Synovial sarcoma of carotid space

Synovial sarcomas are malignant tumors of mesenchymal origin, extremely rarely located in the area of the head and neck. Histologically they can be monophasic, biphasic or poorly differentiated with numerous differential diagnostic dilemmas. A 54-year-old male with synovial sarcoma of the carotid space is presented. The patient refused suggested postoperative radiotherapy and, nine months after the primary surgery, local relapse was verified. Following surgical resection of the local relapse, postoperative radiotherapy treatment was utilized. Ten months after the second surgery, secondary deposits in the lungs were radiographically confirmed, and local recurrence was noticed again. Treatment was continued with symptomatic therapy and eleven months later patient died. Synovial sarcomas of the carotid space are extremely rare, with complex surgical approaches and pathohistological differential diagnostic dilemmas. Diagnosis requires determination of the immunophenotype of the tumor cells, whereas therapy requires an aggressive surgical approach and postoperative radiotherapy.     

Synthesis and antibacterial activity of iron manganite (FeMnO3) particles against the environmental bacterium Bacillus subtilis

Nanocrystalline iron manganite powder was synthesized using the sol–gel combustion process, with glycine as fuel. It was further calcined at 900 °C for 8 h, resulting in the formation of a loose cubic FeMnO₃ powder with a small specific surface area, net-like structure and plate-like particles as confirmed by XRD, N₂ physisorption, FESEM and TEM analyses. The metal ion release was studied by ICP-OES and showed that less than 10 ppb of Fe or Mn ions were released by leaching in water, but 0.36 ppm Fe and 3.69 ppm Mn was found in LB (Luria–Bertani) bacterial medium. The generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was monitored in distilled water and bacterial medium and showed that FeMnO₃ particles do not generate O₂˙⁻ ions with or without UV irradiation, but synthesize H₂O₂ and show an antioxidative effect. Besides the higher stability of FeMnO₃ particles in aqueous solution they showed an inhibitory effect on Bacillus subtilis growth in LB medium even at low concentrations (0.01 mg ml⁻¹), but not in BHI medium even at 1 mg ml⁻¹. This study points out that the mechanism of antibacterial action of engineered metal oxides needs continued investigation and specific experimental controls.

Iron manganite (FeMnO₃) particles express antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis, together with H₂O₂ release and Fe, Mn-ion release in LB bacterial medium.     

Gastric cancer stem cells: therapeutic targets

During the past decade, a growing body of evidence has implied that cancer stem cells (CSCs) play an important role in the development of gastric cancer (GC). The notion that CSCs give rise to GC and may be responsible for invasion, metastasis, and resistance to treatment has profound implications for anti-cancer therapy. Recent major advances in the rapidly evolving field of CSCs have opened novel exciting opportunities for developing CSC-targeted therapies. Discovery of specific markers and signaling pathways in gastric CSCs (GCSCs), with the perfecting of technologies for identification, isolation, and validation of CSCs, may provide the basis for a revolutionary cancer treatment approach based on the eradication of GCSCs. Emerging therapeutic tools based on specific properties and functions of CSCs, including activation of self-renewal signaling pathways, differences in gene expression profiles, and increased activity of telomerase or chemoresistance mechanisms, are developing in parallel with advances in nanotechnology and bioengineering. The addition of GCSC-targeted therapies to current oncological protocols and their complementary application may be the key to successfully fighting GC.     

Role of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Helicobacter pylori</Emphasis> Infection in Gastroduodenal Damage in Patients Starting NSAID Therapy: 4 Months Follow-Up Study

Aims  

We aimed to determine differences in gastroduodenal damage related to the presence of Helicobacter pylori (Hp) in patients starting long-term NSAID therapy. Seventy-one candidates for chronic NSAIDs therapy (33 Hp negative and 38 Hp positive) entered the study and underwent upper GI endoscopy before, and 8 and 16 weeks after, continuous NSAID therapy.     

Rectal duplication,rare cause of constipation — case report

Digestive tract duplications are uncommon congenital anomalies, encountered mostly in the first 3 months of life. Overall the rectum is the least common site of alimentary duplications. We represent a case of large cystic non-communicating duplication that manifested with constipation and profuse rectal bleeding. When diagnosis was established, surgery was planned and the cyst was enucleated completely. Histopathology examination confirmed the diagnosis.     

Numerical Investigation into In-Plane Crushing of Tube-Reinforced Damaged 5052 Aerospace Grade Aluminum Alloy Honeycomb Panels

This paper aims to investigate the crashworthiness performance degradation of a damaged 5052 aluminum honeycomb panels under in-plane uniaxial quasi-static compression and the possibility of improving it using reinforcement tubes. The in-plane crushing behaviors and energy absorption capacities of the intact, damaged, and tube-reinforced damaged panels with different damage sizes in both X₁ and X₂ directions are numerically simulated by using the nonlinear FE method Abaqus/Explicit, and the crashworthiness performances are compared with each other. The validation of finite element model involves comparing the obtained simulation results with theoretical and experimental ones. Very good agreement between numerical, experimental, and theoretical results is achieved. The first maximum compressive load and the mean crushing load of the different honeycomb configurations are analyzed and compared through the load–strain curves. The energy absorption capacity of the damaged and the tube-reinforced damaged panels is calculated and then compared with their corresponding intact ones. The deformation modes are explained in detail. The obtained results show that the crashworthiness performance degradation is directly proportional to the damage size as well as the insertion of reinforcement tubes considerably improves in-plane crushing resistance of damaged honeycomb panels.     

Preeclampsia with and without intrauterine growth restriction–Two pathogenetically different entities?

Objective: The objective of this study is to determine the differences in histopathological features of basal decidua and placenta in cases of preeclampsia with or without fetal intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). Methods: A prospective case–control study included a study group consisting of 30 pregnant women with preeclampsia completed by cesarean section (CS), in 19 of whom preeclampsia was associated with IUGR, and in 11 it was not. The control group consisted of 20 healthy pregnant women delivered by elective CS. Placentas and samples of placental bed obtained during CS were histopathologically (HP) analyzed after hematoxylin–eosin staining and immunohistochemical labeling of Cytokeratin 7 (CK7) trophoblastic cells in decidua. Results: Regarding the HP changes in the spiral arteries in preeclampsia, the most frequent features were inadequate transformation of spiral arteries with poor trophoblastic invasion (70.0%) and fibrinoid necrosis of the media (66.7%), and rarely acute atherosis (33.3%) and thrombosis (30.0%). Villous hypermaturity was more frequently found in placentas of patients with preeclampsia with IUGR (p < 0.05), while there were no differences between subgroups of preeclampsia with and without IUGR regarding some of HP alterations of placental bed. Conclusion: Alterations of the placental bed in terms of decidual vasculopathy are more the characteristics of the preeclampsia itself than IUGR, while changes in placental villi primarily follow the presence of IUGR, which could indicate that preeclampsia with and without IUGR are two pathogenetically different entities.