Irregular Branching Research Articles

Microvenular Hemangioma Presenting With Numerous Bilateral Macules, Patches, and Plaques

Microvenular hemangioma (MVH) is a rare, slowly growing, benign vascular tumor that typically presents as a solitary enlarging plaque or nodule on the trunk or the extremities of young to middle-aged adults. A minority of MVH present with multiple lesions that are either gradually or suddenly acquired (eruptive MVH). Herein, we report a case of a 53-year-old woman who progressively developed numerous bilateral MVHs presenting as enlarging, blanching, erythematous to violaceous macules, patches, and plaques over the proximal thighs and axillae. Two biopsies exhibited the irregular branching venules with inconspicuous lumina lacking endothelial atypia and associated with dermal fibrosis characteristic of MVH. Immunophenotypically, the endothelium expressed Wilms Tumor 1, CD31, CD34, and erythrocyte-type glucose transporter protein (GLUT-1) GLUT-1 focally and was negative for Human herpes virus 8 and the lymphatic marker D2-40. In addition, numerous dermal spindle cells expressing CD34 and procollagen, putative fibrocytes, surrounded the thickened dermal collagen bundles and small vessels of MVH implicating a reactive/reparative (proliferative) process due to an unrecognized cutaneous injury. A review of MVH summarizing its clinicopathologic findings and its natural history is presented.

Estimation of Seepage Losses in Ephemeral Network and Branching Streams

AbstractFlood routing of seasonal waterways with no base flow involves considerable uncertainties due to transmission losses. This case would be more complex when water flows into network and branching rivers. A finite-difference scheme is developed in this study to solve Saint-Venant equations for unsteady flow through irregular branching streams. An alternative technique (staggered method) was employed for solving linearized equations. Water elevation at fluvial connections is determined at any time step implicitly using the influence line method. The accuracy of the model and its ability to simulate flow and losses is examined for steady and unsteady flow estates. This is done for simple and complex systems of channels (in situ and artificial systems) with and without consideration of seepage losses. Due to uncertainties involved in practice, results of the model verification showed an acceptable range of error when estimating seepage losses in complex systems. The results of this study reveal the cons...

Microcystic Variant of Urothelial Carcinoma

Background. Microcystic variant of urothelial carcinoma is one of the new variants of urothelial carcinoma that was added to the WHO classification in 2004. Aims. To review the literature on microcystic variant of urothelial carcinoma. Methods. Various internet search engines were used to identify reported cases of the tumour. Results. Microscopic features of the tumour include: (i) Conspicuous intracellular and intercellular lumina/microcysts encompassed by malignant urothelial or squamous cells. (ii) The lumina are usually empty; may contain granular eosinophilic debris, mucin, or necrotic cells. (iii) The cysts may be variable in size; round, or oval, up to 2 mm; lined by urothelium which are either flattened cells or low columnar cells however, they do not contain colonic epithelium or goblet cells; are infiltrative; invade the muscularis propria; mimic cystitis cystica and cystitis glandularis; occasionally exhibit neuroendocrine differentiation. (iv) Elongated and irregular branching spaces are usually seen. About 17 cases of the tumour have been reported with only 2 patients who have survived. The tumour tends to be of high-grade and high-stage. There is no consensus opinion on the best option of treatment of the tumour. Conclusions. It would prove difficult at the moment to be dogmatic regarding its prognosis but it is a highly aggressive tumour. New cases of the tumour should be reported in order to document its biological behaviour.

