Calculus anuria in a 20 months old child

Calculus obstruction of the solitary kidney presenting as anuria in small children is unusual. We record the youngest such patient reported in the literature with a congenital single kidney.     

MR-derived cerebral blood volume maps: issues regarding histological validation and assessment of tumor angiogenesis.

In an effort to develop MRI methods for the evaluation of tumor angiogenesis (new blood vessel formation), MRI-derived cerebral blood volume (CBV) information has been compared to histologic measures of microvessel density (MVD). Although MVD is a standard marker of angiogenesis, it is not a direct correlate of the volume measurements made with MRI, and therefore inappropriate for the development and validation of the MR techniques. Therefore, the goal of this study was to develop an approach by which MR measurements of CBV can be directly correlated. To this end, dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC) MRI experiments were performed in six Fisher rats implanted with 9L gliosarcoma brain tumors. Subsequently, the circulation was perfused with a latex compound (Microfil), after which 50-microm tissue sections were analyzed for vessel count, diameter, and the fraction of area comprised of vessels. The results demonstrate that while fractional area (FA) does not provide a good measure of CBV, FA corrected for section thickness effects does. Whereas the FA in normal brain was found to be 13.03 +/- 1.83% the corrected FA, or fractional volume (FV), was 1.89 +/- 0.39%, a value in agreement with those reported in the literature for normal brain. Furthermore, while no significant difference was found between normal brain and tumor FA (P = 0.55), the difference was significant for FV (P = 0.036), as would be expected. And only with FV does a correlation with the MRI-derived CBV become apparent (r(S) = 0.74). There was strong correlation (r(s) = 0.886) between the tumor / normal blood volume ratios as estimated by each technique, although the MR-ratio (1.56 +/- 0.29) underestimated the histologic-ratio (2.35 +/- 0.75). Thus, the correlation of MRI CBV methods requires a measurement of fractional vessel area and correction of this area for section thickness effects. This new independent correlative measure should enable efficient and accurate progress in the development of MRI methods to evaluate tumor angiogenesis.     

Synthesis and analgesic activity of some novel 2-substituted 1,3,4-thiadiazolo

An ecofriendly synthesis for 1,2,3,4,5,6,8-octahydro- 3-amino-2-thioxo-benzothieno[2,3-d]pyrimidin-4-one (7A, B) has been developed. A series of hitherto unreported compounds (2a-i, 3a-c) have been synthesized by treating 3-Amino-2-mercaptopyrimidinones (7A, B) with one carbon donors like chloroacetyl chloride or chloroacetic acid and subsequently replacing the chloro group by various nucleophiles. Compound 2f was successfully synthesized by an alternate route. All the new compounds were characterized by elemental and spectral analyses. They were screened for analgesic activity in mice. Compounds 2a, b, 3a, b, and 2e, showed very good activity.     

In situ-formed asymmetric membrane capsule for osmotic release of poorly water-soluble drug

A non-disintegrating, in situ-formed, asymmetric membrane, polymeric capsular system, offering improved osmotic effect, was used to deliver poorly water-soluble drug in a controlled manner. The poorly water-soluble drug ketoprofen was selected as a model drug to demonstrate how controlled release characteristics can be manipulated by design of in situ-formed polymeric capsule with an asymmetric membrane and core formulations. In situ-formed, asymmetric membrane capsule was made by dry method via precipitation of asymmetric membrane on the walls of hard gelatin capsule. Resulting asymmetric membrane composed of a dense outer region with fewer pores and a lighter inner porous region. The present study evaluates the influence of variables based on two-factor composite design, namely, ethylcellulose and osmogen (sodium chloride), apart from studying effect of varying osmotic pressures of dissolution medium and level of pore-former concentration (glycerol) on drug release. Statistical significance was tested at P < 0.05. Results showed the best formulation (F-5) to closely corresponded to extra design checkpoint formulation by a similarity (f2) value of 95.41 and capsules made with 15% w/v EC, 50 mg sodium chloride, 8% w/v glycerol and 30 mg citric acid (F-11), to achieve therapeutic concentration within first hour of dissolution not observed with any other formulations used in the study. Drug release followed Fickinan diffusion and was independent of pH but dependent on the osmotic pressure of the dissolution medium.     

Dietary lutein/zeaxanthin partially reduces photoaging and photocarcinogenesis in chronically UVB-irradiated Skh-1 hairless mice

Lutein and zeaxanthin are xanthophyll carotenoids with potent antioxidant properties protecting the skin from acute photodamage. This study extended the investigation to chronic photodamage and photocarcinogenesis. Mice received either a lutein/zeaxanthin-supplemented diet or a standard nonsupplemented diet. Dorsal skin of female Skh-1 hairless mice was exposed to UVB radiation with a cumulative dose of 16,000 mJ/cm(2) for photoaging and 30,200 mJ/cm(2) for photocarcinogenesis. Clinical evaluations were performed weekly, and the animals were sacrificed 24 h after the last UVB exposure. For photoaging experiments, skin fold thickness, suprapapillary plate thickness, mast cell counts and dermal desmosine content were evaluated. For photocarcinogenesis, samples of tumors larger than 2 mm were analyzed for histological characterization, hyperproliferation index, tumor multiplicity, total tumor volume and tumor-free survival time. Results of the photoaging experiment revealed that skin fold thickness and number of infiltrating mast cells following UVB irradiation were significantly less in lutein/zeaxanthin-treated mice when compared to irradiated animals fed the standard diet. The results of the photocarcinogenesis experiment were increased tumor-free survival time, reduced tumor multiplicity and total tumor volume in lutein/zeaxanthin-treated mice in comparison with control irradiated animals fed the standard diet. These data demonstrate that dietary lutein/zeaxanthin supplementation protects the skin against UVB-induced photoaging and photocarcinogenesis.     

Comparison of 2-methoxyestradiol and methotrexate effects on non-Hodgkin's B-cell lymphoma

PURPOSE: Methotrexate (MTX) is the most commonly used chemotherapeutic agent to treat primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) and intraocular lymphoma (IOL). 2-methoxyestradiol (2ME2) is a potent antitumor and anti-angiogenesis agent which, unlike other cytotoxic drugs, has minimal toxicity. In this study, anti-proliferative, apoptotic, and cell-cycle effects of 2ME2 and MTX were compared to evaluate 2ME2 efficacy in human lymphoma cells, models for non-Hodgkin B cell lymphomas. METHODS: The cells were cultured and incubated with varying concentrations of 2ME2 or MTX. A tetrazolium-based colorimetric assay was used to quantify the anti-proliferative effects of 2ME2 and MTX using a microplate reader. To detect apoptotic and cell cycle distribution changes induced by 2ME2 and MTX, the cells were stained with Annexin V-FITC and/or propidium iodide (PI) and analyzed by flow cytometry. RESULTS: Lymphoma cell proliferation was inhibited by 50% at concentrations ranging from 0.4 to 1 microM for 2ME2 and 0.06 to 0.2 microM for MTX. Induction of apoptosis by 2ME2 and MTX was observed in the tested cells. 2ME2 was a G2/M-phase specific blocker whereas MTX was an S-phase specific blocker in cell cycle analyses. At 1 microM concentration, 2ME2 and MTX showed similar anti-proliferative effect on the lymphoma cell lines. In previously reported studies, for normal endothelial cells, 1 microM 2ME2 showed no appreciable toxicity, while MTX at this same concentration exhibited significant cytotoxicity. 2ME2 at a therapeutic target concentration of 1 mu M may be an effective and relatively non-toxic drug for the treatment of PCNSL with IOL. CONCLUSIONS: Our study of the effect of 2ME2 and MTX on anti-proliferation, apoptosis, and cell cycling suggests that 2ME2 is a potential agent for treating PCNSL and IOL.     

Primary pulmonary hydatid cysts in children—a report of three cases

Three children with a total of six primary pulmonary hydatid cysts, all of whom underwent surgical management, are presented. Of these six hydatid cysts, two were treated with thoracotomy with cyst enucleation and capittonage, three with thoracoscopy-assisted minithoracotomy with enucleation and capittonage, and one with limited resection.