Longest Axis Research Articles

Sister Marie Joseph Nodule in a Polypathological Patient: Study of an Observation at the Dermatology Hospital of Bamako (Mali)

Summary: Sister Mary Joseph nodule is a metastatic localization with a generally abdominal-pelvic origin and secondary to a primary adenocarcinoma in 90% of cases. We report an observation of Sister Mary Joseph nodule revealing a primary adenocarcinoma of the colon in a young adult with multiple pathologies. Observation: A 57-year-old patient, followed for hepatitis B, HIV1+, and benefiting from a therapeutic regimen (Tenofovir+Lamivudine+Dolutegravir) since 2019 and later a hyperthyroidism of incidental discovery. For one year he has had a firm nodular ulceration measuring 07 cm in its longest axis, with a reddish-pink appearance and whitish deposits, a haemorrhagic ooze on contact, and located at the umbilicus. Also, a tongue laden with whitish coatings that are easily removed with a tongue depressor and the inner surface of the cheeks and palate are erythematous. Bilateral exophthalmos abolished vocal vibrations in both lung bases; two hard left inguinal adenopathies adhering to the deep plane, painless, 3 cm in diameter each. He also described episodes of alternating constipation and diarrhoea accompanied by abdominal pain, coughing, physical asthenia and weight loss (40% loss in 2 years). Anatomopathology of a fragment of the nodule revealed a well-differentiated adenocarcinoma whose tumour cells were of colorectal origin and expressed CK20 and CK8/18. Colonoscopy revealed a multilobed polyploid tumour of the ascending colon and histology concluded that it was a liberkuhnian adenocarcinoma. A chest CT scan revealed pulmonary and abdominal-pelvic metastases and the diagnosis of a Sister Mary Joseph nodule revealing a colonic and metastatic adenocarcinoma was made. The patient was referred to the oncology department for palliative care after the surgical opinion. Conclusion: The nodule of Sister Marie Joseph is a cutaneous metastasis revealing a cancer of the abdominopelvic sphere. This rare and characteristic tumour deserves to be known by practitioners .......

Energy and economic analysis for the selection of optimal greenhouse design: A case study of the six Morocco’s climatic zones

Early in the greenhouses' development, energy optimization must be taken into account. Without a doubt, the greenhouse's design and location affect the amount of energy it requires for heating and cooling. As a result, for a particular type of cultivation and under a specific set of environment conditions, the design of the greenhouse should be chosen to preserve its best possible microclimate conditions. The purpose of this study is to assess various greenhouse designs (shape, envelope material and orientation) in order to choose the most appropriate one for each Morocco’s climatic zone. For that, different shape/ envelope material combinations are considered, namely nine shapes (uneven span, single slop, standard even span, modified IARI, mansard roof, quonset, gothic arch, modified quonset, and modified gothic arch) and four materials (low-density polyethylene, bubbled polyethylene, ethylenevinyl acetate and glass). After the selection of the suitable combination, four orientations were investigated, namely 0°, 90°, 45° and −45° (longer axis vs North-South axis). Further improvements have been made to the greenhouse's energy efficiency by utilizing natural controlled ventilation to reduce the requirement for cooling, and nocturnal thermal insulation that operates during the heating season period. Different parameters are considered to determine the potential for energy savings and to choose the more adequate design in each climatic zone: the greenhouse heating and cooling thermal loads, the incident solar radiation on the greenhouse floor, depending on the considered plant needs, and the yearly air-conditioning cost.

Abstract 2420: Interstitial chemo-phototherapy for treatment of locally advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: A preclinical study

