids, and the MAPK signaling pathway; SAR genes were specifically enriched in vitamin B6 metabolism. Taken together, the results identified candidate pathways associated with genetic variation in response to alkaline stress, providing novel insights into the mechanisms underlying alkaline tolerance in alfalfa.

Functional Characterization of Two Antenna-Enriched Odorant-Binding Proteins From Bactrocera minax (Diptera: Tephritidae).

Olfaction is of great significance for insect mate-seeking and host-locating behaviors. Insect odorant-binding proteins (OBPs), especially those antenna-enriched OBPs, are thought to discriminate, capture and transport odorant molecules to olfactory receptors, but this has not been fully clarified in Bactrocera minax (Enderlein), an economically important pest of citrus crops. Our previous studies showed that seven OBP genes (BminOBP1-7) were identified from B. minax adults via a head transcriptome analysis, of which only BminOBP3 and 6 were highly expressed in antennae, suggesting an olfactory role. To confirm their functions, here, BminOBP3 and 6 were cloned, expressed in Escherichia coli cells. Binding properties of the recombinant BminOBPs with 13 volatiles, most of which can elicit a significant behavioral response from B. minax adults, were determined by fluorescent competitive binding assays. The results showed that Both BminOBP3 and 6 exhibited a remarkable selectivity towards the 13 ligands tested. BminOBP3 displayed strong binding affinity only with undecanol. BminOBP6 demonstrated strong binding affinity with undecanol and limonene among 13 ligands tested. Undecanol is believed to be main sex pheromone component of B. minax. Limonene is an important volatile compound enriched in citrus fruits. Taken together, we concluded that BminOBP3 and 6 may play a prominent role in the process of B. minax mate-seeking and host-locating behaviors through recognizing and transporting these volatiles. It is conceivable that this study will increase our molecular understanding of B. minax olfaction, facilitating the development of OBP-based behavioral interference that is potentially useful for the integrated management of B. minax.

Intermittent pressure imitating rolling manipulation ameliorates injury in skeletal muscle cells through oxidative stress and lipid metabolism signalling pathways.

BACKGROUND: Traditional Chinese medicine manipulation (TCMM) is often used to treat human skeletal muscle injury, but its mechanism remains unclear due to difficulty standardizing and quantifying manipulation parameters. METHODS: Here, dexamethasone sodium phosphate (DSP) was utilized to induce human skeletal muscle cell (HSkMC) impairments. Cells in a three-dimensional environment were divided into the control normal group (CNG), control injured group (CIG) and rolling manipulation group (RMG). The RMG was exposed to intermittent pressure imitating rolling manipulation (IPIRM) of TCMM via the FX­5000™ compression system. Skeletal muscle damage was assessed via the cell proliferation rate, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, malondialdehyde (MDA) content and creatine kinase (CK) activity. Isobaric tagging for relative and absolute protein quantification (iTRAQ) and bioinformatic analysis were used to evaluate differentially expressed proteins (DEPs). RESULTS: Higher-pressure IPIRM ameliorated the skeletal muscle cell injury induced by 1.2 mM DSP. Thirteen common DEPs after IPIRM were selected. Key biological processes, molecular functions, cellular components, and pathways were identified as mechanisms underlying the protective effect of TCMM against skeletal muscle damage. Some processes (response to oxidative stress, response to wounding, response to stress and lipid metabolism signalling pathways) were related to skeletal muscle cell injury. Western blotting for 4 DEPs confirmed the reliability of iTRAQ. CONCLUSIONS: Higher-pressure IPIRM downregulated the CD36, Hsp27 and FABP4 proteins in oxidative stress and lipid metabolism pathways, alleviating excessive oxidative stress and lipid metabolism disorder in injured HSkMCs. The techniques used in this study might provide novel insights into the mechanism of TCMM.

[Formation Mechanism and Source Analysis of Two Heavy Pollution Periods in Winter in a Central Plains City].

