Multiple Spider Research Articles

A multiplex direct PCR method for the rapid and accurate discrimination of three species of spider mites (Acari: Tetranychidae) in fruit orchards in Beijing.

Spider mites (Acari: Tetranychidae) are polyphagous pests of economic importance in agriculture, among which the two-spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae Koch has spread widely worldwide as an invasive species, posing a serious threat to fruit tree production in China, including Beijing. The hawthorn spider mite, Amphitetranychus viennensis Zacher, is also a worldwide pest of fruit trees and woody ornamental plants. The cassava mite, Tetranychus truncatus Ehara, is mainly found in Asian countries, including China, Korea and Japan, and mainly affects fruit trees and agricultural crops. These three species of spider mites are widespread and serious fruit tree pests in Beijing. Rapid and accurate identification of spider mites is essential for effective pest and plant quarantine in Beijing orchard fields. The identification of spider mite species is difficult due to their limited morphological characteristics. Although the identification of insect and mite species based on PCR and real-time polymerase chain reaction TaqMan is becoming increasingly common, DNA extraction is difficult, expensive and time-consuming due to the minute size of spider mites. Therefore, the objective of this study was to establish a direct multiplex PCR method for the simultaneous identification of three common species of spider mites in orchards, A. viennensis, T. truncatus and T. urticae, to provide technical support for the differentiation of spider mite species and phytosanitary measures in orchards in Beijing. Based on the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) of the two-spotted spider mite and the cassava mite and the 18S gene sequence of the hawthorn spider mite as the amplification target, three pairs of specific primers were designed, and the primer concentrations were optimized to establish a direct multiplex PCR system for the rapid and accurate discrimination of the three spider mites without the need for DNA extraction and purification. The method showed a high sensitivity of 0.047ng for T. truncatus and T. urticae DNA and 0.0002ng for A. viennensis. This method eliminates the DNA extraction and sequencing procedures of spider mite samples, offers a possibility for rapid monitoring of multiple spider mites in an integrated microarray laboratory system, reducing the time and cost of leaf mite identification and quarantine monitoring in the field.

A trade-off in evolution: the adaptive landscape of spiders without venom glands.

Venom glands play a key role in the predation and defense strategies of almost all spider groups. However, the spider family Uloboridae lacks venom glands and has evolved an adaptive strategy: they excessively wrap their prey directly with spider silk instead of paralyzing it first with toxins. This shift in survival strategy is very fascinating, but the genetic underpinnings behind it are poorly understood. Spanning multiple spider groups, we conducted multiomics analyses on Octonoba sinensis and described the adaptive evolution of the Uloboridae family at the genome level. We observed the coding genes of myosin and twitchin in muscles are under positive selection, energy metabolism functions are enhanced, and gene families related to tracheal development and tissue mechanical strength are expanded or emerged, all of which are related to the unique anatomical structure and predatory behavior of spiders in the family Uloboridae. In addition, we also scanned the elements that are absent or under relaxed purifying selection, as well as toxin gene homologs in the genomes of 2 species in this family. The results show that the absence of regions and regions under relaxed selection in these spiders' genomes are concentrated in areas related to development and neurosystem. The search for toxin homologs reveals possible gene function shift between toxins and nontoxins and confirms that there are no reliable toxin genes in the genome of this group. This study demonstrates the trade-off between different predation strategies in spiders, using either chemical or physical strategy, and provides insights into the possible mechanism underlying this trade-off. Venomless spiders need to mobilize multiple developmental and metabolic pathways related to motor function and limb mechanical strength to cover the decline in adaptability caused by the absence of venom glands.

Transplastomic tomatoes expressing double-stranded RNA against a conserved gene are efficiently protected from multiple spider mites.

Spider mites are serious pests and have evolved significant resistance to many chemical pesticides, thus making their control challenging. Several insect pests can be combated by plastid-mediated RNA interference (PM-RNAi), but whether PM-RNAi can be utilized to control noninsect pests is unknown. Here, we show that three species of spider mites (Tetranychus evansi, Tetranychus truncatus, and Tetranychus cinnabarinus) take up plastid RNA upon feeding. We generated transplastomic tomato plants expressing double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) targeted against a conserved region of the spider mite β-Actin mRNA. Transplastomic plants exhibited high levels of resistance to all three spider mite species, as evidenced by increased mortality and suppression of target gene expression. Notably, transplastomic plants induced a more robust RNAi response, caused higher mortality, and were overall better protected from spider mites than dsRNA-expressing nuclear transgenic plants. Our data demonstrate the potential of PM-RNAi as an efficient pest control measure for spider mites and extend the application range of the technology to noninsect pests.

