Beneficial effect of immunosuppressive drugs on Parry-Romberg syndrome: a case report and review of the literature

Progressive facial hemiatrophy, also known as Parry-Romberg syndrome (PRS), is characterized by slowly progressive atrophy of one side of the face, primarily involving the subcutaneous tissues and fat. Involvement of the central nervous system with impairment of neurologic function occurs infrequently. At present, there is no agreement as to whether PRS is a distinct entity or a clinical variant of linear scleroderma en coup de sabre. The exact reason for PRS has not yet been determined; therefore, no suitable treatment exists. We observed beneficial effects of immunosuppressive agents on neurologic lesions in particular in a patient with PRS who presented with immunoinflammatory findings and neurologic involvement, apart from cutaneous manifestations.     

Gastro-intestinal stromal tumour of the duodenum: extreme presentation in two cases

Gastro-intestinal stromal tumours (GIST) are primary mesenchymal tumours arising from the gastro-intestinal tract. They are uncommon visceral tumours, preferentially located in the stomach and small intestine. The present paper will discuss the clinical presentation of GIST in a 32-year-old female (Case 1) and in a 72-year-old female (Case 2). In both cases the tumour is located in the duodenum which appears to be a rather unusual location (4%) for GIST. This work will illustrate that duodenal GIST can occur in extreme presentations, diverging from vague complaints to directly life threatening symptoms.     

Continuous perfusion with morphine of the orbitofrontal cortex reduces allodynia and hyperalgesia in a rat model for mononeuropathy

Recent imaging reports demonstrate the activation of the orbitofrontal cortical (OFC) area during acute and chronic pain. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of chronic perfusion of this area with morphine on nociception in control rats and in rats subjected to mononeuropathy. Chronic perfusion of morphine, using miniosmotic pumps, produced significant and naloxone-reversible depression of tactile and cold allodynias and thermal hyperalgesia, observed in neuropathic rats, while it produced significant elevation and naloxone insensitive increase of acute nociceptive thresholds in control rats. The observed results support the idea that this area is a component of a flexible cerebral network involved in pain processing and perception.     

Intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide for the treatment of cystoid macular edema secondary to Behçet disease

PURPOSE: To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide in patients with cystoid macular edema (CME) associated with Beh?et disease. DESIGN: Interventional case series. METHODS: Ten eyes of 10 patients with CME from Beh?et disease made up the study population. All eyes had persistent CME despite medical treatment for at least 2 months. Intravitreal injection of 4 mg (0.1 ml) of triamcinolone acetonide was offered to treat macular edema. The visual and anatomic responses were observed. RESULTS: At 1-month follow-up, a reduction in mean foveal thickness of 37.4%, from 416 microm to 260.5 microm, was attained. At 3-month follow-up, mean foveal thickness was 286.2 microm and at 6 months, 263.7 microm. No eyes had lost vision at 1 month, and eight eyes (80%) showed improvement in visual acuity. At 3-month and 6-month follow-up, three eyes (30%) remained stable and the other eyes had maintained the improved acuity. CONCLUSION: Intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide is a promising therapeutic method for CME from Beh?et disease.     

Problems pertaining to the long head of the biceps brachii in subacromial impingement syndrome

In this paper, we presented the pathological changes occurring in the long head of the biceps muscle in subacromial impingement syndrome, and evaluated treatment approaches in the light of the relevant data.     

Evaluation of three commercial rapid tests for detecting antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus

Determine HIV-1/2, Chembio HIV-1/2 STAT-PAK and PenTest are simple/rapid tests for the detection of antibodies to HIV-1 and HIV-2 in human whole blood, serum and plasma samples. The assay is one step and the result is read visually within 15 minutes. Using 92 known HIV-1 reactive sera and 108 known HIV-1 negative sera, the 3 HIV tests correctly identified all the known HIV-1 reactive and negative samples. The results indicated that Determine HIV-1/2, Chembio HIV-1/2 STAT-PAK and PenTest HIV are as sensitive and specific (100% concordance) as Microparticle Enzyme Immunoassay. The data indicated that these 3 HIV tests are effective testing systems for diagnosis of HIV infection in a situation when the conventional Enzyme Immunoassay is not suitable.