Splenic hamartoma is a very rare benign tumor, which is usually found incidentally after splenectomy or autopsy. Although percutaneous needle biopsy can be performed, it carries a high risk of bleeding after the procedure. Therefore, diagnosis is usually made by surgical resection. Herein, we report a case of splenic hamartoma diagnosed by magnetic resonance imaging and contrast-enhanced ultrasonography, which enables visualization of the unique signals of microbubbles in the vessels in real time. Relevant literature is also reviewed.
Adult ; Antigens, CD31/metabolism ; Antigens, CD34/metabolism ; Contrast Media ; Female ; Hamartoma/*diagnosis/pathology/ultrasonography ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Splenic Diseases/*diagnosis/pathology/ultrasonography ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Hemangioma of the esophagus is a rare form of benign esophageal tumor. It usually presents as a single lesion located in the lower third of the esophagus and is mostly asymptomatic. However, it may occasionally cause hematemesis and/or obstruction. Surgical resection is the conventional treatment modality for managing esophageal hemangioma, but less invasive approaches such as endoscopic therapy are recently becoming more widely employed. Herein, we report a case of a 54-year-old man who presented with an esophageal hemangioma that was successfully treated by endoscopic mucosal resection without any complications.
Antigens, CD31/metabolism ; Esophageal Diseases/*diagnosis/surgery ; Esophagoscopy ; Esophagus/diagnostic imaging/metabolism/pathology ; Hemangioma/*diagnosis/surgery ; Humans ; Intestinal Mucosa/metabolism/pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Histiocytic sarcoma is a malignant proliferation of cells showing morphologic and immunophenotypic features similar to those of mature tissue histiocytes and is known for its rapid progression and poor prognosis. We describe a case of histiocytic sarcoma diagnosed by bone marrow biopsy. A 64-yr-old male was admitted for fever and weight loss that persisted for 8 months. The patient died undiagnosed on the 7th hospitalization day. A bone marrow biopsy performed just before the patient's death revealed diffuse proliferation of large pleomorphic neoplastic cells with large, round to oval nuclei, vesicular chromatin, and abundant foamy cytoplasm. These cells were positive for histiocytic markers, CD68, lysozyme, CD21, and S-100 protein, but negative for B-cell, T/NK-cell, and epithelial cell markers, thus confirming the presence of histiocytic sarcoma.
Antigens, CD/metabolism ; Antigens, CD31/metabolism ; Antigens, Differentiation, Myelomonocytic/metabolism ; Bone Marrow/*pathology ; Fever/diagnosis ; Histiocytic Sarcoma/*diagnosis/pathology/radiography ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Muramidase/metabolism ; S100 Proteins/metabolism ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

No abstract available.
Adult ; Antigens, CD31/metabolism ; Antigens, CD34/metabolism ; Female ; Hemangioendothelioma, Epithelioid/metabolism/*pathology/radiography ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Liver Neoplasms/metabolism/*pathology/radiography ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; von Willebrand Factor/metabolism

Abdominal lymphangiomas are uncommon angiomatous tumor occurring mainly in childhood. This is a retrospective clinicopathologic study of 17 cases of abdominal lymphangioma. The patients included are five children and 12 adults, with a mean age at initial presentation of 30.7 years (age ranges 3-63). The locations of the tumors were mesentery (5), retroperitoneum (4), colon (3), omentum (3), mesocolon (1) and gallbladder (1). Infiltrative growth was more common pattern than entirely circumscribed pattern. Masses were mostly multilocular cysts and contained chyle or serous fluid. On immunohistochemical staining, 16 cases were reactive for either CD31 or factor VIII-related antigen. These fact would suggest that intra-abdominal lymphangiomas simulate the immunohistochemical features of collecting lymphatics. Follow up was possible in 12 cases for 3-50 months (mean 19 months) and only one patient showed local recurrence. Although abdominal lymphangiomas are rare in adulthood and correct preoperative diagnosis is difficult, awareness of such a possibility in adulthood will contribute to make a correct preoperative diagnosis.
Abdominal Neoplasms/physiopathology ; Abdominal Neoplasms/pathology* ; Abdominal Neoplasms/metabolism ; Adult ; Antigens, CD31/biosynthesis ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Factor VIII/biosynthesis ; Female ; Human ; Lymphangioma/physiopathology ; Lymphangioma/pathology* ; Lymphangioma/metabolism ; Male ; Middle Age ; Retrospective Studies

Spontaneous pneumothorax is a rare manifestation of metastatic lung cancers and described in advanced diseases or during cytotoxic chemotherapy which is manifested by sudden onset of dyspnea. The cause or mechanism of spontaneous pneumothorax has been unknown, as well as the association with site of metastases or type of cancers or side effect of chemotherapeutic drugs has been reported rarely. A 68-yr-old man underwent excision of angiosarcoma of the scalp. Chest radiography did not show any evidence of possible metastatic lung lesion at that time. Therefore, systemic doxorubicin and dacarbazine were given. After nineteen days of chemotherapy, he developed a bilateral spontaneous pneumothorax and palpable cervical lymph nodes. Both parietal and visceral pleura were intact and showed no evidence of metastatic and pathologic lesions on thoracoscopic evaluation. The patient managed with bilateral tube thoracostomy and both lungs were expanded. Lymph nodes became unpalpable during three cycles of the paclitaxel and doxorubicin, however, bilateral lung metastases were developed and progressed despite chemotherapy. The patient died due to respiratory failure after five months. This report underlines that spontaneous pneumothorax can occur as the first manifestation of metastatic angiosarcoma even if imaging studies do not show of a metastatic lesion.
Aged ; Antigens, CD31/metabolism ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; Fatal Outcome ; Hemangiosarcoma/complications* ; Hemangiosarcoma/pathology ; Human ; Lung Neoplasms/complications* ; Lung Neoplasms/secondary ; Male ; Pneumothorax/etiology* ; Scalp/pathology* ; Skin Neoplasms/complications* ; Skin Neoplasms/pathology

