A fatal poisoning due to consumption of crushed Abrus precatorius seeds: an autopsy case report.

Abrus precatorius is an ornamental plant that belongs to the Leguminoceae family. It contains toxalbumin, named abrin, in all of its parts. However, the seeds are more toxic when consumed in crushed form.

Defining primary refractory large B-cell lymphoma.

Patients with large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) that fail to achieve a complete response (CR) or who relapse early after anthracycline-containing immunochemotherapy (IC) have a poor prognosis and are commonly considered to have "primary refractory disease." However, different definitions of primary refractory disease are used in the literature and clinical practice. In this study, we examined variation in the time to relapse used to define refractory status and association with survival outcomes in patients with primary refractory LBCL in a single-center prospective cohort with validation in an independent multicenter cohort.

T-cell help in the tumor microenvironment enhances rituximab-mediated NK-cell ADCC.

Rituximab (RTX) and other monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that bind directly to malignant cells are of great clinical value but are not effective for all patients. A major mechanism of action of RTX is antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) mediated by natural killer (NK) cells. Prior in vitro studies in our laboratory demonstrated that T cells contribute to maintaining the viability and cytotoxic potential of NK cells activated by anti-CD20-coated target B cells.

Extremity Injuries in Pillion Riders of Fatal 2-Wheeler Road Traffic Accidents: An Autopsy-Based Study.

The extremities are the important anatomical regions that are disproportionately injured during road traffic accidents in poor and medium-income countries. The data regarding extremity injuries, particularly in pillion passengers, are minimal globally. We analyzed the pattern of extremity injuries and their association with various parameters such as collision type, seating position, road type, and type of vehicle.

Spontaneous retroperitoneal and intracranial hemorrhage following streptokinase therapy in acute myocardial infarction: An autopsy case report.

Bleeding complications following thrombolytic treatment for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) are not infrequent, among which intracranial hemorrhage is commonly reported. In contrast, retroperitoneal hematoma following the administration of thrombolytics is rarely reported in the literature. We are reporting a case of a middle-aged man, who presented with left-sided chest pain and was diagnosed with acute coronary syndrome with anterior wall ST elevation AMI.

Homicidal electrocution disguised as an accidental death.

Deaths due to electrocution are mostly accidental. Homicide by electrocution is rarely reported in the literature. However, the location and pattern of the electrocution wound can raise concern for a possible homicidal manner of death.

Effect of cumulative dose of brentuximab vedotin maintenance in relapsed/refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma after autologous stem cell transplant: an analysis of real-world outcomes.

Sixteen cycles of Brentuximab vedotin (BV) after autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) in high-risk relapsed/refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma demonstrated an improved 2-year progression-free survival (PFS) over placebo. However, most patients are unable to complete all 16 cycles at full dose due to toxicity. This retrospective, multicenter study investigated the effect of cumulative maintenance BV dose on 2-year PFS.

Kinetochore-microtubule attachment in human cells is regulated by the interaction of a conserved motif of Ska1 with EB1.

The kinetochore establishes the linkage between chromosomes and the spindle microtubule plus ends during mitosis. In vertebrates, the spindle-kinetochore-associated (Ska1,2,3) complex stabilizes kinetochore attachment with the microtubule plus ends, but how Ska is recruited to and stabilized at the kinetochore-microtubule interface is not understood. Here, our results show that interaction of Ska1 with the general microtubule plus end-associated protein EB1 through a conserved motif regulates Ska recruitment to kinetochores in human cells.

Extracellular lactonase-mediated quorum quenching by a novel Bacillus velezensis.

Many Gram-negative bacteria coordinate their gene expression via quorum sensing (QS) mediated by small diffusible autoinducer molecules such as Acyl Homoserine Lactones (AHL). The degradation of AHLs or quorum quenching (QQ) imparts less selection pressure on the target organisms leading to a possible alternative to antimicrobial agents and traditional biofilm control methods. Here, a novel strain of Bacillus velezensis, strain PM7, exhibiting extracellular QQ activity against Gram-negative bacteria has been isolated.

Ostrinia furnacalis PBP2 solution NMR structure: Insight into ligand binding and release mechanisms.

