CDC48 regulates immunity pathway in tobacco plants.

The CDC48 protein, highly conserved in the living kingdom, is a player of the ubiquitin proteasome system and contributes to various cellular processes. In plants, CDC48 is involved in cell division, plant growth and, as recently highlighted in several reports, in plant immunity. In the present study, to further extend our knowledge about CDC48 functions in plants, we analysed the incidence of its overexpression on tobacco development and immune responses.

CDC48 in plants and its emerging function in plant immunity.

Protein homeostasis, namely the balance between protein synthesis and degradation, must be finely controlled to ensure cell survival, notably through the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS). In all species, including plants, homeostasis is disrupted by biotic and abiotic stresses. A key player in the maintenance of protein balance, the protein CDC48, shows emerging functions in plants, particularly in response to biotic stress.

Molecular microbiology interview-Ines Diaz del Olmo-Awardee of the best poster presentation at the UK Cellular Microbiology Network Meeting 2023.

Ines Diaz del Olmo, Post-doctoral Researcher at Imperial College London.

The Effects of Intermittent Hypoxic-Hyperoxic Exposures on Lipid Profile and Inflammation in Patients With Metabolic Syndrome.

Patients with metabolic syndrome (MS) tend to suffer from comorbidities, and are often simultaneously affected by obesity, dysglycemia, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. This syndrome can be reversed if it is timely diagnosed and treated with a combination of risk factors-reducing lifestyle changes and a tailored pharmacological plan. Interval hypoxic-hyperoxic training (IHHT) has been shown as an effective program in reducing cardiovascular risk factors in patients with MS even in the absence of exercise.

The ghost of the great imitator: prognostic factors for poor outcome in syphilitic uveitis.

Background: Syphilitic uveitis is reemerging globally, may lead to any type of intraocular inflammation, and is potentially sight-threatening. We aim to characterize clinical features and prognostic factors in patients with syphilitic posterior uveitis.

Methods: Retrospective chart review at two tertiary university-based referral centers in Brazil.

Augmented reality in gynecologic surgery: evaluation of potential benefits for myomectomy in an experimental uterine model.

Background: Augmented Reality (AR) is a technology that can allow a surgeon to see subsurface structures. This works by overlaying information from another modality, such as MRI and fusing it in real time with the endoscopic images. AR has never been developed for a very mobile organ like the uterus and has never been performed for gynecology.

Oxidative stress, biochemical alterations, and hyperlipidemia in female rats induced by lead chronic toxicity during puberty and post puberty periods.

Objectives: Lead (Pb) is a toxic metal inducing many destructive effects leading to a broad range of physiological, biochemical, and neurological dysfunctions in humans and laboratory animals.

Materials And Methods: Here, we investigated the effect of chronic exposure to Pb (50 mg/l) on oxidative stress, hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, and lipid profile of two different age groups of female rats treated with Pb from delivery until puberty period (40 days, Pb40) and post puberty period (65 days, Pb65).

Results: Our results clearly show that the administration of Pb produces oxidative damage in liver and kidney, as strongly suggested by the significant increase in TBARS, decrease in total SH, and the alteration of SOD activity.

Argininosuccinate synthetase (ASS) deficiency in high-grade pulmonary neuroendocrine carcinoma: an opportunity for personalized targeted therapy.

Purpose: Cells deficient in argininosuccinate synthetase (ASS) must absorb the arginine they need for growth from circulating blood. Treatment with pegylated arginine deiminase (ADI-PEG 20) selectively eliminates arginine from the circulation and has shown some efficacy against ASS-deficient tumors including small cell lung cancer (SCLC). We sought to assess ASS expression in a cohort of high-grade pulmonary neuroendocrine carcinomas (PNEC) which include SCLC and large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC).

Hepatic capsular retraction: spectrum of diagnosis at MRI.

Hepatic capsular retraction is an imaging feature that deserves the attention of the radiologist. Hepatic capsular retraction is associated with a number of hepatic lesions, benign or malignant, treated or untreated. The purpose of this pictorial review is to discuss the most common benign and malignant hepatic lesions associated with this feature with an emphasis on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Resection of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma with synchronous distant metastasis: is it worthwhile?

Background: The purpose of this study is to report prolonged survival in patients with metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) managed by chemotherapy and surgery.

Methods: Between January 2009 and August 2013, 284 patients with metastatic PDAC were managed in our oncologic department. Among them, three (1%) with a single metastasis (liver in two cases and interaorticaval in one case) underwent one- or two-stage surgical resection of the metastasis and the main tumor.

