Behavioral, histopathological, and biochemical evaluations on the effects of cinnamaldehyde, naloxone, and their combination in morphine-induced cerebellar toxicity.

Long-term morphine use for therapeutic approaches may lead to serious side effects. Several studies have suggested opioid antagonist and antioxidant therapy for reducing adverse effects of morphine. Cinnamaldehyde has a potent anti-oxidant property. In this study, separate and combined effects of cinnamaldehyde and naloxone (an opioid receptor antagonist) on behavioral changes and cerebellar histological and biochemical outcomes were investigated after long-term morphine administration. Seventy-eight rats were divided into two major morphine-treated and morphine-untreated groups. Morphine-treated group was subdivided into seven subgroups for receiving vehicle, normal saline, cinnamaldehyde (1.25, 5, and 20 mg/kg), naloxone, and cinnamaldehyde plus naloxone before morphine. Morphine-untreated group was subdivided into six subgroups and treated with vehicle, cinnamaldehyde (1.25, 5, and 20 mg/kg), naloxone, and their combination. Chemical compounds were administered for 28 consecutive days. Behavioral tests including footprint, rotarod, and beam balance tests were employed. Histopathological and biochemical alterations of cerebellum were determined. Body and cerebellum weights, stride width, time spent on the rotarod, Purkinje cell number, thickness of molecular and granular layers, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) decreased as a result of administrating morphine. Morphine increased beam transverse time, malondealdehyde (MDA), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and caspase-3 levels. Histopathological changes such as cellular vacuolation and loss were also produced as a result of treatment with morphine. Cinnamaldehyde, naloxone, and their combination treatments improved all the above-mentioned alterations induced by morphine. We concluded that cinnamaldehyde produced a neuroprotective effect through anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, apoptotic, and probably naloxone-sensitive opioid receptor interaction mechanisms.

Fascin overexpression is associated with higher grades of breast cancer.

In the present study, we tried to evaluate the relationship between Fascin molecule expression and other histopathologic parameters, especially tumor grade and hormone profile. Sixty-one malignant breast tumors were enrolled in this study. Fascin marker staining was performed on paraffin blocks of breast samples using immunohistochemistry (IHC) method. The age range of patients was 26-87 years, with an average of 48.41 ±1.68. Our results showed that fascin expression was significantly higher in tumors with high grade histology, lymph node involvement and larger tumor size (p = 0.04, 0.04, 0.04, respectively). Also fascin expression in triple negative tumors was significantly higher than other molecular subtypes (p = 0.001). fascin can be used as an important marker in evaluating breast cancer especially in triple negative tumors.

Carnosine improves functional recovery and structural regeneration after sciatic nerve crush injury in rats.

AIMS: Peripheral nerve injury represents a substantial clinical problem with insufficient or unsatisfactory treatment options. Current researches have extensively focused on the new approaches for the treatment of peripheral nerve injuries. Carnosine is a naturally occurring pleotropic dipeptide and has many biological functions such as antioxidant property. In the present study, we examined the regenerative ability of carnosine after sciatic nerve crush injury using behavioral, biochemical, histological and ultrastructural evaluations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventy-two rats were divided into six groups including control, sham, crush and carnosine (10, 20 and 40 mg/kg) groups. Crush injury in left sciatic nerve was induced by a small haemostatic forceps. Carnosine was administered for 15 consecutive days after induction of crush injury. Sciatic functional index (SFI) was recorded weekly. Histopathological and ultrastructural evaluations were made using light and electron microscopes, respectively. Sciatic nerve tissue malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) levels were measured. Gastrocnemius muscle weight was determined. KEY FINDINGS: Carnosine at the doses of 20 and 40 mg/kg accelerated SFI recovery. Wallerian degeneration severity and myelinated fibers density, myelin sheath thickness and diameter as well as ultrastructural changes of myelinated axons were improved. It also recovered nerve tissue biochemical (MDA, SOD and TNF-α) changes induced by crush injury. Muscle weight ratio was reached to near normal values. Our results suggest a regenerative effect of carnosine. Inhibition of oxidative stress and inflammatory pathways, along with provocation of myelination and prevention of muscular atrophy might be involved in this effect of carnosine. SIGNIFICANCE: Carnosine treatment might be considered as a therapeutic agent for peripheral nerve regeneration and its functional recovery.

