Pathology regarding pancreatic tumors

In Europe and America, associations between personality traits and body-mass index (BMI) have been reported. However, in Japan, the association between personality traits and BMI (i.e., thinness and obesity) has not been well studied. In this study, we investigated the relationship between Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) personality traits and changes in BMI status among Japanese students during their university attendance. We measured the height and weight of 5,340 students in a Japanese university during annual medical checkups and calculated their BMI. The students' personality traits were measured using the short Japanese version of the TCI at university admission. The participants were divided into seven groups based on how BMI changed from the first year to the fourth year at university. In men, compared to the group that maintained normal BMI status (N = 2,189) over time (i.e., the control group), the group that maintained thinness status (N = 226) were lower in Reward Dependence, and the group whose status improved from thinness to normal (N = 117) were higher in Harm Avoidance. In women, compared with the control group (N = 1,510), the group that maintained thinness status (N = 302) was lower in Novelty Seeking, and the group whose status worsened from normal to thinness (N = 127) was higher in Harm Avoidance. Weak associations were found between thinness and TCI personality traits among Japanese university students. Further elaboration of the relationship between obesity or thinness and personality traits may help to provide effective preventive interventions in these areas.Vitiligo is perceived as an autoimmune skin disease. Previous studies showed conflicting data about vitiligo and pregnancy outcomes. To delineate the associations between vitiligo and the pregnancy outcomes, we used the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan to conduct a retrospective cohort study from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2015. This study population was composed of 1,096 women with vitiligo and 4,384 women without vitiligo, who were all matched according to age, comorbidity, and index year. Compared with the non-vitiligo controls, women with vitiligo had a higher risk of abortion (aHR 1.158, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.095-1.258, P less then .001). Perinatal events, such as preterm delivery, pre-eclampsia/eclampsia, gestational diabetes mellitus, stillbirth, and intrauterine growth retardation, were not different between both groups (aHR 1.065, 95% CI 0.817-1.157, P = .413). To determine if systemic treatment before conception decreases the risk of abortion, we assessed the medical history of pregnant women with vitiligo 1 year before pregnancy. Patients who were treated with oral medications had a lower risk of abortion than those who were not (aHR 0.675, 95% CI 0.482-0.809, P less then .001). Our study indicates that there is a higher risk of abortion in pregnant women with vitiligo and the control of disease activity with systemic treatment before conception could improve pregnancy outcomes.DNA methylation is found throughout all domains of life, yet the extent and function of DNA methylation differ among eukaryotes. Strains of the plant pathogenic fungus Zymoseptoria tritici appeared to lack cytosine DNA methylation (5mC) because gene amplification followed by Repeat-Induced Point mutation (RIP) resulted in the inactivation of the dim2 DNA methyltransferase gene. 5mC is, however, present in closely related sister species. We demonstrate that inactivation of dim2 occurred recently as some Z. tritici isolates carry a functional dim2 gene. Moreover, we show that dim2 inactivation occurred by a different path than previously hypothesized. We mapped the genome-wide distribution of 5mC in strains with or without functional dim2 alleles. Presence of functional dim2 correlates with high levels of 5mC in transposable elements (TEs), suggesting a role in genome defense. We identified low levels of 5mC in strains carrying non-functional dim2 alleles, suggesting that 5mC is maintained over time, presumably by an active Dnmt5 DNA methyltransferase. Integration of a functional dim2 allele in strains with mutated dim2 restored normal 5mC levels, demonstrating de novo cytosine methylation activity of Dim2. To assess the importance of 5mC for genome evolution, we performed an evolution experiment, comparing genomes of strains with high levels of 5mC to genomes of strains lacking functional dim2. We found that presence of a functional dim2 allele alters nucleotide composition by promoting C to T transitions (C→T) specifically at CpA (CA) sites during mitosis, likely contributing to TE inactivation. Our results show that 5mC density at TEs is a polymorphic trait in Z. tritici populations that can impact genome evolution.
To determine i) the emergency department (ED) utilization history of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) patients, and ii) the potential individual and public health consequences of a missed diagnosis of PTB in this setting.
Retrospective observational cohort study.
Patients with PTB aged >16 years diagnosed between April 1, 2010 and December 31, 2016 in the Province of Alberta, Canada.
We identified valid new cases of PTB from a provincial registry and linked them to ED attendees in administrative databases. Visits are considered 'PTB', pulmonary 'other', and non-pulmonary based on the most responsible discharge diagnosis. Individual consequences of a missed diagnosis included health system delay and PTB-related death; public health consequences included nosocomial ED exposure time and secondary cases.
Of 711 PTB patients, 378 (53%) made 845 ED visits in the six months immediately preceding the date of diagnosis. HS-173 solubility dmso The most responsible ED discharge diagnosis was PTB in 92 (10.9%), pulmonary 'other' in 273 (32%) and non-pulmonary in 480 (56.8%). ED attendees had a median (IQR) health system delay of 27 (7,180) days and, compared to non-ED attendees were more likely to die a TB-related death 5.9% vs 1.2%, p = 0.001. Emergency attendees generated 3812 hours of ED nosocomial exposure time, and 31 secondary cases (60.8% of all secondary cases reported). Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from ED-attendees were more likely than non-attendees to be clustered-i.e., have an identical DNA fingerprint with another isolate (27% vs. 21%, p = 0.037).
ED utilization by PTB patients, and related consequences, are substantial. EDs are a potential resource for earlier PTB diagnosis.
ED utilization by PTB patients, and related consequences, are substantial. EDs are a potential resource for earlier PTB diagnosis.