Numerous Spider Angiomas as the Presenting Sign of Acute Graft Versus Host Disease

Graft versus host disease (GVHD) is a highly morbid immunologic reaction and complication commonly seen in response to allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplant. The underlying pathophysiology of this reaction is due to donor T-lymphocyte migration and activation of the host’s innate immune system. Quality of life is significantly impacted in these patients, particularly in those with chronic GVHD. GVHD may impact multiple organ systems, however, cutaneous involvement is the most common finding and is often the initial presenting sign. The clinical manifestations of cutaneous GVHD are highly variable, with many morphologies mimicking another skin condition. We present a rare case of a 51-year-old male, who presented with multiple spider hemangiomas over the chest and back and a history of allogenic stem cell transplant and no history of liver disease, who was diagnosed with acute GVHD.

Nerve Growth Factor‐Binding Engineered Silk Films Promote Neuronal Attachment and Neurite Outgrowth

AbstractSpider silks have outstanding potential as biomaterials due to their sought‐after mechanical properties and low immunogenicity. The toughest spider silk is aciniform silk, which is used by spiders to wrap prey and produce egg sacs. A variety of recombinant aciniform silk constructs are now been developed, including hybrid silks with domains from multiple spider silk proteins fused together. In this study, an engineered aciniform silk construct, termed NBSilk, fused both N‐ and C‐terminally to heptapeptide motifs that bind the neurotrophic factor and nerve growth factor‐β (NGF) is introduced. NBSilk is shown to be amenable to casting into robust films that remain intact while sequestering and maintaining bioactive NGF at the film surface for at least 7 days. These films support cell survival while enhancing differentiation and neurite density and outgrowth in neuron‐like PC12 cells, with elevation of signaling through both the mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) and protein kinase B (AKT) signaling pathways. Strikingly, preloading of NBSilk films with NGF enhances neuritogenesis even over conditions where cells are grown with NGF supplementation in the culture medium. NBSilk scaffolds, thus, warrant future development and evaluation as biomaterials for nerve regeneration.

Retraction Note to: In text mining: detection of topic and sub-topic using multiple spider hunting model

Retraction Note to: In text mining: detection of topic and sub-topic using multiple spider hunting model

Geochemistry and petrogenesis of mafic volcanic rocks from Kahak area (Urumieh-Dokhtar magmatic arc)

The Kahak mafic volcanic rocks in the central part of the Urumieh-Dokhtar Magmatic Arc are composed of ‎basalts‏ ‏and‏ ‏basaltic ‎andesite and show sub alkaline to transitional affinity. They are calc-alkaline based on the tholeiitic index (THL). U-‎Pb zircon dating ‎yields almost 60‎‏ ‏‎(Middle Paleocene) and 24 to 19 Ma (Late Oligocene–Early Miocene) for andesitic basalt and basaltic ‎rocks ‎respectively. These rocks ‎are identified by LREE and LILE enrichment and HFSE depletion with relatively negative or without ‎Eu ‎anomalies and E-MORB like ‎pattern in multiple spider diagrams that.attributed to the subduction of the Neotethyan oceanic ‎slab ‎beneath the central Iranian microcontinent. Based on petrography, trace and rare earth elements, and isotopic features, ‎fractional ‎crystallization played a significant role ‎during magma evolution in these rocks. Trace element modeling suggests that the ‎studied mafic ‎rocks were derived by partial melting ‎within the spinel‏ ‏lherzolite mantle. Isotopic ratios also show that they resulted from ‎lithospheric ‎mantle metasomatized by ‎released fluids from subducted slab sediments. The studied samples might have formed in the ‎extensional regime ‎followed ‎by slab rollback and undergone a continental arc to back-arc basin transition during the Paleocene to ‎Miocene. This basin might ‎have ‎been closed in the‏ ‏middle Miocene.

