Interobserver agreement in the histologic diagnosis of colorectal polyps. the experience of the multicenter adenoma colorectal study (SMAC).

Current clinical practice guidelines for patients with colorectal polyps are mainly based on the histologic characteristics of their lesions. However, interobserver variability in the assessment of specific polyp characteristics was evaluated in very few studies. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the interobserver agreement of four pathologists in the diagnosis of histologic type of colorectal polyps and in the degree of dysplasia and of infiltrating carcinoma in adenomas.

[Type I autoimmune hepatitis. An atypical case].

Typically, autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) arises in young women, but recent papers have shown that it can affect older people too. The authors describe a case of AIH in a 70 ys old man affected by acute cholostatic hepatitis. The diagnosis of type I AIH was based on immunological features (high levels of ANA) together with histological picture in the absence of other known causes of hepatitis.

Microsatellite analysis in cutaneous malignant melanoma.

The status and relevance of repetitive nucleotide sequences or microsatellite alterations in sporadic cutaneous melanoma has not been fully clarified. In this study we evaluated the presence of microsatellite alterations in a series of sporadic primary and metastatic melanomas in order to discover which genetic events may have a pathogenetic role in the development of this disease. Tumour samples were obtained from 21 patients with sporadic cutaneous melanoma, and from eight corresponding positive sentinel lymph nodes and one corresponding in-transit metastasis.

Antitumorigenic activity of the prebiotic inulin enriched with oligofructose in combination with the probiotics Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Bifidobacterium lactis on azoxymethane-induced colon carcinogenesis in rats.

Prebiotics such as fructans, and probiotics such as Lactobacilli or Bifidobacteria, or a combination of prebiotics and probiotics (synbiotics) are thought to be protective against colon cancer. Therefore, we studied whether the prebiotic inulin enriched with oligofructose (Raftilose-Synergy1, briefly, Synergy1, 10% of the diet), probiotics [Bifidobacterium lactis (Bb12) and Lactobacillus rhamnosus (LGG), each at 5x10(8) c.f.

Testicular amyloidosis.

Rapid testicular enlargement is usually strongly suggestive of tumor. Primary testicular infiltration due to amyloidosis is rare. We report a new case of primary testicular amyloidosis in a 72-year-old white man who presented with a short history of painless right testis enlargement.

The use of an emergency ward by patients with depressive or anxiety disorders: a one year follow-up study.

Objective: The present study examined patients during the year after the index hospitalization in an Emergency Ward (ED) to determine whether patients with depressive or anxiety disorders have a higher rate of readmission than patients without these conditions.

Method: For this purpose, 165 subjects (85 diagnosed with DSM-IV depressive or anxiety disorders and 80 controls) were evaluated with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and with the Duke Severity of Illness Scale both during the index hospitalization and one year later. Hospitalizations during the follow-up period were determined using the hospital database.

Teaching with symbols tangentially related to topic: using a linked multimedia approach to enhance learning.

40 undergraduate students, none of whom were history or literature majors, attended a lecture on Medieval literature. For half the students the lecture was supplemented by two sets of slides. One set summarized course content while the second set contained slides of paintings or other forms of visual art which were only tangentially related to the topic.

Acute ketamine intoxication treated by haloperidol: a preliminary study.

In an open, double-blind study of phencyclidine intoxication, 21 white male subjects were later found to have instead ingested ketamine. These subjects were divided into two cohorts, one treated with 5 mg intramuscular haloperidol and the second with an active placebo. Assessment with the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale revealed significant reduction in symptoms with haloperidol.

Carcinomas of sweat glands: report of 60 cases.

Context: Several aspects of sweat gland carcinomas (incidence, classification, diagnosis, and behavior) have not been definitively clarified and need to be studied further.

Objective: The clinicopathologic findings of a large series of sweat gland carcinomas, collected during a period of 15 years, are presented.

Methods: Sixty sweat gland carcinomas (41 porocarcinomas, 3 syringomatous carcinomas, 8 ductal carcinomas, 5 adenoid cystic carcinomas, and 3 mucinous carcinomas) were analyzed histologically and immunohistochemically.

Slow-release pellets of sodium butyrate do not modify azoxymethane (AOM)-induced intestinal carcinogenesis in F344 rats.

Butyrate exerts anti-tumour effects in vitro, but not consistently in vivo. We previously demonstrated that the administration of slow-release gastro-resistant pellets of sodium butyrate increases apoptosis in the colon mucosa of rats, an effect which may protect against carcinogenesis. Therefore, we studied whether the administration of butyrate pellets could protect rats against experimental colon carcinogenesis.

Effects of black tea, green tea and wine extracts on intestinal carcinogenesis induced by azoxymethane in F344 rats.

We investigated whether polyphenolic extracts from black tea, green tea or red wine affect azoxymethane (AOM)-induced intestinal carcinogenesis. Male F344 rats were treated 10 times (1 week apart) with AOM (7.4 mg/kg, s.

Androgen receptor expression in prostate carcinoma cells suppresses alpha6beta4 integrin-mediated invasive phenotype.

