Perinatal expression of HSP70 and VEGF in neonatal rat lung vessels exposed to nicotine during gestation

We assessed the influence of maternal nicotine exposure during gestation on perinatal expression of HSP70 and VEGF in rat lung parenchyma and lung vessels. Adult white Sprague-Dawley virgin rats were mated with adult male rats over 2 days, with two females for every male. After confirming pregnancy, 30 gravid rats (dams) were then randomly assigned to two equal groups (one experimental and one control; n=15 in each). Experimental dams were treated with subcutaneus (s.c.) (-)-nicotine tartrate, 3 mg/kg body weight/day, during pregnancy from gestational days 9 through 21. After sacrifice, lungs were removed en bloc and formalin-fixed, and paraffinembedded tissue sections were evaluated by immunohistochemistry using a three-step streptavidin-biotin-peroxidase method with monoclonal antibodies directed against HSP70 or VEGF. HSP70 and VEGF expression was increased in the vascular smooth muscle cells of the experimental group (t1) compared to the control group (t(2))t(1)=7.593, t(2)=4.666, p < 0.05). The number of bronchioles that stained positively with HSP70 was higher in the nicotineexposed group than in the control group (t(1)=9.274, t(2)=6.956, p < 0.05). In conclusion, gestational nicotine exposure increased the expression of VEGF and HSP70 in rat lung parenchyma, especially in the airway epithelium and vascular smooth muscle cells. In vascular smooth muscle cells, these molecules may contribute to nicotine-related hypoxic pulmonary hypertension

An AIDS Case with Systemic Zygomycosis

Although zygomycosis is a rare opportunistic infection, it is one of the major causes of mortality and morbidity in immunocompromised patients. A 50-year-old male patient was admitted with complaints of impaired consciousness, difficulty in speaking, headache, lethargy, diarrhea and weight loss. His history revealed that he had lived abroad and consumed alcohol regularly. The diagnosis of chronic alcoholism, AIDS and central nervous system infection were made. The patient died on the seventh day of his hospitalization. His autopsy revealed nonseptated hyphae with right-angled branching in cerebral, pulmonary and cardiac sections, particularly in vascular structures. In the light of these findings systemic zygomycosis was diagnosed

Evaluation of malignant mesothelioma in central Anatolia: A study of 67 cases

Background: Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is a fatal neoplasm which frequently results from exposure to asbestos or erionite. Method: Sixty-seven patients with MM were seen between 1990 and 2001. Their clinical and radiological features, as well as the therapy, were retrospectively evaluated. Results: In 51 patients (76.1%), the MM was confined to the pleura, in 14 patients it was exclusively peritoneal and in two patients, it involved both areas. Of the 67 cases, 35 (52.2%) were women. The mean (± SD) age for all cases was 57.6 ± 11.5 years. Dyspnea (67.2%), cough (55.2%) and chest pain (50.7%) were the most frequent symptoms of onset. Pleural effusion (92.4%) was the most common chest x-ray finding, whereas pleural effusion (60.8%), pleural nodules (34.7%) and pleural thickening (34.7%) were the most common computed tomography findings in pleural MM patients. The histological subtypes of MM were determined as epithelial in 60 patients (89.5%), sarcomatous in four patients (5.9%) and mixed in three patients (4.4%). Although 50.7% and 25.4% of the cases were exposed to erionite and asbestos, respectively, 23.9% of the cases recalled no exposure to asbestos or erionite. Exposures were environmental as opposed to occupational. Thirty-five patients (52.2%) were administered chemotherapy, and follow-up data were available for 22 patients. For these patients, the two-year survival rate was 22% and the two-year progression-free interval was 15.7%. There were no differences between patients with asbestos and erionite exposure. Conclusion: MM should be considered when exudative pleural effusion is detected in a patient who has been exposed to asbestos or erionite. MM is a major public health problem in parts of Turkey and compulsory environmental control of fibrous mineral should be considered. © 2004 Pulsus Group Inc. All rights reserved

Angiomyolipoma with cavoatrial extension

In this paper, we report a case of angiomyolipoma with cavoatrial extension in a 55-yr-old woman. Multislice computed tomography revealed a hypodense mass extending into the right atrium through the right renal vein and inferior vena cava without a renal mass. The patient underwent surgery, and right atrial mass was resected. Pathologic evaluation revealed a tumor consisting of mature adipose tissue, smooth muscle and vessels consistent with angiomyolipoma. Our case reminds us of the rare possibility that angiomyolipoma, which is classified as a benign tumor, may invade the inferior vena Cava or right atrium. (c) 2006 European Association of Urology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.In this paper, we report a case of angiomyolipoma with cavoatrial extension in a 55-yr-old woman. Multislice computed tomography revealed a hypodense mass extending into the right atrium through the right renal vein and inferior vena cava without a renal mass. The patient underwent surgery, and right atrial mass was resected. Pathologic evaluation revealed a tumor consisting of mature adipose tissue, smooth muscle and vessels consistent with angiomyolipoma. Our case reminds us of the rare possibility that angiomyolipoma, which is classified as a benign tumor, may invade the inferior vena cava or right atrium

Prognostic importance of proliferating cell nuclear antigen immunoreactivity and mitotic index in malignant mesothelioma Mali̇gn mezotelyomada proli̇ferati̇ng nuclear cell anti̇jen i̇mmünreakti̇vi̇tesi̇ni̇n ve mi̇toti̇k i̇ndeksi̇n prognoza etki̇si̇

Aim: In this study, proliferating nuclear cell antigen (PCNA) immunoreactivity and the mitotix index were searched in human malignant mesothelioma to assess their prognostic value. Material and Methods: PCNA immunoreactivity was investigated in 19 cases. The authors also compared this with mitosis counts. Results: There was no correlation between the percentage of PCNA immunoreactive cells and their mitotic counts. However, the median survival was 16.4 months for patients with less than 25% PCNA immunoreactive cells, 17.8 months for patients with less than 4 mitotic figures 10 high power fields of tumoral tissue, 10.8 months for patients with more than 25 per cent PCNA immunoreactive cells, and 14.2 months for patients with more than 4 mitotic figures in 10 high power fields of tumoral tissue. Conclusion: Our results suggest that PCNA immunoreactivity and mitotic count may have prognostic values in malignant mesothelioma