Angiocentric Glioma: The Infiltrative Glioma with Ependymal Differentiation.

Angiocentric glioma is an epileptogenic, infiltrative, low grade glial tumor, with ependymal and astrocytic differentiation, most commonly seen in young adults and the pediatric age group. Herein we report a case of 21-year-old male patient who presented with fever and pharmaco-resistant seizures. Computed tomography revealed an iso-dense mass lesion in the gyrus rectus of the left frontal lobe. On magnetic resonance imaging the mass was hyperintense on both T1- and T2-weighted images with no contrast enhancement. Histopathological examination revealed monomorphous tumor cells diffusely infiltrating the neuropil with circumferential, radial, or longitudinal angiocentric alignment and subpial aggregation with perpendicular alignment of the cells to the pial surface. Among central nervous system tumors with ependymal differentiation, this distinct entity is the one with an infiltrating growth pattern. In spite of the infiltrating pattern, it does not seem to have a potential for aggressive behavior.

[Unusual localization of echinococcosis in Cukurova (134 cases)]. / Cukurova Yöresinde Seyrek Yerlesimli Ekinokokkozis (134 olgu ).

Echinococcosis is a parasitic disease frequently occurring in societies where agriculture and raising animals are common. In Turkey, it is more commonly observed in eastern and middle Anatolia and in Marmara and Trakya regions. While there is a high rate of occurrence in the liver and lungs, Echinococcosis can occasionally be present in other tissues and organs. In this study which was carried out in the Cukurova region, we found 962 echinococcosis cases in a ten year period. Of these, 134 (13.9%) were located outside the liver and the lung. Our aim was to determine the rate of unusual location of echinococcosis cases in our region and draw attention to the issue.

[Problem of cystic echinococcoss in Hatay]. / Hatay Ili'nde Kistik Ekinokokkozis Sorunu.

Echinococcosis is a zoonotic infection caused by Echinococcus granulosus and E. multilocularis. It continues to be a serious public health problem in many countries including Turkey. In Hatay, no previous study has been carried out; therefore, in this study, in order to determine its prevalence and to attract scientific attention to this issue, we have retrospectively evaluated cases of cystic echinococcosis in human patients presenting at the pathology laboratory of the Mustafa Kemal University, Faculty of Medicine, Research Hospital, as well as Antakya and Iskenderun State Hospitals. We have identified a total of 26 cases, of which 18 were in female patients (69.23%) and 8 in male patients (30.76%). The highest rate of cystic echinococcosis was found in the liver (57.6%), and lungs (19.23%). It was also found in the peritoneal region, spleen, cervical region, muscle, and an incision scar. In addition, the presence of cystic echinococcosis was investigated in 35,812 cattle slaughtered in Antakya slaughterhouse and 5,448 (3.23%) were found to have cystic echinococcosis.

An unusual mesenteric paraganglioma producing human chorionic gonadotropin.

Adrenal and extra-adrenal paragangliomas are uncommon neoplasms arising from the parenchymal cells of paraganglia. The presenting symptoms are mostly due to excess catecholamine secretion. Extra-adrenal paragangliomas are mostly localized in the superior para-aortic region of the abdomen. Mesenteric paragangliomas are very rare. We report an unusual case of mesenteric paraganglioma producing human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report describing hCG secretion in an extra-adrenal paraganglioma.

Antinociceptive and neurotoxicologic screening of chronic intrathecal administration of ketorolac tromethamine in the rat.

UNLABELLED: Many drugs are tested intrathecally to investigate alternatives to opioids. We aimed to explore the analgesic and possible neurotoxic effects of chronic intrathecally-administered ketorolac tromethamine in rats. Catheters were placed via atlantoaxial interval in 28 Wistar rats under anesthesia of intraperitoneally-injected thiopental 30 mg/kg. Rats were randomized into 4 groups and administered 4 repeated intrathecal doses of therapy with 5-day intervals. The control group received 10 microL of saline, and the other groups received 50, 150, and 400 microg of ketorolac tromethamine respectively. The formalin test, behavioral test, and histopathological examination of four different spinal cord levels were performed. Neither behavioral testing nor histopathological examination revealed abnormalities that would suggest neurotoxicity. Formalin tests showed that both phase I and phase II responses of ketorolac tromethamine groups were significantly less than those of the control group. Although phase I responses did not differ during comparisons among ketorolac tromethamine-administered groups, phase II responses decreased significantly in groups that received 150 and 400 microg of ketorolac tromethamine. Intrathecally administered ketorolac tromethamine reduced nociceptive responses and exhibited no untoward neurological effect even at large doses. However, its intrathecal use as a safe alternative drug for chronic pain remains to be investigated in other species. IMPLICATIONS: The present study is unique because it has demonstrated that chronic intrathecal administration of ketorolac tromethamine in rats, even at considerably large doses, showed a potent analgesic effect during the formalin test without exhibiting any neurotoxic side effect.

