Tubular Spaces Research Articles

Radiation-induced Testicular Damage in Mice: Protective Effects of Apigenin Revealed by Histopathological Evaluation.

Radiation exposure poses a significant threat to reproductive health, particularly the male reproductive system. The testes, being highly sensitive to radiation, are susceptible to damage that can impair fertility and overall reproductive function. The study aims to investigate the radioprotective effects of apigenin on the testis through histopathological evaluation. This research involved utilizing a total of 40 mice, which were randomly divided into eight groups of five mice each. The groups were categorized as follows: A) negative control group, B, C, and D) administration of apigenin at three different doses (0.3 mg/kg, 0.6 mg/kg, and 1.2 mg/kg) respectively, E) irradiation group, and F, H, and I) administration of apigenin at three different doses (0.3 mg/kg, 0.6 mg/kg, and 1.2 mg/kg) in combination with irradiation. The irradiation procedure involved exposing the mice to a 2Gy X-ray throughout their entire bodies. Subsequently, histopathological assessments were conducted seven days after the irradiation process. The findings indicated that radiation exposure significantly impacted the spermatogenesis system. This research provides evidence that administering apigenin to mice before ionizing radiation effectively mitigated the harmful effects on the testes. Apigenin demonstrated radioprotective properties, positively influencing various parameters, including the spermatogenesis process and the presence of inflammatory cells within the tubular spaces. Apigenin can provide effective protection for spermatogenesis, minimize the adverse effects of ionizing radiation, and safeguard normal tissues.

Uterine Arteriovenous Malformation, Grey- Scale and Colour Doppler findings: A Case Report and Review

Introduction: Uterine arteriovenous malformations can either be congenital or acquired and are rare vascular disorders seen in women of child bearing age, with varied presentation. The clinical features range from being asymptomatic to life threatening haemorrhage. Imaging, particularly grey scale and color Doppler ultrasonography play a major role in the prompt diagnosis of this condition as the findings are useful when differentiating between the types as well as in planning the management of these patients. Objectives: To make a report of a rare case of arteriovenous malformation of the uterus in a young female patient with a review of relevant literature as well as to highlight the importance of Colour Doppler ultrasonography in the evaluation of uterine lesions. Case Presentation: The case is of a 36year old female patient with a 2 years history of amenorrhoea following multiple sessions of dilatation and curettage. She also had chemotherapy due to choriocarcinoma. Pregnancy test was negative. Pelvic ultrasound scan done showed multiple cystic tubular spaces that were hypervascular on colour Doppler interrogation. High velocities and low RI values were recorded. Conclusion: Uterine arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are important rare vascular disorders of the uterine vessels that need to be recognized early on imaging for appropriate management to be instituted.

A Strategy Based on "Ambident Anthracene" for the Synthesis of Higher-Order Iptycenes.

An efficient method for the synthesis of higher-order iptycenes using an "ambident anthracene" building block is presented. For that purpose, an iterative elongation strategy involving the ring-opening of an endoxide to give a highly reactive anthranoxide, followed by a Diels-Alder reaction with an aryne was used. The method systematically provides higher-order iptycenes, including trideciptycene, which is currently the iptycene with the longest chain to have been synthesized. X-ray crystallography revealed interesting structures in which solvent molecules fill the cavities of these iptycenes, thus creating a "honeycomb" structure with the solvent molecules arranged in tubular spaces.

First ultrastructural description of an apomictic opsiblastic egg in freshwater Gastrotricha.

Freshwater gastrotrichs have a biphasic lifecycle that reputedly involves the production of three types of eggs: apomictic and fast hatching (tachyblastic ova), apomictic and delayed hatching (opsiblastic ova), and plaque-bearing eggs (potentially derived from mixis). While some details of oogenesis and eggshell structure are known for tachyblastic ova, there are few details on other egg types. Here, we provide the first ultrastructural description of the oviposited opsiblastic eggs of the freshwater gastrotrich, Lepidodermella squamata. Scanning electron microscopy revealed the eggshell surface to be ornamented with long flattened pillar-like structures centered on polygonal plates that are pitted along their periphery. Transmission electron microscopy showed the pits to lead to a vast labyrinth of tubular spaces and larger cavities throughout the thick apical layer of the shell. The basal layer of the shell is amorphous and connected to a network of fine fibers that traverse an extra-oocyte space and forms a protective sheet around the uncleaved oocyte. The uncleaved oocyte has a dense layer of peripheral ooplasm surrounding a core of organelles including mitochondria, membrane-bound secretion granules, endoplasmic reticulum, and a single nucleus in a granular, ribosome-rich cytoplasm. Secretion granules are the most abundant organelles and presumably contain lipid-rich yolk that will be used as energy for delayed cleavage, thus functioning in temporal dispersal. These data are compared to the fine structure of invertebrate resting eggs across the phylogenetic spectrum to determine the novelty of opsiblastic egg structure in L. squamata.

