Dermatoses ombilicales et péri-ombilicales

Renzhu Ointment Regulates L-Type Voltage-Dependent Calcium Channel in Mice Model of Senna-Induced Diarrhea by Transdermal Administration

Purpose

In China, herbal preparation is commonly administered transdermally for treating pediatric diarrhea. However, few studies have probed into their antidiarrheal mechanisms. This study was designed to investigate the antidiarrheal effect of Renzhu ointment (Renzhuqigao, RZQG) and its underlying mechanisms via transdermal administration.

Methods

The main components of RZQG were confirmed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The effect of RZQG on L-type voltage-dependent calcium channel (L-VDCC) was evaluated by CaCl2- and ACh-induced contraction in isolated colon. The antidiarrheal efficacy of RZQG was further investigated by the senna-induced diarrhea mice based on the frequency of loose stools, diarrhea rate and index, fecal moisture content, and the basal tension of the colon. Additionally, the protein expression of CACNA1C, CACNA1D, cAMP, and PKA were detected with Western blot and immunohistochemistry (IHC).

Results

GC-MS analysis determined 14 components in RZQG. In vitro, RZQG relaxed the CaCl2- and ACh-induced tension, while nifedipine (a L-VDCC inhibitor) and H-89 (a PKA inhibitor) decreased the relaxation. In vivo, animal model showed that transdermal administration of RZQG exhibited a significant reduction in the frequency of loose stools, diarrhea rate and index, fecal moisture content and the basal tension. Compared to the model group, the colon of mice treated with RZQG showed lower expression of CACNA1C, CACNA1D, cAMP, and PKA. IHC results showed that cAMP was downregulated in colonic smooth muscle after RZQG treatment.

Conclusion

RZQG improved diarrhea symptoms and down-regulated the expression of CACNA1C and CACNA1D via transdermal administration, which is closely associated with the cAMP/PKA signaling pathway in colonic smooth muscle.

Primary umbilical endometriosis revealed by tender and hemorrhagic umbilical swelling during menstruation

Endometriosis is a relatively uncommon benign pathology that accounts for 0.5%-1% of all extra-pelvic endometriosis. This pathology is characterized by the presence of ectopic endometrial tissue outside the endometrial cavity and is accompanied by the clinical appearance of a bleeding umbilical nodule. Despite the non-specificity of the characteristic imaging signs, abdominal ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging aid in diagnosis. We describe a case of primary umbilical endometriosis, as well as the clinical aspects and role of imaging in the positive diagnosis of this uncommon pathology.

[Sister Mary Joseph nodule revealing digestive and ovarian carcinoma: report of 4 cases]

Le nodule de Sœur Marie-Josèphe est une métastase ombilicale d'une tumeur le plus souvent intra-abdominale. C'est un signe clinique rare dont l'incidence est de 1-3% de toutes les néoplasies abdomino-pelviennes, avec un pronostic péjoratif du fait de son retard diagnostique. Nous rapportons quatre observations d'une métastase cutanée ombilicale révélatrice d'un adénocarcinome dont deux pancréatiques, un gastrique et un d'origine ovarienne. Le but de notre travail est de montrer à travers ces quatre cas cliniques, l'intérêt de l'imagerie (tomodensitométrie, échographie) et de la biopsie dans la démarche diagnostique. A travers ces quatre observations nous insistons aussi sur les difficultés diagnostiques et thérapeutiques que pose cette tumeur dans nos pays à ressources limitées.