An unusual variant of Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber syndrome

The association of soft tissue and bony overgrowth, varicose veins and port-wine nevus is known as Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber syndrome. An unusual case of a young woman with this syndrome is presented. In addition to the classic features she had face swelling, bilateral limb involvement and an infected cutaneous lymphangioma. No evidence of arteriovenous fistula was demonstrated. In contrast to an abnormal lymphatic system the deep veins of the limbs were normal. Unilateral lung lesions were demonstrated which have not been described previously in such cases.     

The structure and prenatal morphogenesis of the nasal septum in the rat

One hundred fetuses of the Sprague-Dawley rat were used: ten for each prenatal day, beginning with the twelfth day of gestation. Pregnant animals were sacrificed, fetuses removed and subsequently fixed in buffered formalin solution. Fetal heads were dehydrated, embedded in paraffin, and sectioned serially in the rostrocaudal direction at 10 to 15 μ. Serial sections from fetuses representing each day of gestation were stained with either H and E, Mallory's trichrome procedure, Gomori's reaction for alkaline phosphatase, or Steedman's alcian blue reaction. At the twelfth day, the primary nasal cavities were first observed. One day later, the nasobuccal membrane was established, and the vomeronasal organ invaginated into the nasal septum. Following the rupture of the membrane, at the fourteenth day, the nasal and buccal cavities remained in communication until the palatal shelves fused with the septum, at the seventeenth day. Prior to the thirteenth day, the septal skeleton is mesenchymal. The ossification in the vomer started at the sixteenth day and expanded progressively throughout prenatal life. First glandular primordia, one on each side of the septum, were observed during the sixteenth day, the number increased to five at term. The ducts ended in single blind sacs, before the eighteenth day, afterwards, the ducts presented an increasing number of collateral and terminal branches. There was no evidence of mucigen secretion from the septal glands during prenatal life. The initial stratified olfactory epithelium differentiated morphologically into a vestibular, respiratory, and an olfactory epithelium prior to the sixteenth prenatal day.     

High-throughput immunoaffinity enrichment and N-glycan analysis of human plasma haptoglobin

Haptoglobin (Hp) is a positive acute phase protein, synthesized in the liver, with four N-glycosylation sites carrying mainly complex type N-glycans. Its glycosylation is altered in different types of diseases but still has not been extensively studied mainly due to analytical challenges, especially the lack of a fast, efficient, and robust high-throughput Hp isolation procedure. Here, we describe the development of a high-throughput method for Hp enrichment from human plasma, based on monolithic chromatographic support in immunoaffinity mode and downstream Hp N-glycome analysis by hydrophilic interaction ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescent detection (HILIC–UHPLC–FLR). Chromatographic monolithic supports in a 96-well format enable fast, efficient, and robust Hp enrichment directly from diluted plasma samples. The N-glycome analysis demonstrated that a degree of Hp deglycosylation differs depending on the conditions used for N-glycan release and on the specific glycosylation site, with Asn 241 being the most resistant to deglycosylation under tested conditions. HILIC–UHPLC–FLR analysis enables robust quantification of 28 individual chromatographic peaks, in which N-glycan compositions were determined by UHPLC coupled to electrospray ionization quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry. The developed analytical approach enables fast evaluation of total Hp N-glycosylation and is applicable in large-scale studies.     

Effect of radiotherapy delay in overall treatment time on local control and survival in head and neck cancer: Review of the literature

Treatment delays in completing radiotherapy (RT) for many neoplasms are a major problem affecting treatment outcome, as increasingly shown in the literature. Overall treatment time (OTT) could be a critical predictor of local tumor control and/or survival. In an attempt to establish a protocol for managing delays during RT, especially for heavily overloaded units, we have extensively reviewed the available literature on head and neck cancer. We confirmed a large deleterious effect of prolonged OTT on both local control and survival of these patients.     

Blood parasites of the striped field mouse Apodemus agrarius and their morphological characteristics

Blood parasites of Apodemus agrarius were investigated in Eastern Slovakia during 1998–2005. The following parasitic species were detected: Trypanosoma grosi, Babesia microti-like piroplasms and Bartonella sp. Trypanosoma grosi was the most common species, with an infection prevalence of 12.7%. Trypanosomes were morphologically typical of the lewisi group, however, they were bigger than T. grosi described in A. flavicollis and A. sylvaticus. The differences analysed by nested analysis of variance were statistically significant. Pleomorphism was not observed. Infections with piroplasms were detected only at two sites, with an intensity of infection not exceeding 0.1%. The morphology of the piroplasms was different from those typical of B. microti. Bartonella occurred at two sites in 0.81% of the animals sampled. The prevalence of infection had a seasonal pattern throughout the study years. Trypanosomes occurred from July to November, with a peak in September, piroplasms occurred in May and June, and Bartonella sp. from May to July.     

The prenatal morphogenesis of the lateral nasal wall in the rat (Mus rattus)

In the course of this investigation 24 fetuses of the Sprague-Dawley rats were used. Pregnant animals were sacrificed at 12, 14, 16, 18, and 20 days of gestation. The fetuses were removed and fixed in buffered formalin solution. The heads were dehydrated, embedded in paraffin, and the nasal cavities were sectioned serially. Light microscope observations were made on 10 to 15 μ thick sections stained with H and E, Mallory's trichrome stain, and Gomori's alkaline phosphatase stain. The 12 day old fetus possessed well developed olfactory depression with a thick epithelial covering. The olfactory fossa was still separated from the buccal cavity by a solid layer of young mesenchyme. In the 14 day old fetus the communication between the nasal and buccal cavities was established. The palatal shelves developed still vertically. All the turbinates and the nasal capsule were already differentiated. The glandular system was represented with the main and two to three accessory excretory ducts. During the sixteenth day of prenatal development, the sinus and the sinus related glands became for the first time evident. The ossification of the membranous parts of the lateral nasal wall was initiated. In the next two developing stages the maturation of the cartilage, the increasing ossification in the membrane, and the further differentiation of the glands were the major morphological changes in the formation of the lateral nasal wall.     

Is there a special mechanism behind the changes in somatic cell and polymorphonuclear leukocyte counts,and composition of milk after a single prolonged milking interval in cows?

Background  

A single prolonged milking interval (PMI) e.g. after a technical stop in an automated milking system is of concern for the producer since it is associated with a short-lasting increase in milk somatic cell count (SCC), which is a major quality criterion used at the dairy plants. The content of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) and how the milk quality is influenced has not been much investigated. The SCC peak occurs without any obvious antigen challenge, possibly indicating a different leukocyte attraction mechanism after a PMI than we see during mastitis.