Severe Spontaneous Echocardiographic Contrast in a Patient With Normal Heart and Chronic Lymphocytic Lymphoma.

• SEC can occur in a structurally and functionally normal heart. • SEC formation has a stoichiometric relationship between hematocrit and fibrinogen levels. • SEC may be underappreciated in hematologic malignancies after chemotherapy initiation.

A genome-wide analysis of colorectal cancer in a child with Noonan syndrome.

Noonan syndrome (NS) is a developmental syndrome caused by germline mutations in the Ras signaling pathway. No association has been shown between NS and pediatric colorectal cancer (CRC). We report the case of CRC in a pediatric patient with NS.

Gallstone ileus presenting as intussusception: A case report.

Background: Gallstone ileus is a complication of acute cholecystitis that accounts for 25% of bowel obstruction cases in the elderly. To our knowledge, only one other case of gallstone ileus presenting as intussusception has been reported in the literature, and involved non-operative management with an unfavorable outcome.

Case Presentation: Here we report the case of 69year old woman presenting with symptoms of acute small bowel obstruction with a surgical history significant for cholecystectomy 30 years prior.

Sensing a sensor: identifying the mechanosensory function of primary cilia.

Over the past decade, primary cilia have emerged as the premier means by which cells sense and transduce mechanical stimuli. Primary cilia are sensory organelles that have been shown to be vitally involved in the mechanosensation of urine in the renal nephron, bile in the hepatic biliary system, digestive fluid in the pancreatic duct, dentin in dental pulp, lacunocanalicular fluid in bone and cartilage, and blood in vasculature. The prevalence of primary cilia among mammalian cell types is matched by the tremendously varied disease states caused by both structural and functional defects in cilia.

Three types of ependymal cells with intracellular calcium oscillation are characterized by distinct cilia beating properties.

Ependymal cells are multiciliated epithelial cells that line the ventricles in the adult brain. Abnormal function or structure of ependymal cilia has been associated with various neurological deficits. For the first time, we report three distinct ependymal cell types, I, II, and III, based on their unique ciliary beating frequency and beating angle.

Real-time vascular mechanosensation through ex vivo artery perfusion.

Background: Cell-based perfusion studies have provided great insight into fluid-sensing mechanisms, such as primary cilia in the renal and vascular systems. However, the intrinsic limitations of in vitro cell culture, such as the inability to reflect cellular organization within tissues, has distanced observed paradigms from possible clinical developments. Here we describe a protocol that applies ex vivo artery perfusion and calcium imaging to observe real-time cellular responses to fluid-shear stress.