Testicular Fibrosis, A Setback of Chemotherapy and Ameliorating Role of Ascorbic Acid

Statement of Problem: The struggle for surviving cancer individuals who have undergone chemotherapy is still a dilemma. Chemotherapeutic agent, Doxorubicin (DOX), causing testicular damage, has been a concern of oncologists for many years. As DOX causes oxidative damage on non-tumorous tissues by the foundation of free radicals, the challenges of protection with various antioxidant therapies have been attempted. The foremost objective was to reduce the cytotoxic properties of DOX to healthy cells. Vitamin C, a water-soluble vitamin, based on its antioxidant property, was applied to study its potential protection to the testicular tissues after oxidative damage by DOX. Objectives: To demonstrate fibrotic changes in the interstitium of testes generated by anthracycline DOX on the mice and designed to study the morphometric changes in DOX affected testes with co-administration of antioxidant Vitamin C. Methodolgy: An Experimental study using male mice were separated into 3 groups (A, B & C). A was treated with normal saline 1 ml intraperitoneal (IP), B was given DOX alone (0.003 mg in 0.03ml /gm body weight IP for 3 doses on 6th, 8th and 10th day of study) and DOX (0.003 mg in 0.03ml /gm body weight IP for 3 doses on 6th, 8th and 10th day of study) + Vitamin C (0.5 mg in 0.01ml/gm body weight per orum daily) was delivered to group C. Animals were sacrificed on completion and organs were kept in Bouin’s fluid and later processing and staining of the tissue was done. Result: Statistical analysis was performed, using ANOVA test to evaluate the significance of parameter among three groups. Widening of interstitium with significant interstitial fibrosis and intra tubular empty spaces were evident as compared to controls. However, co-administration of Vitamin C with DOX significantly reduced (P < 0.001) fibrosis indicating protective role of Vitamin C against DOX induced testicular damage. Conclusion: Experimental study suggested that the antioxidant Vitamin C has a potential role in improving the parameter damaged by DOX. Keywords: Doxorubicin, Vitamin C, Mice, Antioxidant, Oxidative damage, Interstitial, Fibrosis

Immune profiling of experimental murine mastitis reveals conserved response to mammary pathogenic Escherichia coli, Mycoplasma bovis, and Streptococcus uberis.

Mastitis is one of the most prevalent and economically important diseases of dairy animals. The disease is caused by ascending bacterial infection through the teat canal. Among the most common mastitis-causing bacteria are Gram-negative coliforms, Gram-positive streptococci and staphylococci, and mycoplasma. The most prominent cellular hallmark of acute mammary infection is a massive recruitment of blood neutrophils into the tubular and alveolar milk spaces. The complex biological processes of leukocyte recruitment, activation, adhesion, and migration in the mammary gland remain largely elusive to date. While field research of mastitis in dairy animals contributed a lot to the development of mitigation, control, and even eradication programs, little progress was made toward understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of the disease. We report here experimental mastitis model systems in lactating mice challenged with field strains of common udder pathogens in dairy cows. We used these model systems to apply recently developed multiplex gene expression technology (Nanostring nCounter), which enabled us to study the expression of over 700 immune genes. Our analysis revealed a core of 100 genes that are similarly regulated and functionally or physically interacting in E. coli, M. bovis, and Strep uberis murine mastitis. Common significantly enriched gene sets include TNFɑ signaling via NFkB, Interferon gamma and alpha response, and IL6-JAK-STAT3 signaling. In addition, we show a significantly enriched expression of genes associated with neutrophil extracellular traps (NET) in glands challenged by the three pathogens. Ligand-receptor analysis revealed interactions shared by the three pathogens, including the interaction of the cytokines IL1β, IL1ɑ, and TNFɑ with their receptors, and proteins involved in immune cell recruitment such as complement C3 and ICAM1 (with CD11b), chemokines CCL3 and CCL4 (with CCR1), and CSF3 (with CSF3R). Taken together, our results show that mammary infection with E. coli, M. bovis, and Strep uberis culminated in the activation of a conserved core of immune genes and pathways including NET formation.

