Poorly controlled type 2 diabetes is accompanied by significant morphological and ultrastructural changes in both erythrocytes and in thrombin-generated fibrin: implications for diagnostics

We have noted in previous work, in a variety of inflammatory diseases, where iron dysregulation occurs, a strong tendency for erythrocytes to lose their normal discoid shape and to adopt a skewed morphology (as judged by their axial ratios in the light microscope and by their ultrastructure in the SEM). Similarly, the polymerization of fibrinogen, as induced in vitro by added thrombin, leads not to the common ‘spaghetti-like’ structures but to dense matted deposits. Type 2 diabetes is a known inflammatory disease. In the present work, we found that the axial ratio of the erythrocytes of poorly controlled (as suggested by increased HbA1c levels) type 2 diabetics was significantly increased, and that their fibrin morphologies were again highly aberrant. As judged by scanning electron microscopy and in the atomic force microscope, these could be reversed, to some degree, by the addition of the iron chelators deferoxamine (DFO) or deferasirox (DFX). As well as their demonstrated diagnostic significance, these morphological indicators may have prognostic value.Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (grant BB/L025752/1) as well as the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa.http://www.cardiab.com/hb201

Choroid plexus carcinoma in adults: An extremely rare case

Choroid plexus tumors are rare intraventricular papillary neoplasms derived from choroid plexus epithelium, which account for approximately 2% to 4% of intracranial tumors in children and 0.5% in adults. Almost all choroid plexus carcinomas are seen in children and are extremely rare in adults. Headache, diplopia, and ataxia are the most common symptoms usually caused by mechanical obstruction of cerebrospinal fluid flow followed by hydrocephalus, regardless of tumor location. We present an illustrative case with 73 years old male patient who was consulted with headache to our neurosurgery department. In cranial computed tomography, there was a mass in 4th ventricle and we confirmed the mass with magnetic resonance imaging. After surgery had been performed, pathology specimen was diagnosed as choroid plexus carcinoma which was rarely seen in this age group

Diffusion and perfusion MRI findings with clinical correlation in patients with subarachnoid haemorrhage related vasospasm

Background. Early radiological diagnosis of vasospasm as well as the detection of ischemic areas and the definition of cerebral perfusion changes may have an impact on the Current unfavorable results in patients with vasopasm. We investigated diffusion weighted (DW) and perfusion weighted (PW) magnetic resonance (MR) changes together with catheter angiography findings and tried to correlate radiological and clinical findings