Clinical features of mild encephalitis/encephalopathy with a reversible splenial lesion in children / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the clinical features of mild encephalitis/encephalopathy with a reversible splenial lesion (MERS) in children.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The clinical data of 8 children with MERS were retrospectively analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The mean age of onset was 5 years and 2 months (range 10 months to 12 years). The major clinical features included a history of prodromal infection, and among these children, 5 had pyrexia and 4 had vomiting. Of all the children, 6 were manifested as convulsion and 3 each were manifested as disturbance of consciousness and paroxysmal paropsia. Cranial diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed high signals in the splenium of the corpus callosum. Among these children, one child had symmetric and multiple long T1 and long T2 signals in the bilateral centrum semiovale and part of the temporal white matter. MRI reexamination performed after 5-30 days showed the disappearance of abnormal signals in all the children. The children were followed up for 3 months to 2 years, and no child experienced abnormal neurodevelopment.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The development of MERS in children is closely associated with infection. MERS is characterized by high signals in the splenium of the corpus callosum on cranial diffusion-weighted MRI. Most children have good prognosis.</p>

Buckwheat rutin inhibits angII-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy via blockade of CaN-dependent signal pathway

Buckwheat rutin has been found to be able to inhibit angiotensin II [AngII] - induced hypertrophy in cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes, but the mechanism remains uncertain. In this study, myocardial hypertrophy model was made by adding AngII to the medium of cardiac myocytes of neonatal rats; meanwhile, different concentrations of buckwheat rutin were applied to observe their effects. Intracellular Ca[2]+ level was detected by Hitachi - 850 fluorospectrophotometer, calcineurin [CaN] activity was measured by colorimetric method, the expression of CaN protein was observed with immunocytochemistry, and the proto - oncogene c - fos mRNA expression was assessed with reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction [RT - PCR]. Compared with control group, AngII could greatly stimulate the increase of intracellular Ca[2]+ level, the activities and protein expression of cardiomyocytes CaN, and the expression of proto - oncogene c - fos mRNA in cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes, which could be effectively decreased by buckwheat rutin. Our results demonstrated that buckwheat rutin exhibited inhibitory effect on AngII - induced hypertrophy in cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes via Ca[2]+ antagonism action thus block the CaN - dependent signal pathway

Value of ER, VIM, CEA and p16 detection in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of primary endocervical and endometrial adenocarcinomas / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the value of the detection of a 4-marker (ER, VIM, CEA and p16) panel in the differential diagnosis of primary endocervical and endometrial adenocarcinomas.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Immunohistochemical EnVison method was used to detect the expressions of ER, VIM, CEA and p16 in paraffin-embedded tissues from 31 cases of primary endocervical adenocarcinomas and 30 cases of endometrial adenocarcinomas. The specificity, sensitivity, predictive value and accuracy were compared between the 4-marker and 3-marker (ER, VIM and CEA) panels.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The positivity rates of ER, VIM, CEA and p16 in endocervical adenocarcinomas were 35.5%, 19.4%, 77.4% and 67.7%, respectively; those in endometrial adenocarcinomas were 70%, 73.3%, 40% and 13.3%, respectively, showing significant frequency differences (P<0.05) between primary endocervical and endometrial adenocarcinomas. The specificity, sensitivity, positive predictive value and accuracy of the 4-marker panel in endocervical adenocarcinomas were significantly higher than those of the 3-marker panel (96.3% vs 90.2%, 65.1% vs 57.6%, 94.9% vs 89.4%, and 85.8% vs 80.6%, respectively). These values were almost similar for both panels in endometrial carcinoma except for better negative predictive value and accuracy value with the 4-marker panel (58.7% vs 51.9% and 75.4% vs 68.6%, respectively).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Adding the p16 marker to the traditional 3-marker panel may have significant clinical importance in the differential diagnosis of primary endocervical and endometrial adenocarcinomas to improve the diagnostic accuracy, although there is only a slight increase in the diagnostic sensitivity.</p>

Sclerosing epithelioid fibrosarcoma: a clinicopathologic study of eight cases / 中华病理学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the clinicopathologic features, immunophenotype and differential diagnosis of sclerosing epithelioid fibrosarcoma (SEF).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Eight cases of SEF were investigated by light microscopy and immunohistochemistry.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There were five males and three females. Clinically, most patients presented as a slowly growing mass. Six tumors were located in the extremities or limb girdles, and two in the trunk. Grossly, most lesions were relatively well-circumscribed with a nodular or lobulated appearance. They ranged from 2.0 to 10.5 cm in size (mean 6 cm). On sectioning, they had a gray-whitish cut surface and were firm in consistency. Microscopically, the tumors were composed of uniformly round or polygonal epithelioid cells with clear to eosinophilic cytoplasm. The tumor cells were arranged predominantly in single strands or cords and embedded in a heavily hyalinized matrix. In some areas, nests, sheets, acini or alveolar structures were also noted. Nuclei atypia and brisk mitotic activity was not evident. The mitotic count measured less than 1 per 10 high power fields. However in two cases, focal areas exhibited increased cellularity, nuclei atypia and higher mitotic activity, resembling conventional fibrosarcoma. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells showed diffuse and strong positivity for vimentin and focal or weak positivity for EMA. There was no expression for AE1/AE3, S-100 protein, HMB45, alpha-SMA, MSA, desmin, CD34, bcl-2, CD30 and LCA. Follow-up information in six patients revealed local recurrence in 3 cases and lung metastasis in 1 case.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>SEF is a rare variant of fibrosarcoma. Despite the relatively bland appearance and low mitotic activity, the tumor is capable of local recurrence and distant metastasis. Thus, it should be considered and treated as a low to intermediate grade sarcoma. SEF needs to be differentiated from a variety of benign or malignant tumors exhibiting epithelioid features and sclerotic stromal response.</p>

Farm compost polluted water may induce pharyngo-esophageal, gastric and liver carcinoma in the chicken / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study farm compost polluted water that may induce pharyngo-esophageal, gastric and liver carcinoma in chickens.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>280 chickens were randomized into 4 groups: experiment group 100 chickens fed with compost water + NaNO(2) by stomach tube. The other 180 were evenly randomized into 3 control groups (60 each), fed with compost water, NaNO(2) and tap water in the same way. The farm compost was prepared with corn stalks, rice straws, excreta of men and livestock. The compost water, after being nitrosified and acidified, was fed through stomach tube 5 - 7.5 ml/session, twice a week. Besides, a solution consisting of the respective formula of each group added with 3 - 4 L water with pH adjusted to 3 - 4 by 1N HCL was given ad lib to all chickens in each group for 26.5 months.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In the experiment group, there were pharyngo-esophageal carcinoma 16 (16.3%), gastric adenocarcinoma 5 (10.4%) and liver carcinoma 3 (6.3%), in contrast to none in the 3 control groups, showing significant differences (P < 0.01, P < 0.01, P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Successful simulation of the layout of esophageal carcinoma high morbidity area and the mimic of chicken gastric fluid strongly support our compost etiological hypothesis that the nitrosified and acidified compost water are carcinogenic, very well causing esophageal, gastric and liver carcinoma.</p>