A rat model for radiation-induced proctitis

Radiation proctitis is a frequent acute complication encountered with pelvic irradiation. This study was aimed at establishing the optimal radiation dose for radiation-induced proctitis in rats. Female Wistar rats were used. The rectal specimens were examined morphologically at 5th and 10th day following 10-30 Gy irradiation in single fraction. With increasing dose, mucosal damage became worse, and there was a prominent reaction after > or =15 Gy. We selected 17.5 Gy as an optimal dose for radiation proctitis and examined specimens at day 1-14 and at week 4, 6, 8, and 12 after 17.5 Gy. The rectal mucosa revealed characteristic histological changes with time. An edema in lamina propria started as early as 1-2 days after irradiation and progressed into acute inflammation. On day 7 and 8, regeneration was observed with or without ulcer. Four weeks later, all regeneration processes have been completed with end result of either fibrosis or normal appearing mucosa. This study showed that the radiation injury of the rectum in rat develops in dose-dependent manner as it has reported in previous studies and suggested that 17.5 Gy in single fraction is the optimum dose to evaluate the protective effect of various medications for radiation proctitis in face of the clinical situation.     

Colorectal adenocarcinoma as a second malignant neoplasm following rhabdomyosarcoma of the urinary bladder: a case report

Following improvements in therapy for childhood malignancies, the striking increase in survival rate over the past 30 years has led to the increase risk of developing second malignant neoplasms (SMNs). We report a case of colorectal carcinoma as a SMN, following treatment for rhabdomyosarcoma. The patient was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma of the urinary bladder at his age of three years, and developed adenocarcinoma in the colon 13 years later. Histologic examination of the surgical specimen revealed adenocarcinoma involving the rectosigmoid area with radiation colitis in its background. The tumor cells showed strong immunoreactivity for p53 protein, suggesting the role of irradiation and p53 mutation in carcinogenesis. This case emphasizes the need for dose observation in survivors of early childhood malignancies treated with radiation and multiagent chemotherapy.     

A case of multiple schwannomas of the trigeminal nerves, acoustic nerves, lower cranial nerves, brachial plexuses and spinal canal: schwannomatosis or neurofibromatosis?

In most cases, while schwannoma is sporadically manifested as a single benign neoplasm, the presence of multiple schwannomas in one patient is usually indicative of neurofibromatosis 2. However, several recent reports have suggested that schwannomatosis itself may also be a distinct clinical entity. This study examines an extremely rare case of probable schwannomatosis associated with intracranial, intraspinal and peripheral involvements. A 63-year-old woman presented with a seven-year history of palpable lumps on both sides of the supraclavicular area and hearing impairment in both ears. On physical examination, no skin manifestations were evident. Facial sensory change, deafness in the left ear and decreased gag reflex were revealed by neurological examination. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed multiple lesions of the trigeminal nerves, acoustic nerves, lower cranial nerves, spinal accessory nerve, brachial plexuses, and spinal nerves. Pathological examination of tumors from the bilateral brachial plexuses, the spinal nerve in the T8 spinal position and the neck mass revealed benign schwannomas. Following is this patient case report of multiple schwannomas presenting with no skin manifestations of neurofibromatosis.     

Spontaneous acute tumor lysis syndrome with advanced gastric cancer

Acute tumor lysis syndrome (TLS) occurs frequently in hematologic malignancies such as high-grade lymphomas and acute leukemia, which are rapidly proliferating and chemosensitive tumors. It occurs rarely in solid tumors and has never been reported in gastric adenocarcinoma. Typical biochemical findings of acute tumor lysis syndrome are hyperuricemia, hyperkalemia, hyperphosphatemia and hypocalcemia in patients with a malignancy. Rapid changes of these electrolytes may cause cardiac arrhythmia, seizure, acute renal failure and sudden death. Therefore, as soon as it is detected, it should be taken care of immediately. Until now almost all cases of TLS associated with solid tumor have developed after cytoreductive therapy in chemosensitive tumors. We report here a case of spontaneous acute tumor lysis in a patient of advanced gastric cancer with hepatic metastases and multiple lymphadenopathy. The biochemical finding of TLS improved with the management and tumor burden also showed slight response to the one cycled combination chemotherapy but the patient died of progressive pneumonia.     

Systemic inflammation response index predicts all-cause mortality in patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis

International Urology and Nephrology - A systemic inflammation response index (SIRI) has been recently introduced as a tool for the assessment of the prognosis of several critical medical...     

ASO Author Reflections: Do Shorter Tumor-to-Nipple Distances Compromise the Local Oncologic Safety of Nipple-Sparing Mastectomy?

Annals of Surgical Oncology -     

Differential contribution of the factors determining long-term renal function after partial nephrectomy over time

PurposeTo define how much of renal function was determined by the preserved renal parenchymal volume and the ischemic insult during partial nephrectomy (PN) long after surgery.MethodsWe analyzed the data of 530 consecutive patients who had undergone PN. For all patients, renal function was measured preoperatively and again at 3 postoperative months, then annually using ^99mTc-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid renal scan. Perioperative variables potentially affecting the long-term ipsilateral glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and their time-varying contribution were assessed using a linear mixed model.ResultsThe mean preoperative ipsilateral GFR was 42.9 ml/min, which decreased by 27.3% at 3 months but began to recover thereafter continuing until 4 years (Δ% GFR at 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years: 22.3%, 18.5%, 14.7%, 10.0%, and 9.6%, respectively). Parenchymal volume reduction and ischemic time were significantly associated with postoperative ipsilateral GFR throughout observation period unvarying with time. Diabetes and proteinuria were not significant determinants of ipsilateral function at 3 months but became significant at 5 years. In multivariate analysis regarding recovery slope, volume reduction (β = ?0.026, SE 0.006, P < 0.0001), preoperative ipsilateral GFR (β = ?0.021, SE 0.007, P = 0.0012), proteinuria (β = ?0.942, SE 0.372, P = 0.0116), and diabetes (β = ?0.396, SE 0.197, P = 0.0447) were independently significant.ConclusionIpsilateral renal function continued to improve until 5 years after PN. Parenchymal volume loss was the major determinant and its impact on long-term ipsilateral renal function remained constant while ischemic time affected early GFR reduction with its impact diminishing over time. Patient-related factors including diabetes and proteinuria gained significance over time and became independent determinants of recovery slope.     

Optimal immobilization of penicillinase for lon-selective electrode

Penicillin sensor was prepared by immobilizing penicillinase (Pcase) on H⁺-selective carboxylated poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC-COOH) membrane or cellulose filter membrane. The immobilization techniques are as follows. Pcase was immobilized with GTH on H⁺-selective PVC-COOH membrane or some amount of BSA was dropped on that membrane. Another method to make immobilization is to mix type I Pcase with GTH and drop on a cellulose filter membrane. According to immobilization techniques, there were some differences in response properties of enzyme electrodes, however, all electrodes responded to Pcase-resistant penicillin derivatives. Pcase immobilized on cellulose filter membrane with H⁺-selective PVC membrane eletrode was more stable and more sensitive to penicillinase-resistant penicillin derivatives than any other immobilization techniques.     

Two novel abietane diterpenes from Salvia miltiorrhiza

Two new abietane-type pigments named tanshinol A (1) and tanshinol B (2) have been isolated from the roots of Salvia miltiorrhiza B. (Labiatae) as minor components together with sixteen other related tanshinone pigments 3-18. The structures of the two novel components 1 and 2 were established by means of spectral analyses.