Abstract Background Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have a poor prognosis with a 5-year survival rate of only 35%. Patients with locally advanced HCC (single or multinodal tumors >3 cm) may not be candidates for curative treatments such as surgical resection, liver transplant or thermal ablation due to tumor size, poor liver function, or other medical co-morbidities. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential use of interstitial chemo-phototherapy (I-CPT) to treat locally advanced HCC with a porphyrin-phospholipid (PoP) liposomal formulation of doxorubicin (Dox) that combines the targeted delivery of doxorubicin with photodynamic therapy to improve local drug delivery. We aimed to identify a safe and effective light dose for the photoactivation of Dox-Pop in the treatment of locally advanced HCC tumors in two pre-clinical models. Methods Sprague-Dawley rats were inoculated with Morris hepatoma cells directly into the left lateral liver lobe. When the tumors reached 2-2.5 cm along the longest axis, they were treated with Dox-Pop followed by light (i.e. I-CPT). For each rat, we applied our image-based treatment planning to guide the light delivery. Following treatment, tumor response was measured through weekly contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (CE-MRI). Complete response was defined as no evidence of the tumor via MRI or pathological examination. Our image-based treatment planning was used to translate the findings in the rat study to woodchucks with 1.5-4 cm hepatitis virus induced HCC. Weekly blood samples and bi-weekly CE-MRI were performed to assess tumor response up to 70 days. Results Five out of the six rats treated with I-CPT had complete response, with three of the five surviving ≥10 weeks post treatment without tumor recurrence or progression. The other two rats with complete response died between 5-7 weeks post treatment. Death was not attributed to the original treatment. Control, untreated rats were euthanized due to tumor progression within 1-2 weeks after tumors reached 2-2.5 cm. From the rat studies, we identified that a light dose rate and dose of respectively, ≥13.4 mW/cm2 and ≥25 J/cm2 can effectively activate the Dox-Pop liposomes. Of the five woodchucks treated with I-CPT using our effective light regimen, two survived ≥ 68 days post treatment without tumor progression. Another woodchuck had a complete response, but was euthanized 55 days post treatment due to the development of a second tumor. One woodchuck had progressive disease following I-CPT. One woodchuck died unexpectedly 5 days post I-CPT. Death was attributed to high tumor necrosis. Conclusions This study demonstrated the potential use of I-CPT as a treatment option for locally advanced HCC not candidate for standard of care therapies. Ongoing studies are being conducted in woodchucks to optimize the I-CPT light settings and improve tumor response. Citation Format: Emily Oakley, Minhyung Kim, Sanjana Ghosh, Hilliard Kutscher, Jonathan Lovell, Leslie Curtin, Sandra Sexton, Alan Hutson, Gal Shafirstein. Interstitial chemo-phototherapy for treatment of locally advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: A preclinical study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 2420.

Mechanically tuned lanthanum carbonate nanorods in water-in-oil microemulsion scaffolds

This study provides a deeper insight of the growth process (a 120-min study) of lanthanum carbonate nanorods within the polar core of W/O microemulsions, produced by Toluene/Tween 80/ 1-butanol. Field emission electron microscope (FESEM), Transmission electron microscope (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) have been used to measure the growth of nanostructures. Spherical droplets are formed during the initial nucleation dominant growth period (5–15 min). These enlarge with the course of reaction and at the transient time (15–30 min), deviate from spherical shape due to anisotropic growth. Nanorods evolve as a consequence of these deformation and enlargement along the longer axis. After 120 min of the reaction, larger dimension nanorods are achieved. The double bond present at the hydrophobic tails of Tween 80 may responsible for the breaking of symmetry (anisotropic growth) during the growth phase of nanorods. At the transient time, due to pi-pi interaction along the longer axis among Tween 80 surfactant molecules, causes spherical nanostructures to deform into nanorods. Now, surfactant molecules strongly bind with water in the hydrophilic inner core at low water content (W0 = 10) and reduces the possibility of intermicellar exchange between reverse micelle and reactants mixing and, consequently, contributes to the slow growth of nanoparticles that relatively small in size compared to high water content (W0 = 50) microemulsion media.

ShapeMetrics: A 3D Cell Segmentation Pipeline for Single-Cell Spatial Morphometric Analysis.

There is a growing need for single-cell level data analysis in correlation with the advancements of microscopy techniques. Morphology-based statistics gathered from individual cells are essential for detection and quantification of even subtle changes within the complex tissues, yet the information available from high-resolution imaging is oftentimes sub-optimally utilized due to the lack of proper computational analysis software. Here we present ShapeMetrics, a 3D cell segmentation pipeline that we have developed to identify, analyze, and quantify single cells in an image. This MATLAB-based script enables users to extract morphological parameters, such as ellipticity, longest axis, cell elongation, or the ratio between cell volume and surface area. We have specifically invested in creating a user-friendly pipeline, aimed for biologists with a limited computational background. Our pipeline is presented with detailed stepwise instructions, starting from the establishment of machine learning-based prediction files of immuno-labeled cell membranes followed by the application of 3D cell segmentation and parameter extraction script, leading to the morphometric analysis and spatial visualization of cell clusters defined by their morphometric features.

