Exophytic primary gastric squamous cell carcinoma and gastritis.

Primary gastric squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is rare, and the simultaneous infection has not been reported in the literature. Here, we presented a patient with concurrent gastritis and primary gastric SCC. A 54-year-old Hispanic man presented with diarrhoea, chills, night sweats and weight loss of 16 lbs for the previous 6 weeks.

Immunohistochemical loss of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine expression in acute myeloid leukaemia: relationship to somatic gene mutations affecting epigenetic pathways.

Aims: Genes affecting epigenetic pathways are frequently mutated in myeloid malignancies, including acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). The genes encoding TET2, IDH1 and IDH2 are among the most commonly mutated genes, and cause defective conversion of 5-methylcytosine into 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), impairing demethylation of DNA, and presumably serving as driver mutations in leukaemogenesis. The aim of this study was to correlate 5hmC immunohistochemical loss with the mutation status of genes involved in epigenetic pathways in AML.

Clinical and laboratory issues associated with persistent low-level elevations of hCG in a female of childbearing age.

Persistent low-level elevations of serum concentrations of hCG in a non-pregnant female of childbearing age were investigated by a number of laboratory techniques including heterophile blocking reagents, polyethylene glycol precipitation, serial dilutions and hCG measurements on several different instrument/reagent systems. The results of these studies indicated that this patient had immunoreactive hCG in her serum that was not the intact hCG molecule but primarily the free β-hCG subunit. Differential diagnoses are discussed along with recommendation for continued surveillance of serum hCG concentrations.

ATP-dependent fructose uptake system in Deinococcus radiodurans.

The bacterial phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP)-dependent group translocation system (PTS) requires the presence of both membrane-bound and cytoplasmic components to phosphorylate and translocate sugar. Deinococcus radiodurans has a functional fruA gene coding for the membrane-bound components of the fructose-specific PTS. However, fruB gene coding for the fructose-specific cytosolic components of PTS is a pseudogene.

Spironolactone prevents the inducibility of ventricular tachyarrhythmia in rats with aldosteronism.

Myocardial fibrosis is considered a substrate for fatal ventricular arrhythmias (VAs). In rats receiving aldosterone/salt treatment (ALDOST) for ≥4 weeks, foci of myocardial scarring that replace necrotic cardiomyocytes appear scattered throughout the right and left sides of the heart. We hypothesized that this adverse structural remodeling would promote the inducibility of VA, which could be prevented by cotreatment with spironolactone (A+Spiro), an aldosterone receptor antagonist and cardioprotective agent.