Retroperitoneal Fibrosarcoma: A Rare Case Report.

Retroperitoneal sarcomas are rare tumors ranging from only 1% to 2% of all solid malignancies. Among all sarcomas, most of these occur outside the retroperitoneum. Only 10-20% of sarcomas are retroperitoneal sarcomas, and the overall incidence is 0.3-0.4% per 100,000 of the population. The diagnosis and treatment of retroperitoneal sarcomas are challenging because the tumors are quite rare and usually present in latter stages of the disease in an anatomically complex location. A rare case of recurrent retroperitoneal fibrosarcoma in a 23-year-old male presented as a mass per abdomen. Retroperitoneal sarcomas are malignant tumors arising from mesenchymal cells, which are usually located in muscle, fat, and connective tissues.

Effect of substituting increasing levels of organic Zn for inorganic Zn on performance, hematological and serum biochemical constituents, antioxidant status and immune response in rat

The effect of replacing dietary Zn supplemented from inorganic [ZnCO3] source with organic Zn [Zn methionine; Zn-met] was investigated in 72 rats [98.42 +/- 1.483 g] by randomly allotting to 4 diets [6 replicates/diet, 3 rats/replicate]. Basal diet was prepared with purified ingredients without Zn. The control diet [AIN-76A] contained 12 ppm of Zn from ZnCO3 [100-I]. In the other diets ZnCO3 was replaced with Zn-met at the rates of 50 [50I:50O], 75 [25I:75O] or 100% [100-O]. Weekly body weight and daily feed intake were recorded for 14 weeks. Blood was collected by retro-orbital puncture on the 70th and 80th day to determine haematological and various serum biochemical constituents, and antioxidant enzyme activities in haemolysate, respectively. Rats were antigenically challenged with sheep RBC on day 73 to assess humoral immune response [HIR], and on day 95 for cell mediated immune response [CMIR] and rats were sacrificed at the end of rearing period to collect liver, muscle, pancreas and kidneys for Zn estimation and oxidative stress markers in liver. The data were analysed using completely randomized design. Weight gain and feed intake, hematological and serum biochemical constituents, Zn content in organs [except liver] were not influenced by replacing ZnCO3 with Zn-met. Zinc concentrations in the serum and liver were higher [P<0.05] with 50% replacement of ZnCO3 with Zn-met compared to 0 or 100% replacement. Lower [P<0.05] lipid peroxidation and higher [P<0.05] glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase activities were observed with 50 and 75% replacement of ZnCO3 with Zn-met compared to 0 or 100% replacement. Protein carbonyls and reduced glutathione in liver were not affected, while TBARS decreased [P<0.05] with substituting Zn-met [50-100%] for ZnCO3. The HIR and CMIR increased with increasing Zn-met supplementation and the highest response was observed with 75-100% replacement of ZnCO3 with Zn-met. It is concluded that replacement of 50 or 75% of ZnCO3 with Zn-met increased antioxidant and immune response in rats with no effect on growth

Common celiacomesenteric trunk: a rare anatomic variation / Tronco único celíaco-mesentérico: uma variante anatômica rara

Common celiacomesenteric trunk, with the celiac and superior mesenteric arteries having a common origin from the aorta, is the least frequently reported anatomic variation of all abdominal vascular anomalies. Knowledge of variations concerning the celiac trunk and superior mesenteric artery are of great importance for both surgical approaches and angiographic examinations. Clinicians should keep in mind these variations to avoid complications.

O tronco único celíaco-mesentérico, com as artérias celíaca e mesentérica superior tendo uma origem comum a partir da aorta, é a variante anatômica menos reportada dentre todas as anomalias vasculares abdominais. Conhecer as variantes do tronco celíaco e da artéria mesentérica superior é de grande importância tanto para abordagens cirúrgicas quanto para exames angiográficos. É importante que os médicos tenham em mente essas variantes a fim de evitar complicações.

Oestradiol regulated keratin gene expression in rat vaginal epithelial cells.

Oestradiol acts both as a mitogen and as an inducer of differentiation of target cells. The cellular responses to oestradiol are generally mediated through the regulation of gene expression, although nongenomic modes of action are also documented. The present observations show that the regulation of keratin gene expression in rat vaginal epithelial cells is under the influence of oestradiol. It is observed that oestradiol regulates both the qualitative and quantitative expressions of keratin polypeptides in a time dependent and sequence specific manner. These regulatory effects are the result of modulations in transcriptional, post-transcriptional and translational processes of these genes, brought about by the hormone in vaginal epithelial cells.