To reveal the process and cause of air pollution in winter in Zhengzhou, Zhengfangji Station was selected as the sampling point to discuss the concentration of air pollutants and the characteristics of meteorological parameters in December 2019, in Zhengzhou. The concentration changes in PM2.5 water-soluble ions, elements, and carbon components in different pollution stages were compared, and air quality model simulation results were used to analyze emissions from pollution sources and regional transmission during sampling of the PM2.5 mass concentration at the sampling point. The results showed that there was a slight difference in the process of formation and dissipation of the first and second heavy pollution occurrences, showing the characteristics of "slow accumulation, slow removal" and "slow accumulation, fast removal", respectively. The mass concentration of NO3-, SO42-, and NH4+ accounted for 41.5% and 46.2% of PM2.5, and the OC/EC ratios were 4.0 and 4.5 in the first and second heavy pollution periods, respectively. The formation of secondary aerosol particles was the main reason for the formation of heavy pollution. During the sampling period, the average contributions of local, eastern, southern, western, and northern regions to the PM2.5 concentration of the sampling point were 58.0%, 2.4%, 6.7%, 6.9%, and 12.7%, respectively. The first heavy pollution period was the result of combined locally sourced pollutant emission and externally sourced regional transmission, during which the contribution from western and southern regions and external industrial sources increased. The second heavy pollution period was mainly affected by the accumulation of local air pollutants, during which the contribution of traffic, dust, and coal-fired sources increased sharply, and the impact of external areas on the PM2.5 concentration of sampling point decreased.

Exohedral Cuprofullerene: Sequentially Expanding Metal Olefin Up to a C60@Cu24 Rhombicuboctahedron.

Exohedral cuprofullerenes with 6-, 12-, or 24-nuclearity were obtained by utilizing fluorocarboxylic/dicarboxylic acid under solvothermal conditions. The 24-nuclear molecule presents a C60@Cu24 core-shell structure with a rhombicuboctahedron Cu24 coated on the C60 core, representing the highest nuclearity in metallofullerene. The resultant complexes show an efficient absorption of visible light as opposed to the pristine C60. TD-DFT calculations revealed the charge transfer from Cu(I) and O atoms to the fullerene moiety dominates the photophysical process.

Coordination disk-type nano-Saturn complexes.

The first coordination disk-type nano-Saturn complexes, [Cu10(Mim)10]⊃C60 and [Cu10(Mim)10]⊃C70 (Mim = 2-methylimidazolate), were assembled under one-pot solvothermal conditions. The highest number of 30 C-Hπ interactions between the [Cu10(Mim)10] disk and the C60/C70 surfaces drives the formation of the nano-Saturns. The calculated interaction energy is much larger than that of most of the reported disk-type nano-Saturns. Different photoinduced charge/energy transfer mechanisms are present for both nano-Saturn systems to quench the intrinsic luminescence of the [Cu10(Mim)10] disk.

White Light from Blue Fluorescence and Sensitized Yellow Long-Afterglow Phosphorescence of o-Terphenyl in Its π-Acid···Base Adduct with Ag3Pz3.

White-light emission with CIE (0.32, 0.34) was realized for an o-terphenyl (oTP) molecule in its Ag3[3,5-(CF3)2Pz]3 (Pz = pyrazolate) sandwiching adduct, originating from the hybrid of fluorescence and sensitized long-afterglow phosphorescence of oTP. Density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT calculations revealed that heavy-atom effects of Ag play a crucial role in sensitization of the triplet of oTP, giving off its ultralong phosphorescence.

A luminescent edge-interlocked prismatic heteroleptic metallocage assembled through a ligand replacement reaction.

A luminescent edge-interlocked heteroleptic metallocage based on Cu3(pyrazolate)3 was prepared through a ligand replacement reaction from a homoleptic metallocage and a new ligand. Its structure was confirmed by XRD and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Theoretical calculations revealed the new ligand was evidently responsible for the bathochromic shift of the optimal excitation. This work provides a heteroleptic strategy to regulate the interlocking fashion and photophysical mechanism of metallocages based on Cu3(pyrazolate)3.

Solving flexible job shop scheduling problems with transportation time based on improved genetic algorithm.

