CT findings of abdominal tuberculosis in 12 patients.

Our purpose was to evaluate the Computed Tomography (CT) findings of the abdominal tuberculosis (TBC) retrospectively which was diagnosed histopatologically. This study included 12 patients. All patients were evaluated by abdominal CT study. Most findings of CT studies were mesenteric calcified or noncalcified lymphadenopathies, ascites, thickened intestinal wall located on the right lower quadrant of abdomen, thickening of peritoneum, mottled soft-tissue densities in omentum and mesenterium. In addition, one of the patients had bilateral calcified adrenal glands and one of them had calcified mass in adrenal gland. If peritoneal thickening, ascites, abdominal lymphadenophaties and thickened intestinal walls are obtained, TBC should be considered in differential diagnosis in developing countries.     

Human TLR gene family members are differentially expressed in patients with urothelial carcinoma of the bladder

Purpose

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) have an important role in the activation of both innate and adaptive immunity in response to pathogens and endogenous danger signals from damaged or dying cells. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between urothelial carcinoma (UC) and TLR expression.

Ultrastructural Damage in Vascular Endothelium in Rats Treated with Paclitaxel and Doxorubicin

Endothelium is the first physiological barrier between blood and tissues and can be injured by physical or chemical stress, particularly by the drugs used in the cancer therapy. Paclitaxel and doxorubicin are frequently used anticancer drugs and their cardiac side effects are well observed in clinical setting. Their side effects on the endothelium are still not clear enough. There are few investigations assessing the damages elicited by the combination use of chemotherapy agents in animal experimental models. The purpose of this study was to examine and compare the side effects of doxorubicin and paclitaxel on endothelium in vivo. The drugs were administered weekly to rats via intraperitoneal injections singly or in combinations. Lastly, aorta endothelium was examined. The most familiar parts of the aorta endothelium are the nucleus, free ribosomes, Weibel-Palada granules, plasmalemmal vesicles, and clear basement membrane. Examination of the endothelium and the related structures revealed some clear degenerative findings. Notably, administration of a paclitaxel and doxorubicin combinations caused the most dramatic change in ultrastructure, which may disrupt many functions of the endothelium.     

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor of the vulva,an unusual differential diagnosis for vulvar mass

INTRODUCTION

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) are rare, up to one half of the MPNSTs occur in patients with neurofibromatosis type-1 (NF-1), while the rest are sporadic. Here, we present a 52-year-old woman with MPNST of the vulva without NF-1. We will discuss basics of the disease, treatment options and follow-up strategies.

PRESENTATION OF CASE

52-year-old female admitted to our hospital with complaint of abnormal uterine bleeding and rapidly growing vulvar mass. Excisional biopsy of the mass showed MPNST of the vulva. Afterwards, the patient underwent radical vulvectomy with inguinofemoral lymph node dissection. Short after the surgery, multiple lung metastasis were shown and responded to chemotherapy, but rapid local recurrence occurred short after the completion of the chemotherapy.

DISCUSSION

The primary treatment option in MPNSTs is surgical excision with or without adjuvant therapy. There is not enough data about the role of systemic chemotherapy in the management of MPNSTs and it still remains controversial.

CONCLUSION

In general, radiation therapy has not been demonstrated to improve overall survival. Complete surgical resection of the primary tumor is the mainstay of the treatment.     

Effects of atorvastatin on blood-brain barrier permeability during L-NAME hypertension followed by angiotensin-II in rats

Recent studies suggest that 3-hydroxy-3 methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors, statins, can have direct effects on blood vessels beyond their cholesterol-lowering effects. We investigated the effects of atorvastatin on the functional and structural properties of blood-brain barrier (BBB) and the activity of astrocytes during the N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) hypertension followed by angiotensin (ANG) II. We found that decreases in concentration of serum catalase and plasma nitric oxide (NO) induced by L-NAME were significantly ameliorated by atorvastatin, whereas L-NAME-induced serum malondialdehyde and cholesterol concentration increases were significantly reduced by atorvastatin. The content of Evans blue (EB) dye significantly increased in cerebellum, left cerebral cortex and diencephalon regions but atorvastatin markedly reduced the increased BBB permeability to EB in the brain regions of animals treated with L-NAME and L-NAME plus ANG II. Brain vessels of L-NAME-treated animals showed a considerable loss of immunoreactivity of tight junction proteins, zonula occludens (ZO)-1 and occludin. Immunoreactivity for ZO-1 and occludin increased in animals treated with atorvastatin and L-NAME plus atorvastatin. Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) immunoreactivity was seen in few astrocytes in the brain sections of L-NAME, but immunoreactivity for GFAP increased in L-NAME plus atorvastatin-treated animals. We suggest that long-term L-NAME treatment may affect BBB permeability through disruption of tight junction proteins, at least partly, via decreased NO concentration and increased oxidant capacity; the improvement of BBB integrity and astrocytic activity would be more closely associated with the action of atorvastatin favoring the increase in anti-oxidant capacity and expression of tight junction proteins and GFAP.