Non-tumor Diseases Research Articles

Radiation necrosis of the brain

Radiation necrosis of the brain (BRN) is the most frequent and dangerous iatrogenic complication of radiation therapy of tumors and non-tumor diseases of the brain and the base of the skull. The risk of its development increases with an increase in the amount of radiation, single and total doses and due to synergy with the action of adjuvant chemotherapy used. The pathogenesis of BRN is based on damage to the microcirculatory bed in the tumor and surrounding tissues with the development of edema and impaired trophic neuroglia with its necrosis, which in most cases are irreversible. After treatment of brain tumors, differential diagnosis of BRN is carried out with the resumption of tumor growth or its pseudoprogression and requires the use of a set of imaging methods. Treatment of BRN in separate patients may consist of surgical removal of the necrotic area, but in most patients it is possible to carry out only drug therapy with corticosteroid and anti-VEGF drugs that allow to slow down the development of BRN, improve the quality of life and prolong its.

New insights into the characteristics of DRAK2 and its role in apoptosis: From molecular mechanisms to clinically applied potential.

As a member of the death-associated protein kinase (DAPK) family, DAP kinase-associated apoptosis-inducing kinase 2 (DRAK2) performs apoptosis-related functions. Compelling evidence suggests that DRAK2 is involved in regulating the activation of T lymphocytes as well as pancreatic β-cell apoptosis in type I diabetes. In addition, DRAK2 has been shown to be involved in the development of related tumor and non-tumor diseases through a variety of mechanisms, including exacerbation of alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) through SRSF6-associated RNA selective splicing mechanism, regulation of chronic lymphocytic leukemia and acute myeloid leukemia, and progression of colorectal cancer. This review focuses on the structure, function, and upstream pathways of DRAK2 and discusses the potential and challenges associated with the clinical application of DRAK2-based small-molecule inhibitors, with the aim of advancing DRAK2 research.

TP53 positivity combined with high fibrinogen expression defines a subtype of oral squamous cell carcinoma with an unfavorable prognosis

The number of deaths due to oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), a malignant tumor of the oral cavity, is on the increase. We examined fibrinogen (FIB) expression in patients with OSCC and developed novel immunoprofile classification methods that include FIB. The plasma FIB level in patients with OSCC was elevated compared with that in patients with non-tumor oral disease (non-T); using a cut-off point of 342mg/dL, we found the area under the curve-receiver operating characteristic level for OSCC was 0.745. Similarly, FIB expression in OSCC tissues was significantly higher compared with that in non-T tissues. Hierarchical clustering based on the immunoprofile of several markers including FIB, p53, and p16 revealed four groups that could be used to categorize OSCC cases (referred to as immunoprofile subtypes[IPS], I-IV). Tumors in IPS-II, which were FIB+/p53+, were associated with a significantly worse overall survival (OS) when compared with the other subtypes. We conclude that our IPS classification system can facilitate prognostic evaluation in OSCC, and that quantification of FIB is an important component of the classification strategy for this disease.

The effect of some trace elements on the expression of telomerase gene in lung cancer