Numerical simulations on the settling dynamics of an ellipsoidal particle in a viscoelastic fluid

The settling dynamics of a rigid ellipsoid in an unbounded viscoelastic fluid under inertialess conditions is studied through direct numerical simulations. The governing equations are solved by the finite element method with an Arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian formulation to handle the particle motion. The viscoelastic fluid is modeled through the Giesekus constitutive equation. Simulations are carried out up to a value of Deborah number of 5. The settling of prolate and oblate spheroidal particles is first addressed. The sedimentation, lift, and angular velocities are computed as a function of the orientation angle and for aspect ratios from 1/8 to 8. Regardless of the particle shape, initial orientation, and Deborah number, the particle rotates to align its longest axis along the force direction. A high extensional stress region behind the particle is observed at high aspect ratios due to the large curvature of the tip, leading to a fast decay of the axial fluid velocity downstream and to the appearance of a negative wake. Similarly, a triaxial ellipsoid reaches a final orientation with major axis parallel to the falling direction. The particle shape affects the orientational dynamics, both in terms of the orbits followed by the orientation vectors and the time needed to reach the equilibrium orientation, and the steady-state settling velocity. The fastest sedimentation rate is observed for a prolate spheroid with aspect ratio of about 2 whereas the slowest one for a high aspect ratio oblate spheroid. Triaxial ellipsoids settle with rates in between these two limiting behaviors.

Lipid nanoparticles with erythrocyte cell-membrane proteins

When the separated erythrocyte membranes (known as ghosts) are ultrasonicated, a significant part of the membrane proteins are released in the aqueous solvent, instead of being incorporated into the membranes of the formed nanoerythrosomes. In contrast to their membrane-bound counterparts, where helices and β-strands dominate, the released proteins show perturbed secondary structures with an increased ratio of helices, presumably participating in molten globules, as it has been revealed by circular dichroism (CD) and infra-red spectroscopy (IR). The shape and size of these proteins is diverse, and even their aggregates appear. When excess lipid (palmitoyl-lysophosphatidylcholine, LPC) is added to different ghost-derivatives (the full nanoerythrosome system, and its ultracentrifugation pellet and supernatant) in 2 × and 5 × lipid-to-protein mass ratio, various lipid nanoparticles are produced. The core–shell and nanodisc structural models obtained by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) indicate that the choice of the precursor system has a more prominent effect on the resulting shape than the amount of lipid added: when starting from the protein-rich supernatant fraction, small (approx. 5 nm high and 7 nm wide) nanodisks are created. When lipid membranes are already present (in the pellet and the full nanoerythrosome fraction), similar LPC addition results in prolate ellipsoidal particles, with an aspect ratio between 3 and 5, and decreasing overall size when the amount of added lipid is increased. The ellipsoids formed from the total nanoerythrosome fraction are smaller than those from the ultracentrifugation pellet (longest axis around 15 vs 26 nm), whereas for higher LPC-to-protein ratio, the size in both cases reduce to nearly the same (13–14 nm) in both cases.

ODP312 Giant Silent Corticotroph Adenoma: Presentation of 3 Cases

Abstract Introduction Silent corticotroph adenoma (SCA) is a T-pit lineage cells-derived tumor without clinical presentation of Cushing's disease and normal cortisol dynamics (totally silent) or elevated ACTH/abnormal cortisol dynamics (clinically silent). SCAs account for 10-20% of silent pituitary adenomas. Giant SCAs (GSCAs), adenomas with a diameter of 4cm or more, are rare cases of pituitary adenomas. Objective Present the experience of a tertiary center with GSCAs. Methods We conducted a retrospective search of cases with a diagnosis of GSCA in the medical records of a cohort of patients with pituitary adenomas. Results We present three patients (two women, with 57 and 65 years) and a man (44 years) diagnosed with GSCA. They presented with macroadenoma associated with mass-related symptoms without clinical stigmas of hormonal dysfunction. Tumors had 4.3-5.1cm in the longest axis. In two cases, the superior tumor growth extended to the third ventricle and in only one there was a cavernous sinus invasion. The cortisol level was in the normal range in all cases; however, dynamic tests were not assessed. One patient had mild hyperprolactinemia, one had central hypothyroidism, and all cases had hypogonadism, and GH deficiency The most prevalent comorbidity was diabetes mellitus. The patients underwent transsphenoidal surgery and, in one case, two re interventions . One patient underwent radiotherapy. One patient was lost to follow-up after surgery and the other cases were followed for 39 and 53 months. At the last visit, one patient showed a 3,5cm lesion persistence and the other had a recurrent giant lesion. Conclusions Giant SCAs have severe implications depending on their size and invasiveness, difficult total removal, greater risk of complications, significant incidence of pituitary apoplexy, short time to progression and/or higher recurrence rates after surgery, different therapies requirement including adjuvant radiotherapy, and the possibility to evolve into Cushing disease after years of inactivity. Handling this situation requires a multidisciplinary team of expert professionals, personalized decisions for each patient to minimize damage, and advances in new therapeutic agents. Presentation: No date and time listed

