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Median raphe cysts are uncommon benign cysts thought to occur due to improper fusion of the genital tubercle and can occur anywhere along the median raphe, from the glans to the anus, most commonly occurring along the ventral penile shaft. Limited information is available in the literature about the common imaging features of median raphe cysts with available reports highlighting an avascular cystic lesion. Our case demonstrates a 10-year-old male patient presenting with a ventral penile mass that demonstrated interval growth in the absence of trauma without overlying skin changes. Doppler ultrasound examination demonstrated a solid vascular mass measuring up to 1.6 cm at the ventral aspect of the penis with arterial and venous waveforms. The patient underwent elective resection of the mass which revealed a 2.0 cm inflamed glandular subtype median raphe cyst. This report demonstrates an atypical imaging presentation of an inflamed median raphe cyst, particularly that of a heterogeneous solid mass with arterial and venous blood flow on ultrasound.

Regulation of plant root angle is critical for obtaining nutrients and water and is an important trait for plant breeding. A plant’s final, long-term root angle is the net result of a complex series of decisions made by a root tip in response to changes in nutrient availability, impediments, the gravity vector and other stimuli. When a root tip is displaced from the gravity vector, the short-term process of gravitropism results in rapid reorientation of the root toward the vertical. Here, we explore both short- and long-term regulation of root growth angle, using natural variation in tomato to identify shared and separate genetic features of the two responses. Mapping of expression quantitative trait loci mapping and leveraging natural variation between and within species including Arabidopsis suggest a role for PURPLE ACID PHOSPHATASE 27 and CELL DIVISION CYCLE 73 in determining root angle.

A previously healthy toddler with bilious vomiting and erythematous gluteal rash over 2 weeks had intermittent pain, constipation and decreased appetite. All labs were negative with the exception of fecal occult blood. Abdominal x-ray and ultrasound revealed dilated air-filled loops of bowel and partial small bowel obstruction. After persistent worsening abdominal pain and vomiting a CT scan with IV contrast (Fig. 1) suggested small bowel obstruction. Emergent surgery was performed and diagnostic laparoscopy revealed about 61 cm of necrotic bowel causing stricture formation and mesenteric shortening in the distal small bowel. 56 cm of inflamed bowel was resected with end-to-end anastomosis. Final pathology report indicated diffuse intestinal angiomatosis with transmural involvement and focal erosion consistent with KHE (Fig. 2). Presentation is varied, consists of cutaneous lesion, retroperitoneal mass, intestinal obstruction, jaundice, intussusception, or multifocal neoplasms. Complete surgical resection with wide margins is the best therapeutic option and has achieved the best outcomes. If not treated in sufficient time, KHE has a relatively high mortality rate of 30%, with most deaths occurring due to its locally invasive effects [5]. There are limited reports of identifying features of KHE on imaging. Of 165 cases of KHE none were presented in the small bowel [5]. We report the unique case of KHE presenting as a hypervascular mass causing obstruction in the distal small bowel. Although extremely rare, KHE should be considered as a reason for severe GI stricture or obstruction in infants and children in obscure cases and included in the differential.

Plants are associated with a complex microbiota that contributes to nutrient acquisition, plant growth, and plant defense. Nitrogen-fixing microbial associations are efficient and well characterized in legumes but are limited in cereals, including maize. We studied an indigenous landrace of maize grown in nitrogen-depleted soils in the Sierra Mixe region of Oaxaca, Mexico. This landrace is characterized by the extensive development of aerial roots that secrete a carbohydrate-rich mucilage. Analysis of the mucilage microbiota indicated that it was enriched in taxa for which many known species are diazotrophic, was enriched for homologs of genes encoding nitrogenase subunits, and harbored active nitrogenase activity as assessed by acetylene reduction and 15N2 incorporation assays. Field experiments in Sierra Mixe using 15N natural abundance or 15N-enrichment assessments over 5 years indicated that atmospheric nitrogen fixation contributed 29%-82% of the nitrogen nutrition of Sierra Mixe maize.

Abstract: Superparamagnetic magnetite nanoparticles (MNP) coated with silica were synthesized and chronically implanted into the middle ear epithelial tissues of a guinea pig model () for the generation of force by an external magnetic field. In vivo limitations of biocompatibility include particle morphology, size distribution, composition and mode of internalization. Synthesis of MNP was performed using a modified precipitation technique and they were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry and energy dispersive spectroscopy, which verified size distribution, composition and silica encapsulation. The mechanism for internalizing 16±2.3nm diameter MNP was likely endocytosis, enhanced by magnetically force. Using sterile technique, middle ear epithelia of tympanic membrane or ossicles was exposed and a suspension of particles with fluoroscein isothiocyanate (FITC) label applied to the surface. A rare earth, NdFeBo magnet (0.35T) placed under the animal, was used to pull the MNP into the tissue. After 8 days, following euthanasia, tissues were harvested and confocal scanning laser interferometry was used to verify intracellular MNP. Displacements of the osscicular chain in response to an external sinusoidal electromagnetic field were also measured using laser Doppler interferometry. We showed for the first time a physiologically relevant, biomechanical function, produced by MNP responding to a magnetic field. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]