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Neurogenic tumors are common in the mediastinum. Two cases (A 35 years old woman and a 45 years old man) presented with non specific clinical signs and worked up, According on imaging (Chest X-Ray, CT Scan, MRI) they have mediastinal tumor near thoracic spine. Two tumors were removed completely (about 1 kg) with thorcotomy. Pathology of both were schwannoma. The importance of knowledge about this tumor is its relation with thoracic spine and the spinal cord. Therefore all surgeons must noticed that this surgery (posterior thoracotomy and laminectomy) is done with the cooperation of neurosurgical team.

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a genetic disorder caused by mutations in the NF1 gene. This disorder shows nearly complete penetrance and high phenotypic variability. We used the whole-exome sequencing technique to identify mutations in 32 NF1 cases from 22 Iranian families. A total of 31 variants, including 30 point mutations and one large deletion, were detected. In eight cases, variants were inherited, while they were sporadic in the remaining. Seven novel variants, including c.5576 T > G, c.6658_6659insC, c.2322dupT, c.92_93insAA, c.4360C > T, c.3814C > T, and c.4565_4566delinsC, were identified. The current study is the largest in terms of the sample size of Iranian NF1 cases with identified mutations. The results can broaden the spectrum of NF1 mutations and facilitate the process of genetic counseling in the affected families., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Paravalvular leak (PVL) is an uncommon complication of prosthetic valve implantation, which can lead to infective endocarditis, heart failure, and hemolytic anemia. Surgical reintervention of PVLs is associated with high mortality rates. Transcatheter PVL closure (TPVLc) has emerged as an alternative to surgical reoperation. This method provides a high success rate with a low rate of complications. This article reviews the pathogenesis, clinical manifestation, diagnosis, and management of PVL and complications following TPVLc. Besides, we presented a case of a patient with severe PVL following mitral valve replacement, who experienced complete heart block (CHB) during TPVLc. The first TPVLc procedure failed in our patient due to possible AV-node insult during catheterization. After 1 week of persistent CHB, a permanent pacemaker was implanted. The defect was successfully passed using the previous attempt. Considering the advantages of TPVLc, procedure failure should be regarded as a concern. TPVLc should be performed by experienced medical teams in carefully selected patients., (© 2024 The Authors. Clinical Cardiology published by Wiley Periodicals, LLC.)

Nanotechnology research over the past several decades has been aimed primarily at improving the physicochemical properties of small molecules to produce druggable candidates as well as for tumor targeting of cytotoxic molecules. The recent focus on genomic medicine and the success of lipid nanoparticles for mRNA vaccines have provided additional impetus for the development of nanoparticle drug carriers for nucleic acid delivery, including siRNA, mRNA, DNA, and oligonucleotides, to create therapeutics that can modulate protein deregulation. Bioassays and characterizations, including trafficking assays, stability, and endosomal escape, are key to understanding the properties of these novel nanomedicine formats. We review historical nanomedicine platforms, characterization methodologies, challenges to their clinical translation, and key quality attributes for commercial translation with a view to their developability into a genomic medicine. New nanoparticle systems for immune targeting, as well as in vivo gene editing and in situ CAR therapy, are also highlighted as emerging areas., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: The Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PPCI) is the preferred therapeutic strategy for patients who experienced ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI)., Objective: We aimed to evaluate the association of hematological indices, including hemoglobin level, platelets, White Blood Cells (WBCs) count, and MPV before PPCI with the TIMI grade flow after PPCI., Methods: STEMI patients who experienced PPCI were included in the present retrospective crosssectional study. Then participants were divided into three groups based on their post-procedural TIMI flow grades. Demographic data and hematologic indices of patients before PPCI were collected and their association with the TIMI grade flow after PPCI was evaluated. To compare the quantitative and qualitative variables, chi-square and t-tests were performed, respectively., Results: We found that elevated levels of hemoglobin and decreased levels of MPV had a significant association with an advanced grade of TIMI flow. Interestingly, in the normal range, there was a significant association between higher platelet count and TIMI-flow grade 1. Besides, TIMI flow grades 2 and 3 had a significant association with low and moderate platelets count, respectively., Conclusion: In conclusion, evaluating MPV, platelets, and hemoglobin levels before PPCI as easy and accessible parameters may be able to identify high-risk STEMI patients undergoing PPCI., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Background: ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is known to be associated with significant arrhythmia and consequent mortality. QT prolongation is a risk factor for arrhythmia in STEMI patients who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI). The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the association of corrected QT interval (QTc), QT dispersion (QTd), T-wave peak to end (TPE), and fragmented QRS with mortality in these patients., Methods: Eligible patients with the characteristic symptoms of STEMI who underwent PPCI were included. QTc, QTd, TPE, and fragmented QRS were measured before and after the PPCI. These predictors were compared between patients who died during hospitalization and discharged patients., Results: After coronary angiography, 10 patients (4%) died during the hospitalization after PPCI. Comparing the non-survivers and discharged patients in terms of arrhythmia predictors showed that the mean QT dispersion and TPE before intervention were significantly higher in the non-survivors. Also, the number of patients who experienced fragmented QRS before and after the intervention was significantly higher in the non-survivors., Conclusion: These data suggested that evaluating such arrhythmia predictors, especially before PPCI, could be used as a predictor of mortality in STEMI patients who underwent PPCI., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Site specific labeling methods have significant potential to enhance the properties of antibody conjugates. While studied extensively in the context of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), few studies have examined the impact of homogenous labeling on the properties of antibody-fluorophore conjugates (AFCs). We report the application of pentafluorophenyl (PFP) esters, which had previously been shown to be reasonably selective for K188 of the kappa light chain of human IGG antibodies, toward producing AFCs. We show that simple replacement of N -hydroxy succinimide (NHS) with PFP dramatically increases the light-chain specificity of near-infrared (NIR) AFCs. Comparing the properties of AFCs labeled using NHS and PFP-activated esters reveals that the latter exhibits reduced aggregation and improved brightness, both in vitro and in vivo . Overall, the use of PFP esters provides a remarkably simple approach to provide selectively labeled antibodies with improved properties.

