NB in adolescents is a special subgroup characterised by high-risk prognostic features which differ from those seen in younger patients, especially in relation to genetic abnormalities. The outcome in stage 4 was worse than in younger metastatic children, outlining the need for new therapeutic approaches in this subgroup of patients. The exact cut-off to separate older patients has not yet been established and will probably be based on biology.
High-dose cyclophosphamide and high-dose carboplatin are effective in the initial treatment of neuroblastoma; combined with surgery they produce some response in most patients. Nevertheless, the CR/VGPR rate reaches only 53%. Survival time has also been prolonged but most patients relapse with metastases.
Neuroblastoma is an infrequent tumor of childhood usually located at any site containing sympathetic neural tissue-retroperitoneum and adrenal gland being the most common locations, followed by thoracopulmonary region, mediastinum, head and neck, and pelvis. Two primary renal neuroblastomas were diagnosed in a 6-yr-old boy and a 7-mo-old boy by computed tomography (CT)-guided fine-needle aspiration (FNA) cytology. The smears contained numerous individually scattered small and round cells, with scanty cytoplasm, related to a fibrillary matrix. Scattered larger cells with slightly more cytoplasm were seen among the smaller ones. No tubular or glomeruloid differentiation was noted. Considering the age and cytomorphology, a diagnosis of intrarenal neuroblastoma was made in both cases. An intrarenal mass in a child may occasionally be a neuroblastoma. Our cases demonstrate the usefulness of CT-guided FNA in diagnosing intrarenal masses in children.
a b s t r a c tThe phosphatase calcineurin and the kinases Hal4/Hal5 regulate high-affinity potassium uptake in Saccharomyces cerevisiae through the Trk1 transporter. We demonstrate that calcineurin is necessary for high-affinity potassium uptake even in the absence of Na + stress. HAL5 expression is induced in response to stress in a calcineurin-dependent manner through a newly identified functional CDRE (nt À195/À189). Lack of calcineurin decreases Hal5 protein levels, although with little effect on Trk1 amounts. However, the growth defect of cnb1 cells at K + -limiting conditions can be rescued in part by overexpression of HAL5, and this mutation further aggravates the potassium requirements of a hal4 strain. This suggests that the control exerted by calcineurin on Hal5 expression may be biologically relevant for Trk1 regulation.
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