Hepatic oil embolism following lymphography: CT diagnosis

Hepatic oil embolism following lymphography is reported in a 68-year-old man admitted for chylous ascites associated with recurrent prostatic carcinoma. Abdominal plain radiography, CT, and ultimately liver biopsy strongly support a direct lymphatic pathway and are against the role of lymphaticovenous anastomoses generally advocated to explain this phenomenon.     

Giant vertebro-basilar aneurysm. Frontal syndrome]

A 72-year-old man presented with an apparent frontal syndrome. He also had bilateral trigeminal neuralgia, a pyramidal syndrome of all 4 limbs, balance disturbances, a horizontal nystagmus when looking to the left and a right velopalatine paralysis. CT scan with contrast showed a hyperdense rounded lesion in the left cerebello-pontine angle. Cerebral angiography showed this to be a large aneurysm of the end of the vertebral arteries. The patient died suddenly. Autopsy confirmed the site and presence of the aneurysm. Balance disturbances, the pyramidal syndrome and velopalatine paralysis could all be explained by brain stem compression and the bilateral nature of the trigeminal neuralgia by compression of the trigemino-thalamic tract. The apparent frontal syndrome, the authors suggest could have resulted from subacute raised intracranial pressure.     

Descending ocular myopathy--apropos of a case

Descending ocular myopathy is a rare progressive disease characterized by bilateral ptosis, external ophthalmoplegia and progressive dystrophy of the proximal skeletal muscles. A case of descending ocular myopathy with post-operative corneal ulceration is reported. Mitochondrial abnormalities are found on skeletal muscle biopsy. Nosologic classification of this case is discussed.     

Cholesterol crystal embolization diagnosed on bladder transurethral resection

Cholesterol crystal embolization (CCE) is a severe systemic disorder caused by vascular migration of cholesterol crystals originating from ulcerative atherosclerotic plaques located in large arteries. We report 2 cases of CCE diagnosed on bladder transurethral resection in 2 men aged 94 and 72 years. Both patients had atherosclerosis disease. One patient had been treated by heparin 1 month before for pulmonary embolism and the other had had a coronary angiography and bypass graft surgery 5 months before for silent myocardial infarction. One patient presented with hematuria and the other with acute renal failure. Cystoscopy showed multiple papillary tumors of the bladder wall. Bladder transurethral resections showed transitional cell carcinoma with cholesterol crystals occluding the lumen of small arterioles in the submucosa. Eight cases of CCE in the bladder wall have been reported in the literature in 3 women and 5 men aged 56 to 79 years. Cholesterol crystal embolization is often discovered in the bladder wall on necropsy specimens. Only 2 cases have been fortuitously discovered on bladder transurethral resection performed for transitional cell carcinoma. Cholesterol crystal embolization in the bladder wall is often a marker of severe disease although the evolution is quite favorable in our patients, still alive 1 and 2 years after diagnosis.     

Gastric myeloid metaplasia: a case report and review of the literature

We report a case of gastric myeloid metaplasia in an 89- year-old woman with agnogenic myeloid metaplasia. The lesions were fortuitously discovered on upper endoscopy. The antral mucosa was thickened and polypoid, and on histologic examination contained immature granulocytes, megakaryocytes, and a few erythroblasts without desmoplastic stromal reaction. The granulocytes were positive for CD15, CD68, and myeloperoxidase on immunohistochemistry, and the megakaryocytes showed positive reactivity for factor VIII. Gastric myeloid metaplasia is a very rare event, and to our knowledge only 6 cases have been reported in the literature to date. It usually occurs in patients with advanced myeloproliferative syndrome. Gastric myeloid metaplasia often has a pseudotumoral appearance, leading to digestive symptoms. Histologic diagnosis is straightforward when trilinear hematopoietic elements are identified in gastric biopsies. Immunohistochemistry with anti-factor VIII antibody can be useful to confirm the presence of megakaryocytes.     

Biometry and structure of the left internal thoracic and radial coronary arteries

In an attempt to elucidate the causes of occlusion of radial arteries for coronary artery bypass grafts, we studied the biometry and histology of the coronary, radial and left internal thoracic arteries of 20 anatomical subjects (13 males and 7 females). These specimens were calibrated to the various bypass graft sites using coronary calibrators, and were then submitted to histological examination to determine the structure of the vessel wall. Our preliminary results show no correlation between the internal calibres of these various arteries. Like the coronary arteries and their branches, the radial artery is a muscular artery. In contrast, the left internal thoracic artery like the aorta, is an elastic artery.     

Mesothelial cyst of the adrenal gland

We report a case of a mesothelial adrenal cyst which was incidentally discovered in a 38-year old woman. The diagnosis was confirmed by an immunohistochemistry study. Adrenal cysts are rare. They occur more commonly in female patients during the 4th and 5th decades and are usually asymptomatic. Adrenal cysts are divided into four groups : parasitic, epithelial, endothelial cysts and pseudocysts. The management is still discussed : follow-up, surgical resection or fine-needle aspiration.     

Mg2+ Transporters in Digestive Cancers

Despite magnesium (Mg²⁺) representing the second most abundant cation in the cell, its role in cellular physiology and pathology is far from being elucidated. Mg²⁺ homeostasis is regulated by Mg²⁺ transporters including Mitochondrial RNA Splicing Protein 2 (MRS2), Transient Receptor Potential Cation Channel Subfamily M, Member 6/7 (TRPM6/7), Magnesium Transporter 1 (MAGT1), Solute Carrier Family 41 Member 1 (SCL41A1), and Cyclin and CBS Domain Divalent Metal Cation Transport Mediator (CNNM) proteins. Recent data show that Mg²⁺ transporters may regulate several cancer cell hallmarks. In this review, we describe the expression of Mg²⁺ transporters in digestive cancers, the most common and deadliest malignancies worldwide. Moreover, Mg²⁺ transporters’ expression, correlation and impact on patient overall and disease-free survival is analyzed using Genotype Tissue Expression (GTEx) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) datasets. Finally, we discuss the role of these Mg²⁺ transporters in the regulation of cancer cell fates and oncogenic signaling pathways.     

ARCHITECT® urine-neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (u-NGAL) assay as new prognostic marker for clear cell Renal Cell Carcinoma (ccRCC) (preliminary results)

International Urology and Nephrology - Biomarkers for the diagnosis and monitoring treatment response of kidney cancer are urgently needed. Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) is a...