For RF and BF, SENIAM recommendations were used (Hermens et al., 1999). Data was recorded at a sample rate of 2000 samples/s with a multichannel Porti5 EMG system (TMS-international, Enschede, The Netherlands; Hu et al., 2010a). Four clusters of three LED Markers each were fixed onto small lightweight custom-made triangular frames, and attached halfway along the upper and lower legs for registration with a 2 × 3 camera system (OPTOTRAK 3020, Northern Digital, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada), connected via a synchronization cable to the Porti5 EMG system. To

determine leg movements, the heights of the centers of the clusters were calculated. The kinematic sampling frequency was 50 samples/s. The ASLR was performed in supine position with the

feet 20 cm apart (Mens et al., 2001). Subjects were instructed to raise one leg until the heel was 20 cm above the table, without bending the knees, and keeping the leg elevated Etoposide for about AT13387 cell line 10 s (“Normal”). To increase statistical precision, this was done three times per leg per condition. After every ASLR, subjects were asked to relax for approximately 10 s. The whole procedure was repeated with a weight added just above the ankle (“Weight”), so that the static moment of the leg with respect to the hip was increased by 50%. To calculate the required amount of weight (Zatsiorsky, 2002; p. 605), manually measured lower extremity anthropometry was used. Finally, the ASLR was repeated with a non-elastic pelvic belt (“Belt”; 3221/3300, Rafys, Hengelo, The Netherlands),

just below the ASIS (Damen et al., 2002; Mens et al., 2006), with a tension of 50 N (Vleeming et al., 1992; Mens et al., 1999), fine-tuned with an inbuilt gauge. Data was analyzed with MATLAB 7.4 (The Mathworks, Natick, MA, USA). Kinematic data were filtered with a 4th order bi-directional low pass Butterworth filter with a cutoff frequency of 5 Hz. We determined the onset and the peak of leg raise, i.e., the first point with zero velocity before/after a peak in velocity. Leg raise velocity was calculated as the height of peak position divided by the time to reach peak position. Due to technical problems with the amplifier, TA EMG was not usable in four subjects, filipin which left twelve valid datasets for TA. EMG data were high-pass filtered at 250 Hz (1st order Butterworth; Hu et al., 2010a), then full-wave rectified, and low-pass filtered at 5 Hz (2nd order Butterworth). The median amplitude during ASLR plateau (5 through 10 s after movement onset) was calculated. To quantify the asymmetry of activity of TA, OI, and OE, an Asymmetry Index was calculated as: (ipsilateral − contralateral) activity/(ipsilateral + contralateral) activity × 100%, “ipsilateral” and “contralateral” referring to the leg being raised. Positive values indicate more ipsilateral, negative values more contralateral muscle activity. Outliers were identified from box plots (Figs.

The new version of the STEAM model (St2, STEAM2, Jalkanen et al. 2012) used in this study also calculates emissions of CO, CO2 and particulate matter (elementary and organic carbon, ash, hydrated SO4). The main advantage of the

new AIS-based inventory is its excellent temporal and spatial resolution. The modelled 2008–2011 average oxidised nitrogen (NOx), reduced nitrogen (NHx) and sulphur (S) depositions are presented in Figure 1. The dry deposition share of the total NOx deposition increases BYL719 datasheet from 10–20% over the northern Gulf of Bothnia to 20–30% in the Sea of Bothnia, the Gulf of Finland and the Gulf of Riga, being 30–40% in the central Baltic Proper and in the southern Baltic Sea. The share of reduced nitrogen in the total N deposition was less than 30% north of Åland, increasing gradually southwards to over 50% in the Kattegat and Belt Sea areas.

