Diagnostic conundrum: simultaneous gallstone ileus and a gas-filled inguinal hernia in a patient with lower abdominal pain.

Gallstone ileus and small bowel diverticulosis are uncommon pathologies. However, the simultaneous presentation of both in this patient provided a diagnostic puzzle for the surgical and radiological teams at our institution. The imaging also demonstrated several typical features for the pathologies in question.

Loss of plakoglobin promotes decreased cell-cell contact, increased invasion, and breast cancer cell dissemination in vivo.

Introduction: The majority of deaths from breast cancer are a result of metastases; however, little is understood about the genetic alterations underlying their onset. Genetic profiling has identified the adhesion molecule plakoglobin as being three-fold reduced in expression in primary breast tumors that have metastasized compared with nonmetastatic tumors. In this study, we demonstrate a functional role for plakoglobin in the shedding of tumor cells from the primary site into the circulation.