Giant abdominal tumor - would you think adrenal?

Adrenal cavernomas are rare benign tumors, and those of giant dimensions are exceptional. Usually, they are symptomless or they induce symptoms and signs due to compression over nearby organs. We present the case of a 68-year-old woman, who complained of abdominal enlargement and abdominal pain in the left part of the abdomen. Imagistic investigations (native and contrast abdominal computed tomography) revealed an inhomogeneous retroperitoneal mass of 210∕182∕200 mm, containing calcifications. Laboratory findings were not relevant, just a slight and non-significant elevation of carcinoembryonic antigen and a slight elevation of C-reactive protein. Diagnosis of cancer of undetermined origin was considered, and surgery was performed. During surgery, a giant encapsulated inhomogeneous tumor of 330 mm, with cystic areas, was removed, without assessing the origin. Primary or secondary tumors (metastasis from breast, intestinal, lung, renal or skin cancer) were taken into account. Only histopathology and immunohistochemistry revealed the diagnosis of adrenal cavernoma. Until this moment, we found only one published article in the medical literature with similar dimensions of an adrenal cavernoma as in our case. Even if rare, hemangioma of the adrenal gland must be considered during the differential diagnosis of an adrenal tumor.

The ultraviolet influence upon soft eye tissues.

The climate changes, which occurred during the last decades, put all living species in front of new challenges. Human biology is no exception to it, all tissues have to face new effects, with unpredictable consequences. Many cancers, mainly affecting the skin, but also many of the eye various structures diseases, have ultraviolet radiation as recognized causative agent. The aim of our work is to highlight the changes that can occur after exposure to ultraviolet radiations of soft tissues, including eye structures, by reviewing data from the scientific literature regarding the matter. Responsible for severe diseases, including cancer, ultraviolet negative effects on various soft tissues can be limited by better comprehension. Their knowledge can contribute to improving public health, by finding new preventive methods, which might represent the foundation of effective public health programs.

Ocular cells and light: harmony or conflict?

Vision is based on the sensitivity of the eye to visible rays of the solar spectrum, which allows the recording and transfer of visual information by photoelectric reaction. Any electromagnetic radiation, if sufficiently intense, may cause damages in living tissues. In a changing environment, the aim of this paper is to point out the impact of light radiation on ocular cells, with its phototoxicity potential on eye tissues. In fact, faced with light and oxygen, the eye behaves like an ephemeral aggregate of unstable molecules, like a temporary crystallization threatened with entropia.

Microscopic aspects of angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Despite various great scientific and financial efforts, head and neck carcinomas represent a public health problem, being the eighth cause of cancer death worldwidely. The rate of tumor growth, its local expansion, as well as the metastasis of cancerous cells depend on the tumor vascularization, on the ability of blood vessels to provide a constant supply of nourishing substances and oxygen and to eliminate the residual products resulted from tumor growth. That is why angiogenesis and lymphogenesis are considered to be essential processes within the neoplastic process. The assessment of tumoral neoformed blood vessels in oral squamous carcinomas, using the CD34 antibody, showed a significant growth of the microvascular density, the average number being 504.66±177.65 vessels/mm². The diameter of angiogenesis vessels varied between 3.42 and 121.27 µm. The density of lymphogenesis vessels was 508.78±235.93 vessels/mm², while the diameter varied from 2.82 to 165.28 µm. Both angiogenesis and lymphogenesis vessels were more numerous in the areas where the inflammatory infiltrate was more abundant, which suggests that chronic inflammation plays the part of a promoter factor of neoplastic lesions.

Study of bone cells by confocal microscopy in fractures stimulated by ultrasound.

The ultrasound mechanism of action in fracture healing is still unknown. The mechanism that controls the compartment of each cell during healing process derives, possibly, from the microenvironment of said cells; studies in the field show differences of 55 to 84% between cross-sectional areas, depending on the sectioning mode. In order to assess the impact of ultrasound application to bone cells, we have examined bone tissue by help of Nikon E-600 microscope; the three-dimensional images have been obtained by Zeiss LSM 510 laser confocal microscope, from the Riken Physico-Chemical Analysis Laboratory, Japan. Morphometry analysis was made by Lucia Computer Program. An increase by 10% in the surface of cavities containing osteocytes has been noticed in the batch stimulated by ultrasound as compared to control batch, with individual values of 21.86 to 98.139 in both batches. The changes that appear in stimulated bone, from both morphometrical point of view and that of osteonal positioning, as compared to normal bone tissue, are the final result of such remodeling, in which the bone did not take its initial form, but the one that could best perform its function.

Extra-genitally located endometriosis.

Endometriosis is defined by the presence of ectopic and endometrial islands outside the uterus. The significance of its finding is also outlined by its less frequent localizations (intestine, gall bladder, lungs) and by its differentiated symptoms complicating the differential diagnosis. The definitive diagnosis can only be reached through a histopathological examination as the detection of this affliction may lead to severe therapeutic errors (radical resection). The importance of an early diagnosis may help in preventing and delaying the effects of this affliction.

Investigation of ubiquitin deformation mechanism under induced stretch-compression loads.

Proteins folding and unfolding are conformational changes in the life of the proteins, which reveal the modifications in the organization of the molecules inside the chain. It is known that a very organized structure has great amount of entropy and tends to exchange the energy with the environment. The present work presents the results of the atomistic modeling using NAMD software released by the University of Illinois, USA, to reveal the hyper-elasticity under external loads and the progressive conformational shapes that are produced by the H-bonds breaking and recovering. Each H-bond break produces a leap in the internal energy, probably by influencing the bond-bind energy component of the internal energy.

Comparative histomorphometric study of bone tissue synthesized after electric and ultrasound stimulation.

The clinical use of the alternative therapies in traumatology is conditioned by the knowledge and understanding of their actions on the bone tissue. The hereby study aims at the comparative assessment of the effectiveness of the direct current and ultrasounds in treating the fractures. Thus, we have proceeded to a comparative histological study of the bone tissue in the fractured area and the biomechanical description and the three-dimensional model of the stimulated bone's behavior by using micro-CT X-rays and the finite element analysis. The findings clearly show that the bone, which has been stimulated during a period of two weeks, has regained its functions, that is 85% of the compression one and 95% of the shearing one. These values prove that 90% of the bone structure has healed.