Unlucky spider flies (Diptera: Acroceridae) trapped in a tomb of mud: An Australian predatory wasp (Sphecidae) provisions its nest with parasitised spiders (Salticidae)

Acroceridae, known as spider flies, are exclusive endoparasitoids of spiders. This study reports the first host association for Ogcodes pygmaeus White, 1914 (Diptera: Acroceridae) after discovering dead acrocerids and their host spiders inside Sceliphron formosum Smith, 1856 (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae) nests in ACT, Australia. From a total of 650 sampled wasp nests, 14 were discovered with multiple spiders parasitised by species of Ogcodes Latreille, 1796. Two species of jumping spiders in the genus Servaea Simon, 1887 (Araneae: Salticidae), including an undescribed species, were identified as hosts of O. pygmaeus in this study. We hypothesise that the parasitised spiders were brought back to the nest as S. formosum prey items, and when acrocerid adults emerged they were trapped inside the sealed nests. Dead pupae were also found in the nests along with the dead adult acrocerids. To our knowledge, this entrapment of spider parasites inside S. formosum nests has not been documented before, and this study represents a new method for obtaining acrocerid fly host records.

RETRACTED ARTICLE: In text mining: detection of topic and sub-topic using multiple spider hunting model

In this electronic era, everyone is in fast communication and sharing of data through social Medias. Within a fraction of second we received millions of text in whatsapp, facebook, twitter, mails and etc. It is really hard to categorize relevant data and information from massive volume of text documents. Instead of reading all documents fully, there is a need to determine Topic and subtopic of a corpus. Existing technique takes more time to detect topic and subtopic of a corpus, so we proposed dynamic multiple spider hunting algorithm. Due to the usage of multiple spiders, this technique could effectively recognize the desired artifacts with minimum amount of time and have superior performance compared to other techniques.

2380 Liver Cirrhosis of Unknown Etiology With Iron Overload in a Patient Heterozygous for Hereditary Hemochromatosis and Alpha-1 Antitrypsin

INTRODUCTION: Abnormal liver function tests are frequently detected in routine laboratory work. The differential diagnosis is broad and further evaluation is required to identify and treat the underlying cause. We present a patient with abnormal liver function tests who was found to have a unique genetic makeup. CASE DESCRIPTION/METHODS: A 68-year-old female patient presented with jaundice and dark urine for 3 months. Past medical history was significant for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation and nephrolithiasis. Past surgical history and family history were insignificant. Home medications included aspirin and atenolol. She used alcohol socially and denied IV drug use. Review of systems was unremarkable. On physical exam, the patient was diffusely jaundiced and had scleral icterus. Vital signs were within normal limits. Abdominal exam showed a soft, non-tender, and non-distended abdomen without organomegaly. Skin exam was significant for multiple spider angiomas. She had elevated AST of 518 U/L, ALT of 246 U/L, alkaline phosphatase of 185 U/L, total bilirubin of 9.5 mg/dL, and direct bilirubin of 4.5 mg/dL. Workup was negative for viral hepatitis, Wilson’s disease, autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cirrhosis, and primary sclerosing cholangitis. She had elevated Ferritin of 3547 ng/mL and iron saturation of 83%. MRI showed features of intrinsic liver disease without a focal mass. Next, upper endoscopy revealed Grade 1 esophageal varices. Subsequent liver biopsy revealed cirrhosis and increased iron stores. The patient underwent genetic testing for hemochromatosis and alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. She had a heterozygous C282Y mutation of the HFE gene. In addition, she had a heterozygous PI*MS mutation of SERPINA1 - the gene that codes for alpha-1 antitrypsin. The patient experienced a slow improvement in her abnormal labs over a period of a few months. DISCUSSION: Hereditary hemochromatosis and alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency are inherited conditions that result in liver damage and eventually liver cirrhosis. Our patient was heterogenous for the HFE gene and developed iron overload on liver biopsy. She was also heterozygous for PI*MS, a less common mutation for SERPINA1 that causes isolated lung disease. Therefore, we can conclude that our patient’s condition was primarily related to iron overload as a result of a mutated HFE gene.