Lung cancer is a disorder that begins due to genetic and epigenetic changes. These changes cause the activation of oncogenes and the inactivation of tumor suppressor genes. Various factors influence the expression of these genes. In this research, we investigated the relationship between the number of trace elements zinc and copper and the ratio of these two in serum with the expression of the telomerase enzyme gene in lung cancer. For this purpose, we included 50 people with lung cancer in the study as the case group and 20 patients with non-tumor lung diseases as the control group. The TRAP assay method measured the telomerase activity in biopsy samples of lung tumor tissue. Also, serum copper and zinc were measured by atomic absorption spectrometry. The results showed that the mean serum concentration of copper and the ratio of copper to zinc in patients were significantly higher than in the controls (120.8 ± 5.7 versus 107.2 ± 6.5μg/dL)(P<0.05). However, there is no significant difference in the mean serum concentration of zinc between the two groups (p > 0.05). The patients' mean ratio of copper to zinc is significantly higher than the control group (1.6 ± 0.4 versus 1.1 ± 0.2)(p < 0.05). The average level of telomerase enzyme activity of patients showed a significant difference from the control group 32.8 ± 16.1 vs. zero percent) (p < 0.01). There is a direct and significant correlation between the serum level of copper and the level of telomerase enzyme activity in patients (r = 0.36 and p < 0.05). A positive correlation was observed between total serum copper concentration and the increasing age of patients (r = 0.39 and p < 0.01). The correlation between the ratio of copper to zinc and the serum copper concentration of the patients was positive and significant (r = 0.36 and p < 0.05), but the correlation between the amount of serum zinc and the ratio of copper to zinc was negative and significant (r = -0/ 72 and p < 0.01). The average copper serum concentration of people with small cell carcinoma (123.7 ± 2.8 μg/dL) compared to non-small cell carcinoma (117.6 ± 4.8 μg/dL) is high and significant (P< 0.05). Patients with small cell carcinoma had a high mean telomerase concentration (112 ± 0.57%) and significantly compared to non-small cell carcinomas (6.4 ± 2.5%)(P < 0.05). This situation regarding the zinc element and the ratio of copper to zinc in non-small cell carcinomas compared to small cell carcinomas were evaluated as non-significant (P>0.05). Based on the obtained results, it can be assumed that determining the amount of zinc and copper and the telomerase enzyme activity in lung cancer can have a biological role in the initiation and progression of tumor tissue, which requires more studies.

Expression of miR-128-3p, miR-193a-3p and miR-193a-5p in endometrial cancer tissues and their relationship with clinicopathological parameters.

In order to explore the expression of microRNA-128-3p (miR-128-3p), microRNA-193a-3p (miR-193a-3p) and microRNA-193a-5p (miR-193a-5p) in the endometrial carcinoma and their relationship with clinicopathological parameters, the post-operative clinical samples of 61 endometrial cancer patients who underwent surgical resection in our hospital from February 2019 to February 2022 were collected as cancer tissues. The post-operative clinical samples of 61 normal endometrium patients who underwent surgical resection due to non-tumor diseases in our hospital were collected as para cancer tissues. miR-128-3p, miR-193a-3p and miR-193a-5p were measured by fluorescence quantitative polymerase, and the relationship between them and clinicopathological parameters and the correlation among them were analyzed. Results showed that miR-128-3p, miR-193a-3p and miR-193a-5p were lower in cancer tissues than in adjacent tissues (P<0.05). miR-128-3p, miR-193a-3p and miR-193a-5p were not related to the age and histopathological type of endometrial cancer patients (P>0.05). Still, they were related to FIGO stage, degree of differentiation, depth of myometrial invasion, lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis (P<0.05), and compared with FIGO stage I-II, medium and high differentiation, depth of myometrial invasion<1/2, no lymph node metastasis and no distant metastasis, FIGO stage III-IV, low differentiation miR-128-3p, miR-193a-3p and miR-193a-5p were lower in endometrial cancer patients with myometrial invasion depth≥1/2, lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis (P<0.05). miR-128-3p, miR-193a-3p and miR-193a-5p were the risk factors of endometrial carcinoma (P<0.05). miR-128-3p and miR-193a-3p were positively correlated (r = 0.423, P = 0.001); miR-128-3p and miR-193a-5p were positively correlated (r = 0.342, P = 0.007); miR-193a-3p and miR-193a-5p were positively correlated (r = 0.555, P = 0.001). miR-128-3p, miR-193a-3p and miR-193a-5p are low expressed in the cancer tissues of endometrial cancer patients and are related to the adverse clinicopathological parameters of patients. They are expected to become potential prognostic markers and therapeutic targets of the disease.