Cardiac myxoma embolic events: characterization and predictors

Abstract Introduction Myxomas are the most common heart tumors. Although, myxomas are often diagnosed incidentally in asymptomatic patients, they are frequently associated with embolic events, becoming an important cause of morbidity and mortality. Whether some myxomas' characteristics predict more embolic risk is not well established. Objectives This analysis aims to describe the clinical and echocardiographic data in a long cohort of patients with cardiac myxomas and to establish potential predictors of embolic events int these patients. Methods Between 1990 and 2021, 88 patients were diagnosed with cardiac myxoma. 84 were included in this analysis. Baseline characteristics, echocardiographic findings and embolic events were noted retrospectively. A binary logistic regression analysis using SPSS statistics software, version 25.0 was performed to establish possible embolic predictors. Results 84 patients (mean age 63.1±12.9 years old, 75% female) with cardiac myxoma (sporadic type in 100%) were analyzed (table 1). The majority were located in the left atrium (88.1%, n=74), followed by right atrium (10.7%, n=9) and right ventricle (1.2%, n=1). The average dimension (longer axis) was 36.8±17.4mm. 9.6% of the patients (n=8) had Atrial Fibrillation (AF) rhythm. 22.6% of the patients (n=19) experienced embolic events, the majority to the central nervous system (19.0%, n=6), followed by peripheric/limbs (2.4%, n=2), renal (1.2%, n=1) and coronary (1.2%, n=1). The presence of irregular borders (papillary, bosselated) was the only parameter independently associated with increased risk of embolic events, by 6 times (OR 6.78, 95% confidence interval of 2.14–21.51, p-value 0.001). Neither the presence of AF, myxoma dimensions, presence of calcifications, pediculated insertion, myxoma mobility or heterogeneous aspect predicted embolic events with statistical significance (table 2). Conclusions Cardiac myxomas are frequently associated with embolic events (22.6% in our population), posing an important cause of morbidity and mortality in these patients. Besides the presence of irregular borders, the other myxoma's characteristics did not consistently predict the occurrence of embolic events. This data supports the well-recognized fact that all cardiac myxomas have the potential to embolic events, and therefore, should be excised, although those with very irregular borders are at much higher risk of embolization. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.

Attitude instability of the secondary in the synchronous binary asteroid

For synchronous binary asteroid, the configuration of the spin-axes of the two asteroids being aligned and normal to the orbital plane is unstable in case of attitude instability. Focusing on the attitude stability of the secondary, there are four contributions of this study. (1) Stability analysis using the method of periodic orbit reveals the functional dependence of the attitude stability of the secondary on some system parameters — mass ratio of the binary, mutual orbit distance, orbit eccentricity, and the secondary’s elongations. The stability results obtained for a wide range of system parameters help explain the significant lack of synchronous secondaries with equatorial elongations larger than 1.5 reported by Pravec et al. (2016) and also predict a lack of synchronous secondaries with equatorial elongations about 1.1. (2) Attitude unstable secondary is found to exhibit different excited rotation states which are sensitive to the orbit eccentricity: for small eccentricities the typical state is a small amplitude tumbling (non-principal axis rotation) which can be either regular or chaotic; as the eccentricity increases, the typical state is a chaotic rolling along its longest axis, i.e., the phenomenon known as barrel instability by Ćuk et al. (2021); for sufficiently large eccentricities, the synchronous state of the secondary may break within a short time interval. (3) Using the analytical approach of normal form of Hamiltonian system, the inherent mechanism behind the attitude instability is attributed to the secondary resonance between the fundamental frequencies of the principal axis rotation and the non-principal axis rotation. (4) A systematic comparison study is carried out between the full model adopted here with a finite mass ratio and the classic restricted model for planet–satellite case (Wisdom et al., 1984). The result shows that for binary asteroids with the secondary’s elongation larger than 1.5, the full model is recommended.

Growth pattern of the middle ear in the gray short-tailed opossum, Monodelphis domestica

We studied the mass growth trajectories of middle ear ossicles and tympanic membrane and oval window area in 19 specimens of postnatal ages 30–180 days of the gray short-tailed opossum Monodelphis domestica. We weighed the skull mass and the mass of the three middle ear ossicles with appropriate balances. Using a binocular microscope provided with a grid, we measured the length of malleus and incus, as well as the longest axis and the one perpendicular to it on both the tympanic membrane and the stapes footplate. The size variation was studied with least squares regression analyses between various measurements. The incus and stapes change little in mass after 40 days of postnatal life, while the malleus does, reaching maximum mass at around 100 PND (postnatal days). This modularity in growth trajectory is in contrast with the shared evolutionary origin of malleus and incus from branchial arch 1. The maturation of the middle – and as indicated by previous work, that of the inner ear – is coupled with the improvement of hearing sensitivity at low and high frequencies after the initial onset of hearing at 29 PND.