The same but different: equally megadiverse but taxonomically variant spider communities along an elevational gradient

Spatial variation in biodiversity is one of the key pieces of information for the delimitation and prioritisation of protected areas. This information is especially important when the protected area includes different climatic and habitat conditions and communities, such as those along elevational gradients. Here we test whether the megadiverse communities of spiders along an elevational gradient change according to two diversity models – a monotonic decrease or a hump-shaped pattern in species richness. We also measure compositional variation along and within elevations, and test the role of the preference of microhabitat (vegetation strata) and the functional (guild) structure of species in the changes. We sampled multiple spider communities using standardised and optimised sampling in three forest types, each at a different elevation along a climatic gradient. The elevational transects were at increasing horizontal distances (between 0.1 and 175 km) in the Udzungwa Mountains, Eastern Arc Mountains, Tanzania. The number of species was similar between plots and forest types, and therefore the pattern did not match either diversity model. However, species composition changed significantly with a gradual change along elevations. Although the number of species per microhabitat and guild also remained similar across elevations, the number of individuals varied, e.g. at higher elevations low canopy vegetation was inhabited by more spiders, and the spiders belonging to guilds that typically use this microhabitat were more abundant. Our findings reflex the complex effects of habitat-microhabitat interactions on spider communities at the individual, species and guild levels. If we aim to understand and conserve some of the most diverse communities in the world, researchers and managers may need to place more attention to small scale and microhabitat characteristics upon which communities depend.

DNA metabarcoding of spiders, insects, and springtails for exploring potential linkage between above- and below-ground food webs

BackgroundUnderstanding feedback between above- and below-ground processes of biological communities is a key to the effective management of natural and agricultural ecosystems. However, as above- and below-ground food webs are often studied separately, our knowledge of material flow and community dynamics in terrestrial ecosystems remains limited.ResultsWe developed a high-throughput sequencing method for examining how spiders link above- and below-ground food webs as generalist predators. To overcome problems related to DNA-barcoding-based analyses of arthropod–arthropod interactions, we designed spider-specific blocking primers and Hexapoda-specific primers for the selective PCR amplification of Hexapoda prey sequences from spider samples. By applying the new DNA metabarcoding framework to spider samples collected in a temperate secondary forest in Japan, we explored the structure of a food web involving 15 spider species and various taxonomic groups of Hexapoda prey. These results support the hypothesis that multiple spider species in a community can prey on both above- and below-ground prey species, potentially coupling above- and below-ground food-web dynamics.ConclusionsThe PCR primers and metabarcoding pipeline described in this study are expected to accelerate nuclear marker-based analyses of food webs, illuminating poorly understood trophic interactions in ecosystems.

Spatio-temporal analysis of foraging behaviors of Anelosimus studiosus utilizing mathematical modeling of multiple spider interaction on a cooperative web

In this paper, we develop a model for predation movements of a subsocial spider species, Anelosimus studiosus. We expand on a previous model to include multiple spider interaction on the web as well as a latency period during predation. We then use the model to test different spatial configurations to determine the optimal spacing of spiders within a colony for successful capture during predation. The model simulations indicate that spiders uniformly spacing out along the edge of the web results in the most successful predation strategy. This is similar to the behavior observed by Ross (2013) in which it was determined to be statistically significant that during certain times of the day, spiders were positioned along the edge more than expected under complete spatial randomness.

Responses of riparian tetragnathid spiders to wildfire in forested ecosystems of the California Mediterranean climate region, USA

Mediterranean ecosystems of California are characterized by high interannual variability in precipitation and susceptibility to frequent high-severity wildfires. Variability in precipitation and fire severity are likely to become more pronounced because of climate change, but their relative effects on linked aquatic–terrestrial components of Mediterranean ecosystems have received limited attention. We investigated the effects of wildfire on riparian spiders of the family Tetragnathidae, which are common shoreline consumers that can be highly reliant on aquatic food resources in stream ecosystems. From 2011–2012, we assessed stream geomorphology; density and community composition of aquatic benthic macroinvertebrates; and density, Hg body loads, trophic position (TP), and reliance on aquatically derived energy (based on naturally abundant C and N isotopes) of tetragnathid spiders in study sections of 12 paired stream reaches in Yosemite National Park. The riparian zone of one member of each pair had experienced a high-severity wildfire, whereas the riparian zone of its counterpart had experienced a low-severity fire. After the 2013 Rim Fire, we resurveyed a subset of these variables in study sections of 4 reaches by means of a paired before-after–control-impact design. We also explored how reach- and catchment-scale variability might affect spider density and trophic dynamics. Differences in spider responses between paired sections were not statistically significant, but model-selection results suggested that variability in benthic invertebrate density, catchment-scale fire frequency, and precipitation were important drivers of spider density and TP. The consistent signal of precipitation across multiple spider responses suggests that climate variability could have greater effects on aquatic–terrestrial ecological linkages than the influence of fire alone.

