FOUR CASES OF APPENDICEAL NEUROMA MIMICKING ACUTE APPENDICITIS

Herein we report four cases of appendiceal neuroma found during a short (one month) monitoring period in patients with severe pain in the lower right abdominal quadrant that underwent appendectomies. Tissue samples were routinely processed to obtain histological sections that were stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and further with anti-S100 protein antibody. Characteristics of appendiceal neuroma were noted in these cases and they included the absence of mucosal and lymphoid tissue of the appendices, stroma with spindle-shaped cells that were positively stained with anti-S100 protein antibody. This clinical entity is important due to a possible misdiagnosis with acute appendicitis or exacerbation of inflammatory bowel disease and great attention should be paid during the clinical evaluation of similar symptoms.Key words: appendiceal neuroma, misdiagnosis, lumen obliteration, immunohistochemistry, S100 protei

Antioksidativni status i kliničko-patološki parametri kod obolelih od Parkinsonove bolesti

Backgroun / Aim. Constant production of free radicals and antioxidants (AO) in the cell is a part of normal cellular function. Their imbalance might take a part in pathophysiology of many diseases, including Parkinson’s disease (PD). Evaluation of the disease status, prooxidant-antioxidant balance (PAB) and antioxidants are being widely estimated. The aim of this study was to examine potential interaction between several AO variables (GSH, SOD, CAT and PAB) and clinicopathological features of patients with PD, particularly Hoehn and Yahr (H&Y) stage. Methods. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was conducted to test the hypothesis of the mean differences between clinicopathological characteristics (gender, age at examination, duration of the disease, and H&Y stage) and AO variables, compared with age/sex matched healthy controls. The study included 91 patients with idiopatic PD patients and 20 healthy controls. Results. The multivariate effect size was estimated at 0.269, p <0.001, implying that 27.0% of the variance of the dependent variables was accounted for H&Y stage. Univariate tests showed that there were significant differences (p <0.001) across the H&Y stage on all AO variables. The H&Y stage remained significant predictor after controlling for the second variable, the disease duration (p <0.001, η2 = 0.249), and there were still significant differences across the H&Y stage on all variables, with effect size ( η2) ranging from 0.132, p =0.011 (lnGSH) to the still high values of 0.535 (lnPAB), 0.627 (lnSOD) and 0.964 (lnCAT). Conclusion. The results indicate that higher level of oxidative stress in blood of PD patients is possibly related to PD stage. Along with reduction of SOD and GSH level, CAT activity was elevated in comparison to healthy subjects. Furthermore, Pwas shifted toward oxidative stress

Oregano (Origanum vulgare) essential oil prevents L-arginine-induced rat ileum villi damage

Oregano (Origanum vulgare L., Lamiaceae) is used for centuries as a culinary spice due to its food flavor enhancing properties and its specific aroma. Essential oil isolated from oregano is known to affect the function of the gastrointestinal system by causing stomach and throat smooth muscle relaxation. The present work aims to evaluate the potential protective effects of oregano essential oil in rat ileum intestinal mucosa injury, induced with high doses of L-arginine, by tracking pathological changes in ileum mucosa. Male Wistar rats, divided into four groups (n=6), were treated with 50 mg/kg of oregano essential oil or 200 mg/kg of allopurinol (xanthinoxidase inhibitor) 1 h before a single dose of L-arginine (3.5 g/kg). Two groups served as the controls – one treated with a single dose of L-arginine, while the second group of animals remained untreated. One day after the treatment, all animals were sacrificed and the segments of distal ileum were dissected and fixed in 10% buffered formalin solution. Afterward, the tissue was processed routinely in order to obtain paraffin molds which were further cut into 4-5 µm thin sections and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Microscopic analysis of the control group ileum revealed short and cylindrical villi, with great resemblance to fingers, with no pathological substrate present. Ileum villi from the group of animals treated only with L-arginine appeared swollen, with the villi tip significantly dilated. Also, in the lamina propria, a large number of leucocytes were visible. The application of both allopurinol and oregano essential oil was able to prevent such significant alterations in the intestinal villi appearance (both in its intensity and frequency) and to reduce the number of leucocytes that migrated to the lamina propria. The detected activity can possibly be attributed to numerous oil constituents found in this essential oil, but predominantly to its major constituents thymol and carvacrol

SRNA: a Monte Carlo code for proton transport simulation

6. Workshop on heavy-charged particles in biology and medicine. Book of abstracts; Kraft, G.; Langbein, K. (eds.); Gesellschaft fuer Schwerionenforschung mbH, Darmstadt (Germany); 290 p; Sep 199

SRNA: a Monte Carlo code for proton transport simulation

6. Workshop on heavy-charged particles in biology and medicine. Book of abstracts; Kraft, G.; Langbein, K. (eds.); Gesellschaft fuer Schwerionenforschung mbH, Darmstadt (Germany); 290 p; Sep 199

The media and sport: Can they be independent of each other?

