Calotropis procera root extracts block VEGF-induced angiogenesis: quantitative analysis.

Angiogenesis is controlled by number of growth factors, including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Plant derived anti-angiogenic molecules acting via VEGF are being investigated for curtailing angiogenesis dependent diseases. In this study, methanolic (CM), n-hexane (CH), ethylacetate (CE) and water (CW) extracts of the roots of Calotropis procera were tested for anti-angiogenic activity. In the chicken egg chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay, CM, CH and CE but not CW inhibited VEGF-induced neovascularization in a dose-dependent manner. Of all the tested extracts, CM at the dose of 10, 5 and 2.5 ng most effectively inhibited over 83, 71 and 64%, of neovascularization induced by 10ng of VEGF, respectively. Sponge implantation assay in mice further showed that at the dose of 100ng CM, CH and CE but not CW significantly inhibited neovascularization induced by VEGF (100 ng). Taken together, this study indicates that the root extracts of C. procera may possess anti-angiogenic activity.

Thymic neuroendocrine tumour (carcinoid): clinicopathological features of four patients with different presentation.

Thymic carcinoids are aggressive and present at an advanced stage. This article describes the utility of (68)Gallium-1,4,7,10-traazacyclododecane-NI, NII, NIII, NIIII-tetra acetic acid-(D)-Phel1-Tyr3-octreotide positron emission tomography ((68)Ga DOTATOC PET-CT-scan) and clinicopathological features of four thymic carcinoid tumours. Two typical, one atypical, and one large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) were analysed. There were three males and one female with a mean age of 33 years. Three patients had a stage III and one had a stage II tumour. Preoperative (68)Ga DOTATOC PET-CT-scan of three patients did not show uptake of radiotracer in the tumour. Three patients were disease free at 19-27 months follow-up. The patient with LCNEC developed recurrence in the lumbar vertebrae. There is no locoregional recurrence of tumour in any of our patients. Complete surgical resection of the tumour with invaded adjacent structures, postoperative radiotherapy to the tumour bed helps in obtaining disease free survival.

Neuroendocrine carcinoma of the thymus gland with sternal invasion.

Large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the thymus is a rare cancer that is more aggressive than other thymic epithelial tumors with poorer prognosis. We report one such case in a 44-year-old male patient with invasion into the upper 2/3rd of the sternum but no endocrinopathy. Complete enbloc resection of the tumor with adherent pericardium, upper 2/3rd of the sternum and mediastinal lymphadenectomy was performed. The chest wall was reconstructed with polypropylene mesh and bilateral pectoralis major muscle advancement flap cover. A search of PubMed database with user query words 'neuroendocrine carcinoma, thymus gland, sternal invasion' revealed no case report in the literature of thymic neuroendocrine carcinoma with invasion of the sternum.