Clinical characteristics, diagnosis, and outcomes of orbital biopsies in a single Irish centre.

Aims: To review the distribution of histopathological diagnoses and visual outcome of orbital biopsy in an Irish tertiary referral centre over a 10-year period.

Methods: This was a retrospective, clinical-histopathological case series. Clinical records of all patients who underwent orbital biopsy between January 2008 and January 2018 in the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital were reviewed using data collected from theatre logbooks and hospital-based medical records.

Beware the Retrobulbar Optic Neuritis Diagnosis.

A 48-year-old gentleman presented to the ophthalmology department with progressive monocular vision loss, a relative afferent-pupillary defect, decreased color perception, headache, proptosis, and retro-orbital pain. This particular patient's demographics and disease course did not suggest a "typical" retro-bulbar optic neuritis and highlights the importance of avoiding presumptive steroid treatment in such "atypical" cases. Further investigations revealed a compressive optic neuropathy secondary to an orbital tumor (B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma) and were subsequently treated by a multi-disciplinary approach.

Glomangiomatosis of the lower leg.

This paper demonstrates a case of multiple glomangiomas, or glomangiomatosis, including clinical presentation, imaging appearances, and subsequent management. Differentiating features from typical glomus tumors are described. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of a glomangioma involving the distal tibiofibular syndesmosis.

Tenosynovial chondromatosis of the flexor pollicis longus tendon: A subtype of primary synovial chondromatosis.

Primary synovial chondromatosis is a rare benign neoplastic process, in which cartilaginous nodules are produced in the subsynovial tissue. It has 3 main subtypes (intra-articular, tenosynovial and bursal). We present the case of a 61-year-old female, with a mass involving her right thumb for at least 5 years, which had recently increased in size.

Multimodal imaging of Spina Ventosa (TB Dactylitis) of the foot.

We present the case of a 29-year-old male healthcare worker with a 6 month history of progressive left foot pain resulting in presentation to the emergency department on 3 occasions. He denied systemic symptoms. Multimodal imaging demonstrated an expansile erosive inflammatory lesion centered on the neck of the second metatarsal with aggressive features.

Subperiosteal hematoma of the iliac wing presenting with leg weakness in a young adult footballer.

We present the case of a 17 year old football player with a 2 week history of left leg weakness and difficulty weight-bearing. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a well-circumscribed lesion deep to the left iliacus muscle. The patient proceeded to computed tomography-guided biopsy.

Genomic profiling of a dedifferentiated mucosal melanoma following exposure to immunotherapy.

The treatment landscape for metastatic melanoma has been revolutionised by the introduction of immunotherapy and targeted therapies. Despite these advances, some patients exhibit primary or acquired resistance to treatment. We present the case of a resected mucosal melanoma that on relapse underwent transformation to a dedifferentiated state.

Leydig Cell Hyperplasia Mimicking a Testicular Tumour in a Patient with Klinefelter Syndrome.

Background: Klinefelter syndrome (KS) is the most common sex-chromosomal disorder in males. Frequently under-recognized, it occurs in 1 in 500-600 male births. It is caused by the inheritance of at least one additional X chromosome from either parent.

Sudden cardiac death in 14- to 35-year olds in Ireland from 2005 to 2007: a retrospective registry.

Introduction: Sudden cardiac death (SCD) in young people is a rare but devastating event for families and communities. Ireland has previously had no measure of the incidence of SCD in young people. We report the incidence and causes of SCD in persons <35 years of age.

Cyclin E1 is amplified and overexpressed in osteosarcoma.

Osteosarcoma is a genetically complex malignancy, predominantly afflicting the adolescent population and associated still with relatively poor long-term outcomes. Although there has been some improvement in the understanding of osteosarcoma biology, this has not yet translated particularly well into therapeutic advances. By using a whole-genome tiling path array for comparative genomic hybridization analysis, we sought to evaluate DNA copy number changes in 22 osteosarcoma tumor samples.

High power, low frequency ultrasound: meniscal tissue interaction and ablation characteristics.

