Primary Lymphoepithelioma-like Hepatocellular Carcinoma With Hepatic Cyst: a Case Report and Review of Literature

Background: Lymphoepithelioma-like hepatic carcinoma is a rare malignant tumor. It includes lymphoepithelioma-like hepatocellular carcinoma (LEL-HCC) and lymphoepithelioma-like intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (LEL-ICC). we report the first case of hepatic cyst and LEL-HCC, which is extremely rare among hepatocellular carcinoma.Case presentation: A 47-year-old female was admitted to our hospital with an unexpected health examination finding of liver nodules. Subsequently, the Computerized tomography (CT) revealed a tumor and a cyst. The Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) found a 23×18 mm hepatic cyst in the right lobe of the liver and a 21×17 mm nodule in the left lateral lobe of the liver, and the nodule imaging was likely liver cancer. The patient underwent laparoscopic left lateral hepatectomy, and the histopathological examination revealed undifferentiated heterogeneous glandular epithelial cells with obvious lymphocyte infiltration. The Immunohistochemistry study CD3, CD20, Ki-67, CK, and CK19 results were positive, while CD10, P53, and CEA were negative in tumor tissues. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) was negative in situ hybridization. For this patient, the LEL-HCC diagnostic was made according to the histopathological result. Surgical resection is the first choice for this kind of patients, but immunotherapy may be more promising for them in the future. Conclusion: LEL-HCC is a rare variant of HCC, characterized by dense lymphocyte infiltration and a good prognosis. We report the first patient with hepatic cysts and LEL-HCC, which is distinctly uncommon in the HCC patients. Because the hepatic cyst and tumor are similar in certain imaging studies, our work can provide information for clinical diagnosis.

Uses for Incomplete Ammonite Sutures: Lateral Lobe and Second Saddle as Markers of Sutural Complexity

Ammonoid sutures are geometric patterns formed by the intersection of the septa and the shell wall, and have long been a diagnostic tool for ammonite researchers for such applications as species identification, taxonomic relationships, ontogenetic change, functional and evolutionary morphology, determination of ecological niche, and other aspects of ammonoid paleobiology. Researchers interested in a variety of paleobiological questions related to ammonoids have almost always required access to the entire hemisuture. Without access to specimens in museum or institutional collections, researchers must rely on previously published illustrations and photographs of ammonoid sutures. However, due to the perspective in photographs, distortion of the marginal elements of suture geometry occurs due to shell curvature near the venter and umbilicus when photographed in profile. The revised approach described here, which we refer to as the Lateral Lobe Saddle, or LLS approach, makes use of only the lateral lobe and second saddle S2 (lateral lobe-second saddle pairs, or LLS) which lie in the central, mid-whorl undistorted sector of a suture line as viewed in lateral, profile shell photos and illustrations. The factors by which fractal dimension of LLS data convert to fractal dimension of the standard hemisuture measurements are largely consistent within genera. The LLS method’s non-requirement of a full hemisuture also facilitates comparisons among sutures within an ontogenetic sequence, or sutures from multiple ammonite taxa where ventral and umbilical sutural elements are hidden by whorl overlap or poor preservation.

A modified animal model of hepatic regeneration induced by hilar bile duct ligation

Mechanisms of the proliferation of liver are mainly studied in animal model of liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy (PH). However, the PH model involves complex regeneration mechanisms, including hemodynamic factors, cytokines, growth factors, and metabolites. Among liver metabolites, bile acid (BA) is a key signaling molecule that regulates liver regeneration. This study aimed to establish a new type of rapid liver hyperplasia model induced mainly by bile acid pathway through hepatoenteral circulation with hilar bile duct ligation (HBDL). We first established the HBDL model by ligating the bile duct of all hepatic lobes but the right lateral lobe in rabbits and compared with the PVL model and sham operation group. Changes in the liver lobe and hemodynamics were observed. Liver function and the bile acid level were also analyzed. Then we verified the HBDL model in mice. Liver function and the levels of bile acids and cytokines were tested. The protein and mRNA levels of FXR, FGF15, CYP7A1 and FoxM1b in liver tissue were also analyzed. After hilar ligation of the biliary tract, the unligated liver lobes proliferated significantly. Compared with those in the sham group, the volume and weight of the unligated right lateral lobe of the liver in the HBDL group and the PVL group increased significantly (P < 0.05). Transient liver function impairment occurred both in the HBDL group and PVL group in the rabbit model as well as the mouse models. The bile acid levels in the HBDL groups of the rabbit model and mouse model increased significantly within first week after surgery (P < 0.05). The immunohistochemistry results confirmed the proliferation of hepatocytes in the unligated liver lobe. Compared with those in the sham group, the levels of FXR, FGF15 and FoxM1b in the HBDL group were significantly increased (P < 0.05), while the expression of CYP7A1 was inhibited. Compared with those in the HBDL group, the postoperative hemodynamic changes in the PVL group were significant (P < 0.05). The levels of IL-6 and TNF-α in the HBDL group were higher than those in the sham group. The HBDL model is simple to establish and exhibits good surgical tolerance. The model has definite proliferative effect and strong specificity of bile acid pathway. This is an ideal animal model to study the mechanism of liver regeneration through bile acid pathway.

