The association of pheochromocytoma in patients with neurofibromatosis type I has rarely been reported in low-income countries, especially on the African continent. A 43-year-old woman with neurofibromatosis type I was diagnosed with a right adrenal pheochromocytoma in Pretoria, South Africa. To our knowledge, this report is the first case to be published of a patient with neurofibromatosis type I diagnosed with a pheochromocytoma in Pretoria, and one of three cases on the African continent. The rarity may be due to the two associated conditions being under-reported, undiagnosed, misdiagnosed or possibly the association is rare on the African continent. The clinician dealing with these two conditions should be aware of the association.
Three-dimensional (3D) cell culture systems have gained increasing interest in drug discovery and tissue engineering due to its inherent advantages in providing more physiologically relevant information and more predictive data for in vivo tests. Along with the development of more physiologically relevant 3D cell culture models, researchers bear the responsibility to validate new cell assay techniques capable of measuring and evaluating constructs that are physically larger and more complex compared to two- dimensional (2D) cell cultures. It is important to note that assays based on monolayer cultures may be insufficient for the use in 3D cell cultures models. In this study we firstly fabricated a 3D bioprinted hydrogel melanoma scaffold. This was used to validate a flow cytometry-based analytical method as a tool for 3D bioprinted structures to assess drug-induced apoptosis. The results indicated high robustness, reproducibility and sensitivity of the flow cytometric method established on the 3D cell-laden A375 melanoma hydrogel scaffolds. Over and above this, it was possible to determine the effect of etoposide on A375 melanoma cells using Annexin V and PI apoptosis assay.
Diarrhoea is a recognised complication of HIV-infection, yet there are limited local aetiological data in this high-risk group. These data are important for informing public health interventions and updating diagnostic and treatment guidelines. This study aimed to determine the pathogenic causes for diarrhoeal admissions in HIV-infected patients compared to hospital controls between July 2018 and November 2021. Admitted diarrhoeal cases (n=243) and non-diarrhoeal hospital controls (n=101) >=5 years of age were enrolled at Kalafong, Mapulaneng and Matikwana hospitals. Stool specimens/rectal swabs were collected and pathogen screening performed on multiple platforms. Differences in pathogen detections between cases and controls, stratified by HIV status, were investigated. The majority (n=164, 67.5%) of diarrhoeal cases with known HIV status were HIV-infected. Pathogens could be detected in 66.3% (n=228) of specimens, with significantly higher detection in cases compared to controls (72.8% versus 50.5%, p<0.001). Amongst HIV-infected participants, prevalence of Cystoisospora spp. was significantly higher in cases than controls (17.7% versus 0.0%, p=0.028), while Schistosoma was detected more often in controls than cases (17.4% versus 2.4%, p=0.009). Amongst the HIV-uninfected participants, prevalence of Shigella spp., Salmonella spp. and Helicobacter pylori was significantly higher in cases compared to controls (36.7% versus 12.0%, p=0.002; 11.4% versus 0.0%, p=0.012; 10.1% versus 0.0%, p=0.023). Diarrhoeal aetiology differed by HIV status, with Shigella spp. (36.7%) and Salmonella spp. (11.4%) having the highest prevalence amongst HIV-uninfected cases and Shigella spp. (18.3%), Cystoisospora (17.7%), and Cryptosporidium spp. (15.9%) having the highest prevalence amongst HIV-infected cases. These differences should be considered for the development of diagnostic and treatment guidelines.
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