Congenital smooth muscle hamartoma of the palpebral conjunctiva.

Smooth muscle hamartoma is defined as a disorganized focus or an overgrowth of mature smooth muscle, generally with low capacity of autonomous growth and benign behavior. The implicated tissues are mature and proliferate in a disorganized fashion. A healthy 5-day-old Mexican boy was referred to the authors' hospital in México city for evaluation of a "cystic" lesion of the right eye that had been noted since birth. The pregnancy and delivery were unremarkable. On physical examination, there was a reddish-pink soft lesion with a tender "cystic" appearance, which was probably emerging from the upper eyelid conjunctiva, which measured 2.7 cm in its widest diameter and transilluminated. Ultrasound imaging revealed an anterior "cystic" lesion with normally formed phakic eye. An excisional biopsy was performed, and the lesion was dissected from the upper tarsal subconjunctival space. Subsequent histologic and immunohistochemical findings were consistent with the diagnosis of congenital smooth muscle hamartoma (CSMH) of the tarsal conjunctiva. The authors' research revealed that only one case of CSMH localized in the conjunctiva (Roper GJ, Smith MS, Lueder GT. Congenital smooth muscle hamartoma of the conjunctival fornix. Am J Ophthalmol. 1999;128:643-4) has been reported to date in the literature. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this current case would be the second case reported of CSMH in this anatomic location. Therefore, the authors' recommendation is to include CSMH in the differential diagnosis of a cystic mass that presents in the fornix and palpebral conjunctiva.

Antioxidant activity of edible fungi (truffles and mushrooms): losses during industrial processing.

The antioxidant properties of two raw truffles (Terfezia claveryi Chatin and Picoa juniperi Vittadini) and five raw mushrooms (Lepista nuda, Lentinus edodes, Agrocybe cylindracea, Cantharellus lutescens, and Hydnum repandum) were tested by subjecting these truffles and mushrooms to different industrial processes (freezing and canning) and comparing them with common food antioxidants (alpha-tocopherol [E-307], BHA [E-320], BHT [E-321], and propyl gallate [E-310]) with regard to their ability to inhibit lipid oxidation. All of the truffles and mushrooms analyzed exhibited higher percentages of oxidation inhibition than did the food antioxidants according to assays based on lipid peroxidation (LOO*), deoxyribose (OH*), and peroxidase (H2O2). Frozen samples exhibited a small reduction in free radical scavenger activity, but the results did not show a significant difference (P < 0.05) with respect to the raw samples, while canned truffles and mushrooms lost some antioxidant activity as a consequence of industrial processing. All of the raw and frozen truffles and mushrooms except frozen Cantharellus improved the stability of oil against oxidation (100 degrees C Rancimat), while canned samples accelerated oil degradation. Antioxidant activity during 30 days of storage was measured by the linoleic acid assay, and all of the samples except canned Terfezia, Picoa, and Hydnum showed high or medium antioxidant activity. The Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity assay was used to provide a ranking order of antioxidant activity as measured against that of Trolox (a standard solution used to evaluate equivalent antioxidant capacity). The order of raw samples with regard to antioxidant capacity was as follows (in decreasing order): Cantharellus, Agrocybe, Lentinus, Terfezia, Picoa, Lepista, and Hydnum. Losses of antioxidant activity were detected in the processed samples of these truffles and mushrooms.