Extracellular matrix molecules as targets for brown spider venom toxins

Loxoscelism, the term used to describe lesions and clinical manifestations induced by brown spider's venom (Loxosceles genus), has attracted much attention over the last years. Brown spider bites have been reported to cause a local and acute inflammatory reaction that may evolve to dermonecrosis (a hallmark of envenomation) and hemorrhage at the bite site, besides systemic manifestations such as thrombocytopenia, disseminated intravascular coagulation, hemolysis, and renal failure. The molecular mechanisms by which Loxosceles venoms induce injury are currently under investigation. In this review, we focused on the latest reports describing the biological and physiopathological aspects of loxoscelism, with reference mainly to the proteases recently described as metalloproteases and serine proteases, as well as on the proteolytic effects triggered by L. intermedia venom upon extracellular matrix constituents such as fibronectin, fibrinogen, entactin and heparan sulfate proteoglycan, besides the disruptive activity of the venom on Engelbreth-Holm-Swarm basement membranes. Degradation of these extracellular matrix molecules and the observed disruption of basement membranes could be related to deleterious activities of the venom such as loss of vessel and glomerular integrity and spreading of the venom toxins to underlying tissues

Carcinoma embrional de testiculo na crianca. Relato de 3 casos. / Testicular embrional carcinoma in children. Report of a case

Os autores descrevem tres casos de carcinoma embrional de testiculo em criancas. Fazem um estudo sob o ponto de vista da incidencia, etiologia, estadios clinicos e terapeutica desta patologia. A evolucao desses casos foi ma, por ja se encontrarem no estadio II, vindo a obito meses apos a orquiectomia. A revisao bibliografica revelou haver divergencias entre os diferentes autores, quanto ao tratamento indicado e prognostico, nos casos de carcinoma embrional de testiculo do estadio II: utilizam orquiectomia simples ou conbinada com linfadenectomia, quimioterapia e radioterapia, em diferentes esquemas