Intermetatarsal bursa primary synovial chondromatosis: case report and review of the literature.

Primary synovial chondromatosis is a benign neoplastic process, occurring mostly in large joints, more rarely in tendon sheaths, and extremely uncommonly in bursae. We describe a patient with primary synovial chondromatosis arising in the fourth intermetatarsal bursa. Knowledge of the bursal anatomy of the forefoot, and of characteristic imaging findings and the pathogenesis of synovial chondromatosis, is essential in including this uncommon entity in the differential when occurring in unusual locations.

Absent cavum septum pellucidum: a review with emphasis on associated commissural abnormalities.

The cavum septum pellucidum (CSP) is an important fetal midline forebrain landmark, and its absence often signifies additional underlying malformations. Frequently detected by prenatal sonography, absence of the CSP requires further imaging with pre- or postnatal MRI to characterize the accompanying abnormalities. This article reviews the developmental anatomy of the CSP and the pivotal role of commissurization in normal development. An understanding of the patterns of commissural abnormalities associated with absence of the CSP can lead to improved characterization of the underlying spectrum of pathology.

Promiscuous binding of extracellular peptides to cell surface class I MHC protein.

Algorithms derived from measurements of short-peptide (8-10 mers) binding to class I MHC proteins suggest that the binding groove of a class I MHC protein, such as K(b), can bind well over 1 million different peptides with significant affinity (<500 nM), a level of ligand-binding promiscuity approaching the level of heat shock protein binding of unfolded proteins. MHC proteins can, nevertheless, discriminate between similar peptides and bind many of them with high (nanomolar) affinity. Some insights into this high-promiscuity/high-affinity behavior and its impact on immunodominant peptides in T-cell responses to some infections and vaccination are suggested by results obtained here from testing a model developed to predict the number of cell surface peptide-MHC complexes that form on cells exposed to extracellular (exogenous) peptides.

Endovascular interventions for traumatic portal venous hemorrhage complicated by portal hypertension.

Life-threatening hemorrhage rarely occurs from the portal vein following blunt hepatic trauma. Traditionally, severe portal bleeding in this setting has been controlled by surgical techniques such as packing, ligation, and venorrhaphy. The presence of portal hypertension could potentially increase the amount of hemorrhage in the setting of blunt portal vein trauma making it more difficult to control. This case series describes the use of indirect carbon dioxide portography to identify portal hemorrhage. Furthermore, these cases illustrate attempted endovascular treatment utilizing a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt in one scenario and transmesocaval shunt coiling of a jejunal varix in the other.

Embolization of a large high-flow renal arteriovenous fistula using 035″ and 018″ detachable coils.

Transcatheter embolization of renal arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is a minimally invasive procedure that, in some occasions, can replace surgery and potentially save the kidney. The embolization techniques for the renal AVFs have evolved considerably with the availability of newer hardwares. Still, the risk of inadvertent migration of the embolization materials to the pulmonary circulation is a concern. This article describes a novel technique of coiling the feeding segmental artery to a large high-flow renal AVF using 035″ and 018″ detachable coils only, and briefly reviews the previously described strategies to safely embolize renal AVFs.