The Daphnia carapace and the origin of novel structures

SummaryUnderstanding how novel structures arise is a central question in evolution. The carapace of the waterflea Daphnia is a bivalved “cape” of exoskeleton that has been proposed to be one of many novel arthropod structures that arose through repeated co-option of genes that also pattern insect wings1–3. To determine whether the Daphnia carapace is a novel structure, we compare the expression of pannier, araucan, and vestigial between Daphnia, Parhyale, and Tribolium. Our results suggest that the Daphnia carapace did not arise by co-option, but instead derives from an ancestral exite (lateral lobe) that emerges from a proximal leg segment that was incorporated into the Daphnia body wall. The Daphnia carapace therefore appears to be homologous to the Parhyale tergal plate and the insect wing4. Remarkably, the vestigial-positive region that gives rise to the Daphnia carapace appears to be present in Parhyale5 and Tribolium as a small, inconspicuous protrusion. Similarly, the vestigial-positive developmental fields that form tergal plates in Parhyale appear to be present in Daphnia, even though Daphnia does not form tergal plates. Thus, rather than a novel structure resulting from gene co-option, the Daphnia carapace appears to have arisen from a shared, ancestral developmental field that persists in a cryptic state in other arthropod lineages. Cryptic persistence of unrecognized serially homologous developmental fields may thus be a general solution for the origin of novel structures. Our simple molecular triangulation strategy, which does not require functional studies, can illuminate the homologies of long-debated structures on the legs and body wall of arthropods.

Experimental evaluation of the influence of isobornylphenols on the development of BPH and the redox potential of prostate cells

Introduction. Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common urological disorder in older men. It is characterized by the development of glandularstromal hyperplasia of the prostate with the formation of new glandular structures and subsequent symptoms from the lower urinary tract. It has now been established that the pathogenesis of this disease is multifactorial and one of the possible mechanisms for the development of BPH is oxidative stress. Purpose. Study of the effect of phenols with a bulky isobornyl substituent (2,6-diisobornyl-4-methylphenol and 4-hydroxymethyl-2,6-diisobornylphenol)on the growth of experimental BPH and the antioxidant balance of prostate cells in comparison with Prostamol Uno. Materials and мethods. Experiments were carried out on 50 male Wistar rats. BPH was caused by daily administration of sulpiride (60 days) to male rats of late reproductive age. After 2 months, the animals were weighed and sacrificed in a CO2 chamber. The mass, mass coefficient, volume of the lateral lobe of the pancreas were determined, morphological analysis was performed. Investigated prooxidant and antioxidant activity. The results were processed by the method of variation statistics using the Mann-Whitney nonparametric U test. Results. The efficacy of the investigated drugs in BPH decreased in the following sequence: sulpiride + substance 4-hydroxymethyl-2,6-diisobornylphenol (HDB) → sulpiride + substance Dibornol (DB) → sulpiride + Prostamol Uno (PU). When comparing the results of evaluating the anti-prooxidant status with the therapeutic effect of the studied drugs, it was found that isobornylphenols, which are highly effective as prostatotropic drugs, did not show a more significant effect, compared to PU, on the redox potential of prostatic tissue cells. Conclusions. Drugs DB, HDB, PU have a normalizing effect on the level of severity of redox reactions in the sulpiride model of BPH.

