Otological Manifestations of Nonseptic Lateral Sinus Thrombosis: A Review

Nonseptic lateral sinus thrombosis differs from septic lateral sinus thrombosis in that it is not associated with ear or sinus infection. Etiologies of these conditions are different and management of these conditions are different. Nonseptic lateral sinus thrombosis requires medical line of management and anticoagulant therapy where as septic lateral sinus thrombosis treatment involves surgical exploration of the mastoid cavity, sinus decompression, and long-term antibiotic therapy. Mastoid changes are frequently detected on computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging in cases of nonseptic lateral sinus thrombosis. An otolaryngologic evaluation is usually required to exclude coexisting mastoiditis. An otologist should be familiar with the septic lateral sinus thrombosis and existence of nonseptic variant lateral sinus thrombosis for early recognition and initiation of appropriate treatment.     

Poly-Ingredient Formulation Bresol? Ameliorates Experimental Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in Rats

In the present study, the protective effect of Bresol^® – a polyherbal formulation – was evaluated in an experimental model of cigarette smoke (CS)-induced COPD in rats. Ten minutes daily exposure to CS for 7 weeks caused significant elevation of TNF-α (p<0.01) and total protein (p<0.01) in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of positive untreated control animals, indicating ongoing inflammatory process in the lungs. Further, histopathological findings have confirmed the presence of pathological lesions in the trachea and lungs. Five weeks of post-treatment with Bresol^® (250 and 500 mg/kg, p.o.) showed significant and dose-dependent anti-inflammatory effects against CS-induced lung abnormalities by maintaining the TNF-α and total protein levels within the normal range. Additionally, Bresol^®-treated animals showed normal cyto-architecture of the trachea and lungs. In conclusion, Bresol^® showed dose-dependent protection against CS-induced lung and tracheal injury in rats, which further indicates, Bresol^® is a useful healing agent, may help to decelerate the progression of COPD, and reduce the exacerbations in patients.     

Concurrent chromosomal alterations at 3q27, 8q24 and 18q21 in B-cell lymphomas

Recurrent chromosomal translocations in malignant lymphomas most commonly involve 18q21(bcl-2), 8q24 (c-myc) and 3q27 (bcl-6), with an incidence of 27%, 11% and 6%, respectively. Individual cases concurrently harbouring two of these three rearrangements have been previously reported. This report describes four patients with cytogenetic alterations affecting all three loci, which was confirmed by molecular analysis in one case. Clinically, each patient had aggressive B-cell lymphoma with disseminated disease often involving the central nervous system, poor response to chemotherapy and short survival. Activation of c-myc in association with deregulation of bcl-2, bcl-6 or both confers high-grade disease with a poor prognosis.     

Hepatitis C virus and lymphoma

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is well known for its aetiological role in chronic non-A, non-B viral hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma; in addition, the virus has also been implicated in a number of extra-hepatic "autoimmune" disease manifestations. A causative association between HCV and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) was postulated relatively recently and has been the subject of intense investigation, as well as some debate. On the strength of epidemiological data, emerging biological investigations and clinical observations, HCV appears to be involved in the pathogenesis of at least a proportion of patients with NHL. Morphologically, HCV-associated lymphomas represent a variety of histological subtypes including marginal zone lymphoma (splenic, nodal and extranodal), small lymphocytic lymphoma/chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Remarkably, some HCV-associated NHL appears to be highly responsive to antiviral therapy, providing some clinical evidence for this relationship, as well as the prospect for novel therapeutic intervention.     

Unsafeness of surgically safe ear

Canal wall down mastoidectomy is the treatment of choice for attico antral ear disease with intracranial complication. It is done after the treatment of intracranial complication, to prevent any further complication due to attico antral ear disease. A second intracranial complication occurring after the surgical treatment of an ear disease is rare. A 12-year-old female patient, who developed brain abscess 6 weeks after undergoing surgical treatment for lateral sinus thrombosis with attico antral ear disease, is reported. The brain abscess was drained through a burr hole. Patient recovered completely and at the sixth month of follow up mastoid cavity was well epithelialised.     

CD4(+) CD56(+) lineage-negative malignancies are rare tumors of plasmacytoid dendritic cells

CD4(+) CD56(+) lineage-negative malignancies are difficult to diagnose and classify. Recent studies have suggested that these malignancies may derive from plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC). In this report, we examine 10 cases of CD4+, CD56+ lineage-negative malignancies that presented in various tissue sites. The goal was to identify the morphologic, immunophenotypic, and genotypic findings to devise a diagnostic approach to tissue biopsies of these lesions and to confirm the proposed cell of origin. The mean age was 66 years (range, 45-80 years) with a male predominance (8 males/2 females). Frequent sites of disease included skin (60%) and peripheral blood/bone marrow (70%). Tumor cells were positive for CD45, CD43, CD4, and CD56 (9 of 10). The pDC markers, CD123 (9 of 10) and CD45RA (10 of 10), were detected by immunoperoxidase staining. Also noted was CD2 positivity (1 case), weak CD7 positivity (4 of 8 cases), weak CD33 (4 of 9 cases), TdT (2 cases), and CD68 (2 cases). All cases were otherwise negative for EBV (EBER), B-cell, T-cell, myeloid, and NK cell markers. T-cell receptor-gamma gene rearrangement was negative in all cases. Complex structural chromosomal abnormalities were seen in 3 of 5 cases, a subset of which may be recurrent in pDC malignancy. Overall prognosis was poor despite multiagent chemotherapy and/or radiation. Our study confirms that CD4+/CD56+ lineage-negative tumors are derived from pDC and have characteristic clinical, histopathologic, and immunophenotypic features. Furthermore, these rare neoplasms can be readily diagnosed using recently developed immunoperoxidase techniques.     

Rapid detection of leukemia-associated translocation fusion genes using a novel combined RT-PCR and flow cytometric method.

Efficient detection of recurrent translocation-associated fusion genes is of critical importance for the diagnosis, prognosis and post-therapeutic monitoring of many leukemias. Typically, the presence of such translocations is revealed by RT-PCR technique, followed by Southern blot hybridization to ensure specificity of the PCR product. Though widely employed, post-PCR analysis of this type is relatively laborious and time-intensive. As a departure from standard analytic approaches, we have developed a robust novel method combining both high specificity and sensitivity, based on polystyrene bead capture of fluorescently labeled PCR products, with subsequent analysis by flow cytometry. Results from cell line and patient sample evaluations indicate that this method may be easily incorporated into the diagnostic molecular laboratory as a rapid and cost-effective alternative to currently employed techniques.     

Cardiotoxic effects of dichlorvos (DDVP) in albino rats

Dichlorvos (O, O-dimethyl O-(2,2-dichlorovinyl phosphate: DDVP 76.6 X EC) an organophosphate pesticide had a profound effect on cardiac activity of albino rats. Adult male rats anesthetized with pentobarbitone were administered 30, 50, 70 and 90 mg/kg body weight of dichlorvos. The heart rate and electrocardiogram were monitored and acetylcholinesterase activity was measured in heart and brain. Dichlorvos produced abnormalities in ECG, decrease in heart rate, cardiac arrest and inhibition of cholinesterase activity. It is suggested that cardiotoxic effect of DDVP may be mediated by the accumulated acetylcholine as a result of cholinesterase inhibition.