Bilateral optic neuritis in a patient with Behcet's disease who respond to therapeutic plasma exchange

Bilateral optic neuritis has been reported very rarely as a manifestation of neuro-Behçet's disease. We present a 50 year old woman who had 20-year history of Behçet's disease presented with acutely blurred vision associated with orbital pain in both eyes. Visual acuity was 0.4 in the right eye and light perception in the left eye; afferent pupillary defect was detected in the left eye. Bilateral swelling of the optic disk was found. The cerebrospinal fluid sample tests were within normal limits. Brain magnetic resonance imaging, magnetic resonance venography and fundus fluorescein angiography were normal. She was diagnosed with bilateral optic neuritis and treated with intravenous methyl prednisolone for 10 days. As there was no response to the treatment, therapeutic plasma exchange was started and the patient's visual acuities improved moderately. We suggest that when high dose steroid is failed to treat ON in BD, treatment with TPE may be considered

Well-Differentiated Papillary Mesothelioma of the Tunica Vaginalis: A Case Study and Review of the Literature

Well-differentiated papillary mesothelioma is an uncommon tumor of the testes that usually presents as a hydrocele. Here, we present the case of one patient who did not have a history of asbestos exposure. The tumor was localized in the tunica vaginalis and was composed of three pedunculated masses macroscopically. Microscopically, branching papillary structures with focal coagulative necrosis were present. In addition to immunohistochemistry, simian virus 40 DNA was also tested by polymerase chain reaction. This report presents one case of this rare entity, its clinical and macroscopic features, and follow-up results.

Effects of Long-term Administration of the Antiaging Hormone Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate on Rat Prostates and Testes as Androgen-Dependent Organs

PURPOSE: This study aimed to determine the effects of the long-term use of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) on rat prostates and testes as well as on serum testosterone and DHEAS levels. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty male rats aged 4 to 5 months were studied. A DHEAS suspension of 5 mg/kg per rat was administered orally to the 15 rats in the experimental group 5 times a week, whereas saline was administered concurrently to the 15 rats in the control group. Intracardiac blood samples were drawn to determine hormone levels, and histological samples of prostate and testes were evaluated under light microscopy. RESULTS: At the end of the 6-month study period, histological examinations performed on prostate preparations showed that the atrophy score of the experimental group was significantly lower than the scores of the sham and control groups (p<0.001 and p<0.001, respectively). The serum total testosterone and DHEAS levels of the rats in the study group were significantly increased (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In our study, we determined that the long-term use of DHEAS does not have any detrimental effects on the prostate or the testis; on the contrary, it protects the prostate from atrophy, which is imperative for the continuation of fertility as well as for increasing serum testosterone and DHEAS levels.