Brachial neuropathy 22 years after radiation therapy for fibrosarcoma: a case report

This case report presents a 56-year-old man with right upper limb weakness which arose 22 years after initial local radiation treatment for a grade III fibrosarcoma. Nerve conduction studies revealed impairment of all three major upper limb nerves compared with the left, with particular impairment of the median and ulnar nerves in the most fibrotic area that had been irradiated. In addition, the patient received multiple courses of chemotherapy. The occurrence of radiation-induced brachial plexopathy should be considered in patients presenting with limb pain or weakness even many years after radiation therapy

Papillon-Lefèvre syndrome and squamous cell carcinoma: a case report

Papillon-Lefèvre syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive genodermatosis characterised by palmoplantar hyperkeratosis and severe early-onset periodontitis. The development of malignant cutaneous neoplasms within the hyperkeratotic lesions of the syndrome is very rare. Here, we report on a 67-year-old German Caucasian male with Papillon-Lefèvre syndrome associated with recurrent squamous cell carcinoma. Treatment is symptomatic and not always satisfactory

Biphasic Synovial Sarcoma of the Extremity: Quadruple Approach of Isolated Limb Perfusion, Surgical Ablation, Adipofascial Perforator Flap and Radiation to Avoid Amputation

Synovial sarcoma is a rare type of soft tissue sarcoma that occurs mostly in young adults, and it is always regarded as a high-grade tumor. Here, we report the case of a 31-year-old German Caucasian male with synovial sarcoma of the wrist who was offered amputation at his local hospital. After referral to our Reference Centre for Soft Tissue Sarcoma, the quadruple approach of isolated limb perfusion, surgical ablation, adipofascial perforator flap and radiation avoided amputation and enabled preservation of good hand function with no evidence of recurrence or metastasis after 1 year

Intravascular leiomyosarcoma of the brachiocephalic region – report of an unusual tumour localisation: case report and review of the literature

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Intravascular leiomyosarcoma is a rare tumour entity originating from venous vessel structures and most frequently affecting the inferior vena cava.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 69-year old patient presented with a biopsy proven leiomyosarcoma of the right supraclavicular region. Tumour resection and histological assessment verified the intravascular tumour origin arising from the internal jugular vein and extending into the surrounding soft tissue.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In the presence of a biopsy proven diagnosis of leiomyosarcoma the rare condition of an intravascular tumour origin has to be considered even without signs of venous stases. This may result in an altered surgical strategy. Microthrombembolism and pulmonary metastases may complicate the course of the disease.</p

Nucleofection: A New Method for Cutaneous Gene Transfer?

Background. Transfection efficacy after nonviral gene transfer in primary epithelial cells is limited. The aim of this study was to compare transfection efficacy of the recently available method of nucleofection with the established transfection reagent FuGENE6. Methods. Primary human keratinocytes (HKC), primary human fibroblasts (HFB), and a human keratinocyte cell line (HaCaT) were transfected with reporter gene construct by FuGENE6 or Amaxa Nucleofector device. At corresponding time points, β-galactosidase expression, cell proliferation (MTT-Test), transduction efficiency (X-gal staining), cell morphology, and cytotoxicity (CASY) were determined. Results. Transgene expression after nucleofection was significantly higher in HKC and HFB and detected earlier (3 h vs. 24 h) than in FuGENE6. After lipofection 80%–90% of the cells remained proliferative without any influence on cell morphology. In contrast, nucleofection led to a decrease in keratinocyte cell size, with only 20%–42% proliferative cells. Conclusion. Related to the method-dependent increase of cytotoxicity, transgene expression after nucleofection was earlier and higher than after lipofection

Inhibition of early steps in the lentiviral replication cycle by cathelicidin host defense peptides

BACKGROUND: The antibacterial activity of host defense peptides (HDP) is largely mediated by permeabilization of bacterial membranes. The lipid membrane of enveloped viruses might also be a target of antimicrobial peptides. Therefore, we screened a panel of naturally occurring HDPs representing different classes for inhibition of early, Env-independent steps in the HIV replication cycle. A lentiviral vector-based screening assay was used to determine the inhibitory effect of HDPs on early steps in the replication cycle and on cell metabolism. RESULTS: Human LL37 and porcine Protegrin-1 specifically reduced lentiviral vector infectivity, whereas the reduction of luciferase activities observed at high concentrations of the other HDPs is primarily due to modulation of cellular activity and/ or cytotoxicity rather than antiviral activity. A retroviral vector was inhibited by LL37 and Protegrin-1 to similar extent, while no specific inhibition of adenoviral vector mediated gene transfer was observed. Specific inhibitory effects of Protegrin-1 were confirmed for wild type HIV-1. CONCLUSION: Although Protegrin-1 apparently inhibits an early step in the HIV-replication cycle, cytotoxic effects might limit its use as an antiviral agent unless the specificity for the virus can be improved