The serviceability models available on the literature are generally applicable to interstate highways and rural roads. The present paper aims to develop alternative modelling approaches that can be applied when assessing the pavement serviceability of urban roads in developing countries. More than sixty (60) rigid urban pavement sections with different surface characteristics were evaluated. Performance indexes such as the International Roughness Index (IRI) and the Pavement Condition Index (PCI) were measured on each pavement section. Deterministic and probabilistic models were developed to correlate pavement performance indicators with the users' assessment of each pavement section. Moreover, threshold limits for the acceptance of the IRI and PCI were also proposed using a probabilistic approach. In line with previous studies, Colombian users have higher tolerance than users from developed countries towards accepting pavement in poor conditions. Particularly, results suggest a higher tolerance towards urban roads with high IRI and low PCI values. Finally, the models and thresholds proposed in this research could be used to define prioritisation policies that could help road agencies in their decision-making process at the network level, saving time and money in public investment, and thus achieve an increase in the welfare of the urban population of countries with similar sociocultural characteristics. Furthermore, the methodological framework applied in this research effort may be useful for agencies and governments seeking to develop and/or improve their current PMS.
The PAX 8 gene, a member of the paired box (PAX) family of genes, encodes a transcription factor that plays a critical role in embryologic development of the thyroid, renal, and müllerian systems.Expression of PAX 8 by immunohistochemistry (IHC) has been described in thyroid, renal, and müllerian-derived neoplasms.Recently, PAX 8 expression has been reported in nonneoplastic lymphoid tissues; however, there are no reports detailing the expression and patterns of PAX 8 expression in lymphoid tissues such as lymph node, tonsil, spleen, and thymus.Our study focuses on expression and patterns of PAX 8 positivity in a variety of nonneoplastic lymphoid tissues of human origin to better understand the pathobiology of B-cell-derived lymphoid neoplasms.A total of 40 cases of normal, nonneoplastic lymphoid tissues with H&E slides and corresponding tissue blocks were retrieved from the hospital computer system following IRB approval.All selected cases had been previously confirmed as normal and nonneoplastic by histologic examination.IHC for PAX 8, as well as CD3 and CD20, was performed on all cases on tissue-block sections that were formalin fixed and paraffin embedded, using a heat-induced epitope retrieval technique.CD20 served as a B-cell-positive control, and CD3 served as a T-cell-positive control.A total of 40 cases of normal, nonneoplastic lymphoid tissues were included in our study: 10 lymph node (LN) specimens, 10 spleen specimens, 10 tonsil specimens, and 10 thymus specimens.In all 40 cases, PAX 8 expression was observed in B cells with a nuclear staining pattern and was not observed in T cells, histiocytes, plasma cells, and stromal cells.All LN and tonsil specimens demonstrated strong expression of PAX 8 by follicular B cells.The mantle zone (MZ) and germinal center (GC) B cells demonstrated strong nuclear expression of PAX 8; the GC B cells showed slightly less intense staining in comparison with MZ B cells.In addition, all LN and tonsil specimens also showed scattered B-cell positivity in the paracortical areas.All thymic specimens showed predominantly negative staining, corresponding to T-cell-rich zones, and scattered B-cell positivity.In all splenic specimens, PAX 8 positivity was limited to the white-pulp follicles and scattered red-pulp B-ells.PAX 8 is a very good IHC marker of B cells and is consistently seen in a variety of normal, nonneoplastic lymphoid tissues.Understanding the expression pattern can be useful in separating nonneoplastic from neoplastic lymphoid tissue.In addition, the differential stain intensity of GC and MZ B cells can shed light on the pathobiology of cells of origin of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Merkel's cell carcinoma is a rare cutaneous tumor that can affect a wide variety of sites throughout the body. Commonly, it affects the skin alone and the management of limited disease can be confusing since the natural history of the disease involves distant metastasis. Traditional management has required wide local excision with negative margins of resection. We describe a case treated with local therapy alone and review the literature to suggest that complete microscopic excision may not be required if adjuvant radiotherapy is used.
The above article, published online in Wiley Online Library as the Version of Record on March 28, 2017 (doi 10.1002/hed.24754), has been retracted by agreement between the Editor-in-Chief, Ehab Y. Hanna, and Wiley Periodicals, Inc. The retraction has been agreed owing to a dispute as to authorship and inclusion of some data in the analysis.
Thymic epidermoid cysts are an extremely rare entity. These arise from epidermal cells that migrate to the thymus. The radiologic diagnosis of this rare lesion is challenging. We describe a case of an otherwise healthy 35-year-old woman who presented with an acute onset of chest pain and shortness of breath. She was found to have an anterior mediastinal mass. The imaging findings were, however, not characteristic for any single diagnostic entity. Since the imaging was inconclusive, surgical resection was performed for definitive diagnosis. The mass was found to be a thymic epidermoid cyst. This case underlines the significance for radiologists to be aware that epidermoid cysts can occur in the thymus and should be considered in the differential diagnosis for a heterogeneous anterior mediastinal mass.
We sought to investigate the expression of the cell death protein BNIP3 in hypoxic hepatocytes, as well as the role that hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1α) plays in the upregulation of BNIP3 in hypoxic primary mouse hepatocytes and in the livers of mice subjected to ischemia-reperfusion. Freshly isolated mouse hepatocytes were exposed to 1% hypoxia for 1, 3, 6, 24, and 48 h, and the RNA and protein were isolated for reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis. Similarly, livers from mice subjected to segmental (70%) hepatic warm ischemia for 30 min or 1 h, or to 1-h ischemia followed by 0.5- to 4-h reperfusion, were collected and subjected to Western blot analysis for HIF-1α protein. We showed that hypoxic stress increases the formation of the BNIP3 homodimer while decreasing the amount of the monomeric form of BNIP3 in primary mouse hepatocytes. In contrast to RAW264.7 macrophages, there is a basal expression of HIF-α protein in normoxic primary mouse hepatocytes that does not change significantly upon exposure to hypoxia. Using siRNA technology, we demonstrated that reduced HIF-1α protein levels did not block the hypoxia-induced overexpression of BNIP3. In contrast to the effect on BNIP3 expression reported previously, livers from ischemic animals demonstrated only a modest increase in HIF-1α protein as compared with resting livers from control animals; and this expression was not statistically different from sham controls. These results suggest that HIF-1α does not mediate the hypoxia-induced upregulation of BNIP3 in mouse hepatocytes in vitro and possibly in the liver in vivo.