There was a rather sharp dry deposition gradient over the shorelines for both this website nitrogen compounds. The 2008–2011 average depositions of NOx and S caused by the international ship traffic in the BS are presented in Figure 2 and the ship deposition shares of the respective total deposition in Figure 3. The annual sums of the total and ship-emission-originated depositions of sulphur and nitrogen to the BS with a map of BS sub-basins – the Gulf of Bothnia (B1), the Gulf of Finland (B2), the northern Baltic Proper (B3), the southern Baltic Proper (B4) and the Kattegat and the Belt Sea (B5) – are presented MycoClean Mycoplasma Removal Kit in Figure 4. The ship emission originated deposition of oxidised nitrogen increased between 2008 to 2011 from 12 to 14% of the BS total NOx deposition, while the respective sulphur deposition declined from 28 to 20% of the total due to the sulphur directive restrictions. Sulphur is effectively dry-deposited

into the sea, only 19–25% of the ship emission originated sulphur deposition is wet deposition. The total modelled NOx deposition to the BS was respectively 6% and 15% lower in 2008 and 2011 but 1% and 5% higher in 2009 and 2010 than the most recent EMEP estimates from HELCOM 2013. The modelled deposition of NHx was respectively 18, 22, 5 and 15% lower than the EMEP estimate for the years 2008–2011. One reason for the difference is the high deposition gradient at the coastline: in Hilatar, the deposition was integrated only over grid points with 100% open water (372 954 km2), while the complete 0.068° Hirlam BS mask of 420 325 km2, also covered non-marine water areas in the BS coastal zone. Total depositions have a rather high seasonal variation (Figure 5). During spring and early summer when the MABL is usually stably stratified, accumulated precipitation is low and storms are rare, depositions have their minimum values.

, 2004, details in Section 4.5). The smaller the KLD, the higher the similarity between the two distributions, with its lower bound at zero, if the two are identical. To evaluate the significance of KLDact Inhibitor high throughput screening of the actual, measured data, we calculated the probability distribution of KLDind values derived from the same saliency map but with fixation maps resulting from a random viewer, i.e., randomly (homogeneously) distributed fixation points on the image ( Parkhurst et al., 2002, for

details see Section 4.5). This procedure implies the assumption of independence between the two maps, and allowed us to test if the monkeys’ viewing behavior deviates significantly from a non saliency-related behavior ( Figs. 4A, DAPT order B). The results for all monkeys and all images are shown in Fig. 4C. For visualization purposes we show for each image the difference

of the actual KLDact and the mean 〈KLDind〉 of the KLDind-distribution, ΔKLD = 〈KLDind〉 − KLDact (color bars in Fig. 4C). In 8 out of 11 images explored by monkey D ( Fig. 4C, blue bars) we find significant positive ΔKLD values (i.e., KLDact << 〈KLDind〉) (p < 0.01, marked by asterisks), and similarly for monkey M (significant: 3 out of 4 images; Fig. 4C, green bars), indicating that for monkeys D and M the saliency maps of these images were good predictors of the fixation positions. However, in the remaining 25% of images, the ΔKLD was significantly negative (i.e., KLDact >> 〈KLDind〉) when compared to a random viewer, i.e., the fixation map differs significantly (p > 0.01) from the saliency map, leading to the conclusions that here a) the saliency maps were not predictors of the fixation positions, and b) the viewing behavior MYO10 differed from random viewing, indicating the presence of a distinct viewing strategy for these images. Interestingly, this holds true for all images that differ in content

from the other images in that they show faces of human or non-human primates, and not for the other images, which contained only non-primate animals. Performing the same analysis only on fixations that belonged to ROIs did not alter the significance of our results (cmp. Experimental procedures, Section 4.5). The analysis of the previous section already hinted at differences of the viewing behavior of monkey S as compared to monkeys D and M. Our quantitative analysis of the similarities of the saliency and fixation maps additionally showed marked differences between monkey S to the other two monkeys: the fixation patterns of monkey S never deviates significantly from a random viewer (Fig. 4C, brown bars), thus confirming our hypothesis that this monkey did not actively explore the images. In fact, it seems that he just kept his gaze within the lower left part of the screen, independently of the presented image (Fig.

dobie antybiotykoterapii doustnym preparatem cefuroksymu stosowanym z powodu ostrego zapalenia oskrzeli. Dziecko hospitalizowano, rozpoznano ostry nieżyt żołądkowo-jelitowy i stosowano leczenie objawowe.

