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Acinic cell carcinoma is a rare malignant tumor that accounts for 2%–3% of salivary gland tumors. Acinic cell carcinoma arising from the breast is extremely rare, with only approximately 70 cases reported to date. Owing to its rarity, previous studies have primarily focused on pathological findings. Herein, we present the clinical and radiological features of acinic cell carcinoma of the breast in a 33-year-old woman.

Abstract Background Treatment of human lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) using current targeted therapies is limited because of their diverse somatic mutations without any specific dominant driver mutations. These mutational diversities preventing the use of common targeted therapies or the combination of available therapeutic modalities would require a preclinical animal model of this tumor to acquire improved clinical responses. Patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models have been recognized as a potentially useful preclinical model for personalized precision medicine. However, whether the use of LUSC PDX models would be appropriate enough for clinical application is still controversial. Methods In the process of developing PDX models from Korean patients with LUSC, the authors investigated the factors influencing the successful initial engraftment of tumors in NOD scid gamma mice and the retainability of the pathological and genomic characteristics of the parental patient tumors in PDX tumors. Conclusions The authors have developed 62 LUSC PDX models that retained the pathological and genomic features of parental patient tumors, which could be used in preclinical and co-clinical studies. Trial registration Tumor samples were obtained from 139 patients with LUSC between November 2014 and January 2019. All the patients provided signed informed consents. This study was approved by the institutional review board (IRB) of Samsung Medical Center (2018-03-110)

Coronary air embolism is a rare event. We report a case in which an acute myocardial infarction occurred in the region supplied by the right coronary artery after the removal of a double-lumen hemodialysis catheter. Emergent coronary angiography revealed air bubbles obstructing the mid-segment of the right coronary artery with slow flow phenomenon distally. The patient expired due to myocardial infarction.

The colorimetric sensor is a facile, cost-effective, and non-power-operated green energy material for gas detection. In this study, the colorimetric sensing property of a meta-aramid/dye 3 nanofiber sensor for ammonia (NH3) gas detection was investigated. This colorimetric sensor was prepared using various dye 3 concentrations via electrospinning. Morphological, thermal, structural, and mechanical analyses of the sensor were carried out by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and a universal testing machine, respectively. A homemade computer color matching machine connected with a gas flow device characterized the response of the meta-aramid/dye 3 nanofiber colorimetric sensor to various exposure levels of NH3 gas. From the results, we confirmed that this colorimetric green energy sensor could detect ammonia gas in the concentration of 1–10 ppm with a sensing response time of 10 s at room temperature. After washing with laundry detergent for 30 min, the colorimetric sensors still exhibited sensing property and reversibility.

Oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathogenesis of many diseases including chronic liver diseases. Nrf2 is a master transcriptional factor regulating the induction of cellular antioxidant defense systems. Here, the Nrf2-activating effect of the crude methanol extract of dried leaves of Pogostemon cablin Bentham was demonstrated by measuring the antioxidant response element (ARE)-driven luciferase activity and pachypodol, 4′,5-dihydroxy-3,3′,7-trimethoxyflavone, was isolated by bioactivity-guided fractionation and further separation using chromatographic techniques. To our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate the antioxidant and cytoprotective effects of pachypodol in HepG2 cells as well as the underlying molecular mechanisms. Indeed, pachypodol protected HepG2 cells from cell death caused by tert-butylhydroperoxide-induced oxidative stress and also attenuated ROS production. The ability of pachypodol to activate Nrf2/ARE pathway was further confirmed by observing Nrf2 expression in nuclear fraction, mRNA levels of Nrf2 target antioxidants, and cellular glutathione content in HepG2 cells. Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) is one of the important kinases involved in Nrf2 activation. Pachypodol increased ERK phosphorylation and ERK inhibition by PD98059 totally abrogated the increase in ARE luciferase activity, nuclear Nrf2 accumulation and mRNA levels of antioxidant enzymes by pachypodol. In conclusion, pachypodol isolated from P. cablin can protect hepatocytes from oxidative injury, possibly mediated by enhancing endogenous antioxidant defense system through ERK-dependent Nrf2 activation.

Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was used to determine the molecular mechanisms of multidrug resistance for 10 serial Candida glabrata bloodstream isolates obtained from a neutropenic patient during 82 days of amphotericin B (AMB) or echinocandin therapy. For WGS, a library was prepared and sequenced using a Nextera DNA Flex Kit (Illumina) and the MiseqDx (Illumina) instrument. All isolates harbored the same Msh2p substitution, V239L, associated with multilocus sequence type 7 and a Pdr1p substitution, L825P, that caused azole resistance. Of six isolates with increased AMB MICs (≥2 mg/L), three harboring the Erg6p A158fs mutation had AMB MICs ≥ 8 mg/L, and three harboring the Erg6p R314K, Erg3p G236D, or Erg3p F226fs mutation had AMB MICs of 2–3 mg/L. Four isolates harboring the Erg6p A158fs or R314K mutation had fluconazole MICs of 4–8 mg/L while the remaining six had fluconazole MICs ≥ 256 mg/L. Two isolates with micafungin MICs > 8 mg/L harbored Fks2p (I661_L662insF) and Fks1p (C499fs) mutations, while six isolates with micafungin MICs of 0.25–2 mg/L harbored an Fks2p K1357E substitution. Using WGS, we detected novel mechanisms of AMB and echinocandin resistance; we explored mechanisms that may explain the complex relationship between AMB and azole resistance.

Indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) using HEp-2 cells as a substrate is the gold standard for detecting antinuclear antibodies (ANA) in patient serum. However, the ANA IFA has labor-intensive nature of the procedure and lacks adequate standardization. To overcome these drawbacks, the automation has been developed and implemented to the clinical laboratory. The purposes of this study were to evaluate the analytical performance of a fully automated Helios ANA IFA analyzer in a real-life laboratory setting, and to compare the time and the cost of ANA IFA testing before and after adopting the Helios system. A total of 3,276 consecutive serum samples were analyzed for ANA using the Helios system from May to August 2019. The positive/negative results, staining patterns, and endpoint titers were compared between Helios and visual readings. Furthermore, the turnaround time and the number of wells used were compared before and after the introduction of Helios system. Of the 3,276 samples tested, 748 were positive and 2,528 were negative based on visual readings. Using visual reading as the reference standard, the overall relative sensitivity, relative specificity, and concordance of Helios reading were 73.3, 99.4, and 93.4% (κ = 0.80), respectively. For pattern recognition, the overall agreement was 70.1% (298/425) for single patterns, and 72.4% (89/123) for mixed patterns. For titration, there was an agreement of 75.9% (211/278) between automated and classical endpoint titers by regarding within ± one titer difference as acceptable. Helios significantly shortened the median turnaround time from 100.6 to 55.7 h (P < 0.0001). Furthermore, routine use of the system reduced the average number of wells used per test from 4 to 1.5. Helios shows good agreement in distinguishing between positive and negative results. However, it still has limitations in positive/negative discrimination, pattern recognition, and endpoint titer prediction, requiring additional validation of results by human observers. Helios provides significant advantages in routine laboratory ANA IFA work in terms of labor, time, and cost savings. We hope that upgrading and developing softwares with more reliable capabilities will allow automated ANA IFA analyzers to be fully integrated into the routine operations of the clinical laboratory.