Possibilities of sialendoscopy in the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases of the salivary glands

BACKGROUND: Diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the salivary glands remain challenging to dental and maxillofacial surgeons. The development of new therapies remains an urgent task.&#x0D; The goal is to increase the effectiveness of diagnosis and treatment of patients with various diseases of the salivary glands.&#x0D; MATERIAL AND METHODS: Sialendoscopy was performed to diagnose and treat 61 patients with various diseases of the salivary glands. The age of the patients ranged from 20 to 94 years; there were 34 women and 27 men. General, specific, and special research methods were used for the preliminary diagnosis.&#x0D; RESULTS: Sialendoscopy allows the diagnosis or confirms previously established diagnoses of various neoplastic diseases of the salivary glands in 91% of the patients. In 77% of the patients, sialendoscopy was used to completely remove the salivary stones.&#x0D; CONCLUSION: Sialendoscopy can be an additional method of diagnosis and treatment of non-tumor diseases of the salivary glands and an auxiliary method of diagnosis and treatment during and after lithotripsy of salivary stones.

CircRNA ITCH: Insight Into Its Role and Clinical Application Prospect in Tumor and Non-Tumor Diseases.

CircRNA E3 ubiquitin protein ligase (ITCH) (circRNA ITCH, circ-ITCH), a stable closed-loop RNA derived from the 20q11.22 region of chromosome 20, is a new circRNA discovered in the cytoplasm in recent decades. Studies have shown that it does not encode proteins, but regulates proteins expression at different levels. It is down-regulated in tumor diseases and is involved in a number of biological activities, including inhibiting cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and promoting apoptosis. It can also alter disease progression in non-tumor disease by affecting the cell cycle, inflammatory response, and critical proteins. Circ-ITCH also holds a lot of promise in terms of tumor and non-tumor clinical diagnosis, prognosis, and targeted therapy. As a result, in order to aid clinical research in the hunt for a new strategy for diagnosing and treating human diseases, this study describes the mechanism of circ-ITCH as well as its clinical implications.

Risks of noncancer diseases in the cohort of personnel involved in the disposal of nuclear munitions

The aim was to estimate the risk of non-tumor disease incidence in the cohort of workers involved in the disposal of nuclear munitions as a function of non-radiational and radiological factors. Materials and Methods. The retrospective cohort study included 8078 nuclear industry employees involved in nuclear munitions disposition and covered the period from recruitment to December 31, 2018. Risk analysis for non-tumor diseases was performed based on Poisson regression using the AMFIT module of the EPICURE software. Relative risk estimates were obtained for the following factors: body mass index, blood pressure, smoking index, alcohol consumption status, external gamma and internal alpha radiation dose. 95% confidence intervals for relative risk were calculated by the maximum likelihood method. Results were considered statistically significant at p &lt; 0.05. Results. In the study cohort of workers, 2168 cases of coronary heart disease, 2961 cases of cerebrovascular disease, 2995 cases of arterial hypertension, 742 cases of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and 556 cases of diabetes mellitus were registered at the end of the observation period. Overweight and obesity, elevated blood pressure, smoking and alcohol abuse statistically significantly increased the risk of non-tumor disease among workers in the study cohort. The incidence of non-tumor diseases statistically significantly increased with increasing age of workers. Discussion. The results of the present study are consistent with data from numerous large-scale international studies, previous cohort studies of nuclear industry workers, and meta-analyses. Conclusion. The risk of non-tumor disease among workers involved in the disposal of nuclear munitions was statistically significantly influenced by both well-known non-radiation and radiation risk factors.

Blood Serum Zonulin in Colorectal Cancer, Autoimmune Bowel Diseases, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Zonulin content in blood serum of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC; n=152; 30-84 years) and patients with large bowel adenomas (n=32; 39-82 years) was measured by standardized kit IDK Zonulin ELISA (Immundiagnostik AG). The healthy control group (n=50) comprised volunteers (27 women, 23 men; 25-68 years); pathological control group (n=84) - patients (55 women, 29 men;18-84 years) with irritable bowel syndrome (n=29), Crohn's disease (n=5), and ulcero-necrotic colitis (n=50). In comparison to healthy control group, the level of zonulin was significantly increased in CRC patients (p<0.0000001) and in patients with benign large bowel tumors (p<0.004), as well as in patients with inflammatory intestine diseases and with irritable bowel syndrome (p<0.0002). Zonulin level in blood serum of CRC patients was slightly, but significantly higher (p<0.05) than in the group of pathological control. ROC curve construction revealed that at optimal zonulin cut-off level (52.2 ng/ml), the diagnostic sensitivity of CRC detection was 66.7% and specificity relative to healthy control was 81.8%. The specificity relative to the combined control group (healthy control+non-tumor bowel diseases) was only 68.9%. Thus, no acceptable cut-off levels for differentiation between malignant and benign tumors, as well as between tumor and non-tumor large bowel pathologies were found. Analysis of the associations between serum zonulin level and the main clinical and pathological characteristics of CRC demonstrated that the level of this marker increased with disease progression (p<0.01; Kruskal-Wallis test), but was not associated with individual criteria of the TNM system, tumor localization, histological structure, and malignancy grade.