Po wypisie z szpitala obserwowano normalizację w zakresie konsystencji stolców, ale nadal utrzymywała się w nich krew i śluz. Dziewczynkę ponownie hospitalizowano. Przy przyjęciu stan ogólny dziecka oceniono jako średni. W badaniu przedmiotowym z odchyleń stwierdzono bladość powłok skórnych i zmniejszoną elastyczność skóry. Na podstawie całości obrazu klinicznego wysunięto podejrzenie biegunki związanej z antybiotykoterapią. Badanie kału w kierunku Clostridium difficile potwierdziło obecność toksyny A i B. Do leczenia włączono doustny preparat wankomycyny w dawce 40 mg/kg masy Selleckchem Dabrafenib ciała na dobę, który stosowano przez 7 dni. W wyniku zastosowanego leczenia uzyskano poprawę konsystencji stolców, nie obserwowano patologicznych domieszek. Dziecko w stanie ogólnym dobrym wypisano buy DAPT do domu, nie obserwując nawrotu objawów klinicznych. Dziewczynka 4,5-letnia została przyjęta do kliniki z powodu przewlekłej biegunki, nudności i wzdęcia brzucha występujących od trzech miesięcy. Dolegliwości pojawiły się miesiąc po zakończeniu antybiotykoterapii z powodu infekcji dróg oddechowych (doustnym preparatem

cefuroksymu aksetyl – 2 kuracje 7-dniowe). Przy przyjęciu stan ogólny był średni, dziecko gorączkowało do 39°C. W badaniu

fizykalnym z nieprawidłowości stwierdzono wzdęty brzuch. W badaniach laboratoryjnych z odchyleń od normy wykazano hipertransaminazemię (ASPAT 57U/l). Badaniem ultrasonograficznym i radiologicznym wykazano cechy podniedrożności, która nie wymagała interwencji chirurgicznej. Badaniem kolonoskopowym makroskopowo wykazano zapalenie błony śluzowej jelita grubego, ALOX15 bez charakterystycznego obrazu dla rzekomobłoniastego zapalenia jelit. Badaniem mikrobiologicznym kału wykazano obecność Clostridium difficile wytwarzającego toksynę A. W leczeniu zastosowano doustnie metronidazol (20 mg/kg masy ciała/dobę) przez 10 dni, a następnie ze względu na brak pełnej poprawy klinicznej wankomycynę doustnie (40 mg/kg masy ciała/dobę) przez 10 dni. Zastosowanym leczeniem uzyskano ustąpienie dolegliwości i nie obserwowano nawrotu biegunki. Chłopiec 6-letni skierowany do kliniki z powodu występującej od ponad 6 tygodni przewlekłej biegunki. Dziecko oddawało około 7–8 stolców na dobę o półpłynnej lub wodnistej konsystencji, okresowo z domieszką śluzu oraz zgłaszało ból podbrzusza. Z wywiadu wynikało, że u chłopca od około 6 miesięcy występowały nawracające infekcje górnych dróg oddechowych, a w ostatnich dwóch miesiącach był dwukrotnie leczony antybiotykiem z powodu ostrego zapalenia ucha środkowego (amoksycylina doustnie 7 dni, cefuroksym doustnie 4 dni). W 4. dobie stosowania preparatu cefalosporyny u dziecka pojawiła się biegunka.

