脊椎朗格汉斯组织细胞增生症13例报告

背景：脊椎朗格汉斯组织细胞增生症（LCH）是一种少见病,诊断困难,治疗方法仍有争议。目的：探讨脊椎LCH的临床和影像学特征及其治疗效果。方法：回顾性分析1985年10月至2003年10月收治的13例脊椎LCH患者的临床资料,男7例,女6例,年龄1．5～11岁,平均5．5岁。脊椎以外颅骨、腓骨、股骨颈、股骨大转子和坐骨等多发骨骼受累6例;勒-雪病发病1-2年内出现新的骨病变3例;患病处疼痛或放射痛、压痛或畸形;合并四肢轻瘫3例;骶神经受压1例;皮疹、间质性肺炎、肝大、尿崩症等多系统受累5例。对合并四肢轻瘫者行化疗或放疗加手术治疗2例;因骶神经受压行手术减压1例;仅行放疗1例;单用化疗3例;无全身症状,无进行性脊柱畸形者,密切观察不作特殊处理6例。X线、CT的特点有椎旁阴影扩大,椎体溶骨性改变（呈楔形变或致密薄片）,病变严重者累及椎弓根或椎板6例。两相邻椎体受累者可见椎间变窄,与椎体炎症难鉴别。经活检或手术确诊7例,根据临床资料、影像学确诊6例。结果：经治疗4例脊髓及骶神经功能恢复。2例尿崩症随访11年1例无改善,另1例恶化。12例经2～12年随访（平均7．4年）椎体高度不同程度恢复,6例恢复正常,5例轻度后突畸形,1例轻度侧突畸形。失访1例。结论：根据临床及X线、CT或MRI资料,并结合活检及密切随访,有助于多系统或多发骨骼受累的脊椎LCH的诊断。化疗结合手术可控制脊椎LCH进展。全身无症状的脊椎LCH无进行性畸形者密切观察无需特殊处理。     

Anatomy of the pancreas and spleen

The pancreas is a large, retroperitoneal organ situated immediately behind the posterior wall of the lesser sac, in the floor of the supracolic compartment of the abdominal cavity. Although principally an exocrine gland, the pancreas also performs crucially important endocrine functions. The exocrine pancreas secretes digestive enzymes. These are produced by the pancreatic acini and released into an elaborate ductal system which eventually opens into the second part of the duodenum. The endocrine component of the pancreas is represented by the islets of Langerhans that are present diffusely in the pancreatic substance. The islets are microscopic collections of cells whose secretions include pro-insulin and glucagon; hormones of vital importance in carbohydrate metabolism. Its deep location and its close topographical relationship to several vital structures make pancreatic surgery both challenging and hazardous. A sound appreciation of the topographical, vascular and ductal anatomy of the pancreas is fundamental to the successful surgical management of pancreatic cancers, congenital malformations of the pancreas and various surgical complications of acute pancreatitis.The spleen is the largest lymphoid organ in the body. It is situated deep in the left hypochondrium, wedged between the gastric fundus, left hemidiaphragm and left kidney. Trauma, lymphoid neoplasia, gastric cancers, portal hypertension and idiopathic thrombocytopenia may necessitate splenectomy. A sound knowledge of the surgical and functional anatomy of the spleen is essential if splenectomy is to be performed safely and effectively.     

难治性儿童朗格汉斯组织细胞增生症的治疗进展

难治性朗格汉斯组织细胞增生症(Langerhans cell histiocytosis,LCH)是指具有多脏器浸润尤其是具有危险器官(骨髓、肝、脾)浸润和初治治疗失败的LCH病例,预后极差,及时有效的治疗是患者存活的关键.目前有单药克拉屈滨(2-chlorodeoxyadenosine,2-CdA)、2-CdA联合大剂量阿糖胞苷、消炎痛、造血干细胞移植、靶向治疗等多种二线治疗方案.该文就近年儿童难治性LCH的相关治疗方案进展进行综述.     