This study evaluates high power low frequency ultrasound transmitted via a flat vibrating probe tip as an alternative technology for meniscal debridement in the bovine knee. An experimental force controlled testing rig was constructed using a 20 kHz ultrasonic probe suspended vertically from a load cell. Effect of variation in amplitude of distal tip displacement (242-494 μm peak-peak) settings and force (2.

2D-DIGE as a strategy to identify serum markers for the progression of prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer is the most common solid organ malignancy affecting men in the United States and Western Europe. Currently, the main diagnostic tools used to look for evidence of prostate cancer include physical examination using digital rectal exam (DRE), serum concentrations of prostate specific antigen (PSA) and biopsy. However, due to the low specificity of PSA in differentiating prostate cancer from other benign conditions, many patients undergo overtreatment for their disease.

Fibrogenesis in Crohn's disease.

Introduction: Over one-third of patients with Crohn's disease (CD) will develop an intestinal stricture and the great majority of these will require at least one surgical procedure. While the pathogenesis of inflammation in CD has been extensively investigated, knowledge of stricture pathogenesis remains limited. The aim of this review is to discuss the current understanding of fibrogenesis in CD and to outline potential directions in research and therapeutics.

Assessment of fibrosis progression in untreated irish women with chronic hepatitis C contracted from immunoglobulin anti-D.

Background & Aims: In 1996 we initiated a retrospective-prospective study in 184 untreated women infected in 1977 with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV). To provide insight into the natural history of HCV, we determined liver fibrosis outcomes and any predictors of such.

Methods: Baseline 1994 biopsy specimens (size, >or=15 mm; portal areas, >or=5) and sequential biopsy specimens were assessed by Ishak score for grade change (increase or decrease of >or=2 points) and stage progression or regression (increase or reduction of >or=1 point), the latter correlated with digital quantification of fibrosis percentage.

Effects of the dual 5 alpha-reductase inhibitor dutasteride on apoptosis in primary cultures of prostate cancer epithelial cells and cell lines.

Background: The profound reduction in serum dihydrotestosterone (DHT) observed with the dual 5 alpha-reductase inhibitor (5ARI) dutasteride makes it an attractive agent for prostate cancer therapy. The objective of the current study was to determine whether dutasteride would induce apoptosis in a range of prostate epithelial cell lines and primary cultures.

Methods: Both human prostate androgen-sensitive cell lines (PwR-1E, PNT-2, LNCaP, and PC3[AR2]) and an androgen-independent cell line (PC-3) were grown to confluence.

ETV4 and Myeov knockdown impairs colon cancer cell line proliferation and invasion.

We have identified novel colorectal cancer-associated genes using NCBI's UNIGENE cDNA libraries. Colon cancer libraries were examined using Digital Differential Display and disease-associated genes were selected. Among these were ETV4 and MYEOV, novel colorectal cancer-associated genes.

Neutrophil transendothelial migration potential predicts rejection severity in human cardiac transplantation.

Objective: Transplant rejection remains a clinical problem despite therapies that focus on lymphocyte suppression, with little attention focused on the neutrophil. Neutrophils are however the first leukocyte to infiltrate the allograft, are capable of causing myocardial damage and may facilitate lymphocytes recruitment. We hypothesised that an early allograft neutrophil infiltration influences rejection severity.

DMT1 genetic variability is not responsible for phenotype variability in hereditary hemochromatosis.

Background/aims: Homozygosity for a cysteine to tyrosine translocation at position 282 within the HFE gene (C282Y) is responsible for over 90% of hereditary hemochromatosis (HH) in Celtic populations. Determining those C282Y homozygotes at greatest risk for iron overload is a major clinical concern as only a small percentage will develop clinically significant iron overload. Divalent metal transport protein (DMT1) on the apical surface of duodenal enterocytes is recognised as the major iron import protein.

Predictors of survival in early oral cancer.

Objective: Despite the substantial rate of neck conversion reported among patients with early oral cancer, a policy of routine elective neck dissection has been criticized on the grounds that it confers little survival advantage while subjecting many to potentially avoidable morbidity. However, the identification of factors predictive of survival may allow for the identification of those patients who are more likely to benefit from elective neck treatment.

Study Design And Setting: The clinical and histologic material of 71 patients with stage I or II squamous carcinoma of the oral cavity were reviewed.