Urinary bladder diverticulum as an unusual content of the inguinal canal

The inguinal urinary bladder hernia is a rare pathology observed mostly in males. A new case of asymptomatic reducible acquired inguinal hernia was revealed in a 54-year-old male during computed tomography (CT) undertaken for oncological follow-up. The right nephrectomy was previously performed due to clear cell carcinoma. The hernia was not visible on the CT 6 months before and on ultrasound performed after voiding. Slight herniation with a wide invagination of transversalis fascia but with empty bladder was seen on CT 4 months after the initial detection of hernia

Integration of P2Y receptor-activated signal transduction pathways in G protein-dependent signalling networks

The role of nucleotides in intracellular energy provision and nucleic acid synthesis has been known for a long time. In the past decade, evidence has been presented that, in addition to these functions, nucleotides are also autocrine and paracrine messenger molecules that initiate and regulate a large number of biological processes. The actions of extracellular nucleotides are mediated by ionotropic P2X and metabotropic P2Y receptors, while hydrolysis by ecto-enzymes modulates the initial signal. An increasing number of studies have been performed to obtain information on the signal transduction pathways activated by nucleotide receptors. The development of specific and stable purinergic receptor agonists and antagonists with therapeutical potential largely contributed to the identification of receptors responsible for nucleotide-activated pathways. This article reviews the signal transduction pathways activated by P2Y receptors, the involved second messenger systems, GTPases and protein kinases, as well as recent findings concerning P2Y receptor signalling in C6 glioma cells. Besides vertical signal transduction, lateral cross-talks with pathways activated by other G protein-coupled receptors and growth factor receptors are discussed