Xanthogranulomatous orchitis: Review of the published work and report of one case

Xanthogranulomatous orchitis is an extremely rare inflammatory non-neoplastic destructive lesion of the testis. We report a 44-year-old man who presented with right scrotal swelling and two discharging sinuses. Testicular tumor markers were normal. Scrotal ultrasound showed heterogeneous testicular areas and irregular margin of the tunica. Surgical exploration revealed infected, unhealthy testicular tissue with necrosis and tumor-like lesion. Orchidectomy was done and histopathology showed xanthogranulomatous orchitis.     

The course of pregnancy among mothers above 35 years and its outcome in Kafr-El-Zayat.

A group of pregnant mothers above 35 years old were collected from the MCH centre in Kafr-El Zayat during a period of 10 months (82). A control group of mothers aged 20-30 years old were also selected during the same period (62). Those with specific diseases from both groups were excluded. During the repeated visits of those mothers to the MCH centre they were subjected to complete history taking, physical examination plus urine analysis & haemoglobin levelling. A special visit was performed by the researcher to the mothers on 7th day after labour to report on the outcome of labour. The present study revealed significant differences between mothers over 35 years and those of 20-30 years in the course of pregnancy, labour and their outcomes where the former group showed greater tendency to be at a higher risk.     

Loading anticancer drugs into HDL as well as LDL has little affect on properties of complexes and enhances cytotoxicity to human carcinoma cells

Low density lipoprotein (LDL) has been found to represent a suitable carrier for cytotoxic drugs that may target them to cancer. This study investigated whether very low density lipoprotein (VLDL), LDL and high density lipoprotein (HDL) can be used to effectively incorporate four cytotoxic drugs, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), 5-iododeoxyuridine (IUdR), doxorubicin (Dox) and vindesine; characterized the complexes; and examined the effect of incorporation on drug cytotoxicity against HeLa cervical and MCF-7 breast carcinoma cells. Significant drug loading was achieved into all three classes of lipoproteins, consistent with the sizes and hydrophobicity of the drugs. The relative loading efficiency was found to be vindesine>IUdR>Dox>5-FU for all three classes of lipoproteins. As shown by electron microscopy (EM), drug incorporation did not affect the size or morphology of the lipoproteins. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) showed that drug loading did not significantly change the thermal transition temperature of core lipids in the lipoproteins. The transition enthalpy was changed only for LDL–Dox and LDL–vindesine. The drugs remained stable in the lipoproteins as determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). EM, DSC and HPLC data suggest that drugs were incorporated into lipoproteins without disrupting their integrity and drugs remained in their stable forms inside lipoproteins. Compared with free drugs in cytotoxicity assays, the IC₅₀ values of LDL– and HDL–drug complexes were significantly lower (2.4- to 8.6-fold for LDL complexes and 2.5- to 23-fold for HDL complexes). All free or lipoprotein-bound drug formulations were comparably more cytotoxic against MCF-7 than HeLa cells. Upregulating the lipoprotein receptors enhanced, and downregulating them inhibited, the cytotoxicity, indicating the mechanistic involvement of lipoprotein receptor pathways. Complexes of all four drugs with VLDL, in contrast to LDL and HDL, had the same cytotoxicity as the four corresponding free drugs. Our results suggest that further studies are required of the potential of HDL to be a cancer targeting drug carrier.     

The bipartite tarsal navicular bone: Radiographic and computed tomography findings

Two cases of bipartite tarsal navicular bone are presented. The radiographic and computed tomography (CT) findings of this anatomical variant are described. Correct recognition of this entity is important, both because it may be the cause of symptoms perse, and because it may be misdiagnosed as a fracture. When plain films are not diagnostic, CT scanning is helpful in distinguishing between a fracture and this variant.     

Rupture of the posterior tibial tendon: CT and surgical findings

Computed tomography (CT) was performed in 42 patients with 49 clinically suspected tears of the posterior tibial tendon. Twenty-eight of the 49 suspected tears were subsequently surgically explored and repaired. Three patterns of tendon abnormalities were recognized on CT scans: type I-intact, hypertrophied, heterogeneous tendon; type II-attenuated tendon; and type III-absence of a portion of a tendon. Types I and II correlated with partial rupture seen during surgery, and type III correlated with complete rupture of the tendon. CT findings were accurate in 96% of the patients who underwent surgery. In four cases (14%), tendon rupture was seen on CT scans, but the extent of the injury was underestimated and the rupture was misclassified. Reactive periostitis of the distal tibia was seen in 71% of diseased tendons and may represent an important factor in the diagnosis of tendon rupture.     

Immunohistochemical localisation of 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase in<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Sarcocystis</Emphasis> spp.

3-Hydroxysteroid-dehydrogenase (3-HSD) is an isoenzyme that catalyses an essential step in the synthesis of all classes of active steroid hormones. The presence of steroid hormones of the vertebrate type in invertebrates is acknowledged in addition to a group of steroid-like hormones called ecdysteroids that were present in arthropods and helminths. In the present study, 3-HSD was detected in the bradyzoites enclosed in sarcocysts of Sarcocystis spp. with immunohistochemistry. The results suggest that self-originating steroid hormones may play important roles in the development of Sarcocystis spp., and possibly in the regulation of the reciprocal immune interaction between the host and these parasites.