A histological and immunohistochemical study of the effects of N-acetyl cysteine on retinopathy of prematurity by modifying insulin-like growth factor-1.

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a vasoproliferative disorder that occurs in premature infants and may lead to permanent visual impairment. We investigated both the possible protective role of N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) for preventing ROP and the role of IGF-1 in the disorder. Forty-five newborn rats were divided into three groups. Group 1 was raised in room air as controls. Group 2 was exposed to 60% oxygen for 14 days after birth, then transferred to room air. Group 3 was exposed to the same conditions as group 2, but received intraperitoneal injections of NAC on postnatal days 7-17. After 35 days, both eyes of all rats were processed for histology. Some sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin to assess structural changes and other sections were immunostained to determine the location of IGF-1. Frozen sections also were prepared and stained for adenosine triphosphatase to detect retinal blood vessels. Compared to the controls, more blood vessels, many of which were abnormal, and increased IGF-1 expression were observed in group 2. In group 3, abnormal blood vessels and IGF-1 expression were less evident. NAC appeared to be an effective vascular-protective agent for ROP by decreasing IGF-1 expression.

Role of epidermal stem cells in repair of partial-thickness burn injury after using Moist Exposed Burn Ointment (MEBO(®)) histological and immunohistochemical study.

Moist Exposed Burn Ointment (MEBO(®)) is widely used topical agent applied on skin burn. This study investigated the effect of MEBO topical application on activation and proliferation of epidermal stem cells through the immunohistochemical localization of cytokeratin 19 (CK19) as a known marker expressed in epidermal stem cells. Biopsies from normal skin and burn wounds were taken from 21 patients with partial thickness burn 1, 4, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days after treatment with MEBO. Tissue sections were prepared for histological study and for CK19 immunohistochemical localization. In control skin, only few cells showed a positive CK19 immune-reaction. Burned skin showed necrosis of full thickness epidermis that extended to dermis. Gradual regeneration of skin accompanied with an enhancement in CK19 immune-reactivity was noted 4, 7, 14 and 21 days after treatment with MEBO. On day 28, a complete regeneration of skin was observed with a return of CK19 immune-reactivity to the basal pattern again. In conclusion, the enhancement of epidermal stem cell marker CK19 after treatment of partial thickness burn injuries with MEBO suggested the role of MEBO in promoting epidermal stem cell activation and proliferation during burn wound healing.

Burned children pay a costly price for carelessness and wrong behaviours.

Burns are among the most devastating injuries of all and they are responsible for higher hospitalization, morbidity, and mortality rates than other injuries in children. In addition, the management of burns and their sequelae is extremely expensive. Carelessness and wrong behaviours are the main players in burn injuries, especially in children, independently of their socioeconomic level. These burned children pay a costly price. The purpose of this study is to analyse the mechanisms of burn injuries in children in order to highlight the importance of behavioural changes for the reduction of burn injuries in children.

En age âge pédiatrique, les lésions provoquées par les brûlures se classifient parmi les lésions les plus dévastatrices, responsables - indépendamment des facteurs socioéconomiques - d'un taux d'hospitalisation, de morbidité et de mortalité plus élevé des autres pathologies. La gestion des brûlures et de leurs séquelles est extrêmement coûteuse. Les brûlures en âge pédiatrique se produisent principalement à cause de comportements négligents et erronés. Les enfants brulés paient un prix trop élevé. Nous voulons analyser le mécanisme des brûlures chez les enfants dans le but de mettre en évidence l'importance de réaliser des changements de comportement afin de réduire le fléau des brulures en age pédiatrique.

Odontogenic myxofibroma synchronous with primary angiosarcoma of the spleen.

Odontogenic myxofibroma of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a rare tumour; moreover, primary splenic angiosarcoma (PAS) in paediatric patients is extremely rare. We report on a 15-year-old boy who presented with right TMJ swelling and subsequently developed epigastric and right upper quadrant pain. The TMJ swelling proved to be odontogenic myxofibroma and the abdominal pain was a result of primary splenic angiosarcoma with hepatic metastasis. We report for the first time the synchronous presentation of PAS and odontogenic myxofibroma in a paediatric patient, and we describe the radiological features along with the histological diagnosis and clinical outcome. Uptake in (18)F-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography is also described for the first time for both these tumours.

Improving quality of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreaticography: esomeprazole versus ranitidine.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Ranitidine and Esomeprazole on the pancreatico-biliary tree and to define their role in improving visualization quality on magnetic resonance cholangiopancreaticography images. METHODOLOGY: Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreaticography was done on 70 volunteers before and after using ranitidine for half of them and esomeprazole for the other half of the group. The images were evaluated for contrast effect (signal from stomach and duodenum), and image effect (conspicuousness) at various segments of pancreaticobiliary tree. RESULTS: Improvement of Contrast effect on stomach and duodenum in Esomeprazole group was 72.5% and in Ranitidine group was 28.6%. While image effect of pancreatic duct for Esomeprazole was 60% and for Ranitidine was 17.1%, and their statistical results were in concordance with p value (< 0.01), but the image effect of the biliary tree didn't show any significant improvement or difference between imaging and statistical results. CONCLUSION: Esomeprazole is superior to Ranitidine in improving the quality of Magnetic Resonance Cholangiopancreaticography images especially the contrast effect of duodenum and stomach and image effect of pancreatic duct.

Congenital pseudoarthrosis associated with venous malformation.

Congenital pseudoarthrosis is a pathologic entity that may be isolated, or may be associated with neurofibromatosis. We report the case of a 3-year-old female with congenital pseudoarthrosis involving the right tibia and fibula. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and complementary magnetic resonance angiogram (MRA) revealed a lobulated mass with vivid enhancement, which led to the diagnosis of venous malformation. This is the first report of congenital pseudoarthrosis caused by the presence of a vascular malformation.

Tertiary hyperparathyroidism after high-dose phosphate therapy in adult-onset hypophosphatemic osteomalacia.

OBJECTIVE: To describe a case of adult-onset hypophosphatemic osteomalacia treated with orally administered phosphate and complicated by tertiary hyperparathyroidism. METHODS: We present pertinent clinical, radiologic, and laboratory details of the study patient for a period of more than 20 years and discuss the few reported cases of tertiary hyperparathyroidism attributable to prolonged phosphate therapy. RESULTS: A 49-year-old Jordanian man, who had been diagnosed at age 26 years as having sporadic adult-onset hypophosphatemic vitamin D-resistant osteomalacia, presented with severe right hip pain, severe osteopenia with lytic bone lesions, and hypercalcemia after prolonged oral treatment with phosphate and vitamin D. These clinical, radiologic, and biochemical findings, in conjunction with a very high serum parathyroid hormone level, indicated the diagnosis of tertiary hyperparathyroidism, which was substantiated histopathologically. CONCLUSION: Physicians should be aware of the potential for development of tertiary hyperparathyroidism in patients receiving prolonged oral phosphate therapy.