Sonographic appearance of proliferative fasciitis‐‐‐A case report

Proliferative fasciitis is a benign entity involving the subcutaneous tissues and fascias, characterized by the proliferation of fibroblast‐like spindle cells and ganglion‐like cells. However, proliferative fasciitis may be easily confused with sarcoma clinically and pathologically, because it appears as a rapidly growing painful mass and has histologic features such as high cellularity, bizarre morphologic patterns, mitotic figures, and diffuse infiltrative proliferation. Imaging findings of proliferative fasciitis have been very rarely reported. We report the sonographic findings in a case of proliferative fasciitis in a 43‐year‐old woman with histopathological correlation. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 45 :445–449, 2017     

Impact of transfusion of autologous 7‐ versus 42‐day‐old AS‐3 red blood cells on tissue oxygenation and the microcirculation in healthy volunteers

BACKGROUND: Stored red blood cells (RBCs) accumulate biochemical and biophysical changes. Maximum storage duration is based on acceptable in vitro characteristics and 24‐hour survival, but not RBC function. Relatively little is known about the impact of RBC storage duration on oxygenation and the microcirculation. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Eight healthy subjects donated a double RBC apheresis, which were prestorage leukoreduced and processed in AS‐3. Subjects were transfused 1 unit of RBCs at 7 and 42 days after blood collection. Measurements of percentage of tissue oxygenation in the thenar eminence muscle (StO₂) and brain (SctO₂) were recorded with Food and Drug Administration–cleared noninvasive devices. Sublingual microvascular blood flow (microcirculatory flow index [MFI]) was quantified before and after RBC transfusion using a video microscope. Raw electronic data for all measurements were analyzed by a blinded observer at a core laboratory. RESULTS: The only pre‐ versus posttransfusion change observed in measurements of SctO₂, StO₂, or MFI was a very small increase in SctO₂, from 70.4 to 71.8 (means, p = 0.032) at 7 days. There was no significant difference in the amount of pre–post change at 7 days versus 42 days for any of the measures. CONCLUSION: Transfusion of 1 unit of 42‐day‐stored RBCs to healthy subjects has no overt detrimental effect on tissue oxygenation or the microcirculation assessed by clinically available monitors.     

(E)‐2‐benzylidene‐4‐phenyl‐1,3‐diselenole has antioxidant and hepatoprotective properties against oxidative damage induced by 2‐nitropropane in rats

The in vitro effect of (E)‐2‐benzylidene‐4‐phenyl‐1,3‐diselenole (BPD) was evaluated through iron/EDTA‐induced thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS) and reactive species (RS) determinations as well as of the scavenging 2,2′‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical quantification. BPD at the concentrations of 10 and 50 μΜ decreased RS and TBARS levels, respectively. The antioxidant activity was not related to the scavenging DPPH radical mechanism. A second objective of this study was to investigate the hepatoprotective action of BPD, administered by oral route, against oxidative damage induced by 2‐nitropropane (2‐NP) (100 mg/kg of body weight) in liver of rats. At the dose of 50 mg/kg, BPD protected against the increase in aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activities induced by 2‐NP. BPD (10 and 50 mg/kg) protected against the increase in TBARS levels and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity. Sections of liver from 2‐NP‐exposed rats presented intense infiltration of inflammatory cells and loss of cellular architecture. BPD (10 and 50 mg/kg) attenuated 2‐NP‐induced hepatic histological alterations. The inhibition of δ‐aminolevulinic dehydratase (δ‐ALA‐D), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR), and glutathione S‐transferase (GST) activities and the decreased GSH levels caused by 2‐NP were protected by BPD (50 mg/kg). Catalase activity and ascorbic acid levels were not altered by 2‐NP. These results demonstrated the antioxidant and hepatoprotective effects of BPD in liver of rats.     

Human platelet antigen polymorphisms (HPA‐1, ‐2, ‐3, ‐4, ‐5 and ‐15) in major ethnic groups of Pakistan

Objectives: Gene frequencies of human platelet antigens (HPA) determine the magnitude of platelet immunological disorders like neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia, platelet refractoriness and ease of availability of particular HPA‐typed platelet donors in a given community. Background: However, the pattern of HPA in Pakistani population is not known. Aim: The aim of present study was to determine the gene frequencies of HPA (HPA‐1 to ‐5 and ‐15) in individuals belonging to major ethnic groups and castes of Pakistani population. Materials and Methods: HPA genotyping was done in 593 individuals belonging to all ethnic groups of Pakistan, by polymerase chain reaction‐sequence specific primers with detection on polyacrylamide electrophoresis. Results: The gene frequencies of the ‘a’ and ‘b’ alleles of HPA‐1 to ‐5 and ‐15 in Pakistanis were as follows: HPA‐1a/b, 0·885/0·115; HPA‐2a/b, 0·92/0·08; HPA‐3a/b, 0·69/0·31; HPA‐4a/b, 1/0; HPA‐5a/b, 0·9/0·1; HPA‐15a/b, 0·59/0·41. Except for significant difference regarding gene frequency of HPA‐3 between Pathans and Sindhis, there was no significant difference of HPA‐1 to ‐5 and ‐15 between major ethnic groups of Pakistan. The estimated mismatch probability regarding platelet antigens 1–5 and 15 in Pakistanis, after transfusion of random donor platelets, is from 14 to 37%. The expected incidence of neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia due to anti‐HPA‐1a in Pakistani pregnant females is < 1 of 1000 pregnancies and 8–12 of 1000 in case of anti‐HPA‐5b. Homozygosity of HPA‐1b, ‐2b and ‐5b genotypes ranged from 1 to 2% in the Pakistani population, whereas homozygosity of HPA‐3b and ‐15b was 11 and 18%. Conclusions: There is a need to establish donor registries typed for HPA in the transfusion centres of the country.     

Additive manufacturing of poly[(R)‐3‐hydroxybutyrate‐co‐(R)‐3‐hydroxyhexanoate] scaffolds for engineered bone development

A wide range of poly(hydroxyalkanoate)s (PHAs), a class of biodegradable polyesters produced by various bacteria grown under unbalanced conditions, have been proposed for the fabrication of tissue‐engineering scaffolds. In this study, the manufacture of poly[(R)‐3‐hydroxybutyrate‐co‐(R)‐3‐hydroxyhexanoate] (or PHBHHx) scaffolds, by means of an additive manufacturing technique based on a computer‐controlled wet‐spinning system, was investigated. By optimizing the processing parameters, three‐dimensional scaffolds with different internal architectures were fabricated, based on a layer‐by‐layer approach. The resulting scaffolds were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, which showed good control over the fibre alignment and a fully interconnected porous network, with porosity in the range 79–88%, fibre diameter 47–76 µm and pore size 123–789 µm. Moreover, the resulting fibres presented an internal porosity connected to the external fibre surface as a consequence of the phase‐inversion process governing the solidification of the polymer solution. Scaffold compressive modulus and yield stress and strain could be varied in a certain range by changing the architectural parameters. Cell‐culture experiments employing the MC3T3‐E1 murine pre‐osteoblast cell line showed good cell proliferation after 21 days of culture. The PHBHHx scaffolds demonstrated promising results in terms of cell differentiation towards an osteoblast phenotype. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.