Easier surveillance of climate-related health vulnerabilities through a Web-based spatial OLAP application.

Background: Climate change has a significant impact on population health. Population vulnerabilities depend on several determinants of different types, including biological, psychological, environmental, social and economic ones. Surveillance of climate-related health vulnerabilities must take into account these different factors, their interdependence, as well as their inherent spatial and temporal aspects on several scales, for informed analyses.

Comparative study of lignins isolated from Alfa grass (Stipa tenacissima L.).

Soda lignin, dioxane lignin and milled lignin were isolated from Alfa grass (Stipatenacissima L.). The physico-chemical characterization of three different lignins: one industrial lignin precipitated from soda spent liquor and two lignin preparations isolated under laboratory conditions from Alfa grass (also know as Esparto grass) was performed.

Towards a SOLAP-based public participation GIS.

In this paper, we describe how spatial on-line analytical processing (SOLAP), a specific category of business intelligence technology especially adapted to geospatial data, can help to improve the technological side of public participation GIS applications. Based on two simulated cases of realistic scenarios of a public audience, this paper aims at demonstrating the relevance of this SOLAP technology to support and improve the interactive access and analysis of multi-scale, multi-epoch geospatial information (and indirectly public involvement) for an environmental management PPGIS application.

Significance of tumor capsular invasion in well-differentiated thyroid carcinomas.

This study examines the influence of tumor capsular invasion on the biological behavior of papillary (PTC) and follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC) and the prognosis of surgically treated patients. This retrospective cohort study included 350 cases of PTC or FTC from a university teaching hospital. Patient charts were randomly selected and reviewed.

Single versus sequential fine-needle aspiration biopsy in the management of thyroid nodular disease.

Unlabelled: Fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) is considered a safe, reliable and cost-effective means of selecting thyroid nodules with risk for malignancy. However, there are limitations of this method including false positive/negative and "nondiagnostic" results that may be reduced by repeating FNAB.

Objective: To evaluate accuracy, sensitivity, specificity and costs of sequential FNAB in the management of thyroid nodular disease.

Fine-needle aspiration biopsy findings suspicious for papillary thyroid carcinoma: a review of cytopathological criteria.

Objectives/hypothesis: The objective was to evaluate the usefulness of standard suspect cytological features on fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) in predicting papillary thyroid carcinoma.

Study Design: Retrospective chart review of consecutive fine-needle biopsies of the thyroid.

Methods: The study was a retrospective review of consecutive patients presenting with a diagnosis of suspected (group 1) or positive papillary thyroid carcinoma (group 2).

Role of fine-needle aspiration biopsy and frozen section in the management of papillary thyroid carcinoma subtypes.

Since fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) was introduced, the value of frozen section (FS) has been questioned. This study compares FNAB and FS sensitivities among the usual form of papillary thyroid cancer (uPTC) and variants of PTC such as tall cell (tcPTC), follicular (fPTC), and Hurthle cell (HcPTC). A total of 257 patients who underwent preoperative FNAB, intraoperative FS, and thyroidectomy for PTC were, randomly selected from a database of a university teaching hospital in Toronto.

Thyroid colloid nodules diagnosed by fine-needle aspiration: efficacy of suppression.

Background: This study reviewed the accuracy of fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) and the efficacy of thyroid suppression for colloid nodules in our population to determine the utility of these two modalities on the decision to operate.

Methods And Materials: A retrospective chart review of patients with colloid nodules diagnosed by FNAB from January 1993 to July 1995 was conducted. A 52-patient cohort underwent surgical management, and their needle aspirate cytologies and final pathologies were reviewed.

Interobserver agreement of a probabilistic approach to reporting breast fine-needle aspirations on ThinPrep.

We have previously demonstrated the accuracy and reproducibility of a probabilistic/categorical approach for reporting breast fine-needle aspiration (FNA). However, the interobserver agreement in the application of this approach has not been assessed. Twenty breast FNA cases (each on one ThinPrep slide) were pulled from the cytology files of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Clinicopathologic significance of histologic vascular invasion in papillary and follicular thyroid carcinomas.

Background: The association of angioinvasion with tumor aggressiveness in follicular and papillary thyroid carcinoma remains unclear. This study addresses this problem focusing on clinicopathologic relevance of angioinvasion in the treatment of papillary thyroid carcinoma and follicular thyroid carcinoma.

Methods: From a university hospital database, 358 patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma or follicular thyroid carcinoma were randomly selected.

Assessment of thin-layer breast aspirates for immunocytochemical evaluation of HER2 status.

Objective: To determine whether immunocytochemistry (ICC) for HER2 on ThinPrep (TP)-processed breast fine needle aspiration biopsies (Cytyc Corp., Boxborough, Massachusetts, U.S.

Integrating GIS components with knowledge discovery technology for environmental health decision support.

This paper presents a new category of decision-support tools that builds on today's Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and On-Line Analytical Processing (OLAP) technologies to facilitate Geographic Knowledge Discovery (GKD). This new category, named Spatial OLAP (SOLAP), has been an R&D topic for about 5 years in a few university labs and is now being implemented by early adopters in different fields, including public health where it provides numerous advantages. In this paper, we present an example of a SOLAP application in the field of environmental health: the ICEM-SE project.