Cryoablation as an effective treatment for desmoid tumors: A single-institution case series.

e23543 Background: Desmoid tumors are locally invasive mesenchymal neoplasms of fibroblastic origin arising in deep soft tissue. Despite a rare incidence of 2.4-4.3 per one million and an inability to metastasize, desmoid tumors can cause significant morbidity by invading surrounding structures, causing pain, anatomic deformities, and, in some cases, death. Due to the high post-excision recurrence rate (21-29%) and frequent spontaneous regression or stabilization (50-88%), active surveillance is the first-line treatment for desmoid tumors. Most therapeutic agents only achieve tumor stability and response rates of 10-30%. As such, a large subset of patients face disease progression without an effective therapeutic option. In this context, percutaneous cryoablation arises as a novel treatment for desmoid tumors. This retrospective chart review case series aims to describe the effectiveness of cryoablation in the treatment of desmoid tumors. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed medical records of patients with a pathologically confirmed desmoid tumor who received computed tomography (CT) guided percutaneous cryoablation at a single academic hospital between 2010 and 2021. We defined objective response rate (ORR) as the percentage of patients who have partial or complete response to cryoablation. Disease progression (PD), Stable Disease (SD), Partial Response (PR), and Complete Response (CR) were defined per mRECIST criteria. Results: We identified nine patients (8 female, mean age 33) with desmoid tumors who underwent percutaneous cryoablation. The most common tumor location was the abdominal wall (n = 5,) and the median longer axis tumor size was 9.5 cm (range: 4.5-16 cm). Seven patients received previous systemic treatments. Sorafenib (n = 6) was the most common systemic therapeutic option, followed by methotrexate/vinblastine, Adriamycin/dacarbazine, tamoxifen, nirogacestat, and sulindac. Before cryoablation, six of the seven patients receiving systematic therapies had PD; one had SD. After cryoablation, seven underwent post-cryoablation imaging. Mean time to initial post-op follow-up was 38.85 days (range: 22-60 days). Six patients achieved PR (66.67%), one patient maintained SD (11.11%), and two (22.22%) were lost to follow-up. Two patients with PR regressed to SD two and three months after initial post-cryoablation imaging, respectively, and one with SD improved to PR after eleven months. As such, ORR was 71.43% (95% CI: 0.352 to 1.08). Conclusions: Our data support cryoablation as an effective therapy for decreasing tumor burden in multi-treatment resistant desmoid tumor patients. Although larger studies are needed to assess efficacy and safety, with an ORR of over 70% and a disease control rate of over 75%, cryoablation demonstrates promising results without the toxicity of systemic therapy and thus may be an effective strategy for multi-treatment resistant desmoid tumors.

Ablation zone considerations in cryoablation of RCC: accuracy of manufacturer provided model and change from first to second freeze cycle

PurposeTo determine the accuracy of manufacturer models and difference in ice ball dimensions from the first to second freeze cycles during cryoablation of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). MethodsAll patients who underwent cryoablation for RCC and had either a uniform type of needle placed in a pattern consistent with manufacturer provided data (n = 48) or computed tomography performed during the first and second freeze cycles (n = 28) were retrospectively reviewed. Ice ball measurements were made in relationship to the cryoablation probes. Factors which may affect the manufacturer prediction or change in the size of the ice ball from first to second freeze cycles were evaluated. ResultsThe visualized ice ball was significantly smaller than predicted in the long axis (LA) (Visualized: 29 mm ± 8; Predicted: 54 mm ± 7; p < 0.001), perpendicular transverse (PTR) (Visualized: 31 mm ± 7; Predicted: 52 mm ± 6; p < 0.001) and perpendicular craniocaudal (PCC) (Visualized: 30 mm ± 8; Predicted: 50 mm ± 7; p < 0.001). Furthermore, in the LA, PTR and PCC directions the achieved ice ball size was significantly closer to the predicted size as the total number of probes increased (p = 0.006, p = 0.048 and p = 0.023, respectively). The ice ball was significantly larger in the LA (3 mm (range: −7, 14 mm), p < 0.001), PTR (3 mm (range: −4, 11 mm), p < 0.001), and PCC (3 mm (range: 0, 26 mm), p < 0.001) dimensions on the second as compared to the first freeze cycle. ConclusionThe manufacturer provided model overestimates the size of the visualized Ice ball and Ice balls formed on the second freeze are significantly larger (median 3 mm) than those formed on the first freeze.

