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The anatomy of the gonadal vein has been the subject of several studies relating particularly to the aetiology and therapy of varicocele and left ovarian vein syndrome. Venography shows the presence of valves, the collateral branches, the anastomoses between the left gonadal vein and the retroperitoneal venous networks and the effective pathways of venous reflux. The authors observed a particular congenital anomaly of the left gonadal vein in the dissection of a female cadaver, and studied the venographic pattern of a male patient with left idiopathic varicocele. The aim of this study was to investigate, with the aid of a review of the literature, the embryo-pathogenetic basis of congenital abnormalities of the left gonadic vein, stressing those factors most conducive to errors in the diagnosis and therapy of varicocele and left ovarian vein syndrome, particularly in the scleroembolisation therapy of idiopathic varicocele.

The Authors present a case of inflammatory pseudotumour (IPT) of the urinary bladder occurring in a 57-year-old female patient, who was referred to our department with haematuria, stranguria and hypogastric pain. Ultrasonographic, radiological and endoscopic examinations showed a sessile, ulcerated, easily bleeding bladder formation; urinary cytology revealed no atypical transitional cells. Abdomino-pelvic computed tomography analysis showed thickening of the bladder walls and infiltration of the perivesical fat. Histopathologically, the formation was indicated as an inflammatory pseudotumour (IPT) of the bladder. The patient underwent TURB (transurethral resection of the bladder) and was discharged clinically healed on postoperative day 4. A one-year follow up revealed no evidence of recurrence. On the basis of their experience and a thorough review of the literature review, the Authors discuss the clinico-pathological features of IPT of the bladder and the possible factors involved in the malignant transformation of IPT. In conclusion, the benign nature of the lesion is stressed.

A case of myofibroblastic pseudosarcomatous tumor of the bladder occurred in a patient previously submitted to TURB is reported. Aim of this investigation is to demonstrate, on the basis of the literature, the importance of histopathology in the diagnosis of bladder pseudosarcoma, since endoscopical and radiological methods can erroneously show a neoplasm. A 65-year-old male patient with hematuria, submitted to ultrasonography and cystoscopy, revealed a bladder superficial papillary formation. A TURB was performed and the histological study showed a superficial bladder cancer (T1-G1-2). After a second hematuria episode with stranguria a new bladder formation was diagnosed and resected; the histological study revealed a bladder pseudosarcoma. The absolute benignity of the lesion and the slight difference in the symptomatology between urothelial carcinoma and pseudosarcoma are underlined. Furthermore, the importance of histopathology to obtain an accurate diagnosis is stressed. The difficulty of a preoperative diagnosis without histopathological examination is pointed out.

In the present communication we describe a very simple procedure which allows measuring the specific activity of cholinergic enzymes (Acetylcholinesterase and cholinacetyltransferase) in microscopical areas of chick embryo spinal cord. Microhomogenates were prepared as follows: i) a number of fresh cryostat sections (20 mu thick) were stained with toluidine blue; ii) the adjacent unstained sections were microdissected under stereomicroscope and tissue fragments were collected from different areas (lateral, medial and posterior columns; anterior, lateral and posterior bundles). Tissue fragments were dissolved in 10 mM sodium-phosphate buffer pH 7.4 (20-40 sections). Protein assay was performed according to Bradford (1976). AChE and ChAc were measured by radiochemical methods of Fonnum (1969, 1970). In lumbar segments of 18-day chick embryo spinal cord AChE was found in all structure investigated, by contrast ChAc was localized almost exclusively in lateral somatomotor comumns. This result indicates that ChAc can be considered a specific marker for motoneurons. The ontogeny of the cholinergic enzymes in various areas of the chick embryo spinal cord has been investigated.

The AA. have studied the effect of the bovine GH on the cellular and intercellular components of the chick embryo tibias cultured organotypically. They have observed a strong increase of the proliferative activity of the chondroblasts such as showed by a stronger uptake of the tritiated timidine by traited tibias in comparison with the control tibias. The chondroblasts of the traited tibias show an increase of some enzymatic activities connected with the aerobic cycle and of the UDPG-DH, connected with the uronic acids cycle. In the amorphous matrix of the traited tibias they have showed a greater polimerisation and sulfation of the condroitinesulfate A and C, which, almost exclusively, constitute the mucopolisaccharidic component of the matrix.

The AA. describe an endocrine cells presence in the Pig Brunner's duodenal glands by means of histochemical methods at light microscope. Between these they can recognize two types of cells: these enterochromaffins (EC) and these non-enterochromaffins (non-EC), both presents either in the secretory part of the glands or in the deeper parts of the ducts. The EC-cells show generally a prismatic size and their apical part attains the glandular cavity. Their granules are much numerous and recognizables either in the basal part or in other parts of the cells. The non-EC-cells show a variable, from the prismatic to the spheroidal, size. Their granules are numerous and recognizables mostly in the basal part of the cells. Between the non-EC-cells they can also differentiate at least three types: a) these Davenport-positives and poorly argyrophils; b) these Davenport-positives and clearly argyrophils and c) these Davenport-negatives and clearly argyrophils. All cells are by lead-haematoxylin stainables, while by the HCL-BT method the EC-cells are ortochromatics and these non-EC are metachromatics.