A Size-Independent Revision of the Fractal Step Method for Ammonite Sutures

The novel coronavirus has presented specimen-access challenges to geoscientific researchers, including paleobiologists interested in fossil ammonoids. Ammonoid sutures are geometric patterns formed by the intersection of the septa and the shell wall, and have long been a diagnostic tool for ammonite researchers for such applications as species identification, taxonomic relationships, ontogenetic change, functional and evolutionary morphology, and other aspects of ammonoid paleobiology. Without access to specimens in museum and institutional collections, researchers must rely on previously published illustrations and photographs of ammonoid sutures. However, many of these illustrations were published decades ago without an index of scale. Suture tracings lacking a scale bar are not usable by researchers interested in applying the quantitativeness of fractal geometry to the interpretation of septal complexity. Additonally, distortion of the marginal elements of suture geometry occurs due to shell curvature near the venter and umbilicus. The revised approach described here eliminates the problem of missing scale information in fractal analysis of ammonite sutures, making use of just the lateral lobe and adjacent saddle. Our revised method&rsquo;s non-requirement of a full hemisuture also facilitates comparisons among sutures within an ontogenetic sequence, or sutures from multiple ammonite taxa.

A new species of Gammarus Fabricius, 1775 (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Gammaridae) from extreme high-altitude Lake Tong Tso, Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

A new species of the genus Gammarus Fabricius, 1775 is described from Lake Tong Tso, an extreme high-altitude lake in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Gammarus pontual sp. nov. is considered part of the Gammarus lacustris G.O. Sars, 1863 group, which is characterized by having the inner ramus of uropod 3 longer than half the length of the outer ramus, and by having both rami covered with plumose setae. The new species stands apart from their congeners, mainly, by the following combination of characters: head with cephalic lateral lobe truncated; gnathopods 1-2 propodus weakly armed, with 1 stout seta defining palm; palm longer than posterior margin of propodus, with 1 main stout seta medially; pereopods 5-7 basis slender, posterior margin crenulate; epimeral plate 1 posterior margin produced into a short spine, facial ridge present; epimeral plates 2-3 posteroventral corner sharply pointed; uropod 3 rami covered with plumose setae, inner ramus about 80% the length of the outer ramus; telson apex with 2 stout setae on each side.

The Daphnia Carapace and the Origin of Novel Structures

Understanding how novel structures arise is a central question in evolution. The carapace of the waterflea Daphnia is a bivalved &ldquo;cape&rdquo; of exoskeleton that surrounds the animal, and has been proposed to be one of many novel structures that arose through repeated co-option of genes that also pattern insect wings. To determine whether the Daphnia carapace is a novel structure, the expression of pannier, the Iroquois gene aurucan, and vestigial are compared between Daphnia, Parhyale, and Tribolium. The results suggest that the Daphnia carapace did not arise by cooption, but instead represents an elongated ancestral exite (lateral lobe or plate) that emerges from a proximal leg segment that was incorporated into the Daphnia body wall. The Daphnia carapace therefore appears to be homologous to the Parhyale tergal plate and the insect wing. In addition, the vg-positive region that gives rise to the Daphnia carapace also appears to be present in Parhyale and Tribolium, which do not form a carapace. Thus, rather than a novel structure resulting from gene co-option, the carapace appears to have arisen from an ancient, conserved developmental field that persists in a cryptic state in other arthropod lineages, but in Daphnia became elaborated into the carapace. Cryptic persistence of serially homologous developmental fields may thus be a general solution for the origin of many novel structures.

The Daphnia Carapace and the Origin of Novel Structures

Understanding how novel structures arise is a central question in evolution. The carapace of the waterflea Daphnia is a bivalved &ldquo;cape&rdquo; of exoskeleton that surrounds the animal, and has been proposed to be one of many novel structures that arose through repeated co-option of genes that also pattern insect wings. To determine whether the Daphnia carapace is a novel structure, the expression of pannier, the Iroquois gene aurucan, and vestigial are compared between Daphnia, Parhyale, and Tribolium. The results suggest that the Daphnia carapace did not arise by cooption, but instead represents an elongated ancestral exite (lateral lobe or plate) that emerges from a proximal leg segment that was incorporated into the Daphnia body wall. The Daphnia carapace therefore appears to be homologous to the Parhyale tergal plate and the insect wing. In addition, the vg-positive region that gives rise to the Daphnia carapace also appears to be present in Parhyale and Tribolium, which do not form a carapace. Thus, rather than a novel structure resulting from gene co-option, the carapace appears to have arisen from an ancient, conserved developmental field that persists in a cryptic state in other arthropod lineages, but in Daphnia became elaborated into the carapace. Cryptic persistence of serially homologous developmental fields may thus be a general solution for the origin of many novel structures.