Bilateral Ocular Myositis Associated with Whipple's Disease

Purpose: To describe the clinical features of a Caucasian female patient with a history of treated gastrointestinal Whipple's disease (WD) who developed new-onset diplopia, with a description of the histopathological features of the extraocular muscle biopsies. Methods: A previously fit 38-year-old Caucasian female presented with acute-onset diplopia after being on a sustained medication regime for biopsy-proven gastrointestinal WD. A magnetic resonance imaging scan of her orbits with gadolinium revealed diffuse enhancement of the bellies of the extraocular muscles bilaterally, particularly the medial rectus, superior rectus, and superior oblique muscles, consistent with an infiltrative myositis. She underwent unilateral extraocular muscle biopsies. Results: The extraocular muscle biopsies contained macrophages between the muscle fibres. These contained periodic acid-Schiff-positive cytoplasmic granules. Immunohistochemistry with an antibody raised to Tropheryma whipplei showed positive staining of the same macrophages. Transmission electron microscopy confirmed the presence of effete T. whipplei cell membranes in lysosomes. Conclusion: This case describes bilateral WD-associated extraocular muscle myositis. The exact mechanism for this unusual presentation is unclear, but both a WD-associated immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome and treatment failure are possibilities, with a good response observed to antibiotic therapy and adjunctive corticosteroids

Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial

Background Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy

Expression of the SST receptor 2 in uveal melanoma is not a prognostic marker

Introduction: Uveal melanoma (UM) cells and neurohormone-producing cells both originate from the neural crest. Somatostatin receptors subtype 2 (SSTR2) are over-expressed in several tumors, often from neuroendocrine origin, and synthetic antagonists like octreotide and octreotate are being used as diagnostic or therapeutic agents. We investigated the SSTR2 expression in UM, and determined whether this expression was related to prognosis of the disease. Materials and methods: UM cell lines and fresh primary UM samples were tested for SSTR2 expression by autoradiography (AR) using 125I-Tyr3-octreotate. Furthermore, UM cell lines were analyzed for SSTR2 mRNA expression with quantitative real-time RT-PCR. Results: Using AR, cell-surface SSTR2 expression was demonstrated in two UM metastatic cell lines, but no expression was detected in three cell lines derived from primary UM. However, all primary and metastatic UM cell lines showed mRNA expression levels for SSTR2 using quantitative real-time RT-PCR. Only three of 14 primary UM demonstrated moderate SSTR2 expression, and this expression was not significantly associated with tumor-free survival or any tested prognostic factor. Conclusions: Based on the rare and low expression of SSTR2 found in primary UM specimens and in UM cell lines, we conclude that SSTR2 is not widely expressed in UM. Furthermore, SSTR2 expression was not associated with tumor-free survival and prognostic factors. Therefore SSTR2 is not suited as prognostic marker or therapeutic target in UM

Exploring Mechanisms for Model‐Dependency of the Stratospheric Response to Arctic Warming

The Arctic is estimated to have warmed up to four times faster than the rest of the globe since the 1980s. There is significant interest in understanding the mechanisms by which such warming may impact weather and climate at lower latitudes. One such mechanism is the “stratospheric pathway”; Arctic warming is proposed to induce a wave‐driven weakening of the stratospheric polar vortex, which may subsequently impact large‐scale tropospheric circulation. However, recent comprehensive model studies have found systematic differences in both the magnitude and sign of the stratospheric response to Arctic warming. Using a series of idealized model simulations, we show that this response is sensitive to characteristics of the warming and mean polar vortex strength. In all simulations, imposed polar warming amplifies upward wave propagation from the troposphere, consistent with comprehensive models. However, as polar warming strength and depth increases, the region through which waves can propagate is narrowed, inducing wave breaking and deceleration of the flow in the lower stratosphere. Thus, the mid‐stratosphere is less affected, with reduced sudden stratospheric warming frequency for stronger and deeper warming compared to weaker and shallower warming. We also find that the sign of the stratospheric response depends on the mean strength of the vortex, and that the stratospheric response in turn plays a role in the magnitude of the tropospheric jet response. Our results help explain the spread across multimodel ensembles of comprehensive climate models

Exploring Mechanisms for Model‐Dependency of the Stratospheric Response to Arctic Warming

The Arctic is estimated to have warmed up to four times faster than the rest of the globe since the 1980s. There is significant interest in understanding the mechanisms by which such warming may impact weather and climate at lower latitudes. One such mechanism is the “stratospheric pathway”; Arctic warming is proposed to induce a wave‐driven weakening of the stratospheric polar vortex, which may subsequently impact large‐scale tropospheric circulation. However, recent comprehensive model studies have found systematic differences in both the magnitude and sign of the stratospheric response to Arctic warming. Using a series of idealized model simulations, we show that this response is sensitive to characteristics of the warming and mean polar vortex strength. In all simulations, imposed polar warming amplifies upward wave propagation from the troposphere, consistent with comprehensive models. However, as polar warming strength and depth increases, the region through which waves can propagate is narrowed, inducing wave breaking and deceleration of the flow in the lower stratosphere. Thus, the mid‐stratosphere is less affected, with reduced sudden stratospheric warming frequency for stronger and deeper warming compared to weaker and shallower warming. We also find that the sign of the stratospheric response depends on the mean strength of the vortex, and that the stratospheric response in turn plays a role in the magnitude of the tropospheric jet response. Our results help explain the spread across multimodel ensembles of comprehensive climate models

Assessing the Spurious Impacts of Ice-Constraining Methods on the Climate Response to Sea-Ice Loss using an Idealised Aquaplanet GCM

