[43-year-old non-smoker with anemia-inducing gastrointestinal hemorrhage and multiple round lung opacities].
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to L Mazzucchelli.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Gastrospirillum hominis is a spiral-shaped bacterium found in the stomach. It has been implicated as a possible cause of chronic gastritis. We report two cases of G. hominis colonization observed in a series of 175 healthy, asymptomatic volunteers investigated for Helicobacter pylori. None of the volunteers had symptoms or a history of gastrointestinal disease. Both carriers of G. hominis had histological signs of chronic, active antral gastritis. Multiple tests for H. pylori were negative. The prevalence of this spiral bacterium in healthy, asymptomatic individuals may be as low as in symptomatic persons.
In patients with clinical stage I non-seminomatous germ cell tumor the relapse rate seen after orchiectomy alone is approximately 30%. If retroperitoneal lymph node dissection is adopted the relapse rate in patients with histologically negative retroperitoneal nodes is reduced to approximately 10%. Nevertheless, follow-up is still mandatory and 70-80% of clinical stage I patients undergo unnecessary surgery. Metastases and relapses are mostly seen in patients with histological evidence of vascular invasion, growth beyond the testicular capsule and/or embryonal carcinoma in the primary tumor. We conducted a prospective trial of two cycles of cisplatin-based adjuvant chemotherapy for 43 patients with clinical stage I non-seminomatous germ cell tumors and at least one of these risk factors (vascular invasion n = 5, pT > 1 n = 21, embryonal carcinoma n = 42). After a median follow-up of 42 months (12-82 months) 40/41 patients (97.5%) who received the planned chemotherapy remain relapse-free. One patient had surgical excision of a mature teratoma in the ipsilateral iliac region 26 months after orchiectomy and is now disease-free without further treatment after 25+ months. No life-threatening toxicity from chemotherapy was encountered. Two patients who refused the chemotherapy relapsed. In patients with high-risk clinical stage I non-seminomatous testicular cancer two cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy are highly effective in preventing relapses and may be used as an alternative to a 'wait and watch' program or retroperitoneal lymph node dissection, particularly in patients with a compromised follow-up.
The clinicopathological features of two carcinosarcomas of the urinary bladder are reported. The tumours occurred in a 64- and a 66-year-old patient presenting with haematuria and both were polypoid. The epithelial component was consistent with small cell undifferentiated carcinoma with neuroendocrine differentiation, whereas the sarcomatous component did not display specific features. The carcinomatous component showed immunohistochemical reactivity for different epithelial markers as well as for chromogranin and neuron specific enolase. Conversely, the sarcomatous cells stained strongly for vimentin and in one case for muscle actin and smooth muscle actin. The differential diagnosis of biphasic tumours of the bladder is discussed and the literature reviewed.
A benign fibroepithelial and cystic tumor of the seminal vesicle is described in a 63-year-old man. The symptoms, macroscopic appearance, microscopic characteristics, immunophenotype prognosis and complications of this rare benign tumor are discussed, and 9 previously reported cases are reviewed. Several terms have been used to describe benign fibroepithelial tumors of the seminal vesicle. We suggest that the term cystadenoma is the most appropriate.
A single case of non-traumatic, idiopathic avascular necrosis of the carpal scaphoid is presented. It permits an informative correlation of clinical evolution. X-ray appearance, MR-imaging, macroscopic aspect and histological findings.
Unilateral cyst of the seminal vesicle, ipsilateral ectopic ureter and ipsilateral renal agenesis are the components of a rare congenital abnormality affecting the male urogenital tract. The clinical picture is characterized by a retrovesical cystic tumor which may be asymptomatic or cause nonspecific symptoms. Differential diagnosis includes cysts of the Müllerian duct, the urogenital sinus/ejaculatory duct, and the prostate. Pelvic ultrasonography is an appropriate method of investigating patients in whom this malformation is suspected, whereas more invasive radiologic procedures are indicated in selected cases only. Treatment for retrovesical cysts should be restricted to symptomatic patients. Conservative therapy may result in subjective improvement, but surgical exploration and excision of the abnormal organs is the only definitive treatment.
Chemical characterization of seminal vesicle secretion through seminal vesicle proteins would have the following advantages: (1) to judge on the secretory competence of the gland, (2) to recognize atypical secretory patterns, (3) to identify specific molecules and their epitopes for anatomical, diagnostic, therapeutic, anti-fertility and forensic purposes, and (4) to study physiologically active proteins or peptides of seminal plasma. There are different approaches for collection of the specific samples, each of which has peculiar advantages and disadvantages: ejaculate collection in the presence of protease inhibitors, use of split or multi-split ejaculates, utilization of autopsy or surgical material. Liquefied proteins are submitted to different chromatographic and electrophoretic procedures. One must keep in mind, however, that a whole series of biochemical processes can rapidly and irreversibly alter in vivo and in vitro the secretory proteins. The study of the secretion from male accessory sex glands and their interaction with spermatozoa therefore still deserves an absolute research priority.
This study was conceived to identify specific morphological characteristics associated with cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection of the kidney. 33 patients with manifest CMV infection at autopsy and 32 biopsies of kidney transplants with active or inactive CMV infection were studied. In 8 patients of the autopsy group a CMV infection of the kidney was detected (CMV cells in 3 cases, positive viral tissue culture in 4 cases, positive in-situ hybridization in one case), which was associated with severe dissemination into different organs. In situ hybridization was not superior to ordinary light microscopy in the detection of CMV cells. The biopsies were screened for the presence of glomerulopathy. No association of glomerulopathy with CMV could be found by light microscopy, whereas a significant correlation of glomerulopathy with vascular rejection was demonstrated. No differences as to the incidence of glomerulopathy were found, when non-transplant patients with manifest CMV infection at autopsy were compared with matched controls. With active infection electron microscopy revealed no osmiophilic deposits, but in immunofluorescence tiny IgG deposits were identified within the glomeruli (p less than 0.01). IgM or C3 deposition in the glomeruli was not specifically associated with either CMV infection or vascular rejection. Thus morphological identification of CMV infection of the kidney is difficult, necessitating the detection of CMV cells, positive viral tissue culture or positive in-situ hybridization. Glomerulopathy in light microscopy is associated with vascular rejection and is therefore termed transplant glomerulitis. Tiny IgG deposits may be indicative of CMV infection, although these are not always present.
BACKGROUND: Inhalation of graphite dust can cause lung disease, mostly in the form of mixed-dust pneumoconiosis in individuals working in the metallurgic industry or graphite mines. The morphologic landmark of graphite pneumoconiosis is nonasbestos ferruginous bodies with a black graphite core. CASE: In the sputum of an 81-year-old male, characteristic nonasbestos ferruginous bodies were identified. The occupational history confirmed long exposure to natural graphite in metallurgy. CONCLUSION: By the identification of typical ferruginous bodies, the screening of sputum smears may confirm the clinical and radiologic suspicion of pneumoconiosis and may contribute to determining its causes.