Myointimoma of the glans penis

Myointimoma is a recently described benign tumor, which is regarded as a rare type of mesenchymal tumor of the penis. The present patient was a 50-year-old man who had a nodule located in the glans penis. He had a 2 month history of a mass. An excisional biopsy was performed. The histological findings revealed a multinodular tumor that was characterized by spindle-shaped cells located in the intravascular area. This case, in addition to 11 cases reported in the literature, demonstrates that the myointimoma is frequently misdiagnosed on clinical and pathological grounds because of its rarity. Histological and immunohistochemical features are summarized on the basis of the present case and previously published reports.     

Evaluation of p53 nuclear accumulation in low- and high-grade (WHO/ISUP classification) transitional papillary carcinomas of the bladder for tumor recurrence and progression

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the association of p53 nuclear accumulation with recurrence and progression in transitional cell carcinomas of the bladder and to examine the distribution of p53 in low-grade and high-grade transitional cell carcinomas according to the World Health Organization/International Society of Urological Pathology classification. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Nuclear accumulations of p53 were examined in a total of 99 patients with transitional cell carcinoma between May 1995 and October 1999. The mean age was 64 years. There were 94 (95%) men and 5 (5%) women. Following resection, surgical specimens were examined, and p53 accumulation with a 20% cutoff value was accepted as positive staining. Of the 99 patients, 52 (53%) had histologically superficial bladder tumors, and 47 (47%) had invasive tumors. Data concerning grade, stage, number of recurrences, and disease progression were available for each patient. RESULTS: The median follow-up period was 55 months. 60 of the 99 patients (61%) had p53 overexpression. The difference for p53 overexpression between low-grade and high-grade tumors was significant (p < 0.05). In low- and high-grade tumors, there was no significant relationship for recurrence between p53-positive and p53-negative groups. But there was a statistically significant relationship between progression and histological grade of the tumors. p53 had no significant relationship with tumor recurrences (p > 0.05), but its relationship with progression was statistically significant (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: We did not find a correlation between tumor recurrence and p53 overexpression, but p53 overexpression has a predictive value in determining tumor progression. High-grade tumors had higher p53-positive values than low-grade tumors. This group of patients should be considered for radical therapies on the basis of other prognostic parameters.     

Improving pancreas graft utilization through importation

Background

We analyze our outcomes utilizing imported allografts as a strategy to shorten wait list time for pancreas transplantation.

Methods

This is an observational retrospective cohort of 26 recipients who received either a locally procured (n = 16) or an imported pancreas graft (n = 10) at our center between January 2014 and May 2017. Wait list times of this cohort were compared to UNOS Region 9 (New York State and Western Vermont). Hospital financial data were also reviewed to analyze the cost‐effectiveness of this strategy.

Results

Imported pancreas grafts had significantly increased cold ischemia times (CIT) and peak lipase (PL) levels compared to locally procured grafts (CIT 827 vs 497 minutes; P = .001, PL 563 vs 157 u/L; P = .023, respectively). There were no differences in graft or patient survival. The median wait time was significantly lower for simultaneous kidney‐pancreas transplants at our center (518 days, n = 21) compared to Region 9 (1001 days, n = 65) P = .038. Despite financial concerns, the cost of transport for imported grafts was offset by lower standard acquisition costs.

Conclusions

Imported pancreas grafts may be a cost‐effective strategy to increase organ utilization and shorten wait times in regions with longer waiting times.     

Plasma and urine nitric oxide levels in healthy Turkish children

Nitric oxide (NO) is an important messenger molecule with a wide range of actions in virtually all cell systems and organs. In kidneys it participates in glomerular and medullary hemodynamics, tubuloglomerular feed-back, renin secretion, and extracellular fluid balance. Although the role of NO in regulating renal function in adults is well-established, it has recently been suggested that NO has a more critical role in maintaining basal renal blood flow and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in the developing kidney. NO is rapidly metabolized to the stable end products nitrite and nitrate, which are more slowly excreted into the urine. Thus these metabolites can be recommended as useful markers of endogenous NO synthase activity, despite limited data about age-related changes in in-vivo NO production. The aims of this study were to determine age-related normal reference values of serum and urinary NO metabolites and to assess the probable relationship between these metabolites and the GFR. Normal levels of NO end products in blood and urine of 296 healthy children (117 female, 179 male) between the ages of 0 and 16 were investigated, as was whether these values change with age. Serum and urinary nitrate levels did not differ according to sex. Serum nitrate levels are higher in younger children, especially in the newborn period, and decrease with age. Nitrate levels in urine are higher in younger children with a peak in infancy (1 month to 1 year) and decrease with age. It was demonstrated that this decrease in serum and urinary nitrate levels with age parallels the increase in GFR. In conclusion, urinary NO products may be an indirect marker of serum NO levels and NO might have an important regulatory function both in the maintenance of renal function and in the maturation of the developing kidneys.     

A case of primary Addison's disease with hyperemesis gravidarum and successful pregnancy

We followed up a pregnant woman with Addison's disease diagnosed before conception. She presented with hyperemesis gravidarum. Throughout pregnancy, she received prednisone and the basic disease did not deteriorate during pregnancy. She was delivered by caesarean section due to breech presentation. The fetal prognosis was good.     

Assessment of digital ischaemia and evaluation of response to therapy by 99mTc sestamibi limb scintigraphy after local cooling of the hands in patients with vasospastic Raynaud's syndrome

AIM: Cold induced arteriolar constriction in patients with vasospastic Raynaud's syndrome (VRS) produces temporary digital ischaemia. The aim of this study was to ascertain whether 99mTc sestamibi scintigraphy is useful in the diagnosis and the monitoring of treatment in VRS. METHODS: Fifteen patients with VRS and 20 matched normal controls underwent examination. Twelve patients with VRS received therapy. For each patient, one hand was immersed in iced water for 30s while the other hand served as a control. Ten minutes after cooling, 99mTc sestamibi was injected and imaging was performed 60min later. The per cent decrease of the perfusion (%DP) was calculated by semiquantitative analysis to determine the severity of hypoperfusion. RESULTS: In all patients with VRS, moderate or marked hypoperfusion were seen in 99mTc sestamibi images after exposure to the iced water, while there was minimal or mild hypoperfusion in the control groups. Values for %DP were 46.86 +/- 19.04 and 7.85 +/- 4.53 for the VRS group and normal subjects, respectively. The difference between both groups was statistically significant (P = 0.0000). In 12 treated patients with VRS, pre-treatment and post-treatment %DP values were 51.16 +/- 18.42 and 33.58 +/- 17.83, respectively, and a significant difference was seen between both values (P = 0.001). However, there was still a statistically significant difference between control subjects and post-therapy values (7.85 +/- 4.53 vs. 33.58 +/- 17.83, P = 0.0000). The +/- 95% confidence interval of DP for control subjects was 5.7-10% (chi-squared, P = 0.000). When a DP of 10% was used as a cut-off point, sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic accuracy were 100%, 70% and 83%, respectively, for the 99mTc sestamibi scan. There was also a strong correlation between %DP and the duration of the disease (r = 0.80, P = 0.0003). CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that a 99mTc sestamibi scan is a valuable imaging method for the determination of digital ischaemia in vasospastic Raynaud's syndrome, and may play a role in evaluating the response to therapy.