FIRST REPORT OF GRAPEVINE DEFORMATION VIRUS AND GRAPEVINE ANATOLIAN RING SPOT VIRUS IN IRAN

Viral diseases are major limiting factors for grapevine (Vitis vinifera) production in northwest Iran, in the vineyards of which samples were collected from vegetating symptomatic plants dur- ing summer 2010. Total nucleic acid (TNA) was extracted from the leaves of 137 vines by the silica capture method and used as templates for RT-PCR using random hexamer primers. PCR frag- ments 371 and 425 bp in size were amplified using two pairs of primers for the specific recognition of Grapevine deformation virus (GDefV) and Grapevine Anatolian ringspot virus (GARSV), respectively (Digiaro et al., 2007). A GDefV-specific 371 bp DNA fragment was amplified from 1 of the 137 samples. The vine infected by this virus displayed distorted and mottled leaves with asymmetric blades, irregular branching of the canes and short internodes, as reported from Turkey (Gokalp et al., 2003). A GARSV-specific 425 bp DNA fragment was amplified from an- other of the 137 vines, which showed distorted and mottled leaves, asymmetric blades and chlorotic spots, i.e. symptoms that do not correspond to those shown by Turkish vines affected by the same virus (Cigsar et al., 2003). Such diverse symptomatology may be accounted for by differences in the genotype of GARSV isolates, or in grapevine cultivars, or a combination of both. On the basis of these data, we conclude that GDefV and GARSV are present in Iran, from where they are reported for the first time. Both viruses were discovered in Turkey in 2003 (Gokalp et al., 2003; Cigsar et al., 2003) but have not been found elsewhere.

Callus ontogeny of the Kappaphycus alvarezii (Rhodophyta, Gigartinales) brown tetrasporophyte strain

This study analyzes the callus ontogeny of the Kappaphycus alvarezii brown strain tetrasporophyte using micropropagation and tissue culture. Calli were induced from axenic explants and grown for 2 months. Ontogenic analysis was made in explants collected from days7 to 60 of culture and observed under light and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). At the end of the experimental period, 60-day samples were also analyzed by confocal microscopy. Formation of calli was initiated in the first week from medullary and cortical cells of the explant region in air contact. Alterations in the apical region of the cells were observed in TEM as cell wall thickening, proliferation of convoluted membranes, increased number of mitochondria and chloroplast alterations, indicating the dedifferentiation of these cells. Throughout the experiment, the thick cell wall of the cells which compose callus filaments showed the presence of acidic polysaccharides, suggesting a large amount of carrageenan and neutral polysaccharides. The cytoplasm showed the following main characteristics: large amount of starch grains, presence of chloroplasts with al- tered plastoglobules, as well as disorganized thylakoids, presence of several convoluted membranes, and vacuoles. These filaments maintained their uniseriate organization and irregular branching with many intercellular connections be- tween them. Despite the initial stress caused by explant isolation and the beginning of callus formation, results showed that filaments were capable of reorganization and development, retaining their dedifferentiated cells, which, in turn, strongly suggested the potential of callus-based micropropagation.

The activity of phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C is required for vegetative growth and cell wall regeneration in Coprinopsis cinerea

Three isotypes of phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C designated CcPLC1, CcPLC2, and CcPLC3 were identified in Coprinopsis cinerea, through a search of the genome sequence database. The functional role of the PI-PLCs were studied by using U73122, which specifically inhibits the activity of PI-PLC. The specificity of the inhibitor effect was confirmed by using an inactive structural analog U73433. The inhibition of PI-PLCs activity resulted in severely retarded germination of basidiospores and oidia, reduced hyphal growth, knobbly hyphal tips with many irregular side branches, and aberrant (branch-like structure) clamp cells. Furthermore, U73122 definitely inhibited cell wall formation. Here we report that PI-PLCs play important roles in various aspects of C. cinerea biology.