Giant mucinous cystic adenoma with pancreatic atrophy mimicking dorsal agenesis of the pancreas.

Mucinous cystic adenoma (MCA) of the pancreas is a rare benign cystic tumor with ovarian-like stroma and lack of communication with the pancreatic ductal system. The ovarian tissue is incorporated from the left gonad within the dorsal pancreas during embryogenesis. Consequently, congenital dorsal agenesis of the pancreas (DAP) cannot be associated with MCA.

CT imaging of peritoneal carcinomatosis and its mimics.

Invasive peritoneal disease includes more than just peritoneal carcinomatosis. Although this is the most common aetiology, especially when a primary is found, other conditions may be responsible for peritoneal invasion. A rigorous analysis of CT features taken together with the clinical and biological context usually allows the main differential diagnoses, which entail different types of management, to be drawn out.

Fat-containing lesions of the liver: a pictorial essay.

The presence of fat within a hepatic lesion is unusual and can help to direct the radiologist's diagnosis. The aim of this iconographic review is to specify the various hepatic lesions that may contain fat and their appearance particularly on MRI. A histological correlation is also suggested for the most commonly found tumors.

Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging in ileocolonic Crohn's disease: validation of quantitative index of activity.

Objectives: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allows accurate assessment of Crohn's disease (CD), but requires gadolinium injection. Diffusion-weighted (DW)-MRI yields comparable performances in small bowel CD. We compared the accuracy of DW-MR enterocolonography (MREC) and the magnetic resonance index of activity (MaRIA), and performed an external validation of the Clermont score in assessing inflammation in CD.

CT and MR imaging of retroperitoneal schwannoma.

The purpose of this presentation is to allow the radiologist to discuss the diagnosis of retroperitoneal schwannoma, involving mostly a fortuitous discovery and a misleading clinical presentation. We present 4 cases of retroperitoneal schwannoma, two having benefited from a surgery and two others of a therapeutic abstention. The retropritoneal localization and the imaging are good indicator elements of this pathology.

Fibrous tumours of the ovary: aetiologies and MRI features.

The ovaries can be affected by a vast variety of tumours, which may be benign or malignant, solid or cystic. Although ultrasonography is often the first examination performed in the evaluation of gynaecological conditions, magnetic resonance imaging is nowadays the most accurate imaging technique in the characterization of ovarian masses. Once the ovarian origin of a pelvic mass has been determined, the detection of any fibrous component within the lesion significantly reduces the spectrum of aetiologies that should be considered.

Hepatic haemangioma: common and uncommon imaging features.

The haemangioma, the most common non-cystic hepatic lesion, most often discovered by chance, may in certain situations raise diagnostic problems in imaging. In this article, the authors first demonstrate that the radiological appearance of the hepatic haemangioma, in its typical form, is closely related to three known histological sub-types. They then show that certain atypical features should be known in order to establish a diagnosis.

Massive hepatic necrosis with toxic liver syndrome following portal vein ligation.

Right portal vein ligation (PVL) is a safe and widespread procedure to induce controlateral liver hypertrophy for the treatment of bilobar colorectal liver metastases. We report a case of a 60-year-old man treated by both right PVL and ligation of the glissonian branches of segment 4 for colorectal liver metastases surrounding the right and median hepatic veins. After surgery, the patient developed massive hepatic necrosis with secondary pulmonary and renal insufficiency requiring transfer to the intensive care unit.

Advantages of gadobenate dimeglumine-enhanced MR cholangiography in the diagnosis of post-liver transplant bile leakage.

Objective: To assess the value of magnetic resonance cholangiography with gadobenate dimeglumine (Gd-BOPTA) where there is a suspicion of bile leakage in the post-liver transplant patient.

Patients And Methods: Eight patients who had undergone a liver transplant underwent 14 MR cholangiograms, five of whom presented bile leakage while the other three had no biliary system complications. The results were compared to conventional bile duct opacification (by endoscopy or t-tube cholangiogram).

Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging for detecting and assessing ileal inflammation in Crohn's disease.

Background: Whether diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI)-MRI is of value in detecting and assessing inflammation of ileal Crohn's disease (CD) remains poorly investigated.

Aim: To compare DWI-MR enterography (MRE) with conventional MRE in estimating inflammation in small bowel CD, to determine an apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) threshold to differentiate active from non-active lesions and to assess inter-observer agreement.

Methods: Thirty-one CD patients from the Clermont-Ferrand IBD unit with ileal involvement were consecutively and prospectively included between April and June 2011.