Impact of recent seizures on cerebral blood flow in patients with sturge-weber syndrome: study of 2 cases

Patients with refractory seizures, including those with Sturge-Weber syndrome, undergo functional studies in preparation for surgery. Perfusion studies in Sturge-Weber syndrome by single photon emission computed tomography and positron emission tomography generally demonstrate hypoperfusion in the diseased tissue. We report perfusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging results in 2 cases of Sturge-Weber syndrome with recent seizures. The affected cerebral tissue showed increased relative cerebral blood flow and volume with prolonged mean transit time and time to peak. Elevated relative cerebral blood flow could be attributed to seizures, whereas increased relative cerebral blood volume might have resulted from vasodilation due to seizure activity or chronic ischemia. These findings point to the variable results of functional studies in Sturge-Weber syndrome that might lead to miscalculations of the lesion area before surgery.     

Bilateral abnormal anterior bellies of digastric muscles

During dissection of the submental region of a male cadaver, we encountered an abnormal digastric muscle on both sides. Two muscle bundles, both of which fused with mylohyoid muscle close to the midline, were observed on the right side. The anterior one originated from the digastric fossa and its length and width were 27 and 9 mm, respectively. The posterior accessory belly originated from the right intermediate tendon and it was 32 mm in length and 11 mm wide. On the left side, there was a single accessory bundle that originated from the left intermediate tendon and inserted into the mylohyoid raphe at the fusion point of the right accessory bundles. The length and width of this belly were 29 and 9 mm, respectively. The remaining suprahyoid muscles of both sides were normal. Anatomical variations of digastric muscle have to be considered in the imaging procedures of the soft tissue masses in the submental region.     

Management of an unerupted dilacerated maxillary central incisor: a case report

Abstract –  A case with a dilacerated maxillary permanent central incisor, treated with forced eruption technique is illustrated and the results of the 4-year follow up are presented. After the successful eruption of the tooth, the root development was completed and the root canal was obliterated. The 4-year follow-up results revealed the tooth to be still functional and the radiographic evaluation showed that the periodontal and periapical tissues were intact and healthy. In conclusion, the impacted dilacerated incisor diagnosed in the early mixed dentition should be treated with the aid of orthodontic traction. The long-term follow up showed that once the tooth is placed in the occlusion properly, it may function well esthetically and preserve its periodontal and periapical health.     

Clinical significance of serum transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) levels in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer

Transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of multiple malignancies, and its expression also strongly affects the outcomes of cancer patients. The objective of this study was to determine the clinical significance of the serum levels of TGF-β1 in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) patients. A total of 50 patients with a pathologically confirmed diagnosis of EOC were enrolled into this study. Serum TGF-β1 concentrations were determined by the solid-phase sandwich ELISA method. Thirty age- and sex-matched healthy controls were included in the analysis. Median age of patients was 56.5 years old (range 22 to 83 years). Majority of the patients had advanced disease (FIGO stage III–IV; 90 %). There was no significant difference in baseline serum TGF-β1 levels between EOC patients and the controls (p?=?0.39). A trend to significant relationship was found between the serum levels of TGF-β1 and stage of disease (p?=?0.06). The elevated serum TGF-β1 level was associated with metastatic disease. The other known clinical variables including histology, grade of histology, debulking surgery, and serum CA 125 levels were not found to be correlated with serum TGF-β1 concentrations (p?>?0.05). Only the chemotherapy-unresponsive patients had higher serum TGF-β1 levels compared with responsive ones (p?=?0.02). Serum TGF-β1 concentration was found to have no prognostic role for both progression-free and overall survivals (p?=?0.42 and p?=?0.09, respectively). In conclusion, although the serum level of TGF-β1 has no diagnostic and prognostic role, it is associated with sensitivity to standard chemotherapy in EOC patients.