Characterisation of the signalment, clinical and survival characteristics of 41 cats with mast cell neoplasia

Mast cell tumours (MCTs) are relatively common tumours of cats, and are the second most common cutaneous tumours in cats in the USA. While the primary splenic form of the disease is far less common, it is usually associated with more severe clinical signs. Signalment, clinical and survival characteristics of mast cell neoplasia were characterised in 41 cats. The most common tumour location was cutaneous/ subcutaneous head and trunk. Stage la was the most common tumour stage at first diagnosis (n = 20), followed by stage 4 (both stage 4a and stage 4b; n = 10). Of 22 cats that underwent excisional biopsy, mast cell neoplasia recurred in four cats during the study period. Three of the 41 cats presented with simultaneous cutaneous and either splenic or lymph node tumours. A comparison between cats with only cutaneous tumours (n = 30) and those with tumours involving the spleen or lymph nodes (n = 11) showed longer survival times for the cutaneous-only group (P = 0.031). Twelve of the 41 cats died of mast cell neoplasia during the study period. When a subgroup of cats with only cutaneous tumours (no lymph node or visceral involvement) were divided according to whether there were multiple (five or more) tumours (n = 6) or a single tumour (n = 19), cats with single tumours survived longer than those with multiple tumours (P = 0.001). Solitary cutaneous feline MCTs without spread to the lymph nodes usually manifest as benign disease with a relatively protracted course. However, multiple cutaneous tumours, recurrent tumours and primary splenic disease should receive a guarded prognosis due to the relatively short median survival times associated with these forms of the disease. (C) 2006 ESFM and AAFR Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

New era: Prophylactic surgery for patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia-2A

Background: The surgical management of patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia-2A (MEN-2A) continues to evolve with specific genotype-phenotype correlations allowing for a more tailored approach. In this study, we report the surgical management of one of the largest MEN-2A families with a rearranged during transfection (RET) codon 804 mutation. Method: This is a cohort study comprising all at-risk kindred within a single known MEN-2A family. Prophylactic total thyroidectomy with lymph node dissection was recommended to all mutation carriers aged 5 years and older. Results: There were a total of 48 at-risk individuals in the MEN-2A kindred, with 22 patients undergoing thyroidectomy after appropriate preoperative evaluation. A total of 9 patients had medullary thyroid cancer including 5 with a normal preoperative calcitonin level. A total of 11 patients had C-cell hyperplasia and 7 showed histological evidence of parathyroid disease. Only the index case had a phaeochromocytoma. Conclusion: Genetic testing for germline mutations in the RET proto-oncogene has allowed precise identification of affected RET carriers and provided the opportunity for prophylactic or 'preclinical' surgery to treat and in fact to prevent medullary thyroid cancer. This concept of prophylactic surgery based on a genetic test is likely to be applied more widely as the tools of molecular biology advance.

Polymeric films for buccal drug delivery

The aim of this research project is to evaluate whether or not pullulan films are suitable to buccal drug delivery of a phosphodiesterase5 (PDE5) inhibitor yonkenafil, which was discovered in our research group and currently is under phase II clinical trial for treatment of erectile dysfunction. Variable formulations of pullulan films were designed and the films were prepared. Mechanical properties of the films, in vitro drug release and polymer dissolution, in vitro drug penetration through porcine esophageal mucosa were investigated. The plasticization effects of solvents, polyols and acids to the films were studied by tensile test, and differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, fourier transform-infrared, scanning electron microscopy, optical microscopy was applied to analyse the structure and chemical-bonding between pullulan and the additives within the films. Release mathematics models were used in the study of the mechanism of drug releases and polymer dissolutions. Ethanol, menthol, fatty acids, and sodium dodecyl sulphate were employed as penetration enhancers to pretreat the tissue. Various plasticizers and acids were applied into the films and the result showed polyethylene glycol 400 and 600 had the excellent plasticization effect on the drug-free pullulan films, while lactic acid was the best plasticizer for the drug-loaded films. Both PEG400 and lactic acid had a great effect on the drug release from the films in vitro, and all the results indicated that the hydroxyl and carboxyl groups of pullulan and the additives influenced the mechanical properties of the films significantly, and also altered drug release mechanisms. Ethanol shows the greatest enhancing ability on the drug permeation through the porcine esophageal mucosa. A possible mechanism for this is that ethanol interferes with the structure of the lipids in the mucosa, resulting in increased partitioning of the drug into the membrane.

