Search

Tracheobronchial schwannomas are rare diseases. Common signs and symptoms of this tumor include cough, wheezing, and dyspnea. In contrast, pneumothorax is an exceptional presentation. This study reports the first case of bronchial schwannoma presenting with pneumothorax. A 79-year-old woman was diagnosed with pneumothorax by chest radiography. Chest computed tomography unexpectedly revealed a tumor occluding the right main bronchus. Following the pathological diagnosis of bronchial schwannoma, the patient underwent thoracoscopic tumor enucleation. The airway lumens are consequently secured postoperatively. We reviewed the literature and discussed the mechanisms and treatment options for bronchial benign tumor-associated pneumothorax. Pneumothorax should be aware of a rare presentation of non-malignant tracheobronchial tumors.

Spontaneous regression of sarcoma is exceedingly rare. A 62-year-old male presented with myxofibrosarcoma of the thigh which regressed after open biopsy. Treatment strategy for this condition is not well-documented in the literature. In this report, we describe the case of a spontaneously regressed myxofibrosarcoma successfully treated by resection where the extent of the tumor was determined from the initial MRI. This case demonstrates that myxofibrosarcoma has the potential to regress spontaneously, and astute awareness of this phenomenon is necessary for appropriate management of this condition.

Ischemic neuropathy is common in subjects with critical limb ischemia, frequently causing chronic neuropathic pain. However, neuropathic pain caused by ischemia is hard to control despite the restoration of an adequate blood flow. Here, we used a rat model of ischemic-reperfusion nerve injury (IRI) to investigate possible effects of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) against ischemic neuropathy. Hemagglutinating virus of Japan (HVJ) liposomes containing plasmids encoded with HGF was delivered into the peripheral nervous system by retrograde axonal transport following its repeated injections into the tibialis anterior muscle in the right hindlimb. First HGF gene transfer was done immediately after IRI, and repeated at 1, 2 and 3 weeks later. Rats with IRI exhibited pronounced mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia, decreased blood flow and skin temperature, and lowered thresholds of plantar stimuli in the hind paw. These were all significantly improved by HGF gene transfer, as also were sciatic nerve conduction velocity and muscle action potential amplitudes. Histologically, HGF gene transfer resulted in a significant increase of endoneurial microvessels in sciatic and tibial nerves and promoted nerve regeneration which were confirmed by morphometric analysis. Neovascularization was observed in the contralateral side of peripheral nerves as well. In addition, IRI elevated mRNA levels of P2X3 and P2Y1 receptors, and transient receptor potential vanilloid receptor subtype 1 (TRPV1) in sciatic nerves, dorsal root ganglia and spinal cord, and these elevated levels were inhibited by HGF gene transfer. In conclusion, HGF gene transfer is a potent candidate for treatment of acute ischemic neuropathy caused by reperfusion injury, because of robust angiogenesis and enhanced nerve regeneration.

Abstract Background Podocyte phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R) is a major target antigen in idiopathic adult membranous nephropathy (MN). Histological PLA2R staining in the renal tissue has proven to be useful for the detection of idiopathic MN. However, glomerular PLA2R deposits have also been recently observed in several patients with secondary MN, such as hepatitis B virus-associated, hepatitis C virus-associated, and neoplasm-associated MN. Certain inflammatory environments have been suggested to lead to abnormal expression of PLA2R epitopes, with the resulting production of PLA2R autoantibodies. Case presentation We report two patients diagnosed with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated glomerulonephritis with MN-lesions, in whom ANCA titers for myeloperoxidase (MPO) were persistently positive. The first patient was a 52-years-old man who presented with interstitial pneumonitis. Microscopic hematuria and proteinuria were found when the interstitial pneumonitis became more severe. Renal biopsy findings yielded a diagnosis of ANCA-associated glomerulonephritis (mixed class) with MN-lesions. The second patient was a 63-years-old woman who had been treated for relapsing polychondritis. Her renal tissue showed evidence of focal ANCA-associated glomerulonephritis with MN-lesions. Interestingly, both MPO and PLA2R were detected in the glomerular subepithelial deposits of both patients. Immunoglobulin G (IgG) 1 and IgG2 were positive in the glomeruli of patient 2, and all subclasses of IgGs were positive in patient 1. Conclusion The present cases suggest that ANCA-associated glomerulonephritis could expose PLA2R, leading to the development of MN-lesions.

BACKGROUND: Gene transduction has been considered advantageous for the sustained delivery of proteins to specific target tissues. However, in the case of hard tissues, such as bone, local gene delivery remains problematic owing to anatomical accessibility limitations of the target sites. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Here, we evaluated the feasibility of exogenous gene transduction in the interior of bone via axonal transport following intramuscular administration of a nonviral vector. A high expression level of the transduced gene was achieved in the tibia ipsilateral to the injected tibialis anterior muscle, as well as in the ipsilateral sciatic nerve and dorsal root ganglia. In sciatic transection rats, the gene expression level was significantly lowered in bone. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These results suggest that axonal transport is critical for gene transduction. Our study may provide a basis for developing therapeutic methods for efficient gene delivery into hard tissues.