Only recently have people started to insist on professionalism in sport, and as a result sport is becoming a very successful media business - commercial activity on which very complex industrial endeavors are based. Sport itself, especially the Olympic Games, except for games and fun and high goals of bringing people together since ancient times, is beginning to represent a kind of job for many people, a primary activity which directly enables them not only to earn a living, but to make a profit as well. Thus, the very term 'sports career' becomes a general one, and the mere participation in sport becomes a profession just like any other. That is how 'transfers' and sponsorship deals today are worth millions, and minutes of advertisements during the broadcast of a match are becoming more and more expensive, and more and more money is being set aside for the rights to broadcast matches, for exclusive footage and pictures of famous athletes. An athlete is becoming a 'brand name', and companies through sponsorship deals and advertisements buy the right to the athlete: he becomes a synonym for values which should be imposed on the public and a message which should be sent to as many people as possible. Lately, this trend has expanded to include sports competitions. Major sports events are becoming the subject of geo-political and economic interest, and thus represent a field in which there is a clash between national identity and economic globalism. In such circumstances, a strong bond is forged between sport and the media, which reflects the current state in society. The question that imposes itself is: have we already crossed that critical point in which the industry of sport wins over the sports industry?

Differences in Angular Photogrammetric Soft-Tissue Facial Characteristics among Parents and Their Offspring

Background and objectives: The objective of this study was to determine if the angular photogrammetric analysis of soft-tissue characteristics can determine similarities between parents and their offspring in the Serbian population. Materials and Methods: A total of 15 families (52 participants) met the participation criteria of this study and their facial profile images were analyzed using the ImageJ software. Subjects were divided into groups of mothers and fathers and four groups of children (divided according to their age and gender). In total, twelve angular measurements were made on the standardized digital images of the profiles of the participants and the obtained data were compared using one-way ANOVA. Results: The obtained results showed that there were statistically significant differences in the values of the nasal and cervicomental angles, as well as the angle of the total facial convexity, between the group of fathers, on one side, and groups of male/female children, on the other. Conclusions: This work represents the first photogrammetric analysis of facial soft-tissue characteristics of children and adults in the Serbian population. The data suggest that there are much more similarities between the facial soft-tissue angles of fathers and their male offspring. Furthermore, mothers tend to have statistically insignificant differences in angle sizes, compared to both male and female offspring

Evaluation of pathological parameters and morphometric data of desmoplastic lobular breast carcinoma

Background: Invasive lobular breast cancer (ILC) is the second most frequent form of breast cancer. While cancer cells are regularly investigated, tumor stroma represents a highly unexplored field. Aims: The aim of this study is to perform a detailed investigation of clinical, immunohistochemical, and morphometric characteristics of desmoplastic (D) and nondesmoplastic (ND) ILC. Materials and Methods: This study included twenty cases of ILC that were divided into two groups designated as D and ND groups. Medical histories and diagnosis data were obtained from the archives of the Center of Pathology, Clinical center Niš (Serbia). Morphometric analysis of hematoxylin and eosin stained slides was performed using ImageJ software, and the obtained data were further statistical processed. Results: Statistical analyses of the data revealed that no significant differences between D and ND groups when patient age, estrogen receptor (ER), and progesterone receptor (PR) expressions and morphometrical parameters (such as the distance between groups of cancer cells and nucleocytoplasmic ratio) were compared. However, D and ND groups statistically, significantly differed in the occurrence of axillary lymph node metastasis, and when the ER and PR data were included, in certain nuclear parameters (cell/nucleus area, perimeter, Feret′s diameter, and circularity). Conclusions: Desmoplastic stroma was observed more frequently in patients without axillary lymph node metastases, whereas the expression of ER and PR had no influence on its development. According to the measured morphometric parameters larger cells/nuclei belonged to ND group

Optimization and kinetic modeling of waste lard methanolysis in a continuous reciprocating plate reactor

Continuous biodiesel production from a waste pig-roasting lard, methanol and KOH was carried out in a reciprocating plate reactor (RPR) using a factorial design containing three process factors, namely methanol/lard molar ratio, catalyst loading, and normalized height of the reactor. The main goals were to optimize the influential process factors with respect to biodiesel purity using the response surface methodology and to model the kinetics of the transesterification reaction in order to describe the change of triacylglycerols (TAG) and fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) concentrations along the RPR height. The first-order rate law was proved for both the reaction and the mass transfer. The model of the changing reaction mechanism and mass transfer of TAG was also applicable. Both kinetic models agreed with the experimental concentrations of TAG and FAME determined along the RPR height

Edible mycorrhizal species Lactarius controversus Pers. 1800 as a source of antioxidant and cytotoxic agents

The aim of this work was to study chemical profile and antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of ethanol and water extracts of Lactarius controversus (Pers.) 1800 mushroom species growing in eastern Serbia. The chemical characterization of phenolic compounds performed by HPLC-MS/MS demonstrated the presence of quinic acid among others. Determination of antioxidant activity, including radical scavenging effects on DPPH•, NO•, OH• and SOA radicals and ferric reducing ability was investigated. The highest DPPH radical scavenging effect was obtained for water extract (LcAq) while ethanol extract (LcEtOH) demonstrated the highest FRAP activity. Hexane extract applied in antibacterial assay against three pathogenic strains demonstrated antibacterial effect only against S. aureus ATCC25922. Anti-proliferative properties against estrogen dependent MCF 7 breast cancer cell lines using MTT showed higher activity for ethanolic extract. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. III 46001 i br. 172058