Fine needle aspiration cytology and immunocytochemistry in tuberculous thyroiditis: a case report

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis of the thyroid is very rare and does not strike the clinician as a first clinical diagnosis of a thyroid nodule. To our knowledge, only 40 cases of tuberculous thyroiditis diagnosed by fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) are described in the English literature. CASE: We report a case of tuberculous thyroiditis in a young woman who presented with a right-side solitary thyroid nodule of short duration (15 days), diagnosed by FNAC and confirmed by positive immunocytochemistry with monoclonal antibody to Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. Ziehl Neelsen staining for acid-fast bacilli (AFB) was negative. CONCLUSION: FNAC provides a confident preoperative diagnosis of thyroid tuberculosis, obviating the need for unnecessary surgical removal of thyroid nodule. Immunocytochemistry is an important diagnostic adjunct to FNAC in AFB-negative cases.     

Multivariate Analysis of Increase in Life Span of Caenorhabditis elegans Through Intestinal Colonization by Indigenous Probiotic Strains

Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins - The present study aimed to analyze the colonization potential of indigenous probiotic strains and to assess their effects on physiology of Caenorhabditis...     

Neutrophil cathepsin G promotes prothrombinase and fibrin formation under flow conditions by activating fibrinogen-adherent platelets

Human neutrophil proteases cathepsin G and elastase can directly alter platelet function and/or participate in coagulation cascade reactions on the platelet or neutrophil surface to enhance fibrin formation. The clotting of recalcified platelet-free plasma (PFP) or platelet-rich plasma (PRP) supplemented with corn trypsin inhibitor (to shut down contact activation) was studied in well-plates or flow assays. Inhibitors of cathepsin G or elastase significantly delayed the burst time (t(50)) of thrombin generation in neutrophil-supplemented PRP from 49 min to 59 and 77 min, respectively, in well-plate assays as well as reduced neutrophil-promoted fibrin deposition on fibrinogen-adherent platelets under flow conditions. In flow assays, purified cathepsin G was a far more potent activator of platelet-dependent coagulation than elastase. Anti-tissue factor had no effect on neutrophil protease-enhanced thrombin formation in PRP. The addition of cathepsin G (425 nm) or convulxin (10 nm) to PRP dramatically reduced the t(50) of thrombin generation from 53 min to 17 or 23 min, respectively. In contrast, the addition of elastase to PRP left the t(50) unaltered. Whereas perfusion of PFP (gamma(w) = 62.5 s(-1)) over fibrinogen-adherent platelets did not result in fibrin formation until 50 min, massive fibrin could be observed on cathepsin G-treated platelets even at 35 min. Cathepsin G addition to corn trypsin inhibitor-treated PFP produced little thrombin unless anionic phospholipid was present. However, further activation inhibition studies indicated that cathepsin G enhances fibrin deposition under flow conditions by elevating the activation state of fibrinogen-adherent platelets rather than by cleaving coagulation factors.     

Glucose metabolism in cancer. Evidence that demethylation events play a role in activating type II hexokinase gene expression

One of the "signature" phenotypes of highly malignant, poorly differentiated tumors, including hepatomas, is their remarkable propensity to utilize glucose at a much higher rate than normal cells, a property frequently dependent on the marked overexpression of type II hexokinase (HKII). As the expression of the gene for this enzyme is nearly silent in liver tissue, we tested the possibility that DNA methylation/demethylation events may be involved in its regulation. Initial studies employing methylation restriction endonuclease analysis provided evidence for differential methylation patterns for the HKII gene in normal hepatocytes and hepatoma cells, the latter represented by a highly glycolytic model cell line (AS-30D). Subsequently, sequencing following sodium bisulfite treatment revealed 18 methylated CpG sites within a CpG island (-350 to +781 bp) in the hepatocyte gene but none in that of the hepatoma. In addition, treatment of a hepatocyte cell line with the DNA methyltransferase inhibitors, 5'-azacytidine and 5'-aza-2'-deoxycytidine, activated basal expression levels of HKII mRNA and protein. Finally, stably transfecting the hepatocyte cell line with DNA demethylase also resulted in activating the basal expression levels of HKII mRNA and protein. These novel observations indicate that one of the initial events in activating the HKII gene during either transformation or tumor progression may reside at the epigenetic level.     

