ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE: Aggressive Angiomyxoma (AA) is an uncommon, locally infiltrative mesenchymal tumor that primarily originates from perineal and pelvic sites of women, particularly in the 4th decade of life with having an emphasized tendency for local recurrence, whereas it has a low tendency to metastasize. Patients often present with nonspecific symptoms such as painless visible mass that might be misdiagnosed with every mass in genital and pelvic sites in reproductive-age women. CASE PRESENTATION: We describe a 31-year-old female presenting with an enlargement on the right labia majora. Ultrasound and magnetic resonance were carried out, and the mass was surgically excised completely and without complication. The diagnosis of AA was made based on characteristic histopathological features. The postoperative follow-up for recurrence is currently being continued. CLINICAL DISCUSSION: Due to its rarity and lack of specificity in clinical and radiological examinations, the pre-operative misdiagnosis rate of AA is rather high. Hence, most cases are diagnosed on histology after initial surgical excision. Surgical management is the gold standard treatment for primary tumors; however, in case of local recurrences, treatment choices range from surgical resection to gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist for tumors positive for estrogen and progesterone receptors. CONCLUSION: Wide surgical resection is the gold standard treatment of AA; however, exceptions might occur due to the depth of tumor infiltration to adjacent viscera. Therefore, adjunct medical therapies can play a crucial role in treatment. In addition, long-term follow-up is necessary due to the high rate of local recurrences.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: Nowadays, actin-binding proteins such as Villin and Gelsolin have been considered to be associated with aggressive tumors. This study mainly aims to determine the relationship between Gelsolin and Villin genes expression and metastasis of axillary lymph nodes in patients with breast cancer. METHODS: The included population consisted of 40 confirmed cases of female breast cancer (including 20 patients with breast cancer along with axillary lymph node metastasis and 20 patients without axillary lymph node metastasis). Expression of Villin and Gelsolin genes was evaluated using Real-time PCR and pre-designed primers. RESULTS: The mean expression level of Villin in groups with and without axillary lymph node metastasis was 3.33±1.35 and 0.87±0.88, respectively (P<0.001). The mean Gelsolin expression levels in both groups (with and without axillary lymph node metastasis) were 4.13±2.40 and 1.00±0.35, respectively (P<0.001). The significant relationships were independent of individuals' age. CONCLUSION: Patients with axillary lymph node metastasis may express significant higher level of Villin and Gelsolin genes.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To assess and compare the efficacy of on-demand versus daily dosages of tadalafil in the treatment of erectile dysfunction. METHODS: The case-control double-blind study was conducted at the Department of Urology, Tehran University of Medical Science, Imam Khomeini Hospital, from March 2008 to January 2010. It comprised 100 males suffering from erectile dysfunction who were randomised into two groups; one receiving on-demand tadalafil (10mg), and the other receiving once-daily dose of tadalafil (10mg). The erectile function domain of the International Index of Erectile Function was evaluated initially at the baseline and then at 24 weeks after treatment. To evaluate the possible cumulative effect of tadalafil, the index was measured in the group taking daily tadalafil at 12 weeks after the initiation of the treatment. SPSS 13 was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: The study showed significant improvement in the mean erectile function domain measured after 24 weeks in both daily (17.08+/-3.896 vs baseline 12.64+/-2.92; p<0.001) and on-demand (15.46+/-3.64 vs baseline 13.48+/-2.86; p<0.001) groups. Data showed significant difference in mean scores between on-demand and daily groups (p = 0.03). In daily group, the mean domain measured at the 24th week showed significant improvement compared to the mean score of the 12th week (p <0.001). CONCLUSION: Treatment with daily tadalafil was associated with a significantly higher erectile function domain score compared to the on-demand use. The significant difference between mean scores of 12th week and 24th week in the daily group points towards the possible cumulative effect of tadalafil.
