Vitamin D Deficiency at Diagnosis Increases All-Cause and Prostate Cancer-specific Mortality in Jamaican Men.

Background: 25 hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and serum calcium have been associated with incident prostate cancer (PCa). However, there is limited data on whether these metabolites predict survival in men of African descent, a population disproportionately affected by PCa. We studied the relationship of 25(OH)D at PCa diagnosis with all-cause and cancer-specific mortality among Jamaican men and examined whether serum calcium modified any associations.

Both serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and calcium levels may increase the risk of incident prostate cancer in Caribbean men of African ancestry.

Circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations have been associated with both higher and lower risk of prostate cancer (PCa), whereas elevated levels of circulating calcium has been related to higher risks. However, there are few studies that account for effects of both calcium and 25(OH)D concentrations on incident PCa in a black population. We examined these relationships in a case-control study of men 40-80 years old with newly diagnosed, histologically confirmed PCa in Jamaica, a tropical country.

Terminal ileum duplication: an unusual case of small bowel obstruction.

Duplications of the alimentary tract are uncommon congenital anomalies that usually present during infancy and early childhood. The case of an adolescent presenting with small bowel obstruction secondary to a duplication cyst is presented and the challenges in the management described.

A unique strain of community-acquired Clostridium difficile in severe complicated infection and death of a young adult.

Background: Clostridium difficile is the major cause of nosocomial antibiotic-associated diarrhoea with the potential risk of progressing to severe clinical outcomes including death. It is not unusual for Clostridium difficile infection to progress to complications of toxic megacolon, bowel perforation and even Gram-negative sepsis following pathological changes in the intestinal mucosa. These complications are however less commonly seen in community-acquired Clostridium difficile infection than in hospital-acquired Clostridium difficile infection.

Dietary patterns as predictors of prostate cancer in Jamaican men.

Studies of diet and prostate cancer have focused primarily on food and nutrients; however, dietary patterns examine the overall diet, particularly foods eaten in combination, and risk of disease. We evaluated the association of dietary patterns and prostate cancer and low- and high-grade subgroups in Jamaican men. In a case-control study, we enrolled 243 incident cases and 273 urology controls in Jamaican clinics, March 2005-July 2007.

Pathological outcome and biochemical recurrence-free survival after radical prostatectomy in African-American, Afro-Caribbean (Jamaican) and Caucasian-American men: an international comparison.

Objective: To compare pathological and biochemical outcomes of radical prostatectomy (RP) among African-American (AA), Afro-Caribbean (AC; Jamaican) and Caucasian-American (CA) men using an international cohort of patients who underwent RP in the USA and Jamaica.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective review was performed of men who underwent RP for clinically organ-confined (OC) prostate cancer between 2000 and 2011 at Columbia University Medical Center (New York, USA) and the University Hospital of the West Indies (Kingston, Jamaica) between 2000 and 2007. Men who had received neoadjuvant or adjuvant (within 3 months) therapy were excluded.

8q24 risk alleles in West African and Caribbean men.

Background: Multiple genetic studies have confirmed associations of 8q24 variants with susceptibility to prostate cancer (CaP). However, the magnitude of risk conferred in men living in West Africa is unknown.

Methods: Here we determine the prevalence of 8q24 risk alleles and test for association with CaP risk alleles in West African (WA) descent populations from rural Nigeria, Cameroon, and the Caribbean island of Jamaica.

Body mass index and prostate specific antigen levels in Jamaican men.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels in Jamaican men.

Methods: Men, 40-79 years old, attending public and private urology clinics in Kingston, Jamaica were recruited to a case-control study on the role of dietary and lifestyle factors on prostate cancer. Trained interviewers administered questionnaires and measured weight and height using standardized techniques.

Disseminated trichosporonosis in a burn patient: meningitis and cerebral abscess due to Trichosporon asahii.

A 44-year-old diabetic female presented to a hospital in Jamaica with thermal burns. Trichosporon asahii was isolated from facial wounds, sputum, and a meningeal swab. Dissemination of the fungus was demonstrated in stained histological sections of the meninges and a brain abscess at autopsy.

Associations of whole-blood fatty acids and dietary intakes with prostate cancer in Jamaica.

Objective: To investigate the association of whole-blood fatty acids and reported intakes of fats with risk of prostate cancer (PCa).

Design: Case-control study of 209 men 40-80 years old with newly diagnosed, histologically confirmed prostate cancer and 226 cancer-free men attending the same urology clinics. Whole-blood fatty acid composition (mol%) was measured by gas chromatography and diet assessed by food frequency questionnaire.

Aortic dissection at the University hospital of the West Indies: A 20-year clinicopathological study of autopsy cases.

Background: An autopsy study of aortic dissection (AD) at our institution was previously reported. In the approximately 20 years since then, however, many aspects of diagnosis and treatment of this disease have changed, with a fall in mortality reported in many centers around the world. An impression amongst our pathologists that, there might be an increase in the prevalence of AD in the autopsy service at our hospital, since that earlier report, led to this repeated study, in an attempt to validate that notion.

Radical prostatectomy outcomes at the University Hospital of the West Indies: 2000-2007.