High &lt;sup&gt;11&lt;/sup&gt;C-methionine uptake in brain abscess: radiological, metabolic and morphological findings: a case report

An increased amino acid metabolism is characteristic for many brain malignancies. Combined positron emission and computed tomography (PET/CT) with radiolabeled amino acids is often used in recognizing the tumor nature of the structural brain lesion detected on MRI. On 11C-methionine PET/CT a hallmark of a brain tumor is an increased amino acid uptake, topographically coinciding with a structural lesion on MRI. However, high 11C-methionine uptake in the brain lesion is not tumor specific and could be seen in a number of non-tumor diseases. The paper presents three observations of a brain abscess, radiological and metabolic data of which in MRI and 11C-methionine PET/CT simulated a malignant cerebral tumor. The reasons for patients seeking nuclear medicine examination were seizures or focal neurological symptoms, as well as a suspicion of a cerebral tumor based on the contrast-enhanced MRI. Knowledge of the non-tumor disease characterized by high 11C-methionine uptake will help avoid misdiagnosis of a cerebral tumor.

A Study to Determine the Incidence and Distribution Patterns of Foot and Ankle Tumors in Bone and Soft Tissue

Objectives: The aim of this study is to determine the incidence and distribution patterns of foot and ankle tumors in bone and soft tissue in a university tumor institute, to help the correct evaluation of uncertain masses, to take the right steps in advanced diagnosis and treatment, and to contribute to future research.Materials and methods: A retrospective analysis of a total of 164 foot and ankle cases examined by a multidisciplinary bone and soft-tissue tumors care team between January 2004 and December 2021 was performed from a database in which patient information was recorded in our tertiary university hospital. Thirty-three (20.1%) of 164 patients were discussed in the tumor council and evaluated as having the non-tumor disease. All of these patients were excluded from the study. A total of 131 patients diagnosed with tumors were included in this study.Results: The lesion was determined as a benign tumor in 84 (64.1%) cases of 131 tumor patients included in the study. Of these 84 patients, 40 (47.6%) were identified as benign bone lesions and 44 (52.4%) as benign soft-tissue lesions. Malignancy was determined in 47 (35.9%) of 131 patients, affecting the bone in 14 (29.8%) patients and the soft tissue in 33 (70.2%). The malignant soft-tissue lesion most determined was malignant mesenchymal tumor in 10 (30.3%) patients, of which one had lung metastasis and one was determined with multiple metastases. Metastasis was detected in eight patients in total, including three metastatic malignant bone tumors and five metastatic malignant soft-tissue tumors.Conclusions: Tumors involving the foot and ankle are not frequently encountered, and most tumors in this region are benign. The anatomic structure of the foot allows early diagnosis, but for diagnosis to be made, there must first be clinical suspicion. The first symptom is generally swelling. Early diagnosis can prevent several complications. Therefore, patients with foot and ankle complaints must be taken seriously and evaluated with advanced tests if necessary.

Histological Diagnostic Yield and Clinical Significance of the First Biopsy in Device-Assisted Enteroscopy in Patients with Small Bowel Diseases: A KASID Multicenter Study.