Prolonged Biomolecule Release from Titanium Surfaces via Titania Nanotube Arrays

Surface modifications containing active biomolecules in order to minimize the failure of titanium implants used in hard tissue repair is one of the most frequently studied subjects in recent years. In the last decade, it has been investigated that nanoscale tubular spaces on the titanium surface can be used as a local drug release reservoir so that the molecule can be loaded into the implant structure without the need for any chemical binder or polymeric coating. It is possible to obtain one-dimensional structures that can be grown by electrochemical anodic oxidation by controlling the diameters of less than 100 nanometers on titanium metal surfaces. The major disadvantage of biomolecules released from titania nanotube structures to the environment is the hard control of release kinetics and more than half of the loading amount releases in the first few hours of interaction with the biological fluid. Although the studies on controlling the kinetics have been tried to overcome by covering the nanotube arrays with barriers such as polymer structures, the risk of delamination of the polymers from the surface during implantation brings additional problems. In this manuscript, vancomycin and bovine serum albumin were loaded into titania nanotubes formed by anodic oxidation technique on titanium metal plates and the tube ends has been narrowed by gold sputtering technique. With this narrowing at the tube-ends, the length of the release time and the change in diameter according to the hydrodynamic diameter of the released biomolecule were investigated. It is seen that the increased gold sputtering time prolongs the release rate of biomolecules and offers a promising approach for sustained local drug releasing implants.

Histological and Biometrical Study of The Adult Local Bull Testis in Duhok Province

The purpose of this research was to assess some histological parameters and activity between the left and right testis of ten adult local bulls that were collected from the Duhok slaughterhouse /Iraq. The left and right testis specimens were routinely processed and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. The tunica albuginea is a thick sheet of dense, fibrous connective tissue that covers testicular tissue. The mean thickness of the tunics of an adult local bull differed significantly (p≤0.05) between the left and right testis. Thin septa that extended from the tunica albuginea to the mediastinum testis separated the parenchyma into lobules. Tortuous seminiferous tubules were found in each lobule. The mean diameter of the rounded seminiferous tubule of the left testicle was substantially (P<0.05) larger than that the right testicle. Tubular differential index (TDI) and spermatogenesis index (SPI) were found substantially (P<0.05) higher in the left testicle than the right. Sertoli cells are roughly pyramidal in shape, with an oval nucleus. The spermatogonia were circular or cuboidal in shape and possessed a round, dark nuclei. The large spherical nuclei and granular chromatin aggregates were found in primary spermatocytes. The spherical spermatids were small and elongated spermatids were developed. Some seminiferous tubules contain both spermatids and spermatozoa. Either narrow strands of interstitial tissue among two seminiferous tubules or massive triangular and quadrangular interstitial spaces separate up to three tubules. It contains only blood capillaries, a few Leydig cells, and some fibroblast cells, or extensive vessels (blood and lymph), as well as many Leydig cells. Within inter tubular spaces, Leydig cells were found as singular or in clusters. It was concluded that the thickness of the tunica albuginea, the diameter of the seminiferous tubules, the tubular differential index, and the spermatogenesis index were higher in the left testis of local adult bulls than the right testis.

An Effective Algorithm for Finding Shortest Paths in Tubular Spaces

We propose a novel algorithm to determine the Euclidean shortest path (ESP) from a given point (source) to another point (destination) inside a tubular space. The method is based on the observation data of a virtual particle (VP) assumed to move along this path. In the first step, the geometric properties of the shortest path inside the considered space are presented and proven. Utilizing these properties, the desired ESP can be segmented into three partitions depending on the visibility of the VP. Our algorithm will check which partition the VP belongs to and calculate the correct direction of its movement, and thus the shortest path will be traced. The proposed method is then compared to Dijkstra’s algorithm, considering different types of tubular spaces. In all cases, the solution provided by the proposed algorithm is smoother, shorter, and has a higher accuracy with a faster calculation speed than that obtained by Dijkstra’s method.