Coupled climate model simulations designed to isolate the effects of Arctic sea-ice loss often apply artificial heating, either directly to the ice or through modification of the surface albedo, to constrain sea ice in the absence of other forcings. Recent work has shown that this approach may lead to an overestimation of the climate response to sea-ice loss. In this study, we assess the spurious impacts of ice-constraining methods on the climate of an idealised aquaplanet general circulation model (GCM) with thermodynamic sea ice. The true effect of sea-ice loss in this model is isolated by inducing ice loss through reduction of the freezing point of water, which does not require additional energy input. We compare results from freezing point modification experiments with experiments where sea-ice loss is induced using traditional ice-constraining methods, and confirm the result of previous work that traditional methods induce spurious additional warming. Furthermore, additional warming leads to an overestimation of the circulation response to sea-ice loss, which involves a weakening of the zonal wind and storm track activity in midlatitudes. Our results suggest that coupled model simulations with constrained sea ice should be treated with caution, especially in boreal summer, where the true effect of sea-ice loss is weakest but we find the largest spurious response. Given that our results may be sensitive to the simplicity of the model we use, we suggest that devising methods to quantify the spurious effects of ice-constraining methods in more sophisticated models should be an urgent priority for future work

AN INVESTIGATION ON LIGHT COLOR AND STOCKING DENSITY ON SOME PRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE OF BROILERS

This study was designated to investigate the effect of light color and stocking density on some productive performance of broilers. A total of 675 Ross 308 one-dayold broiler chicks were used in this study. The birds were exposed to white light (WL) as a control , red light (RL), blue light (BL), green light (GL), and Blue – Green mix light (BGL) by a light-emitting diode system (LED) applied for 24 hours daily in separated rooms. The birds were randomly divided and housed into 9 wooden sealed pens of 1m2in three replicates for each density 12, 15 and 18 birds/m2in the room. The results showed that the broilers reared under BGL significantly increased (P< 0.05) body weight (BW) and weight gain (WG) at 1st, 3rdand 5thweek. Obviously, stocking density had no significant effect on BW and WG at 1stweek but significantly increased under 12 birds/m2at 3rdand 5thweek. Feed intake (FI) recorded a significant increase (P< 0.05) in broilers reared under WL at 1stweek, but no statistical difference was found at 3rdweek whereas, FI significantly increased (P< 0.05) in broilers reared under BL at 5thweek. The stocking density affected FI values which were significantly differed (P< 0.05) at 1st, 3rdand 5thweek under 12 birds/m2compared with other densities. The results of the study revealed a significant increase (P< 0.05) of Feed conversion ratio (FCR) in broilers reared under BL at 1stweek and RL at 3rdweek but there was no significant difference between groups at 5thweek. The results indicated a significant difference of FCR value in 18 birds/m2at 1st week but there were no significant differences at 3rdand 5thweek at different densities. In conclusion, the results of this study indicated that chickens reared under five different color lighting schedules with three bird densities showed that broilers reared under mixing blue – green light under 12 birds/m2has a significant positive effects on production performance compared with other light programs and bird densitie

The effect of color light and stocking density on some traits of broiler carcasses

This study was designed to investigate the effects of color light and stocking density on some traits of broilers carcass. A total of 675 Ross 308 one-day-old broiler chicks were used in this study. The chicks were exposed to white light (WL) as a control. While, the treatment light was Red light (RL), Blue light (BL), Green light (GL), and Blue – Green mix light (BGL) (produced by light-emitting diode system, LED), were applied for 24 hours daily in separated rooms. The birds were randomly housed into 9 wooden sealed pens of 1m2 in three replicates for each density 12, 15 and 18 birds/m2 in the room. The results showed that the carcass weight and dressing and breast muscle percentages were significantly increased) P0.05) in the diameter of the breast muscle fibers in broilers reared under different color lights and densities. In addition, no interaction has been found between light color and stocking density on carcass traits of broilers within all experimental groups

Electrical and Magnetic Properties of 3D Printed Integrated Conductive Biodegradable Polymer Nanocomposites for Sustainable Electronics Development

This article reports research on the development and implementation of new methods for structurally integrated and recyclable polymer based electronic products via multi-head fused deposition modelling (FDM) 3D printing. The focus of this research is to propose an efficient FDM-3D printing process utilising multiple filaments with no interruption of the process to ensure the multi-material electronic product achieved is structurally integrated. Such research is an attempt towards development of recyclable rigid electronic structures via multi-material 3D printing, i.e., multiple conductive nanomaterial embedded thermoplastic and non-conductive thermoplastic layers (in coil forms, herein). Six radio frequency identification (RFID) tag coil geometries were selected for the study. The thermoplastic polymer used in this research was polylactic acid (PLA), and the conductive filament was carbon black nanoparticle embedded PLA at approx. 21wt.%. The nozzle and filaments diameters examined were 1.75 mm. A MakerBot Replicator 2X 3D printer was partially disassembled to be equipped with a dual head, for our examinations. The research investigated the major challenges ahead of the proposed development, mainly, on the deteriorating effects on the quality of the integrated product (structural integrity, electric and magnetic properties) induced by the 3D printing process parameters (e.g., temperature). The most efficient nozzle and bed temperatures to prevent visible defects were found to be higher than the supplier’s recommendation, attributed to the uncertainties associated with the multi-material composition, and were found to require 248°C and 100°C for reliable and continued FDM printing, respectively. The measurements on the electric and magnetic properties, using 4-wire resistance and Hall effect method respectively, were conducted to quantify process induced deteriorating effects, quantitatively. It has been examined whether the multi-material electronic structure can be achieved via uninterrupted (continuous) processing of polymer nanocomposite-based identification systems for recyclability purpose whilst maintaining the electromagnetic properties of it, a promising technology for reducing landfill. Recommendations were identified for best practices behind such development