Rhabdoid meningioma: rapid intraoperative diagnosis on squash smears

Rhabdoid morphology in tumors refers to resemblance of the cells to rhabdomyoblasts without true skeletal muscle differentiation. The cytological features include abundant eosinophilic cytoplasm, eccentric nuclei, and intracytoplasmic hyaline inclusions. Besides the rhabdoid morphology, cytoarchitectural features of atypical meningioma (four or more mitoses per 10 high-power fields, high cellularity, sheeting architecture, nuclear atypia, and necrosis) are seen in most cases. A case is presented here to highlight the appearance of rhabdoid cells on intraoperative squash smears, for most accurate treatment and close follow-up, as rhabdoid morphology is related to aggressive behavior and poor outcomes.

Carcinosarcoma of the oesophagus

Oesophageal cancer is the third most common gastrointestinal cancer, especially in the Asian population. Only 1.3 percent of oesophageal cancers cases present as carcinosarcomas. A 43-year-old male who is a chronic smoker presented with progressive dysphagia and weight loss. On barium swallow, a large polypoidal mass was found filling the oesophageal lumen. Gross and microscopical findings along with immunohistochemistry helped in establishing its diagnosis as oesophageal carcinosarcoma. This unusual and controversial malignant tumour is biphasic in nature, composed of both carcinomatous and sarcomatous elements. This case showed a rarer feature that the epithelial element was of the adenocarcinomatous type instead of the expected squamous cell carcinomatous component.

Rosai Dorfman syndrome - A rare clinical entity

Sinus histiocytosis with massive lymphadenopathy (also known as Rosai Dorfman syndrome) is a unique disease of unknown etiology with a childhood predilection. It is an uncommon benign condition, often confused with lymphoma. Patients usually present with massive, painless, bilateral cervical lymphadenopathy and clinical course is variable. This condition has been sporadically reported in Indian literature. Here we report a 26-year-old women presenting with a painless bilateral cervical lymphadenopathy. A FNAC from cervical lymph node was compatible with Rosai Dorfman syndrome and confirmed histopathologically.

Rosai Dorfman syndrome with extranodal manifestation

Rosai Dorfman Syndrome (RDS) is a benign condition and a rare cause of cervical lymphadenopathy. It usually occurs in the first decade of life and manifest as massive enlargement of cervical lymph nodes. The disease has a benign course and involvement of the nasal cavity as an extranodal site is exceptional. A 22-year-old male presented as progressive massive bilateral cervical lymphadenopathy accompanied with nasal obstruction and occasional episodes of epistaxis. A FNAC from cervical lymph node and biopsy from nasal mass was compatible with RDS.

Effect of cigarette smoking on semen quality of infertile men

INTRODUCTION

Defective sperm quality is a significant cause of infertility. It is known that cigarette smoking affects semen quality. Our aim was to compare the semen of infertile cigarette smokers with infertile non-smokers to study the effect of smoking on semen quality.

METHODS

Semen samples of 100 cigarette smokers and 100 strictly non-smoking primary infertility patients were included in the study, following stringent exclusion criteria. Smokers were categorised as light, moderate and heavy smokers. Semen samples were examined for asthenozoospermia, oligozoospermia and teratozoospermia, according to World Health Organisation guidelines.

RESULTS

39 percent of non-smokers showed normozoospermia, while only three percent of smokers were normozoospermics. Light smokers predominantly showed asthenozoospermia. Heavy smokers showed asthenozoospermia, teratozoospermia and oligozoospermia. Statistical analysis using Fisher's exact test showed that the incidence of both isolated asthenozoospermia (p-value is 0.0015) and asthenozoospermia with teratozoospermia (p-value is 0.0106) among smokers was significant, in comparison to non-smokers. Overall impact of asthenozoospermia (p-value is less than 0.0001) and teratozoospermia (p-value is 0.0328) but not of oligozoospermia was observed on the semen quality in smokers, compared with non-smokers.

CONCLUSION

Asthenozoospermia, the most common semen variable in our study, can be an early indicator of reduction in quality of semen, as seen in light smokers. In addition, heavy smoking produces teratozoospermia, which further reduces semen quality. Oligozoospermia may be due to factors other than smoking.