Biochemical and morphological attributes of broiler kidney in response to dietary glucocorticoid, dexamethasone.

Glucocorticoids (GCs) initiate oxidative stress and cause renal damage which lead to hypertension, heart failure and ultimately death. The current study aimed to investigate the alterations in serum biochemical parameters i.e. HDL and LDL; gross anatomy, histomorphology and histomorphometry of broiler kidney in response to dietary GC, dexamethasone (DEX). Day old chicks (DOCs) were randomly assigned into four groups: control and three treatment groups (T1, T2 and T3). The control group was fed commercial broiler type ration and the treated groups were fed commercial broiler type ration containing GC (Dexamethasone @ 3, 5 and 7 mg/kg in T1, T2 and T3 group respectively). To measure the biochemical parameters, blood samples were collected on days 7, 14, 21, and 28 of the experiment. For histological investigation, kidney (left) samples were collected from the individual birds after sacrificing on days 7, 14, 21, and 28 of the experiment. Histomorphological alterations of the kidney were assessed by routine hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. Biochemical analysis showed significantly increased serum HDL and LDL level compared to the control. In gross study, dark congested kidney was found with significantly decreased weight, length and width. Treatment with DEX augmented congestion, inflammation and fibrosis in kidney, as evidence by histomorphometric study. Extensively degenerated and atrophied glomeruli, degenerated tubular epithelium with distorted tubules and inter tubular empty spaces were seen. Percentage of atrophied glomeruli increased significantly and maximum percentage of glomerular atrophy was seen at day 28. These changes were found more explicitly in the higher dose group. Histomorphometric study also revealed significant decrease in the diameter of glomerulus. The findings of this study suggest that DEX may alter the serum biochemical parameters as well as kidney gross and histomorphology.

Endoscopic Study of the Oral and Pharyngeal Cavities in the Common Dolphin, Striped Dolphin, Risso's Dolphin, Harbour Porpoise and Pilot Whale: Reinforced with Other Diagnostic and Anatomic Techniques.

Simple SummaryDevelopmental studies of the dolphin oral cavity have been scarce and were mostly carried out on adult specimens dealing with teeth and lingual development. Moreover, the adult pharyngeal cavity has been mentioned in cetacean monographic encyclopedias and handbooks. In this work, prenatal and perinatal studies of both the oral and pharyngeal cavities were performed on juvenile and adult specimens to better understand these anatomical structures. Our study analyzes these cavities using high-resolution endoscopy to observe changes in the mucosa and to compare these findings with terrestrial mammals. Even though endoscopy was the main technique used, our study was reinforced with Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), anatomical techniques and fetal histology to locate and identify significant structures. Endoscopy of the oral cavity showed some interesting morphological changes. The incisive papilla, teeth, tongue papillae and lateral sublingual recesses and folds were observed in different development stages. The three different parts of the pharynx (oropharynx, laryngopharynx, and nasopharynx) were examined using endoscopy. The histological study helps us to understand the function of the pharyngeal cavity. The nasopharynx contained important structures such as the orifice of the auditory tube and its expansion, the pharyngeal diverticula of the auditory tubes. This special anatomical area was studied using MRI, serial sections and dissections. Some functional considerations are made about both cavities in the five species of odontocetes studied.In this work, the fetal and newborn anatomical structures of the dolphin oropharyngeal cavities were studied. The main technique used was endoscopy, as these cavities are narrow tubular spaces and the oral cavity is difficult to photograph without moving the specimen. The endoscope was used to study the mucosal features of the oral and pharyngeal cavities. Two pharyngeal diverticula of the auditory tubes were discovered on either side of the choanae and larynx. These spaces begin close to the musculotubaric channel of the middle ear, are linked to the pterygopalatine recesses (pterygoid sinus) and they extend to the maxillopalatine fossa. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), osteological analysis, sectional anatomy, dissections, and histology were also used to better understand the function of the pharyngeal diverticula of the auditory tubes. These data were then compared with the horse’s pharyngeal diverticula of the auditory tubes. The histology revealed that a vascular plexus inside these diverticula could help to expel the air from this space to the nasopharynx. In the oral cavity, teeth remain inside the alveolus and covered by gums. The marginal papillae of the tongue differ in extension depending on the fetal specimen studied. The histology reveals that the incisive papilla is vestigial and contain abundant innervation. No ducts were observed inside lateral sublingual folds in the oral cavity proper and caruncles were not seen in the prefrenular space.

