The effects of N-acetylcysteine on bile duct ligation-induced liver fibrosis in rats.

Stellate cells are activated by free radicals, and synthesize collagen. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is a precursor of reduced glutathione and a potent scavenger of hydroxyl radicals and has potential antifibrotic effects. We aimed to test the effects of NAC on bile duct ligation (BDL) induced liver damage in rats.

Marble impaction in the nasopharynx following oral ingestion.

Foreign body ingestion is an important emergency occurring in childhood. In this article, we report the case of a 5-year-old girl with marble impaction in the nasopharynx, which had not been discovered by routine X-rays of the chest and abdomen at the time of ingestion. The patient presented 4 months after the event with typical symptoms of adenoid hypertrophy and sinusitis, and the diagnosis was established on the basis of a plain film of the nasopharynx.

Synchronous lung and liver metastases from medullary thyroid carcinoma.

Metastatic disease is one of the most common causes of calcified nodules in the lung or liver. The incidence of calcified metastasis mainly to the lung and liver is high at the initial presentation in patients with medullary thyroid carcinoma. Synchronous calcified metastasis in the lung and liver is reported for the first time.

The site of the hearing loss in Refsum's disease.

Refsum's disease is a disorder of lipid metabolism with pigmentary retinopathy, demyelinating neuropathy, ataxia, and hearing loss. Previous histological studies have located the site of hearing impairment in the inner ear, but it has never been confirmed audiologicaly in the literature. In this reported case of Refsum's disease, despite hearing loss and absence of response in ABR, robust otoacoustic emissions were measured.

Malignant triton tumour of the parapharyngeal space.

We report the clinical course in a 25-year-old male patient of neurofibromatosis with malignant triton tumour (MTT). Triton tumour is a peripheral nerve sheath tumour with rhabdomyoblastic differentiation. This is relatively rare tumour of head and neck region and only 26 cases have been reported to date.

Temporal bone imaging findings in Waardenburg's syndrome.

Objective: (a) To report computed tomography findings of eight new cases with Waardenburg's syndrome (WS) type I and review reported temporal bone radiographic and histopathological findings in WS with hearing loss; (b) To determine the frequency of inner ear pathologies that may contraindicate cochlear implantation.

Methods: A review of 1166 pediatric patients with sensorineural hearing loss revealed 12 cases (1%) with WS, whose family screenings disclosed additional 12 subjects with the same disorder. Among these 24 cases, eight had WS type I and were subjected to computed tomography scanning of temporal bone.

The effects of hormone replacement therapy on lipid peroxidation and antioxidant status.

Objective: A number of studies have consistently shown a lower cardiovascular risk in women who received postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy (HRT). The aim of our study was to examine the effects of HRT on lipid peroxidation and antioxidant status, which were likely to be involved in the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis.

Methods: We measured erythrocyte and plasma thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) levels as expression of lipid peroxidation-end product malondialdehyde, and also erythrocyte reduced glutathione (GSH) level and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity as indicators of the antioxidant status of the 35 postmenopausal women with HRT (mean age: 51.

Audiometric manifestations of Waardenburg's syndrome.

We studied 23 patients (from 11 families) who had Waardenburg's syndrome. Patients were evaluated by conventional audiometric methods and by distortion-product otoacoustic emissions to determine the penetrance and the degree and type of hearing loss. Twelve of the patients had the type I form of the syndrome and 11 had type II.

Chemoprevention of DMBA-induced mammary gland carcinogenesis--preventive effects of free oxygen radical scavengers.

This study was carried out to determine the effects of Mangan-Desferrioxamine (Mn-DFX) and Verapamil (VRP) in 7,12-dimethyl-benz-[a]anthracene (DMBA) induced mammary carcinoma. 70 Spraque Dawley rats were divided into four groups; as DMBA alone, DMBA + Mn-DFX, DMBA + VRP, and control. Incidence, multiplicity, and size of tumors were evaluated in addition to analyses of DNA ploidy status and proliferation index by flow cytometric technique.

Multiple vascular leiomyomas involving bilateral adrenal glands, spleen, and epicardium, associated with bilateral testicular microlithiasis and empty sella turcica.

Leiomyomas can arise from any tissue having smooth muscle as one of its constituents, especially gastrointestinal and genitourinary systems, less frequently in the skin, and rarely in deep soft tissue. An unusual case of multiple vascular leiomyomas involving bilateral adrenal glands, spleen, and epicardium, associated with bilateral testicular microlithiasis, and empty sella turcica is reported in a 15-year-old boy. The adrenal masses were incidentally discovered by ultrasonography.

The effects of sterile or infected bile and dropped gallstones in abdominal adhesions and abscess formation.

Background: The effects of gallstones and sterile or infected bile on postoperative adhesions and abscess formation were investigated in Sprague Dawley rats.

Methods: The first three groups were injected intraperitoneally with serum saline, sterile bile, or infected bile, respectively. Laparotomy was adjusted to the next seven groups.

Protective effect of desferrioxamin against TPA caused inflammation in CD-1 mouse skin.

This study was planned to investigate the possible inhibitory effect of the oxygen radical scavenger agent desferrioxamin on 12-0-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) induced oedema and hyperplasia in the skin of 119 CD-1 mice. Topical application of different doses of desferrioxamin (20 ng, 200 ng, 2 microg, 20 microg and 200 microg per mouse) 10 min prior to 1 nmol TPA, inhibited oedema of mouse ears significantly (P < 0.02-0.

[DIDMOAD syndrome].

The DIDMOAD or so called Wolfram syndrome is a hereditary disease with autosomal-recessive transmission showing 4 main features: diabetes mellitus, diabetes insipidus, nervus opticus atrophia and deafness. Beside this it shows multiple organ involvement. Our 38-year old male patient, showing all above mentioned features except deafness had urinary tract involvement and neurological symptoms.