Two pandemics intertwined around one patient: Interstitial pneumonia as the first presentation of HIV/AIDS, be it , cytomegalovirus, SARS-CoV2 or all?-A case report.

Concerns have been mounting regarding the underdiagnosis of HIV among respiratory co-infections associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The delay in recognizing HIV/AIDS may be attributed to the similarities in clinical, laboratory (lymphopenia) and imaging presentations, which are typical for advanced AIDS but could also be indicative of a COVID-19 infection. Herein, we present a case of a 38-year-old ultraorthodox Jew with a late diagnosis of AIDS in the context of COVID-19 infection.

MRI prediction of neoadjuvant chemotherapy response is equivalent in patients with or without mammographic calcifications: a step towards adapting surgical approach?

Objectives: Current surgical policy recommends comprehensive excision of tumorous calcifications in breast cancer patients following neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) regardless of MRI outcomes, despite MRI defining tumor response superior to mammography. The current study examines MRI prediction of response in tumors with vs without calcifications, using post-NAC surgical pathology as the standard of reference.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of 114 NAC patients between 2011 and 2018 including demographics, mammography, 3 T-MRI, and pathology compared two sub-groups: without (n = 62) or with (n = 52) mammographic calcifications.

Macrophages Upregulate Estrogen Receptor Expression in the Model of Obesity-Associated Breast Carcinoma.

Breast cancer (BC) and obesity are two heterogeneous conditions with a tremendous impact on health. BC is the most commonly diagnosed neoplasm and the leading cause of cancer-related mortality among women, and the prevalence of obesity in women worldwide reaches pandemic proportions. Obesity is a significant risk factor for both incidence and worse prognosis in estrogen receptor positive (ER+) BC.

Preoperative MRI for Evaluation of Extent of Disease in IDC Compared to ILC.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the incremental value of preoperative breast MRI over mammography and US in depicting the accurate extent of disease in invasive duct carcinoma (IDC) compared to invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC).

Patients And Methods: Retrospective analysis of pre-operative mammography, US and MRI was performed in 239 patients with either IDC (n = 193) or ILC (n = 46). Images were evaluated for solitary, multifocal or multi centric disease and compared for concordance with postsurgical pathology.

Thyroid Hormones and Morphological Features of Primary Breast Cancer.

Background/aim: Many experimental studies have suggested the importance of thyroid hormones in breast cancer (BC) morphogenesis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of thyroid hormone levels in serum of patients with primary BC with morphological presentations of the disease in pathological specimens and prognosis.

Patients And Methods: We measured the serum levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free triiodothyronine (FT3), and free thyroxine (FT4), along with serum thymidine kinase 1 activity and examined their relation to pathological features and prognosis of 158 patients with primary BC.

"High-Risk Breast Cancer Screening in BRCA1/2 Carriers Leads to Early Detection and Improved Survival After a Breast Cancer Diagnosis".

Background: Germline pathogenic variant (PV) carriers have high lifetime risk of developing breast cancer and therefore subjected to intense lifetime screening. However, solid data on the effectiveness of high-risk screening of the carrier population is limited.

Patients And Methods: Retrospectively, we analyzed 346 women diagnosed with breast tumors.

Elevated Free Triiodothyronine Is Associated With Increased Proliferative Activity in Triple-negative Breast Cancer.

Background/aim: Thyroid hormones (THs) stimulate breast cancer (BC) cell proliferation. We hypothesized that these hormones and the proliferative marker thymidine kinase 1 (TK1) represent the initial and final steps of the proliferative pathway, respectively.

Patients And Methods: We measured the serum levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free triiodothyronine (FT3), and free thyroxine (FT4), along with serum TK1 activity, in 144 newly diagnosed BC patients, and examined the associations between THs and proliferation in different BC receptor profiles.

Thyroid Hormones, Silencing Mediator for Retinoid and Thyroid Receptors and Prognosis in Primary Breast Cancer.

Background/aim: Silencing mediator of retinoid and thyroid receptors (SMRT) is a nuclear corepressor in thyroid and estrogen hormones pathways. The aim was to evaluate SMRT expression in relation to thyroid hormone levels and prognostic markers in breast cancer (BC).

Patients And Methods: Serum and tumor tissues were obtained from 36 patients with benign breast disease (BBD) and 79 BC patients.

The importance of cytokines analysis in the diagnosis of vitreoretinal lymphoma.

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of the different diagnostic tests for vitreoretinal lymphoma (VRL).

Methods: A cohort of 150 patients with a presumed diagnosis of VRL. Vitrectomy samples were analysed for cytology, monoclonality [polymerase chain reaction (PCR)] and cytokine levels, and anterior chamber taps were analysed for cytokine levels.

Somatic loss of WWOX is associated with TP53 perturbation in basal-like breast cancer.

Inactivation of WW domain-containing oxidoreductase (WWOX), the gene product of the common fragile site FRA16D, is a common event in breast cancer and is associated with worse prognosis of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and basal-like breast cancer (BLBC). Despite recent progress, the role of WWOX in driving breast carcinogenesis remains unknown. Here we report that ablation of Wwox in mammary tumor-susceptible mice results in increased tumorigenesis, and that the resultant tumors resemble human BLBC.

RNF20 and histone H2B ubiquitylation exert opposing effects in Basal-Like versus luminal breast cancer.

Breast cancer subtypes display distinct biological traits that influence their clinical behavior and response to therapy. Recent studies have highlighted the importance of chromatin structure regulators in tumorigenesis. The RNF20-RNF40 E3 ubiquitin ligase complex monoubiquitylates histone H2B to generate H2Bub1, while the deubiquitinase (DUB) USP44 can remove this modification.