Background: Rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM; TEM International GmbH, Munich, Germany) is a global coagulation test that guides evidence-based platelet transfusion in trauma patients. We evaluated ROTEM parameters for predicting mid-term (five days) platelet transfusion in trauma patients. Methods: Maximum clot firmness and clot amplitudes after 5, 10, and 15 mins (A5, A10, and A15, respectively) of fibrin-specific ROTEM (FIBTEM) and extrinsically activated ROTEM (EXTEM) were retrospectively collected from 82 hospitalized, stable, non-bleeding trauma patients after successful initial resuscitation. Platelet-specific ROTEM (PLTEM) was calculated by subtracting FIBTEM from EXTEM. Platelet transfusions were reviewed for five days after ROTEM. Results: The areas under the curve for FIBTEM, EXTEM, and PLTEM predicting platelet concentrate transfusion of >12 U at mid-term were 0.915-0.923, 0.878-0.896, and 0.551-0.735, respectively. FIBTEM and EXTEM parameters were comparable to those of fibrinogen, fibrin/fibrinogen degradation products, D-dimer, and antithrombin III. Strong correlations (r >0.7) were noted between platelet count and EXTEM (A5, A10, and A15) or PLTEM (A5), platelet function (per platelet count) and EXTEM (A10 and A15), and fibrinogen levels and all FIBTEM parameters. Conclusions: FIBTEM and EXTEM can reliably predict mid-term platelet transfusion in trauma patients. FIBTEM, EXTEM, and PLTEM parameters correlate with conventional coagulation tests (platelets and fibrinogen). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two experiments were executed to examine the slice accelerated test method, suggested in ISO 11561 “Ageing of thermal insulation materials—Determination of the long-term change in thermal resistance of closed-cell plastics (accelerated laboratory test methods)” and to observe the changes in the thermal performance of insulation material over time by the real-time ageing process. The accelerated test method was conducted for 120 consecutive days using 10 mm thick-sliced specimens, which were sampled from a 50 mm thick plate body. The real-time ageing process was performed for 5000 consecutive days under constant temperature and relative humidity conditions as of 20 ± 5 °C and 50 ± 5% without any slicing. Degradation of thermal performance was shown to be stabilized at around 38 to 41% down from the initial values, which were correspondent with the approximately 10 days after the initial time. The real-time ageing process revealed similar degradation levels at around 130 days after the starting point. Converting the results using the scaling method specified in ISO 11561, the change was found in the range of 37 to 41% for the thermal resistance after 25 years and of 30 to 38% for the 25-year-average thermal resistance, respectively. Within the 10% error range, both the accelerated method and real-time ageing resulted in a similar level of degradation. Consequently, it was our observation that the slice accelerated test was quite enough to predict the practical degradation of insulation materials with at least 90% of accuracy under the specified time duration, temperature and thickness satisfactions.

Purpose: Neutrophils contribute to thrombosis. However, there is limited information on the temporal course of neutrophil recruitment in thrombosis, the contribution of neutrophils to thrombus growth, and the characteristics of stroke patients with neutrophil-rich thrombi. Materials and Methods: After inducing carotid artery thrombosis in Institute of Cancer Research mice using ferric chloride, aged thrombi were produced by ligating the distal portion of the carotid artery in mice for 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 6, or 24 h. For thrombus analysis in stroke patients, we used registry data and thrombi that were obtained during intra-arterial thrombectomy. Immunohistochemistry was performed to determine thrombus composition. Results: In the thrombi of 70 mice, Ly6G positive cell counts (neutrophils) and histone H3-positive cell counts increased in a time-dependent manner (both p<0.001). Ly6G-positive cell count was strongly correlated with histone H3-positive cell counts (r=0.910, p<0.001), but not with thrombus size (p=0.320). In 75 stroke patients, atrial fibrillation and cardioembolism were more frequent in the higher neutrophil group (32/37, 86.5%) than in the lower neutrophil group (19/38, 50%) (p=0.002). The median erythrocyte fraction was higher [52.0 (interquartile range 39.9−57.8)] in the higher neutrophil group than in the lower neutrophil group [40.3 (interquartile range 23.5−53.2)]. The fraction of neutrophils was positively correlated with that of erythrocytes (R=0.35, p=0.002). Conclusion: Neutrophils were recruited and increased in arterial thrombosis in a time-dependent manner; however, they were not associated with the growth of formed thrombi. Neutrophil fractions in the thrombi of stroke patients appeared to be associated with atrial fibrillation and erythrocyte fraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]