Chromosomal aberrations in benign and malignant Bilharzia-associated bladder lesions analyzed by comparative genomic hybridization

Background

Bilharzia-associated bladder cancer (BAC) is a major health problem in countries where urinary schistosomiasis is endemic. Characterization of the genetic alterations in this cancer might enhance our understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms of the disease but, in contrast to nonbilharzia bladder cancer, BAC has rarely been the object of such scrutiny. In the present study, we aimed to characterize chromosomal imbalances in benign and malignant post-bilharzial lesions, and to determine whether their unique etiology yields a distinct cytogenetic profile as compared to chemically induced bladder tumors.

Methods

DNAs from 20 archival paraffin-embedded post-bilharzial bladder lesions (6 benign and 14 malignant) obtained from Sudanese patients (12 males and 8 females) with a history of urinary bilharziasis were investigated for chromosomal imbalances using comparative genomic hybridization (CGH). Subsequent FISH analysis with pericentromeric probes was performed on paraffin sections of the same cases to confirm the CGH results.

Results

Seven of the 20 lesions (6 carcinomas and one granuloma) showed chromosomal imbalances varying from 1 to 6 changes. The most common chromosomal imbalances detected were losses of 1p21-31, 8p21-pter, and 9p and gain of 19p material, seen in three cases each, including the benign lesion.

Conclusion

Most of the detected imbalances have been repeatedly reported in non-bilharzial bladder carcinomas, suggesting that the cytogenetic profiles of chemical- and bilharzia-induced carcinomas are largely similar. However, loss of 9p seems to be more ubiquitous in BAC than in bladder cancer in industrialized countries.

     

Lactate and Pyruvate Levels in the Testicular Vein of Subfertile Males with Varicocele as a Test for the Theory of Underlying Hypoxia

Lactat- und Pyruvat-Werte in der Vena testicularis von subfertilen Männern als Test für die Theorie der vorhandenen Hypoxie
Um die These von der testikulären Hypoxie bei subfertilen Männern mit Varikocele zu überprüfen wurden die Blutwerte von Lactat und Pyruvat aus der Vena testicularis mit denen einer Kontrollgruppe verglichen. Statistisch ergab sich ein niedrigerer Mittelwert für Lactat und Pyruvat bei den Varikocele-Patienten. Daraus wird die Schlußfolgerung gezogen, daß bei Varikocele keine Akkumulation von Milchsäure erfolgt und daß damit eine Hypoxie ausgeschlossen werden kann. Als die Mittelwerte der Konzentrationen für Lactat und Pyruvat in der Vena testicularis miteinander korreliert wurden, deutete sich an, daß bei Vorhandensein einer Varikocele eine gestörte Glykolyse besteht, die dem Stadium der Pyruvatbildung vorhergeht.     

Octylcyanoacrylate (Dermabond) for skin closure at the time of head and neck surgery: a longitudinal prospective study

OBJECTIVES: A prospective non-randomised evaluation of the octyl-2-cyanoacrylate (Dermabond) for skin closure in head and neck surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An inception cohort of 52 patients managed by six otorhinolaryngologists head and neck surgeons at a single institution (university teaching and tertiary referral center) during the months of May-July 2004. The length of the skin incision varied from 3 to 30 cm (mean: 7 cm). Morbidity evaluation, longitudinal analysis of the evolution of the scar, and analysis of the degree of satisfaction. RESULTS: Postoperative death was not encountered. The overall morbidity rate was 3.8% (2/52). There was no instances of wound dehiscence's. A subcutaneous abscess was noted in one patient. From an aesthetic point of view, the scar appearance was considered to be slightly retracted during the first postoperative month and to be very good 2 to 4 months from initial surgery. Only one patient developed a minimal cheloid scar. Among the 47 patients who expressed an opinion postoperatively regarding the use of the octyl-2-cyanoacrylate (Dermabond) for skin closure, the degree of satisfaction was very high due to the ability to take an early shower (40 patients) followed by the lack of skin sutures (5 patients) and the lack of any allergic skin reaction (2 patients). CONCLUSION: At our department, the octyl-2-cyanoacrylate (Dermabond) for skin closure at the time of head and neck surgery is becoming more and more utilized due to the completion of a solid and aesthetic suture, the ability to take an early shower and the high degree of satisfaction expressed by the patients.     

Precise intraoperative location of gastrointestinal bleeding with a hand-held counter. Work in progress

The nuclear medicine bleeding scan is frequently insufficient to locate sites of bleeding precisely, in spite of its great sensitivity. A small, hand-held Geiger-Müller counter, placed directly on exposed intestine in the operating room, enables precise location of the probable bleeding site. In three patients, the technique allowed a minimal amount of intestine to be resected, distinguished between large- and small-intestinal hemorrhage, and eliminated other foci as sites of bleeding.