Testicular cancer with tumor thrombus extending to the inferior vena cava successfully removed using veno-venous bypass: A case report

A 33-year-old man with a left testicular tumor was referred to Shinshu University Hospital for advanced therapy. Radiographic imaging revealed multiple metastases in the retroperitoneal lymph nodes (RPLN) and bilateral lungs, as well as tumor thrombus that extended from the left renal vein to the inferior vena cava (IVC) adjacent to the right atrium. After orchidectomy, a diagnosis of embryonal carcinoma was made with a clinical stage of T1N2M1bS3, which has a poor prognosis, based on the International Germ Cell Cancer Collaborative Group consensus. After eight courses of chemotherapy, the patient's tumor markers normalized and the lung metastases disappeared, but the RPLN and tumor thrombus remained. Retroperitoneal lymph node dissection and thrombectomy were performed using a veno-venous bypass (VVB). The pathological examination of the thrombus revealed a mature teratoma. The patient has been disease-free since surgery.     

Deficiency of insulin receptor substrate-1 impairs skeletal growth through early closure of epiphyseal cartilage.

Morphological analyses in and around the epiphyseal cartilage of mice deficient in insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) showed IRS-1 signaling to be important for skeletal growth by preventing early closure of the epiphyseal cartilage and maintaining the subsequent bone turnover at the primary spongiosa. Introduction: IRS-1 is an essential molecule for intracellular signaling by IGF-I and insulin, both of which are potent anabolic regulators of cartilage and bone metabolism. To clarify the role of IRS-1 signaling in the skeletal growth, morphological analyses were performed in and around the epiphyseal cartilage of mice deficient in IRS-1 (IRS-1(-/-)), whose limbs and trunk were 20-30% shorter than wildtype (WT) mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The epiphyseal cartilage and the primary spongiosa at proximal tibias of homozygous IRS-1(-/-) and WT male littermates were compared using histological, immunohistochemical, enzyme cytohistochemical, ultrastructural, and bone histomorphometrical analyses. RESULTS: In and around the WT epiphyseal cartilage, IRS-1 and insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 receptors were widely expressed, whereas IRS-2 was weakly localized in bone cells. Chronological observation revealed that height of the proliferative zone and the size of hypertrophic chondrocytes were decreased in WT mice as a function of age, and these decreases were accelerated in the IRS-1 (-/-) cartilage, whose findings at 12 weeks were similar to those of WT at 24 weeks. In the IRS-1(-/-) cartilage, proliferating chondrocytes with positive proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) or parathyroid hormone (PTH)/PTH-related peptide (PTHrP) receptor immunostaining had almost disappeared by 12 weeks. Contrarily, TUNEL+ apoptotic cells were increased in the hypertrophic zone, at the bottom of which most of the chondrocytes were surrounded by the calcified matrix, suggesting the closure of the cartilage. In the primary spongiosa, bone volume, alkaline phosphatase (ALP)+ osteoblasts, TRACP+ osteoclasts, and the osteopontin-positive cement line were markedly decreased. Bone histomorphometrical parameters for both bone formation and resorption were significantly lower in IRS-1(-/-) mice, indicating the suppression of bone turnover. CONCLUSION: The IRS-1(-/-) epiphyseal cartilage exhibited insufficient proliferation of chondrocytes, calcification of hypertrophic chondrocytes, acceleration of apoptosis, and early closure of the growth plate. Thus, the data strongly suggest that IRS-1 signaling is important for the skeletal growth by preventing early closure of the epiphyseal cartilage and by maintaining the subsequent bone turnover at the primary spongiosa.     

Wilms tumor gene immunoreactivity in primary serous carcinomas of the fallopian tube, ovary, endometrium, and peritoneum.

Wilms tumor gene (WT-1) expression has been reported in many human cancers, including most ovarian and peritoneal serous carcinomas, but has not been studied in carcinomas of the fallopian tube. In this study, the authors evaluated the immunohistochemical expression of WT-1 in serous carcinomas of the fallopian tube and compared their reactivity with that of ovarian, peritoneal, and endometrial serous carcinomas. All primary serous carcinomas of the fallopian tube (13 cases), ovaries (25 cases), and peritoneum (3 cases) were reactive with the WT-1 antibody, whereas all five primary endometrial serous carcinomas were nonreactive. WT-1 reactivity in an unknown primary serous carcinoma is therefore suggestive of an extrauterine site. The marked difference in WT-1 staining raises the possibility of genetic differences between serous carcinomas arising in the endometrium compared with those arising in the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and peritoneum.     

A high percentage yield of tyrosine hydroxylase-positive cells from rat E14 mesencephalic cell culture.