Gastric Adenocarcinoma With Chief Cell Differentiation

Gastric adenocarcinoma with chief cell differentiation (GA-CCD) has been reported as a new, rare variant of gastric adenocarcinoma. Only 12 cases in Japanese patients have been described to date, but they demonstrate distinct clinicopathologic features. To further characterize these lesions, we have collected 10 additional cases. Patients ranged in age from 44 to 79 years (mean, 64.2 y) with a relatively equal sex distribution (6 women and 4 men). Stratified by race, 4 patients were Hispanic, 2 were White, 2 were African American, 1 was Asian (Chinese), and the race was unknown for 1 patient. All patients presented with gastroesophageal reflux that prompted an endoscopic examination. The majority of GA-CCDs were identified in the fundus (7 of 10, 70%) and the remaining in the cardia (n=3). Grossly, they were solitary and polypoid, ranging in size from 0.2 to 0.8 cm (mean, 0.4 cm). Histologically, all cases were centered in the deep mucosa, with focal involvement of surface foveolar epithelium in 3 (30%) cases but not the submucosa. The tumors consisted of clustered glands and irregular branching cords of oxyntic epithelium. Thin wisps of radiating smooth muscle separated the epithelium, but desmoplasia was distinctly absent in all cases. The oxyntic mucosa was 1 to 2 cells thick and composed of a mixture of mucous neck, parietal, and chief cells. In 7 of 10 (70%) cases, chief cells were the predominant cell type, whereas the remaining 3 cases consisted primarily of mucous neck cells. The nuclei were mildly enlarged with slight nuclear pleomorphism, but no mitotic figures were identified. In addition, necrosis, lymphovascular invasion, and perineural invasion were absent. Immunohistochemically, GA-CCDs were diffusely positive for MUC6 (10 of 10, 100%) and negative for MUC5AC (0%) and MUC2 (0%). Ki-67 immunolabeling demonstrated variable expression, with the highest areas ranging from 0.2% to 10%. Clinical follow-up was available for 9 of 10 (90%) patients and ranged from 6 to 39 months. One patient had persistence of lesion at 6 months because of incomplete removal, whereas the other 8 were disease free. In summary, GA-CCDs are solitary, mucosal lesions of the gastric cardia/fundus that arise in patients from multiple ethnic backgrounds. Considering that patients within this study and those reported previously have had neither true recurrence nor progression of disease, these lesions are best regarded as benign. Consequently, the term GA-CCD is contradictory and we prefer the descriptive term "oxyntic gland polyp/adenoma" until further studies can clarify the pathogenesis of these lesions and their natural history.

Vap (Vascular Associated Protein): A novel factor involved in erythropoiesis and angiogenesis

Both endothelial and erythroid cells are generated in the intermediate cell mass (ICM) during zebrafish embryogenesis, but the nature of the genes that contribute to the processes of erythrocyte maturation and blood vessel network formation is not fully understood. From our in situ-based screening, we have identified a novel factor, Vap (Vascular Associated Protein) that is predominantly expressed in the ICM, and subsequently enriched in endothelial cells. Vap expression in the ICM was drastically suppressed in the cloche mutant that has defects in both vasculogenesis and hematopoiesis, whereas Vap expression was not affected in the vlad tepes/gata1 mutant. Knockdown of Vap using anti-sense morpholinos (VAP-MO) not only resulted in decreased numbers of erythrocytes but also in the strong suppression of hemoglobin production. Further, we found that Vap knockdown caused the disorganization of the intersegmental vessels (ISVs), which show irregular branching. We propose that Vap plays an important role in the maturation of endothelial and erythroid cells in zebrafish.

Optimal Structural Frequency Design of Stiffened Shell

Frequency-aimed optimal structural design of stiffened shell is concerned. It is a reverse design problem for the first several modal frequencies to converge to a set of target value. A design method combined modified bi-directional evolutionary structural optimization (BESO) and size optimization is presented. Optimization model consists of skin and regular grid frame structure. To solve irregular branches and holes that often exist in ordinary topology optimization results, instead of elements, the existence states of ribs in the frame are used as design variables and sensitivity of the rib is discussed. Detailed design is conducted by size optimization. Example shows that frequency requirements are achieved. And the optimum structure is regular and clear, the localized modes problem is avoid. This is very suitable for designing airplane wind tunnel flutter test models.

In Situ Electrochemical Thinning of Barrier Oxide Layer of Porous Anodic Alumina Template

We present three different in-situ post anodization electrochemical techniques to thin down the barrier oxide layers. These techniques include exponential voltage decay, exponential voltage decay with steps and exponential current decay. Faster rate of voltage drops in case of exponential voltage decay results in pore bottom without any modification, where as exponential voltage decay with steps modifies the pore bottom with formation of irregular pore branches. However, exponential current with critical decay constant reduces the oxide barrier layer thickness effectively with formation of narrow open channels along the radial directions of hemispherical pore bottom. The samples prepared under exponential current decay was subjected in KCl solution for a very short span of time to widen channels diameter using cathodic polarization and the resulting structure (porous alumina with open pores) remains on the aluminum substrate. The resulting AAO membrane along with aluminum substrate was used to grow silver nano-wires.