Análise da expressão dos receptores HER-2 e sua correlação clínica em pacientes com neoplasia gástrica do setor de Oncologia do Hospital de Clínicas da Universidade Federal de Uberlândia-UFU

Introduction: Gastric cancer is currently the fourth higher cancer mortality rate among men in the world and the fifth among women, despite the progressive advances in oncology. The identification of tumor receptors and the development of target-drugs to block them has contributed to increased survival and quality of life of patients, but it becomes important to know the tumor profile of the population being treated, avoiding burdening treatment with examinations and treatments that are not cost-effective. Objective: To evaluate the profile of the population with gastric cancer treated in five years at the Clinical Hospital of the Federal University of Uberlândia and verify the correlation between overexpression of HER-2 receptor with an unfavorable prognosis. Methods: 203 records with gastric cancer were selected through the system database, attending a five-year period, of which 117 paraffin blocks were available for immunohistochemical assessment of HER2 receptor. Results: 2.6% of tumors showed overexpression of HER2, considering for this study two crosses as positive. There was no statistically significant difference in correlation between expression of the HER2 receptor with age, gender, tumor grade, local involvement, Lauren classification, Borrmann classification or staging. Conclusion: For this studied population, we can conclude that there is no need to employ HER2 blockers with high cost as a target-therapy in patients with gastric cancer, since no clinical benefit probably will be obtained due to a low percentage of these patients that demonstrated superexpression of this receptor or even there is no patients with gastric cancer with superexpression of HER2 with more than three crosses of positivity in immunochemistry

Pre-formulation and systematic evaluation of amino acid assisted permeability of insulin across in vitro buccal cell layers

The aim of this work was to investigate alternative safe and effective permeation enhancers for buccal peptide delivery. Basic amino acids improved insulin solubility in water while 200 and 400 µg/mL lysine significantly increased insulin solubility in HBSS. Permeability data showed a significant improvement in insulin permeation especially for 10 µg/mL of lysine (p < 0.05) and 10 µg/mL histidine (p < 0.001), 100 µg/mL of glutamic acid (p < 0.05) and 200 µg/mL of glutamic acid and aspartic acid (p < 0.001) without affecting cell integrity; in contrast to sodium deoxycholate which enhanced insulin permeability but was toxic to the cells. It was hypothesized that both amino acids and insulin were ionised at buccal cavity pH and able to form stable ion pairs which penetrated the cells as one entity; while possibly triggering amino acid nutrient transporters on cell surfaces. Evidence of these transport mechanisms was seen with reduction of insulin transport at suboptimal temperatures as well as with basal-to-apical vectoral transport, and confocal imaging of transcellular insulin transport. These results obtained for insulin is the first indication of a possible amino acid mediated transport of insulin via formation of insulin-amino acid neutral complexes by the ion pairing mechanism.

Prognostic value of the diagnostic criteria distinguishing endometrial stromal sarcoma, low grade from undifferentiated endometrial sarcoma, 2 entities within the invasive endometrial stromal neoplasia family

The World Health Organization (WHO 2003) recognizes 3 endometrial stromal neoplasms: noninvasive endometrial stromal nodule and the 2 invasive neoplasms, endometrial stromal sarcoma (ESS), low grade and undifferentiated endometrial sarcoma (UES). It is important to note that the WHO 2003 does not define moderate atypia (an important differentiating diagnostic criterion for ESS, low grade and UES), nor does it discuss its significance. Moreover, studies on reproducibility and additional prognostic value of other diagnostic features in large are lacking. Using strict definitions, we analyzed the agreement between routine and expert-review necrosis and nuclear atypia in 91 invasive endometrial stromal neoplasias (IESN). The overall 5-year and 10-year recurrence-free survival rate estimates of the 91 IESN patients were 82% and 75%, respectively. Necrosis was well reproducible, and nuclear atypia was reasonably well reproducible. The 10-year recurrence-free survival rates for necrosis absent/inconspicuous versus prominent were 89% and 45% (P<0.001) and those for review-confirmed none/mild, moderate, severe atypia were 90%, 30%, and <20% (P<0.00001). Therefore, cases with moderate/severe atypia should be grouped together. Nuclear atypia and necrosis had independent prognostic values (Cox regression). Once these features were taken into account, no other feature had an independent additional prognostic value, including mitotic count. Using "none/mild atypia, necrosis absent/inconspicuous" as ESS, low grade versus "moderate/severe atypia present or necrosis present" as UES resulted in 68 ESS, low grade and 23 UES cases with disease-specific overall mortality-free survival of 99% versus 48% (P<0.00001, hazard ratio=45.4). When strictly defined microscopic criteria are used, the WHO 2003 diagnoses of ESS, low grade and UES are well reproducible and prognostically strong. © 2012 International Society of Gynecological Pathologists.

