Self-Insertion of Foreign Bodies in Urethra and Bladder: Report of Three Pediatric Cases

Self-inserted urethrovesical foreign bodies are rare in children.We present three cases and discuss the clinical presentation, diagnosis and management of such patients. In case 1, a 16-year-old boy introduced a wire into the urethra and partially into the bladder three days before. In case 2, a 4-year-old boy introduced a hairpin in the urethra in the same day. In case 3, a 11-year-old boy introduced a sewing needle in the urethra a few hours before. Cystourethroscopy and suprapubic cystotomy were used to remove the foreign bodies. The presentation of urethrovesical foreign bodies can vary widely, as can the type of object inserted. Foreign body retrieval is determined by its morphology and the patient’s conditions with the aim to minimise urothelial trauma and preserve erectile function. Definitive treatment is usually the endoscopic removal, however sometimes surgical intervention may be required. It is advocated follow-up with long duration, which is necessary to diagnose the long-term complications including urethral stricture.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A NEW METHODOLOGY FOR DIAGNOSIS OF FANCONI ANEMIA BASED ON BIOLOGICAL DOSIMETRY

Fanconi Anemia (FA) is a syndrome associated with chromosomal fragility. Current laboratory tests to diagnose this disease are based on the scoring of chromosomal aberrations induced in peripheral blood lymphocytes by clastogenic chemical agents, mainly: diepoxybutane (DEB) or mitomycin C (MMC). This study evaluated an alternative test for the diagnosis of FA, in which ionizing radiation replaces DEB/MMC. Two groups were studied: normal and DEB-sensitive individuals. From each individual, samples of peripheral blood were irradiated using an electron linear accelerator. Following lymphocyte cultures, and slide preparation, metaphases were scored based on the same methodology for biological dosimetry, according to recommendations of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Our results emphasized a pattern of distribution of dicentrics, fragments, as well as abnormal chromosomal arrangements. The methodology of analysis here proposed permitted to distinguish normal from DEB-sensitive subjects

Impact of protozoan cell death on parasite-host interactions and pathogenesis

PCD in protozoan parasites has emerged as a fascinating field of parasite biology. This not only relates to the underlying mechanisms and their evolutionary implications but also to the impact on the parasite-host interactions within mammalian hosts and arthropod vectors. During recent years, common functions of apoptosis and autophagy in protozoa and during parasitic infections have emerged. Here, we review how distinct cell death pathways in Trypanosoma, Leishmania, Plasmodium or Toxoplasma may contribute to regulation of parasite cell densities in vectors and mammalian hosts, to differentiation of parasites, to stress responses, and to modulation of the host immunity. The examples provided indicate crucial roles of PCD in parasite biology. The existence of PCD pathways in these organisms and the identification as being critical for parasite biology and parasite-host interactions could serve as a basis for developing new anti-parasitic drugs that take advantage of these pathways