Molecular cloning and expression profile of snow trout GPDH gene in response to abiotic stress

Glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH) gene possibly plays a key role for cold acclimation process in snow trout during winter months when water temperature goes down to 4–5?°C. In this study, 1,012?bp nucleotide fragment of GPDH gene was obtained from two snow trout species (Schizothorax richardsonii and S. niger; family: Cyprinidae), distributed in several Himalayan rivers. The gene encoded a protein of 334 amino acids. The encoded protein sequence was very similar to GPDH of Danio rerio (94.36?%) using BLASTx searches. In S. richardsonii the qRT-PCR showed highest expression in muscle tissue followed by liver and also revealed 19 fold gene expression in liver tissue under cold (5?°C) in comparison with warm (15?°C) condition. The elevated expression levels of GPDH cDNA on cold treatment furthermore suggest that GPDH plays a role in stress related responses in S. richardsonii. The phylogenetic analysis showed that the two snow trout species GPDH share the same clade with characterized GPDHs from other teleost fishes suggesting a common evolutionary origin and a similar catalytic function. In addition, the Ka/Ks ratios of these sequences suggested that they are under purifying selection. Moreover, the expression profile of GPDH gene among co generic species of genus Schizothorax showed that GPDH cDNA expression was highest in S. richardsonii and lowest in S. esocinus which gives an indication of species specific adaptation in relation to different geographical areas.     

Biological systems modeling and analysis: a biomolecular technique of the twenty-first century.

It is proposed that computational systems biology should be considered a biomolecular technique of the twenty-first century, because it complements experimental biology and bioinformatics in unique ways that will eventually lead to insights and a depth of understanding not achievable without systems approaches. This article begins with a summary of traditional and novel modeling techniques. In the second part, it proposes concept map modeling as a useful link between experimental biology and biological systems modeling and analysis. Concept map modeling requires the collaboration between biologist and modeler. The biologist designs a regulated connectivity diagram of processes comprising a biological system and also provides semi-quantitative information on stimuli and measured or expected responses of the system. The modeler converts this information through methods of forward and inverse modeling into a mathematical construct that can be used for simulations and to generate and test new hypotheses. The biologist and the modeler collaboratively interpret the results and devise improved concept maps. The third part of the article describes software, BST-Box, supporting the various modeling activities.     

Anticonvulsant mechanisms of piperine,a piperidine alkaloid

Piperine, a natural compound isolated from the fruits of Piper, is known to modulate several neurotransmitter systems such as serotonin, norepinephrine, and GABA, all of which have been linked to the development of convulsions. Fruits of Piper species have been suggested as means for managing seizure disorders. The present study was designed to elucidate the anticonvulsant effect of piperine and its mechanisms of action using in-silico, in-vivo and in-vitro techniques.PASS software was used to determine its possible activity and mechanisms. Furthermore the latency for development of convulsions and mortality rate was recorded in different experimental mouse models of epilepsy (pentylenetetrazole, maximal electroshock, NMDA, picrotoxin, bicuculline, BAYK-8644, strychnine-induced convulsions) after administration of various doses of piperine (5, 10 and 20 mg/kg, i.p.). Finally, the effect of piperine on Na⁺ and Ca²⁺ channels were evaluated using the whole cell patch clamp techniqueOur results revealed that piperine decreased mortality in the MES-induced seizure model. Moreover, piperine (10 mg/kg) delayed the onset of tonic clonic convulsions in the pentylenetetrazole test and reduced associated mortality. Furthermore, an anticonvulsant dose of piperine also delayed the onset of tonic clonic seizures in strychnine, picrotoxin and BAY K-8644. Complete protection against mortality was observed in BAYK-8644 induced convulsions. Finally, whole cell patch clamp analysis suggested an inhibitory effect of piperine on Na⁺ channels. Together, our data suggest Na⁺ channel antagonist activity as a contributor to the complex anticonvulsant mechanisms of piperine.