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Cerebral cavernous malformation is an angiographically occult, well-circumscribed, benign hamartoma consisting of thin-walled sinusoidal vascular channels. Intracranial mucormycosis represents one of the most severe manifestations of mucor infection. We, hereby, report a case of cavernous malformation made rarer with concomitant mucormycosis. A 22-year-old female presented with left-sided facial seizures since age of 7 years and headache for the past 3 years. Magnetic resonance imaging brain revealed a right posterior frontal lobe cavernous malformation. Right frontal craniotomy with excision of cavernoma was done. Gross examination showed a solid cystic mass with multiple mulberry protrusions. Histopathological examination revealed features of cavernous malformation with evidence of mucormycosis. A final diagnosis of cavernous malformation with mucormycosis was rendered and microbiological studies were advised. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report of a cerebral cavernous malformation with mucormycosis in an immunocompetent patient without any risk factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Byline: Vikas. Kailashiya, Usha. Singh, Jyotsna. Kailashiya Background: Cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated protein-4 (CTLA-4) or CD152 is an inhibitory receptor expressed constitutively on CD4+CD25+ T regulatory lymphocytes (Treg) and transiently on [...]

This article examines the effectiveness of online symposiums for continuous medical education (CME) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study conducted a 2-day electronic symposium and collected data from participants before and after the event to evaluate their knowledge gain and feedback. The findings indicate that the online symposium led to a significant increase in participants' knowledge, particularly among faculty members. Over 80% of participants provided positive feedback and expressed interest in participating in more online events. The study concludes that online academic events are successful in medical education and offer valuable learning opportunities for both teachers and students, particularly during times of social restrictions. [Extracted from the article]

Aim: This research aimed to study the impacts of persistent hyperglycemia on oleic acid (OA)–induced acute lung injury (ALI) in a rat model of type II diabetes mellitus. Materials and Methods: Healthy adult male albino rats that weigh 150 to 180 g were divided into four groups (n = 6). Group I-saline (75 μL i.v.) was injected and served as a control; group II-OA (75 μL i.v.) was injected to induce ALI. Group III-pretreated with a high-fat diet and streptozotocin (35 mg/kg), was injected with saline, and served as a control for group IV. Group IV was pretreated with a high-fat diet, and streptozotocin (35 mg/kg) was injected with OA (75 μL i.v). Urethane was used to anesthetize the animal. The jugular venous cannulation was done for drug/saline administration, carotid artery cannulation was done to record blood pressure, and the tracheal cannulation was done to maintain the respiratory tract's patent. Heart rate, mean arterial pressure, and respiratory frequency were recorded on a computerized chart recorder; an arterial blood sample was collected to measure PaO2/FiO2. Additionally, the pulmonary water content and lung histology were examined. Result: Hyperglycemic rats showed no significant change in the cardio-respiratory parameter. Histology of the lungs shows fibroblastic proliferation; however, rats survived throughout the observation period. There was an early deterioration of all the cardio-respiratory parameters in hyperglycemic rats when induced ALI (OA- induced), and survival time was significantly less compared to nonhyperglycemic rats. Conclusion: Persistent hyperglycemia may cause morphological changes in the lungs, which worsens the outcome of acute lung injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Impairment in number and functions of regulatory T cells (Treg) has been found to be associated with many autoimmune diseases including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This study was conducted to identify and compare Treg by flow cytometry using two different staining approaches.Methods: Treg were identified by using CD4+CD25+high and CD4+CD25+CD127dim staining approaches in SLE and RA patients and healthy controls. Association of both identified Treg levels with various serum markers and clinical presentation was also examined.Results: Blood CD4+CD25+CD127dim cells levels were 11.4+3.57 %, 9.76+2.37 % and 6.95+1.16 %; while CD4+CD25+high cells were 1.46+1.09 %, 0.95+0.59 % and 1.87+1.14 % in SLE patients, RA patients and healthy controls respectively. Number of CD4+CD25+CD127dim cells was higher than CD4+CD25+high cells in blood samples of all three study groups. Levels of CD4+CD25+CD127dim cells were significantly higher in SLE and RA patients, compared to healthy controls, but this difference was not observed for CD4+CD25+high Treg. CD4+CD25+high levels showed significant correlation with serum C4, IFN-γ and IL-10 levels in healthy subjects and with C4 levels and fever in SLE patients. CD4+CD25+CD127dim levels showed significant association with alopecia and oral ulcers in SLE patients only, but no correlation with measured serum markers.Conclusion: Results suggest that both staining approaches detect Treg differently and also that Treg play different role in pathogenesis of SLE and RA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer remains a global health burden, and the need for effective therapies is of chief importance. The current study explored the in vivo chemoprotective activity of palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) against 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA)-induced breast tumor in rats. Results of noninvasive photoacoustic imaging showed real-time progression in the tumor area and volume in DMBA-induced rats, while there was a reduction in tumor area and volume in PEA-treated tumor-bearing rats. The increase in the average oxygen saturation (sO 2 %) and decrease in the average total hemoglobin (HbT %) indicated the PEA-mediated attenuation of hypoxia-induced neovascularization in DMBA-induced rats. Histopathological investigations confirmed the efficacy of PEA in mitigating breast carcinoma, hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity driven by DMBA. Moreover, PEA-mediated alterations in the metabolic activity of the tumor microenvironment were evidenced by decreased glucose and lactate dehydrogenase enzyme level in the blood plasma and mammary tissue. PEA also maintained the redox balance by inhibiting nitric oxide level, reducing malondialdehyde (a product of lipid peroxidation), and increasing the level of antioxidant enzyme reduced glutathione. PEA altered the expression of apoptosis-related genes ( BAX , P53, BCL-XL , CASPASE-8 , and CASPASE-9 ) and induced the activity of Caspase-3 protein in the mammary tissue of tumor-bearing rats, indicating its apoptosis inducing ability. Taken together, the findings of this study suggest that PEA may have a protective effect against DMBA-induced breast tumors., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2023 American Chemical Society.)