Особенности клинического течения диабетической ретинопатии при миопии

This review presents the results of a study of patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR) suffering from myopia. It is shown that in patients with different variants of the length of the anterior-posterior part of the eye, the contraction, development and progression of DR occurs in different ways. Thus a number of authors note that DR generally does not develop in patients with high myopia. Some attribute this to impairment of circulation in the retinal stretching of the myopic eye, others to the concentration of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which is significantly lower in eyes with a longer axis or greater myopic refraction, and others to a focal continuity disorder in the pigment epithelium layer, in which metabolic products are removed through the choroid and sclera, as a result of which local acidosis, venous statis don’t develop, and the barrier function of the vascular endothelium is not disturbed. Key words: diabetic retinopathy, myopia, anterior and posterior segment, vascular endothelial growth factor, emmetropia, hypermetropia, diabetes mellitus

Predictors of Metastatic Lymph Nodes at Preoperative Staging CT in Gastric Adenocarcinoma.

Background. The aim of this study was to identify the most accurate computed-tomography (CT) dimensional criteria of loco-regional lymph nodes (LNs) for detecting nodal metastases in gastric cancer (GC) patients. Methods. Staging CTs of surgically resected GC were jointly reviewed by two radiologists, considering only loco-regional LNs with a long axis (LA) ≥ 5 mm. For each nodal group, the short axis (SA), volume and SA/LA ratio of the largest LN, the sum of the SAs of all LNs, and the mean of the SA/LA ratios were plotted in ROC curves, taking the presence/absence of metastases at histopathology for reference. On a per-patient basis, the sums of the SAs of all LNs, and the sums of the SAs, volumes, and SA/LA ratios of the largest LNs in all nodal groups were also plotted, taking the presence/absence of metastatic LNs in each patient for reference. Results. Four hundred and forty-three nodal groups were harvested during surgery from 107 patients with GC, and 173 (39.1%) were metastatic at histopathology. By nodal group, the sum of the SAs showed the best Area Under the Curve (AUC), with a sensitivity/specificity of 62.4/72.6% using Youden’s index with a >8 mm cutoff. In the per-patient analysis, the sum of the SAs of all LNs in the loco-regional nodal groups showed the best AUC with a sensitivity/specificity of 65.6%/83.7%, using Youden’s index with a >39 mm cutoff. Conclusion. In patients with GC, the sum of the SAs of all the LNs at staging CT is the best predictor among dimensional LNs criteria of both metastatic invasion of the nodal group and the presence of metastatic LNs.

Three-Dimensional Distribution of Platinum Group Minerals in Natural MSS-ISS Ores From the Norilsk One Deposit, Russia

The Mt. Rudnaya MSS-ISS (monosulfide and intermediate solid solution) fine-grained ores from a NE termination of Norilsk 1 deposit were analyzed using a combination of X-ray computed micro tomography, spectral X-ray computed micro tomography and scanning electron microscopy to achieve both, 2D and 3D data. The ores consist of ISS composed of tiny lamellar intergrowths of cubanite and chalcopyrite solid solutions, which form up to 4-mm distinct globules surrounded by an ISS-MSS matrix. Our X-ray computed micro tomography results may provide 3D textural evidence of a possible natural sulfide-sulfide liquid immiscibility between Cu-rich and Cu-poor sulfide liquids that occurred before MSS and ISS were crystallized. The platinum group minerals (PGM) distribution shows that 20.6 vol% of all PGM occur in the ISS-MSS matrix and 79.4 vol% in the ISS globules. We suggest that this distributional behavior is due to the fact that the platinum group elements (PGE) cannot be dissolved in ISS, which led to the formation of the large PGM grains, which are up to 120 μm on their longest axis. The initial enrichment of ISS in PGE was controlled by differences in the partition coefficients of platinum and palladium between Cu-poor and Cu-rich liquids.

Shear wave elastography of the common fibular nerve at the fibular head.

The aim of this work is to study the sonoelastographic features of the common fibular nerve in healthy adult subjects.This is an observational cross-sectional study. Shear wave elastography was used to evaluate the common fibular nerve. Crosssectional area and stiffness were measured in kilopascal (kPa) and meters/second (m/s).The study included 82 common fibular nerves in 41 healthy adult subjects. The mean cross-sectional area of the common fibular nerve at the fibular head was 8.7 mm2. Positive correlation was noted between stiffness measurements between short and long axes by both methods. The mean stiffness of the common fibular nerve in the short axis was 22.5 kPa, and in the long axis (LA) was 35.4 kPa. Positive correlation was noted between height and stiffness measured by both methods in both axes by kPa. In m/s, the mean stiffness of the common fibular in the short axis was 2.6 m/s, and while in the LA was 3.4 m/s. Height showed positive correlation with both axes for stiff measurements in m\s. Weight showed positive correlation with stiffness measurements by m/s in the LA.The results obtained in our study could be a reference point for evaluating stiffness of the common fibular nerve in research involving different pathologies.

