Tuberculosis (TB) of the breast is a very rare pathology. The clinical presentations of this disease are manifold, often mimicking carcinoma of the breast. We conducted a retrospective analysis of 20 women with TB of the breast receiving care at the mastology clinic at Getúlio Vargas Hospital, PI, Brazil, between 1994 and 2007. The clinical presentation of the disease, the diagnosis and the response to specific treatment were analyzed. Most of the patients were of reproductive age, with the disease affecting the right breast in eleven patients (55%) and the left breast in nine patients (45%). Palpable nodules were present in five patients (25%) and fistulae in 15 (75%). The mean time between onset of symptoms and diagnosis was 7.7 months (range 3-12 months). Skin testing with purified protein derivative of tuberculin was strongly reactive in all patients, six (30%) of whom were breastfeeding. Diagnosis was confirmed by histopathology and all patients were satisfactorily treated with a combination of rifampicin, isoniazid and pyrazinamide. In the present study, TB of the breast presented predominantly as breast abscesses and fistulae and responded satisfactorily to treatment with anti-TB drugs.

Embryonal rhabdomyosarcomas of the uterus are extremely rare malignant tumors and their association with uterine inversion is even rarer. The present case report refers to a 15-year-old Brazilian girl admitted to hospital with a 3-month history of transvaginal bleeding and a mass protruding from the vaginal introitus. Following biopsy of the lesion and confirmation of the diagnosis of embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma, the patient was submitted to total abdominal hysterectomy followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The patient died 9 months after surgery. Embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma of the uterus is very rare and extremely aggressive. According to a published work review, there has been only one report to date on the association of embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma of the uterus and uterine inversion.

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Embryonal rhabdomyosarcomas of the uterus are extremely rare malignant tumors and their association with uterine inversion is even rarer. The present case report refers to a 15‐year‐old Brazilian girl admitted to hospital with a 3‐month history of transvaginal bleeding and a mass protruding from the vaginal introitus. Following biopsy of the lesion and confirmation of the diagnosis of embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma, the patient was submitted to total abdominal hysterectomy followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The patient died 9 months after surgery. Embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma of the uterus is very rare and extremely aggressive. According to a published work review, there has been only one report to date on the association of embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma of the uterus and uterine inversion.

This report describes a well-documented case of primary, nodular-form tuberculosis of the breast that mimicked cancer in a 73-year-old patient. This is a disease that rarely affects the breast.

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Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of raloxifene on CD34 and Ki-67 antigen expression in breast cancer specimens from postmenopausal women. Methods: Sixteen postmenopausal patients with operable, stage II (≥3 cm), estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer, who took 60 mg of raloxifene daily for 28 days, participated in this study. Immunohistochemistry was carried out in tumor samples prior to and following raloxifene treatment to evaluate CD34 and Ki-67 protein expression. Angiogenesis was quantified in 10 randomly selected fields per slide, and Ki-67-stained nuclei were counted in 1,000 cells per slide using an image capture and analysis system with 400× magnification. Student’s t test for paired samples was used for the statistical analysis of data. Statistical significance was established at p < 0.05. Results: The mean number of microvessels was 44.44 ± 3.54 prior to raloxifene therapy and 22.63 ± 1.61 following therapy (p < 0.001), and the mean percentage of Ki-67-stained nuclei was 19.28 ± 1.61 and 12.13 ± 1.48 prior to and following raloxifene treatment, respectively (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Raloxifene significantly reduces CD34 and Ki-67 protein expression in breast carcinoma in postmenopausal women.

Aim: We evaluated the thickness of the adrenal cortex zones of female rats androgenized to mimic polycystic ovary syndrome. Methods: Forty-four female virgin Wistar-Hannover rats were divided into two groups: controls (n = 17) and animals which received testosterone propionate on the 2nd day of life (n = 27). At 90 days of life, after confirmation of persistent estrus, the animals were sacrificed, and the adrenal cortex zones were evaluated. Student’s t test and Levene’s test were used in the statistical analysis (p < 0.05 considered significant). Results: The adrenal glands of the androgenized rats were more voluminous and had a more intensely vascularized zona reticularis than the control animals. The mean thicknesses of zona glomerulosa and zona reticularis in the androgenized rats were 58.4 and 730.7 µm, respectively, significantly thicker than the values in the control group (45.0 and 328.3 µm, respectively). Conclusion: Zona reticularis and zona glomerulosa of the androgenized female rats were significantly thicker than those of the control animals.