Negative Impact of COVID-19 Associated Health System Shutdown on Patients Diagnosed With Colorectal Cancer: A Retrospective Study From a Large Tertiary Center in Ontario, Canada.

Background: In March 2020, a directive to halt all elective and non-urgent procedures was issued in Ontario, Canada because of COVID-19. The directive caused a temporary slowdown of screening programs including surveillance colonoscopies for colorectal cancer (CRC). Our goal was to determine if there was a difference in patient and tumour characteristics between CRC patients treated surgically prior to the COVID-19 directive compared to CRC patients treated after the slowdown.

Diagnostic and surgical dilemma of cholecystitis that mimics cancer - A case report of xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis.

Introduction: Xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis (XGC) is a rare and benign chronic inflammatory disease of the gallbladder that can mimic carcinoma on presentation, imaging, and gross pathology. The aim of this case report is to describe the considerations involved in navigating the diagnostic and surgical dilemma of managing XGC in a patient with findings equivocal to gallbladder cancer.

Presentation Of Case: A 64-year-old female patient presented with an incidental, suspicious gallbladder mass on imaging.

Concurrent Adult-Onset Diffuse β-Cell Nesidioblastosis and Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Nesidioblastosis is an uncommon cause of organic persistent hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia in adults. We report a case of adult-onset diffuse β-cell nesidioblastosis in a 49-year-old woman who was status-post Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and distal pancreatectomy for a well-differentiated pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor. While the neuroendocrine tumor was suspected to be an insulinoma, persistent hypoglycemia postoperatively suggested either incomplete resection or a second pancreatic neoplasm.

Fresh Cut Versus Stored Cut Paraffin-embedded Tissue: Effect on Immunohistochemical Staining for Common Breast Cancer Markers.

The proper handling of unstained paraffin slides for immunohistochemistry has been a matter of debate, with several studies demonstrating loss of antigenicity with prolonged storage at room temperature, 4°C and -20°C. The purpose of this study was to determine whether long-term storage of unstained slides at -80°C would impact the staining intensity and expression distribution of markers used to molecularly subtype breast cancer specimens [estrogen receptor (ER), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), cytokeratin 5 (CK5), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), and Ki67]. The staining pattern of previously unstained breast tumor slides (n=39 to 64) stored at -80°C for a minimum of 9.

Potassium iodide in refractory, recurrent pediatric Sweet syndrome: Guidance in dosing and monitoring.

We describe a 5-month-old boy with clinical and histopathologic presentation of Sweet syndrome. He responded to systemic corticosteroids, with multiple flares on tapering; potassium iodide was added, which provided complete resolution of Sweet syndrome. Potassium iodide has been used in only a few cases, and no standard dosage has been established in children.

Intra-Abdominal Hemorrhage Complicating Electrothermal Arterial Injury During Pelvic Surgery: A Case Report.

Iatrogenic vascular injury is a potentially serious complication of surgical procedures. Here we report a case of delayed fatal intra-abdominal hemorrhage because of electrocautery injury of a right external iliac artery. The decedent, a 31-year-old woman, died suddenly on postoperative day 1 after a laparoscopic staging operation for an ovarian tumor.

HtrA3 stromal expression is correlated with tumor budding in stage II colorectal cancer.

Tumor budding is a well-established adverse prognostic factor in colorectal carcinoma (CRC). It may represent a form of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), although the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. High-temperature requirement A3 (HtrA3) is an inhibitor of the bone morphogenetic protein pathway, the suppression of which has been linked to EMT.

Menacalc, a quantitative method of metastasis assessment, as a prognostic marker for axillary node-negative breast cancer.

Background: Menacalc is an immunofluorescence-based, quantitative method in which expression of the non-invasive Mena protein isoform (Mena11a) is subtracted from total Mena protein expression. Previous work has found a significant positive association between Menacalc and risk of death from breast cancer. Our goal was to determine if Menacalc could be used as an independent prognostic marker for axillary node-negative (ANN) breast cancer.

Elevated expression of podocalyxin is associated with lymphatic invasion, basal-like phenotype, and clinical outcome in axillary lymph node-negative breast cancer.

Lymphatic invasion (LVI) is associated with disease recurrence in axillary node-negative (ANN) breast cancer. Using gene expression profiling of 105 ANN tumors, we found that podocalyxin (PODXL) was more highly expressed in tumors with LVI (LVI+) than in those without LVI (LVI-). Differences in PODXL expression were validated using real-time polymerase chain reaction as well as by immunohistochemistry in an independent set of 652 tumors on tissue microarrays.

Rice body formation without rheumatic disease or tuberculosis infection: a case report and literature review.

Rice body formation is an uncommon inflammatory disorder associated with systemic disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and tuberculosis infection. The pathophysiology of rice bodies is poorly understood. We describe a case of rice body formation in a 51-year-old male who presented with pain and swelling of the left wrist.

The essential role of insulin-like growth factor-1 in the intestinal tropic effects of glucagon-like peptide-2 in mice.

Background & Aims: Glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2) is an intestinal hormone that acts through unknown pathways to induce intestinal growth. We investigated the role of the insulin-like growth factors (IGF-1 and IGF-2) as mediators of GLP-2-enhanced growth in the murine intestine.

Methods: IGF-1 expression and secretion were determined in GLP-2-responsive primary intestinal cultures treated with GLP-2.