Imaging of pharyngeal pathology.

The pharynx plays a significant role in swallowing and speech, and this is reflected in both its complex anatomy and degree of physiological motility. Patients who present with pharynx-related symptoms such as sore throat, globus, dysphagia or dysphonia will usually undergo visual and nasal endoscopic examination in the first instance. Imaging is frequently required to supplement clinical assessment and this typically involves MRI and CT.

Image challenge: A diabetic man with facial swelling following recent Covid-19 infection.

A 68-year-old man with diabetes presented with shortness of breath, left sided facial swelling, and nasal discharge. He had recently returned from India and PCR was positive for SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant. CT head and diffusion-weighted MRI sinuses were performed and the patient underwent endoscopic sinus surgery before being transferred to a specialist skull base centre.

Mechanism of genetic complementation of ammonium transport in yeast by human erythrocyte Rh-associated glycoprotein.

The Rh blood group proteins are erythrocyte proteins important in neonatal and transfusion medicine. Recent studies have shed new light on the possible biological function of Rh proteins as members of a conserved family of proteins involved in ammonium transport. The erythrocyte Rh-associated glycoprotein (RhAG) mediates uptake of ammonium when expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes, and functional studies indicate that RhAG might function as an NH(4)(+)-H(+)-exchanger.