JOURNAL CLUB: Is screening MRI indicated for women with a personal history of breast cancer? Analysis based on biopsy results.

Objective: American College of Radiology and Society of Breast Imaging guidelines call for routine breast MRI screening only for women with the highest risk profiles for development of breast cancer, suggesting that screening of women at lower risk might result in an increased frequency of false-positive biopsy results. The purpose of this study was to test this assumption by comparing MRI-guided biopsy outcomes of lesions detected at MRI screening of women with a personal history of breast cancer with outcomes among women with genetic or familial high risk.

Materials And Methods: Outcomes of 130 MRI-guided biopsies were analyzed.

Increased proliferative background in healthy women with BRCA1/2 haploinsufficiency is associated with high risk for breast cancer.

Previous studies indicated that BRCA haploinsufficiency was associated with activation of the EGF receptor (EGFR) signaling pathway and increased proliferative activity in mammary epithelial cells of healthy women. We hypothesized that these processes might be reflected in the expression of serologic soluble EGFR (sEGFR) and thymidine kinase 1 (TK1) activity, which signal the initial and final steps of the proliferative pathway, respectively. We found that healthy carriers of BRCA1/2 mutations (n = 80) showed a significantly higher TK1 activity than age-matched controls (P = 0.

The prognostic significance of LIAISON(R) CA15-3 assay in primary breast cancer.

Aim: To investigate the prognostic significance of cancer antigen 15-3 (CA15-3) in primary breast cancer (BC).

Patients And Methods: This prospective study included 368 women: 62 patients with benign breast disease (BBD), 159 patients with invasive BC and 88 healthy blood donors (control). The median follow-up was 76 months (range, 43-99 months).

Control of breast cancer growth and initiation by the stem cell-associated transcription factor TCF3.

Regulatory factors controlling stem cell identity and self-renewal are often active in aggressive cancers and are thought to promote their growth and progression. TCF3 (also known as TCF7L1) is a member of the TCF/LEF transcription factor family that is central in regulating epidermal and embryonic stem cell identity. We found that TCF3 is highly expressed in poorly differentiated human breast cancers, preferentially of the basal-like subtype.

Regulation of human protease-activated receptor 1 (hPar1) gene expression in breast cancer by estrogen.

A pivotal role is attributed to the estrogen-receptor (ER) pathway in mediating the effect of estrogen in breast cancer progression. Yet the precise mechanisms of cancer development by estrogen remain poorly understood. Advancing tumor categorization a step forward, and identifying cellular gene fingerprints to accompany histopathological assessment may provide targets for therapy as well as vehicles for evaluating the response to treatment.

Par genes: molecular probes to pathological assessment in breast cancer progression.

Taking the issue of tumor categorization a step forward and establish molecular imprints to accompany histopathological assessment is a challenging task. This is important since often patients with similar clinical and pathological tumors may respond differently to a given treatment. Protease-activated receptor-(1) (PAR(1)), a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR), is the first member of the mammalian PAR family consisting of four genes.

Serum thymidine kinase 1 activity in breast cancer.

Aims: Thymidine kinase 1 (TK1) is an enzyme involved in DNA synthesis and an important proliferation marker. We explored the association of preoperative serum TK1 activity with clinicopathological parameters and prognosis in terms of recurrence-free survival (RFS) in breast cancer (BC) patients.

Patients And Methods: TK1 activity in serum of 120 healthy women and 161 BC patients was measured by quantitative ELISA.

Identification and immunolocalization of the innate immune receptor CD14 in hypertrophic adenoids and tonsils.

The purpose of this study is to determine the expression of CD14 as a marker of the innate immunity in hypertrophic adenoids and tonsils. Twenty-four pediatric patients (age <12 years) with obstructive adenotonsillar hypertrophy, confirmed by sleep study were included in this study. Intensity and expression of positive CD14 infiltrating cells was assessed by immunohistochemistry in specific histologic areas.

Etk/Bmx regulates proteinase-activated-receptor1 (PAR1) in breast cancer invasion: signaling partners, hierarchy and physiological significance.

Background: While protease-activated-receptor 1 (PAR(1)) plays a central role in tumor progression, little is known about the cell signaling involved.

Methodology/principal Findings: We show here the impact of PAR(1) cellular activities using both an orthotopic mouse mammary xenograft and a colorectal-liver metastasis model in vivo, with biochemical analyses in vitro. Large and highly vascularized tumors were generated by cells over-expressing wt hPar1, Y397Z hPar1, with persistent signaling, or Y381A hPar1 mutant constructs.

Clinicopathologic features and outcome of the oncocytic variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to define the clinicopathologic features and outcome of the oncocytic variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma (OVPTC) with a review of the literature.

Methods: Twenty-three patients with OVPTC over a 10-year period were studied. Demographic, clinical, and histopathologic features and outcome data were analyzed retrospectively.

Beginning IVF treatments after age 30 increases the risk of breast cancer: results of a case-control study.

The long-term risks of in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment remain unclear. This study was designed to determine breast cancer risk factors in women who underwent IVF, and to establish characteristics of these tumors. Records of 7,162 consecutive women who underwent IVF at a single center between 1984 and 2002 were linked with the Israel Cancer Registry to identify women who developed breast cancer.

Breast magnetic resonance imaging characteristics in women with occult primary breast carcinoma.

Background: Occult breast cancer without clinically or mammographically detectable breast tumor is an uncommon presentation.

Objectives: To assess the role of breast MRI in women with metastatic carcinoma and an occult primary, and to define the MRI characteristics of the primary breast tumor.

Methods: This retrospective study evaluated 20 women with metastatic carcinoma of unknown origin who underwent breast MRI between 2000 and 2006.