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Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a systemic syndrome whose etiology involves both environmental and genetic factors. Infections may play an important part in the etiology by using different mechanisms, predominantly molecular mimicry, to induce antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL). aPL are often associated with false-positive serological tests for toxoplasmosis, rubella, cytomegalovirus, herpes, human immunodeficiency virus, Lyme disease, and syphilis. A higher prevalence of aPL has been seen in the serum of patients of similar descent, and in mouse models. The hypercoagulable state in APS involves all three major components governing hemostasis: platelets, fibrinolysis, and the coagulation cascade. aPL inhibit both protein C activation and the function of activated protein C, thereby preventing the inactivation of activated factor V and VIII. Potentiation of the procoagulant activity of human umbilical vein endothelial cells by aPL is strongly decreased after depleting IgG from the serum.

Eclampsia has been studied extensively over the last decades. Several pathophysiological mechanisms and animal models have been proposed for the disease. However, to date, none of t hem can fully explain the neuronal pathophysiology of eclamptic convulsions and the associated deleterious complications. Magnesium is the drug of choice for the prophylaxis and treatment of eclampsia in addition to prompt delivery. There is evidence to su ggest that the beneficial effect of magnesium is exerted via modulation of the N - Methyl - D - Aspartate Receptor (NMDAR). The aim of this review is to explore the molecular mechanism by which magnesium exerts its neuroprotective effect and prevents eclamptic c onvulsions through the NMDAR activation pathway. Future investigations and alternative treatments are discussed.

Background The increasing prevalence of cancer survivors who are infertile due to gonadal failure highlights the importance of fertility preservation prior to gonadotoxic treatments. Adolescent cancer patients may not be mature enough to produce sperm by masturbation, leading to the use of alternative methods for obtaining sperm for cryopreservation. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of electroejaculation (EEJ) for cryopreservation among adolescent cancer patients. Procedure This retrospective cohort study included 45 adolescent (12–18 years old) cancer patients who underwent EEJ during 2002–2012 in an academic tertiary referral fertility center. Sperm cryopreservation, ejaculate parameters, and procedure complications were evaluated. Results EEJ was performed without documented complications. Sperm was successfully obtained in 30 (66.7%) patients. Retrieval failures included ejaculates without sperm in 8 patients (17.8%) and no ejaculate in 7 patients (15.5%). Cryopreserved ejaculates were characterized by severe asthenospermia, normal sperm concentration, and low volume. Retrieved sperm group was further divided to 19 motile sperm ejaculates with significantly higher volume, sperm concentration, and total count compared to 10 non-motile sperm patients. Conclusions EEJ is a safe and feasible procedure for cryopreservation in adolescent cancer patients who are unable to masturbate. The wide diversity of EEJ outcome and ejaculate parameters may represent a continuum of pubertal changes in that population. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2014;61:286–290. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Vaccine adjuvants and vaccines may induce autoimmune and inflammatory manifestations in susceptible individuals. To date most human vaccine trials utilize aluminum (Al) adjuvants as placebos despite much evidence showing that Al in vaccine-relevant exposures can be toxic to humans and animals. We sought to evaluate the effects of Al adjuvant and the HPV vaccine Gardasil versus the true placebo on behavioral and inflammatory parameters in female mice. Six-week-old C57BL/6 female mice were injected with either, Gardasil, Gardasil + pertussis toxin (Pt), Al hydroxide, or, vehicle control in amounts equivalent to human exposure. At 7.5 months of age, Gardasil and Al-injected mice spent significantly more time floating in the forced swimming test (FST) in comparison with vehicle-injected mice (Al, p = 0.009; Gardasil, p = 0.025; Gardasil + Pt, p = 0.005). The increase in floating time was already highly significant at 4.5 months of age for the Gardasil and Gardasil + Pt group (p ? 0.0001). No significant differences were observed in the number of stairs climbed in the staircase test which measures locomotor activity. These results indicate that differences observed in the FST were unlikely due to locomotor dysfunction, but rather due to depression. Moreover, anti-HPV antibodies from the sera of Gardasil and Gardasil + Pt-injected mice showed cross-reactivity with the mouse brain protein extract. Immunohistochemistry analysis revealed microglial activation in the CA1 area of the hippocampus of Gardasil-injected mice. It appears that Gardasil via its Al adjuvant and HPV antigens has the ability to trigger neuroinflammation and autoimmune reactions, further leading to behavioral changes. © 2016, Springer Science+Business Media New York.

This article has been withdrawn at the request of the Editor-in-Chief due to serious concerns regarding the scientific soundness of the article. Review by the Editor-in-Chief and evaluation by outside experts, confirmed that the methodology is seriously flawed, and the claims that the article makes are unjustified. As an international peer-reviewed journal we believe it is our duty to withdraw the article from further circulation, and to notify the community of this issue. The full Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal can be found at http://www.elsevier.com/locate/withdrawalpolicy .

The increasing prevalence of cancer survivors who are infertile due to gonadal failure highlights the importance of fertility preservation prior to gonadotoxic treatments. Adolescent cancer patients may not be mature enough to produce sperm by masturbation, leading to the use of alternative methods for obtaining sperm for cryopreservation. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of electroejaculation (EEJ) for cryopreservation among adolescent cancer patients.This retrospective cohort study included 45 adolescent (12-18 years old) cancer patients who underwent EEJ during 2002-2012 in an academic tertiary referral fertility center. Sperm cryopreservation, ejaculate parameters, and procedure complications were evaluated.EEJ was performed without documented complications. Sperm was successfully obtained in 30 (66.7%) patients. Retrieval failures included ejaculates without sperm in 8 patients (17.8%) and no ejaculate in 7 patients (15.5%). Cryopreserved ejaculates were characterized by severe asthenospermia, normal sperm concentration, and low volume. Retrieved sperm group was further divided to 19 motile sperm ejaculates with significantly higher volume, sperm concentration, and total count compared to 10 non-motile sperm patients.EEJ is a safe and feasible procedure for cryopreservation in adolescent cancer patients who are unable to masturbate. The wide diversity of EEJ outcome and ejaculate parameters may represent a continuum of pubertal changes in that population.

A 35-year-old otherwise healthy woman was found unconscious on the floor of her room in the delivery ward 3 days after giving birth by a cesarean section. Following primary evaluation and resuscitation, a relaparotomy for assumed internal bleeding was performed, and active bleeding from a splenic artery aneurysm was discovered. The following case report reminds us yet again that the puerperium is a highly unique period in a woman's life during which submerged pathologies surface, and therefore, poses a great challenge to the caring physician. In this article, the authors report the sequence of events leading from the patient's admittance to the cesarean section to her subsequent relaparotomy. A brief review is presented on the literature related to splenic artery aneurysm rupture during pregnancy and the puerperium.

Cardiac troponins are released from myocytes following myocardial damage and loss of membrane integrity. Their significance when diagnosing acute myocardial infarction is immense, e.g., their high sensitivity and specificity for myocardial tissue, the prognostic information they bear, and their role in risk stratification and therapeutic decisions. However, one cannot fully and blindly rely on cTn testing in diagnosing acute MI since many other conditions are associated with elevation of troponin. A review of the literature demonstrates a myriad of such examples including non-thrombotic cardiac injury, systemic diseases and laboratory interferences. Failure to acknowledge the differential diagnosis of elevated troponin may lead to over-diagnosis of MI and, accordingly, misdiagnosis of the real cause. It is of utmost importance that all physicians who measure troponin recognize the possibility of falsely diagnosing Ml and are familiar with the main alternative causes for cardiac troponin elevation.