COX-2 Overexpression in Schneiderian Papillomas.

Background: Schneiderian papillomas (SP) are aggressive sinonasal tumors that occasionally extend into areas that are surgically unresectable.

Objective: evaluate the signifcance of cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression in SP.

Methods: Immunohistochemistry for COX-2 was performed on SP samples and middle turbinates from chronic rhinosinusitis without nasal polyps controls obtained during surgical resection between 2009-2017.

A budding case of infectious endocarditis: .

This is a case of recurrent prosthetic valve endocarditis with budding yeast and pseudohyphae on the histopathology. This case illustrates the importance of keeping vigilant in recognizing some of the emerging drug resistant Candida species in our practice.

Churg-Strauss Syndrome Presenting as Acute Necrotizing Eosinophilic Myocarditis: Concise Review of the Literature.

Background: Acute eosinophilic myocarditis (EM) is a rare form of heart failure that is characterized by myocardial eosinophilic infiltration usually in association with peripheral eosinophilia. The underlying cause is variable and can include allergic reactions, parasitic infection, idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome, malignancy, Loeffler's syndrome, Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS), early giant cell myocarditis and malignancy. The course is potentially fatal, and early diagnosis and treatment with steroids is essential.

Botulinum toxin to improve vessel graft patency in cerebral revascularization surgery: report of 3 cases.

Surgical revascularization continues to play an important role in the management of complex intracranial aneurysms and ischemic cerebrovascular disease. Graft spasm is a common complication of bypass procedures and can result in ischemia or graft thrombosis. The authors here report on the first clinical use of botulinum toxin to prevent graft spasm following extracranial-intracranial (EC-IC) bypass.

Immunohistochemical panel to differentiate endometrial stromal sarcoma, uterine leiomyosarcoma and leiomyoma: something old and something new.

Aims: To evaluate an immunohistochemical panel differentiating endometrial stromal sarcoma (ESS) from uterine leiomyosarcoma (ULMS) and leiomyoma (LM).

Methods: 94 cases (28 ESS, 41 ULMS, 25 LM) were retrieved and arrayed. 10 immunomarkers (estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), CD10, smooth muscle actin, desmin, h-caldesmon, transgelin, GEM, ASC1, stathmin1) were used.

BRAF V600E in papillary thyroid carcinoma is associated with increased programmed death ligand 1 expression and suppressive immune cell infiltration.

Background: There remain a small number of patients with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) who suffer recurrence, metastases, or death. While mutation of the BRAF gene, corresponding to the constitutively active BRAF(V600E) protein, has been associated with worse clinical outcomes in thyroid cancer, the reasons underlying this observation are presently unknown. Disruption of endogenous host immune surveillance and promotion of tumor immune escape is one mechanism by which BRAF(V600E) tumors may achieve more aggressive behavior.

Effects of the change in cutoff values for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 status by immunohistochemistry and fluorescence in situ hybridization: a study comparing conventional brightfield microscopy, image analysis-assisted microscopy, and interobserver variation.

Context: New guidelines for HER2 testing have been introduced.

Objectives: To evaluate the difference in HER2 assessment after introduction of new cutoff levels for both immunohistochemistry (IHC) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and to compare interobserver agreement and time to score between image analysis and conventional microscopy.

Design: Samples from 150 patients with breast cancer were scored by 7 pathologists using conventional microscopy, with a cutoff of both 10% and 30% IHC-stained cells, and using automated microscopy with image analysis.

USC-HN2, a new model cell line for recurrent oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma with immunosuppressive characteristics.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) are common and aggressive tumors that have not seen an improvement in survival rates in decades. These tumors are believed to evade the immune system through a variety of mechanisms and are therefore highly immune modulatory. In order to elucidate their interaction with the immune system and develop new therapies targeting immune escape, new pre-clinical models are needed.

Establishment and characterization of a novel head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cell line USC-HN1.

Background: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is an aggressive and lethal malignancy. Publically available cell lines are mostly of lingual origin, or have not been carefully characterized. Detailed characterization of novel HNSCC cell lines is needed in order to provide researchers a concrete keystone on which to build their investigations.

Gallstone-induced inflammatory fibrosis: a relentless clinical course of retained gallstones after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Multiple reports in the literature confirm that retained gallstones spilled during laparoscopic cholecystectomy perpetuate chronic inflammation and suppuration long after the initial operation. Two patients who had previously undergone laparoscopic cholecystectomy presented to our institution with complications of retained stones. Patient 1 presented with right upper quadrant pain and a mass involving the right hepatic lobe.

Surgical clips: a nidus for foreign body reaction after hepatic resection.

This case report describes a patient who underwent segment IV hepatic resection and 7 months later developed an abdominal wall abscess. This was a foreign body reaction to the surgical clips. The patient required an exploratory laparotomy with debridement and excision of the inflammatory mass in the anterior abdominal wall.

Epithelial cell adhesion molecule (KSA) expression: pathobiology and its role as an independent predictor of survival in renal cell carcinoma.

Purpose: Epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) is a widely expressed adhesion molecule in epithelial cancers. The purpose of this study is to determine the protein expression patterns of EpCAM in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) using tissue arrays linked to a clinicopathological database to evaluate both its predictive power in patient stratification and its suitability as a potential target for immunotherapeutic treatment strategies.

Experimental Design: The University of California, Los Angeles kidney cancer tissue microarray contains specimens from 417 patients treated with nephrectomy.