2005). Both

parasitism and epibiosis are considered harmful to planktonic animals. Overgrowths of epizoic Protozoa can reduce swimming speed in Copepoda, especially when the antennae are heavily infested. Heavily-infested specimens are also more visible to predators, becoming easy prey for planktivorous animals (Chiavelli et al., 1993 and Visse, 2007). Kimmerer & McKinnon (1990) described cases of Paracalanus indicus infested with parasitic Dinoflagellata Crizotinib (Atelodinium sp.) in the Indian Ocean. They reported that dinoflagellates formed a plasmodium that wrapped around the host’s body, leading to its death. Other authors examined the effect of the parasite Ellobiopsis sp. on the fecundity of Calanus helgolandicus in the Bay of Biscay. Parasitism by Ellobiopsis sp. has the potential to reduce the fecundity of copepods: a reduction in size of both the seminal vesicle and the developing spermatophore sac

was noted in parasitised males of C. helgolandicus ( Albaina & Irigojen 2006). The mass occurrence of the epizoic protozoan Myoschiston centropagidarum on copepods such as Eurytemora affinis and Acartia tonsa in low-salinity waters adjacent to the western Baltic Sea was reported a long time ago by Hirche (1974). Visse (2007) studied the survival in the Gulf of Riga of Acartia bifilosa infested buy Ipilimumab by Epistylis sp. In the 1980s a serious protozoan infestation by both epibionts (Vorticella and Zoothamnium) and parasite infestation (Ellobiopsis) was detected on Calanoida from the Gulf of Gdańsk ( Wiktor, 1993 and Wiktor

and Krajewska-Sołtys, 1994). Since then, no other reports of infection in the Gulf of Gdańsk have been published. Crustacea, among them Copepoda, are one of the most significant components of marine zooplankton. They comprise more than 90% of marine zooplankton; this also applies to the Baltic Sea (Bielecka et al., 2000, Żmijewska et al., 2000, Józefczuk et al., 2003 and Mudrak and Żmijewska, 2007). Zooplankton – an intermediate link between primary production Alectinib nmr (phytoplankton) and higher trophic levels (planktivorous) – constitute a fundamental step in the marine food web. The main aim of the present study was to investigate taxa-specific infection by parasitic and epibiontic Protozoa on Calanoida from the Gulf of Gdańsk. We also wished to find out whether crustacean zooplankton taxa other than copepods were infected. The study was conducted in shallow and open waters in the western and eastern parts of the Gulf of Gdańsk. Samples were also collected near the mouth of the River Vistula, where conditions are determined by the inflow of often polluted fresh waters, and to a lesser extent by seawaters. The plankton material was collected from on board the r/v ‘Oceanograf-2’ in 1998, 1999 and 2006, during all seasons (Table 1).

Possibly, the toxic effects of MSG on the spermatozoa physiological and biochemical parameters might be related to the increased production of free radicals in the rat reproductive organs. There is a defense system which consist of antioxidant enzymes such as GPx, SOD and CAT [41], [42] and [43]. The present investigation revealed that MSG caused significant decrease in SOD, buy Gemcitabine CAT and GPx activities and these findings are greatly in accordance with Fábio et al (2012) who

reported reduction in both SOD and GPx after administration of MSG and significant amelioration in these parameters after combination with Quercetin. These enzymes are also considered as an important indicator of the balance status between the first and second step of the enzymatic antioxidant pathway [44]. The testis, epididymis, sperm and seminal plasma contain high activities of antioxidant enzymes [45]. Whereas SOD catalyzes the conversion selleck products of superoxide radicals to hydrogen peroxide, CAT converts hydrogen peroxide into water [46]. Therefore, SOD–CAT system provides the first defense system against oxidative stress and these enzymes work together to eliminate active oxygen species ([47]

and [48]). Glutathione peroxidases are antioxidant selenoenzymes that are present in the cytosol of cells. The major function of these enzymes, which use glutathione (GSH) as a substrate, is to reduce soluble hydrogen peroxide and alkyl peroxidases [43]. GPx converts hydrogen peroxide into water in the presence of oxidated glutathione [49]. In this study, the cleared decrease of SOD, CAT and GPx enzymes in MSG treated group may be due to the consumption during the breakdown of free radicals and high level of H2O2 or the inhibition of these enzymes by these radicals. Thus, the changes in oxidative defense systems and increase the level of oxidants in the testis tissues associated with MSG exposure leading

