Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to H El Attar.
Gliosarcomas account for 2% of glioblastomas. We report a case of gliosarcoma in a 65-year-old man, which presented as meningioma, and discuss diagnostic, therapeutic and prognostic aspects of this particular entity.
Tuberculosis is a curable infectious disease which can mimic ovarian cancer. This case report illustrates that the association of a pelvic mass with elevated CA125 is not necessarily suggestive of ovarian malignancy. A 22-Year-old woman presenting with bilateral ovarian masses and an elevated CA 125 underwent an exploratory laparotomy to search for ovarian tumor. The final pathology diagnosis was ovarian tuberculosis without pulmonary involvement. Tuberculosis is a differential diagnosis to consider in patients with a pelvic mass because of the lack of pathognomonic clinical and biological signs.
Solitary fibrous tumor is a rare tumor, generally located in the pleura. Recently, new sites have been described in the literature, particularly involving the peritoneum and mediastinum, as wekk as te-the bronchopulmonary and orbital regions. The diagnosis is established at pathology, but in some cases may be difficult to differentiate from other tumors. We report the case of a 60-year-old women who had undergone surgery 25 years ago for right pulmonary hydatid cyst and who presented inspiratory dyspnea and dry cough for four months. Physical examination revealed a right cervical tumefaction in the supraclavian region. The AP chest x-ray disclosed an opacity in the right laterotracheal upper cervicomediastinal zone laminating the trachea which was displaced to the left. Thoracic computerized tomography showed a tissular process in the superior and middle mediastinum. Surgical tumor resection was performed and pathology confirmed the diagnosis of solitary fibrous tumor. The postoperative period was uneventful. Frequency of the mediastinal localisation is the same in men and women. The tumor generally develops between the 5th and 7th decades, and is most often asymptomatic. Fortuitous discovery is the rule. The clinical course is unforeseeable.
Aromatic amino acid catabolism by Trypanosoma brucei evansi was investigated in vivo using C3HeB/FeJ mice. The major catabolites detected by gas chromatography in the urines of infected animals were phenylpyruvic acid, 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid, and indole-3-pyruvic acid. Identity of each compound was confirmed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Concentrations of catabolites in urine of infected mice were correlated with parasitemia and returned to normal following suramin treatment. Other aromatic amino acid metabolites, including indole-3-acetic acid, indole-3-lactic acid, and 4-hydroxyphenyllactic acid, were detected in urine from infected animals by gas chromatography mass spectrometry, although quantities were too low to be quantified reproducibly. Both phenylpyruvic acid and 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid were also detected in urine of dogs and donkeys experimentally infected in Egypt with a recent field isolate of T. b. evansi. Tryptophan metabolites could not be assayed in dog and urine samples because formalin, which degraded the indole acids, had to be added before the samples could be imported into the U.S. Finally, concentrations of urinary catabolites during infection were correlated with the tyrosine aminotransferase activity in infected mouse sera.