Aggressive fibromatosis of the neck: MR findings.

We present a case of aggressive fibromatosis of the scalene and longus colli muscles with surgically proved secondary involvement of the brachial plexus and carotid sheath in a 29-year-old woman in whom MR imaging failed to show involvement of the carotid sheath. The well-defined lesion was isointense on T1-weighted images and hyperintense on T2-weighted images relative to adjacent normal muscle and enhanced brightly.     

Duplicated odontoid process: plain radiographic and CT appearance of a rare congenital anomaly of the cervical spine.

We describe a duplication of the odontoid process in a 6-year-old patient that included a partially fused midline ossicle on the anterior arch of C-1, fusion of the anterior lip of the foramen magnum and the arch of C-1, and an incomplete bony posterior arch of C-1.     

3H-mannose utilization by fibroblasts of the periodontal ligament

The synthesis, intracellular translocation, and secretion of mannose-containing glycoproteins(s) by periodontal ligament fibroblasts have been investigated by means of electron microscopic radioautography. Tritiated mannose was administered to young mice via jugular vein, and radioautographs were prepared at 5, 10, 20, and 35 minutes, 4 and 8 hours after injection. Analysis of electron microscopic radioautographs revealed a maximum labeling (94%) with 3H-mannose of the rough endoplasmic reticulum at 5 minutes. Labeling of the Golgi components started to increase from 10 minutes (14%) and reached a maximum level at 20 minutes (31.2%). At 35 minutes, secretion granules, dense bodies, profiles of intracellular collagen, and the cell surface were labeled. At 8 hours, most labelling (79.2%) was extracellular, and associated either with the collagenous matrix (43.7%) or the cell surface (35.5%). Cytoplasmic vesicles containing dense materials around collagen fibrils were also labeled at 8 hours. It is concluded that mannose is directly incorporated into the rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER), and that mannose-containing glycoprotein(s) are packaged in the Golgi apparatus into secretory granules. Mannose-containing glycoprotein(s) become distributed on the periodontal ligament (PDL) fibroblast cell surface, cytoplasmic dense bodies, and the extracellular matrix.     

Rhabdomyosarcoma and rhabdomyoma associated with nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome: Local treatment strategy

This article presents the case of a child presenting with a rhabdomyosarcoma associated with a fetal rhabdomyoma in the setting of nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome. Oncologic strategy is discussed.     

Maternal citrulline supplementation enhances placental function and fetal growth in a rat model of IUGR: involvement of insulin-like growth factor 2 and angiogenic factors

Objective: To determine the effects of maternal citrulline supplementation on fetal growth and placental efficiency in a rat model of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) induced by maternal protein restriction.

Methods: Pregnant Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly assigned to three groups: NP (receiving a control 20% protein diet), LP (a 4% protein diet), or LP-CIT (an LP diet along with L-citrulline, 2?g/kg/d in drinking water). On the 15th and 21st day of gestation (GD15 and GD21, respectively), dams underwent a C-section, by which fetuses and placentas were extracted. The expression of genes involved in placental growth and angiogenesis was studied by quantitative RT-PCR.

Results: Maternal citrulline supplementation increased fetal weight at GD21, and fetal weight/placental weight ratio, an index of placental efficiency, from mid gestation (p?Igf2-P0, a placenta-specific variant of insulin-like growth factor 2 (Igf2) gene, and Vegf and Flt-1, involved in angiogenic pathways, was enhanced in the LP-CIT group (versus NP, p?p?p?Igf2-P0, Vegf, and Flt-1, respectively).

Conclusions: In a model of IUGR induced by protein deprivation, citrulline enhances fetal growth, placental efficiency, and the expression of genes involved in angiogenesis. The relevance of such effect in human pregnancies complicated by IUGR warrants further study.     

Effects of OP2113 on Myocardial Infarct Size and No Reflow in a Rat Myocardial Ischemia/Reperfusion Model

Cardiovascular Drugs and Therapy - The present study was to determine whether OP2113 could limit myocardial infarction size and the no-reflow phenomenon in a rat myocardial ischemia/reperfusion...