Langerhans cell histiocytosis is a neoplasm and consequently its recurrence is a relapse: In memory of Bob Arceci

Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) remains a poorly understood disorder with heterogeneous clinical presentations characterized by focal or disseminated lesions that contain excessive CD1a+ langerin+ cells with dendritic cell features known as “LCH cells.” Two of the major questions investigated over the past century have been (i) the origin of LCH cells and (ii) whether LCH is primarily an immune dysregulatory disorder or a neoplasm. Current opinion is that LCH cells are likely to arise from hematopoietic precursor cells, although the stage of derailment and site of transformation remain unclear and may vary in patients with different extent of disease. Over the years, evidence has provided the view that LCH is a neoplasm. The demonstration of clonality of LCH cells, insufficient evidence alone for neoplasia, is now bolstered by finding driver somatic mutations in BRAF in up to 55% of patients with LCH, and activation of the RAS‐RAF‐MEK‐ERK (where MEK and ERK are mitogen‐activated protein kinase and extracellular signal‐regulated kinase, respectively) pathway in nearly 100% of patients with LCH. Herein, we review the evidence that recurrent genetic abnormalities characterized by activating oncogenic mutations should satisfy prerequisites for LCH to be called a neoplasm. As a consequence, recurrent episodes of LCH should be considered relapsed disease rather than disease reactivation. Mapping the complete genetic landscape of this intriguing disease will provide additional support for the conclusion that LCH is a neoplasm and is likely to provide more potential opportunities for molecularly targeted therapies.     

Rapid Restoration of Vascularity and Oxygenation in Mouse and Human Islets Transplanted to Omentum May Contribute to Their Superior Function Compared to Intraportally Transplanted Islets

Transplantation of islets into the liver confers several site‐specific challenges, including a delayed vascularization and prevailing hypoxia. The greater omentum has in several experimental studies been suggested as an alternative implantation site for clinical use, but there has been no direct functional comparison to the liver. In this experimental study in mice, we characterized the engraftment of mouse and human islets in the omentum and compared engraftment and functional outcome with those in the intraportal site. The vascularization and innervation of the islets transplanted into the omentum were restored within the first month by paralleled ingrowth of capillaries and nerves. The hypoxic conditions in the islets early posttransplantation were transient and restricted to the first days. Newly formed blood vessels were fully functional, and the blood perfusion and oxygenation of the islets became similar to that of endogenous islets. Furthermore, islet grafts in the omentum showed at 1 month posttransplantation functional superiority to intraportally transplanted grafts. We conclude that in contrast to the liver the omentum provides excellent engraftment conditions for transplanted islets. Future studies in humans will be of great interest to investigate the capability of this site to also harbor larger grafts without interfering with islet functionality.     

Ageing and hearing loss

Although many adults retain good hearing as they age, hearing loss associated with ageing is common among elderly persons. There are a number of pathophysiolological processes underlying age-related changes to functional components in the inner ear. Genetic factors determine the ageing process but are under the influence of intrinsic and environmental factors. It is difficult to distinguish changes of normal ageing from those of other contributing factors. The effects of age-related deafness can have significant physical, functional and mental health consequences. Although a deficit in hearing can be corrected to some degree by a hearing aid or other appropriate amplification devices, hearing-related rehabilitative needs are much more than simply amplifying external sound. Only by better understanding the process of ageing and its effect on the auditory function can we better accommodate elderly people in our day-to-day interactions. We review here the structure and function of the inner ear, pathophysiology associated with age-related hearing loss (ARHL), heritability, allelism and modifier genes of ARHL, and evaluate the genetic analyses for identification of genetic factors that are involved.     

An update on the treatment of pediatric-onset Langerhans cell histiocytosis through pharmacotherapy

Introduction: Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare myeloid neoplasia driven by activation mutations alongside the MAPK pathway. Its broad spectrum of clinical manifestations and diverse course and clinical outcome, make interpretation of trial data difficult. Use of different stratification systems further complicates comparison among trials.

Areas covered: This review summarizes the published data derived from prospective clinical trials from Phase II onwards. PubMed was searched using combinations of the keywords ‘Langerhans cell histiocytosis’, ‘histiocytosis X’, ‘pediatric’, ‘children’, ‘treatment’, and ‘therapy’. Only full-length papers published in English and German were included in the review.

Expert opinion: Mortality in multisystem LCH is restricted to patients with involvement of risk organs (hematopoiesis, liver and spleen) at diagnosis, and is particularly high (up to 60–70%) if systemic therapy fails to control the disease. For the rest of the cohort, mortality is almost negligible, and the main challenges are disease relapses and related permanent consequences (encountered in up to 50% of the survivors). While systemic therapy has clearly improved survival of patients with most severe disease form, its role in providing sustained disease control and preventing permanent consequences in patients with ‘low risk’ disease is less clear.     

The role of parental and perinatal characteristics on Langerhans cell histiocytosis: characterizing increased risk among Hispanics

Purpose

Potential roles of inherited and environmental risk factors in pathogenesis of Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH), a myeloid neoplastic disorder, are undefined. We therefore evaluated the role of parental and perinatal factors on the risk of this childhood cancer.