Background: Hairy Cell Leukemia (HCL) is an uncommon, indolent lymphoproliferative disorder of mature B lymphoid cells, accounting for 2% of all lymphoid tumors. The present study evaluated the clinical-hematological profile of HCL patients diagnosed at a single tertiary care center over a 11-year period., Methods: The retrospective observational study was done between October 2010 and September 2021. The relevant clinical and laboratory information were retrieved from hospital medical records and electronic databases. The statistical analysis was performed using version 23.0 of SPSS., Results: 66 (5.9%) of 1125 cases of chronic lymphoproliferative disorder were HCL. Splenomegaly was found in 47 (71.2%), hepatomegaly in 26 (39.5%), and lymphadenopathy in 17 (25.7%) of the cases. The mean hemoglobin, total leukocytes count, and platelets count were 8.04 g/dl, 6.76 X 109/L, and 77 X 109/L, respectively. Pancytopenia was detected in 40 cases (60.61 %). Bone marrow biopsies were majorly hypercellular and showed predominantly diffuse infiltration by atypical lymphoid cells. In two patients, initially thought of having refractory/hypoplastic anemia, the bone marrow biopsy and flow cytometry revealed HCL involvement.  42 cases of HCL underwent flow cytometry. CD20, CD 11c, CD 25 and CD 103 were positive in all the cases. The aberrant expression of CD5, CD10, and CD23 was found in frequencies of 5.71 %, 31.42 %, and 19.35%, respectively. In 40 cases for which follow-up information was available, there was full remission in 26 patients (65%), and later three showed relapse (7.5%) of which one died, and persistent leukemic activity in five (10%).  Eight patients (20%) died even before the initiation of treatment. One patient died within one month of therapy. No patient was examined for BRAF V600E mutation analysis., Conclusion: CD 10+ HCL was the most prevalent atypical immunophenotypic subgroup. Bone marrow biopsy and flow cytometry are crucial diagnostic tools to rule out hairy cell leukemia. However, BRAF V600E mutation analysis should be performed in cases with unusual presentation or resistance to treatment., Competing Interests: Conflict of interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023, Rai V. et al., Applied Systems and Discoveries Journals.)

Objective: Gallbladder carcinoma is the most frequent biliary tract carcinoma with over all very poor prognosis. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is known to be involved in carcinogenesis and overexpressed in various malignancies including head and neck, breast, lung and colon carcinomas. This study was done to explore the expression of EGFR in gallbladder carcinoma cases in the north Indian population so that it may be used as a therapeutic target in these patients., Materials and Methods: 59 cases of gallbladder carcinoma diagnosed by histopathological examination were included in study. Expression of EGFR was seen by immunohistochemistry method on histopathology slides., Results: Out of 59 gallbladder carcinoma cases 46 (78%) were female and 13 (22%) were male with female to male ratio of 3.54:1. Mean age was 51.71±11.32 years. On histopathological examination 51 (86.4%) cases were conventional adenocarcinoma, 2 (3.4%) adenosquamous carcinoma, 2 (3.4%) mucinous adenocarcinoma, 2 (3.4%) papillary adenocarcinoma, 1 (1.7%) signet ring cell carcinoma and 1 (1.7%) squamous cell carcinoma histological subtypes. EGFR expression was present in 31 (52.5%) of gallbladder carcinoma cases and strong EGFR expression was significantly associated with poor differentiation of tumour., Conclusion: In our study EGFR was positive in the majority of gallbladder carcinoma cases. There was inverse correlation between differentiation of tumor and EGFR expression. Strong EGFR expression was significantly higher in poorly differentiated tumors compared to well differentiated tumors suggesting its role in prognosis. This also suggest that EGFR might have a role in tumor progression and aggressiveness. Therefore, EGFR have potential to be used as therapeutic target in significant number of patients. More larger sample studies are required to confirm our findings. EGFR may be further studied as therapeutic target in clinical trials in the Indian population to improve morbidity and mortality of gallbladder carcinoma patients., Key Words: EGFR Expression, Gallbladder Carcinoma, Immunohistochemistry, Targeted Therapy.