Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) is defined as a Type 2 eosinophilic disease, while CRSsNP is considered a Type 1 neutrophilic disease. Since neutrophils are also activated in ...eosinophilic CRSwNP, the eosinophil-neutrophil dualism has been revaluated. Among the inflammatory cells infiltrating sinus-nasal tissues, the role of mast cells (MCs) is not already recognized, although Clinical-Cytological Grading, which defines the severity of CRSwNP, attributes to mixed eosinophil-MC forms of CRSwNP a greater risk of recurrence. We aimed to examine nasal polyps from both a cytological and histopathological point of view, to evaluate the presence and localization of MCs. Cytological and histological examination of 39 samples of nasal polyps were performed. Immunohistochemistry was used to evaluate the presence of Tryptase + CD117 + MCs, which were counted both in the epithelial layer and in the lamina propria. A statistically significant correlation was found between intraepithelial MCs and CRSwNP severity (p < 0.001) and between the total eosinophil count and the total mast cell count (p < 0.001). Cytological examination and immunohistochemistry were comparable in detecting the presence of intraepithelial MCs (p = 0.002). The histological cut-off of 6 intraepithelial MCs was identified to detect severe CRSwNP (p < 0.001). MCs have been shown to be located in the lamina propria of almost all eosinophilic nasal polyps without significantly affecting their severity. Intraepithelial MCs are associated with greater severity of CRSwNP. Histopathological criteria of the eosinophil-MC form of CRSwNP in addition to the eosinophilic one, should be defined to guarantee patients effective and tailored treatments.
Legionella bacteria is a common cause of pneumonia, but the infection may affect several organs in the most serious cases. A systemic involvement ab initio could be non-specific, leading to a ...diagnostic misinterpretation. The Legionella infection may show a proteiform clinical course and an extra-pulmonary manifestation may be the first sign of the disease. Herein, we report a case of Legionella infection in a young female, presenting with non-specific neurological symptoms and hirsutism at onset, misdiagnosed as a metabolic disease.
There is evidence that asbestos could play a role in the carcinogenesis of digestive cancers. The presence of asbestos fibres in histological samples from gastric, biliary, colon cancers has been ...reported, but the mechanism is still controversial. It has been hypothesised that asbestos reaches these sites, especially through contaminated water; however, some experimental studies have shown that the inhaled fibres are mobile, so they can migrate to many organs, directly or via blood and lymph flow. We report four unusual cases of colorectal cancers in patients with a long history of asbestos exposure who also developed synchronous or metachronous mesothelioma. We evaluated the roles of BRCA associated protein-1 (
) and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A (
) in colon cancer and mesothelioma to support the hypothesis that
and
are tumour suppressor genes involved in disease progression, recurrence, or death in both digestive cancers and mesothelioma. Potentially, these markers may be used as predictors of worse prognosis, but we also stress the importance of clinical surveillance of exposed patients because asbestos could induce cancer in any organ.
The current coronavirus pandemic has affected, in a short time, various and different areas of medicine. Among these, the obstetric field has certainly been touched in full, and the knowledge of the ...mechanisms potentially responsible for placental damage from SARS-CoV-2 occupy a certain importance. Here we present here a rare case of dichorionic twins born at 30 weeks and 4 days of amenorrhea, one of whom died in the first few hours of life after placental damages potentially related to SARS-CoV-2. We also propose a brief review of the current literature giving ample emphasis to similar cases described.
ST2 (suppression of tumorigenity) has been described as a receptor for the interleukin-33, a member of the IL-1 family of cytokines. It is associated to coronary artery disease, all-causes mortality ...and cardiovascular mortality.
The present study was designed to assess the immunohistochemical expression of the ST2 receptor (ST2L/Il-1R) in atherosclerotic plaques of formalin fixed paraffin-embedded internal carotid arteries of patients with and without cerebro-vascular symptoms.
