Atypical perigraft seroma masquerading as a forearm tumor in a dialysis patient.

BACKGROUND: An extremely rare manifestation of perigraft seroma (PGS), in which a dense, semisolid jelly-like mass had formed around the shunt instead of the standard fluid-like form of the usual seroma, leading to misdiagnosis with other entities, such as tumors around the synthetic arterio-venous shunt (AVS) was presented. CASE REPORT: A 64-year-old male with multiple myeloma post autologous bone marrow transplant with a renal impairment, presented with a rare form of PGS, which was noticed 2 months after placing a synthetic AVS vascular graft. The mass increased in size, and multiple attempts for excision failed due to recurrence, which led to tumor misdiagnosis. The mass reoccurrence stopped completely only after the radical shunt removal. CONCLUSION: This case report revealed a rare form of PGS, in which the seroma was represented as a firm, semisolid jelly-like mass rather than the typical fluid type transudate seroma. Despite its rarity, it was associated with a high recurrence rate because unlike the standard perishunt seroma, this semisolid jelly-like material could neither be aspirated, nor could it be resected en-bloc, leading to shunting dysfunction. Its management included advanced imaging and a high probability of shunt removal or replacement.

Increased phosphodiesterase type 5 levels in a mouse model of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

INTRODUCTION: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a major risk factor for developing erectile dysfunction (ED) and men with DM are often less responsive to phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors than ED due to other causes. AIMS: The aim of this study was to explore potential mechanisms whereby PDE5 inhibitors may have reduced efficacy in type 2 DM. METHODS: At 4 weeks of age, mice were either fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 22-36 weeks or fed regular chow (control). An additional group of mice in the same genetic background had a genetic form of type 1 DM. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Glucose tolerance testing, intracorporal pressures (ICPs), oxidative stress (OS), apoptotic cell death (active caspase-3 and apostain), PDE5, p53, and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) levels, and histological examination of inflow arteries were performed in mice fed a HFD and control mice. A group of mice with type 1 DM were studied for PDE5 expression levels. RESULTS: All mice fed a HFD had impaired glucose tolerance compared with the age-matched mice fed on standard chow diet (control). HFD fed mice had reduced maximum ICPs following in vivo cavernous nerve electrical stimulation and increased apoptotic cell death, OS, and p53 levels in the corporal tissue. Interestingly, PDE5 levels were increased and cGMP levels were decreased. In contrast, mice with type 1 DM did not have increases in PDE5. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our results suggest that type 2 DM-induced ED is associated with findings that could lead to reduced cGMP and may account for reduced efficacy of PDE5 inhibitors.

Angiogenesis therapy for the treatment of erectile dysfunction.

INTRODUCTION: Over the past 15 years, significant advances have been made in the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED). The most significant of these advances has been pharmacological treatment of ED with phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors. This therapy greatly increased the awareness of ED and has helped stimulate research into the underlying causes of ED. While treatment with PDE5 inhibitors continues to be the current therapy of choice, approximately 40% of men treated with PDE5 inhibitors fail to have significant improvement in erectile function and PDE5 inhibitors do not reverse the vasculopathic processes associated with ED. With this in mind, new therapies must be developed. The treatment with angiogenic growth factors such as vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF) may be one such therapy. AIM: This review will focus on defining key terms in the angiogenic process, angiogenic growth factors, and different delivery methods, and summarize results from angiogenic therapies for the treatment of ED. METHODS: A review of the literature was performed on all angiogenic therapies for the treatment of ED. A brief review on the angiogenic factors was also performed. RESULTS: Angiogenic therapies for the treatment of ED are possible and promising; however, further investigation is needed to advance clinically. CONCLUSIONS: Although numerous studies have now employed angiogenic factors for the possible treatment of ED in several animal models, we are still not at the point to begin human investigations. Future studies need to examine proper dosage of the angiogenic agent, route of delivery, time course for delivery, and combination therapies.

Clinicopathologic Features of Translocation Renal Cell Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Translocation renal cell carcinomas (TFE3 RCC) are associated with variable genetic rearrangements of the TFE3 gene on chromosome Xp11.2. Translocation tumors represent 1% to 5% of all cases of RCC, with the greatest frequency among children and young adults. We sought to characterize the clinicopathologic features of translocation RCC at a Middle Eastern institution. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The clinical and pathologic data from a single institution were retrospectively reviewed. A total of 14 patients with translocation RCC had been diagnosed from 2005 to 2014. The outcome measures included patient characteristics, clinical manifestations, pathologic features, treatment outcomes, cancer-specific survival, and progression-free survival. RESULTS: The mean age at diagnosis was 35 years. Of the 14 patients, 5 were female. Translocation RCC was an incidental diagnosis for all but 2 of the 14 patients. The mean tumor size was 9 cm; 1 patient had bilateral tumors, and 3 presented with positive lymph nodes. Three patients underwent partial nephrectomy. Three patients had developed metastasis at 4 months, 5 months, and 3 years after diagnosis. One patent had died 4 months after surgery and one had died 21 months after surgery (both of metastases). The disease-free survival rate was 71% at a mean follow-up of 31 months. CONCLUSION: Translocation RCC is a rare and potentially aggressive subtype of kidney cancer. An overall survival of > 3 years has been noted, unless metastasis is present at diagnosis.

Clinico-pathological outcomes of post- primary and salvage chemotherapy retroperitoneal lymph node dissection for mixed germ cell tumors, King Hussein Cancer Center experience.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to characterize clinical and pathologic outcomes of advanced mixed germ cell tumors after retroperitoneal lymph node dissection for post-chemotherapy residual masses. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Between January 2006 and November 2015, 56 patients underwent retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND) for residual masses of greater than 1 cm after receiving either primary chemotherapy or salvage chemotherapy. Retrospective review of the patients' characteristics, clinical, pathological, and treatment outcomes were performed after institutional review board (IRB) and ethics committee approval. RESULTS: The mean age at diagnosis was 30 years. Ninety percent of the patients received 3-4 cycles of BEP (bleomycin/etoposide/cisplatin) as primary chemotherapy, and 29% of them salvage chemotherapy prior to lymph node dissection. The mean size of the residual masses after chemotherapy was 6 cm. The histological findings were necrosis in 30%, viable tumor in 34% and teratoma in 36% of the retroperitoneal masses. The mean time to relapse after RPLND was 11 months, out of 9 relapses, 6 were in the retroperitoneum, 1 in the lung and 1 in the kidney and 1 in the contralateral testicle. CONCLUSION: Our results indicated higher incidence of viable germ cell tumor in the retroperitoneal residual masses after primary and salvage chemotherapy when compared with previously reported global incidence rates.