Device-assisted enteroscopy (DAE) enables the direct visualization of small bowel lesions with histological diagnosis; however, few studies have described the diagnostic performance of enteroscopic biopsy. We investigated the diagnostic performance of enteroscopic biopsy. We used a nationwide multicenter enteroscopy database to identify patients who underwent DAE with biopsy for small bowel diseases. The patients were classified into the tumor and non-tumor groups according to the final diagnosis. They were also divided into diagnostic and non-diagnostic groups based on the enteroscopic biopsy results. The clinical significance of the first biopsy and histological diagnostic yield of DAE were analyzed. Among the 112 procedures investigated, 32 (28.9%) were diagnosed with tumors, and 80 (71.7%) were diagnosed with non-tumor diseases. The overall histological diagnostic yield of DAE was 43.7%. The histological diagnostic yield was significantly higher in the tumor than in the non-tumor group (81.2% vs. 28.8%, p < 0.001). The mean number of biopsies was significantly higher in the diagnostic than in the non-diagnostic group (5.6 ± 3.3 vs. 3.7 ± 2.1, p = 0.001). In the diagnostic group, 87.7% of the cases were histologically confirmed at the first biopsy. Therefore, the first biopsy should be performed carefully.

Effectiveness and Economic Evaluation of Polyene Phosphatidyl Choline in Patients With Liver Diseases Based on Real-World Research.

Aims: Liver disease has high prevalence, number, and disease burden in China, and polyene phosphatidyl choline (PPC) is a widely used liver protective drug. We aim to explore the effectiveness and economy of PPC in patients with liver diseases based on real-world research and compare with other hepatoprotective drugs. Methods: This is a “three-phase” study from three medical centers, including descriptive study of patients using PPC injection, self-control case study of patients using PPC injection, and specific-disease cohort study of patients using PPC injection or control drugs. The major measurements of liver function for effectiveness analysis were the alanine transaminase (ALT) level changes and recovery rate. The main statistical methods were Wilcoxon signed rank test, χ 2 test, and Mann–Whitney U test. Propensity score matching was applied to reduce bias. Cost-effectiveness analysis, cost minimization analysis, and sensitivity analysis were used for economic evaluation. Results: PPC alone or in combination with glutathione and magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate shows less total hospitalization cost (p < 0.05) and smaller cost-effectiveness ratio and was effective in protecting liver function, especially in patients with liver transplantation or postoperation of nontumor liver disease (ALT decreased significantly after PPC treatment; p < 0.05). Glutathione and magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate combined with PPC could enhance the protective function of liver. Conclusion: PPC was an effective and economic liver protective drug in patients with specific liver diseases, and PPC could enhance the liver protective function of glutathione and magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate.

Analysis of Cause-Specific Mortality in Patients with Retinoblastoma.

Background Retinoblastoma (RB) is a rare pediatric tumor with a relatively favorable prognosis. However, RB is associated with cause-specific mortality, some of that should be of great importance to clinicians. In this study, we summarize the characteristics of cause-specific mortality from nontumor disease in patients with RB. Methods This retrospective case series study identified and analyzed cause-specific mortality in patients with RB. The information of cause-specific mortality of RB patients, including detailed clinical characteristics, diagnosis, treatment process, cause-specific mortality classification, and lag time, was assessed. Results A total of 12 eligible patients were selected from 264 patients who died among 3780 patients diagnosed with RB. The cause-specific mortality rate was 4.5% for all patients with RB who died and 0.3% for all patients with RB. The main nontumor cause-specific mortalities were diseases of the nervous, circulatory, and respiratory systems, which specifically included intracranial infection, cerebral hemorrhage, paraplegia, and respiratory failure. The longest lag time was 42 days from the last chemoradiotherapy or surgery. Conclusion Nontumor cause-specific mortality is an essential outcome of RB. Thus, intensive care and differentiation during management need to be taken seriously.

The N6-Methyladenosine Modification and Its Role in mRNA Metabolism and Gastrointestinal Tract Disease.

