A distinctive cardiovascular lesion resembling histiocytoid (epithelioid) hemangioma. Evidence suggesting mesothelial participation

This paper presents 14 examples of a distinctive cardiovascular lesion. The patients' ages ranged from 5 to 76 years (mean, 51 years). There were seven male patients and seven female patients. All of the lesions were small and represented incidental surgical findings. Ten were attached to the endocardium, three were free-floating in the pericardial cavity, and one was inside a dissecting aneurysm of the ascending aorta. Microscopically, the lesions were enclosed in a fibrinous network and composed of a solid proliferation of round to polygonal cells with centrally located nuclei. Immunohistochemically, the cells were negative for FVIII-related antigen and lysozyme, but they stained positively for keratin, especially when clustered in small micropapillary or tubule-like formations. The nature and pathogenesis of these lesions are uncertain. Their location and some of their microscopic features originally suggested a relationship with the entity described as histiocytoid (epithelioid) hemangioma. However, their intense immunoreactivity for keratin, occasional presentation in the pericardial sac, and marked morphologic similarities with nodular mesothelial hyperplasia as sometimes seen in hernia sacs point toward the alternative possibility of a reactive mesothelial nature. A possible pathogenetic mechanism for the endocardial cases is ingrowth of pericardial mesothelial cells along a perforation tract that may have developed at the time of a cardiac catheterization. There were no recurrences or metastases in any of the cases.     

Surgical treatment of congenital dilatation of the bile duct with special reference to late complications after total excisional operation

The surgical treatment of 100 cases with congenital dilatation of bile duct with special reference to late complications was analyzed. There were no deaths nor occurrences of malignancy. Among 91 patients who had undergone the standard operation, namely total excision of the dilated extrahepatic bile duct and reconstruction after Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy, there were one early complication (pancreatic juice leakage) and five late complications (four intrahepatic gallstones and one liver abscess). The cause of intrahepatic gallstone formation after a total excisional operation was attributed to the remaining intrahepatic bile duct dilatation and the stenosis located between the intrahepatic bile duct dilatation and the common hepatic duct. Accordingly, these results support the total excisional procedure for this condition; however, with regard to the cases associated with cystic dilatation of intrahepatic bile ducts, completely free bile drainage from the dilated intrahepatic biliary system should be performed at the radical operation.     

Clinical characteristics and surgical treatment of sporadic primary hyperparathyroidism with emphasis on chief cell hyperplasia

In 570 patients with sporadic primary hyperparathyroidism, the age, sex, symptoms, and preoperative serum calcium values were related to the histopathologic diagnoses, operative findings, and the extent and outcome of parathyroid surgery. Renal stone formation was especially prevalent in younger patients with slight hypercalcemia and parathyroid chief cell hyperplasia, whereas neuromuscular and psychiatric disturbances were overrepresented among older women with higher serum calcium values. Serum calcium concentration was inversely correlated to the proportional incidence of chief cell hyperplasia and positively correlated to the glandular weight of both adenomas and hyperplasias. Glandular size was markedly irregular in chief cell hyperplasia, with increased gland weights of no more than two glands in 78% of patients. During follow-up, for as long as 27 years, normocalcemia was obtained in 91% of patients with adenomas, with failures mainly depending on difficulties in identifying the parathyroid glands. The rate of normocalcemia was lower (80%) among patients with hyperplasia, but an inability to visualize the glands was not a major cause of failure. In patients with hyperplasia with asymmetric and more markedly enlarged glands, it appeared sufficient to remove only the enlarged glands, whereas the findings advocated a subtotal 3- to 3.5-gland resection in patients with more symmetrically or less enlarged hyperplastic glands.     

Potentiation of cholinergic activity with pyridino[1,2-a]imidazo[5,4-b]indole: in vitro studies

1. Effects of a novel imidazoindole derivative on cholinergic function were studied in isolated tissue preparations. 2. The compound demonstrated a dose-dependent (10(-11)-10(-9) potentiation (20-60%) of acetylcholine induced tension in guinea pig ileal tissue. 3. Increases in the size of end-plate potentials and nerve evoked muscle twitches were observed in frog nerve-skeletal muscle preparations. 4. Cholinesterase activity was not inhibited. 5. The results suggest that the compound has actions at the post-synaptic muscarinic receptor complex in smooth muscle and causes pre-synaptic increases in ACh release at the neuromuscular junction.     

Absorption of a novel prodrug of L-dopa, L-3-(3-hydroxy-4-pivaloyloxyphenyl)alanine (NB-355). In vitro and in situ studies

Absorption mechanism and absorption site of a prodrug of L-DOPA, L-3-(3-hydroxy-4-pivaloyloxyphenyl)alanine (NB-355, 1) was investigated using rats. Prodrug 1 (0.5 mM) was taken up by intestinal tissue segments time-dependently in vitro at pH 6.0. However, the rate of uptake was less than that of L-dopa. Inhibitors of the amino acid active transport system (L-Phe, dinitrophenol, ouabain) had no effect on the uptake of prodrug 1. In the intestinal tissue segments, prodrug 1 was extensively hydrolyzed by diisopropylfluorophosphate-sensitive esterase(s). To characterize the absorption site, gastrointestinal tracts were ligated to make acute loops in situ and prodrug 1 or L-dopa was injected into the loops. L-dopa disappeared rapidly from the lumen of the jejunum. In contrast, prodrug 1 disappeared rapidly from the ileum rather than the duodenum or jejunum. From these results, it was suggested that prodrug 1 was slowly absorbed primarily from the lower small intestine.     

A novel method for culturing sweat gland epithelia: comparison of normal and cystic fibrosis tissues.

A new method is described to produce epithelial sheets by direct explantation of human sweat glands onto matrigel-coated millipore filters. The method is applicable to whole glands, separated coils or ducts and to normal and CF tissues. Electrogenic transport studies show that epithelia develop sodium transporting capability, even when explants are derived from secretory coils.     

Effects of hypothermia on testicular ischemia

The ischemic effects of prolonged testicular torsion have been well documented; however, prevention or arrest of the damaging effects of prolonged ischemia has been incompletely studied. Two groups of Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to varying lengths of bilateral testicular ischemia. Group I underwent normothermic ischemia for two, four, and six hours. Likewise, Group II underwent similar time periods of ischemia, however, after thirty minutes of normothermic ischemia the scrotum of each animal was placed into an ice bath maintained at 4C. Two weeks postoperatively, bilateral orchiectomy was performed. Histology of the testes of the two groups was compared. Neither group revealed significant destruction of the germinal epithelium after two hours of ischemia. Group I revealed only 25% preservation of the germinal epithelium at four hours and only 8% preservation at six hours of ischemia. In contrast, Group II which received ice showed 90% preservation of germinal epithelium at four hours and 85% preservation at six hours of ischemia. We conclude that external ice application significantly preserves seminiferous tubules at four and six hours of ischemic injury in the rat testicle.     

Endoscopic extraction of eroded Marlex mesh in a Kock pouch

We report a case of recurrent calculi in a Kock pouch continent urinary diversion. An open operation was avoided by successfully excising the Marlex mesh and removing it with the associated calculi in an endoscopic fashion.