Amylase Levels Are Useful for Diagnosing Omphalomesenteric Cysts: A Case Report

Omphalomesenteric cysts are an exceedingly rare type of embryologic remnant of the omphalomesenteric duct. Owing to its rarity and unspecific imaging findings, it is occasionally difficult to diagnose preoperatively. Herein, we report the case of a 15-month-old female with an omphalomesenteric cyst that presented as a painful abdominal mass. Imaging showed a 4 cm cystic lesion just beneath the umbilicus, which also contained a 1 cm enhanced lesion. On the immediate right side of this cyst, a 7 cm hematoma was found within the abdominal wall. Aspiration revealed bloody fluid with an amylase level of 38,250 U/L. She was then diagnosed with an omphalomesenteric cyst, with aberrant pancreas and associated hematoma of the abdominal wall. These findings were confirmed with laparotomy and subsequent pathological examinations. The high level of amylase in the cyst led us to speculate the existence of ectopic pancreatic tissue. Thus, amylase measurement may be considered for the diagnosis of an omphalomesenteric cyst

Inheritable Toxicity of Dioxin and Related Compounds in Drosophila melanogaster

Spermatogenic normaI males of Drosophila melanogaster were fed with 2, 3, 7, 8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8-pentachloro-dibenzofuran or 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8-hexachloro-dibenzofurans and subsequently mated to the Muller-5 females to detect recessive, lethal mutations occurring in the X chromosome. Some mutants were obtained in particular in the brood A, in which the chemical affected probably at the maturation stage of spermatogenesis. However, the mutation rates in total were scarcely larger than the control. In the F_1 of the treated flies hatchability and pupation rates were again not different from the control. On the other hand, some of the treated males gave F_1 with developmental abnormality, in which neither eggs nor pupae appeared. Moreover, the treatment induced several malformed individuals which lacked half of the thorax or had a hollow eye.ダイオキシン(2,3,7,8-テトラクロロジベンゾ-p-ダイオキシン)または関連化合物である2,3,4,7,8-ペンタクロロジベンゾフラン,1,2,3,4,7,8-ヘキサクロロジベンゾフランをショウジョウバエに経口投与し,Muller-5法によりX染色体上に生じた劣性致死突然変異を検出したところ,変異率において対照との差異は認められなかった.処理個体後代の孵化率および蛹数においても総計でみる限り対照と変わりがなかった.しかし,個々に調査すると,化合物処理後では孵化率または蛹化率をゼロにするような発生異常が認められ,さらに,片側の胸部または片側の眼に異常のある奇形個体が得られた.発生異常および奇形は対照では検出されなかった