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Abstract Background The incidence of pancreatic tuberculosis is extremely rare, and it frequently misdiagnosed as pancreatic neoplasms. The nonsurgical diagnosis of this entity continues to be a challenge. Case presentation A 33 year old male with six-month history of intermittent right epigastric vague pain and weight lost had found a solitary pancreatic cystic mass and diagnosed as pancreatic cystadenocarcinoma. The chest X-ray film and physical examination revealed no abnormalities. Abdominal ultrasound (US) examination showed an irregular hypoechoic lesion of 6.6 cm × 4.4 cm in the head of pancreas, and color Doppler flow imaging did not demonstrate blood stream in the mass. The attempts to obtain pathological evidence of the lesion by US-guided percutaneous fine needle aspiration failed, an exploratory laparotomy and incisional biopsy revealed a caseous abscess of the head of pancreas without typical changes of tuberculous granuloma, but acid-fast stain was positive. Conclusions Pancreatic tuberculosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of focal pancreatic lesions, especially for young people in developing countries.

Template-assistedglancing angle deposition (GLAD) is explored for the fabrication ofsingle and multipatch patchy particles with one or more patches ofcontrolled but asymmetric shape. The template is used to ensure theformation of uniform patchy particles, whereas rotation of the templategives access to a large number of asymmetric patch shapes caused bythe shadowing effect of the templating groove and/or the neighboringparticle. Careful analysis with a straightforward geometric modelreveals the effect of the angle of incidence, rotational angle, groovesize, and particle size on the patch shape. Initial magnetic fieldassembly results are presented to illustrate the removal of patchyparticles from their template and accessibility to a large numberof patchy particles. Two-patch particles with overlapping patchesare also accessible by means of secondary metal vapor deposition.The connectivity of these two patches on each particle and the predictablesize of the overlapping section provide access to functional patchyparticles. The combination of the template-assisted GLAD method withrotation of the template and secondary evaporation is demonstratedto be a good method for fabricating patchy particles with a varietyof asymmetric patch shapes, sizes, and multipatches where every particleof a batch carries exactly the same patch pattern and thereby providesvaluable input on experimentally accessible patch shapes for futureexperimental and computational studies of patchy particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patchy particles with uniform patches of specific shapeand sizehave been predicted to have a rich potential in fabricating new structures;however, an effective method to control the patch shape and size isstill missing. In the method presented here, a template is used toassist the fabrication of patchy particles with patches of uniformshape and controlled size by use of the glancing angle depositionmethod (GLAD). Uniform shadowing effects are caused by the wall ofthe grooves carved into the surface of a silicon wafer. The ratioof template dimension to particle diameter and the angle of incidenceof the metal vapor rays determine the patch shape and size. Mathematicalcalculations are applied to predict the patch shape and size. Scanningelectron microscopy is used to demonstrate the efficiency of the method.Scaling analysis shows that the template-assisted GLAD method leadsto a 3100-fold increase in patchy particle fabrication volumes comparedto the template-free GLAD method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: It is acknowledged that autonomic nerves play an important role on liver function. Sympathetic nerve is the main component of them. This study is to evaluate the effects of sympathetic denervation of the liver on liver function in the normal and chemically injured liver, and its influence on liver regeneration. Eighty healthy male Wistar rats were divided randomly into four groups: Sham group, carbon tetrachloride group (CCL4), 6-hydroxydopamine group (6-OHDA), and CCL4+6-OHDA group. Chemical denervation model was made by injection of 6-OHDA (2ml, 100mg/l) through the mesenteric vein of jejunum loop. Acute liver injury model was established by using CCL4. Blood chemistry, ATP, arterial ketone body ratio (AKBR) and indocyanine green (ICG15) were measured in each group after administration of sympathetic denervation or/and acute liver injury. Liver regeneration was assessed with hepatic mass index (HMI), rate of liver regeneration (RLR), mitotic index (MI) and the rates of DNA synthesis under sympathetic denervation. Chemical denervation resulted in significant changes of liver function tests under acute liver injury, and had beneficial effects on protein anabolism, metabolism of bilirubin and energy, and ICG excretion, meanwhile, alleviated low potassium in serum. However, sympathetic denervation only had no effects on liver function tests. It decreased significantly in sympathetic denervation group for HMI, RLR, MI and the rate of DNA synthesis with 3H-TdR (P <0.01). It is concluded that sympathetic denervation can alleviate liver injury by CCL4, impair liver regeneration, but has no effects on liver function tests under normal. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Laplace pressure of a droplet placed on one side of an elastic thin film can cause significant deformation in the form of a bulge on its opposite side. Here, we show that this deformation can be detected by other droplets suspended on the opposite side of the film, leading to interaction between droplets separated by the solid (but deformable) film. The interaction is repulsive when the drops have a large overlap and attractive when they have a small overlap. Thus, if two identical droplets are placed right on top of each other (one on either side of the thin film), they tend to repel each other, eventually reaching an equilibrium configuration where there is a small overlap. This observation can be explained by analyzing the energy landscape of the droplets interacting via an elastically deformed film. We further demonstrate this idea by designing a pattern comprising a big central drop with satellite droplets. This phenomenon can lead to techniques for directed motion of droplets confined to one side of a thin elastic membrane by manipulations on the other side.