to increased lipid peroxidation. MSG may also affect Fossariinae male reproductive function (Aisha, 2013). In this study MSG caused several histopathological changes like spermatogenic arrest, edema, and hypospermia. It may be related to oxidative effects of MSG on testis cell membrane and also testis tissues. Oxidative damage primarily occurs via production of reactive oxygen species such as superoxide anion, peroxides, and it can damage to lipids, proteins and DNA. Therefore, it may cause to loss of enzymatic activity and structural integrity of enzymes and activate inflammatory processes [50]. It is suggested that toxic effects of MSG lead to alterations in the structural integrity of mitochondrial inner membrane, resulting in the depletion of mitochondrial GSH levels and increased formation of hydrogen peroxide by the mitochondrial electron transport chain (Séner et al., 2003).

Thereafter, both techniques

showed good agreement. Overall, the comparison proves that the newly developed NTD GC–MS method, applied for the first time on seawater samples, produced similar results for DMS to an established P&T GC–FPD method. This study details the development of a new NTD GC–MS method with focus on the effective sampling and analysis of the target atmospheric relevant VOCs: DMS, isoprene and α-pinenes, out of seawater samples. The method efficiency, accuracy, sensitivity, linearity and repeatability have been demonstrated. The ability of the NTD method to perform aqueous phase measurements was tested in the field during a CO2 enrichment study where the target compounds were identified and successfully quantified. A DMS ON-01910 clinical trial decrease was observed Tanespimycin in vivo at high CO2 levels while isoprene showed no clear CO2 correlation. Furthermore, an in-field method comparison proved that the first application of the NTD method on seawater samples provided similar results for DMS to an established P&T GC–FPD method. The NTD method delivers multiple VOC analysis, within 23 min with sensitivities comparable or even better to the conventional P&T and SPME methods. It has a fast sampling process and since it does not require a separate thermal

desorption system it is easier to handle and may be assembled at lower cost. On the basis of our results, we recommend the new NTD GC–MS method as an alternative to the established techniques for the analysis of VOCs in seawater samples. We wish to thank all participants of the Mesocosm CO2 Enrichment Study 2011 for their participation and valuable assistance. Prof. U. Riebesell is thanked for the opportunity to test the NTD GC–MS technique within the framework of a mesocosm experiment. Dr. H. W. Bange is thanked for his comments on the manuscript. A. Aadnesen and the staff at the Marine Biological Station, University of Bergen are thanked for their support in the field. Furthermore we thank R. Hoffman for his participation and assistance in the field. We acknowledge

the financial support of the BMBF Verbundprojekt SOPRAN (www.sopran.pangaea.de; SOPRAN grant 03F0611A and 03F0611K). Nintedanib (BIBF 1120) “
“The authors regret that in the above article the following error occurred: Fig. 5a was wrong in data for Aug. 2002. The hypoxia area in Aug. 2002 should be <500 km2 , but in Fig. 5a it was incorrectly presented as >5000 km2. Fig. 5a was as follows (it is wrong): The right one (i.e., new Fig. 5a) should be as follows: “
“The authors regret the following corrections and wish to replace the below incorrect reference Nikolić, G.M., Promovic, P.I., Nikolić, R.S., 1988. Spectrophotometric study of catechol oxidation by aerial O2 in alkaline aqueous solutions containing Mg(II). Ions 31, 327–333. “
“Solution pH is a key variable used to describe the equilibrium and kinetics of chemical processes in oceanic and fresh waters (Stumm and Morgan, 1981 and Zeebe and Wolf-Gladrow, 2001).