Odontogenic Myxoma: Presentation of a Case and Literature Review

According to the World Health Organization, maxillo-mandibular odontogenic myxoma is a benign tumor of mesenchymal origin. Its frequency, rare etiology, pathogenesis and therapeutic modalities are often discussed in the literature. It is a rare tumor that accounts for 0.41% to 7.19% of maxillo-mandibular tumors. In this present study, we reported a case of odontogenic myxoma of the left jaw that had progressed for several years, in a 25-year-old patient referred to the odontostomatology department of the Idrissa Pouye General Hospital by his attending dentist. The onset of symptoms went back three years. The volume of the mass evolved gradually and slowly over time. The medical examination did not reveal any particular medico-surgical history, or associated general signs. The intraoral examination revealed on inspection a tumor mass occupying the vestibular premolo-molar region of the left maxilla and measuring approximately five centimeters along its longest axis. This mass was bumpy in shape and reddish in color in places. On palpation, the mass was painless, mobile, of firm consistency, not bleeding on contact. Maxillofacial computed tomography revealed the presence of a spontaneously isodense, budding osteolytic process with lobulated contours, blowing the left maxilla in its anterior part. It extended into the hallway and made contact with the inside of the cheek, but did not invade it. The therapy was surgical under general anesthesia. No recurrence was observed at 9 months later. Maxillo-mandibular odontogenic myxoma is a rare, benign and locally invasive tumor. Its odontogenic origin remains the most likely. The clinical aspects or the radiographic presentation are not characteristic and make the differential interpretation difficult. A biopsy is mandatory for the establishment of a final diagnosis. The treatment is surgical. Rigorous monitoring is required during the first two postoperative years, as recurrences are not uncommon.

Abstract P1-08-08: Forecasting treatment response to neoadjuvant systemic therapy in triple negative breast cancer viamathematical modeling and quantitative MRI