A study on the potential reprotoxic effects of thimerosal in male albino rats.

Thimerosal is ethyl mercury based compound which is being used as a preservative in vaccines since decades. Pharmaceutical products and vaccines that contain thimerosal are among the potential source of mercury exposure. Current research was intended to ascertain the reprotoxic effects of thimerosal on rat testes. Twenty-four adult male albino rats were sorted into four groups (n = 6). The first group was a control group. Rats of experimental Group 2, 3 and 4 were treated with various dosages of thimerosal (0.5, 10, 50 mg/kg) respectively. Rats were decapitated after thirty days of trial and different parameters were analyzed. Thimerosal exposure resulted in a significant decrease in antioxidant enzyme activities including catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione reductase (GSR) and increased levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). Different doses of thimerosal significantly decreased (p < 0.05) the concentration of plasma testosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). Additionally, Daily sperm production (DSP) and efficiency of daily sperm production were significantly reduced followed by thimerosal exposure. Moreover, thimerosal significantly (p < 0.05) decreased the primary spermatocytes, secondary spermatocytes, number of spermatogonia along with spermatids. Thimerosal induced adverse histopathological and morphological changes in testicular tissues such as decreased Leydig cells, diameter of seminiferous tubules, tunica albuginea height and epithelial height. On the other hand, the increase in tubular lumen and interstitial spaces was observed due to thimerosal. These outcomes indicated that thimerosal has potential reprotoxic effects in male albino rats.

Secretory Carcinoma of the Skin: Report of 6 Cases, Including a Case With a Novel NFIX-PKN1 Translocation.

Secretory carcinoma of the skin is a rare adnexal carcinoma, which is morphologically and immunohistochemically identical to secretory carcinoma of the breast and is associated with the presence of t (12;15) translocation, resulting in the ETV6-NTRK3 gene fusion. Nineteen cases of primary cutaneous secretory carcinoma have been previously published in the literature. In this study, we describe 6 new cases of secretory carcinoma of the skin. The study group consisted of 5 female patients and 1 male patient, ranging in age from 57 to 98 years (mean: 74.2, median: 74). Locations included the axilla (2), neck, eyelid, thigh, and nipple base, each one. Microscopically, all but 1 tumor were well circumscribed and nonencapsulated and exhibited characteristic abundant secretions within the microcystic and tubular spaces comprised by bland oval, round to cuboidal neoplastic cells. In addition, solid areas and focal pseudopapillae were seen, and, in 1 case, a focal mucinous component with small lakes of mucin containing small tumor nests or tubules of the neoplastic cells was present. The remaining neoplasm was mostly solid and papillary, with only few characteristic lumina containing secretions. Immunohistochemically, all cases expressed S-100 protein, mammaglobin, STAT5, GATA3, and NTRK. ETV6-NTRK3 gene fusion was detected in 5 cases, whereas, in the remaining tumor, a novel NFIX-PKN1 gene fusion was found.

Study of Passive Adjustment Performance of Tubular Space in Subway Station Building Complexes

The stereo integration of subway transportation with urban functions has promoted the transformation of urban space via extensive two-dimensional plans to intensive three-dimensional development. As sustainable development aspect, it has posed new challenges for the design of architectural space to be better environmental quality and low energy consumption. Therefore, subway station building complexes with high-performance designs should be a primary focus. Tubular space is a very common spatial form in subway station building complexes; it is an important space carrier for transmitting airflow and natural light. As such, it embodies the advantages of effectively utilizing natural resources, improving the indoor thermal and light environments, refining the air quality, and reducing energy consumption. This research took tubular space, which has a passive regulation function in subway station building complexes as its research object. It firstly established a scientific and logical method for verifying the value of tubular space by searching causal relationships among the parameterized building space information factors, occupancy satisfaction elements, physical environment comfort aspects, and climate conditions. Secondly, based on the actual field investigation, a database of physical environment performance data and users’ subjective satisfaction information was collected. Through the fieldwork results and analysis, the research thirdly concluded that the potential passive utilization of tubular space in subway station building complexes can be divided into two aspects: improvement in comfort level itself and utilization of climate between natural or artificial. Finally, three typical integrated design method for tubular spaces exhibiting high levels of performance and low amounts of energy consumption in subway station building complexes was put forward. This interdisciplinary research provides a design basis for subway station building complexes seeking to achieve high levels of performance and low amounts of energy consumption.