Relationship between interstitial CD34 positive cells and active phase of lupus nephritis.

OBJECTIVE: Lupus nephritis is one of the most serious and common complications of systemic lupus erythematosus. It has an unpredictable course, and the type, severity, and activity of renal lesions cannot be assessed only by clinical and laboratory findings. The aim of the present study was to determine the relationship between the expression of CD34 and the histopathological findings of lupus nephritis. METHODS: A total of 73 renal biopsy samples of patients with a diagnosis of lupus nephritis were examined for CD34 expression by immunohistochemistry. Samples without staining were considered as 0, mild staining as 1+, moderate as 2+, and strong staining as 3+. The relationship between CD34 expression and histopathological and clinical data (including activity index, chronicity index, lupus nephritis class, age, sex, blood pressure, complete blood count, renal function tests, and serological findings) was analyzed. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 29.3±11.3 years. CD34 was expressed in all of the cases but with different intensities. There was a significant relationship between the expression of CD34 and the activity index, as a strong expression was seen in lower activity indices (p<0.001). CD34 expression was correlated with patients' white blood cell (WBC) count and systolic blood pressure (SBP). Patients with strong (score 3) CD34 expression had higher SBPs and lower WBC counts (p=0.03 and 0.04, respectively). CONCLUSION: A strong interstitial expression of CD34 was observed in lower activity indices. It seems that CD34 expression could play a protective role in lupus nephritis and could reduce renal activity.

The pathological evaluation of nonneoplastic kidney disorder in tumor nephrectomy specimens.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) comprises 2%-3% of all visceral and 80%-85% of all adult kidney malignancies. Nephrectomy is the treatment of choice for renal tumors. The accurate pathological evaluation of nonneoplastic renal parenchyma in nephrectomy specimens is important for subsequent management. Eighty-two patients with RCC who underwent surgery at Imam Khomeini Hospital, Urmia, Iran, from April 2006 to February 2015 were studied. Paraffin blocks of the hospital archives were stained by hematoxylin and eosin (H and E) and periodic acid-Schiff staining. Microscopic examination was performed on nontumoral portions that were in the farthest possible distance from the tumor. Out of total 82 cases, 24 (29.3%) had normal renal parenchyma and 58 (70.7%) had pathological changes in renal parenchyma. The most frequent pathological findings were vascular sclerosis with parenchymal scarring and pyelonephritis. Other findings include focal and diffuse mesangial hypercellularity, eight; focal segmental glome-rulonephritis, five; membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis, three; and membranous glome-rulonephritis, two. Parenchymal scarring and vascular change included 36% of clear cell type, 41% of papillary type, and 53.8% of chromophobe type. Although there is not any statistical relation between the gender of patients and pathological findings, there was an obvious correlation between age and pathological findings. Before the age of 55 years, vascular sclerosis with parenchymal scarring and glomerular diseases and then chronic pyelonephritis are more prevalent.Evaluation of pathological changes in nonneo-plastic renal parenchyma is an essential step in recognizing patients at risk of accelerated functional failure of the single remaining kidney, particularly in patients with a background of chronic vascular injury associated with diabetes or hypertension.

Preconceived Stakeholders' Attitude Toward Telepathology: Implications for Successful Implementation.

INTRODUCTION: Telepathology is a subdiscipline of telemedicine. It has opened new horizons to pathology, especially to the field of organizing consultations. This study aims to determine the capabilities and equipment required for the implementation of telepathology from the viewpoints of managers, IT professionals, and pathologists of the hospitals of West Azerbaijan, Iran. METHODS: This is a descriptive-analytical study conducted as a cross-sectional study in 2015. All public and private hospitals of West Azerbaijan were selected as the study sites. The population of the study was the managers, directors, pathologists, and IT professionals of the hospitals. The study population was considered as the study sample. Data were collected using questionnaires. The validity and reliability of the questionnaires were assessed, and data were analyzed using SPSS (Statistical Product and Services Solutions, version 16.0, SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL, USA). RESULTS: The mean awareness of the study population of telepathology in the studied hospitals was 2.43 with a standard deviation of 0.89. According to analysis results (F = 7.211 and P = 0.001), in the studied hospitals, the mean awareness of pathologists, managers, directors, and IT professionals' of telepathology is significant. In addition, the mean awareness of pathologists is higher than that of managers, directors, and IT professionals, and this relation is significant (P = 0.001). According to IT professionals, among the influential dimensions of the implementation of telepathology in the studied hospitals, the effect of all dimensions, except hardware capabilities, was above moderate level. CONCLUSION: According to our findings, stakeholders believe that the implementation of telepathology promotes the quality of health-care services and caring patients on the one hand and decreases health-care costs on the other hand. Therefore, it crucial and important to consider users' viewpoints into the process of implementing such systems as they play a vital role in the success or failure, and the accurate estimation of required sources, of the systems.

