Prostate enlargement in mice due to fetal exposure to low doses of estradiol or diethylstilbestrol and opposite effects at high doses

On the basis of results of studies using high doses of estrogens, exposure to estrogen during fetal life is known to inhibit prostate development. However, it is recognized in endocrinology that low concentrations of a hormone can stimulate a tissue, while high concentrations can have the opposite effect. We report here that a 50% increase in free-serum estradiol in male mouse fetuses (released by a maternal Silastic estradiol implant) induced a 40% increase in the number of developing prostatic glands during fetal life; subsequently, in adulthood, the number of prostatic androgen receptors per cell was permanently increased by 2-fold, and the prostate was enlarged by 30% (due to hyperplasia) relative to untreated males. However, as the free serum estradiol concentration in male fetuses was increased from 2- to 8-fold, adult prostate weight decreased relative to males exposed to the 50% increase in estradiol. As a model for fetal exposure to man-made estrogens, pregnant mice were fed diethylstilbestrol (DES) from gestation days 11 to 17. Relative to controls, DES doses of 0.02, 0.2, and 2.0 ng per g of body weight per day increased adult prostate weight, whereas a 200-ng-per-g dose decreased adult prostate weight in male offspring. Our findings suggest that a small increase in estrogen may modulate the action of androgen in regulating prostate differentiation, resulting in a permanent increase in prostatic androgen receptors and prostate size. For both estradiol and DES, prostate weight first increased then decreased with dose, resulting in an inverted-U dose-response relationship.     

Pulmonary Wegener''s disease mimicking tuberculosis]

We report a case of early Wegener's disease mimicking tuberculosis in a 36 year old man. Lungs are solely affected for 6 months. Unusual appearance of radiographic features with large apical excavations explain the delai for the diagnosis. We discuss morphological features in the lungs and kidney.     

Skin distribution of fipronil by microautoradiography following topical administration to the beagle dog

This is the first report in the forensic literature of a combination of fatal digoxin poisoning with endocardial fibroelastosis (EFE). Typical morphological features of EFE as the cause of clinically diagnosed cardiomyopathy were present in the autopsy of a 3-year-old girl, including cardiac hypertrophy and marked thickening of the left-sided endocardium, consisting of numerous elastic and collagenic fibres. After exclusion of cardiac and cerebral causes of death, accidental digoxin intoxication was proved. Postmortem toxicological analyses by fluorescence polarization immunoassay (FPIA) disclosed digoxin levels of 71 micrograms/kg (femoral vein blood), 77 micrograms/kg (cardiac blood), 255 and 221 micrograms/kg (cardiac muscle of the right and left chamber), 163 micrograms/kg (psoas muscle), 91 micrograms/kg (lung), 222 micrograms/kg (liver) and 520 micrograms/kg (kidney). The results are compared with the antemortem digoxin concentration of 39 ng/ml serum. The case is discussed from its unusual morphological and toxicological aspects, with special consideration of possible medical malpractice.     

Exploring linkage of chromosome 18 markers and bipolar disease

Effect of oral administration of fenvalerate, a pyrethroid insecticide was studied in different behavioral paradigms in mice. Fenvalerate at 15, 30 and 45 mg/kg dose increased start latency, decreased ambulation and rearing in open-field, increased immobility in tail-suspension test and attenuated haloperidol-induced catalepsy in a dose-dependent manner. The time-course of data shows that these effects of fenvalerate may sustain up to several hours of its oral administration. The study indicates that pyrethroids can cause adverse behavioral effects even after a very low-level exposure. Although, it is difficult to extrapolate these findings directly to behavioral changes in man, they indicate that subtle behavioral dysfunction also occur in humans at exposures which do not cause acute toxicity.     