Prostate cancer cells may lose androgen-sensitivity after androgen ablation therapy, becoming highly invasive and metastatic. The biological mechanisms responsible for higher tumurogenicity of androgen-independent prostate carcinomas are not entirely known. We demonstrate that androgen receptor regulation of adhesion and invasion of prostate cancer cells through modulation of alpha6beta4 integrin expression may be one of the molecular mechanisms responsible of this phenomenon.

Detection of somatic DNA alterations in azoxymethane-induced F344 rat colon tumors by random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis.

Colon carcinogenesis induced in rats by azoxymethane (AOM) is a useful experimental model as it mimics the human adenoma-carcinoma sequence and allows the study of dietary variation and of the effects of chemopreventive substances. Alterations of specific oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes (APC and K-ras) play roles at different stages of this carcinogenesis process. Recently, it has been suggested that genomic instability is the necessary step for the generation of multiple mutations underlying the occurrence of cancer.

Measurement of nonverbal receptive abilities in medical students.

Physicians have been reported to have difficulty in communicating with their patients. An element of this communication gap is proposed be related to the educational curriculum and the selection process of medical schools, in particular, with the emphasis on scientific methodology reducing exposure to humanistic values. This hypothesis was tested by measuring nonverbal receptive abilities in two groups.

alpha-catenin inhibits beta-catenin signaling by preventing formation of a beta-catenin*T-cell factor*DNA complex.

alpha-Catenin and beta-catenin link cadherins to the cytoskeleton at adherens junctions. beta-Catenin also associates with members of the T-cell factor (Tcf) family of transcription factors, and mutations in beta-catenin lead to activation of Tcf-dependent transcription and increased cell growth. Although the loss of alpha-catenin expression can also promote cell growth, the role of endogenous alpha-catenin in beta-catenin signaling is unclear.

Use of tangential visual symbols to increase the long-term learning process: applications of linkage in teaching pharmacological principles of addiction.

Medieval and Renaissance teaching techniques using linkage between course content and tangentially related visual symbols were applied to the teaching of the pharmacological principles of addiction. Forty medical students randomly divided into two blinded groups viewed a lecture. One lecture was supplemented by symbolic slides, and the second was not.

The availability of histologic grading among 5,923 Italian cancer patients and its relationship with survival: a population-based study.

Aim: The specific goal of the study was to evaluate the availability of the histologic grading of cancer and its effect on survival in an Italian population-based cancer series.

Methods: Data were drawn from the Tuscany Cancer Registry, active in central Italy since 1985. Among the cases incident during the period 1985 to 1989, bladder, prostate, colon, corpus uteri, rectum and stomach cancers, for which the proportion of graded cases exceeded 50%, were analyzed.

An approach to drug abuse, intoxication and withdrawal.

The symptomatic effects of drug abuse are a result of alterations in the functioning of the following neurotransmitters or their receptors: acetylcholine, dopamine, gamma-aminobutyric acid, norepinephrine, opioids and serotonin. Anticholinergic drugs antagonize acetylcholine receptors. Dissociative drugs affect all transmitter sites.

Magnesium oxide augmentation of verapamil maintenance therapy in mania.

The authors compared the antimanic effects of a verapamil-magnesium oxide (V-M) combination with a verapamil-placebo combination (V-P) in patients pretreated with verapamil. BPRS scores and serum magnesium levels were compared. The V-M combination was found to be significantly more effective than V-P in reducing manic symptoms (P=0.

Analysis of beta-catenin aggregation and localization using GFP fusion proteins: nuclear import of alpha-catenin by the beta-catenin/Tcf complex.

beta-Catenin plays essential roles in cell adhesion, by associating with cadherins, and as a signaling molecule, by interacting with the Tcf/LEF-1 family of transcription factors. In order to study the protein-protein interactions of beta-catenin in living cells, we fused it to green fluorescent protein (GFP). GFP-beta-catenin was incorporated into cell junctions but also accumulated in the nucleus, where it formed rod-like structures.

Posterior fossa surgery in the sitting position in a pregnant patient with cerebellopontine angle meningioma.

Primary brain tumours and pregnancy rarely occur together; meningioma and pregnancy is rarer still. We describe a 30-yr-old woman in the 25th week of pregnancy who underwent surgery in the sitting position for a large cerebellopontine angle meningioma that was compressing and displacing the pons and medulla. The surgical procedure and postoperative period were uneventful.

Perception of nonverbal facial cues in chronic phencyclidine abusers.

The ability to interpret nonverbal facial cues was tested in 10 young white male chronic phencyclidine (PCP) abusers. When their responses were compared with those of age-matched controls, abusers were significantly more accurate in interpreting the facial cues of videotaped medical interns. Phencyclidine abusers tend to form a socially maladroit and downwardly mobile group.

Hysteroscopic resection of endometrial hyperplasia.

Study Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of hysteroscopic resection of endometrial hyperplasia without atypia.

Design: Pilot feasibility study (Canadian Task Force classification II-1).

Setting: Department of gynecology at a general hospital.

Sexualization of the female foot as a response to sexually transmitted epidemics: a preliminary study.

The authors reviewed historical literature and hypothesized a relationship between epidemics of sexually transmitted diseases and foot fetishism. They tested this hypothesis by quantifying foot-fetish depictions in the mass-circulation pornographic literature during a 30-yr. interval.