The use of endo-vascular balloon tamponade technique for the removal of a misplaced nephrostomy tube in the inferior vena cava: A case report

AbstractIntroductionInadvertent placement of a nephrostomy tube into the inferior vena cava (IVC) is an extremely rare complication with few reported cases in the literature.Case presentationWe present a lady with obstructive uropathy in a solitary kidney in whom an attempt by the community radiologist to place a nephrostomy tube was complicated by wrong insertion into the IVC. This report illustrates how a safe non- surgical removal of this tube using an intravenous balloon tamponade technique was successfully applied.DiscussionIntravenous placement of nephrostomy catheters into the inferior vena cava is extremely rare complication. A few case reports have been published in the literature. The majority of these cases were removed in the operating room under general anesthesia. Using Intravenous balloon tamponade technique for removal has not been previously reported.ConclusionIntravenous balloon tamponade technique is effective and is a good minimally invasive alternative to surgical removal of misplaced nephrostomy tube from IVC

Renal Oncocytosis in a Pediatric Patient: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Renal oncocytosis is a rare condition in which the kidney develops numerous oncocytomas. We present a case of a 12-year-old female who presented with right-sided flank pain of one-year duration. Imaging revealed several masses in the right kidney. Tissue biopsy confirmed multiple benign oncocytomas. Due to the presence of multiple oncocytomas throughout the kidney, a radical nephrectomy was performed. Given the rarity of this condition, as well as its known association with von Hippel-Lindau disease and Birt-Hogg-Dube syndrome, genetic investigations were pursued but failed to identify any abnormalities. This patient remains well and disease free six years after surgery. A review of the literature of this rare condition was performed

Primary non-Hodgkin's breast lymphoma: Surgical approach

We report the case of a 38-year old woman affected by primary lymphoma of the right breast, with disease progression after chemotherapy and subsequent radiotherapy, successfully treated with a modified radical mastectomy. The literature of primary breast lymphomas has been reviewed and discussed in relation to our case. Our experience stresses the importance of a radical surgical approach in a locally advanced non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the breast unresponsive to radio and chemotherapy

Environmental Influences on Mate Preferences as Assessed by a Scenario Manipulation Experiment

Many evolutionary psychology studies have addressed the topic of mate preferences, focusing particularly on gender and cultural differences. However, the extent to which situational and environmental variables might affect mate preferences has been comparatively neglected. We tested 288 participants in order to investigate the perceived relative importance of six traits of an ideal partner (wealth, dominance, intelligence, height, kindness, attractiveness) under four different hypothetical scenarios (status quo/nowadays, violence/post-nuclear, poverty/resource exhaustion, prosperity/global well-being). An equal number of participants (36 women, 36 men) was allotted to each scenario; each was asked to allocate 120 points across the six traits according to their perceived value. Overall, intelligence was the trait to which participants assigned most importance, followed by kindness and attractiveness, and then by wealth, dominance and height. Men appraised attractiveness as more valuable than women. Scenario strongly influenced the relative importance attributed to traits, the main finding being that wealth and dominance were more valued in the poverty and post-nuclear scenarios, respectively, compared to the other scenarios. Scenario manipulation generally had similar effects in both sexes, but women appeared particularly prone to trade off other traits for dominance in the violence scenario, and men particularly prone to trade off other traits for wealth in the poverty scenario. Our results are in line with other correlational studies of situational variables and mate preferences, and represent strong evidence of a causal relationship of environmental factors on specific mate preferences, corroborating the notion of an evolved plasticity to current ecological conditions. A control experiment seems to suggest that our scenarios can be considered as realistic descriptions of the intended ecological conditions

Environmental Influences on Mate Preferences as Assessed by a Scenario Manipulation Experiment

Many evolutionary psychology studies have addressed the topic of mate preferences, focusing particularly on gender and cultural differences. However, the extent to which situational and environmental variables might affect mate preferences has been comparatively neglected. We tested 288 participants in order to investigate the perceived relative importance of six traits of an ideal partner (wealth, dominance, intelligence, height, kindness, attractiveness) under four different hypothetical scenarios (status quo/nowadays, violence/post-nuclear, poverty/resource exhaustion, prosperity/global well-being). An equal number of participants (36 women, 36 men) was allotted to each scenario; each was asked to allocate 120 points across the six traits according to their perceived value. Overall, intelligence was the trait to which participants assigned most importance, followed by kindness and attractiveness, and then by wealth, dominance and height. Men appraised attractiveness as more valuable than women. Scenario strongly influenced the relative importance attributed to traits, the main finding being that wealth and dominance were more valued in the poverty and post-nuclear scenarios, respectively, compared to the other scenarios. Scenario manipulation generally had similar effects in both sexes, but women appeared particularly prone to trade off other traits for dominance in the violence scenario, and men particularly prone to trade off other traits for wealth in the poverty scenario. Our results are in line with other correlational studies of situational variables and mate preferences, and represent strong evidence of a causal relationship of environmental factors on specific mate preferences, corroborating the notion of an evolved plasticity to current ecological conditions. A control experiment seems to suggest that our scenarios can be considered as realistic descriptions of the intended ecological conditions