First Report of Fruit Rot Disease on Pomelo Caused by Lasiodiplodia theobromae in China.

Pomelo (Citrus grandis) is widely cultivated in MeiZhou Guangdong Province of China. In 2008, a disease on pomelo fruit caused significant economic losses by affecting fruit quality. Diseased fruit was collected in December 2008 from MeiZhou Guangdong, surface sterilized in 75% ethanol for 1 min and internal necrotic tissue was transferred to potato dextrose agar (PDA) and incubated at 28°C for 5 days. Three single-spore isolates were obtained from different fruit and identified as Lasiodiplodia theobromae (Pat.) Griffon & Maubl. (synonyms Diplodia natalensis Pole-Evans and Botryodiplodia theobromae Pat.; teleomorph Botryosphaeria rhodina (Cooke) Arx) on the basis of morphological and physiological features. The fungus produced dark brown colonies (initially grayish) on PDA. Young hyphae were hyaline and aseptate, whereas mature hyphae were septate with irregular branches. Cultures of L. theobromae produced globular or irregular pycnidia abundantly on PDA (pH 3.5) at 28°C after 1 month. Mature conidia of L. theobromae were 20 to 26 × 12 to 15.5 μm, subovoid to ellipsoid-ovoid, initially hyaline and nonseptate, remaining hyaline for a long time, and finally becoming dark brown and one septate with melanin deposits on the inner surface of the wall arranged longitudinally giving a striate appearance to the conidia. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the rDNA was amplified from gDNA using primers ITS1 (5'-TCCGATGGTGAACCTGCGG-3') and ITS4 (5'-TCCTCCGCTTATTGATATGC-3') (1). Amplicons were 542 bp long (GenBank Accession No. JF693024) and had 100% nucleotide identity with the corresponding sequence (GenBank Accession No. EU860391) of L. theobromae isolated from a Pinus sp. (2). To satisfy Koch's postulates, six asymptomatic fruit on potted plants were sprayed until runoff with a spore suspension (1 × 106 spores/ml) prepared from 30-day-old cultures of one isolate. Control fruit received water. Plants were covered with sterile wet gauze to maintain high humidity. Fruit spot symptoms similar to those on diseased field fruit appeared after 15 days on all inoculated fruits. L. theobromae was reisolated from all inoculated test fruit. No symptoms were observed on the fruit of control plants. To our knowledge, this is the first report of L. theobromae causing disease on pomelo fruit in China. This pathogen has also been previously reported to be economically important on a number of other hosts by mostly affecting the leaves.

Visualization and Monitoring of Acute Epistaxis during Endovascular Treatment using a Flat Detector CT

Epistaxis is one of the most common emergencies of ENT surgery and can be managed conservatively in most cases. However, transarterial embolization is an accepted treatment option for intractable epistaxis, if conservative management fails. But often, direct detection of the bleeding point by obvious contrast extravasation is not possible in conventional subtracted angiographic series (DSA). Then the suspected bleeding point is treated by endovascular embolization based on the clinical suspicion. We here present the case of a young woman with intractable epistaxis where hemorrhage with contrast extravasation was only faintly visible. We used the new imaging modality of flat detector computed tomography (FD-CT) to visualize acute hemorrhage and treatment effect accurately. FD-CT was helpful to visualize both irregular branches of the bleeding mucosa and active hemorrhage and also to monitor an effective embolization within the angio suite. Acquisition of FD-CT imaging in addition to conventional 2-D imaging with the same system enhances the possibility to a better understanding of the individual patient's anatomy and could be beneficial in the accurate depiction of active bleeding, and it might also improve surgical management, if endovascular attempts should fail.

