[Clear cell squamous cell carcinoma [case report]]

This is the case of male aged 57 years old who had a squamous cell carcinoma,clear cell type, of iliac location. He previously had clear cell SCC in the laryux

Histopathological findings in chronic pharmacoresistant temporal epilepsy: a pathognomonic combination of lesions maintaining neuron injury?

Progression and pharmacoresistance of epileptic seizures is clinically not yet well predicted and comprehensible. This was a pathological study of surgical specimens of resected temporal lobe and hippocampus in chronic pharmacoresistant temporal epilepsy, in order to determine any lesions that might play a role in the onset or in the maintenance of this type of epilepsy, and any lesions that might result in as wide a variety of lesions as have been reported in the different studies in the literature. This was a prospective histopathological study of successive mesial temporal and extrahippocampal structures removed from patients suffering from refractory epilepsy. Serial cut sections of 1.5 - 2 mm were studied between October 1997 and December 2004 in the Epilepsy Centre of Damascus University. A retrospective review was done later. Sixty-six consecutive surgical specimens from 66 patients with refractory epilepsy lasting for 1 - 32 years [mean = 16.2 years] were received and studied. Our series included 33 males and 33 females [2 - 45 years; average 22 years]. Pathological study revealed some constant lesions observed in all cases: signs of neuronal injury with cell lysis, apoptosis followed by neuronal loss, cortical dysplasia/ dysgenesis, hippocampal and temporal gliosis and focal degenerative cystic changes. Other observations were as follows: neuroglial tumours and malformations [20 cases, 30%], subependymal cortical heterotopia [13 cases, 20%], gyral fusion [16 cases, 24%] with abnormal elongation of the sulcus in [6 cases 9%], inflammation [10 cases, 15%], vascular tumours/ malformations [5 cases, 7.5%], gliomas [5 cases, 7.5%], severe atrophy [2 cases, 3%], small meningeal nodule [1 case, 1.5%], and old haemorrhage [1 case, 1.5%].In this series, a large variety of lesions were found with constant signs of neuronal injury and loss. A presumable epileptogenic focus was found in many cases [58%], and the multiplicity and multifocality of lesions were well documented. A good understanding of the sequencing of the processes leading to cell injury might contribute in the prevention of progression of epileptic seizure in previously susceptible patients

Plurihormonal secretion in pituitary adenomas: immunohistological study of 100 cases

Background and Pituitary adenomas show wide variability in morphology and function. The aim of this study is to find out the hormonal secretion in these adenomas, as plurihormonality might have a relationship with tumor development. Material and Histopathological and immunohistological studies were done on 100 consecutive pituitary adenomas removed by transsphenoidal resection in the university hospitals of Damascus University, to reveal the secretion of five pituitary hormones: PRL, GH, LH ACTH, and TSH, over a period of 27 months, between 2000-2002. Adenomas had equal incidence in males and females [50M, aged 6-60y and 50 females, aged 10-64y]. The mostly observed adenomas were PRL-secreting adenoma in males [15 cases=30% of adenomas in males], and GH-PRL-secreting adenoma in females [16 cases=32% of adenomas in females]. There was monohormonal secretion in 37% of adenomas, bihormonal secretion in 43% of adenomas, and plurihormonal secretion in 18% of adenomas. Traces of hormonal secretion were found in 92% of the nonsecreting adenomas. In 2% of adenomas, no secretion could be detected. The study showed that plurihormonality is common in pituitary adenomas. As most of these pituitary adenomas were benign, it suggests that there is no relationship between plurihormonality and aggressiveness