Retrospective Post-mortem SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR of Autopsies with COVID-19-Suggestive Pathology Supports the Absence of Lethal Community Spread in Basel, Switzerland, before February 2020.

Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has rapidly spread around the world. While the first case was recorded in Hubei in December 2019, the extent of early community spread in Central Europe before this period is unknown. A high proportion of asymptomatic cases and undocumented infections, high transmissibility, and phylogenetic genomic diversity have engendered the controversial possibility of early international community spread of SARS-CoV-2 before its emergence in China.

KPNA2 is overexpressed in human and mouse endometrial cancers and promotes cellular proliferation.

Endometrial cancer is the most frequently occurring malignancy of the female genital tract in Western countries. Although in many cases surgically curable, about 30% of the tumours represent an aggressive and untreatable disease. In an attempt to establish a reliable prognostic marker for endometrial carcinomas disregarding their histological diversity, we investigated the expression of KPNA2, a mediator of nucleocytoplasmic transport, and other cell proliferation-associated proteins and their correlation with cancer progression.

p53 suppresses type II endometrial carcinomas in mice and governs endometrial tumour aggressiveness in humans.

Type II endometrial carcinomas are a highly aggressive group of tumour subtypes that are frequently associated with inactivation of the TP53 tumour suppressor gene. We show that mice with endometrium-specific deletion of Trp53 initially exhibited histological changes that are identical to known precursor lesions of type II endometrial carcinomas in humans and later developed carcinomas representing all type II subtypes. The mTORC1 signalling pathway was frequently activated in these precursor lesions and tumours, suggesting a genetic cooperation between this pathway and Trp53 deficiency in tumour initiation.

Combined PTEN and p27kip1 protein expression patterns are associated with obesity and prognosis in endometrial carcinomas.

Purpose: Phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted from chromosome 10 (PTEN) and p27(kip1) proteins are key players of the Akt pathway, which is nutritionally regulated by insulin receptor signaling and influenced by estrogens. In this study, the prognostic relevance of the PTEN/p27(kip1) protein expression in endometrial carcinoma in relationship to the body mass index (BMI) was determined.

Experimental Design: BMI and prognosis of 452 surgically treated patients with endometrial carcinoma were correlated with histologic subtype, International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage, and differentiation grade.

Molecular and clinicopathological analysis of ovarian carcinomas with and without microsatellite instability.

Background: Microsatellite instability (MSI) occurs in sporadic ovarian carcinomas. This study tests the hypothesis that ovarian carcinomas arising through the mutator pathway have distinctive clinical and molecular features that affect clinical outcome.

Materials And Methods: The MSI status was evaluated in 66 ovarian carcinomas and 11 epithelial ovarian tumors of low malignant potential.

DNA copy number changes in cervical adenocarcinoma.

Purpose: There is evidence that specific genetic events are involved in the initiation and progression of squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix. The genotype-phenotype correlations in cervical adenocarcinoma (AC) are unclear.

Experimental Design: Comparative genomic hybridization was applied to screen for DNA copy number gains and losses in 22 cervical ACs of clinical stage IB.

DNA sequence losses on chromosomes 11p and 18q are associated with clinical outcome in lymph node-negative ductal breast cancer.

Purpose: Histological and other markers alone cannot predict the risk of disease progression in node-negative breast cancer. Several genomic aberrations have been linked to clinical outcome in breast cancer.

Experimental Design: In this study, comparative genomic hybridization was applied to screen for specific DNA copy number gains and losses in 20 pT1/pT2 node-negative invasive ductal carcinomas with no disease recurrence with at least 8 years of follow-up and in 20 pT1/pT2 node-negative tumors with distant disease recurrence.

Glassy cell carcinoma of the endometrium: a case report and review of the literature.

Endometrial glassy cell carcinoma (GCC) is a rare neoplasm, with 11 cases reported in the literature. Although GCC is considered to be a poorly differentiated variant of adenosquamous carcinoma, its real nature is still debatable. We report a case of GCC of the endometrium in a 60-year-old woman and review the literature.

Prognostic value of genomic alterations in invasive cervical squamous cell carcinoma of clinical stage IB detected by comparative genomic hybridization.

The clinical behavior of invasive cervical carcinoma of clinical stage IB varies considerably in tumors presenting without regional lymph node metastases. The early identification of patients at higher risk for poor outcome may prove useful because these patients would benefit from aggressive adjuvant treatments. In this study, comparative genomic hybridization was applied to evaluate whether genomic aberrations have prognostic significance in cervical carcinoma.

Association of p27Kip1, cyclin E and c-myc expression with progression and prognosis in HPV-positive cervical neoplasms.

Recent studies demonstrated that a variety of human cancer cell lines express relatively high levels of p27Kip1 and that this might be associated with increased expression of Cyclin E. There is a feedback inhibitory loop between Cyclin E and p27Kip1, which can be counteracted by elevated c-myc activation. This study analyzed by immunohistochemistry the expression of p27Kip1, Cyclin E and c-myc in a series of HPV-positive cervical tissue samples representing various stages of cervical carcinogenesis, using 13 samples of normal epithelium, 24 low-grade CIN, 63 high-grade CIN, and 69 samples of invasive squamous cell carcinoma.

Expression of p150 in cervical neoplasia and its potential value in predicting survival.

Background: A recently cloned novel p150 protein was found to be overexpressed in human breast carcinoma. To the authors' knowledge, no data on p150 expression in any other human tumors have been published previously.

Methods: To investigate whether the expression of p150 correlated with the clinicopathologic stages of cervical neoplasms or the prognoses of patients with these neoplasms, the authors conducted an immunohistochemical study of archival formalin fixed, paraffin embedded specimens.