Neuropeptide discovery in the Araneae (Arthropoda, Chelicerata, Arachnida): Elucidation of true spider peptidomes using that of the Western black widow as a reference

The public deposition of large transcriptome shotgun assembly (TSA) datasets for the Araneae (true spiders) provides a resource for determining the structures of the native neuropeptides present in members of this chelicerate order. Here, the Araneae TSA data were mined for putative peptide-encoding transcripts using the recently deduced neuropeptide precursors from the Western black widow Latrodectus hesperus as query templates. Neuropeptide-encoding transcripts from five spiders, Latrodectus tredecimguttatus, Stegodyphus mimosarum, Stegodyphus lineatus, Stegodyphus tentoriicola and Acanthoscurria geniculata, were identified, including ones encoding members of the allatostatin A, allatostatin B, allatostatin C, allatotropin, CAPA/periviscerokinin/pyrokinin, crustacean cardioactive peptide, crustacean hyperglycemic hormone/ion transport peptide, diuretic hormone 31, diuretic hormone 44, eclosion hormone, FMRFamide-like peptide (FLP), GSEFLamide, insulin-like peptide, orcokinin, proctolin, short neuropeptide F, SIFamide, sulfakinin and tachykinin-related peptide (TRP) families. A total of 156 distinct peptides were predicted from the precursor proteins deduced from the S. mimosarum transcripts, with 65, 26, 21 and 12 peptides predicted from those deduced from the A. geniculata, L. tredecimguttatus, S. lineatus and S. tentoriicola sequences, respectively. Among the peptides identified were variant isoforms of FLP, orcokinin and TRP, peptides whose structures are similar to ones previously identified from L. hesperus. The prediction of these atypical peptides from multiple spiders suggests that they may be broadly conserved within the Araneae rather than being species-specific variants. Taken collectively, the data described here greatly expand the number of known Araneae neuropeptides, providing a foundation for future functional studies of peptidergic signaling in this important Chelicerate order.

A Unique Case Presentation of Symptomatic Gastric Telangiectasia in Isolated Granulomatous Gastritis

Introduction: Literature has associated granulomatous gastritis with gastric ulcers but not with arteriovenous malformation, leading to transfusion dependent anemia. Case Report: A 32-year-old male patient with chronic blood transfusion and IV iron dependent anemia from chronic gastrointestinal blood loss for 7 years despite repeated cauterization of angiodysplasia in his stomach. He has intermittent melena, one episode of scant hematemesis in past, 40 lbs weight loss, no other GI symptoms, no NSAID/anticoagulants, no coagulopathy; no symptoms to suggest systemic vasculitis, sarcoidosis or inflammatory bowel disease. No contributing past medical, surgical or family history. He denies use of alcohol or recreational drugs; smokes half a pack of cigarettes/day. Uses carafate and omeprazole twice a day. BMI 26.5, unremarkable vitals and physical exam. He has had several endoscopies. Cumulative findings on EGD: several clean base superficial and irregular shaped antral ulcer, multiple spider telangiectasia on all mucosal surfaces of stomach, central portion bled with touch. Stomach biopsy: moderate active gastritis with noncaseating epithelioid granulomas, no microorganisms. Special stains: H. pylori, fungus and AFB were negative; Fungal and AFB cultures of biopsies are negative (3 months). Esophagus and small bowel biopsies were normal. Twice colonoscopy: normal, including terminal ileum. Capsule endoscopy: multiple AVM in stomach, antral ulcer, old hematin in distal small bowel, otherwise normal small bowel. Serology: negative for HIV, normal haptoglobin and ristocetin cofactor; W/u for Von Willebrand syndrome, factor 8 activity 225%; VWF ag normal. Doppler US: no portal vein thrombosis; ESR: 2. Infectious causes: negative for syphilis and schistosomiasis, PCR for Whipple’s bacillus negative, H. pylori IgG Ab positive; Histoplasma Ab negative (no eosinophilia and no eosinophillic granulomas). Normal serum protein electrophoresis. Vasculitis: negative autoantibodies to proteinase 3, myeloperoxidase, ANA. Sarcoidosis: CT chest/abd/pelvis: no lung infiltrate or signs of sarcoidosis; few tiny visible retroperitoneal nodes; normal liver/spleen, ACE level is normal. Assessment: isolated granulomatous gastritis, without recognizable infection, systemic sarcoidosis, or small bowel/colon Crohn’s disease. Plan is aimed to eradicate H pylori, treat with steroids, similar to treatment of Crohn’s disease; if repeat endoscopy shows improvement then slow taper of steroids, if has recurrence then consider azathioprine. Conclusion: This case report will contribute to the limited literature on isolated granulomatous gastritis, with a unique association of symptomatic AVM’s.

