BACKGROUND: Superficial lymphatic malformations are predominantly developmental malformations of infancy, but they may arise at any age. OBJECTIVE: To describe a patient with a late-onset superficial lymphatic malformation. METHODS: Case report and literature review. RESULTS: A 53-year-old woman was evaluated for a colored lesion that developed spontaneously on the anterior abdominal wall. The lesion was treated by surgical excision. Findings on histopathologic examination of the specimen were consistent with superficial lymphatic malformation. There was no recurrence of the lesion at 4 months after the operation. CONCLUSION: Superficial lymphatic malformations can develop in adults spontaneously without the presence of any predisposing condition. Because the majority of such late-onset malformations reported in the literature are localized lesions similar to the one in our patient, surgical removal with inclusion of subcutaneous tissue usually results in cure without recurrence. 相似文献
BACKGROUND: Intravenous pyogenic granuloma is the intravasal counterpart of cutaneous pyogenic granuloma. This rare, benign lesion appears clinically as a subcutaneous nodule usually located in the upper extremity or neck in middle-aged people. It is hard to make an exact diagnosis on clinical basis, and there is a risk of recurrence because of undertreatment. OBJECTIVE: To report a case of an intravenous pyogenic granuloma located in the hand and to describe the clinical and histopathologic features of this rare vascular tumor. METHODS: An operation was performed on a 58-year-old female who presented with a small, painless mass in the right palm, and the pathologic examination revealed an intravenous pyogenic granuloma. CONCLUSION: This rare lesion should be differentiated from a regular pyogenic granuloma and should be excised with the vein segment to avoid recurrence. 相似文献
BACKGROUND: We aimed to determine whether serum concentrations of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) can be used as a tool for prediction of the efficacy of sperm retrieval. METHODS: This was a prospective cohort observational study. AMH levels were determined in 47 men presenting for infertility evaluation. Group 1 consisted of 24 infertile patients diagnosed with non-obstructive azoospermia. Group 1 was further divided into two subgroups. The patients with spermatozoa in their testicular samples constituted group 1a (n = 13), while the patients with absence of spermatozoa constituted group 1b (n = 11). Twenty-three normozoospermic fertile men constituted group 2. Serum AMH was measured before obtaining testicular specimens. RESULTS: Testicular spermatozoa were recovered in 13 out of the 24 patients (54%). Demographic characteristics of the three groups were similar. The difference between serum AMH levels among the three groups did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: We speculated that although AMH is secreted predominantly into the seminiferous tubules, studying serum samples might be more advantageous than seminal plasma because the presence of seminal proteases could influence AMH levels in the latter. However, our results did not demonstrate differences in serum concentrations of AMH between the studied groups. Studies with extended patient populations focusing on seminal plasma concentrations of AMH are warranted. 相似文献
The thrombopoietin receptor (Mpl) is involved in the pathogenesis of chronic myeloproliferative disorders (CMPD). In this study, we determined Mpl expression by bone marrow cells and megakaryocytes in CMPD by applying laser microdissection, real-time RT-PCR, and immunohistochemistry. Mpl mRNA expression was significantly increased up to 9-fold in total bone marrow cells (p < 0.001) and up to 4-fold in megakaryocytes in chronic myeloproliferative disorders (n = 73) compared to normal controls (n = 26, p = 0.01). Immunohistochemistry revealed heterogeneous Mpl expression by megakaryocytes in CMPD with a stronger accentuation in idiopathic myelofibrosis (IMF) in comparison to polycythaemia vera (PV) and essential thrombocythemia (ET). In addition to megakaryocytes, the erythropoietic lineage was prominently labelled by Mpl antiserum, with considerably stronger staining in polycythaemia vera. We conclude that, in CMPD, megakaryocytes and erythroid cells exhibit increased Mpl expression levels which may contribute to the sustained proliferation of both cell lineages in CMPD. 相似文献
