Neoplastic diseases of the head & neck in children

Pediatric neoplasm is next only to trauma as the most common cause of death. The cervicofacial malignancies presents a unique challenge owing to potential adverse effects of both the disease process and the treatment employed on critical developing head and neck structures. This study comprised of 106 children below 12 years age group conducted during 1999–2003 at JNMC, Aligarh. Of 106 cases 70 were benign neoplasms and 36 malignant neoplasms. Nasopharynx was the commonest site of involvement. Nasopharyngeal angiofibroma was the commonest benign tumour and lymphoma was the commonest malignant neoplasm. Team approach is required for mitigation of the disease process.     

Post‐COVID‐19 splenic infarction in a patient with chronic atrial fibrillation: A case report

We describe splenic infarction (SI), an infrequent condition, in an 82‐year‐old COVID‐19 patient with chronic atrial fibrillation (AF). COVID‐19 may cause thrombosis, and AF is a predisposing factor for splenic infarction. Suspicion of SI may be warranted in COVID‐19 patients with abdominal pain, especially if a predisposing factor exists.     

Alternative Materials from Agro-Industry for Wood Panel Manufacturing—A Review

The growing demand for wood-based panels for buildings and furniture and the increasing worldwide concern for reducing the pressure on forest resources require alternatives to wood raw materials. The agricultural industry not only can provide raw materials from non-wood plants but also numerous residues and side streams. This review supplies an overview of the availability, chemical composition, and fiber characteristics of non-wood lignocellulosic materials and agricultural residues, i.e., grow care residues, harvest residues, and process residues, and their relevance for use in wood panel manufacturing. During the crop harvest, there are millions of tons of residues in the form of stalks, among other things. Usually, these are only available seasonally without using storage capacity. Process residues, on the other hand, can be taken from ongoing production and processed further. Fiber characteristics and chemical composition affect the panel properties. Alternatives to wood with long fibers and high cellulose content offer sufficient mechanical strength in different panel types. In general, the addition of wood substitutes up to approximately 30% provides panels with the required strength properties. However, other parameters must be considered, such as pressing temperature, adhesive type, press levels, and pretreatments of the raw material. The search for new raw materials for wood panels should focus on availability throughout the year, the corresponding chemical requirements and market competition. Panel type and production process can be adapted to different raw materials to fit niche products.     

Immune checkpoints in targeted-immunotherapy of pancreatic cancer: New hope for clinical development

Immunotherapy has been recently considered as a promising alternative for cancer treatment. Indeed, targeting of immune checkpoint (ICP) strategies have shown significant success in human malignancies. However, despite remarkable success of cancer immunotherapy in pancreatic cancer (PCa), many of the developed immunotherapy methods show poor therapeutic outcomes in PCa with no or few effective treatment options thus far. In this process, immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment (TME) is found to be the main obstacle to the effectiveness of antitumor immune response induced by an immunotherapy method. In this paper, the latest findings on the ICPs, which mediate immunosuppression in the TME have been reviewed. In addition, different approaches for targeting ICPs in the TME of PCa have been discussed. This review has also synopsized the cutting-edge advances in the latest studies to clinical applications of ICP-targeted therapy in PCa.KEY WORDS: Immune checkpoint, Pancreatic cancer, Tumor microenvironment, Immunotherapy, Clinical development     

Distinct histopathological phenotypes of severe alcoholic hepatitis suggest different mechanisms driving liver injury and failure

Intrahepatic neutrophil infiltration has been implicated in severe alcoholic hepatitis (SAH) pathogenesis; however, the mechanism underlying neutrophil-induced injury in SAH remains obscure. This translational study aims to describe the patterns of intrahepatic neutrophil infiltration and its involvement in SAH pathogenesis. Immunohistochemistry analyses of explanted livers identified two SAH phenotypes despite a similar clinical presentation, one with high intrahepatic neutrophils (Neu^hi), but low levels of CD8⁺ T cells, and vice versa. RNA-Seq analyses demonstrated that neutrophil cytosolic factor 1 (NCF1), a key factor in controlling neutrophilic ROS production, was upregulated and correlated with hepatic inflammation and disease progression. To study specifically the mechanisms related to Neu^hi in AH patients and liver injury, we used the mouse model of chronic-plus-binge ethanol feeding and found that myeloid-specific deletion of the Ncf1 gene abolished ethanol-induced hepatic inflammation and steatosis. RNA-Seq analysis and the data from experimental models revealed that neutrophilic NCF1-dependent ROS promoted alcoholic hepatitis (AH) by inhibiting AMP-activated protein kinase (a key regulator of lipid metabolism) and microRNA-223 (a key antiinflammatory and antifibrotic microRNA). In conclusion, two distinct histopathological phenotypes based on liver immune phenotyping are observed in SAH patients, suggesting a separate mechanism driving liver injury and/or failure in these patients.     

Primary malignant epithelioid hemangioendothelioma of the pleura: A review and report of a novel case

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma is considered an uncommon tumor originating from vascular tissues. Although this disease is an extremely rare malignant cancer, its pleural subtype is even less common. We discuss a 68‐year‐old man with isolated pleural epithelioid hemangioendothelioma, along with a literature review of all similar cases.     

Immobilization effect of Ruta graveolens L. on human sperm: a new hope for male contraception

AIM OF THE STUDY: Contraceptive plants which were introduced by folk in traditional remedies are investigated worldwide. In this study, the contraceptive effects of Ruta graveolens L., which has been mentioned for male contraceptive in Iranian traditional folk medicine, was experimented on human sperm. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Different doses of lyophilized aqueous extract of Ruta graveolens L. were added to an amount of fresh semen, containing 10(6) cells in a 1:1 volumic ratio. Motility and viability of cells, DNA status, mitochondrial activity and sperm revival tests were carried out. RESULTS: The sperm immobilization effects of the extract appeared immediately in a does-dependent manner and 100% of the sperms became immotile at a concentration of 100mg/ml but other parameters were intact. After washing the sperms, motility was returned in 30.8+/-3.2% of the sperms, besides coiled tails in 38.6+/-5.5% of the treated cells, in comparison to 12.5+/-2.0% of the control group (p=0.001). The part of the extract, responsible for immobilization of the sperms was stable upon boiling. CONCLUSIONS: As the cells were alive and immotile, probably some ionic currents are blocked by a thermostable component of the plant which can be promising as a new male channel blocker contraceptive.