Modern information technologies in environmental health surveillance. An overview and analysis.

In recent years we have witnessed the massive introduction of new information technologies that are drastically changing the face of our society. These technologies are being implemented en masse in developed countries, but also in some pockets of developing nations as well. They rely on the convergence of several technologies such as powerful and affordable computers, real-time electronic measurement and monitoring devices, massive production of digital information in different formats, and faster, wireless communication media.

Biologic basis for the treatment of microscopic, occult well-differentiated thyroid cancer.

Background: Management of thyroid microcancer or occult well-differentiated thyroid cancer (OWDTC) is controversial. Our present study compared some clinical features of OWDTC and gross well-differentiated 10-mm thyroid carcinoma (GWDTC), which may offer a basis for treatment policy.

Methods: From 1964 to 2000, 1000 patients underwent thyroidectomy for thyroid cancer.

Analysis of ret/PTC gene rearrangements refines the fine needle aspiration diagnosis of thyroid cancer.

Papillary carcinoma (PC) represents the most common malignancy of the thyroid gland. Therefore, the assessment of fine needle aspiration biopsies of thyroid nodules rests heavily on the identification of nuclear features of PC. The ret/PTC oncogene, formed by several gene rearrangements, is specific for PC among thyroid tumors.

Correlation of p53 mutations in ThinPrep-processed fine needle breast aspirates with surgically resected breast cancers.

Mutations of the p53 gene are one of the most common genetic changes found in cancer; their presence may be prognostic and even influence treatment for breast cancer. In this study, we investigated whether DNA could be extracted from the residual cells left in ThinPrep-processed breast fine-needle aspirates and whether p53 gene changes could be detected in the DNA. The results were then correlated with DNA extracted from the matched formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded, surgically resected breast cancer when available.

Estrogen and progesterone receptor contents in ThinPrep-processed fine-needle aspirates of breast.

This study was undertaken to assess the potential value of ThinPrep-processed (Cytyc, Boxborough, MA) smears from malignant breast fine-needle aspirates (FNAs) for the determination of estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) status. The ER and PR content of 142 malignant FNAs were compared with the results of the surgically excised tumors in which the assay was done by enzyme immunoassay in 97 cases or by immunohistochemistry in 45 cases. Monoclonal antibodies directed against ER-1D5 (Dako, Carpinteria, CA) and PR-1A6 (Dako) were used with the antigen retrieval technique.

Breast fine-needle aspiration. A comparison of ThinPrep and conventional smears.

Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) of the breast has been used in our institution since 1969. In August 1993, ThinPrep (Cytyc Corp, Boxbotough, MA) processing of breast FNA biopsy specimens was introduced. Comparing conventionally prepared breast FNA specimens (21,193 cases) with ThinPrep processed material (7,903 cases) shows a decrease in the unsatisfactory rate with the ThinPrep processing (29.

Rhabdomyosarcoma with rhabdoid-like features.

We describe an unusual case of a rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) in that it had rhabdoid-like cells histologically and occurred in a female who had undergone bone marrow transplantation for chronic myelogenous leukemia. The tumor was composed of loosely cohesive cells with abundant eosinophilic cytoplasm and exhibited PAS-negative paranuclear inclusions. The tumor cells had positive vimentin, muscle-specific actin, sarcomeric actin and desmin immunoreactivity.

Value of electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry in the diagnosis of soft tissue tumors.

Light microscopy alone is often insufficient to type a soft tissue tumor. In this study 142 consecutive soft tissue tumors (benign or malignant), for which both electron microscopy (EM) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) had been performed, were reviewed to assess the contribution of these two modalities to making the final diagnosis. A tentative diagnosis (58 cases) or differential diagnosis (84 cases) was made following light microscopical examination.

Alveolar soft part sarcoma: review of nine cases including two cases with unusual histology.

Aim: Alveolar soft part sarcoma is a very rare tumour. Nine cases are reviewed in order to identify new aspects of this tumour.

Methods And Results: The clinical course, histological, immunohistochemical and ultrastructural features of nine cases of alveolar soft part sarcoma were reviewed.

Aneurysmal cyst of soft tissue: report of a case with serial magnetic resonance imaging and biopsy.

We report a case of an extraosseous aneurysmal cyst arising in the left retroclavicular soft tissue of a 29-year-old woman. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan showed a solid lesion within soft tissue, abutting the clavicle without bone involvement. An incisional biopsy was interpreted as showing osteoclast rich nodular fasciitis with prominent vascularity.

Primary leiomyosarcoma of bone: report of seven cases and review of the literature.

Objective: To report seven cases of intraosseous leiomyosarcoma and compare them with the cases in the literature.

Design: Retrospective review of histologic, immunohistochemical, and ultrastructural features. Tumors were examined immunohistochemically for proliferative activity and p53 protein accumulation.

Immunocytochemical staining on ThinPrep processed smears.

This study reports our first-year experience in the immunocytochemical staining of specimens prepared by the ThinPrep processor. The avidin-biotin-complex technique was applied to smears of 70 cytological specimens, including fine-needle aspiration samples from various sites (56 specimens), body fluids (13 specimens) and urine (one specimen). The specimens were collected in CytoLyt solution to lyse red blood cells and then resuspended in the processing solution.