Ostrinia furnacalis is an invasive lepidopteran agricultural pest that relies on olfaction for mating and reproduction. Male moths have an extremely sensitive olfactory system that can detect the sex pheromones emitted by females over a great distance. Pheromone-binding proteins present in the male moth antenna play a key role in the pheromone uptake, transport, and release at the dendritic membrane of the olfactory neuron.

Predictive factors and outcomes for ibrutinib in relapsed/refractory marginal zone lymphoma: a multicenter cohort study.

Ibrutinib is effective in the treatment of relapsed/refractory (R/R) marginal zone lymphoma (MZL) with an overall response rate (ORR) of 48%. However, factors associated with response (or lack thereof) to ibrutinib in R/R MZL in clinical practice are largely unknown. To answer this question, we performed a multicenter (25 US centers) cohort study and divided the study population into three groups: "ibrutinib responders"-patients who achieved complete or partial response (CR/PR) to ibrutinib; "stable disease (SD)"; and "primary progressors (PP)"-patients with progression of disease as their best response to ibrutinib.

Elicitor-Induced Metabolomics Analysis of Suspension Culture for an Alternative Antifungal Screening Approach against .

Elicitors are the agents that stimulate the defense responses of plants, and accumulate specialized metabolites in plant tissue culture. This study investigated the elicitor-feeding response of suspension cell cultures (SCC) for metabolomics analysis and screening of specialized compounds against . Methyl jasmonate (MeJA) was used as an elicitor, and treatment of SCC at a concentration of 20 µM MeJA resulted in the maximum rosmarinic acid (RA) accumulation (117 mg/g dry weight), with transcript levels of RA biosynthetic genes HpPAL, HpC4H, and Hp4CL being 4.

Risk factors for cardiovascular events and mortality in patients diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and treated with anthracyclines.

There is an increased risk of congestive heart failure (CHF) following anthracycline-based chemotherapy in patients with Diffuse Large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Little is known about risk factors of CHF, other cardiovascular events (CVE), and CVE effect on outcomes. We conducted a retrospective review of 463 newly diagnosed DLBCL patients treated between 2002 and 2016 with anthracycline containing regimens.

A Rare Case of Midostaurin-Associated Sweet's Syndrome.

Acute febrile neutrophilic dermatosis which is referred as Sweet's syndrome (SS) is a dermatological condition characterized by fever, erythematous rash, and leukocytosis. SS can be idiopathic or associated with malignancies or medications. We present a rare case of SS which developed shortly after starting midostaurin in a patient with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML).

An international analysis evaluating frontline bendamustine with rituximab in extranodal marginal zone lymphoma.

Extranodal marginal zone lymphoma (EMZL) is a heterogeneous non-Hodgkin lymphoma. No consensus exists regarding the standard-of-care in patients with advanced-stage disease. Current recommendations are largely adapted from follicular lymphoma, for which bendamustine with rituximab (BR) is an established approach.

Interferon-alpha or -beta facilitates SARS-CoV-2 pulmonary vascular infection by inducing ACE2.

Severe viral pneumonia caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is characterized by a hyperinflammatory state typified by elevated circulating pro-inflammatory cytokines, frequently leading to potentially lethal vascular complications including thromboembolism, disseminated intracellular coagulopathy and vasculitis. Though endothelial infection and subsequent endothelial damage have been described in patients with fatal COVID-19, the mechanism by which this occurs remains elusive, particularly given that, under naïve conditions, pulmonary endothelial cells demonstrate minimal cell surface expression of the SARS-CoV-2 binding receptor ACE2. Herein we describe SARS-CoV-2 infection of the pulmonary endothelium in postmortem lung samples from individuals who died of COVID-19, demonstrating both heterogeneous ACE2 expression and endothelial damage.

Examining the Transient Dark State in Protein-Quantum Dot Interaction by Relaxation-Based Solution NMR.

We probed the "dark" state involved in the protein-quantum dot (QD) interaction using a relaxation-based solution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) approach. We examined the dynamics and exchange kinetics of the ubiquitin-CdTe model system, which undergoes a fast exchange in the transverse relaxation time scale. We applied the recently developed dark-state exchange saturation transfer (DEST), lifetime line broadening (Δ), and exchange-induced chemical shift (δ) solution NMR techniques to obtain a residue-specific binding behavior of the protein on the QD surface.