Rectal gastrointestinal stromal tumor mimicking a primary prostatic lesion.

The interstitial cells of Cajal have been identified in locations beyond the gastrointestinal tract, including the prostate, uterus and bladder. Indeed, there are reports of primary gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) arising from each of these sites. We report the case of a 72-year old male who presented with benign prostatic hypertrophy and was diagnosed on retropubic prostatectomy as having a GIST. While the initial clinical and radiologic impression was that of a primary prostatic GIST, subsequent imaging ultimately revealed a small rectal extension as the source of the lesion. The purpose of our report is to highlight the need to assiduously rule-out gastrointestinal sources of GIST prior to making the diagnosis of primary prostatic GIST.

Inhibition of poly(adenosine diphosphate-ribose) polymerase attenuates ventilator-induced lung injury.

BACKGROUND: Mechanical ventilation can induce organ injury associated with overwhelming inflammatory responses. Excessive activation of poly(adenosine diphosphate-ribose) polymerase enzyme after massive DNA damage may aggravate inflammatory responses. Therefore, the authors hypothesized that the pharmacologic inhibition of poly(adenosine diphosphate-ribose) polymerase by PJ-34 would attenuate ventilator-induced lung injury. METHODS: Anesthetized rats were subjected to intratracheal instillation of lipopolysaccharide at a dose of 6 mg/kg. The animals were then randomly assigned to receive mechanical ventilation at either low tidal volume (6 ml/kg) with 5 cm H2O positive end-expiratory pressure or high tidal volume (15 ml/kg) with zero positive end-expiratory pressure, in the presence and absence of intravenous administration of PJ-34. RESULTS: The high-tidal-volume ventilation resulted in an increase in poly(adenosine diphosphate-ribose) polymerase activity in the lung. The treatment with PJ-34 maintained a greater oxygenation and a lower airway plateau pressure than the vehicle control group. This was associated with a decreased level of interleukin 6, active plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 in the lung, attenuated leukocyte lung transmigration, and reduced pulmonary edema and apoptosis. The administration of PJ-34 also decreased the systemic levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin 6, and attenuated the degree of apoptosis in the kidney. CONCLUSION: The pharmacologic inhibition of poly(adenosine diphosphate-ribose) polymerase reduces ventilator-induced lung injury and protects kidney function.