Missed spermatic cord torsion in an old man.

The fate of testicular salvage in spermatic cord torsion depends on the duration of ischemia and the degree of torsion. Even though spermatic cord torsion (SCT) can occur at any age, it is rarely reported in older patients. If the physician does not pay close attention to this unusual situation, the lack of suspicion for SCT may result in a missed or delayed diagnosis. We report a very uncommon case of missed SCT occurring in a 63-year-old man.

The antihypertensive effect of ethyl acetate extract of radish leaves in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Radish (Raphanus sativus L.) is a cruciferous vegetable, and its leaves have antioxidant and anticancer properties. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of ethyl acetate extracts from radish leaves on hypertension in 11-week-old spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). The SHRs were randomly divided into 3 groups of 6 rats each on the basis of initial systolic blood pressure (SBP) and were treated with oral administration of radish leaf extract (0, 30, or 90 mg/kg body weight [bw], respectively) for 5 weeks. Six Wistar rats were used as normotensive controls. The amount of the radish leaf extract had no effect on body weight. The SBP of the SHRs showed a decreasing trend with the consumption of the radish leaf extract. In the third week, the SBP of the group fed 90 mg extract/kg bw reduced from 214 mmHg to 166 mmHg and was significantly lower than that of the normotensive and hypertensive controls. The extract did not show a significant effect on the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activity in the serum, kidney, and lung. The extract increased the concentration of NO in serum and the activities of antioxidant enzymes such as glutathione peroxidase and catalase in red blood cells (RBCs). The serum concentrations of Na(+) and K(+) were not significantly different between all groups. However, the fecal concentrations of Na(+) and K(+) increased; the fecal concentrations of Na(+) and K(+) for the normotensive and hypertensive controls were not different. Urinary excretion of Na(+) was higher in the normotensive Wistar rats than in the SHRs, while that of K(+) was not significantly different. These findings indicate that consumption of radish leaves might have had antihypertensive effects in SHRs by increasing the serum concentration of NO and fecal concentration of Na(+) and enhancing antioxidant activities.

Clear cell chondrosarcoma arising from the sternum: a rare tumor in an uncommon location.

A 52-year-old woman presented with bulging of the anterior chest wall. The computed tomographic scan revealed an expansive localized mass based on the sternal manubrium. The patient was successfully treated with en bloc radical resection and reconstruction with clear resection margin. Histopathologic examination of the surgical specimen confirmed the diagnosis of clear cell chondrosarcoma. After the surgery, the patient has been free of disease for 43 months after surgery without other treatment. Our search and review of the literature did not reveal any published cases of clear cell chondrosarcoma arising from the sternum; therefore, we have presented a summary of this novel case with a review of the relevant literature.

Epithelial-myoepithelial carcinoma of external auditory canal evolving from pleomorphic adenoma.

A 45-year-old female patient visited the clinic due to ear fullness. A 8 mm sized mass was found in the external auditory canal. It was surgically removed and the pathology exam confirmed epithelial-myoepithelial carcinoma (EMC). EMC is glandular epithelial neoplasm of the salivary gland. EMC originating from the external auditory canal is very rare, and only 1 case has been reported so far in the literature. The difference between our case and the one previously published was that the tumor was previously proven as a benign tumor (i.e. pleomorphic adenoma) 5 years ago. Therefore, this is the first case in the literature showing the evolvement of pleomorphic adenoma of the external auditory canal into EMC.

A case of sparganosis in the leg.

The life-span of the sparganum in humans is not exactly known, but it may survive longer than 5 years in some patients. We experienced a case infected with a sparganum that is presumed to have lived for 20 years in a patient's leg. The patient was a 60-year-old woman, and she was admitted to a hospital due to ankle pain that was aggravated on dorsiflexion. She had noticed a mass on her knee some 20 years ago, but she received no medical management for it. The mass moved into the ankle joint 3 months before the current admission, and then the aforementioned symptoms appeared. A living sparganum was recovered by surgery, and the calcified tract near the knee was proved to be the pathway along which the larva had passed.

Evidence of DNA damage in Alzheimer disease: phosphorylation of histone H2AX in astrocytes.

Phosphorylation of the histone family is not only a response to cell signaling stimuli, but also an important indicator of DNA damage preceding apoptotic changes. While astrocytic degeneration, including DNA damage, has been reported in Alzheimer disease (AD), its pathogenetic significance is somewhat unclear. In an effort to clarify this, we investigated the expression of gamma H2AX as evidence of DNA damage in astrocytes to elucidate the role of these cells in the pathogenesis of AD. In response to the formation of double-stranded breaks in chromosomal DNA, serine 139 on H2AX, a 14-kDa protein that is a member of the H2A histone family and part of the nucleosome structure, becomes rapidly phosphorylated to generate gamma H2AX. Using immunocytochemical techniques, we found significantly increased levels of gamma H2AX in astrocytes in regions know to be vulnerable in AD, i.e., the hippocampal regions and cerebral cortex. These results suggest that astrocytes contain DNA damage, possibly resulting in functional disability, which in turn reduces their support for neurons. These findings further define the role of astrocyte dysfunction in the progression of AD.