Virilizing ovarian tumor of low malignant potential associated with antecedent tamoxifen use for breast cancer.

A patient is described who was treated with tamoxifen for breast cancer and developed an androgen-producing ovarian tumor of low malignant potential, which itself is a rare condition. Clinically overt virilism was leading to the diagnosis and promptly improved after surgical removal of the tumor. A causal relationship between tamoxifen use and the tumor is discussed on the basis of the known tumor-inducing potential of tamoxifen.

Angiogenesis in cervical neoplasia: microvessel quantitation in precancerous lesions and invasive carcinomas with clinicopathological correlations.

Recently, angiogenic properties have been shown in preinvasive cervical lesions. Our goal was to determine the angiogenesis in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and the relationship between microvessel counts, histopathological parameters, and clinical outcome in invasive cervical carcinoma. One hundred thirty-eight cervical specimens were evaluated; among these 20 were designated normal epithelium, 20 low-grade CIN, 40 high-grade CIN, and 58 invasive carcinoma.

Altered expression of mdm-2 and its association with p53 protein status, tumor-cell-proliferation rate and prognosis in cervical neoplasia.

Recent results suggest that p53 inactivation is required for cervical-carcinoma development. The mdm-2 oncogene, which forms an auto-regulatory feedback loop with the normal p53 protein, has been found amplified in human carcinomas, thus abolishing the anti-proliferative function of p53. To investigate whether the mdm-2/p53 interaction plays a role in cervical neoplasms, we performed an immunohistochemical study in archival fixed, embedded specimens that included 178 pre-cancerous lesions (CIN) and invasive squamous-cell carcinomas of clinical stage IB.

Association of tumor induced vascularization with clinicopathological parameters in cervical neoplasm.

Angiogenic properties have been shown in preinvasive cervical lesions. Our goal was to determine the angiogenesis in cervical intraepithelial neoplasms (CIN), the relationship between microvessel counts, histopathological parameters and the clinical outcome in invasive cervical carcinoma. Comparison of microvessel counts from normal epithelium with that from CIN and invasive carcinoma showed significant increases in pre-cancerous lesions and invasive cancer (p < 0.

Investigation of the Bcl-2 and C-myc expression in relationship to the Ki-67 labelling index in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.

This is the investigation of the relationship between the neoplastic cell proliferation and the expression of bcl-2 and c-myc in human papillomavirus (HPV)-negative and HPV-positive cervical intraepithelial neoplasms (CIN). The expression of bcl-2 and c-myc was studied using quantitative immunohistochemistry in 20 specimens of normal cervical squamous epithelium and 73 specimens of CIN. To analyze the neoplastic cell proliferation rate, the Ki-67 labelling index was determined; the latter was significantly different between normal epithelium and various grades of CIN (p < 0.

p53 protein expression but not mdm-2 protein expression is associated with rapid tumor cell proliferation and prognosis in renal cell carcinoma.

The clinical course of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is highly variable. Overexpression of the p53 protein has been suggested as a possible prognostic parameter in RCC. Overexpression of the mdm-2 oncogene product has been shown to interact with the p53 function.

Analysis of proliferative activity using Ki-67 on cervical precancerous lesions and the relationship to p53 expression.

Neoplastic cell growth rate and the p53 expression have been recently analysed in invasive cervical carcinoma. Samples of 20 specimens with normal cervical epithelium and 73 specimens of dysplasia and carcinoma in situ (CIS) were immunostained with monoclonal antibodies to p53 and Ki-67 to examine the interrelationship between p53, Ki-67 and HPV status in cervical intraepithelial neoplasm. The presence of HPV was assessed by in situ DNA hybridization.

Expression of CD44 and variant isoforms in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.

The cell adhesion molecule CD44 and its variant isoforms have been found to be related to invasive and metastatic character of cancer cells. Their expression in gynecologic precancerous lesions has not yet been reported. Mouse monoclonal antibodies directed against a common epitope (CD44s) and exons 4v, 6v, and 9v were used to study the expression of CD44 and variant isoforms by immunohistochemistry in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN).

Assessment of EGFR and TGF-alpha expression in relationship to HPV status and Ki-67 distribution in cervical intraepithelial neoplasms.

Expression of epidermal-growth-factor receptor (EGFR), transforming growth factor alpha (TGF-alpha) and Ki-67 proliferation antigen in cervical intra-epithelial neoplasms were analyzed. To examine the interrelationship of TGF-alpha, EGFR, Ki-67 and HPV status in dysplasia and carcinoma in situ, formalin-fixed tissue sections of 92 women were immunostained with monoclonal antibodies to EGFR, TGF-alpha and Ki-67. The presence of HPV was assessed by in situ DNA hybridization.

Conservative therapy of female genuine stress incontinence with vaginal cones.

Objective: The objective was to analyse urodynamic data before and after conservative treatment with vaginal cones.

Study Design: The design was an open clinical study and was carried out at the Urogynaecology Unit of the University women's hospital. Eighteen women with genuine urinary stress incontinence were treated with vaginal cones for 6 weeks.

[Septic abortion in Campylobacter jejuni infection].

Case report of a 24 year old woman II G/I P with enterocolitis and septicaemia caused by Campylobacter jejuni (C.) in the following time abortion at 16 weeks of gestation. Diagnostics, therapy, review of literature.

[Surgical treatment of vaginal prolapse after hysterectomy].

Forty-five women were treated with a sacrospinous ligament fixation of the vaginal apex between 1979 and 1993. The patients had a complete vaginal prolapse following abdominal or vaginal hysterectomy or in three cases a combined uterine and vaginal prolapse. The sacrospinous ligament fixation was carried out as described by Amreich, Sederl and Richter.