Extramedullary plasmacytoma arising from the lacrimal gland

An 80‐year‐old man presented with an 8‐week history of painless swelling in the right lacrimal gland region with infero‐medial dystopia of the globe. The lesion was excised and histology confirmed an orbital plasmacytoma. Multiple myeloma screening was negative and a solitary extramedullary plasmacytoma arising from the lacrimal gland was diagnosed. The patient was subsequently treated with radiotherapy.     

Quinone-induced DNA single strand breaks in a human colon carcinoma cell line

It has been demonstrated that synthetic quinones, such as menadione, cause DNA damage in different cell systems, possibly being mediated by free radicals generated during redox cycling. It has been suggested that the damage caused could be related to tumor induction in different sites. To our knowledge it has not yet been demonstrated that the natural quinones, vitamin K1 and K2, exert the same activity. Using a colon carcinoma cell line, HT-29, we examined the extent of DNA damage induced by menadione, vitamin K1 and K2. Menadione caused significant DNA damage at low concentrations (25-200 microM) with a linear correlation of r = 0.95. In the presence of dicoumarol, a DT-diaphorase inhibitor, the damage was detected at concentrations five times lower indicating that free radicals generated during the redox cycling play a key role. Neither vitamin K1, incorporated in micelles, nor K2 caused detectable single strand breaks with respect to the controls either in the presence or in absence of dicoumarol. Our results demonstrate that, despite their redox cycling properties, the natural forms of vitamin K do not cause DNA damage in HT-29 cells as menadione does in the experimental conditions used.      

Diagnosis and treatment of spontaneous rupture of the esophagus

The authors operated on 6 patients with spontaneous rupture of the esophagus (SRE). In 1 patient only, the diagnosis was established at initial examination by a physician. The remaining patients were transferred to the department of thoracic surgery at day 2, 3, 4, 9 and 12 from the onset of the disease. In patients with suspected SRE, the contrast esophagography with water-soluble contrast medium was performed. All the patients with SRE were operated on. Two patients died from purulent-septic complications. They were operated on at day 9-12 from the onset of the disease.