Validation of analytical capillary electrophoresis methods for use in a regulated environment

Since its introduction into the analytical laboratory, CE has had to prove that it was capable of generating results comparable to HPLC or GC techniques in the six areas (specificity, precision, accuracy, linearity, ruggedness, and range) typically required of validated methods intended for submission to governmental agencies. This paper will showcase the development and validation of two analytical methods: one for specific identification of HEPES (N-[2-hydroxyethyl]piperazine-N'-[2-ethane sulfonic acid]) and the other to quantitate millimolar concentrations of tris (tris[hydroxymethyl]aminomethane) in high electrolyte solutions. Utilizing neutral markers and internal standards, results for HEPES demonstrate that migration time reproducibility, expressed as %RSD of 2% or less on a variety of capillaries, is obtainable. Additionally, for quantitation of tris, the values obtained for accuracy (%relative mean bias), precision (%RSD), and linearity (r2) over multiple days and capillaries meet the rigorous standards we require of HPLC or GC methods.     

Synthesis and characterization of molybdenum disulphide formed from ammonium tetrathiomolybdate

An investigation has been carried out into the possibility of in situ formation of MoS2 within porous anodic films on aluminium, to improve subsequent tribological behaviour, by re-anodizing in thiomolybdate electrolyte. Acidification of thiomolybdate was employed to simulate the conditions for formation of the sulphide at the anodic film/electrolyte interface, followed by appropriate vacuum heat treatments to study possible temperature effects on the sulphide due to either friction or Joule heating during anodizing. The products of both acidification and heat treatment, characterized by X-ray powder diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, were compared with those formed by direct thermal decomposition of ammonium tetrathiomolybdate crystals. The precipitate formed by acidification was mainly amorphous molybdenum trisulphide (MoS3), which on heat treatment at 450 and 850°C yielded 3R-MoS2. 3R-MoS2 also formed by the thermal decomposition of thiomolybdate crystals. Thermogravimetric and differential thermal analyses showed that the decomposition of MoS3 to MoS2 occurred in the range 220–370°C and revealed the sequence of reaction steps. The findings suggest that mainly amorphous MoS3 is formed as a consequence of changes in the pH of the film/electrolyte interface during re-anodizing but the product is relatively easily transformed to crystalline MoS2 on moderate heating which may occur during wear processes.     

Perineal endometriosis at the site of an episiotomy scar

This study presents a case of vaginoperineal histologically verified endometriosis at the site of episiotomy scar in a 40-year female subject, 17 years after delivery. Apart from episiotomy during delivery manual revision of the uterus was performed and the cervical rupture managed. Residue symptoms occurs 8 months after the first surgical excision. Clinical data indicate that decidua implantation at the site of episiotomy occurred during the manual revision of the uterine cavity during delivery.     

Late rectal sequelae following definitive radiation therapy for carcinoma of the uterine cervix: a dosimetric analysis

OBJECTIVE: The structure of the collagen scar during healing of a myocardial infarction is a determinant of the function of the remodeled tissue. We hypothesize that the passive deformations of both scar and normal tissue are related to the underlying collagen uncoiling as the tissue stretches, and that the unloaded tortuosity of the collagen may be a determinant of tissue stiffness at low ventricular pressure. Hence collagen uncoiling and tissue strain were measured during passive loading in normal tissue, and in healing infarct tissue. METHODS: Left ventricles of rats were infarcted by ligation of the left anterior descending artery for 2 weeks. Surface strains were measured during passive inflation in the scar region in one set of excised hearts, and other arrested hearts were fixed at different ventricular pressures, after which collagen tortuosity was measured in the infarcted and normal tissue. RESULTS: Passive loading strains were smaller in the scar in both the fiber and cross-fiber directions. Tortuosity decreased with load in normal and infarcted tissue, with fibrils tending to straighten more in the scar tissue at higher pressures (1.056 +/- 0.009 vs. 1.024 +/- 0.009 at P = 20 mmHg) with similar tortuosities at zero pressure (1.110 +/- 0.012 vs. 1.098 +/- 0.019). The decrease in tortuosity with strain was greater for the infarcted tissue. CONCLUSIONS: The greater stiffness of infarcted tissue at low pressure is not due to 'straightened' collagen fibers, and there may be a different three-dimensional structure of infarct vs. normal coiled collagen fibers which can affect the material properties of these tissues.