Micelles having a core of polystyrene and a mixed shell of poly(ethylene glycol) and poly(4-vinylpyridine) were formed through self-assembly of a triblock copolymer poly(ethylene glycol)- block-polystyrene- block-poly(4-vinylpyridine) in acidic water (pH 2). Reducing the HAuCl(4)-treated micelle solution leads to the formation of the Au-micelle composites with a core of polystyrene, a hybrid shell of poly(4-vinylpyridine)/Au/poly(ethylene glycol), and a corona of poly(ethylene glycol). The gold nanoparticles with controlled sizes were anchored to poly(4-vinylpyridine) to form the physically cross-linked hybrid shell. In aqueous solution, the hybrid shell is swollen and the swollen degree is sensitive to the pH condition. Under basic conditions, the channel in the hybrid shells of the composite is produced, which renders the composites a good catalytic activity. In addition, the composites also show good stability, unchanged hydrodynamic diameter, and surface plasmon absorption under different pH conditions.

Objective: To explore and evaluate the effect of radio frequency ablation (RFA) in treatment of hepatic VX(2) tumor in rabbits., Methods: The hepatoma was treated with RFA in rabbits. The complete necrotic rate of the tumors, pathological changes, CT images and the animals' survival time were observed., Results: (1) ALT in serum increased significantly on the first day and decreased to the control level during 4th-7th day following RFA. (2) On the second week, CT scans showed that complete necrotic foci became larger, and the density of which was asymmetrical. Enhanced CT scans showed no obvious intensification inside; however, ringed intensification appeared along edges of the foci. Biopsy showed that the dark necrotic tissue was surrounded by ringed granulation tissue. Incomplete necrotic tumor foci resembled the complete necrotic foci in no enhanced CT images; however, asymmetrical intensification was observed in enhanced CT scans in the incomplete necrotic foci. Macroscopic observation showed irregular tumor tissue between the necrotic tissue and the peripheral normal tissue. Biopsy showed tumor recurrence in it. (3) Compared with the control, survival time of the animals was longer, and metastases rate in lungs and the fatality rate were lower in the treatment group., Conclusions: RFA, with little injury, is an effective method in the treatment of hepatoma. Enhanced CT scans are consistent with pathological morphometrics of the tumor foci after RFA. The enhanced CT scan is a valuable check-up, which could be used to observe the therapeutic effect after RFA.

Bile duct injury caused by abdominal trauma, usually accompanied with injuries of other abdominal organs, is rarely seen. For the reason of its complexity and often delayed diagnosis and treatment, bile duct injury usually leads to severe complications such as abdominal infection. This paper reports a group of 10 cases of bile duct injury treated in our center in the recent decade.