Modulation of Notch signaling pathway in activated hepatic stellate cells does not ameliorate the outcome of liver fibrosis in carbon tetrachloride and DDC-feeding models.

Background: Recent research suggests a possible role of Notch signaling pathway in development of liver fibrosis, but exact cellular and molecular mechanisms are still not well defined. Methods: We modulated Notch signaling in activated hepatic stellate cells/myofibroblasts using the model of inducible activation or inhibition of Notch signaling selective for αSMA positive cells in murine models of toxic fibrosis induced by CCl4 and cholestatic fibrosis induced by DDC supplemented feeding.

Results: Our results confirm that Notch signaling pathway is activated in both CCL4 and DDC model of liver fibrosis and that αSMA positive myofibroblasts are of activated hepatic stellate cells origin.

Tamoxifen Ameliorates Cholestatic Liver Fibrosis in Mice: Upregulation of TGFβ and IL6 Is a Potential Protective Mechanism.

The available treatments for cholestatic liver fibrosis are limited, and the disease often progresses to liver cirrhosis. Tamoxifen is a selective modulator of estrogen receptors, commonly used in breast cancer therapy. A recent in vitro study showed that tamoxifen deactivates hepatic stellate cells, suggesting its potential as an antifibrotic therapeutic, but its effects in vivo remain poorly investigated.

Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumor of the Ovary: A Case Report with a New Modality of Treatment and Review of the Literature.

Objective:  Desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT) is a rare intraabdominal neoplasm that grows along serosal surfaces and is primarily found in young men. To date, only 16 cases of ovarian DSRCT have been previously reported in women in the English literature, and no large population-based studies on this topic exist.

Case Report:  We report the case of a 19-year-old virgo with unremarkable past medical history, initially presented with abdominal fullness.

Fertility-sparing surgery for patients with malignant ovarian germ cell tumors: 10 years of clinical experience from a tertiary referral center.

Purpose: To describe a case series of patients with malignant ovarian germ cell tumors (MOGCT) treated exclusively with fertility-sparing surgery (FSS) with or without adjuvant chemotherapy.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 27 patients with MOGCT treated in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital Center Zagreb, Croatia, between January 2009 and July 2019.

Results: The median age at diagnosis was 22 years, and the main symptom was abdominal distension (57.

Methylated Host Cell Gene Promoters and Human Papillomavirus Type 16 and 18 Predicting Cervical Lesions and Cancer.

Change in the host and/or human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA methylation profile is probably one of the main factors responsible for the malignant progression of cervical lesions to cancer. To investigate those changes we studied 173 cervical samples with different grades of cervical lesion, from normal to cervical cancer. The methylation status of nine cellular gene promoters, CCNA1, CDH1, C13ORF18, DAPK1, HIC1, RARβ2, hTERT1, hTERT2 and TWIST1, was investigated by Methylation Specific Polymerase Chain Reaction (MSP).

Preventative valve-sparing aortic root replacement and pregnancy outcome in Marfan syndrome.

In Marfan syndrome, with dilatation of the aortic root secondary to an underlying connective tissue defect, pregnancy can cause hemodynamic stress leading to the development of an aortic aneurysm and even a fatal aortic dissection. In the presence of existing aortic root enlargement and a family history of aortic dissection, preventative elective surgery is suggested. Aortic root replacement with or without a valve-sparing procedure is superior to total aortic root replacement with prosthetic valve/tube graft.

Breast and gynecological cancers in Croatia, 1988-2008.

Aim: To analyze and interpret incidence and mortality trends of breast and ovarian cancers and incidence trends of cervical and endometrial cancers in Croatia for the period 1988-2008.

Methods: Incidence data were obtained from the Croatian National Cancer Registry. Themortality data were obtained from the World Health Organization (WHO) mortality database.

Cervical cancer as a public health issue--what next?

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women worldwide. There are about 60,000 newly detected cases and 30,000 deaths annually in Europe, with the highest incidence reported from Eastern Europe countries. According to data from the National Institute of Public Health, in Croatia the incidence of cervical cancer was 14.

Successful laparoscopic bipolar coagulation of a large arteriovenous malformation due to invasive trophoblastic disease: a case report.

We report the case of an acquired large arteriovenous malformation due to invasive gestational trophoblastic tumor that was treated successfully with laparoscopic surgery. After 4 cycles of methotrexate chemotherapy, a vascular tangle (volume, 28 cm(3)) was noted that emerged from the right uterine horn, invading the broad ligament adjacent to the uterine artery. Doppler ultrasonography along with magnetic resonance arteriography confirmed the diagnosis.

Management of Wolffian duct tumor recurrence without chemotherapy.

Background: A female adnexal tumor of probable Wolffian origin (FATWO) is a rare neoplasm which is considered to have a low malignant potential.

Case: In 2006, a 60-year-old patient was admitted to hospital with solid tumor on the vaginal cuff confirmed by abdominal/pelvic CT, 6 years after her first FATWO was diagnosed and hysterectomy, bilateral adnexectomy, and omentectomia were done. No chemotherapy was administrated after her first surgery.

Laporovaginal surgery in cervical cancer: a Croatian experience.

With correct staging a large number of patients with cervical cancer FIGO stages IA2 and IB can be spared of unnecessary radiation therapy by laparoscopic assisted vaginal radical hysterectomy (LAVRH) as an option of radical surgical treatment in such patients. The development of laparovaginal surgery, indication and contraindication were presented. Also, the surgical technique was described in detail.