Accessory scrotum with multiple skeletal abnormalities

Accessory scrotum is very uncommon. Here we report a 5-year old Caucasian boy presenting with an accessory scrotum localized to the left side of the pubic area. The penis and the primary scrotum were completely normal, containing two dependent testicles. On the right side of the body there was type B proximal femoral focal deficiency and there was also diastasis of the symphisis pubis. As observed in this case, abnormalities of two different embryological organ systems (accessory labioscrotal fold and proximal femoral focal deficiency) may occur concurrently at the same intrauterine time point as part of an overall embryologic mesenchymal disorder.     

Effect of hypothyroidism on the nitrergic relaxant responses of corpus cavernosal smooth muscle in rabbits

BACKGROUND: The incidence of hormonal dysfunction as a cause of impotence remains controversial. However, several recent studies have reported evidence of hormonal abnormalities in 25-35% of impotent men. Hypothyroidism has been reported to occur in 6% of impotent men. METHODS: In the present study, we examined nitrergic responses in hypothyroidism in rabbit corpus cavernosum and compared them with controls. RESULTS: Carbachol-induced relaxation responses and electrical field stimulation (EFS)-induced frequency-dependent relaxations decreased significantly in hypothyroid rabbits. Papaverine and sodium nitroprusside (SNP)-induced relaxation responses did not change significantly in hypothyroid rabbits. The contraction responses of phenylephrine and EFS-induced frequency-dependent contractions were significantly decreased in the hypothyroid group. CONCLUSIONS: We can speculate that the reduction of relaxant responses to EFS and carbachol in hypothyroid rabbits can depend on a decreased release of nitric oxide (NO) from nitrergic nerves and endothelium or a reduction of muscarinic receptor density. Also, decreases in contraction responses may depend on diminished adrenoceptor density.     

Foot deformities in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: the relationship with foot functions

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate foot deformities in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), to detect frequency of deformities and to assess the relationship between foot deformities and foot functions. Methods: Anteroposterior and lateral radiographs of 40 patients and 40 control subjects were studied. The hallux valgus (HV) angle, intermetatarsal angle between first and second metatarsals, intermetatarsal angle between first and fifth metatarsals, and calcaneal pitch were measured on radiographs. Foot functions were measured by the Foot and Ankle Outcome Score (FAOS). Results: The frequency of foot deformities in RA patients was determined as 78.8%. The most frequent foot deformity in RA patients was HV (62.5%), followed by metatarsus primus varus (MPV) (41.3%). MPV and splaying of the forefoot deformities were significantly more frequent in RA patients than the control group (P < 0.05). Mild to moderate effect on FAOS subscales was observed in RA patients. There was a slight, but significant correlation between the foot deformities and the FAOS subscales except for quality of life subscale. Conclusions: In this study, it has been shown that foot deformities are frequent in patients with RA and that there is slight deterioration in foot functions related to RA. Our results indicated that foot deformities have small, but clinically important changes on foot functions. There is a need for more studies, which evaluates the foot deformities, to further explore the relationship between the foot deformities and foot function in patients with RA.     

Renal damage in rats induced by myocardial ischemia/reperfusion: Role of nitric oxide

BACKGROUND: It has been demonstrated that myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (MI/R) causes renal damage. However, the mechanism underlying this damage in kidneys during revascularization of myocardium is unclear. Direct renal ischemia/reperfusion has been implicated in the induction of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) that leads to increase production of nitric oxide (NO). Recently, excessive production of NO has been found to be involved in causing renal injury by formatting peroxinitrite (ONOO(-)). The aim of this study was to investigate whether NO has a role in this damage, using aminoguanidine (AMG), a known iNOS inhibitor and an antioxidant, in rats undergoing MI/R. METHODS: Male Wistar rats were used for the experiments (n = 7 each group). In the MI/R group, the left coronary artery was occluded for 30 min and then reperfused for 120 min; the same procedure was used for the AMG group, with the additional step of AMG (200 mg/kg) administered 10 min prior to ischemia. A control group underwent sham operation. At the end of the reperfusion period, all rats were killed and their kidneys removed for biochemical determination and histopathological analysis. RESULTS: Myocardial ischemia/reperfusion in the rat kidney was accompanied by a significant increase in malondialdehyde and NO production, and a decrease in glutathione content. Administration of AMG reduced malondialdehyde and NO production and prevented depletion of glutathione content. These beneficial changes in the biochemical parameters were also associated with parallel changes in histopathological appearance. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that MI/R plays a causal role in kidney injury and AMG exerts renal-protective effects, probably by inhibiting NO production and antioxidant activities.