Post-Kala-Azar-dermal-leishmaniasis: an unusual presentation from Uttarachal (a non-endemic hilly region of India)

A 26-year-old male resident of Uttaranchal had a single large, erythematous, indurated verrucous plaque on chin of 1 year duration. He had suffered from visceral leishmaniasis 4-years back for which he was treated with injection sodium antimony gluconate (SAG) i.m. OD for 20 days. He had never been to regions endemic for kala-czar (KA) or post-kala-azar-dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL). Skin biopsy showed chronic granulomatous inflammation in the dermis. Giemsa stain revealed LD bodies inside the macrophages. The patient was treated successfully with injection SAG 20 mg/kg parenterally for 60 days. To the best of our knowledge, this is probably the first case of PKDL from the hills of Uttaranchal.

Design and synthesis of benzoic acid derivatives as influenza neuraminidase inhibitors using structure-based drug design

A series of 94 benzoic acid derivatives was synthesized and tested for its ability to inhibit influenza neuraminidase. The enzyme-inhibitor complex structure was determined by X-ray crystallographic analysis for compounds which inhibited the enzyme. The most potent compound tested in vitro, 5 (4-acetylamino)-3-guanidinobenzoic acid), had an IC50 = 2.5 x 10(-6) M against N9 neuraminidase. Compound 5 was oriented in the active site of the neuraminidase in a manner that was not predicted from the reported active site binding of GANA (4) with neuraminidase. In a mouse model of influenza, 5 did not protect the mice from weight loss due to the influenza virus when dosed intranasally.

Cancer in the Gizan province of Saudi Arabia: An eleven year study

The occurrence of histologically diagnosed primary malignant tumors in Saudi and Yemeni patients in Gizan Province over the 11 years from 1982 to 1992 was analyzed. During the study period, 1398 malignancies of known primary site were seen in males and 972 in females. In common with other parts of Saudi Arabia, the overall incidence of malignant disease was low by Western standards with lymphoreticular malignancies relatively common and tumors of lung, bowel, breast and the female genital system relatively uncommon. Some malignancies are more common in Gizan Province as compared to elsewhere in Saudi Arabia. Oral cancer was the most common malignancy in females and the most common overall, probably due to widespread use of oral tobacco preparations. Liver cancer was the most common malignancy in males, reflecting the endemic nature of hepatitis B in the area. The incidence of bladder cancer, and particularly of squamous carcinoma of the bladder, was also more, probably due to the high incidence of schistosomiasis in the area. No significant trends in incidence of specific malignancies were noted over the 11-year study period, even though the period has been marked by dramatic and unprecedented changes in lifestyle and public health.

Structure-based design of inhibitors of purine nucleoside phosphorylase. 5. 9-Deazahypoxanthines

The synthesis and evaluation as inhibitors of purine nucleoside phosphorylase of six 9-deazahypoxanthines (2a-f) are reported. In contrast to reports in the literature of other hypoxanthine-guanine analog pairs, these inhibitors (2a-f) are equipotent with the corresponding 9-deazaguanines.

Serological profiles for HBV, HDV, HIV-1 and HTLV-1 in Saudi patients with a malignancy

Serologic markers for HBV, HDV, HIV-1 and HTLV-1 were tested in 42 patients with a primary hepatocellular carcinoma (PHC); 19 with a malignancy of epithelial origin (EPM) and 16 with a non-epithelial malignancy (NEPM) in the Gizan Area of Saudi Arabia. HBV exposure in 77 PHC, EPM and NEPM patients was 92.2 per cent for any marker (overall) while 75.3 per cent positive for HBsAg. 3.9 per cent positive for anti-HBc and 12.9 per cent positive for anti-HBs. There was no inter PHC, EPM, NEPM or intersex variation for an individual marker or total HBV exposure. Among HBsAg-positives, 9 of the 12 PHC tested, 7 of the 10 EPM, 1 of the 9 NEPM were anti-D IgG positive. The HDV prevalence was the lowest in NEPM (p < 0.01). In patients with a malignancy, all HBV and HDV markers were higher than those of control population, even though anti-HBs was lower (p < 0.001). The probable contribution through different viruses in pathogenesis of malignancies of different types should be ascertained through polymerase chain reaction for viral components, oncogenes, etc. on tumourous biopsy tissues. The aggravation in PHC morbidity in HBV hyperendemic foci through HIV infection should be monitored through tests for unintegrated and integrated viral DNA in tumorous and non-tumorous tissues.

