Purposeful use of multimodality imaging in the diagnosis of caseous mitral annular calcification: a case series report

Background Caseous mitral annular calcification (CMAC) is a rare liquefactive variant of mitral annular calcification (MAC) and superficially mimics a cardiac vegetation or abscess. CMAC is viewed as a benign condition of MAC, while MAC has clinical implications for patients’ lives. Correctly diagnosing CMAC is essential in order to avoid unnecessary interventions, cardiac surgery or even psychological suffering for the patient. Case presentation We report on 6 patients with suspected intra-cardiac masses of the mitral annulus that were referred to our institution for further clarification. A definitive diagnosis of CMAC was achieved by combining echocardiography (Echo), cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and cardiac computed tomography (CT) for these patients. Echo assessed the mass itself and possible interactions with the mitral valve. MRI was useful in differentiating the tissue from other benign or malign neoplasms. CT revealed the typical structure of CMAC with a “soft” liquefied centre and an outer capsule with calcification. Conclusion CMAC is a rare condition, and most clinicians and even radiologists are not familiar with it. CMAC can be mistaken for an intra-cardiac tumour, thombus, vegetation, or abscess. Non-invasive multimodality imaging (i.e. Echo, MRI, and CT) helps to establish a definitive diagnosis of CMAC and avoid unnecessary interventions especially in uncertain cases.

Histopathological Changes In The Intestine Of Infected Pigeons (Columba Livia Domestica) Caused By Helminthes Infection From Al-Qassim, Saudi Arabia

Helminthes infection causes extensive harm to the pigeon host. The purpose of this study was to observe histopathological changes caused by helminths infection. Thirty-five pigeons (C.L. Domestica) were purchased weekly from a bird's market from Al- Qassim region, Saudi Arabia. Out of the 35 pigeons examined, 9 pigeons (25.71%) were found infected with helminth parasites, which were identified as one cestode (Raillietina sp.), and one nematode (Ascaridia columbae). The infected pigeons suffered from growth retardation, emaciation, weakness, droopiness, and diarrhea. A lot of histopathological changes were seen in the intestine of infected pigeons including atrophy and distortion of villi, infiltration of inflammatory lymphocytic cells, erosion, and loss of the typical structure of the intestine, necrosis in villi, and blood vessels congestion. This study concludes, for the first time in AL-Qassim region-Saudi Arabia, that the infection with helminth parasites caused significant histopathological changes in the intestines of the infected pigeons, and this could lead to increased mortality to the infected pigeons. Further work is necessary in Saudi Arabia to determine the prevalence and biological factors that have a significant impact on the helminth parasites community.

THE METHOD OF OBJECT MODELING IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF PATENTABLE DESIGNS OF TRACTION DRIVE MECHANISMS

Work objective is to develop a patentable design of locomotive traction drive mechanisms using the example of a suspension unit. Research methods: object modeling method, analytical methods for calculating dynamics of rolling stock. Research results and novelty: the design of the railway electric motor suspension unit, which will reduce costs in the course of maintenance and repair of a locomotive with a solid gear by increasing the reliability of the suspension unit parts, eliminating their wear, has been developed; a compensation coupling device has been devised. We will synthesize the object model of a technical system based on the identification of its typical structure by classifying technical systems. Conclusion: the application of the object modeling method together with the object model allows avoiding errors in the development of new designs of technical objects based on existing comparables and eliminates defects of the selected prototype. The use of the object modeling method makes it possible to synthesize patentable designs of the locomotive underframe mechanisms.

Clostridium perfringens Beta2 toxin forms highly cation-selective channels in lipid bilayers

Clostridium perfringens is a potent producer of a variety of toxins. Well studied from these are five toxins (alpha, Beta (CPB), epsilon, iota and CPE) that are produced by seven toxinotype strains (A–G) of C. perfringens. Besides these toxins, C. perfringens produces also another toxin that causes necrotizing enterocolitis in piglets. This toxin termed consensus Beta2 toxin (cCPB2) has a molecular mass of 27,620 Da and shows only little homology to CPB and no one to the other toxins of C. perfringens. Its primary action on cells remained unknown to date. cCPB2 was heterogeneously expressed as fusion protein with GST in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity. Although cCPB2 does not exhibit the typical structure of beta-stranded pore-forming proteins and contains no indication for the presence of amphipathic alpha-helices we could demonstrate that cCPB2 is a pore-forming component with an extremely high activity in lipid bilayers. The channels have a single-channel conductance of about 700 pS in 1 M KCl and are highly cation-selective as judged from selectivity measurements in the presence of salt gradients. The high cation selectivity is caused by the presence of net negative charges in or near the channel that allowed an estimate of the channel size being about 1.4 nm wide. Our measurements suggest that the primary effect of cCPB2 is the formation of cation-selective channels followed by necrotic enteritis in humans and animals. We searched in databases for homologs of cCPB2 and constructed a cladogram representing the phylogenetic relationship to the next relatives of cCPB2.