Forecasted climate and land use changes, and protected areas: the contrasting case of spiders

AbstractAimTo assess the exposure of 10 spider species to two drivers of global change (climate and land use), the suitability of the current network of protected areas with respect to this exposure, and the implications for a national conservation programme.LocationThe western Palearctic and France.MethodsWe predicted the current and future potential distributions of 10 spider species using species distribution models (SDMs). We explicitly quantified uncertainties in the models and estimated the future environmental suitability with discounted uncertainty. We analysed the predicted future suitability for protected versus unprotected occurrence cells.ResultsIn this first forecast of the future of multiple spider species in the face of environmental changes, we showed that environmental changes could be confidently predicted to have serious impacts on all the studied species, with significant range contractions and expansions within a relatively short time‐scale (up to 2050). We predicted that for seven of the 10 species, the current network of protected areas will conserve at least one occurrence cell in suitable conditions in the future. However, we showed that there is considerable room for improvement.Main conclusionsThis study illustrated how SDMs could be applied to a conservation programme for an understudied taxon such as spiders, in spite of significant uncertainties in their predictions. In addition, the uncertainties raised here compel us to emphasize the pressing need to improve our knowledge on understudied taxa such as spiders. We advocate the necessity of increasing monitoring schemes, experiments and forecasts of environmental change effects on a larger and more diversified range of species than is currently the case in the literature.

Spontaneous Splenic Rupture: First Presentation of Alcoholic Steatohepatitis

Case Report: A 56-year-old Caucasian woman with history of moderate alcohol intake presented with sudden-onset, severe abdominal pain with nausea and dizziness for a few hours. On examination, she was afebrile, hypotensive, tachycardic, and icteric. There were multiple spider angiomata over the chest. She had tenderness and guarding in the epigastrium and left upper quadrant without rigidity. Rectal vault had brown stool that was guaiac negative. Lab data were: hemoglobin 7.6 mg/dL (down from 14 mg/dL six months ago); platelet 238,000/μL; total bilirubin 7.7 mg/dL; AST 135 IU/L; albumin 2.6 g/dL; and INR 1.3. CT abdomen showed an enlarged echogenic liver and a normal-appearing pancreas. Spleen had a rupture postero-inferiorly with resultant perisplenic hematoma. After taking resuscitative measures, an urgent exploratory laparotomy showed splenic rupture in multiple pieces, still connected to the hilum with massive hemoperitoneum of 1.5 L and hepatomegaly. A splenectomy and wedge liver biopsy was done. Liver histopathology showed extensive steatosis (80-90%), ballooning degeneration, severe cholestasis, Mallory-hyaline, and mixed inflammatory infiltrate. Trichrome stain highlighted extensive sinusoidal and portal fibrosis with focal areas of bridging fibrosis. Splenic histopathology showed capsular disruption with subcapsular and intraparenchymal hemorrhage, and acute inflammation. Etiological work-up for liver disease and splenic rupture including serum copper, viral panel, hemochromatosis screen, alpha-1 antitrypsin, autoimmune panel, monospot, leukemia, and lymphoma panel was negative. Cause of her splenic rupture was felt to be related to portal hypertension from alcoholic steatohepatitis and early cirrhosis. Discussion: Non-traumatic splenic rupture (NSR) is a rare, but life threatening condition. Diagnosis is often suspected based on clinical symptoms. Paracentesis with aspiration of fresh blood is useful to diagnose intraperitoneal hemorrhage. Abdominal ultrasound is especially useful in hemodynamically unstable patients. CT can shows grade of splenic damage severity and intraperitoneal free fluid. In a review of 845 cases of NSR, the spleen was normal in 7%. The major pathologic etiological groups were neoplastic (30%), infectious (27%), and inflammatory (20%). In our patient, we ascribed the splenic rupture to congestion resulting from steatohepatitis. This patient had patent portal and splenic vein, ruling out congestion due to thrombosis. This is a unique case for rarity of atraumatic splenic rupture as presenting manifestation of steatohepatitis with early changes of bridging fibrosis.

