An unusual uterine tumour with signet ring cell features

Objective: Lymphomas with signet ring cell features are rare, as is uterine dissemination of lymphomas. We report an exceptional case of a uterine tumor combining these two characteristics. Method: A 61-year-old female was diagnosed in 2004 with localized nodal grade 2 follicular lymphoma (stage IA). She received local radiation therapy, experienced total remission, and did well until 2009 when a systematic CT scan evidenced a pelvic anterior-lateral mass. Total enlarged hysterectomy was performed. Results: The anterior uterine wall contained a 4.8-cm fish flesh well-delineated mass corresponding to a mostly diffuse and focally nodular proliferation of medium to large cells with extensive signet ring cell changes. Tumor cells were CD20-, CD10-, Bcl2-, and Bcl6-positive with a low proliferation rate (<10-15%); CD21 underlined a focal follicular architecture. The vacuoles were PAS-negative and did not stain for immunoglobulin; ultrastructural analysis revealed nonspecific degenerative vacuoles. No lymph nodes were identified isolated from the surgical specimen. The tumor was considered as a secondary localization of the systemic follicular lymphoma, though no signet ring cells were evidenced in the cervical lymph node biopsy (reviewed). Follow-up showed retroperitoneal tissue infiltration (PET-CT) and normal medullar biopsy. She recently started R-CHOP chemotherapy. Conclusion: This case illustrates both an unusual site of dissemination and challenging cytological characteristics in a follicular lymphoma. The signet ring cell changes challenged the adequate classification of this lymphoma as either a large B cell or a follicular B cell lymphoma.

Multipole modes and spin features in the Raman spectrum of nanoscopic quantum rings

We present a systematic study of ground state and spectroscopic properties of many-electron nanoscopic quantum rings. Addition energies at zero magnetic field (B) and electrochemical potentials as a function of B are given for a ring hosting up to 24 electrons. We find discontinuities in the excitation energies of multipole spin and charge density modes, and a coupling between the charge and spin density responses that allow to identify the formation of ferromagnetic ground states in narrow magnetic field regions. These effects can be observed in Raman experiments, and are related to the fractional Aharonov-Bohm oscillations of the energy and of the persistent current in the ring

Structural sustainability of cambisol under different land use system

Incongruous management techniques have been associated with some significant loss of agricultural land to degradation in many parts of the world. Land degradation results in the alteration of physical, chemical and biological properties of the soil, thereby posing a serious threat to sustainable agricultural development. In this study, our objective is to evaluate the changes in a Cambisol structure under six land use systems using the load bearing capacity model. Sampling was conducted in Amazonas Region, Brazil, in the following land use: a) young secondary forest; b) old secondary forest; c) forest; d) pasture; e) cropping, and f) agroforestry. To obtain the load bearing capacity models the undisturbed soil samples were collected in those land use systems and subjected to the uniaxial compression test. These models were used to evaluate which land use system preserved or degraded the Cambisol structure. The results of the bulk density and total porosity of the soil samples were not adequate to quantify structural degradation in Cambisol. Using the forest topsoil level (0-0.03 m) as a reference, it was observed that pasture land use system was most severe in the degradation of the soil structure while the structure were most preserved under old secondary forest, cropping system and forest. At the subsoil level (0.10-0.13 m depth), the soil structure was most degraded in the cropping land use system while it was most preserved in young secondary forest and pasture. At the 0.20-0.23 m depth, soil structure degradation was most severe in the old secondary forest system and well preserved in young secondary forest, cropping and agroforestry.

Philo of Alexandria's De opificio mundi (LIII-LXI): discovering the essential features of Greek and Western Misogyny in a Platonising Jewish Text

The aim of this article is to show the Western centuries-old misogynist tradition from its origins in Greece by analysing a text by the allegorical interpreter of the Bible Philo of Alexandria, his De opifico mundi, which on many occasions is read by him from a Platonic point of view. The accurate analysis of the chapters devoted to the creation of the woman by God proves to what extent it is not possible to understand this text if one does not take into account a Greek philosophical tradition which was already centuries-old.