Cartilage oligomeric matrix protein-angiopoietin-1 (COMP-Ang1) is an angiogenic factor for vascular angiogenesis. The aim was to investigate the effect of an intracavernosal injection of COMP-Ang1 on cavernosal angiogenesis in a diabetic rat model. Male Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rats made up the experimental group (1 yr old) and Long-Evans Tokushima Otsuka (LETO) rats made up the control group. The experimental group was divided into vehicle only, 10 microg COMP-Ang1, and 20 microg COMP-Ang1. COMP-Ang1 was injected into the corpus cavernosum of the penis. After 4 weeks, the penile tissues of the rats were obtained for immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis. The immunoreactivity of PECAM-1 and VEGF was increased in the COMP-Ang1 group compared with the vehicle only group. Moreover, the expression of PECAM-1 and VEGF was notably augmented in the 20 microg Comp Ang-1 group. In the immunoblotting study, the expression of PECAM-1 and VEGF protein was significantly less in the OLEFT rats than in the control LETO rats. However, this expression was restored to control level after intracavernosal injection of COMP-Ang1. These results show that an intracavernosal injection of COMP-Ang1 enhances cavernous angiogenesis by structurally reinforcing the cavernosal endothelium.
Angiopoietin-1/genetics/*metabolism ; Animals ; Antigens, CD31/metabolism ; Blood Glucose/analysis ; Blotting, Western ; Body Weight ; Cartilage Oligomeric Matrix Protein/genetics/*metabolism ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental/*pathology ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Neovascularization, Physiologic/*drug effects ; Penis/metabolism/pathology ; Rats ; Rats, Long-Evans ; Recombinant Fusion Proteins/biosynthesis/genetics/*pharmacology ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A/metabolism

PURPOSE: Endothelial cells maintain the homeostasis of blood, which consists of plasma and cellular components, and regulate the interaction between blood and the surrounding tissues. They also have essential roles in vascular permeability, the circulation, coagulation, inflammation, wound healing, and tissue growth. The senescence of endothelial cells is closely related to the aging of the adjacent tissues and to age-related vascular disease. Recently, the expression of moesin was found to be decreased in elderly human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HDMECs), and an association between moesin and senescence has been suggested. This study examined the functional role of moesin in cellular senescence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To study the effects of decreased moesin expression on cellular senescence and metabolism, HDMECs were transfected with short hairpin-RNA (shRNA) lentivirus to silence moesin gene expression. In addition, specimens from young and old human skin were stained with anti-moesin and anti-p16 antibodies as an in vivo study. RESULTS: Using shRNAl-entivirus, moesin knock-down HDMECs developed characteristics associated with aging and expressed senescence associated-beta-galactosidase during early passages. They also showed increased p16 expression, decreased metabolic activity, and cell growth retardation. Human skin tissue from elderly persons showed decreased moesin expression and increased p16 expression. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that there is a functional association between moesin expression and cellular senescence. Further study of the functional mechanism of moesin in the cytoskeleton and cellular senescence is needed. In addition, this study provides a useful model for developing anti-aging treatments.
Aged, 80 and over ; Antigens, CD31/metabolism ; Blotting, Western ; Cell Aging/genetics/*physiology ; Cell Line ; Child ; Endothelial Cells/*cytology/*metabolism ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Microfilament Proteins/genetics/*physiology ; Microscopy, Phase-Contrast ; Microvessels/*cytology ; RNA, Small Interfering/genetics/physiology ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Skin/*blood supply

Previous studies reported that oxaliplatin is associated with sinusoidal obstruction syndrome. However few reports on oxaliplatin induced liver fibrosis are found in the literature. Furthermore pathogenesis of liver fibrosis is not well known. We report a case of 45-yr-old Korean man in whom liver fibrosis with splenomegaly developed after 12 cycles of oxaliplatin based adjuvant chemotherapy for colon cancer (T4N2M0). Thorough history taking and serological examination revealed no evidence of chronic liver disease. Restaging CT scans demonstrated a good response to chemotherapy. Five month after chemotherapy, he underwent right hepatectomy due to isolated metastatic lesion. The liver parenchyma showed diffuse sinusoidal dilatation and centrilobular vein fibrosis with necrosis without steatosis. We could conclude that splenomegaly was due to perisinusoidal liver fibrosis and liver cell necrosis induced portal hypertension by oxaliplatin. In addition, to investigate the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis, immunohistochemical stains such as CD31 and alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) were conducted with control group. The immunohistochemical stains for CD31 and alpha-SMA were positive along the sinusoidal space in the patient, while negative in the control group. Chemotherapy with oxaliplatin induces liver fibrosis which should be kept in mind as a serious complication.
Actins/metabolism ; Antigens, CD31/metabolism ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/*therapeutic use ; Camptothecin/*analogs & derivatives/therapeutic use ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Colonic Neoplasms/*drug therapy ; Fluorouracil/therapeutic use ; Humans ; Hypertension, Portal/etiology ; Immunohistochemistry ; Leucovorin/therapeutic use ; Liver Cirrhosis/*diagnosis/etiology/pathology ; Liver Neoplasms/secondary/surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Organoplatinum Compounds/*administration & dosage/adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Splenomegaly/*diagnosis/etiology ; Thrombocytopenia/etiology ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed