The effect of experimental Bothrops jararaca envenomation on pregnant mice.

The injury caused by the intramuscular injection of a single dose of Bothrops jararaca venom (0.24 mg/kg body weight) to mice on day 8 of pregnancy and examined on day 9 was investigated. Macroscopic and histological examination showed that the bothropic venom caused an increase in the incidence of fetal resorptions. Histologically, a characteristic involution of mature decidua was noticed in saline-treated mice; however, necrotic trophoblast giant cells and decidual cells were also present in this region of mice treated with B. jararaca venom, mainly close to the embryo. Hemorrhagic areas were also observed at maternal-fetal interface, which contained maternal erythrocytes and polymorphonuclears. Plasma fibrinogen levels were lower in envenomed group (p < or = 0.0001), but prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time remained unaltered. Total and differential white blood cell counts were not statistically different between groups. Thus, B. jararaca venom causes injuries not only to the fetus, but also to decidual tissue and blood coagulation of pregnant mice. It is not clear, nonetheless, whether disturbances during the development of pregnancy are due to a direct effect of venom on uterus/fetus or to homeostatic changes in dams, such as clotting disturbances, or to both of them.     

Peripheral neuropathy in mutant diabetic mouse [C57BL/Ks (db/db)]

Summary A new animal model for the study of diabetic neuropathy is presented. The homozygote (db/db) of the mouse strain C57BL/Ks shows severe diabetes with longstanding hyperglycemia. Electrophysiological studies showed severely decreased motor nerve conduction velocity. Morphometric examination of sensory and motor nerves at different levels revealed absence of large myelinated fibers, with morphological features indicative of axonal atrophy.Supported by Grant No. MA-5857 from the Medical Research Council of Canada     

Post-traumatic acute appendicitis in hernia's sac

The paper presents two unusual pathological aspects of a hernia and an appendicitis. It is about a massive old inguinal hernia, with strangulation and an intra-saccular congestive acute appendicitis that occurred after a traumatic injury of the region. The presumptive diagnosis through a dynamic monitoring of the patient, clinical and biological analysis has made possible a favorable solution of the case.     

Gliosarcoma with cranial penetration and extension to the maxillary sinus

A 70 year old woman underwent an anterior rightsided temporal lobectomy for a mixed glioblastoma-fibrosarcoma. Six months later, she presented with rightsided zygomatic and maxillary swellings, associated with rightsided ptosis, chemosis, and nerve palsies of the III, IV, VI, and VII cranial nerves. A computerized scan (CT) of the head revealed tumor erosion of the skull base of the right middle fossa with extension into the maxillary sinus. This was confirmed at surgery. Pathologic examination revealed a predominantly small cell anaplastic glioblastoma associated with sarcoma elements, similar to the original intracranial tumor. This case documents a rare and atypical behavior of malignant glial tumors.     

Pigmented solid-pseudopapillary neoplasm of the pancreas

A hitherto unrecognized variant of solid-pseudopapillary neoplasm of the pancreas is reported. The tumor presented in the pancreatic head of a 57-year-old female patient. It was a well-circumscribed, encapsulated nodule measuring 27 mm in diameter, with variegated yellow to brown and gray cut surface. Histologically, the neoplasm was composed of uniform polyhedral cells arranged around delicate fibrovascular cores retaining their solid pattern in the periphery, whereas central parts of the tumor were characterized by the formation of papillae and smaller pseudocysts. Neither mitotic activity nor invasive growth were found. Immunohistochemically, tumor cells were positive for vimentin, neuron-specific enolase, and CD56, whereas they were negative in reactions with antibodies directed against other neuroendocrine markers, cytokeratins, melanocytic markers, and pancreatic amylase. In addition to these typical findings, intracellular pigmented granules were found in the darker brown zones of the tumor. They were positively stained in periodic acid-Schiff reaction after diastase digestion, sudan black B, and in Schmorl stain. In contrast, they were not stained with Fontana-Masson, Ziehl-Neelsen, and Perls stains. Ultrastructurally, the pigment consisted of dense granules with lipid droplets resembling modified lysosomes. These results exclude the possibility of a melanogenic nature of the pigment and instead determine it as lipofuscin.     

Synchronous sigmoid and superior rectal resection and left hepatic lobectomy extended to Spiegel lobe for a sigmoid cancer with hepatic metastasis. Case report

The recent developments of surgical technologies allowed the achievement of some standardized interventions with anatomical and functional visa, which based on the improvement of anesthesia and intensive care, and not least by elaboration of efficient chemotherapy protocols, determined new horizons in the treatment of advanced cancers. This work presents a case witch was hospitalized at the Department of Hepatic Surgery, of City Hospital from Timi?oara for a colorectal cancer stage IV (T3N1M1), with hepatic metastasis localized at the left hepatic lobe (II and III segments) and Spiegel lobe. A surgical intervention was performed, when in the same operating time was practiced a sigmoid and superior rectal resection (Hartmann) and also a left hepatic lobotomy extended to the first segment. The post operating evolution of the patient was favorable and also after fourth month from the surgery, when no signs of relapse were established at reevaluation.     

Epidemiologic study of the psychological health and risk behaviors of medical students

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS: In the present study the authors conducted a cross sectional study of fourth-year (eighth-semester) students at Semmelweis University, to assess their stress-related complaints, and also some of the more common forms of risk behavior, including smoking, regular alcohol consumption, past or current drug use and the regular use of pharmaceuticals. METHODS: A total of 410 students were evaluated; 263 medical students, 96 pharmaceutical students and 78 dentistry students. An adapted version of Anderson's questionnaire was used for the evaluation of the total burden of stress based on emotional, physical and work-related complaints. Respondents who mentioned more than three signs of increased stress involving any of the above three categories (emotional, physical and work-related) were designated "high risk" subjects. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of "high risk" subjects was 30.5% (29.7% in medical, 38.5% in pharmaceutical and 23.1% in dentistry students) with no significant gender differences. 55.2% of "high risk" subjects had over three complaints in only one category, 32.6% in two categories, and 12.2% in all three categories. 43.6% of the subjects experienced work-related complaints, 33.3% of them had emotional and 23.1% had physical complaints. The overall prevalence of various forms of risk behavior was found to be 19.3% for smoking (25.2% in males and 15% in females), 30.2% for regular alcohol intake (47.1 in males and 18.3% in females), 25.4% for the regular use of some kind of medication (14.7% in males and 33.0% in females) and 24.9% for those who admitted to previous drug-use (37.6% in males and 16.3% in females). CONCLUSION: All forms of risk behavior were more common in the "high risk" group, but only smoking and the regular use of medication were increased significantly. There were no differences in risk behavior prevalence with regards to a particular category of complaints.     

CD4(+) T-cell recognition of mutated B-RAF in melanoma patients harboring the V599E mutation

The potential of antigen-directed cancer immunotherapy has not been fully realized, perhaps because many commonly targeted tumor associated proteins are not essential to maintaining the malignant cell phenotype. A constitutively activating mutation in the signaling molecule BRAF is expressed frequently in melanomas and may play an important role in the biology of this disease. A 29-mer B-Raf peptide incorporating the V599E mutation was used for in vitro stimulation of lymphocytes derived from melanoma patients, generating MHC class II-restricted CD4(+) T cells specific for this peptide as well as for melanoma cells expressing B-Raf V599E. Mutated B-Raf exemplifies targets that may be ideal for immunotherapy.