Cutaneous plasmacytosis associated with lung and anal carcinomas

Cutaneous plasmacytosis is a rare disorder characterized by a benign proliferation of mature plasma cells that appears as multiple dark-brown to purplish skin lesions, often associated with polyclonal hypergammaglobulinaemia. We present the case of a 55-year-old Caucasian man who suffered from a cutaneous plasmacytosis associated with two different carcinomas. Cutaneous plasmacytosis seems to be a reactive process because most cases reported are not associated with any apparent underlying disease. Nevertheless, because few reported cases were associated with malignancies, screening of additional neoplasms would be justified.     

Arachidonic acid metabolites in CSF in hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy of newborn infants

The aim of this study was to evaluate the cerebral synthesis of eicosanoids in the asphyctic newborn and to investigate the relation between the prostanoid profiles in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and the appearance and severity of hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE). Levels of 6-keto-PGF _1-α, TXB₂, PGE₂ and PGF_2-α in CSF were measured in 40 full term newborns during the first day of life. Thirty of these newborns had birth asphyxia and were divided into three groups: 10 without HIE, 12 with mild HIE and 8 with moderate-severe HIE. They were compared to a control group of 10 non-hypoxic newborns. Determinations of the metabolites in CSF were performed by RIA and expressed as pg/ml (mean ± SD). The CSF TXB₂ (thromboxane A₂ metabolite) in asphyxiated newborns was always higher than in the control group (28.12 ± 10.6), and related to the severity of HIE ( p = 0:005): without HIE (50.84 ± 16.4; p = 0:02), mild HIE (80.65 ± 12.64; p ± 0:01) and moderate-severe HIE (178.14 ± 20.5; p < 0:01). The CSF 6-keto-PGF _1-α (prostacyclin metabolite) in asphyxiated newborns was always higher than in the control group (80.55 ± 12.56), but indirectly related to the severity of HIE: without HIE (240.95 ± 28.12; p < 0:01), mild HIE (183.65 ± 30.1; p < 0:01) and moderate-severe HIE (140.55 ± 25.12; p < 0:01). In the moderate-severe HIE group, the increase in TXB₂ was higher than the rise in 6-keto-PGF _1-α.     

Cellular distribution of the new growth factor Pleiotrophin (HB-GAM) mRNA in developing and adult rat tissues

Summary Pleiotrophin (PTN), also known as HBGAM, belongs to an emerging cytokine family unrelated to other growth factors. We report here the first comprehensive study using in situ hybridization on the cellular distribution of this new heparin-binding growth factor mRNA in rat tissues. PTN mRNA was developmentally expressed in many — but not all — neuroectodermal and mesodermal lineages, whilst no PTN mRNA was detected in endoderm, ectoderm and trophoblast. PTN mRNA was found in the nervous system throughout development, with a post-natal peak of expression. In the adult nervous system, significant expression persisted in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons and in cortical neurons, but also in different non-neuronal cells types in various locations (olfactory nerve, cerebellar astrocytes, pituicytes, Schwann cells surrounding the neurons in sensory ganglia). PTN mRNA was also found during development in the mesenchyme of lung, gut, kidney and reproductive tract, in bone and cartilage progenitors, in dental pulp, in myoblasts, and in several other sites. Expression was differently regulated in each location, but usually faded around birth. In the adult, PTN mRNA was still present in the meninges, the iris, the Leydig cells of the testis and in the uterus. PTN mRNA was also strongly expressed in the basal layers of the tongue epithelium, which is the only epithelium and ectodermal derivative to express PTN mRNA, and this only after birth. PTN is known to be a growth factor for perinatal brain neurons and a mitogen for fibroblasts in vitro. Recently, trophic effects on epithelial cells and a role as a tumour growth factor have been reported. The mechanisms of regulation and the functions of PTN are however still uncertain. Its expression pattern during development suggests important roles in growth and differentiation. Moreover, the presence of PTN mRNA in several adult tissues and the up-regulation of PTN mRNA expression in the gravid uterus indicate that PTN also has physiological functions during adulthood.     

FM sonography in diffuse liver disease: prospective assessment and blinded analysis

FM sonography - a signal-processing technique that uses frequency and phase information as well as amplitude data - shows promise in evaluation of patients with diffuse liver disease. In a prospective blinded review of 37 patients with biopsy-proved liver disease and 42 healthy volunteers, FM sonography was clearly superior to traditional amplitude-based (AM) sonography in distinguishing healthy from diseased subjects. Statistically significant differences were seen in accuracy (FM, 98.7%; AM, 84.8%), sensitivity (FM, 97.3%; AM, 70.3%), and negative predictive value (FM, 97.7%; AM, 78.8%). Our data also suggest that current FM sonographic techniques cannot differentiate among histologic findings associated with different hepatic parenchymal abnormalities. It is unclear, therefore, whether FM imaging can reduce the numbers of patients who require biopsy for diagnosis or the frequency of biopsy procedures in patients with known disease.