Dendritic gates for signal integration with excitability-dependent responsiveness

The shape and excitability of neuronal dendrites are expected to be responsible for the functional characteristics of information processing in the brain. In the present study, we proposed that excitable media with branching patterns mimicked the multi-signal integration of neuronal computation. We initially examined the conditions of the coincidence detection of two inputs as the simplest form of signal integration. We considered a gate with two channels that was bound by a circular joint with uniform excitability and demonstrated that the time window for the coincidence detection was controlled by the geometry and excitability of the gate. The functions of the gate were due to the unique property of the excitation waves, known as the curvature effect. The expanded spatial spread diluted the incoming excitation signals to insufficient levels to sustain wave advancement. Next, we applied dendritic gates that were reminiscent of neuronal dendrites for multi-signal integration. The irregular dendritic patterns were produced by a cellular automaton model of self-organizing pattern formation that adopted the semi-random grid in numerical simulations. We demonstrated that the threshold operation for multiple inputs was conducted by the dendritic pattern. The thresholds varied among gates owing to their irregular patterns, and were adjusted by changing the excitability without changing the gate geometry. The materializable model may provide a novel biomimetic approach for developing fuzzy hardware with adjustable responsiveness.

Formation of Si Nanowires by Direct Electrolytic Reduction of Porous SiO2 Pellets in Molten CaCl2

The effects of starting material and catalyst on the morphology of produced Si have been investigated for the direct electrolytic reduction of porous SiO2 pellets in molten CaCl2 at 1123 K. The Si nanowires (SiNWs) were produced using amorphous SiO2 pellets with a tetrapod-like microstructure as the starting material, whereas plate-like Si was obtained from pellets made of spherical fumed SiO2. The SiNWs showed irregular branching and a wide distribution of diameters as the electrolysis proceeded. On the other hand, elongated SiNWs were formed during the electrolysis of pellets comprised of Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) and tetrapod-like microstructured SiO2 powder. This suggests that AuNPs work as catalysts for longitudinal nanowire growth in the present electrolytic process.

Structural computational modelling of the tracheo‐bronchial tree of the bottlenose dolphin

The trachea of marine mammals is composed by irregular semi‐continuous branching cartilaginous rings, lacks muscular tissue in the dorsal region, and possesses a huge network of venous lacunae in the submucosal layer. Several questions remain open concerning how the tracheal dead space may stand the pressure during prolonged and very deep dives. We investigated the structure of the trachea‐bronchial tree of both the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and the goat (used for comparison with man), and developed a computational model to simulate the structural deformation of the organ during diving. Biomechanical tests provided reliable data on the stress‐strain relationships for cartilage and connective tissue to be implemented in a computational FE model. Our data showed that in the goat the smooth muscle collapses when external water pressure increases. Contrarily to that, the tracheo‐bronchial tree of the bottlenose dolphin better resists to external pressure due to the stiffer mechanical properties of the cartilage and the peculiar conformation of the cartilaginous rings. Furthermore, the absence of a tracheal muscle increases the robustness of the structure, and the air trapped within contributes to hinder the airways collapse phenomenon.

A healed echinococcus pathological femoral shaft non-union—A case report and a literature review

Hydatid disease is prevalent throughout much of the world, mainly in the developing world and unprivileged areas. There are twelve subtypes of Echinococcus known today. However, in humans there are two main types of infection—Echinococcus multilocularis causing alveolar and Echinococcus granulosus which causes the cystic echinococcosis. The incidence of bone disease, caused by echinococcus is rare as only 0.5–4.5% of cases of echinococcosis have bony involvement. Primary hydatid disease of bone, is caused by E. granulosus, occurs when a bloodborne scolex settles in bone. In bone involvement, pericyst formation of the echinococcus does not occur, thereby allowing aggressive proliferation in an irregular branching fashion along the line of least resistance, especially the bone canals. When this proliferation causes damage severe enough to create a compromise in the solidity of the bone, a pathological fracture may occur. However, very few reports deal with the treatment of pathological long bone fractures, especially as the sole presentation of the echinococcus usually with a grim outcome. We present a case of a pathological femur fracture non-union caused as an isolated bony infection of echinococcus, treated successfully with serial debridements, antibiotics and fixation with a locked plate construct.