Space-Confined Seeded Growth of Black Silver Nanostructures for Solar Steam Generation.

Plasmonic metal nanostructures have attracted considerable attention for solar energy harvesting due to their capability in photothermal conversion. However, the narrow resonant band of the conventional plasmonic nanoparticles greatly limits their application as only a small fraction of the solar energy can be utilized. Herein, a unique confined seeded growth strategy is developed to synthesize black silver nanostructures with broadband absorption in the visible and near-infrared spectrum. Through this novel strategy, assemblages of silver nanoparticles with widely distributed interparticle distances are generated in rod-shaped tubular spaces, leading to strong random plasmonic coupling and accordingly broadband absorption for significantly improved utilization of solar energy. With excellent efficiency in converting solar energy to heat, the resulting black Ag nanostructures can be made into thin films floating at the air/water interface for efficient generation of clean water steam through localized interfacial heating.

Study of the Effect of Fin-and-Tube Heat Exchanger Fouling on its Structural Performance

ABSTRACTThis paper presents the thermal and structural analysis of high temperature fin-and-tube heat exchanger. Water flowing in tubular space and flue-gas flowing in the intertubular space, were considered as working fluids. The effect of limescale fouling on thermal and structural performance of heat exchanger was studied. The analysis considered an industrial heat exchanger, which failure occur from time to time. The expert inspection, after the failure indicated the existence of fouling layer within the heat exchanger tubes. In order to understand the reasons of heat exchanger failure, a detailed fluid flow analysis (both in the tubular and intertubular spaces) was performed. The analysis indicated that the silicate limescale fouling layer with thermal conductivity of 0.35 W/(mK) and thickness up to 1.5 mm existing in the tube, may increase the tube wall temperature even more than 150°C. The study also includes the impact of outer tube wall surface fouling with thickness of 0.2 mm and heat transfer coefficient of 2 W/(mK). As a result, the compressible stresses may increase over three times compared to the situation where the tube wall fouling does not exist.

Molecular simulation of carbon nanotubes as sorptive materials: sorption effects towards retene, perylene and cholesterol to 100 degrees Celsius and above

New water purification technologies are being developed as the world’s water sources are increasingly being polluted and experience a dramatic consumption with the increasing world population. In this context, the emerging era of nanotechnology has introduced a series of innovations and materials with promising potential as sorptive materials for water decontamination. The application of nanomaterials for the purification of ground/surface water introduces nevertheless a series of important challenges, such as health and safety, cost, process-efficiency and chemical sorption properties. In this study, we consider the latter class and present a study of the sorptive properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as potential water decontaminating materials. Molecular dynamics simulations are used and three molecular candidates of the water contaminants, cholesterol, perylene and retene were selected for interaction study with CNTs at different diameters. The results show that CNTs form densely packed clusters with retene, perylene and cholesterol, binding each strongly to their tubular surfaces, as well as in their hollow tubular spaces. Cholesterol and perylene bind more strongly than retene, accounting for the calculated binding energies in vacuo, however the planar geometries of polycyclics may in general favour binding to CNTs over semi-polar molecules and can require further studies. Our studies show furthermore that the CNTs retain the adsorbed molecules also at 100 degrees Celsius, and require therefore additional steps of separation for eventual recycling and reusing the nanomaterials for additional decontamination. This study is important in providing data for initiating studies and developments of water purification approaches based on using CNTs.

Diffuse Venous Malformation of the Uterus in a Pregnant Woman with Klippel-Trénaunay Syndrome Diagnosed by DCE-MRI.