The study involved 41 cases (23 asymptomatic and 18 symptomatic). All the clinical and morphological parameters examined were uniformly distributed between the two groups, with a mild predominance of degree of calcification in asymptomatic cases (p = 0.01). ST2L expression was found to be more evident as a membrane pattern in macrophages when observing carotid atherosclerotic plaques of symptomatic patients, rather than in asymptomatic patients' plaques (77.7% vs 39.1%; p = 0.015), and its expression was particularly remarkable in VI type plaque (AHA). Significantly, ST2L was marked by the endothelium of neoangiogenetic vessels on the shoulder region of the plaque, but not (apart from a few cases) in the endothelium covering the residual lumen of the vessel.
The ST2L immunohistochemical expression was for the first time investigated in a large number of human carotid atherosclerotic plaques, as for its pattern of distribution in the different plaque cell populations. Furthermore, ST2L was particularly remarkable on macrophages, as a membrane pattern, of symptomatic patients' plaque. Considering our data, we hypothesize that ST2L/IL33 axis could drive the mechanism of plaque development and eventually rupture.
Mesothelioma is a rare malignant neoplasm with poor survival. It mainly affects the pleura (90%) but can arise in all serous cavities: peritoneum (5-10%), pericardium and tunica vaginalis testis ...(<1%). The onset of pleural mesothelioma is strictly related to asbestos exposure with a long latency time. The causal link with asbestos has also been suggested for peritoneal mesothelioma, while the importance of exposure in the onset of pericardial and tunica vaginalis testis mesotheliomas is not well known. Mesothelioma remains an aggressive and fatal disease with a five-year mortality rate higher than 95%. However, new therapeutic approaches based on molecular-targeted and immunomodulatory therapies are being explored but have conflicting results. In this context, the identification of critical targets appears mandatory. Awareness of the molecular and physiological changes leading to the neoplastic degeneration of mesothelial cells and the identification of gene mutations, epigenetic alterations, gene expression profiles and altered pathways could be helpful for selecting targetable mechanisms and molecules. In this review, we aimed to report recent research in the last 20 years focusing on the molecular pathways and prognostic factors in peritoneal mesothelioma and their possible diagnostic and therapeutic implications.
Background
Sudden cardiac death is a major public health concern. The incidence of sudden cardiac death in young adults remains unclear and is generally underestimated.
Case presentation
This is a ...case report of a 24-year-old man with a silent pathological history, who suddenly collapsed in a restaurant during dinner with his workmates. Autopsy and ancillary examination revealed focal atrioventricular node fibrosis and thymic hyperplasia.
Conclusions
Thymic hyperplasia has been considered a cause of sudden death in the past century. The mode of death was explained through nosographic entities such as status lymphaticus or thymic asthma, which are currently consigned to history books. Nevertheless, recent studies have sought to determine the relationship between thymic hyperplasia and sudden unexpected deaths in adults. Moreover, isolated fibrosis of the atrioventricular node is a rare condition that can remain undiagnosed even after a full autopsy. This report aims to provide a concise review of the existing literature concerning sudden cardiac death and discuss the so-called “thymic death” theory, which is now considered a myth. Was the finding of thymic hyperplasia and atrioventricular node fibrosis a coincidence? Should the myth surrounding “thymic death” be re-examined?
Dp71 Expression in Human Glioblastoma Ruggieri, Simona; De Giorgis, Michelina; Annese, Tiziana ...
International journal of molecular sciences,
10/2019, Volume:
20, Issue:
21
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Dp71 is the most abundant dystrophin (
) gene product in the nervous system. Mutation in the Dp71 coding region is associated with cognitive disturbances in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) ...patients, but the function of dystrophin Dp71 in tumor progression remains to be established. This study investigated Dp71 expression in glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive primary tumor of the central nervous system (CNS).
Dp71 expression was analyzed by immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry, RT-PCR, and immunoblotting in glioblastoma cell lines and cells isolated from human glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) bioptic specimens.