Skull metastasis of follicular thyroid carcinoma.

Metastasis of a follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC) to the skull is very rare. We present a case of solitary lytic skull metastasis of a FTC in a 30-year-old woman. The patient presented with bulging on the left side of the head. Neuro-imaging techniques showed a lesion with an osteolytic component in the left frontal region. After a left frontal craniectomy the tumour was removed totally. The histopathological examination revealed a well-differentiated FTC metastasis and a complete total thyroidectomy was subsequently performed. The patient was given thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) suppression therapy followed by whole body iodine-131 (I131) internal radiation.

Thyroid hemiagenesis with multinodular goiter: a case report and review of the literature.

Thyroid hemiagenesis is a very rare abnormality, in which one thyroid lobe fails to develop. Most of the patients diagnosed have an associated thyroidal disease. The true prevalence of thyroid hemiagenesis is not known, but it is estimated to be 0.02% in normal children. We report a forty-five year-old female patient with a multinodular goiter in left lobe, associated with hemiagenesis of right lobe and isthmus.

Expression of Bcl-2, Bax and p53 proteins in pituitary adenomas: an immunohistochemical study.

AIMS AND BACKGROUND: Although pituitary adenomas are usually benign lesions, their growth rate is highly variable and unpredictable. Apoptosis appears to be an important process in neoplastic lesions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression of apoptosis-related proteins including Bcl-2, bax and p53 in pituitary adenomas and its correlation with hormone function, tumor size, local control, and proliferative activity. STUDY DESIGN: The expression of Bcl-2, Bax and p53 proteins and hormonal function were determined in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue from 41 untreated pituitary adenomas using immunohistochemistry. The patients were followed for a median of 60 months (range, 12 to 95). Patient charts were reviewed to record tumor recurrence and size. Tumor proliferative activity was assessed by immunohistochemistry using Ki-67 antibody. RESULTS: Of 41 pituitary adenomas, 26 (63%) were hormone-secreting and 15 (37%) non-functioning, 34 (83%) were macroadenoma and 7 (17%) microadenoma, and 15 (37%) showed local relapse. Six (14%) adenomas were of low proliferative activity, whereas the others (86%) were non-proliferative. Immunohistochemically, 31 adenomas (75%) showed bcl-2 positivity, 37 (90%) bax positivity, and 7 (17%) p53 positivity. Statistical analysis revealed that Bcl-2 protein expression significantly diminished in prolactin-secreting and non-functioning adenomas (P = 0.005 and P = 0.006, respectively), and increased in growth hormone-secreting adenomas (P = 0.003). In addition, expression of bax protein significantly decreased in recurrent tumors, in contrast to p53 protein, which showed a significant increase (P = 0.03 and P = 0.002, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: We think that apoptosis-related proteins such as Bcl-2, Bax and p53 may be significantly related to hormone function and local control in pituitary adenomas.

Histochemical and immunohistochemical features of a case showing association of meningioma and prolactinoma containing amyloid.

We report the rare case of a 43-year-old woman with a simultaneous meningioma of the sphenoid wing and an amyloid-containing prolactinoma. The patient, who presented with a 17-year history of amenorrhea, and galactorrhea, was found to have a 10-mm mass in the pituitary gland. During excision of this lesion, another mass was noticed, which was located in the sphenoid wing. Both lesions were completely excised. Histopathological examination revealed that the pituitary tumor was a prolactinoma with diffuse amyloid deposition and that the second tumor was a typical meningioma. The coexistence of a prolactinoma containing amyloid and a meningioma is very rare in the literature, so this case is presented here with its histochemical and immunohistochemical features. We discuss the significance of prolactinoma containing amyloid and the simultaneous presentation of these two tumors.