Mucinous cystadenoma of the liver with ovarian-like stroma: the need for complete resection.

Cystadenoma of the liver is a rare neoplasm. Although many cystadenomas are asymptomatic, symptoms can include abdominal pain, postprandial epigastric discomfort, and nausea. Dramatic changes in hepatic imaging techniques have been helpful for diagnosing cystic lesions of the liver, such as simple cyst, hydatid cyst, cystadenoma, cystadenocarcinoma, and metastatic neuroendocrine tumors. However, it remains difficult to differentiate cystadenoma from cystadenocarcinoma for multiseptated cystic hepatic lesions with papillary projection on computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Here we report the case of a 47-year-old woman with several months of postprandial discomfort and abdominal fullness. CT and MRI revealed multiseptated cystic lesions with papillary excrescences. A left hemihepatectomy was performed. Histology showed a benign mucinous cystic tumor with ovarian-like stroma.

Cryopreservation of cultivated and wild potato varieties by droplet vitrification: effect of subculture of mother-plants and of preculture of shoot tips.

In this paper, we studied the effect of subculture of mother-plants and of preculture of shoot tips of two potato varieties (Dejima, cultivated and STN13, wild) cryopreserved using the droplet-vitrification technique. The subculture conditions (light intensity, aeration and planting density) significantly affected survival of both non-cryopreserved and cryopreserved shoot-tips in both varieties. The subculture duration and the position of the shoot tips on the axis of the in vitro plantlets had a significant (P<0.0001) effect on survival of cryopreserved shoot tips. The optimal subculture duration was 7 and 5 weeks and the optimal size of shoot tips was 1.5-2.0 and 1.0-1.5 mm for var. Dejima and STN13, respectively. Survival of cryopreserved shoot tips was influenced by the sucrose concentration in the preculture medium and the preculture duration. The highest survival of cryopreserved shoot tips was observed after preculture with 0.3 M sucrose for 8 h followed by 0.7 M sucrose for 18 h. These results indicate that the parameters of the subculture of mother-plants and of preculture of shoot tips should be carefully optimized, especially in the case of wild species.

Cryopreservation of garlic bulbil primordia by the droplet-vitrification procedure.

The droplet-vitrification protocol, a combination of droplet-freezing and solution-based vitrification was applied for cryopreserving garlic bulbil primordia. The highest survival and regeneration percentages of cryopreserved primordia (90.1 to 95.0 percent and 82.7 to 85.0 percent, respectively) were achieved after preculture for 2-4 days at 10 degree C on solid medium with 0.1 - 0.3 M sucrose, loading for 50 minutes in liquid medium with 2 M glycerol + 0.5 M sucrose, dehydration with PVS3 vitrification solution for 90-150 min, cooling primordia in 5 microl droplets of PVS3 vitrification solution placed on aluminum foil strips by dipping these strips in liquid nitrogen, warming them by plunging the foil strips into pre-heated (40 degree C) 0.8 M sucrose solution for 30 s and further incubation in the same solution for 30 minutes. The optimized droplet-vitrification protocol was successfully applied to bulbil primordia of five garlic varieties originating from various countries and to immature bulbils of two vegetatively propagated Allium species, with regeneration percentages ranging between 77.4 - 95.4 percent.

Thermal analysis of garlic shoot tips during a vitrification procedure.

The thermal behavior of garlic shoot tips was analyzed during the course of a vitrification protocol using the PVS3 vitrification solution. The size of shoot tips did not significantly influence the thermal behavior of garlic shoot tips. Though there was no significance, endo-thermal enthalpy from melting of crystalline ice increased as preculture duration increased to 6 days. Preculture on medium with 0.5 M sucrose significantly lowered exo- and endothermal enthalpies of dehydration-control shoot tips. By contrast, after dehydration with PVS3 solution, the concentration of sucrose in preculture medium had no significant effect on the value of enthalpies. A big thermal event was observed in garlic shoot tips air-dried for 1-3 h before dehydration. Both vitrification solution and dehydration duration significantly (P < 0.0001) influenced exo- and endothermal enthalpies. After dehydration with PVS1, PVS2, Fahy or Steponkus solutions for 120 min, only a small peak was detected in some shoot tips, but recovery of cryopreserved shoot tips was low. Dehydration duration with PVS3 solution significantly (P < 0.0001) influenced exo- and endothermal enthalpies and onset temperatures during cooling and warming. After dehydration for 150 and 180 min with PVS3 vitrification solution, no crystallization was observed during cooling and warming in most replicates, and recovery of cryopreserved shoot tips was highest (> 80%). There was a significant (P < 0.001) negative correlation between moisture content of shoot tips and concentration of sucrose and glycerol, and regeneration of cryopreserved shoot tips. By contrast, there was a significant (P < 0.001) positive correlation between MC and enthalpy of ice melting, and onset temperature of crystallization. Overall, the results of the analysis of the thermal behavior of garlic shoot tips coincide very well with their recovery after cryopreservation and provide a very useful tool for the establishment and optimization of cryopreservation protocols.

Assessment of desiccation sensitivity of tea embryos for cryopreservation.

Tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze) has been reported as a species with recalcitrant seeds. The seeds can be stored for less than one year under high humidity conditions in a refrigerator at 5-7 degrees C. An efficient cryopreservation protocol for tea embryos using embryonic axes with portions of cotyledons still attached as drying material was established, which led to survival percentages around 92%. However, understanding the pattern of desiccation sensitivity, which is the key-limiting factor for cryopreservation, is of importance for implementation of cryopreservation using this protocol. In this study, the degree of desiccation sensitivity of tea seeds and cotyledonary embryonic axes (CEAs) was studied as a function of dehydration velocity, repeated dehydration-rehydration cycles, storage temperature, duration of storage of dried CEAs at room temperature, and seed harvesting date. This study suggests that there are no less than two mechanisms involved in desiccation sensitivity of tea seeds and embryos. Firstly, desiccation sensitivity of tea embryos occurs predominantly in a quantitative manner with continuous variation under intermediate dehydrated status rather than because of desiccation itself to a critical moisture content (MC). Secondly, desiccation sensitivity is due to the removal of the structural water at MCs of lower than 11.5%, when the EAs are flash-dried.