Neurons face the challenge of regulating the abundance, distribution and repertoire of integral membrane proteins within their immense, architecturally complex dendritic arbors. While the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) supports dendritic translation, most dendrites lack the Golgi apparatus (GA), an essential organelle for conventional secretory trafficking. Thus, whether secretory cargo is locally ...

Test meals in Europeans and Bantu in Johannesburg show that the stomachs of normal Europeans in the main secrete more acid and pepsin.Gastric studies in Bantu on a European diet compared with those on a more non-European type of diet reveal no difference in secretory behaviour. This, it is suggested, rules out current dietary habits as being responsible for the difference in gastric secretory b...

Multiple myeloma (MM) is the second most common hematologic malignancy in the US. It is typically characterized by production of large amounts of defective immunoglobulin (Ig). Diagnosing MM and monitoring treatment response, including eventual relapse, are largely based on sequential measurements of Ig. However, a small subset of MM called non-secretory multiple myeloma (NSMM) produces no dete...

A 31-year old army soldier presented with a four day history of fever and malaise. He was a teetotaller and a non-vegetarian. Physical examination was unremarkable There was no lymphadenopathy or organomegaly. Fever subsided spontaneously. Investigations showed pancytopaenia (WBC 2.2 × 103/μl , L:65%, N:19%, platelets 77×103/μl, haemoglobin 10.5 g/dl). MCV was 106.5 fl. Blood picture was typica...

An electron microscopic investigation was performed to examine the ultrastructural changes occurring in the rabbit oviductal epithelium after human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) administration. Mainly, the non-ciliated secretory cells proved to be affected by the hormonal treatment which resulted in qualitative and quantitative modifications of the secretory patterns differently expressed in the...

The secretory pathway delivers proteins synthesized at the rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) to various subcellular locations via the Golgi apparatus. Currently, efforts are focused on understanding the molecular machineries driving individual processes at the RER and Golgi that package, modify and transport proteins. However, studies are routinely performed using non-dividing cells. This obscu...

A case of non-secretory multiple myeloma presenting as primary plasma cell leukaemia in a 65 year old woman is presented. Bone pain was the initial clinical manifestation. Laboratory analysis showed 20% of circulating immature plasma cells. Despite the presence of osteolytic lesions, no M-component could be demonstrated in serum protein electrophoresis, and serum and urine immunoelectrophoresis...

A case of severe hypercalcaemia associated with a non-secretory multiple myeloma in the absence of skeletal deposits is described. The importance of considering this condition in the differential diagnosis of hypercalcaemia in the elderly is discussed.

The spectrum of plasma cell neoplasm represents indolent conditions like Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance (MGUS) to more aggressive multiple myeloma and plasma cell leukemia. Non-secretory myeloma comprises less than 01% of this spectrum where serum protein electrophoresis and quantitative immunoglobulins remain essentially normal. We are presenting a case report of this rare ...

Presurgical diagnosis requires the collaboration of a medical team including the attending physician, the endocrinologist, the radiologist and the ophthalmologist. It includes the pituitary hormonal levels certifying the secretory or non-secretory character of the tumour, the neuroradiological aspect with triplanar MRI T1WI, T2WI and with gadolinium injection. In conclusion, hormonal and neuror...