BACKGROUND: Patients with allergic rhinitis and bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) may be at higher risk of developing asthma. OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether reactivity to aeroallergens in skin prick testing (SPT) and serum eosinophil cationic protein levels can be used to predict BHR in allergic rhinitis patients. METHODS: Fifty-nine consecutive patients with allergic rhinitis underwent SPTs using grass, tree, weed, parietaria, Alternaria, Aspergillus, mites, and cat and dog dander extracts. Methacholine challenge tests were performed using spirometry. RESULTS: Methacholine-induced BHR was detected in 23 patients (39%). Of 59 patients, 14 had 1 positive SPT response, 35 had 2 to 4 positive responses, and 10 had more than 4 positive responses. There was a significant inverse correlation between methacholine provocation concentration that caused a decrease in forced expiratory volume in 1 second of 20% (PC20) and the number of positive SPT responses (r = -0.28; P = .03). The BHR-positive patients had a mean of 4 positive SPT responses, whereas BHR-negative patients had a mean of 2.6 (P = .04). Nine BHR-positive patients (39%) and only 1 BHR-negative patient (3%) had more than 4 positive SPT responses (P < .001). There was no correlation between serum eosinophil cationic protein levels and methacholine PC20 doses. There was a strong association between hyperresponsiveness to methacholine and both cat and dog dander sensitivity (P < .001 and P = .001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Allergic rhinitis patients with SPT responses to a higher number of allergens are more likely to have BHR. Whether the number of positive SPT responses correlates with the risk of developing asthma in allergic rhinitis patients remains to be determined. 相似文献
Cardiovascular disease is one of the major causes of mortality in anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis (AAV). Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with increased cardiovascular risk in the normal population. However, MetS in AAV has not been adequately investigated. We aimed to determine MetS prevalence and associated factors in AAV patients.
Methods
Thirty-seven AAV patients and 42 healthy controls were enrolled. MetS was determined by International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP-ATPIII) criteria. The relationship between clinical features of AAV and MetS was also investigated.
Results
MetS was significantly higher in AAV patients than controls by NCEP-ATPIII (51.4% vs. 26.2%, p 0.022) and IDF (62.2% vs. 35.7%, p 0.020). When AAV patients with MetS were compared to those without, there were significant differences in age, CRP, GFR and NT-pro-BNP. Age [58 (13) vs. 50 (8) years p: 0.028], CRP [4.0 (3.6) vs. 3.2 (1.0) mg/l, p 0.021] and NT-pro-BNP [173.5 (343.7) vs. 106.0 (103.0) pg/ml, p 0.013] were significantly higher in AAV patients with MetS than those without; GFR was significantly lower [38 (46) vs. 83 (51) ml/min/1.73 m2, p 0.004]. ROC curve analysis showed NT-pro-BNP?>?58.0 ng/ml predicted MetS with 87.1% sensitivity and 46.7% specificity (Area under curve: 0.71, CI 0.536–0.902, p 0.041). Multivariate analysis revealed age [OR (95% CI): 1.180 (1.010–1.370), p 0.039] and NT-pro-BNP?>?58 pg/ml [OR (95% CI): 5.5 (1.02–30.1) p 0.047] were independent predictors of MetS in AAV patients.
Conclusion
MetS is significantly higher in AAV patients than controls and is associated with age and NT-pro-BNP. Screening and treating MetS may improve prognosis in AAV patients.
Male infertility is a global health problem, and the underlying molecular mechanisms are not clearly known. Ion channels and microRNAs (miRNAs), known to function in many vital functions in cells, have been shown to play a significant role in male infertility through changes in their expressions. The study aimed to evaluate the alterations of testicular and/or spermatozoal potassium voltage-gated channel subfamily J member 11 (KCNJ11), Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), miR-let-7a and miR-27a expressions in carbamazepine-related male infertility. Here, we showed that carbamazepine reduced sperm motility, increased abnormal sperm morphology, and impaired hormonal balance as well as increased relative testis weight and decreased relative seminal vesicle weight. On the other hand, downregulated KCNJ11 and upregulated miR-let-7a expressions were determined in testis (p < .05). Also, downregulated KCNJ11 and upregulated CFTR and miR-27a expressions were found in spermatozoa (p < .05). Interestingly, altered testicular KCNJ11 and miR-let-7a expressions were correlated with decreased sperm motility and elevated sperm tail defect. Besides, spermatozoal CFTR and miR-27a expressions positively correlated with sperm tail defects. The results indicated a significant relationship between ion channel and/or miRNA expression alterations and impaired sperm parameters due to carbamazepine usage. 相似文献