In the practical production, after the completion of a job on a machine, it may be transported between the different machines. And, the transportation time may affect product quality in certain industries, such as steelmaking. However, the transportation times are commonly neglected in the literature. In this paper, the transportation time and processing time are taken as the independent time into the flexible job shop scheduling problem. The mathematical model of the flexible job shop scheduling problem with transportation time is established to minimize the maximum completion time. The FJSP problem is NP-hard. Then, an improved genetic algorithm is used to solve the problem. In the decoding process, an operation left shift insertion method according to the problem characteristics is proposed to decode the chromosomes in order to get the active scheduling solutions. The actual instance is solved by the proposed algorithm used the Matlab software. The computational results show that the proposed mathematical model and algorithm are valid and feasible, which could effectively guide the actual production practice.

Kidney inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor masquerading as metastatic malignancy: A case report and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) is a rare mesenchymal tumor that is characterized by spindle cells differentiated from muscle fibroblasts and infiltration of various types of inflammatory cells. IMT can occur at any age and at any anatomic site. The most common location of IMT is the bladder in the genitourinary tract. Only scarce cases of kidney IMT have been reported in the literature. CASE SUMMARY: A 77-year-old woman, with a history of bilateral renal calculus for 15 years, was admitted to the Department of Urology of our hospital complaining of recurrent painless gross hematuria for one month. The treatment with cephalosporin was ineffective. Computed tomography imaging showed a mixed density and slightly heterogeneously enhanced lesion in the middle pole of the left kidney and ipsilateral adrenal enlargement. The patient underwent surgical treatment by retroperitoneoscopic left radical nephrectomy plus adrenalectomy. A large number of typical spindle cells surrounded by plasma cells and lymphocytes were observed microscopically. Immunohistochemical analyses indicated that these spindle cells were positive for vimentin, cytokeratin (CK), Ki-67, CK7, CD34, and CD31 and were focally positive for CD10 and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK-1). Thus, a diagnosis of IMT was made definitively. The patient recovered well after operation, and no recurrence or metastasis was noted during the 22-mo follow-up. CONCLUSION: Since kidney IMT is very rare and lacks characteristic clinical manifestation, it is easily misdiagnosed as a malignant tumor before operation. Surgery remains the best choice for diagnosis and treatment, and such cases must be followed carefully because of the uncertain biological behavior of this tumor. This report suggests that renal calculus may be one of the causes of IMT, but further investigation is necessary to prove it.

Morphology and distribution of antennal sensilla of female Phyllotreta striolata (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae).

Phyllotreta striolata (Fabricius) is an important pest of Brassicaceae in Southeast Asia and North America. Using scanning electron microscopy, we observed the external structure, number, and distribution of the antennal sensilla in P. striolata females to discuss the putative function of these sensilla in host location and oviposition behaviors. The antenna of female P. striolata is filiform, composed of a scape, a pedicel, and a flagellum with 9 flagellomeres. Five types of sensilla were identified, including sensilla cheaetica, sensilla trichodea, Böhm bristles, sensilla auricillica, and sensilla basiconica (five subtypes, SB1-SB2). External structure and distribution of antennal sensilla are compared with data from other insect species. In addition, we discuss the possible functions of antennal sensilla based on their characteristics.

Unsupervised defect detection in textiles based on Fourier analysis and wavelet shrinkage.

An unsupervised approach for the inspection of defects in textiles by applying Fourier analysis and wavelet shrinkage is proposed. It does not rely on any reference images. For each sample under inspection, the periodic pattern in the background is first eliminated by zero-masking their dominant frequency components that show high gradient values in the spectrum. The Fourier-restored residual image is then denoised by wavelet shrinkage. The approximation coefficients and the processed wavelet coefficients are individually back-transformed to produce a pair of reconstructions from which either the low or the high-frequency information about the defects can be segmented using a simple thresholding process. The performance of the method has been extensively evaluated by a wide variety of samples with different defect types and texture backgrounds. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated by the experimental results in comparison with other methods.