Three-dimensional interpolation of soil data: fertility and pedomorphological features in southern Brazil

The graphical representation of spatial soil properties in a digital environment is complex because it requires a conversion of data collected in a discrete form onto a continuous surface. The objective of this study was to apply three-dimension techniques of interpolation and visualization on soil texture and fertility properties and establish relationships with pedogenetic factors and processes in a slope area. The GRASS Geographic Information System was used to generate three-dimensional models and ParaView software to visualize soil volumes. Samples of the A, AB, BA, and B horizons were collected in a regular 122-point grid in an area of 13 ha, in Pinhais, PR, in southern Brazil. Geoprocessing and graphic computing techniques were effective in identifying and delimiting soil volumes of distinct ranges of fertility properties confined within the soil matrix. Both three-dimensional interpolation and the visualization tool facilitated interpretation in a continuous space (volumes) of the cause-effect relationships between soil texture and fertility properties and pedological factors and processes, such as higher clay contents following the drainage lines of the area. The flattest part with more weathered soils (Oxisols) had the highest pH values and lower Al3+ concentrations. These techniques of data interpolation and visualization have great potential for use in diverse areas of soil science, such as identification of soil volumes occurring side-by-side but that exhibit different physical, chemical, and mineralogical conditions for plant root growth, and monitoring of plumes of organic and inorganic pollutants in soils and sediments, among other applications. The methodological details for interpolation and a three-dimensional view of soil data are presented here.

Models that include supercoiling of topological domains reproduce several known features of interphase chromosomes.

Understanding the structure of interphase chromosomes is essential to elucidate regulatory mechanisms of gene expression. During recent years, high-throughput DNA sequencing expanded the power of chromosome conformation capture (3C) methods that provide information about reciprocal spatial proximity of chromosomal loci. Since 2012, it is known that entire chromatin in interphase chromosomes is organized into regions with strongly increased frequency of internal contacts. These regions, with the average size of ∼1 Mb, were named topological domains. More recent studies demonstrated presence of unconstrained supercoiling in interphase chromosomes. Using Brownian dynamics simulations, we show here that by including supercoiling into models of topological domains one can reproduce and thus provide possible explanations of several experimentally observed characteristics of interphase chromosomes, such as their complex contact maps.

Bayes factor for investigative assessment of selected handwriting features

This paper extends previous research [1] on the use of multivariate continuous data in comparative handwriting examinations, notably for gender classification. A database has been constructed by analyzing the contour shape of loop characters of type a and d by means of Fourier analysis, which allows characters to be described in a global way by a set of variables (e.g., Fourier descriptors). Sample handwritings were collected from right- and left-handed female and male writers. The results reported in this paper provide further arguments in support of the view that investigative settings in forensic science represent an area of application for which the Bayesian approach offers a logical framework. In particular, the Bayes factor is computed for settings that focus on inference of gender and handedness of the author of an incriminated handwritten text. An emphasis is placed on comparing the efficiency for investigative purposes of characters a and d.

Sustainability of Wood Productivity of Pinus TaedaBased on Nutrient Export and Stocks in the Biomass and in the Soil

ABSTRACT The impact of intensive management practices on the sustainability of forest production depends on maintenance of soil fertility. The contribution of forest residues and nutrient cycling in this process is critical. A 16-year-old stand of Pinus taeda in a Cambissolo Húmico Alumínico léptico (Humic Endo-lithic Dystrudept) in the south of Brazil was studied. A total of 10 trees were sampled distributed in five diameter classes according to diameter at breast height. The biomass of the needles, twigs, bark, wood, and roots was measured for each tree. In addition to plant biomass, accumulated plant litter was sampled, and soil samples were taken at three increments based on sampling depth: 0.00-0.20, 0.20-0.40, 0.40-0.60, 0.60-1.00, 1.00-1.40, 1.40-1.80, and 1.80-1.90 m. The quantity and concentration of nutrients, as well as mineralogical characteristics, were determined for each soil sample. Three scenarios of harvesting intensities were simulated: wood removal (A), wood and bark removal (B), and wood + bark + canopy removal (C). The sum of all biomass components was 313 Mg ha-1.The stocks of nutrients in the trees decreased in the order N>Ca>K>S>Mg>P. The mineralogy of the Cambissolo Húmico Alumínico léptico showed the predominance of quartz sand and small traces of vermiculite in the silt fraction. Clay is the main fraction that contributes to soil weathering, due to the transformation of illite-vermiculite, releasing K. The depletion of nutrients from the soil biomass was in the order: P>S>N>K>Mg>Ca. Phosphorus and S were the most limiting in scenario A due to their low stock in the soil. In scenario B, the number of forest rotations was limited by N, K, and S. Scenario C showed the greatest reduction in productivity, allowing only two rotations before P limitation. It is therefore apparent that there may be a difference of up to 30 years in the capacity of the soil to support a scenario such as A, with a low nutrient removal, compared to scenario C, with a high nutrient removal. Hence, the effect of different harvesting intensities on nutrient availability may jeopardize the sustainability of P. taeda in the short-term.

