Acute scrotum -etiology, clinical presentation and seasonal variation.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the etiology, history, physical examination findings, and seasonal variation of acute scrotal problems in children.

Methods: A retrospective review of all boys, presenting with acute scrotum to the Pediatric Surgery Clinic of the University Hospital Heraklion between January 1989 and December 2006 was performed.

Results: A total of 140 boys presented with scrotal pain were included.

K-ras mutation, HPV infection and smoking or alcohol abuse positively correlate with esophageal squamous carcinoma.

The Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK (MAPK) signal transduction cascade is an important mediator of a number of cellular fates including growth, survival and apoptosis. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of B-raf, Kirsten-ras (K-ras) and Neuroblastoma-ras (N-ras) gene mutations in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in the Greek population. DNA was extracted from 30 ESCC and 32 normal esophageal specimens and screened for V600E B-raf, and K-ras/N-ras codon 12 mutations, by PCR-RFLP based analysis.