The N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification is the most abundant internal modification of messenger RNA (mRNA) in higher eukaryotes. Under the actions of methyltransferase, demethylase and methyl-binding protein, m6A resulting from RNA methylation becomes dynamic and reversible, similar to that from DNA methylation, and this effect allows the generated mRNA to participate in metabolism processes, such as splicing, transport, translation, and degradation. The most common tumors are those found in the gastrointestinal tract, and research on these tumors has flourished since the discovery of m6A. Overall, further analysis of the mechanism of m6A and its role in tumors may contribute to new ideas for the treatment of tumors. m6A also plays an important role in non-tumor diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. This manuscript reviews the current knowledge of m6A-related proteins, mRNA metabolism and their application in gastrointestinal tract disease.

The role of cell division control protein 42 in tumor and non-tumor diseases: A systematic review.

Rho-GTPases control a variety of cellular functions mainly by regulating microtubule and actin dynamics, affecting the cytoskeleton, and are important regulators of the structural plasticity of dendrites and spines. Members of the Rho-GTPase family include Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1 (Rac1), RhoA (Ras homologous), and cell division control protein 42 (Cdc42). Cdc42 is involved in the regulation of a variety of tumor and non-tumor diseases through a cascade of multiple signaling pathways. Active Cdc42 can regulate intercellular adhesion, cytoskeleton formation, and cell cycle, thus affecting cell proliferation, transformation, and dynamic balance as well as migration and invasion of tumor cells by regulating the expression of effector proteins. Here we discuss the role of Cdc42 in promoting metastasis, invasion, epithelial-mesenchymal transformation and angiogenesis in malignant tumors. The significant role of Cdc42 in non-tumor diseases is also discussed. Since Cdc42 plays a central role in the development of various diseases, small molecule inhibitors targeting Cdc42 have important clinical significance in the prevention and treatment of these diseases.

Second Malignant Tumors and Non-Tumor Causes of Death for Patients With Penile Cancer During Their Survivorship.

BackgroundThe aim was to evaluate the causes of death for patients with localized, regional and metastatic penile cancer (PeCa) after diagnosis.MethodsPeCa patients diagnosed during 2004-2018 in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program database were identified. Causes of deaths including PeCa, second malignant tumors (SMTs) and non-tumor diseases were analyzed, as well as the standardized mortality ratio (SMR) of each cause.ResultsFor localized PeCa, 800 of 2155 patients died during the follow-up. 24.9% of all deaths were due to PeCa. 18.0% and 57.1% deaths were due to SMTs and non-tumor causes. Main SMTs included cancers of lung and bronchus (n = 40) and skin (n = 11) with significantly increased SMRs of 1.71 (1.22-2.33) and 4.82 (2.41-8.63). Mortality risks of other SMTs were mostly similar with the general populations. Main causes of non-tumor diseases included diseases of heart [n = 172, SMR: 1.66 (1.42-1.93)], COPD and allied cond [n = 38, SMR: 1.63 (1.15-2.24)], and cerebrovascular diseases [n = 33, SMR: 1.71 (1.17-2.4)]. For regional PeCa, 679 of 1310 patients died including 43.5% PeCa, 14.8% SMTs and 26.6% non-tumor causes. The mortality risks of cancers from lung and bronchus [SMR: 2.41 (1.53-3.62)], skin [SMR: 6.41 (2.35-13.95)] and testis [SMR: 149.35 (18.09-539.5)] were significantly increased. Main non-tumor causes of death included diseases of heart [n = 71, SMR: 1.77 (1.38-2.23)], COPD and allied cond [n = 17, SMR: 1.85 (1.08-2.95)] and diabetes mellitus [n = 16, SMR: 3.62 (2.07-5.88)]. For distant diseases, 109 of 132 patients died including 76 (69.7%) died for PeCa itself, 24 (22.0%) died for SMTs and 9 (8.3%) died for non-tumor diseases. The majority of PeCa deaths (67.1%) and SMTs deaths (79.2%) occurred within 1 year after the diagnosis of PeCa.ConclusionsWe firstly analyzed the SMTs and non-tumor causes of death and morality risks of each cause for PeCa patients, which provided valuable information for PeCa patients on disease prevention and health care during their survivorship.