Type 2 hepatitis B virus (HBV-2) in carriers and patients with malignancy in Saudi Arabia

Four cases of type 2 hepatitis B virus (HBV-2) infection were demonstrated in the Gizan area of Saudi Arabia during the hepatitis B marker ELISA screening of the 152 native pregnant females, 42 cases of primary hepatocellular carcinoma, 19 cases with an epithelial but non-hepatic malignancy, 16 with a non-epithelial and non-hepatic malignancy and eight with chronic hepatitis. HBV-2 infection diagnosis was based on HBsAg positivity without anti-HBc, anti-HBs and HBeAg in one pregnant female and one patient each with a primary hepatocellular carcinoma, lymphocytic lymphoma and metastatic adenocarcinoma. During neutralisation of HBsAg ELISA reactivity, the respective reduction in absorbance values in sera from the pregnant female and the patient with primary hepatocellular carcinoma were 21% and 76% respectively. HBV-2 specific gene probes would be needed to define its role in pathogenesis of malignant neoplasms and chronic hepatitis. Incorporation of pre-S2 sequences in future hepatitis B vaccines is likely to protect against both, HBV-2 and conventional hepatitis B (HBV-1) exposures.

Glutaraldehyde in whole-cell Bordetella pertussis vaccine

Treatment of the whole-cell bacterial suspensions of Bordetella pertussis with 0.05% glutaraldehyde at room temperature for 10 min kills the bacteria and, except for some histamine sensitising activity, almost detoxifies the pertussis toxin. The glutaraldehyde-vaccine is of good potency with a meritorious performance in tests for abnormal toxicity in mice, the leucocytosis-promoting-factor and the mouse weight gain. Using glutaraldehyde for the inactivation of whole-cell pertussis vaccine on a commercial scale must await extensive clinical trials with vaccine lots with a good record of safety and potency in animal tests.

Identification of domoic acid, a neuroexcitatory amino acid, in toxic mussels from eastern Prince Edward Island

The causative agent of toxicity in cultured mussels from a localized area of eastern Prince Edward Island has been identified as domoic acid, a neuroexcitatory amino acid. The toxin was isolated by a number of different bioassay-directed separation techniques including high-performance liquid chromatography, high-voltage paper electrophoresis, and ion-exchange chromatography, and characterized by a number of spectroscopic techniques including ultraviolet, infrared, mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance. The isolation and purification methods are described in detail and some new analytical data for domoic acid are reported. Keywords: shellfish toxin, domoic acid, neurotoxin, bioassay-directed analysis.

Amplectol: A Novel Acetylenic Thiophene Derivative from Blumea amplectens var. arenaria

The aerial parts of BLUMEA AMPLECTENS var. ARENARIA afforded taraxasteryl acetate, dihydrosterculic acid, the sesquiterpene ferutinin, and the acetylenic thiophene diol, 3,4-dihydroxy-8-[5'-methylthiophen-2'-yl]-1, 5-octadien-7-yne, named as amplectol. Thestructures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods. A biogenetic pathway for the formation of amplectol in the plant is also suggested.

Bisabolone derivatives and sesquiterpene lactones from centaurea species

The investigation of three CENTAUREA species collected in Argentina afforded, in addition to several known sesquiterpene lactones, a new guaianolide, a germacranolide, and two bisabolone derivatives. The structures were elucidated by highfield (1)H-NMR spectroscopy.

New pseudoguaianolides from Gaillardia megapotamica var. scabiosoides

The aerial parts of Gaillardia megapotamica var. scabiosoides afforded known pseudoguaianolides and three new ones. Furthermore, a new guaianolide and an acetylenic sulfoxide were isolated.