The authors thank Theresa Asen, Chantal Gotthier, Raindy Tedjokusumo, Judith Seebach, Daniel Kull, and Ruth Hillermann for excellent technical assistance; Elisabeth Kremmer for providing antibodies; Elisa Kieback for sharing protocols; Stephan Haug for help with statistical analyses; and Irene Esposito for support with histological staining. Dr Gasteiger’s SCH727965 solubility dmso current affiliation is: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York. “
“Event Date and Venue Details from 2011 15th INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF PLANT-MICROBE INTERACTIONS 02–06 August Kyoto, JAPAN Info: Secretariat,

Nara Inst. Of Sci. And Tech., 8916-5, Takayam, Ikoma 630-0192 JAPANE-mail: [email protected] Web: http://Mpmi2011.umin.jp/index.html

SOCIETY FOR INVERTEBRATE PATHOLOGY 44th ANNUAL MEETING 07–11 August Halifax, NS, CANADA selleckchem Info: S. Bjornson, Biol. Dept., Saint Mary’s Univ., 923 Robie St., Halifax, NS B3H 3C3, CANADA Fax: 1-902-420-5261 Voice: 1-902-496-8751 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.sipweb.org/meeting.cfm 3rd INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC SEMINAR OF PLANT PATHOLOGY 25–26 August Trujillo, PERU Info: J. Chico-Ruiz, E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.facbio.unitru.edu.pe 11th INTERNATIONAL HCH AND PESTICIDES FORUM 07–09 September Gabala, AZERBAIJAN Web: www.hchforum.com ∗INTEGRATED CONTROL IN PROTECTED CROPS, TEMPERATE CLIMATE 18–22 September Winchester, Vitamin B12 Hampshire, UK Info: C. Millman, AAB, E-mail: [email protected] Voice: 44-0-1789-472020 3rd INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON ENVIRON-MENTAL WEEDS & INVASIVE PLANTS (Intractable Weeds and PlantInvaders) 02–07 October Ascona, SWITZERLAND

C. Bohren ACW Changins, PO Box 1012, CH-1260 Nyon, SWITZERLAND Voice: 41-79-659-4704 E-mail: [email protected] Web: http://tinyurl.com/24wnjxo Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting 13–16 November Reno, NV, USA ESA, 9301 Annapolis Rd., Lanham, MD 20706-3115, USA Fax: 1-301-731-4538 E-mail: [email protected] Web: http://www.entsoc.org 10th International Congress of Plant Pathology, “The Role of Plant Pathology in a Globalized Economy” 25–31 August Beijing, CHINA 2012 3rd Global Conference on Plant Pathology for Food Security at the Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology 10–13 Jan 2012 Udaipur, India Voice: 0294-2470980, +919928369280 E-mail: [email protected] SOUTHERN WEED SCIENCE SOCIETY (U.S.) ANNUAL MEETING 23–25 January Charleston, SC, USA SWSS, 205 W. Boutz, Bldg. 4, Ste. 5, Las Cruces, NM 88005, USA Voice: 1-575-527-1888 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.swss.ws 7th INTERNATIONAL IPM SYMPOSIUM 2012 – March USA, in planning phase E. Wolff E-mail: [email protected] VI INTERNATIONAL WEED SCIENCE CONGRESS 17–22 June Dynamic Weeds, Diverse Solutions, Hangzhou, CHINA H.J. Huang, IPP, CAAS, No.

In addition to Atlas Bay, cape seals are killed at the Cape Cross Seal Reserve, a hugely popular destination for tourists coming specifically to see this famous colony. Here, seal clubbing also takes place very early in the morning while the tourists are abed, with clean-up crews arriving after the killing to remove all evidence of the slaughter, that is, the blood and bits of bone and flesh, before the area is opened up again for paying tourists to enjoy the beach, the

reserve and the protected seals. In 2011, South African activists launched a boycott of Namibian tourism and its products in response to the continuing culls. Personally, I would love to visit Namibia but will not. Many of us can understand and, would probably accept, the subsistence killing of seals buy Lumacaftor by native peoples, but there is no evidence of this in Africa. We can possibly also understand and maybe empathise with the views of fishermen, but who, all the evidence suggests, are doing an excellent MK 2206 job all by themselves in reducing fish stocks, when they demand culls as and when their livelihoods are perceived to be threatened. Again personally, however, I simply cannot understand nor in any way condone the hypocricies of

