Spermatocytic variant of classic seminoma: a report of five cases and a brief review of the literature.

Background: Spermatocytic seminoma is a rare testicular malignancy, appearing in the adult population. It has a good prognosis and a low rate of metastatic potential.

Objectives: We present five cases diagnosed and treated with radiotherapy at Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa, Israel.

Optimizing management of pancreatic cysts--prospective re-assessment for 157 cases.

Background/aims: Ongoing debate continues regarding the appropriate management of pancreatic cysts (PCs). Disagreement prevails regarding frequency of needed follow-up, if and when to perform any PC needle biopsy and indications for surgical resection. EUS is increasingly used to help determine management of PCs.

Hyperinnervation and mast cell activation may be used as histopathologic diagnostic criteria for vulvar vestibulitis.

Objective: Vestibulitis is currently diagnosed based only on clinical criteria. To achieve histopathological diagnostic criteria, we carried out a computerized image analysis method.

Methods: Vestibular tissues removed from 40 women with severe vestibulitis were immunostained for mast cell count and degranulation by C-kit and mast cell tryptase, respectively.

Low-fat diet impairs postresection intestinal adaptation in a rat model of short bowel syndrome.

Background: Low-fat diets (LFD) are utilized frequently in patients with short bowel syndrome (SBS). The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of LFD on intestinal adaptation, enterocyte proliferation, and enterocyte cell death in a rat model of SBS.

Methods: Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 3 experimental groups: Sham-NC rats underwent bowel transection and reanastomosis and were fed normal chow (NC), SBS-NC rats underwent 75% small bowel resection and were fed NC, and SBS-rats were fed a low-fat diet (SBS-LFD).

Effects of enteral arginine supplementation on the structural intestinal adaptation in a rat model of short bowel syndrome.

The nitric oxide precursor L-arginine (ARG) has been shown to influence intestinal morphology and intestinal absorptive function. The purpose of the present study was to determine the effect of enteral ARG supplementation on structural intestinal adaptation, cell proliferation, and apoptosis in a rat model of short bowel syndrome (SBS). Thirty male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three experimental groups: Sham rats underwent bowel transection, SBS rats underwent 75% small bowel resection, and SBS-ARG rats underwent bowel resection and were treated with ARG given in the drinking water (2%).

Endotoxemia inhibits intestinal adaptation in a rat model of short bowel syndrome.

Sepsis is commonly associated with or complicates short bowel syndrome (SBS). The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of endotoxemia on intestinal adaptation in a rat model of SBS. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three experimental groups: Sham rats underwent bowel transection and re-anastomosis, SBS rats underwent 75% small bowel resection, and SBS-LPS rats underwent bowel resection and were given lipopolysaccharide.

Effect of transforming growth factor-alpha on intestinal adaptation in a rat model of short bowel syndrome.

Objective: TGF-alpha has recently been shown to stimulate enterocyte proliferation. In the present study we investigated the effect of TGF-alpha on enterocyte proliferation and loss via apoptosis and its effects on intestinal adaptation in a rat following massive bowel resection.

Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent bowel transection and reanastomosis (sham group) or 75% small bowel resection and anastomosis (SBS group) and were treated with intraperitoneal TGF-alpha (75 microg/kg) from the ninth postoperative day (SBS-TGF-alpha group).

Sandostatin impairs postresection intestinal adaptation in a rat model of short bowel syndrome.

Because of its antisecretory properties, sandostatin has been advocated for the treatment of patients with short bowel syndrome (SBS). This study was conducted to determine the effect of sandostatin on structural intestinal adaptation, cell proliferation and apoptosis in a rat model of SBS. Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three experimental groups: Sham rats underwent bowel transection, SBS rats underwent 75% small bowel resection, and SBS-sandostatin rats underwent bowel resection and were treated with sandostatin (SBS-SND).

The effects of enoxaparin on the reparative processes in experimental osteonecrosis of the femoral head of the rat.

The blood supply of one femoral head of 6-month-old rats was severed by incising the periosteum of the neck and cutting the ligamentum teres. The rats were killed on the 30th postoperative day and the femoral bones were obtained for semiquantification of the reparative processes in the necrotic heads. Fourteen rats were treated with enoxaparin and 14 untreated animals served as controls.