ABSTRACT
CASE: A 65-year-old man presented with plantar foot pain associated with a mass in the first webspace. A Morton neuroma was considered the probable diagnosis. Despite nonoperative treatment the pain continued. Surgical excision was performed, and histology was interpreted as a schwannoma. Symptoms resolved after surgery. CONCLUSION: Schwannoma of the foot is a rare condition, and to the best of our knowledge, this is the first case reported in the first webspace. Definitive treatment and diagnosis is surgical excision. Surgeons should consider schwannomas in the differential diagnosis of plantar foot pain because this can be misdiagnosed as a Morton neuroma.
Subject(s)
Neurilemmoma , Aged , Diagnosis, Differential , Foot/pathology , Humans , Male , Neurilemmoma/diagnostic imaging , Neurilemmoma/surgeryABSTRACT
A study was conducted to assess Typha spp.'s ability to withstand and remove, from water, a metabolite of blood lipid regulator drugs, clofibric acid (CA). At a concentration of 20 microg L(-1), Typha had removed >50% of CA within the first 48h, reaching a maximum of 80% by the end of the assay. Experimental conditions assured that photodegradation, adsorption to vessel walls and microbial degradation did not contribute to the removal. Exposure to higher CA concentrations did not affect Typha's photosynthetic pigments but the overall increase in enzyme activity (ascorbate and guaiacol peroxidases, catalase, superoxide dismutase) indicates that both roots and leaves were affected by the xenobiotic. Eventually, Typha seemed able to cope with the CA's induced oxidative damage suggesting its ability for phytoremediation of CA contaminated waters.