Dp71 isoform was expressed in normal human astrocytes (NHA) cell lines and decreased in glioblastoma cell lines and cells isolated from human glioblastoma multiforme bioptic specimens. Moreover, Dp71 was localized in the nucleus in normal cells, while it was localized into the cytoplasm of glioblastoma cells organized in clusters. We have shown, by double labeling, that Dp71 colocalizes with lamin B in normal astrocytes cells, confirming the roles of Dp71 and lamin B in maintaining nuclear architecture. Finally, we demonstrated that decreased Dp71 protein in cells isolated from human bioptic specimens was inversely correlated with the Ki-67 tumor proliferative index.
A decreased Dp71 expression is associated with cancer proliferation and poor prognosis in glioblastoma.
Malignant mesothelioma is a rare and aggressive tumor with limited therapeutic options. We report a case of a malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (MPM) epithelioid type, with environmental asbestos ...exposure, in a 36-year-old man, with a long survival (17 years). The patient received standard treatment which included cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC).
Molecular analysis with comparative genomic hybridization (CGH)-array was performed on paraffin-embedded tumoral samples. Multiple chromosomal imbalances were detected. The gains were prevalent. Losses at 1q21, 2q11.1→q13, 8p23.1, 9p12→p11, 9q21.33→q33.1, 9q12→q21.33, and 17p12→p11.2 are observed. Chromosome band 3p21 (
), 9p21 (
) and 22q12 (
) are not affected.
the defects observed in this case are uncommon in malignant peritoneal mesothelioma. Some chromosomal aberrations that appear to be random here, might actually be relevant events explaining the response to therapy, the long survival and, finally, may be considered useful prognostic factors in peritoneal malignant mesothelioma (PMM).
Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is one of the most devastating complications of recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB). We recently demonstrated a reduction in immune cell ...peritumoral infiltration in RDEB patients with cSCC, together with a reduction in CD3+, CD4+, CD68+ and CD20 lymphocytes as compared to primary and secondary cSCC in patients without RDEB. Recently, new molecules, such as high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), T cell immunoglobulin, mucin domain 3 (TIM-3) and Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), have been shown to play a role in antitumoral immunity.
Patients with RDEB are known to be at increased risk of developing skin cancers, including the dreaded squamous cell carcinoma of the. Tendentially, cSCCs that arise in the context of EBDR are more aggressive and lead to statistically significant bad outcomes compared to cSCCs developed on the skin of patients without EBDR. In an attempt to study the microenvironment of these lesions, we conducted an immunohistochemical analysis study of proteins that could be actively involved in the genesis of this type of malignant neoplasms.
In this retrospective study, the OH1-HMGB1-TIM3 activation axis, as correlated to the T lymphocytes cell count, was assessed in biopsy samples from 31 consecutive cases consisting of 12 RDEB patients with cSCC, 12 patients with primary cSCC and 7 RDEB patients with pseudoepitheliomatous cutaneous hyperplasia. Parametric Student's
-test was applied for normally distributed values, such as CD4+ and CD8+, and non-parametric Mann-Whitney test for non-normally distributed values, such as HMGB-1, TIM-3 and HO-1.
In RDEB patients with cSCC and with pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia, the expression of CD4 T helper lymphocytes was lower than in the peritumoral infiltrate found in primary cSCC. CD8 cytotoxic T lymphocytes were increased in primary cSCC compared to the other two groups. An increased HMGB1 expression was evident in both primary and RDEB cSCC. TIM3 expression was higher in RDEB patients with cSCC compared to the other two groups. A significantly reduced immunohistochemical expression of HO-1 was evident in the tumoral microenvironment of cSCC-RDEB as compared to primary cSCC.
These data suggest that a reduced immune cell peritumoral infiltration in RDEB patients could be responsible, in the complexity of the mechanisms of carcinogenesis and host response, of the particular aggressiveness of the cSCC of RDEB patients, creating a substrate for greater local immunosuppression, which, potentially, can "open the doors" to development and eventual metastasis by this malignant neoplasm.
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