КОМПЬЮТЕРНАЯ ТОМОГРАФИЯ ДЛЯ ВЫЯВЛЕНИЯ ОПУХОЛЕЙ ГОЛОВНОГО МОЗГА У СОБАК

The analysis of scientific literature sources demonstrates that intracranial neoplasms in dogs are a well-studied pathology, while today there is an urgent problem of developing and improving their diagnosis, since there are difficulties in conducting research. Based on a systematic literature review, it can be concluded that computed tomography is an effective diagnostic method for detecting brain tumors in dogs, but it needs to be studied. In the course of the study, such methods as ranking, hypothetical-deductive method, generalization, formalization, systematic literary analysis, content analysis, comparative analysis, systematization, computed tomography were used. It was revealed that computed tomography showed good visualization of the parenchyma of the brain, ventricles and pituitary gland, all the visualized formations had well-defined contours, the definition of their boundaries did not cause difficulties. During the comparative analysis, it was revealed that computed tomography has a worse sensitivity to healthy brain tissue and non-tumor diseases compared to magnetic resonance imaging, however, this method is more sensitive for the diagnosis of intracranial neoplasms. High sensitivity to bone tissue, coupled with high-dose intravenous contrast, provide extensive visual capabilities of computed tomography to detect brain tumors in dogs. Thus, computed tomography can be used as a screening method due to the high speed of the study and the low, relative to MRI, cost of the study, as well as as a clarifying method. However, the ideal solution is to combine computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging.

Endoscopic Trans-Turbinal Medial Maxillectomy: A Modified Endoscopic Medial Maxillectomy Technique to Preserve the Inferior Turbinate

Endoscopic medial maxillectomy (EMM) and its modifications are surgical techniques are used to treat recalcitrant maxillary sinusitis as well as maxillary sinus tumors. In this report, we propose a simple and efficient modification of EMM, called endoscopic trans-turbinal medial maxillectomy (ETTMM), by which the inferior turbinate (IT), nasolacrimal duct, and anatomical integrity of the nasal valve area are preserved. A total of 10 patients (five tumorous and five nontumorous maxillary diseases) underwent ETTMM. Briefly, a turbinate mucosal flap on the superior aspect of the IT was elevated after middle meatal antrostomy. Then a trans-turbinal window was developed to expose the inferior meatus, after which an extended maxillary antrostomy was generated. Finally, the turbinate mucosal flap was repositioned after complete removal of the antral lesions. All lesions were successfully treated using ETTMM. Our modification was easy to perform, and we achieved good endoscopic visualization and accessibility throughout the whole antrum by creating a trans-turbinal window and extended maxillary antrostomy. We could perform postoperative surveillance easily through the wide antrostomy using rigid endoscopes of various angles. ETTMM is a simple and useful modification of EMM that provides clear visualization and great accessibility to most aspects of the maxillary antrum while preserving the nasal functional units, including the IT and nasal valve area.

Inhibiting STAT5 significantly attenuated Ang II-induced cardiac dysfunction and inflammation

Cardiac hypertrophy is a compensatory response to chronic pressure overload. Excessive angiotensin II is an important inducer of cardiac hypertrophy. Signal transducers and activators of transcription 5(STAT5), a member of STATs family which can mediate the transcription of interferon (IFN) genes and immune response has recently been reported to have a close link with non-tumor diseases. However, much remains unknown about how STAT5 might be involved in the progression of hypertrophy. Herein, STAT5-IN-1, a STAT5 inhibitor, was orally administered to Ang II-induced mice. Ang II-stimulated H9c2s cells were used as cell models for the in vitro experiment. Efforts were made to investigate the effects of STAT5-IN-1 in Ang II-induced mice, along with potential mechanism that might account for these effects, which involved treatment with STAT5 inhibitor and the use of siRNA-induced gene silencing. The findings demonstrated that STAT5 inhibitor resulted in a substantial decrease in cardiac hypertrophy in Ang II-induced mice and that this effect is mediated by decreasing inflammation, thus identifying one mechanism of Ang II-induced STAT5 activation. Based on these findings, it can be argued that targeting STAT5 mighted be considered as a potential therapeutic strategy for reducing hypertrophy.