Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis resembling Rasmussen’s encephalitis on magnetic resonance imaging

Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) is a rare, slowly progressing but invariably fatal disease that is related to a prior measles virus infection and most commonly affects paediatric patients. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is the modality of choice for determining such changes in white matter. SSPE typically demonstrates bilateral but asymmetric periventricular and subcortical white matter involvement. We herein report a rare case of unilateral white matter involvement in a 13-year-old boy with SSPE that closely simulated Rasmussen’s encephalitis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of an atypical presentation on MR imaging in which SSPE was a rare cause of unilateral brain parenchymal involvement in a patient with intractable seizures.     

Therapeutic effect of mesenchymal stem cell on Hashimoto’s thyroiditis in a rat model by modulating Th17/Treg cell balance

Abstract

The autoimmune condition Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) is a disease wherein lymphocytes mediate the autoimmune damage and destruction of the thyroid gland. There are currently no effective means of treating HT, with the primary strategies of thyroid hormone therapy, surgery, or immunomodulatory therapy being associated with serious risks and side effects. There is thus a clear and urgent need to identify novel treatments for HT. In this study, we utilize female SD rats induced HT to evaluated the ability of transplanted MSCs to regulate Th17/Treg interactions in a rat Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) model system. The results showed that Rats in the HT model group exhibited increased thyroid autoantibody levels consistent with successful model development, whereas these levels were lower in rats treated with MSCs. There were also fewer thyroid lesions and less lymphoid infiltration of the thyroid in MSC-treated rats relative to HT model rats, as well as fewer Th17 cells and more Treg cells – an observation consistent with the cytokine analyses. All of these showed that MSCs can regulate Th17/Treg interactions in a rat Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) model system. It suggested that transplanted MSCs could be a potential immunotherapy strategy for the treatment of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.     

桥本氏病手术治疗45例临床分析

本文分析４５例桥本氏病诊断和手术治疗的经验教训。本病合并其它甲状腺外科疾病 诊断困难，手术方式要慎重选择。术中常规冰冻快速活检，可帮助鉴别诊断和指导术式选择。     

MR Findings of Intrathecal Chemotherapy-Related Myelopathy in Two Cases: Mimicker of Subacute Combined Degeneration

We report the findings of spinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in 2 patients who had undergone intrathecal chemotherapy and presented with the subacute onset of ascending numbness and weakness. MRI revealed a symmetric hyperintensity at the posterior columns of the spinal cord from the lower cervical region down to the conus medullaris level on T2-weighted images, and no abnormal enhancement. The imaging findings are similar to those seen in subacute combined degeneration (SCD), but the serum vitamin B(12) levels were normal in these 2 cases.     

亚急性重症肝炎与淤胆性肝炎黄疸成因的组织学差别

对29例亚急性重症肝炎及13例次淤胆性肝炎肝穿刺标本的光、电镜检查,测算了18例亚急性重症肝炎,9例淤胆性肝炎肝细胞内淤胆的容积百分比、胆汁凝固性坏死的容积百分比与临床资料进行统计学处理,指出这两类肝炎都有肝细胞内淤胆和胆汁凝固性坏死,但淤胆性肝炎肝小叶结构完整,胆汁流出道不破坏,亚急性重症肝炎肝小叶破坏。认为除肝细胞大量坏死外,胆汁流出道破坏是影响预后的另一个重要因素。本文详细描述了胆计凝固性坏死的超微结构改变。     

Follicular thyroid lesions coexisting with Hashimoto's thyroiditis: incidence and possible sources of diagnostic errors

Our objectives were to study the types and incidence of thyroid follicular lesions coexisting with Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT), the pitfalls in their cytodiagnosis, and the effect on management. All cases of HT diagnosed by fine-needle aspiration (FNA) and/or histology over a 7-yr period were retrospectively studied. HT coexisted with follicular adenoma (FA) in 6 cases, follicular variant of papillary carcinoma (FVPC) in 1 case, and goitrous nodule (GN) in 2 cases. The overall incidence rates of thyroid neoplasm and goitrous nodules coexistent with HT were 15% and 3.5%, respectively. A preoperative FNA diagnosis was available in 10 histologically proven cases of HT. A false-positive diagnosis of follicular neoplasm (FN) that led to unnecessary thyroidectomies was given in 3 cases. In 2 of these, the cytological diagnosis was HT with the possibility of coexisting FN, and in the third case, the cytological finding of HT was misinterpreted as FN. The main causes of these diagnostic pitfalls were the presence of hyperplastic follicular cells with nuclear pleomorphism, a paucity of lymphoid cells in burned-out HT, and lack of ones exposure. Nuclear pleomorphism was observed in none of the follicular adenomas. FNA diagnosed accurately the coexisting lesions in 6 cases; 3 FA, 1 FVPC, and 2 GN, but it did not sample HT. In one case, FNA diagnosed correctly both HT and the coexisting FA. Therefore, the presence of a coexistent neoplasm or goitrous nodule reduced the chances of sampling HT by 85.7%, with no false-negative results. Indeed, aspiration on and around the thyroid nodule helps in sampling HT. However, HT may dominate the smear and obscure neoplasia. This can be avoided if the procedure is performed by the pathologist and the aspiration is done on the nodule only. The overlapping cytological features of FN and HT were the main causes of false-positive results. This can be reduced by avoiding the diagnosis of FN in the presence of follicular-cell pleomorphism and/or moderate to excessive numbers of lymphoid cells, provided proper aspiration technique is maintained.