Benign osteoblastoma of the occipital bone: Case report and literature review

We present a case of benign osteoblastoma of the occipital bone. Benign osteoblastoma is an uncommon primary bone tumor, which usually involves the vertebrae and the long bones. This tumor rarely develops in the calvaria, showing a preference for the temporal and frontal bones when it does. To the best of our knowledge, this case is only the eighth reported case of benign osteoblastoma confined to the occipital bone. A 20‐year‐old male presented with a mild tender mass lesion of the occipital area, just below the lambda. Plain X‐ray films and CT scans demonstrated an osteolytic mass surrounded by the sclerotic rim within the diploic space. MRI proved to be effective for the evaluation of the intracranial and intraosseous extensions of the tumor. However, it was very difficult to formulate a differential diagnosis against other osteoblastic tumors, or osteoid osteoma, in view of its radiological appearance. The final diagnosis was obtained by careful consideration of the histopathological characteristics of the tumor combined with its clinical and radiological features. Although generally regarded as benign, a complete resection is preferred over conventional curettage as this can guard against possible recurrence and malignant transformation.     

p53 and skin carcinomas with skull base invasion: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Some skin carcinomas may be very aggressive. Increased expression of the protein p53 has been associated with tumor aggressiveness. In this study, p53 expression was evaluated in basal cell carcinomas (BCC) and squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) with skull base invasion, and was compared to tumors with good outcome. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Expression of p53 was immunohistochemically analyzed and it was reported as present or absent in 24 BCC and 11 SCC with skull base invasion. Control group (good outcome) included 23 BCC and 10 SCC. RESULTS: Expression of p53 was noted in 70.83% of BCC with skull base invasion, compared to 43.48% in the control group (P = 0.058). Regarding SCC, p53 positivity was noted in only 9.09% of SCC with skull base invasion, compared to 40.00% in the control group (P = 0.149). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, p53 expression was more common among BCC with skull base invasion, compared to controls with good outcome, and the difference was considered marginally significant. This proportion was reversed in SCC, but the difference was not statistically significant. EBM rating: B-3b.     

INDICATIONS FOR ENDOSCOPIC MUCOSAL RESECTION FOR EARLY COLORECTAL CANCER: SHOULD THEY BE STRICT OR SHOULD THEY BE EXPANDED?

Endoscopic technologies have been developed greatly. As for early gastric cancer, the indications for endoscopic mucosal resection for early colorectal cancer have been widened recently. Technological advances can support wider and deeper resections using endoscopy but the remaining problem for the endoscopic management of cancer is lymph node metastasis. I discuss here the indication for endoscopic mucosal resection for early colorectal cancer to bring into focus the risk factors for metastasis to lymph nodes.     

New approach to management of intraaortic balloon pumps in patients with peripheral vascular disease: Case reports of four patients requiring urgent IABP insertion

Four selected cases of emergent IABP insertion in PV patients are presented. After angiographic documentation of critical iliac stenosis, conservative peripheral angioplasty was performed prior to IABP insertion. No patient experienced a peripheral ischemic event associated with IABP use. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Development of sesquiterpenes from Alpinia oxyphylla as novel skin permeation enhancers.

To improve the drug permeation into and/or across the skin, essential oils extracted from Alpinia oxyphylla (AO) were evaluated using in vitro and in vivo permeation techniques with Wistar rats as the animal model. Hydrocarbons and oxygenated sesquiterpenes were the major components in the lower-polarity fraction (AO-1) and higher-polarity fraction (AO-2), respectively. Permeation of indomethacin was significantly enhanced after treatment with AO-1 and AO-2 in the in vitro and in vivo studies. AO-2 generally showed a higher ability to promote drug permeation compared to AO-1. The increment of skin/vehicle partitioning may be the predominant mechanism for this enhancing activity. Both transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and colorimetric evaluation showed limited irritation to skin by AO essential oils at the macroscopic level. Human skin fibroblasts were used to investigate the in vitro screening of skin toxicity. AO-1 slightly increased prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) formation from skin fibroblasts. A striking result was observed with AO-2, which greatly inhibited the release of PGE(2). Moreover, both AO essential oils had no statistically significant effect on PGE(2) release by human lung epithelial cells. The results of this study indicate that skin disruption and inflammation do not necessary correspond to the enhancing efficiency of the enhancers tested.     

HLA-DR expression in macaque neuroendothelial cells in vitro and during SIV encephalitis

HLA-DR expression in neuroendothelial cells (NEC) was studied during the course of SIV encephalitis in rhesus monkeys. HLA-DR determinants were detected on NEC in monkeys with SIV encephalitis, but not in control animals. In situ hybridization with an SIV probe indicated that HLA-DR expression was not a consequence of SIV replication within NEC. Cultured rhesus NEC stimulated with gamma interferon expressed HLA-DR to a higher degree than cultured brain fibroblasts or astrocytes. These data support the contention that NEC participate in retrovirus-induced inflammation and autoimmunity within the central nervous system.     

No association between the Pro197Leu polymorphism in the glutathione peroxidase (GPX1) gene and schizophrenia

OBJECTIVE: Oxidative stress such as free radical-mediated neuronal dysfunction may be involved in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. The human glutathione peroxidase (GPX1) is a selenium-dependent enzyme, which plays an important role in the detoxification of free radicals. We therefore hypothesized that the GPX1 gene, which is located on chromosome 3p21.3, may be involved in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. The aim of this study is to examine whether a potentially functional polymorphism, a proline (Pro) to leucine (Leu) substitution at codon 197 (Pro197Leu) of the human GPX1 gene, is associated with susceptibility to schizophrenia. METHODS: We genotyped the Pro197Leu polymorphism in a total of 113 nuclear families that had a proband with schizophrenia. Genetic association was tested using the transmission disequilibrium test (TDT), the sib transmission disequilibrium test (STDT), and the family-based association test (FBAT). RESULTS: The minor allele (Leu) frequency was calculated to be 0.282. We could not find significant transmission disequilibrium of the alleles for the Pro197Leu polymorphism in the GPX1 gene in association with the presence of schizophrenia in our family sample (TDT, chi2=0.03, degrees of freedom=1, P=0.86; combined TDT-STDT, Z'=-0.052, P=0.47; FBAT, Z=0.000, P=1.000). CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that the GPX1 polymorphism is unlikely to be associated with susceptibility to schizophrenia.