MR features of gastrointestinal stromal tumors.

We report on two patients presenting with gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). The important tumor size and the marked tissular hypersignal seen on T2-weighted magnetic resonance images (MRI) should be considered as magnetic resonance (MR) features strongly indicating diagnosis of GIST.

Pouchography, CT, and MRI features of ileal J pouch-anal anastomosis

OBJECTIVE: Our objective is to describe pouchography, CT, and MRI features of the J-shaped pouch, both normal and with pouch-related complications. CONCLUSION: Pouchography is performed before closure of the loop ileostomy to assess the integrity of the ileal pouch and anastomosis. CT and MRI can be performed when postoperative complications, such as small-bowel obstruction, pouchitis, leakage, abscess, intramural hematoma, desmoid tumor, or recurrent Crohn's disease, are suspected.

Neuroanatomical and neuropsychological features of elderly euthymic depressed patients with early- and late-onset.

BACKGROUND: Whether or not cognitive impairment and brain structure changes are trait characteristics of late-life depression is still disputed. Previous studies led to conflicting data possibly because of the difference in the age of depression onset. In fact, several lines of evidence suggest that late-onset depression (LOD) is more frequently associated with neuropsychological deficits and brain pathology than early-onset depression (EOD). To date, no study explored concomitantly the cognitive profile and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) patterns in euthymic EOD and LOD patients. METHOD: Using a cross-sectional design, 41 remitted outpatients (30 with EOD and 11 with LOD) were compared to 30 healthy controls. Neuropsychological evaluation concerned working memory, episodic memory, processing speed, naming capacity and executive functions. Volumetric estimates of the amygdala, hippocampus, entorhinal and anterior cingulate cortex were obtained using both voxel-based and region of interest morphometric methods. White matter hyperintensities were assessed semiquantitatively. RESULTS: Both cognitive performance and brain volumes were preserved in euthymic EOD patients whereas LOD patients showed a significant reduction of episodic memory capacity and a higher rate of periventricular hyperintensities compared to both controls and EOD patients. CONCLUSION: Our results support the dissociation between EOD thought to be mainly related to psychosocial factors and LOD that is characterized by increasing vascular burden and episodic memory decline.

Expression quantitative trait locus mapping across water availability environments reveals contrasting associations with genomic features in Arabidopsis.

The regulation of gene expression is crucial for an organism's development and response to stress, and an understanding of the evolution of gene expression is of fundamental importance to basic and applied biology. To improve this understanding, we conducted expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) mapping in the Tsu-1 (Tsushima, Japan) × Kas-1 (Kashmir, India) recombinant inbred line population of Arabidopsis thaliana across soil drying treatments. We then used genome resequencing data to evaluate whether genomic features (promoter polymorphism, recombination rate, gene length, and gene density) are associated with genes responding to the environment (E) or with genes with genetic variation (G) in gene expression in the form of eQTLs. We identified thousands of genes that responded to soil drying and hundreds of main-effect eQTLs. However, we identified very few statistically significant eQTLs that interacted with the soil drying treatment (GxE eQTL). Analysis of genome resequencing data revealed associations of several genomic features with G and E genes. In general, E genes had lower promoter diversity and local recombination rates. By contrast, genes with eQTLs (G) had significantly greater promoter diversity and were located in genomic regions with higher recombination. These results suggest that genomic architecture may play an important a role in the evolution of gene expression.