Objectives: Prostate cancer is the commonest cancer in Jamaican men with an age-specific incidence of 65.5 per 100 000 and also the commonest cause of male cancer death. This study reports on the oncological outcome and morbidity after radical retropubic prostatectomy.

Angiomyolipoma of the kidney: the experience at the University Hospital of the West Indies.

Objective: Angiomyolipoma (AML) of the kidney is an uncommon tumour that, until recently, was often misdiagnosed preoperatively as renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Newer radiological techniques have allowed more accurate preoperative diagnosis which can facilitate preoperative counselling and planning for conservative therapy. This study reviews the experience with these uncommon tumours at the University Hospital of the West Indies.

Body size and risk of prostate cancer in Jamaican men.

We investigated the associations between body size and risk of prostate cancer in a hospital-based case-control study in Jamaica. Height, weight, waist, and hip circumference were measured at enrollment, and data collected on medical and lifestyle factors for newly diagnosed cases (n = 243) and controls (n = 275). Compared with men in the normal range of waist-hip ratio (WHR), men with WHR > or =0.

Actinomycosis of the colon with invasion of the abdominal wall: An uncommon presentation of a colonic tumour.

Actinomycosis is an uncommon chronic suppurative infectious disease that is caused by Actinomycetes organisms, which are gram-positive, microaerophilic, anaerobic bacteria. The most common type causing disease in humans is Actinomyces israelii. This organism is a commensal of the human mouth and is seldom pathogenic.

Extramedullary plasmacytoma of the pancreas as an uncommon cause of obstructive jaundice: a case report.

Introduction: Though uncommon, extramedullary plasmacytoma of the pancreas should be considered in the differential diagnosis of obstructive jaundice and pancreatic neoplasms. This report highlights a case of obstructive jaundice in a 46-year-old West Indian man that resulted from an extramedullary plasmacytoma.

Case Presentation: A 46-year-old West Indian man presented to our hospital with evidence of a significant upper gastrointestinal bleed.

A review of granular cell tumours at the University Hospital of the West Indies: 1965-2006.

Objective: Granular cell tumours are uncommon lesions that occur in a wide variety of sites. They are usually benign, but as they are infrequently diagnosed preoperatively, they may be confused clinically with malignant lesions. The objective of this study was to assess the relative frequency and the clinicopathologic characteristics of granular cell tumours identified at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) over a 41-year period.

A 6-year analysis of the clinicopathological profile of patients with prostate cancer at the University Hospital of the West Indies, Jamaica.

OBJECTIVE To document the clinicopathological characteristics of prostate cancer in a public hospital-based population in Jamaica, over a 6-year period, and examine any trends in these characteristics over time, as prostate cancer is the leading cause of cancer in Jamaican men, but there are few published reports documenting the clinicopathological profile of this disease in the Jamaican population. PATIENTS AND METHODS All patients consecutively diagnosed with prostate cancer by transrectal ultrasonography-guided biopsy at the University Hospital of the West Indies, from January 2000 to December 2005, were identified at time of diagnosis, and relevant clinical and pathological data collected from the accompanying histopathology request forms. RESULTS There were 529 cases of prostate cancer diagnosed over the 6 years.

Admixture and population stratification in African Caribbean populations.

Throughout biomedical research, there is growing interest in the use of ancestry informative markers (AIMs) to deconstruct racial categories into useful variables. Studies on recently admixed populations have shown significant population substructure due to differences in individual ancestry; however, few studies have examined Caribbean populations. Here we used a panel of 28 AIMs to examine the genetic ancestry of 298 individuals of African descent from the Caribbean islands of Jamaica, St.

Massive multilocular cystic leiomyoma of the uterus: an extreme example of hydropic degeneration.

A 49-year-old woman underwent laparotomy for an undiagnosed, extremely large abdominal mass. At surgery, this was discovered to be a uterine tumor and she was subjected to a subtotal hysterectomy. Pathologic examination of the uterus revealed a multilocular cystic mass containing over 18 L of fluid that was established on histology to be a markedly hydropic leiomyoma.

Primary tumors of the heart: experience at the University Hospital of the West Indies.

Background: An analysis of primary cardiac tumors in the English-speaking Caribbean has never been previously conducted. This paper is an attempt to fill this void.

Methods: A retrospective review of autopsy and surgical pathology records of the Department of Pathology at the University Hospital of the West Indies was carried out in search of all primary cardiac tumors.

E-cadherin polymorphisms and haplotypes influence risk for prostate cancer.

Background: The E-cadherin (CDH1) gene has been implicated in prostate cancer (PCA) risk, however, the exact mechanism is unknown. Several polymorphisms, such as the C/A variant -160 base pairs from the transcription start site, in the CDH1 gene promoter region have been associated with cancer risk, mainly in European descent populations.

Methods: We screened the entire coding region and 3.

Gleason grading of prostate cancer: level of concordance between pathologists at the University Hospital of the West Indies.

Our aim was to study the level of interobserver concordance in the Gleason scores of prostate needle biopsy specimens reported at 1 institution. A retrospective review of all prostate needle biopsy specimens in which a diagnosis of adenocarcinoma was made during the year 2000 was conducted. Parameters evaluated included the Gleason score, Gleason grades identified, the percentage of Gleason grades 4 and 5, and the percentage of tumor in the biopsy specimen.