Optical methods offer the potential to manipulate living biological systems with exceptional spatial and temporal control. Caging bioactive molecules with photocleavable functional groups is an important strategy that could be applied to a range of problems, including the targeted delivery of otherwise toxic therapeutics. However existing approaches that require UV or blue light are difficult to apply in organismal settings due to issues of tissue penetration and light toxicity. Photocaging groups built on the heptamethine cyanine scaffold enable the targeted delivery of bioactive molecules using near-IR light (up to 780nm) in live animal settings. Here we provide a detailed procedure demonstrating the utility of the heptamethine cyanine caging group to create a light-cleavable linker between an antibody, panitumumab, and a therapeutic small molecule in the duocarmycin class of natural products. Descriptions of the design and synthesis of the small molecule component, assembly of the antibody conjugate, in vitro analysis of uncaging, in vivo imaging, and impact on tumor progression are provided., (© 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Heptamethine cyanines are broadly used for a range of near-infrared imaging applications. As with many fluorophores, these molecules are prone to forming nonemissive aggregates upon biomolecule conjugation. Prior work has focused on persulfonation strategies, which only partially address these issues. Here, we report a new set of peripheral substituents, short polyethylene glycol chains on the indolenine nitrogens and a substituted alkyl ether at the C4' position, that provide exceptionally aggregation-resistant fluorophores. These symmetrical molecules are net-neutral, can be prepared in a concise sequence, and exhibit no evidence of H-aggregation even at high labeling density when appended to monoclonal antibodies or virus-like particles. The resulting fluorophore-biomolecule conjugates exhibit exceptionally bright in vitro and in vivo signals when compared to a conventional persulfonated heptamethine cyanine. Overall, these efforts provide a new class of heptamethine cyanines with significant utility for complex labeling applications.

We demonstrate concomitant release of HNO and small molecule organics from amphiphilic poly(norbornene)-based copolymers. This key function was achieved by incorporation of thermally labile oxazine units within random and block copolymer architectures. Upon thermolysis, we observed generation of HNO and release of a small molecule conjugate. Importantly, the release kinetics of HNO and a UV-active small molecule (4-nitroaniline) were found to be 1:1, signifying an ability to monitor HNO production indirectly, or to simultaneously release organic therapeutics (e.g., nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) along with HNO. To our knowledge, these are the first reported polymeric materials demonstrating HNO release from covalently attached HNO donors.

Right ventricular myocardial infarction (RVMI) damages the systolic and diastolic functions of the RV, so the right atrium interacts with the RV with an acutely altered function. The aim of our study was to compare right atrial function as evaluated by 2D speckle-tracking echocardiography (2DSTE) between patients with inferior wall myocardial infarction (INFMI) and patients affected by both inferior myocardial infarction and right ventricular myocardial infarction (INFMI + RVMI). Our study recruited 70 consecutive patients with INFMI (43 patients without RVMI and 27 patients with RVMI). Right atrial function was evaluated by 2DSTE. Early diastolic strain, systolic strain rate, absolute value of early diastolic strain rate, expansion index, and diastolic emptying index of the right atrium were reduced in the patients with INFMI + RVMI compared to the patients with INFMI. The area under the curve for early diastolic strain for INFMI diagnosis was 0.682 (p value = 0.011, 95 % CI 0.550-0.815). Right atrial early diastolic longitudinal strain <27.5 % had 59.3 % sensitivity and 79.1 % specificity for the discrimination of INFMI + RVMI from INFMI. Our results demonstrated that right atrial reservoir and conduit functions were impaired in the patients with INFMI + RVMI compared with the patients with INFMI.