Anti-Shudder Properties of ATFs—An Investigation into Friction Modifying Mechanisms Using VSFT and SAE No. 2 Tests

In recent years, continuous slip torque converter clutches (CSTCCs) have been widely used in automatic transmissions, mainly to improve fuel efficiency. With the adoption of these devices the problem of shudder vibration has arisen. To help alleviate this problem, better anti-shudder characteristics are desired for automatic transmission fluids (ATFs). Positive μ-v curves are well recognized to correlate to the avoidance of shudder. A variable-speed friction tester (VSFT), which combines a low-velocity friction apparatus (LVFA)-type test with the ability to age an oil in situ, was used to determine friction characteristics of four model ATF formulations in a wet clutch tribosystem. The linear-defined multiple parameter spider chart ATF evaluation (LSAE) method was applied to present the ATF's overall friction results including anti-shudder performance and durability (Zhao, et al. (1)). One modified SAE No. 2 test was also used to test the four oils’ friction behavior, to compare with the VSFT results. Similar performance rankings have been obtained from those two tests. Both test results and evaluation parameters will be discussed in this article and the response will be linked to the physical parameters defining the posttest surface. The oil absorption ability of post test friction material is shown to be important to the overall friction performance. The environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) images and 3D profiling results showed that some surface topographical parameters, such as Vvc (void volume of the core) and Vvv (void volume of valleys), can be linked with the friction modifying mechanisms in the ATF tests.

A Case Report of Concomitant Acute Autoimmune Pancreatitis and Fulminant Autoimmune Hepatitis in a Young Male

Purpose: Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) and autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) share the common threads of immune system dysfunction, hypergammaglobulinemia, and steroid responsiveness, but otherwise are two distinct entities with different presenting symptoms and sequelae. AIH is a chronic inflammatory disorder of unknown etiology characterized by circulating autoantibodies directed against cellular components that can progress to cirrhosis and end-stage liver disease. AIP has emerged as an increasingly recognized cause of chronic pancreatitis that is important to identify due to its dramatic response to steroid treatment. AIP typically presents with obstructive jaundice in the setting of elevated serum IgG4 levels and imaging which often reveals pancreatic duct stricturing and a pancreatic mass that can be confused with cancer. To our knowledge AIH has only been reported to coexist with AIP in three cases. Here we report the first known case of concomitant acute AIP and fulminant AIH in an otherwise healthy 28-year-old Hispanic male. The patient presented for evaluation of progressive jaundice, malaise, nausea, and migratory joint pain. Physical exam was remarkable for jaundice and multiple spider angiomata without asterixis or change in mental status. Initial laboratory findings demonstrated an ALT of 1154 IU/L, AST of 1778 IU/L, total bilirubin of 28.1 mg/dL, and an INR of 2. ANA and anti-smooth muscle antibody were also positive at titers of 1:80, while a hepatitis panel, HIV test, ceruloplasmin, and liver cytosol autoantibodies were all negative. Ultrasound demonstrated patent hepatic vasculature, heterogeneous echogenicity of the liver, and a nodular liver surface. Over the next 48 hours the patient's INR increased to 3.1 and he developed epigastric abdominal pain with a lipase equal to 785 U/L. A CT abdomen at that time showed inflammatory changes surrounding the pancreas and associated small bowel ileus. A transjugular liver biopsy was subsequently performed which revealed fulminant hepatitis with no definitive residual hepatocytes seen as well as marked ductular reaction with interspersed lymphocytes and clustered plasma cells, eosinophils, and neutrophils throughout the sample. Total IgG and IgG4 were both elevated at 2280 mg/dL and 220 mg/dL, respectively. Prednisolone therapy was initiated for concomitant fulminant AIH and acute AIP. Dramatic improvement in both clinical and laboratory parameters were seen immediately, and the patient remained asymptomatic with a normal INR and liver function tests six months later. He has since been maintained on azathioprine alone without further steroid requirement.