Clear cell carcinoma of the thyroid. A case report

A rare case of clear cell carcinoma of the thyroid is presented herein. A 31-year-old male had a large soft tumor in the right lobe of the thyroid which showed a hot nodule on scintigram with 99mTc. A right hemithyroidectomy was thus performed after the preoperative diagnosis of a functioning tumor had been made. At surgery, a tiny nodule behind the tumor was found and the histopathological diagnoses of the large tumor and the tiny nodule were clear cell carcinoma and papillary carcinoma, respectively. The thyroglobulin stain was positive in the cytoplasm of many clear cells and scattered colloid. This patient has been well without any evidence of recurrence over the past five years following surgery. The biological characteristics of clear cell carcinoma of the thyroid are discussed in this report.     

Change of xanthine dehydrogenase and xanthine oxidase activities in rat brain following complete ischaemia

Abstract

We studied the activities of xanthine dehydrogenase and xanthine oxidase in rat forebrain after complete ischaemia. Complete ischaemia was induced by decapitation after transcardiac infusion with saline. The activities of xanthine dehydrogenase and xanthine oxidase immediately after ischaemia were 93.3 ± 38.7 and 18.8 ± 7.7 ptU/mg proteini, respectively, and at 24 h after ischaemia were 183.5 ± 75.1 and 60.8 ± 15.2 fiU/mg protein, respectively. The ratios of xanthine dehydrogenase/xanthin oxidase immediately and 24 h after ischaemia were 5.04 ± 1.03 and 3.04 ± 0.99, respectively. These data indicate that xanthine dehydrogenase and xanthine oxidase activities were maintained even 24 h after complete ischaemia. Conversion of xanthine dehydrogenase to xanthine oxidase proceeds slowly during complete ischaemia. [Neurol Res 1992; 14: 321-324]     

Changes in serum malondialdehyde-modified low-density lipoprotein in patients with acute myocardial infarction and stable angina pectoris treated by coronary angioplasty

OBJECTIVES: Serum malondialdehyde-modified low-density lipoprotein(MDA-LDL) was measured as a marker of oxidative stress, and the changes in serum MDA-LDL compared in patients with acute myocardial infarction and stable angina pectoris treated by percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). METHODS: Forty-one patients with acute myocardial infarction or stable angina pectoris were admitted to our hospitals between January 2000 and June 2000. Direct PTCA was performed in 17 patients(MI group) and elective PTCA in 24 patients(AP group). Coronary angiography was performed in nine control subjects(control group). Serum MDA-LDL was measured in the peripheral venous blood before and immediately after procedures in each group(normal range 20-80 U/l). RESULTS: There were no significant differences in patient characteristics, except age, between the MI group and AP group. Serum MDA-LDL was elevated above the normal range before the procedure in both groups(MI group 104.7 +/- 52.0 U/l, AP group 99.7 +/- 42.8 U/l), and significantly decreased immediately after the procedure(MI group 61.3 +/- 25.6 U/l, AP group 62.0 +/- 29.6 U/l), but there were no significant differences between the two groups. Serum MDA-LDL was elevated before the procedure (99.3 +/- 48.9 U/l) in the control group and significantly decreased immediately after the procedure(61.7 +/- 26.2 U/l). However, these values did not differ from the values before and immediately after the procedure in the MI group and the AP group. The percentage changes in serum MDA-LDL before and immediately after the procedure were -38 +/- 16% in the MI group, -37 +/- 17% in the AP group and -36 +/- 20% in the control group, and there were no significant differences between the three groups. CONCLUSIONS: No significant difference in the changes in serum MDA-LDL was observed between patients with acute myocardial infarction and stable angina pectoris treated by PTCA. However, anticoagulants may affect the MDA-LDL measurements directly, because similar changes in serum MDA-LDL were observed in control subjects after only coronary angiography.     

The HEARTSTRING proximal seal system is a possible source of atheroembolism.

It is necessary to use side clamps to construct proximal anastomoses in off-pump coronary artery bypass, and this can be related to neurologic complications. Recently a new device, the HEARTSTRING device, was developed. We present a 78-year-old man who underwent emergent bypass surgery using the HEARTSTRING device to avoid a side clamp. We found atherosclerotic debris from the punched hole and, unfortunately, a postoperative neurological complication resulted. We strongly suggest that it is most important that potential candidates for the HEARTSTRING device be carefully selected to reduce possible neurologic complications. We report that while this new device is useful, there is a potential pitfall in using it; that it is a possible source of atheroembolism.     

Pretreatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitor attenuates the reduction of apoptosis 24 h after ischemic preconditioning

We investigated whether ischemic preconditioning (PC) attenuates ischemia/reperfusion-induced injury in part by decreasing apoptosis and whether tyrosine kinase (TK) can regulate the signaling pathway leading to apoptosis in delayed cardioprotection. Six groups of rabbits were studied in the early phase (EP) and in the delayed phase (DP): (1) sham-operated control animals were received vehicle only (Veh-sham); (2) rabbits that received I.V. genistein (a nonspecific TK inhibitor) 10 min before ischemia (Gen-sham); (3) rabbits that received I.V. daidzein (an inactive structural analog of genistein) 10 min before ischemia (Dzn-sham); (4) rabbits preconditioned with 4 cycles of 5-min occlusion of left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) and 10-min reperfusion (PC); (5) rabbits that received I.V. genistein, 10 min before PC (Gen-PC); (6) rabbits that received I.V. daidzein 10 min before PC (Dzn-PC). All rabbits underwent 30-min ischemia followed by 180-min reperfusion. Infarct size in the PC, Gen-PC, and Dzn-PC groups in the EP was significantly (p < 0.0001) reduced relative to controls Gen and Dzn. Delayed cardioprotection was blocked significantly (p < 0.0001) by genistein. In the EP, apoptosis was significantly (p < 0.0001) decreased in PC, Gen-PC, and Dzn-PC groups relative to controls Gen and Dzn. In the DP, a reduction of apoptosis was not seen in the Gen-PC group. This study suggests that PC reduces ischemic injury in part by decreasing apoptosis after ischemia/reperfusion and also that TK phosphorylation is involved in the signal transduction cascade leading to the decline of apoptosis in the DP.