A novel class of nitrosocarbonyl precursors, N-substituted hydroxamic acids with pyrazolone leaving groups (NHPY), has been synthesized. Under physiological conditions, these compounds generate nitrosocarbonyl intermediates, which upon hydrolysis release nitroxyl (azanone, HNO) in excellent yields. The amount and rate of nitrosocarbonyl generation are dependent on the nature of the pyrazolone leaving groups and significantly on the structural properties of the NHPY donors. Pyrazolones have been found to be efficient nitrosocarbonyl traps, undergoing an N-selective nitrosocarbonyl aldol reaction. This trapping reaction has been used to confirm the involvement of nitrosocarbonyl intermediates in NHPY aqueous decomposition. In addition, NHPY compounds are shown to generate nitrosocarbonyls efficiently under mild basic conditions in organic solvent and may therefore also enjoy synthetic utility.

Heart disease is the major cause of death as well as a leading cause of disability in the developed countries. Mitral Regurgitation (MR) is a common heart disease which does not cause symptoms until its end stage. Therefore, early diagnosis of the disease is of crucial importance in the treatment process. Echocardiography is a common method of diagnosis in the severity of MR. Hence, a method which is based on echocardiography videos, image processing techniques and artificial intelligence could be helpful for clinicians, especially in borderline cases. In this paper, we introduce novel features to detect micro-patterns of echocardiography images in order to determine the severity of MR. Extensive Local Binary Pattern (ELBP) and Extensive Volume Local Binary Pattern (EVLBP) are presented as image descriptors which include details from different viewpoints of the heart in feature vectors. Support Vector Machine (SVM), Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) and Template Matching techniques are used as classifiers to determine the severity of MR based on textural descriptors. The SVM classifier with Extensive Uniform Local Binary Pattern (ELBPU) and Extensive Volume Local Binary Pattern (EVLBP) have the best accuracy with 99.52%, 99.38%, 99.31% and 99.59%, respectively, for the detection of Normal, Mild MR, Moderate MR and Severe MR subjects among echocardiography videos. The proposed method achieves 99.38% sensitivity and 99.63% specificity for the detection of the severity of MR and normal subjects., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Due to its inherent reactivity, HNO must be generated in situ through the use of donor compounds. One of the primary strategies for the development of new HNO donors has been modifying hydroxylamines with good leaving groups. A recent example of this strategy is the (hydroxylamino)barbituric acid (HABA) class of HNO donors. In this case, however, an undesired intramolecular rearrangement pathway to the corresponding hydantoin derivative competes with HNO formation, particularly in the absence of chemical traps for HNO. This competitive non-HNO-producing pathway has restricted the development of the HABA class to examples with fast HNO release profiles at physiological pH and temperature (t(1/2) < 1 min). Herein, the factors that favor the rearrangement pathway have been examined and two independent strategies that protect against rearrangement to favor HNO generation have been developed. The timecourse and stoichiometry for the in vitro conversion of these compounds to HNO (trapped as a phosphine aza-ylide) and the corresponding barbituric acid (BA) byproduct have been determined by (1)H NMR spectroscopy under physiologically relevant conditions. These results confirm the successful extension of the HABA class of pure HNO donors with half-lives at pH 7.4, 37 °C ranging from 19 to 107 min.

Background: As a well-known, physical carcinogen, ambient X-ray pollution assessment would be of great importance in today's modern world. Accordingly, the present study was done to measure the exposure level of ambient X-ray at inspection gates of two airports in Iran. According to which, the X-ray was measured at different points of the inspection gates including closed and opened Curtain, as well as seating place of operators beside the X-ray inspection systems. The recorded data were then analyzed by "sign" and t-tests., Results: The total average exposure level of the measured x-ray was 2.68 ± 0.73 μsv.h(-1). The measured x-ray exposure level was 2.07 ± 0.61 (μsv.h(-1)) released from RAPISCAN X-ray inspection system and 3.3 ± 1.34 (μsv.h(-1)) emitted from HEIMANN X-ray inspection system. Comparison of average x-ray doses of the systems in both airports showed that the minimum and maximum exposure levels were recorded at 1(m) far from the devices and at the entrance of the devices, respectively., Conclusions: The exposure levels at all measurement points were lower than the occupational exposure limit. This reveals the fact that the exposed operators are not probably at risk of adverse health effects.

Albright"s hereditary osteodystrophy (AHO) is a complex genetic disorder characterized by brachydactyly, gonadotropin resistance, hypothyroidism, pseudohypoparathyroid syndrome and heterotopic ossification. Heterotopic ossification rarely occurs in the maxillofacial region. In this article, we present such a case, describe the etiology, characteristics and treatment of AHO and suggest a potential role of an inhibitor of bone formation such as fetuin in preventing recurrence of aberrant ossification.