ABSTRACT
We describe a case of chronic meningoencephalitis with hydrocephalus caused by Cryptococcus bacillisporus (VGIII) in an immunocompetent patient from Santa Cruz, Bolivia. This first report of a member of the Cryptococcus gattii species complex from Bolivia suggests that C. bacillisporus (VGIII) is present in this tropical region of the country and complements our epidemiological and clinical knowledge of this group of emerging fungal pathogens in South America.
ABSTRACT
Endobronchial chondromas are rare benign tumors. They may be part of the Carney triad; however, isolated endobronchial chondromas can occur in the larynx, trachea, and bronchi. We report a case of an endobronchial chondroma in a 61-y-old man with an incidental 5-mm endobronchial polypoid lesion at the proximal left main bronchus that was later found to be an endobronchial chondroma. Flexible bronchoscopy demonstrated a pedunculated, vascularized, pink mass. An excisional biopsy revealed a well-circumscribed lesion with nodular areas of mature cartilage and myxoid tissue confirmatory of an endobronchial chondroma. We reviewed a total of 23 cases of isolated endobronchial chondromas reported in the medical literature. Despite their rarity, endobronchial chondromas should be considered in the differential diagnosis of endobronchial tumors. Prompt recognition and resection of endobronchial chondromas is important to prevent airway obstruction and its associated complications.
Subject(s)
Bronchial Neoplasms/diagnostic imaging , Bronchial Neoplasms/pathology , Chondroma/diagnostic imaging , Chondroma/pathology , Biopsy , Bronchoscopy , Humans , Incidental Findings , Male , Middle Aged , RadiographyABSTRACT
Se ha establecido que el empleo inapropiado de la ventilación mecánica (VM) es capaz de generar daño pulmonar y de amplificar una noxa pulmonar pre-existente. Éste fenómeno mecánico, denominado injuria pulmonar inducida por VM (VILI), es capaz de gatillar consecuencias biológicas locales y a distancia. La hipotermia ha sido empleada en situaciones clínicas que generan un desequilibrio entre la entrega y el consumo tisular de oxígeno, debido a su capacidad de reducir este último. Nuestro objetivo fue determinar el efecto de la hipotermia moderada (HM) sobre marcadores biológicos de VILI e intercambio gaseoso.Se emplearon 12 ratas Sprague-Dawley machos adultas. Tras ser anestesiadas se intubaron y ventilaron mecánicamente en modalidad presión control, PIM 40 cmH2O, ZEEP, FR 60/min, TIM 25 por ciento, FIO2 100 por ciento. Los animales se aleatorizaron a grupos normotermia (N) (37 ± 1ºC) y HM (34 ± 1ºC), medido a nivel de esófago torácico. Se registró gasometría arterial, gravimetría, análisis histológico y medición de concentración de proteínas, interleukina (IL)-1[beta] (IL-1b) y factor de necrosis tumoral (TNF)-[alfa] (TNF-a) en el sobrenadante del lavado bronco alveolar (LBA) y plasma.Los animales con HM redujeron relación peso húmedo/seco y la PaCO2, respecto a los animales normotérmicos, no siendo significativa la mejoría de la PaO2. Hubo además una reducción de los niveles sistémicos de citoquinas inflamatorias en el grupo HM. No hubo diferencias respecto al score histológico de daño pulmonar ni de concentración de proteínas en LBA. En este modelo experimental la HM provocó una reducción del agua extravascular pulmonar y citoquinas inflamatorias plasmáticas, lo que refleja menor daño, asociado a una disminución significativa en la PaCO2. Estos hechos ameritan la realización de nuevos estudios que demuestre su rol como terapia adyuvante al manejo ventilatorio de pulmones agudamente dañados, ampliando el tradicional rol de la HM en cuidados críticos.
The inadequate use of Mechanical Ventilation (MV) has proved to generate lung damage and to increase a pre-existing pulmonary injury. This mechanical event, called ventilator induced lung injury (VILI), can generate local and distant biological effects. Hypothermia has been used in clinical situations, which result in an imbalance between oxygen consumption (VO2) and delivery (DO2) due to its ability to reduce VO2. Our objective was to determine the effect of Moderate Hypothermia (MH) on biological markers of VILI and in gas exchange.Twelve Sprague-Dawley adult male rats were used. After anesthesia, the rats were randomly assigned to normothermia (37ºC) and MH (34ºC), which was induced by surface cooling. They were cannulated and mechanically ventilated with controlled pressure ventilation, PIP 40 cmH2O, ZEEP, (PEEP=0) RR 60/min, Ti 25 percent, FIO2 100 percent. The esophageal temperature was maintained within ± 1°C. Arterial blood gases, lung gravimetry, histological analysis and measurement of protein content, IL-1b and TNF-a were registered in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) supernatant, both cytokines were also measured in plasma.The animals with MH showed a significant reduction in the wet lung weight/dry lung weight ratio and the PaCO2, in relation to the normothermic animals. There was also a reduction of the inflammatory systemic cytokines in the MH group. There were no differences in PaO2, histological score and protein content in BAL. In this experimental model, MH reduced extra vascular lung water, which reflects lesser damage associated to a significative reduction in PaCO2 and inflammatory systemic cytokines. These facts justify new studies, which would prove its role as an aid in the ventilatory management of severely damaged lungs, increasing the traditional role of MH in critical care.
Subject(s)
Rats , Animals , Lung Diseases/etiology , Lung Diseases/prevention & control , Hypothermia, Induced , Respiration, Artificial/adverse effects , Disease Models, Animal , Lung Diseases/physiopathology , Pulmonary Gas Exchange/physiology , Rats, Sprague-DawleyABSTRACT
Despite well-established histopathological features and the development of immunostaining of human neoplasms, there are a number of cases in which surgical pathologists cannot assure the origin of synchronous and metachronous tumors. In many cases, the classification of these lesions as either two separate primary tumors or as a single primary tumor with a metastasis has significant implications with respect to patient prognosis and recommendations for therapy. To establish the origin of tumors, we assessed tumor cell clonality using PCR-based microsatellite analysis on microdissected archival tissues for loss of heterozygosity (LOH) and microsatellite instability (MSI) in a series of 19 paired synchronous and metachronous tumors from several organs. As a control group, 15 autopsy cases with an unequivocally recognizable primary tumor and associated metastases were also examined. Based on LOH and MSI findings, and using a panel of 4 to 12 (median 7) microsatellite markers, we were able to establish the clonal pattern of microsatellite changes in 17 out of 19 (89%) biopsy cases and thus determine if they were either double primary tumors (41%) or metastases (59%). Of interest, identical or similar pattern of microsatellite abnormalities were detected in 15 primary tumors and corresponding metastasis from autopsies. Our results indicate that microsatellite analysis for LOH and MSI, as an expression of clonality, provides a useful tool to distinguish double primary neoplasms and metastases in synchronous and metachronous tumors.
