Adenofibroma of Skene's Duct: A Case Report

Skene's glands, also known as paraurethral glands, are homologues of the male prostate, in which painless cystic masses and inflammation due to obstruction have been rarely found and reported. In addition, there have been rare reported cases of adenocarcinoma of Skene's glands. Recently, the authors experienced the first case of adenofibroma arising in Skene's glands of a 62-year-old woman with coital pain. Hereby, we present the case with pathologic and immunohistochemical findings and a short review of literature

An Autopsy Case of Postpartum Acute Myocardial Infarction Associated with Postpartum Ergot Alkaloids Administration in Old-Aged Pregnant Women

Cases of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) that occur during pregnancy or postpartum are rarely reported. Ergot derivatives are known to induce the spasmodic contraction of coronary arteries. Administration of ergot derivatives can cause AMI, even in normal healthy people. In several reported cases, ergot derivatives triggered severe AMI during the postpartum period. Here, we report the case of a forty-year-old woman who was successfully impregnated by artificial fertilization and died after treatment with ergot derivatives. The autopsy revealed AMI with severe coronary atherosclerosis. This is the first case that reports aggravation of pre-existent severe coronary atherosclerosis after postpartum infusion of ergot derivtives

Case of Epidermolysis Bullosa with Pyloric Atresia

Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a rare hereditary disorder characterized by formation of blisters following minor trauma. It has been traditionally categorized by the level of basement membrane zone separation into EB simplex (EBS), junctional EB (JEB), and dystrophic EB (DEB). Recently, hemidesmosomal EB has been proposed as a fourth category, which includes EB with muscular dystrophy and EB with pyloric atresia. We report here on a case of concomitant occurrence of EB and pyloric atresia, a rare form of EB

Malignant Rhabdoid Tumor of the Kidney Combined with Multicystic Dysplasia in a 5-year-old Child

Multicystic dysplastic kidney (MCDK) is a relatively common developmental anomaly in infants and children and has a good prognosis. In contrast, a malignant rhabdoid tumor of the kidney (MRTK) is one of the most lethal neoplasms of early life. However, the presentation of such a lethal tumor combined with multicystic dysplasia has not been reported to date. In this report, we describe a case of MRTK in a 5-yr-old girl who also had multicystic dysplasia. She was previously diagnosed with MCDK at birth due to a huge palpable mass on the right side of the abdomen. The right kidney was extensively replaced by numerous grossly dilated, variable-sized cysts. Microscopically, the tumor cells show a diffusely infiltrative growth pattern, which revealed large non-cohesive, round-to-polygonal tumor cells with vesicular nuclei. Some tumor cells had eccentric nuclei and large, round, eosinophilic cytoplasmic inclusions. There were metanephrons present, with the central ureteric bud and peripheral branches surrounded by condensing mesenchyma, immature glomeruli, and metaplastic cartilage in the adjacent parenchyma. To our knowledge, this is the first combined case of the two aforementioned diseases and this case may, in fact, suggest a new disease entity

Clinico-pathological Characteristics of Congenital Pulmonary Lymphangiectasis: Report of Two Cases

Congenital pulmonary lymphangiectasis (CPL) is a rare, poorly documented disease, characterized by abnormal dilatation of pulmonary lymphatics without lymphatic proliferation. This disease is seen almost exclusively in infancy and early childhood. It can usually be divided into primary (congenital) and secondary forms. The primary form presents in neonates, and the patients mostly die due to the respiratory distress, shortly after birth. The authors experienced two cases of primary CPL in a 13-day-old male neonate and a one-day-old male neonate, showing prominent lymphatic dilatation in the septal, subpleural, and peri-bronchial tissue throughout both lungs. The latter case was associated with congenital cardiac anomaly including single ventricle. These are unique cases of CPL in Korea of which the diagnosis was established through post-mortem examination. Therefore, the authors report these two cases with primary CPL with a review of the literature

Multifaceted Roles of Interleukin-6 in Adipocyte–Breast Cancer Cell Interaction

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women worldwide, with a developmental process spanning decades. The malignant cells recruit a variety of cells including fibroblasts, endothelial cells, immune cells, and adipocytes, creating the tumor microenvironment. The tumor microenvironment has emerged as active participants in breast cancer progression and response to treatment through autocrine and paracrine interaction with the malignant cells. Adipose tissue is abundant in the breast cancer microenvironment; interactions with cancer cells create cancer-associated adipocytes which produce a variety of adipokines that influence breast cancer initiation, metastasis, angiogenesis, and cachexia. Interleukin (IL)-6 has emerged as key compound significantly produced by breast cancer cells and adipocytes, with the potential of inducing proliferation, epithelial-mesenchymal phenotype, stem cell phenotype, angiogenesis, cachexia, and therapeutic resistance in breast cancer cells. Our aim is to present a brief knowledge of IL-6’s role in breast cancer. This review summarizes our current understanding of the breast microenvironment, with emphasis on adipocytes as key players in breast cancer tumorigenesis. The effects of key adipocytes such as leptin, adipokines, TGF-b, and IL-6 are discussed. Finally, we discuss the role of IL-6 in various aspects of cancer progression

Peanut-induced acute oxalate nephropathy with acute kidney injury

Oxalate nephropathy is commonly caused by ethylene glycol, vitamin C, and foods like star fruit that contain a lot of oxalate. Peanuts also have high oxalate contents. However, case reports of peanut-induced oxalate nephropathy are not common. Here, we describe a case of peanut-induced acute oxalate nephropathy with acute kidney injury and intend to demonstrate the conditions under which peanut-induced oxalate nephropathy is likely to occur

Pulsed Electromagnetic Field (PEMF) Treatment Reduces Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Septic Shock in Mice

Despite advances in medicine, mortality due to sepsis has not decreased. Pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy is emerging as an alternative treatment in many inflammation-related diseases. However, there are few studies on the application of PEMF therapy to sepsis. In the current study, we examined the effect of PEMF therapy on a mouse model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced septic shock. Mice injected with LPS and treated with PEMF showed higher survival rates compared with the LPS group. The increased survival was correlated with decreased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokine mRNA expression and lower serum nitric oxide levels and nitric oxide synthase 2 mRNA expression in the liver compared with the LPS group. In the PEMF + LPS group, there was less organ damage in the liver, lungs, spleen, and kidneys compared to the LPS group. To identify potential gene targets of PEMF treatment, microarray analysis was performed, and the results showed that 136 genes were up-regulated, and 267 genes were down-regulated in the PEMF + LPS group compared to the LPS group. These results suggest that PEMF treatment can dramatically decrease septic shock through the reduction of pro-inflammatory cytokine gene expression. In a clinical setting, PEMF may provide a beneficial effect for patients with bacteria-induced sepsis and reduce septic shock-induced mortality