TYPICAL STRUCTURE OF WISH FOR EVIL IN LAX

The article examines the types of speech acts with the general meaning of a curse. The typological structure of the formulas of the speech act of ill will (or curse), their structural and pragmatic features are considered. The standard structures of performative utterances of ill will (or curse) are defined.

The use of principal component analysis to measure fundamental cognitive processes in neuropsychological data

For years, dissociation studies on neurological single cases were the dominant method to infer fundamental cognitive functions in neuropsychology. In contrast, the association between deficits was considered to be of less epistemological value and even misleading. Still, principal component analysis (PCA), an associational method for dimensionality reduction, recently became popular for the identification of fundamental functions. The current study evaluated the ability of PCA to identify the fundamental variables underlying a battery of measures. Synthetic data were simulated to resemble typical neuropsychological data, including varying dissociation patterns. In most experiments, PCA succeeded to measure the underlying target variables with high up to almost perfect precision. However, this success relied on additional factor rotation. Unroated PCA struggled with the dependence of data and often failed. On the other hand, the performance of rotated factor solutions required single measures that anchored the rotation. When no test scores existed that primarily and precisely measured each underlying target variable, rotated solutions also failed their intended purpose. Further, the dimensionality of the simulated data was consistently underestimated. Commonly used strategies to estimate the number of meaningful factors appear to be inappropriate for neuropsychological data. Finally, simulations suggested a high potential of PCA to denoise data, with factor rotation providing an additional filter function. This can be invaluable in neuropsychology, where measures are often inherently noisy, and PCA can be superior to common compound measures - such as the arithmetic mean - in the measurement of variables with high reliability. In summary, PCA appears to be a powerful tool in neuropsychology that is well capable to infer fundamental cognitive functions with high precision, but the typical structure of neuropsychological data places clear limitations and a risk of a complete methodological failure on the method.

Morphology, anatomy and essential oil characterization of Pinus radiata needles in the conditions of the Southern Coast of the Crimea

The paper presents data on the dendrometric parameters, a needle anatomy and an essential oil characterization of a radiate pine (Pinus radiata D. Don) in the conditions of the Southern Coast of the Crimea. The research was carried out on the model trees (age 70-80 years) growing in the territory of the Montedor Park. For research collected pine needles radiant cuts were made on the freezing microtome (MZ-2, Ukraine), were stained with Sudan III and examined with a light microscope Mikmed-5 (LOMO, Russia) equipped with a digital camera MS-3 (LOMO, Russia). The essential oil from the needles was extracted by hydrodistillation on Ginsberg devices and examined on a gas chromatograph 6890N (Agilent Technology, USA). The studies showed that radiata pine trees achieve their genetically determined parameters, compared to those in the nature habitats in Monterey (California, USA). A needle anatomical investigation clearly demonstrated typical structure. In the essential oil composition, predominance of monoterpenes, in particular a-and (3-pinenes with a large content of the latter was demonstrated. The peculiarity of P. radiata essential oil under the conditions of the Southern Coast of the Crimea, compared to some other regions, was the presence of limonene, which determined the stronger coniferous smell.

Structure of the Field of the Colored Dissolved Organic Matter Concentration in the Kerch Strait

Purpose. Using the data obtained in the expeditions, 2001–2014, the authors intend to identify the typical features of vertical structure of the colored dissolved organic matter (fDOM) concentration field in the Kerch Strait, to type the fDOM(z) profiles, to zone the region under consideration according to a given set of the qualitative features, and also to determine the features of statistical characteristics of the fDOM concentration distribution on the sea surface layer for the water areas with a typical structure. Methods and Results. The typing was carried out by the method of visual expert assessment of the curves of vertical distribution of concentration of the considered value. It was based on analyzing the fDOM(z) profile shapes. To reveal the boundaries of the areas with typical stratification of the fDOM content field, the thermohaline field structure was analyzed. Three types of water vertical structure were identified; they differed in the fDOM(z) profile shape and in statistical indices of empirical distribution of this substance concentration on the sea surface. These are the Azov Sea and the Black Sea types peculiar to the Azov and Black seas waters not contaminated by dissolved organic matter, and the type, the structure of which identifies the waters containing the anthropogenic component in the concentration field of the analyzed value. The latter type is characterized by a special intrusive shape of the fDOM(z) profile. For each of the identified stratification types, the histograms of the fDOM concentration distribution on the sea surface were calculated. Conclusions. The fDOM(z) profiles were typed. The Kerch Strait water area was zoned in accordance with a given set of the preliminary revealed qualitative features. The boundaries of the areas with typical stratification and their displacements were determined. It is shown that each structure type has its own statistical distribution of concentration of the considered value on the sea surface