Abstract Introduction:. Patients with locally advanced triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) typically receive neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) to downstage the tumor and to improve the outcome of the subsequent breast conservation surgery. A critical unmet need is the lack of a method to accurately predict how a patient with TNBC will respond to NAT before surgery. In this work, we applied a clinical-computational framework to predict response of TNBC early in the course of NAT, by integrating quantitative MRI with mechanism-based mathematical modeling. Methods:. Patients and Data. Multiparametric quantitative MRI was acquired in patients (n = 46) before, and after 2 and 4 cycles of Adriamycin/Cyclophosphamide (A/C) regimen as part of the MD Anderson Cancer Center TNBC Moonshot Program. Within each imaging session, dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE-), diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), and a pre-contrast T1-map were acquired. Image processing. The processing pipeline consisted of three components. First, the images within each visit were registered to account for patient motion, and the parametric maps from the DCE and DWI images were computed. Second, inter-visit image registration was achieved by a non-rigid registration applied on breast, with a rigid penalty applied on the tumor region to preserve its size and shape. Third, post-processing was performed for preparation of modeling, including segmentation of the breast contour and tissues, and calculation of voxel-wise cellularity within tumors. Mathematical modeling. A predictive model was developed based on a reaction-diffusion equation (Eq. 1). The mobility of tumor cells is represented by diffusion coupled to mechanical properties of the tissue (Eq. 2), and the proliferation of the tumor is described with logistic growth. The injection and decay of administered therapies, inducing tumor cell death, is also represented in the model (Eq. 3). The variables and parameters used are listed in Table 1. Eq. 1: ∂N(x,t)/∂t = ∇⋅(D(x,t) ∇N(x,t)) + k(x) (1 - N(x,t)/θ)N(x,t) - (λ1(x,t) + λ2(x,t))N(x,t). Eq. 2: D(x,t) = D0 e-γσ(x,t). Eq. 3: λn(x,t) = αne-βn t C(x,t), n = 1, 2. For each patient, the domain and initial condition were generated from the pre-treatment images, and the images acquired during NAT were used for patient-specific calibration of parameters. The calibrated model was then used to predict the response to be observed at the end of NAT. We evaluated the model by comparing its predictions of tumor volume, longest axis, voxel-wise cellularity, and total tumor cellularity to the imaging measurements at the end of A/C. Results:. Our model predicted the tumor volume, total cellularity, and longest axis with a Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC) of 0.85, 0.80, and 0.60, respectively. The accuracy of voxel-wise cellularity achieved a PCC with the median (range) of 0.89 (0.77 - 0.93) between the prediction and the actual measurement. Moreover, we set criteria of 70% shrinkage of tumor volume to define response versus non-response cases, with which our model achieved a differentiation sensitivity/specificity of 0.90/0.73. Discussion:. Preliminary results of our study demonstrate the potential of the clinical-computational framework as a powerful tool for predicting response to NAT. Once validated, the method could also assist in optimizing treatment plans on a patient specific basis, or guiding patient selection in trials for novel NAT regimens. Table 1. Summary of the variables and parameters in the modelQuantitiesDefinition AssignmentDomainsΩbreast tissue domainGenerated from pre-treatment MRITEnd time point of NAT procedureDetermined from NAT schedulexCoordinate in breast tissueAssociated with spatial domain, ΩttimeAssociated with temporal domain, [0, T]VariablesN(x,t)Tumor cell numberInitialized from pre-treatment ADC, computed via Eq. 1D(x,t)Diffusive mobility of tumor cellsComputed via Eq. 2λn(x,t)Death rate induced by nth type of drugComputed via Eq. 3, n = 1 and 2 for A/Cσ(x,t)Von Mises stressComputed from gradient of N(x,t), based on Hormuth et al., 2018C(x,t)Spatiotemporal distribution of drugsAssigned based on NAT schedule and DCE imagesParametersk(x)Proliferation rate of tumor cellsLocally calibratedθTumor cells carry capacityGlobally calibratedαnEfficacy rate of nth type of drugGlobally calibratedβnDecay rate of of nth type of drugGlobally calibratedD0Diffusion coefficient of tumor cells in the absence of mechanical restrictionsGlobally calibratedγStress-tumor cell diffusion coupling constantAssigned based on Hormuth et al., 2018 Citation Format: Chengyue Wu, Angela M. Jarrett, Zijian Zhou, Nabil Elshafeey, Beatriz E. Adrada, Rosalind P. Candelaria, Rania M. Mohamed, Medine Boge, Lei Huo, Jason White, Debu Tripathy, Vicente Valero, Jennifer Litton, Stacy Moulder, Clinton Yam, Jong Bum Son, Jingfei Ma, Gaiane M. Rauch, Thomas E. Yankeelov. Forecasting treatment response to neoadjuvant systemic therapy in triple negative breast cancer viamathematical modeling and quantitative MRI [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2021 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2021 Dec 7-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-08-08.

Plasmacyte Heterogeneity of Lame Ducklings

The aim is to describe the array of plasmacytes (PC), cells known as the source of antibody, occurring in the bone marrow (BM) of lame ducklings. The method is by a light microscopic examination of touch preparation slides made from femur samples and stained with Wright-Giemsa. Samples were obtained on site at commercial farms where slide preparations were made; reducing the possibility that observations are technical artifacts. The results: indicate that PC occur in a multitude of sizes, shapes, nuclear/cytoplasmic (N/C) ratios, ploidy, and nuclear and cytoplasmic conditions. Normal PC are illustrated first, followed by atypical forms. Some PC are presented in the context of neighboring BM cells of the granulocyte, erythrocyte, and reticulum cell (histiocyte) series. More than 100 Mott-type PC were measured in a single sample from a 13-day lame duck; and several distinct forms were identified. Size, as measured by their longest axis, varied from 6.1 to 28 μm and it appears to be normally distributed. Moreover, N/C ratios were distributed across a three-fold range (0.3 – 0.9) indicating Mott phenotypes can occur at multiple developmental stages. Motts differed in Russell Body (RB) size, and nuclear condition. A novel Mott type, “orb” form, with partially lysed nuclei is also described. PC were often found in association with giant granulated histiocytes (ggh) and non-granulated giant histiocytes (gh). Other atypical forms are “hand-mirror” PC, trinucleate and binucleate PC resembling cells seen in multiple myeloma (MM) and lymphomas. Collectively these PC variants constitute “reactive plasmatosis” (RP) likely arising as a consequence of the presence of various bacteria including Streptococcus and E. coli. The conclusions: It is demonstrated that RP as occurs in lame ducklings suffering from bacterial infections, provides a unique theater for the study of PC variability. Atypical PC, some resembling neoplastic types, were common in RP BM. The significance of the study relates to the importance of PC in disease and immunity; therefore, these observations should interest those who specialize in these areas. They expand the knowledge of avian plasmacyte morphology.