In the ventral mesencephalon of the E14 rat fetus, 90% of the dopaminergic, tyrosine hydroxylase positive (TH+) cells are localized in 1.0 mm3 of tissue. This same ventral mesencephalic region also contains 90% of the dopamine content of the E14 ventral brainstem (2.2 +/- 0.3 nmol/mg protein). When cells were prepared for culturing from this localized area, and plated at a density of 2.5 x 10(5) cells/cm2, 17-21% of the cells were TH+, at 4 and 12 h, and at 1, 5, 7 and 10 days after plating. The percentage of TH+ cells was also 17-21% when examined at 4 h, 12 h or 5 days after plating at densities ranging from 7.8 x 10(3) to 2.5 x 10(5) cells/cm2. However, cell survival at a density of less than 6.2 x 10(4) cells/cm2 was poor after 5 days in culture. Based on the degree of neurite elongation and complexity, cell maturation appeared to be complete at 5 days in culture (DIV5), and appeared to be maintained at this level up to DIV10. By DIV14, neurite retraction was evident, and the cells were more rounded. These signs may indicate the inception of senescence in the cultures. A benztropine-sensitive, concentration-dependent dopamine uptake mechanism was demonstrated in the cultures at DIV7, and DA could be released from preloaded cells using 50 mM K+. Five morphological subtypes of TH+ cells were identified in the cultures. This primary culture of the ventral mesencephalic, dopaminergic area, with a high percentage of TH+ cells, is suitable for use in acute biochemical and cellular studies, between DIV 5 and DIV10.     

Discrepancy of xenon concentrations between end-tidal and blood collection methods in xenon-enhanced computed tomographic measurement of cerebral blood flow

Summary Using xenon-enhanced computed tomography for the study of cerebral blood flow, simultaneous measurements of end-tidal and arterial blood xenon concentrations using the blood collection method were performed to investigate the validity of substituting the end-tidal for the arterial blood xenon concentration. Simultaneous measurement by both methods was performed 68 times in 27 patients. There was no statistical correlation between the arterial blood accumulation rate constant obtained by arterial blood and end-tidal samples, nor between the arterial blood saturation value obtained by the two methods, even when correction was made for age. In brain tissue, all parameters calculated using the end-tidal concentration were lower than those using arterial blood. We therefore suggest that cerebral blood flow values calculated using end-tidal xenon concentration are useful only for qualitative cerebral blood flow mapping, and not applicable to absolute values of cerebral blood flow.     

Increase of striatal dopamine turnover by stress in MPTP-treated mice

The characteristics of motor function and brain dopamine (DA) metabolism in the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-treated mice after immersion immobilization stress were investigated. There was no significant difference in locomotor activities between MPTP-treated and saline-treated mice, but locomotor activities of MPTP-treated mice after stress decreased more remarkably than those of saline-treated mice. Immediately after stress, striatal DA concentrations of MPTP-treated mice were significantly lower than those of saline-treated mice. Striatal DA levels improved when 24 h passed after stress. The striatal and cortical (DOPAC + HVA)/DA ratios of MPTP-and stress-treated mice was significantly higher than that of saline-and stress-treated mice. It is due to the decreased DA level and the enhancement of DA turnover that MPTP-treated mice became remarkably akinetic after stress, and that L-DOPA therapy is not effective when the symptoms in patients with Parkinson's disease worsen due to stress.     

A case of bilateral panophthalmoplegia caused by paranasal malignant lymphoma extending into the skull base]

A case of bilateral panophthalmoplegia developed after paranasal malignant lymphoma is described, and previously reported cases are reviewed. A 74-year-old female was hospitalized with the chief complaints of bilateral ptosis and bilateral deep orbital pain that had developed over a 10-day period. Neurological examination revealed bilateral dilated pupils, panophthalmoplegia, and hypalgesia in the area of the ophthalmic nerve on both sides. Laboratory studies and endocrinological examination were free from abnormal findings. Skull X-ray films showed a soft tissue lesion in the sphenoidal and ethmoidal sinus and this was associated with bony structure destruction in the surrounding area. Computed tomography demonstrated a heterogeneously enhanced mass lesion in the paranasal sinus extending into the intrasellar region and bilateral cavernous sinus. Meticulous investigation has so far revealed no distant lesions either in the thoracic or abdominal lesions. Subtotal tumor resection was undergone via the transsphenoidal route at which time tumor extension into the nasal cavity and sellar floor destruction were confirmed. Diffuse and mixed B-cell type malignant lymphoma was the pathological diagnosis. Postoperatively, improvement of abnormalities of pupils, panophthalmoplegia, and ptosis was achieved but this was only transient. Despite focal radiation therapy and repeated chemotherapy, the patient died 14-months after the diagnosis was made. On reviewing the literature, it is shown that the incidence of bilateral panophthalmoplegia among patients who develop disturbance of ocular movement is extremely low (0.4%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)