Recurrent idiopathic membranous glomerulonephritis after kidney transplantation and successful treatment with rituximab.

After renal transplantation approximately forty percent of patients with membranous glomerolunephritis (MGN) had a recurrence, most commonly during the first year.We present two cases with recurrent MGN after kidney transplantation who successfully treated with ritoximab.

Expression of CD44 and P53 in renal cell carcinoma: association with tumor subtypes.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a common malignancy of the kidney and accurate prediction of prognosis is valuable for the design of adjuvant therapy and counseling and effective scheduling of follow-up visits. Molecular genetic investigations of CD44 and P53 in RCC may be helpful in this regard. We studied the CD44 and P53 expressions semi-quantitatively on paraffin-embedded specimens of 64 RCC patients (37 male/27 female) who underwent surgery from 2003 to 2008 by immunohistochemistry and analyzed the correlation of P53 and CD44 expression in RCC and outcome. Thirteen of 64 (20.3%) specimens were P53 positive, 30/64 (46.9%) were CD44 positive and five tumors with positive P53 expressed CD44 protein (P = 0.5). A statistically significant correlation was not found between CD44 and P53 expression (P = 0.5) and age (P = 0.07), sex (P= 0.3), tumor size (P = 0.7), grade (P = 0.23), vascular invasion (P = 1.00) and ureteral invasion (P = 1.00). Furthermore, a significant correlation was not found between P53 expression with age (P = 0.3), sex (P = 0.7), tumor size (P = 0.7), grade (P = 0.1), vascular invasion (P = 1.00) and ureteral invasion (P = 1.00). According to our findings, only P53 expression is generally accompanied by non-conventional subtype tumor.

Cutaneous metastasis of bilateral renal cell carcinoma.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a malignant lethal tumour with high potential of metastasis. However, metastasis from RCC to the skin is much less common. It is virtually a sign of poor prognosis. We represent a 42 years old man with bilateral RCC of clear cell type followed by metastasis to the scalp one month later. In this case the relatively young age of the patient, bilaterality of RCC and occurance of skin metastasis in the absence of recurrent kidney tumour are interesting.

Enchondroma protuberans of ulnar bone: a case report and review of literature.

Introduction. Enchondroma protuberans is an extremely rare benign cartilaginous bone tumor. We report the first case report of enchondroma protuberans in the forearm. Presentation of Case. We report a case of enchondroma protuberans originating in the left ulnar bone of a young woman. A 20-year-old female referred to our hospital complaining of progressive sustained left forearm pain with a radiation to fourth and fifth finger. Conventional radiography revealed a well-defined eccentric osteolytic lesion in the distal diaphysis of ulna with expansion of overlying cortex (without calcification). Magnetic resonance imaging showed a well-defined ovoid intramedullary lesion, which was exophytically protruding from medial surface of left ulnar bone. Histopathology confirmed the diagnosis. Discussion. Enchondroma protuberans typically present as a well-defined intramedullary osteolytic lesion that may be accompanied by a fine matricidal calcification. The connection between the intramedullary portion and the exophytic protrusion can be seen well by magnetic resonance imaging. Conclusion. Enchondroma protuberans should be considered in the differential diagnosis of osteochondroma, enchondroma, and periosteal chondroid tumors.

Periosteal osteosarcoma of the fifth metatarsal: a rare pedal tumor.

Periosteal osteosarcoma is a rare pedal chondroblastic osteosarcoma that rarely involves the medullary bone. In the present report, we describe the case of a woman who presented with a periosteal osteosarcoma localized to her left foot.