Neoplasia papilar cística do pâncreas

Papyllary cystic tumor of the pancreas, so-called Frantz’s tumor, is rare. Clinical presentation of this disease is usually a slowly growing abdominal mass with or without abdominal pain, affecting predominantly young females. Its pathogenesis is still unknown . Surgical resection is usually curative, and prognosis is excellent. The authors report two pancreatic tumor cases(Frantz’s tumor) in women aged 26 and 31 years old. Pre operative assessment showed a solid-cystic tumor of the tail and body of the pancreas. An extended distal pancreatectomy was performed without splenic preservation

Small bowel mesentery solitary fibrous tumor. A rare neoplasia in a young male

Extrapleural Solitary Fibrous Tumors (SFT), in particular small bowel mesentery SFTs, are extremely rare neoplasms. We describe the case of a young male hospitalized for unspecific abdominal symptoms and evidence of a well-circumscribed mass arising from the small bowel mesentery. Histopathological and immunohistochemical analysis on the surgical specimen confirmed the diagnosis of SFT. A Pubmed search revealed only another case of small bowel mesentery SFT, confirming the extremely rarity of this tumor.

Multiple endocrine neoplasia, the old and the new: a mini review

Multiple endocrine neoplasia syndromes have since been classified as types 1 and 2, each with specific phenotypic patterns. MEN1 is usually associated with pituitary, parathyroid and paraneoplastic neuroendocrine tumours. The hallmark of MEN2 is a very high lifetime risk of developing medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) more than 95% in untreated patients. Three clinical subtypesdMEN2A, MEN2B, and familial MTC (FMTC) have been defined based on the risk of pheochromocytoma, hyperparathyroidism, and the presence or absence of characteristic physical features). MEN2 occurs as a result of germline activating missense mutations of the RET (REarranged during Transfection) proto-oncogene. MEN2-associated mutations are almost always located in exons 10, 11, or 13 through 16. Strong genotype-phenotype correlations exist with respect to clinical subtype, age at onset, and aggressiveness of MTC in MEN2. These are used to determine the age at which prophylactic thyroidectomy should occur and whether screening for pheochromocytoma or hyperparathyroidism is necessary. Specific RET mutations can also impact management in patients presenting with apparently sporadic MTC. Therefore, genetic testing should be performed before surgical intervention in all patients diagnosed with MTC. Recently, Pellegata et al. have reported that germline mutations in CDKN1B can predispose to the development of multiple endocrine tumours in both rats and humans and this new MEN syndrome is named MENX and MEN4, respectively. CDKN1B. A recent report showed that in sporadic MTC, CDKN1B V109G polymorphism correlates with a more favorable disease progression than the wild-type allele and might be considered a new promising prognostic marker. New insights on MEN syndrome pathogenesis and related inherited endocrine disorders are of particular interest for an adequate surgical and therapeutic approach.

Neoplasia papilar cística do pâncreas

Papyllary cystic tumor of the pancreas, so-called Frantz’s tumor, is rare. Clinical presentation of this disease is usually a slowly growing abdominal mass with or without abdominal pain, affecting predominantly young females. Its pathogenesis is still unknown . Surgical resection is usually curative, and prognosis is excellent. The authors report two pancreatic tumor cases(Frantz’s tumor) in women aged 26 and 31 years old. Pre operative assessment showed a solid-cystic tumor of the tail and body of the pancreas. An extended distal pancreatectomy was performed without splenic preservation

Study of rainbow trout neoplasia in the region of Haraz

This study was carried out in order to determine neoplasia presence in rainbow trout in Haraz area. Neoplasia in various species of fishes including freshwater, brackish water and marine fishes was reported in other countries. But up to now there is no documented report of rainbow trout neoplasia in Iran. The study was performed in 20 farms of Haraz area during 2004-2005. All fishes of each farm firstly were observed in order to any abnormal mass which is suspicious to neoplasia. Besides in order to observation of external and internal organs, 20 fishes was sampled randomly from each farm and were examined clinically and necroptically. Any suspicious lesions were sent to pathology laboratory in 10% formalin followed by taking pictures of the lesions. Then histopathological evaluations were performed. From 400 fishes, 3 neoplastic cases including hepatocellular carcinoma along with bile duct papilloma, hepatocellular carcinoma and bile duct adenocarcinoma and intestine adenocarcinoma were found which all were in brooder fish.