PURPOSE.To investigate the elastic properties of human lens zonules as a function of age in presbyopes.METHODS. We studied 16 presbyopic human donor eyes (ages 47-97). Anterior eye sections with crystalline lens, zonules, ciliary body, and sclera were stretched radially. The stretching device consisted of a chamber filled with balanced salt solution and eight radial hooks to hold the anterior eye section. Radial stretching was created with a stepper motor connected to a digital outside micrometer for linear displacement and digital balance for force measurement. Three eye globes were used to test our methodology. For 13 eye globes, the spring constant, elastic modulus of the zonular system, and Young's modulus of the zonules were calculated. RESULTS.We found linear dependence for force-elongation and force-strain relationships at all ages. In young presbyopic eyes (ages 47-60), the Young's modulus of the zonules was 340 mN/ mm 2 , whereas in older eyes (ages 83-97) it was significantly lower at 270 mN/mm 2 . However, the correlation coefficient between Young's modulus and age (47-97 years) was not significant with P ¼ 0.063. CONCLUSIONS.The zonular system in presbyopic eyes was linear elastic, and the Young's modulus of the zonules decreased 20% from presbyopic age to late presbyopic age. However, there was no significant correlation between Young's modulus and age in presbyopes. (Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2012;53:6109-6114)

During peritoneal metastasis, cancer cells spread from abdominal solid tumors, disseminate through the peritoneal fluid and attach to and invade through mesothelial cells (MCs) that line the peritoneum. Intestinal adenocarcinomas originating in the mucosa infiltrate the submucosa, muscle layer, and serosa in order to finally colonize the peritoneal cavity. However, the mechanism by which metastatic cells leave the primary tumor and reach the peritoneal cavity has not been previously described. Hence, we investigate whether MCs lining visceral peritoneum, through a mesothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (MMT), are a source of carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), which could contribute to cancer progression toward the peritoneal cavity. CAFs detected in biopsies from patients with superficially invasive colorectal cancer differed from locally advanced tumors. An aberrant accumulation of myofibroblasts expressing mesothelial markers was found in the stroma of deeply infiltrative tumors located in the neighborhood of a frequently activated mesothelium. We suggest that MMT is a key event in the early stages of peritoneal dissemination.

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Cite as: Can Urol Assoc J 2014;8(7-8):e552-3. http://dx.doi.org/10.5489/cuaj.1857 Published online August 11, 2014. AbstractSolitary fibrous tumour of the bladder is a rare mesenchymal neoplasm with a favourable prognosis. Its symptoms are usually secondary to obstructive symptoms rather than hematuria or other findings typical of other bladder neoplasms. We describe a case of solitary fibrous tumour of the bladder and review the literature. Case reportA 78-year-old man came to the emergency department because of hematuria and acute urinary retention. A cystoscopy revealed a solitary lesion at the bladder neck. A transurethral resection of the bladder tumour (TURBT) was performed. Pathologic analysis revealed a solitary fibrous tumour of the bladder without atypia. Immunohistochemistry showed positivity to CD34, Bcl-2, CD99 and vimentin and negativity for cytokeratins and S-100 protein. Five months after the first TURBT, the patient returned with recurrence and a repeat TURBT was performed. Pathological exam again revealed a solitary fibrous tumour. The patient is alive at 36 months, after the second TURBT. DiscussionSolitary fibrous tumour (SFT) of the bladder is a rare mesenchymal neoplasm. It is classified into 2 forms: pleural and extrapleural.1 It should not be confused with mesothelioma which is a tumour derived from the mesothelium. SFT is a mesenchymal tumour with a fibroblastic differentiation. 2 It was first described by Klemperer and Rabin in 1931, 3 but the first case in the urinary tract was reported in 1997. 4 About 15 cases of SFT of the bladder have been described in the literature. This type of tumour is usually asymptomatic and presents as a slow-growing well-delineated exophytic mass; therefore, obstructive symptoms are the most common. Furthermore, it can be source of paraneoplastic syndromes, like hypoglycemia secondary to insulin-like growth factor. 1,4 In our patient, the presentation was typical of any bladder neoplasm.The pathological analysis renders a proliferation of bland-looking spindly to oval epithelioid cells that form fascicles, between collagen bundles, and a prominent vasculature simulating an hemangiopericytoma (Fig. 1a). 1,4 Malignant counterparts are usually hypercellular lesions, cytologic atypia, necrosis and higher frequency of mitoses. 1Immunohistochemistry shows positivity to Bcl-2, CD34 (90-95%), CD99 (70%) and vimentin. It is probable that Bcl-2 is more sensitive than CD34 for the diagnosis (Fig. 1b). 4 Negativity for cytokeratin AE1/AE3, CD31 and S-100 protein is common. 1,4 In our case, the pathology report yielded positivity to CD34, bcl-2, CD99 and vimentin which strongly suggested a SFT. It was negative for muscle markers, cytokeratin, S-100 protein and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK), which exclude other tumours, such as sarcomas with muscle differentiation, sarcomatoid carcinomas and neurofibromas.The differential diagnosis should be made with hemangiopericytoma, leiomyoma, nodular fasciitis, inflammatory myofibroblastic tumour, fibromatosis and benign ...

Background Various parameters have been considered for predicting survival in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Information about western population is missing. The aim of this study is to assess the association between Glucose transporter type 1 (GLUT-1) expression and prognosis for patients with PDAC submitted for surgical resection in a European cohort. Methods Retrospective analysis of PDAC specimens after pancreatoduodenectomy assessing GLUT-1 expression according to intensity (weak vs strong) and extension (low if < 80% cells were stained, high if > 80%) was performed. Statistical analysis was performed using the exact Fisher test, Student t test or the Mann-Whitney U test. Survival was analysed using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared with the Log-rank test. The differences were considered significant at a two-sided p value of < 0.05. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS® 23.0 for Windows (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Results Our study consisted of 39 patients of which 58.9% presented with weak and 41.1% with strong intensity. The median extension was 90%: 28.2% cases presented with a low extension and 71.8% with a high extension. No significant differences related to intensity were found. The high-extension group showed a higher percentage of T3 PDAC (92.9% vs 63.6%, p = 0.042) and LNR20 (35.7% vs 0%, p = 0.037) as well as shorter disease-free survival (17.58 vs 54.46 months; p = 0.048). Conclusions Our findings suggest that GLUT-1 could be related to higher aggressivity in PDAC and could be used as a prognostic marker, identifying patients with a worse response to current therapies who could benefit from more aggressive treatments.