Background. We experienced a rare case of a pregnant woman with Klippel-Trénaunay syndrome complicated with diffuse venous malformation of the uterus. This is the first report on the usefulness of dynamic contrast-enhanced-MRI for the diagnosis of diffuse venous malformation of the uterus. Case Presentation. A 23-year-old woman presented with convulsions and talipes equinus position of both lower limbs at 11 weeks of gestation. At 27 weeks, ultrasonography demonstrated tubular echolucent spaces throughout the myometrium. Dynamic MRI at 37 weeks revealed that the myometrial lesion was enhanced slowly and showed homogeneous enhancement even on a 10 min delayed image. Taken together with unilateral foot hypertrophy, varices, and port-wine stain, the patient was diagnosed as having Klippel-Trénaunay syndrome complicated with diffuse venous malformation of the pregnant uterus. The patient underwent elective cesarean section because of severe dystonia. The lower uterine segment was thickened and heavy venous blood flow was observed at the incision. Histological diagnosis of the myometrial biopsy specimen was venous malformation. Conclusions. Both diffuse venous malformation and Klippel-Trénaunay syndrome during pregnancy can involve considerable complications, in particular, massive bleeding during labor. Women who suffer from this syndrome should be advised about the risk of complications of pregnancy.

Pathology of citrinin feeding for two generations in male Wistar rats

Citrinin (CIT) is primarily a nephrotoxic compound and is often encountered with ochratoxin A as feed contaminant. The present study was conducted to examine the pathomorphological effect of citrinin on two generations of Male Wistar rats, fed with graded doses of citrinin (1 ppm, 3 ppm & 5 ppm). Grossly, kidneys and livers were moderately enlarged and showed variable degree of surface discoloration and mottling in 5 ppm CIT group rats. Significant decreases in relative testicular weights were seen in the highest CIT dose group. A consistent increase in relative weights of kidneys and liver while a decrease in the relative weights of spleen was observed in both generations, in a dose-dependent manner. Significant histopathological changes in CIT groups were observed in liver and kidneys and mild to moderate lesions in spleen and brain. Kidney was the most severely affected organ. In testes, partial loss of spermatogonial cells and disruption of the spermatogonial cell patterns and increase in inter tubular spaces was seen in both generations in a dosedependent manner. It was concluded in the present study that CITinduces toxic effects till F1 generation in males Wistar rats by producing dose-dependent pathomorphological alterations in important visceral organs.

Proximal Tubular Hypertrophy and Enlarged Glomerular and Proximal Tubular Urinary Space in Obese Subjects with Proteinuria

BackgroundObesity is associated with glomerular hyperfiltration, increased proximal tubular sodium reabsorption, glomerular enlargement and renal hypertrophy. A single experimental study reported an increased glomerular urinary space in obese dogs. Whether proximal tubular volume is increased in obese subjects and whether their glomerular and tubular urinary spaces are enlarged is unknown.ObjectiveTo determine whether proximal tubules and glomerular and tubular urinary space are enlarged in obese subjects with proteinuria and glomerular hyperfiltration.MethodsKidney biopsies from 11 non-diabetic obese with proteinuria and 14 non-diabetic lean patients with a creatinine clearance above 50 ml/min and with mild or no interstitial fibrosis were retrospectively analyzed using morphometric methods. The cross-sectional area of the proximal tubular epithelium and lumen, the volume of the glomerular tuft and of Bowman’s space and the nuclei number per tubular profile were estimated.ResultsCreatinine clearance was higher in the obese than in the lean group (P=0.03). Proteinuria was similarly increased in both groups. Compared to the lean group, the obese group displayed a 104% higher glomerular tuft volume (P=0.001), a 94% higher Bowman’s space volume (P=0.003), a 33% higher cross-sectional area of the proximal tubular epithelium (P=0.02) and a 54% higher cross-sectional area of the proximal tubular lumen (P=0.01). The nuclei number per proximal tubular profile was similar in both groups, suggesting that the increase in tubular volume is due to hypertrophy and not to hyperplasia.ConclusionsObesity-related glomerular hyperfiltration is associated with proximal tubular epithelial hypertrophy and increased glomerular and tubular urinary space volume in subjects with proteinuria. The expanded glomerular and urinary space is probably a direct consequence of glomerular hyperfiltration. These effects may be involved in the pathogenesis of obesity-related renal disease.