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Previously we found that musicians have significantly larger anterior corpus callosum (CC). In the current study, we intended to replicate and extend our previous results using a new and larger sample of gender-matched subjects (56 right-handed professional musicians and 56 age- and handedness-matched controls). We found a significant gender x musicianship interaction for anterior and posterior CC size; male musicians had a larger anterior CC than non-musicians, while females did not show a significant effect of musicianship. The lack of a significant effect in females may be due to a tendency for a more symmetric brain organization and a disproportionately high representation of absolute pitch (AP) musicians among females. Although a direct causal effect between musicianship and alterations in the midsagittal CC size cannot be established, it is likely that the early commencement and continuous practice of bimanual motor training serves as an external trigger that can influence midsagittal CC size through changes in the actual callosal fiber composition and in the degree of myelinization, which will have implications for interhemispheric connectivity.

Airway submucosal gland serous cells express the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) and secrete antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant molecules. In cystic fibrosis, diminished gland secretion may impair innate airway host defenses. We used Calu-3 cells as a serous cell model to study the types of proteins released, the pathways that release them, and the possible involvement of CFTR activity in protein release. Many proteins were secreted constitutively into the apical fluid and showed increased release to agonists. We identified some of them by high pressure liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and reverse transcriptase PCR, including lysozyme, siderocalin (the protein NGAL), which inhibits bacterial growth by binding iron-containing siderophores, HSC-71, which is thought to have anti-inflammatory properties, and the serine protease inhibitors ␣-1-antitrypsin and ␣-1-antichymotrypsin, which may function as antimicrobials as well as play a potential role in diminishing the activation of epithelial Na ؉ channels by serine proteases. We used an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to quantify lysozyme secretion by Calu-3 cells in response to various agonists and inhibitors. Forskolin increased the lysozyme secretion rate (J lyz ) from 32 to 77 ng/hr/cm 2 (n ‫؍‬ 36, p < 0.005). Thapsigargin increased J lyz from 40 to 63 ng/h/cm 2 (n ‫؍‬ 16, p < 0.005), and forskolin plus thapsigargin further increased the forskolin-stimulated J lyz by 48% (n ‫؍‬ 9, p < 0.05). 1-Ethyl-benzimidazolinone and carbachol were less effective. Glibenclamide inhibited basal and stimulated J lyz , but clotrimazole was without effect. CFTR inh 172 caused a small (15%) but significant inhibition of forskolin-stimulated J lyz without affecting basal J lyz . Thus, Calu-3 cells secrete diverse proteins that in aggregate would be expected to suppress microbial growth, protect the airways from damage, and limit the activation of epithelial Na ؉ channels via serine proteases.

Abbreviations & AcronymsObjectives: To present an overview of our surgical experience in the management of growing teratoma syndrome. Methods: A retrospective analysis of all patients undergoing post-chemotherapy retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy between November 2005 and February 2012 revealed 15 patients who met the criteria for growing teratoma syndrome. Their clinical data, imaging characteristics, and surgical and oncological outcomes were reviewed. Results:The median age at diagnosis was 23 years. Primary testis tumors included nonseminomatous germ cell tumor in 12 of 15 patients, seminoma in two of 15 patients and hemorrhagic mass in one patient. Mature teratoma was present in just six (40%) of the orchiectomy specimens. All patients received preoperative chemotherapy. On imaging, the median size of the largest retroperitoneal mass was 7 cm (range 3.9-24.5 cm). The median rate of linear growth was 0.5 cm/month (range 0.03-2.9), and the increase in volume was 9.2 cm 3 /month. All tumors were found to have cystic and necrotic components. Median operative time was 6.2 h (range 4.2-15.2 h). Estimated blood loss was 600 mL (range 100-7000 mL), and median length of stay was 5 days (range 3-19 days). Four patients required resection of non-retroperitoneal growing teratoma masses after post-chemotherapy retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy to achieve tumor-free status. There were two minor (Clavien I-II) and two major postoperative complications (Clavien ≥III). All patients are alive and disease free with a median duration of follow-up of 8 months (range 1-64 months). Conclusions: Growing teratoma syndrome tumors vary in their growth rate, but they all appear to have cystic features with necrosis elements on radiographic evaluation. Aggressive surgical excision is associated with excellent outcomes.

Channeled spectropolarimetry measures the spectrally resolved Stokes parameters. A key aspect of this technique is to accurately reconstruct the Stokes parameters from a modulated measurement of the channeled spectropolarimeter. The state-of-the-art reconstruction algorithm uses the Fourier transform to extract the Stokes parameters from channels in the Fourier domain. While this approach is straightforward, it can be sensitive to noise and channel cross-talk, and it imposes bandwidth limitations that cut off high frequency details. To overcome these drawbacks, we present a reconstruction method called compressed channeled spectropolarimetry. In our proposed framework, reconstruction in channeled spectropolarimetry is an underdetermined problem, where we take N measurements and solve for 3N unknown Stokes parameters. We formulate an optimization problem by creating a mathematical model of the channeled spectropolarimeter with inspiration from compressed sensing. We show that our approach offers greater noise robustness and reconstruction accuracy compared with the Fourier transform technique in simulations and experimental measurements. By demonstrating more accurate reconstructions, we push performance to the native resolution of the sensor, allowing more information to be recovered from a single measurement of a channeled spectropolarimeter.

We perform quantitative phase imaging using phase retrieval to implement synthetic aperture imaging. Compared to digital holography, the developed technique is simpler, less expensive, and more stable.

Partial nephrectomy can now be safely performed without global renal ischemia, even for complex tumors. Initial perioperative and renal functional outcomes of anatomical zero-ischemia surgery are encouraging. Going forward, clamping the main renal artery appears unnecessary during most partial nephrectomy surgery.