Hepato-bronchial fistula secondary to perforated sigmoid diverticulitis: a case report

Abstract Background Patients with diverticulitis are predisposed to hepatic abscesses via seeding through the portal circulation. Hepatic abscesses are well-documented sequelae of diverticulitis, however instances of progression to hepato-bronchial fistulization are rare. We present a case of diverticulitis associated with hepatic abscess leading to hepato-bronchial fistulization, which represents a novel disease course not yet reported in the literature. Case Presentation A 61-year-old Caucasian man presented with a history of unintentional weight loss and dyspnea both at rest and with exertion. He had a significant tobacco and alcohol misuse history. A massive right-sided pleural effusion was found on chest X-ray, which responded partially to chest tube insertion. A computed tomography scan of his thorax confirmed the presence of innumerable lung abscesses as well as a complex pleural effusion. An indeterminate tiny air pocket at the dome of the liver was also noted. A follow-up computed tomography scan of his abdomen revealed a decompressed hepatic abscess extending into the right pleural space and the right lower lobe. A sigmoid-rectal fistula was also revealed with focal colonic thickening, presumed to be the sequelae of remote or chronic diverticulitis. An interventional radiologist inserted a percutaneous drain into the decompressed hepatic abscess and the instillation of contrast revealed immediate filling of the right pleural space, lung parenchyma, and bronchial tree, confirming a hepato-bronchial fistula. After two concurrent chest tube insertions failed to drain the remaining pleural effusion completely, surgical lung decortication was conducted. Markedly thickened pleura were seen and a significant amount of gelatinous inflammatory material was debrided from the lower thoracic cavity. He recovered well and was discharged 10 days post-thoracotomy on oral antibiotics. The percutaneous liver abscess tube was removed 3 weeks post-discharge from hospital after the drain check revealed that the fistula and abscess had entirely resolved. Conclusions Refractory right-sided pleural effusion combined with constitutional symptoms should alert clinicians to search for possible hepatic abscess, especially in the context of diverticulitis. The rupture of an untreated hepatic abscess could lead to death from profound sepsis or rarely, as in this case, a hepato-bronchial fistula. Timely investigation and a multidisciplinary treatment approach can lead to improved patient outcomes

Effect of north and south exposure on organic matter in high Alpine soils

The present work focuses on the subalpine range of the Italian Alps to determine the influence of aspect and consequently climate on soil humus properties and chemistry. This was done by comparing soils developing in north- and south-facing sites on siliceous parent material. The soils were investigated with respect to the total organic C and N content, C and N contents of organic matter (OM) density fractions and of labile(oxidised by H2O2) and stable (H2O2-resistant) fractions. Further characterisation of OM and the different fractions was performed with Diffuse Reflection Infrared Fourier Transform (DRIFT), Scanning Electron Microscopy/Electron Diffuse Scattering (SEM/EDS) and radiocarbon dating. The soils at north-facing slopes had a higher OM content. Density measurements and the H2O2 fractionation proved that this higher content was primarily due to a more pronounced accumulation of weakly degraded, labile organic materials when compared to the south-facing slopes. Independent of the sites, a large part of OM (around 50% of OM) was fixed in the densest fraction (N2 g/cm3) which correlated well with the abundance of the H2O2-resistant fraction. The 14C ages of the latter were up to 17,000 years, reflecting the presence of stable, refractory OM and the effectiveness of organo-mineral interactions in protecting OM from decay. Podzolisation has been more intense at north-facing sites. Due to the accumulation of weakly degraded OM, eluviation of Fe and Al is strongly enhanced. High-mountain ecosystems like the Alps are very sensitive to changing environmental conditions such as global warming. Especially at cooler sites, the obtained results suggest that a warmer climate, and thus more favourable conditions for biological activity, will lead in the short- to mid-term to an increased loss of accumulated, weakly degraded OM

Protease-Activated Receptor-2 Activation in Gastric Cancer Cells Promotes Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Trans-Activation and Proliferation

Dysregulated epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling is involved in gastric cancer (GC) cell growth. However, the mechanism that sustains EGFR signaling in GC remains unknown. Since protease-activated receptor-2 (PAR-2), a G protein-coupled receptor, has been shown to trans-activate EGFR in several cell types, we examined the role of PAR-2 in GC. We show here that in vitro activation of PAR-2 enhances the growth of two GC cell lines, AGS and MKN28. In both these cell lines, PAR-2 trans-activated EGFR and inhibition of EGFR tyrosine kinase activity by AG1478 or specific EGFR siRNA completely prevented PAR-2-driven proliferation. Antibody blockade of EGF-like ligands to EGFR did not modify EGFR signaling or cell growth induced by PAR-2 activation. In contrast, PAR-2 promoted Src activation and interaction of this kinase with EGFR. In support of this, inhibition of Src kinase activity by PP1 or siRNA blocked PAR-2-induced EGFR signaling cascade and cell growth. Finally, PAR-2 was detectable in both normal and GC specimens, but its expression was more pronounced in GC than controls and correlated with activated EGFR. These data show that PAR-2 is overexpressed in GC and suggest a role of PAR-2 in EGFR trans-activation and cell growth