Solid pseudopapillary neoplasm of the pancreas: report of a rare case and review of the literature.

Solid pseudopapillary neoplasm, a rare primary neoplasm of the pancreas that typically affects young women, is a relatively indolent entity with favorable prognosis. We here report a 20-year-old young girl with solid pseudopapillary neoplasm who presented with mild dull abdominal discomfort without any significant laboratory findings. On MRI, a heterogenous mass was found at the distal pancreas. The patient underwent en-block distal pancreatectomy with splenectomy with the presumptive diagnosis of cystic neoplasm of the pancreas. The tumor was well-circumscribed, encapsulated, 5.5 cm in the greatest dimension and showed typical papillary and pseudopapillary structures. Capsular invasion was seen on focal areas. The patient was not given any adjuvant therapy and shows no sign of disease after six months follow-up. It is important to differentiate this tumor from other pancreatic neoplasms because this neoplasm is amenable to cure after complete surgical resection even in cases with capsular invasion, unlike malignant tumors of the pancreas.

The protective effects of spirulina in cyclophosphamide induced nephrotoxicity and urotoxicity in rats.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the role of Spirulina, a blue-green algae with antioxidant properties in the protection of cyclophosphamide-induced nephrotoxicity and hemorrhagic cystitis in rats. METHODS: The control group (C) was sacrificed 24 hours after being given a single dose of saline intraperitoneally (150 mg/kg) on the seventh day of the experiment. The rats in the second group (CP) were sacrificed 24 hours after being given a single dose of cyclophosphamide, intraperitoneally (150 mg/kg) on the seventh day of the experiment. Spirulina was administered to the third group (SP+CP) orally (1000 mg/kg bw/day) for 7 days and a single dose of cyclophosphamide was injected intraperitoneally (150 mg/kg) on the seventh day of the experiment. At the eighth day of the experiment, malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase, and catalase levels in renal and urinary bladder tissues were measured. Histomorphology in urinary bladder, apoptosis by caspase 3 immunostaining, and TUNEL assay in kidney were also evaluated. RESULTS: Tissue levels of malondialdehyde in the SP+CP group were significantly lower versus CP group (P < .05). Tissue levels of superoxide dismutase and catalase in the SP+CP group were significantly higher vs the CP group (P < .05). The histomorphologic alteration in urinary bladder in the SP+CP group was significantly lower vs that in the CP group. In the kidney, apoptosis in the SP+CP group as shown with TUNEL assay and immunohistochemistry was significantly lower vs that in the CP group (P < .05). CONCLUSION: Pretreatment with Spirulina protects the rats from cyclophosphamide-induced nephro-urotoxicity via its antioxidant and anti-apoptotic properties.

Cauda equina paraganglioma with ependymoma-like histology: a case report.

Paraganglioma affecting the cauda equina region is very rare and can be misinterpreted as an ependymoma which is more common at this site. A 38-year-old woman with a paraganglioma in the cauda equina is presented. MRI revealed a well-circumscribed, intradural, extramedullary tumor nodule with the dimensions of 2.5x1x1 cm. The patient underwent L3 laminectomy and total excision of the tumor. The tumor was diagnosed as ependymoma and the patient was decided to undergo adjuvant radiotherapy. The patient applied to our medical center for a second opinion. Histopathologically, her tumor was found to be a paraganglioma with ependymal features. Therefore no adjuvant therapy was applied. There is no evidence of recurrence or metastases for 15 months after her operation. Paraganglioma in the cauda equina/ filum terminale is very rare and can be misdiagnosed as ependymoma especially when it exhibits ependymoma-like histology. This rare form of paraganglioma behaves like a WHO grade I tumor of CNS like classic paraganglioma. No recurrence or metastasis is expected when it is totally resected. Morphology can be misleading hence immunohistochemistry and/or ultrastructural study is necessary for correct diagnosis.

Profile of gallbladder diseases diagnosed at Afyon Kocatepe University: a retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE: Gallbladder is one of the most commonly encountered specimen in a pathology laboratory. A diverse spectrum of diseases affect the biliary system, often presenting with similar clinical signs and symptoms. We aimed to define the profile of gallbladder diseases in our region, and to determine potential correlations between histopathologic features we observed. MATERIAL AND METHOD: We reviewed all cholecystectomies processed in Department of Pathology of Afyon Kocatepe University Hospital between January 2000 and March 2008. Gross and histopathologic features of the specimens were reevaluated. RESULTS: Among 1500 patients; 69.9% were women and 30.1% were men. We found out fourteen primary gallbladder carcinomas (0.93%) with adenocarcinomas being the most frequent type (78.57%). The rate of cholelithiasis was found as 89.9%. The most common type of gallstones was mixed cholesterol type gallstones with 67.5% followed by black pigment and brown pigment types as 23.83% and 5.89%, respectively. The association of metaplasia with dysplasia and also gallstones were statistically significant (p < 0.001, p < 0.005). The rate of the gallbladder polyps was 2.6% with the cholesterol polyps being the most common type (56.4%). CONCLUSION: Gallbladder diseases often present with similar clinical signs and symptoms and a surgical pathologist should be alert especially of precancerous lesions. With our results, we also conclude that elderly women with longstanding gallstone disease should undergo elective surgery even when no symptoms are present.