Blastic Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell Neoplasm: A Case Series and Review.

Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) is a rare and aggressive hematologic malignancy that frequently has cutaneous manifestations. The diagnosis can be a challenge because of its heterogenous clinical presentation, ranging from a brown or violaceous solitary nodule or patch to mixed, disseminated lesions. Furthermore, BPDCN tumor cells express immunohistochemical markers in common with acute myeloid leukemia, which can lead to misdiagnosis.

Melanoma patient notification and treatment timelines.

Melanoma is an extremely aggressive cancer for which the American Academy of Dermatology currently does not have formal recommendations outlining a timeline from biopsy to definitive treatment. Our dermatology department investigated our treatment timeline for melanoma. Using the database from our electronic medical record, Epic, we evaluated patients over a one-year period; in total we identified 109 melanomas.

Diagnosing an ulcerated gouty tophus.

We present the case of a 44-year-old man with a complicated past medical history who presented with presumed sepsis secondary to pneumonia and severe joint pain secondary to gout. Despite an entirely negative infectious workup during his lengthy hospitalization, he developed ulcerated, draining wounds on his hands and feet that were also initially presumed to be infectious. The chalky substance draining from the wounds was eventually evaluated with potassium hydroxide under polarized microscopy and found to have the characteristic negative birefringence of sodium urate crystals.

A novel bone morphogenetic protein 2 mutant mouse, nBmp2NLS(tm), displays impaired intracellular Ca2+ handling in skeletal muscle.

We recently reported a novel form of BMP2, designated nBMP2, which is translated from an alternative downstream start codon and is localized to the nucleus rather than secreted from the cell. To examine the function of nBMP2 in the nucleus, we engineered a gene-targeted mutant mouse model (nBmp2NLS(tm)) in which nBMP2 cannot be translocated to the nucleus. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated the presence of nBMP2 staining in the myonuclei of wild type but not mutant skeletal muscle.

Is magnetic resonance imaging in addition to a computed tomographic scan necessary to identify clinically significant cervical spine injuries in obtunded blunt trauma patients?

Background: Guidelines are in place directing the clearance of the cervical spine in patients who are awake, alert, and oriented, but a gold standard has not been recognized for patients who are obtunded. Our study is designed to determine if magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) detects clinically significant injuries not seen on computed tomographic (CT) scans.

Methods: The trauma registry was used to identify and retrospectively review medical records of blunt trauma patients from January 1, 2005, to March 30, 2012.

Skeletal muscle dysfunction in muscle-specific LKB1 knockout mice.

Liver kinase B1 (LKB1) is a tumor-suppressing protein that is involved in the regulation of muscle metabolism and growth by phosphorylating and activating AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) family members. Here we report the development of a myopathic phenotype in skeletal and cardiac muscle-specific LKB1 knockout (mLKB1-KO) mice. The myopathic phenotype becomes overtly apparent at 30-50 wk of age and is characterized by decreased body weight and a proportional reduction in fast-twitch skeletal muscle weight.