Trichoblastoma of the Breast Detected by Screening Mammography: A Diagnostic Pitfall

Trichoblastoma of the Breast Detected by Screening Mammography: A Diagnostic Pitfall

Reexamination of the genus Pterocladiella (Gelidiaceae, Rhodophyta) in Korea based on morphology and rbcL sequences

Although Pterocladiella is a well-known agar-producing red algal genus, its taxonomy in Korea appears to be confused. In the present study, we demonstrate the occurrence of Pterocladiella nana and P. tenuis, as well as P. capillacea in Korea on the basis of morphological and plastid rbcL sequence comparisons. P. capillacea commonly occurs along the coasts of Korea and has regular pinnate branches with abundant second-order branches, growing up to 10 cm in length. P. nana occurs in the intertidal zone of Jeju and is distinguished by the small size of its thalli (up to 5 cm) and regular branches with up to third-order branches. P. tenuis is distributed mostly subtidally on the southern coast of Jeju and has irregular branches with rarely second-order branches, growing up to 19 cm in length. We determined rbcL sequences from 19 specimens (15 from Korea and four from France) and downloaded 28 sequences from GenBank. Analyses of all 47 rbcL sequences revealed that each of three species was consistently resolved. P. capillacea and P. tenuis always formed a sister clade with P. nana at the base. Given that 12 rbcL haplotypes from 28 specimens of P. capillacea have been found to date, analysis of a fast-evolving gene from across the range of the species should highlight its genetic diversity.

Using morphometrics, in situ observations and genetic characters to distinguish among commercially valuable Hawaiian black coral species; a redescription of Antipathes grandis Verrill, 1928 (Antipatharia:Antipathidae)

The commercially valuable Hawaiian black coral Antipathes grandis Verrill, 1928 is redescribed based on reexamination of the holotype from the Bernice P. Bishop Museum and field collections of 34 specimens from depths of 27–127 m. The first scanning electron micrographs of A. grandis skeletal spines are provided, along with a series of in situ colour photographs and morphometric measurements of spines and polyps. Three colour morphotypes were collected in the field (red, pale red, and white), none of which could be differentiated based on morphological or genetic characters (two mitochondrial and two nuclear markers). In situ observations are used in conjunction with morphological and genetic characters to distinguish among the commercially valuable Hawaiian black coral species A. grandis and A. griggi Opresko, 2009. A. grandis is differentiated from A. griggi by its finer and more irregular branching, smaller and more closely-spaced polyps, and conical spines that are smaller and not characterised by bifurcations towards their apex. Morphologically, the species most closely resembling A. grandis is A. caribbeana Opresko, 1996 from the Caribbean. Among analysed congenerics, DNA sequences of A. grandis were likewise most similar to those of A. caribbeana for three of the four molecular markers used in this study. A combination of low genetic variability, incomplete taxonomic sampling, and unexpected similarity between A. caribbeana and the unbranched whip coral Stichopathes cf. occidentalis (Gray, 1860), hindered our ability to determine the sister relationship of A. grandis. However, in no phylogenetic reconstruction did A. grandis group sister to its sympatric congener A. griggi.

Phylogenetic diversification of Equisetum (Equisetales) as inferred from Lower Cretaceous species of British Columbia, Canada

Three types of anatomically preserved vegetative shoots with features that characterize crown group Equisetum have been discovered in Lower Cretaceous deposits (≈136 Ma) of British Columbia, Canada, suggesting the genus is much older than currently believed. Specimens include two types of aerial shoots described as E. haukeanum sp. nov. and E. vancouverense sp. nov. and one type of subterranean rhizome. Shoots are 1-2 mm in diameter, jointed, and in cross section have fluted stems with a hollow pith. Distinctive patterns of cortical sclerenchyma and different ridge morphologies characterize each shoot morphotype. Nodes display irregular branching, highly fused leaf sheaths, and a nodal diaphragm. The aerial stem morphospecies have vallecular canals on alternating radii with carinal canals of an equisetostele surrounded by only a few tracheids. No secondary tissues are produced. Bands of surficial stomata flank the furrows of one morphospecies. Rhizomes and aerial shoots are of a similar size, suggesting that the plants were equivalent in stature to the smallest living Equisetum species. These fossils augment our understanding of evolutionary transformations that led from Paleozoic Archaeocalamitaceae and Calamitaceae to crown group Equisetaceae, suggesting that the initial diversification of Equisetum began far earlier than suggested by molecular-clock-based estimates.