Icelanders who hunt whales for dog food, Japanese who corral, slaughter and sell dolphin calves for performances in water worlds, nor Namibians who butcher seals for what reason I have no GPX6 idea,

but all of whom still tout for tourists to admire and participate in their, so-called eco-friendly, whale-watching cruises, dolphin circuses and seal reserves and, thereby, lucratively and cosily prostitute themselves in their name, but not mine, of marine conservation. “
“Biological degradation of oil is an ongoing process in marine waters (Camilli et al., 2010 and Hazen et al., 2010), and oil and oil-derived hydrocarbons can be important sources of carbon in marine food webs (Spies and DesMarais, 1983 and Brooks et al., 1987). We used natural abundance carbon isotope measurements (δ13C and Δ14C) as tracers for incorporation of hydrocarbon-derived carbon from the Deepwater Horizon spill into estuarine food webs. We tested whether the warm summer temperatures prevailing during this spill would increase uptake of oil carbon. Water temperatures are near 30 °C during the summer in the Gulf of Mexico, and previous work showed rapid oil degradation, with >95% of oil loss in 5 months following a summer oil spill in Galveston Bay, Texas (Rozas et al., 2000). We hypothesized that similar rapid metabolism of oil might occur after the Deepwater Horizon spill entered Louisiana bays, and that rapid metabolism of oil would result in strong uptake of oil carbon into warm-water estuarine food webs.

It is known that most IPMNs of the branch-duct this website type are less invasive and can be followed4, 5 and 6; thus, differentiation between benign and malignant tumors must be accurate to indicate surgical resection. We have already demonstrated that pancreatic duct lavage cytology is of high diagnostic accuracy because it allows the accumulation of a sufficient number of neoplastic cells exfoliated from the branch pancreatic duct.7 In this study, we examined the usefulness of pancreatic duct lavage

cytology with the cell block method for discriminating benign IPMNs of the branch-duct type from malignant ones. The cell block method allows cytological and/or histological evaluation with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stain and with mucin immunostaining (MUC) (MUC1, 2, 5AC, and 6).8 Mucins are high molecular weight

glycoproteins,9 and the malignant potential of IPMNs is reported to differ depending on their mucin type characterized by the MUC.10 and 11 Between December 2007 and April 2011, patients in our outpatient clinic who were suspected of having branch-duct type IPMNs by CT or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) underwent EUS, and patients having mural nodules on EUS were examined by endoscopic retrograde pancreatography (ERP) followed by pancreatic duct lavage cytology. MRI/CT findings as indicators of branch-duct type IPMNs appear as clusters PLX3397 of small cysts with a grapelike appearance or as a single cystic lesion with lobulated or irregular margins and sparse septa, often with dilation of the pancreatic duct near the lesion.12 A mural nodule in this study was defined as an EUS-detectable echogenic protruding component in an ectatic branch pancreatic duct (Fig. 1). The diagnosis was confirmed based on the presence mafosfamide of abnormally dilated branch pancreatic ducts accompanied by intraductal mucin on ERP. Intraductal mucin was detected as a mobile and

amorphous filling defect in the pancreatic duct. The type of IPMN was determined according to the World Health Organization classification.13 Surgical intervention was indicated when the results of cytology were positive, or when mural nodules larger than 5 mm or a pancreatic mass was detected by EUS. Patients with no indications for surgery were followed for more than 12 months, during which thin-slice (1-2 mm) CT or MRI with contrast enhancement was performed every 3 to 4 months. Patients who showed progressive enlargement of the main and the ectatic branch pancreatic ducts, mural nodules, or a pancreatic mass during follow-up on CT or MRI underwent EUS, and surgery was indicated when mural nodules larger than 5 mm or a pancreatic mass was detected by EUS.