Meditation, Compassionate Love, and Mental Health in Later Life.

Purpose: Understanding of the mechanisms by which meditation imparts beneficial effects on later-life mental health is limited. The current study assessed the role of compassionate love in mediating the relationship between meditation and mental health in later life.

Method: Using data from a nationwide web-based survey ( = 1,861), we examined the indirect effects of meditation on depressive symptoms and anxiety via compassionate love.

Quaking and miR-155 interactions in inflammation and leukemogenesis.

Quaking (QKI) is a tumor-suppressor gene encoding a conserved RNA-binding protein, whose expression is downregulated in several solid tumors. Here we report that QKI plays an important role in the immune response and suppression of leukemogenesis. We show that the expression of Qki is reduced in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-challenged macrophages, suggesting that Qki is a key regulator of LPS signaling pathway.

Feasibility of an electronic stethoscope system for monitoring neonatal bowel sounds.

Objective: Bowel dysfunction remains a major problem in neonates. Traditional auscultation of bowel sounds as a diagnostic aid in neonatal gastrointestinal complications is limited by skill and inability to document and reassess. Consequently, we built a unique prototype to investigate the feasibility of an electronic monitoring system for continuous assessment of bowel sounds.

An unusual recurrence of dysembroplastic neuroepithelial tumours after a seizure-free period of 8 years.

Dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumours (DNETs) are grade 1 central nervous tumours, which can be diagnosed judiciously based on clinical features and radiological investigations, having a good prognosis after surgical resection. However, the recurrence of tumours due to variable epileptic zones leading to persistence of seizures can make the management of such cases challenging. We present a case of DNET where the patient had recurrence of the tumour with worsening of seizure activity 8 years after initial surgical resection.

Farming termites determine the genetic population structure of Termitomyces fungal symbionts.

Symbiotic interactions between macrotermitine termites and their fungal symbionts have a moderate degree of specificity. Consistent with horizontal symbiont transmission, host switching has been frequent over evolutionary time so that single termite species can often be associated with several fungal symbionts. However, even in the few termite lineages that secondarily adopted vertical symbiont transmission, the fungal symbionts are not monophyletic.

Adenosquamous carcinoma of the lacrimal gland.

A 48-year-old man presented with proptosis of the left eye, which on excisional biopsy proved to be primary adenosquamous carcinoma of the lacrimal gland. The lesion was excised radically by a limited frontotemporo-orbitozygomatic approach and any further surgeries, such as exenteration, were avoided in view of the patient's wish to preserve the eye and vision. Long-term follow-up is planned to look for any metastasis or recurrence of the tumour.

Becker's nevus syndrome with quadriparesis.

A 12-year-old girl presented to Manipal Teaching Hospital with quadriparesis of 8 months' duration. Examination revealed a hyperpigmented patch over the chest wall with overlying hypertrichosis, musculoskeletal anomalies, upper limb asymmetry and ipsilateral breast hypoplasia. MRI scan revealed cranio-vertebral junction anomaly and spina bifida occulta at the cervical spine level.