Image-based multiplex immune profiling of cancer tissues: translational implications. A report of the International Immuno-oncology Biomarker Working Group on Breast Cancer.

Recent advances in the field of immuno-oncology have brought transformative changes in the management of cancer patients. The immune profile of tumours has been found to have key value in predicting disease prognosis and treatment response in various cancers. Multiplex immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence have emerged as potent tools for the simultaneous detection of multiple protein biomarkers in a single tissue section, thereby expanding opportunities for molecular and immune profiling while preserving tissue samples.

Diagnostic dilemma in a patient with history of medullary thyroid carcinoma and abnormal serum liver enzymes; a case report with six years follow up.

Background: Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is a neuroendocrine tumor that originates from parafollicular C-cells. Calcitonin (Ctn) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) are useful biomarkers for monitoring MTC cases.

Case Presentation: Here, we describe a 48-year-old woman, who presented in 2014 with bilateral thyroid nodules.

Pitfalls in machine learning-based assessment of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in breast cancer: A report of the International Immuno-Oncology Biomarker Working Group on Breast Cancer.

The clinical significance of the tumor-immune interaction in breast cancer is now established, and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) have emerged as predictive and prognostic biomarkers for patients with triple-negative (estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and HER2-negative) breast cancer and HER2-positive breast cancer. How computational assessments of TILs might complement manual TIL assessment in trial and daily practices is currently debated. Recent efforts to use machine learning (ML) to automatically evaluate TILs have shown promising results.

Spatial analyses of immune cell infiltration in cancer: current methods and future directions: A report of the International Immuno-Oncology Biomarker Working Group on Breast Cancer.

Modern histologic imaging platforms coupled with machine learning methods have provided new opportunities to map the spatial distribution of immune cells in the tumor microenvironment. However, there exists no standardized method for describing or analyzing spatial immune cell data, and most reported spatial analyses are rudimentary. In this review, we provide an overview of two approaches for reporting and analyzing spatial data (raster versus vector-based).

Gastrointestinal basidiobolomycosis - A rare fungal infection: Challenging to diagnose yet treatable - Case report and literature review.

Gastrointestinal Basidiobolomycosis is a rare manifestation of Basidiobolus ranarum infection. In this report, we present two cases of gastrointestinal Basidiobolomycosis. The first patient presented with obstructive symptoms, fever, and weight loss.

Extramedullary hematopoiesis (EMH) in the liver allograft presenting with a mass-like lesion.

This is a rare case of extramedullary hematopoiesis (EMH) presenting as a mass-like lesion in liver allograft. Our patient was a 57-year-old woman who had undergone liver transplantation due to hepatic epithelioid hemangioendothelioma. She presented with an ill-defined hypoechoic lesion on ultrasound which showed features of focal EMH on pathologic examinations.

Prognostic impact of MUC1 and potential regulatory miR-145 and miR-21 expression in salivary mucoepidermoid carcinoma.

Background: Salivary gland mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) poses a considerable risk of locoregional and distant metastasis after conventional treatments. There is an evident need for specifying prognostic biomarkers to identify patients who are in need of more intensive and prolonged follow-ups. This study aimed to assess the mucin 1 (MUC1) expression level and its potential regulatory microRNAs in salivary gland MEC and their prognostic potentials.

The tale of TILs in breast cancer: A report from The International Immuno-Oncology Biomarker Working Group.

The advent of immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) in modern oncology has significantly improved survival in several cancer settings. A subgroup of women with breast cancer (BC) has immunogenic infiltration of lymphocytes with expression of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1). These patients may potentially benefit from ICI targeting the programmed death 1 (PD-1)/PD-L1 signaling axis.

Mutational signatures in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma from eight countries with varying incidence.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) shows remarkable variation in incidence that is not fully explained by known lifestyle and environmental risk factors. It has been speculated that an unknown exogenous exposure(s) could be responsible. Here we combine the fields of mutational signature analysis with cancer epidemiology to study 552 ESCC genomes from eight countries with varying incidence rates.

Colonic Mucosal Infiltration of IgG4 Plasma Cells and Ulcerative Colitis: Determinant of Presence, Activity, Extension, and Duration of Disease.

BACKGROUND Infiltration of IgG4 positive plasma cells has been detected in the colonic mucosa of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). The aim of the study was to investigate the association between colonic mucosal infiltration of IgG4 plasma cells and the presence, activity, extension, and duration of UC. METHODS In this case-control study (2009-2014), 102 subjects (84 with UC/18 controls) were enrolled.

Online Assessment for Pathology Residents during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Report of an Experience.

Background & Objective: The world is facing COVID-19 pandemic, and medical education system and consequently the evaluation of students at different levels have been overshadowed. Residency students are among those affected. In the present study, we aim to share our experiences regarding holding exams for pathology residents before and during the pandemic.

Evaluation of multimodal MR imaging for differentiating infiltrative versus reactive edema in brain gliomas.

Objective: To determine the border of glial tumors by diffusion weighted imaging (DWI), apparent diffusion co-efficient (ADC), magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and perfusion brain MRI.

Patients And Methods: Ten patients with brain gliomas were enrolled [mean age: 35.3 ± 13.

Orthotopic Liver Transplantation for Etanercept-induced Acute Hepatic Failure: A Case Report.

Occurrence of hepatotoxicity following prescription of etanercept, a tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) antagonist, is a relatively well-known issue. On the other hand, acute hepatic failure which could lead to liver transplantation is extremely rare to the best of our knowledge, and there is no previously published case in the literature. In this article, we presented a case of acute liver failure followed by liver transplantaion, in a 32- year old man with a previous history of ankylosing spondylitis after etanercept usage.

A Comparative Evaluation of Regulatory T Cells Profile among Acute and Chronic Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Using Flow Cytometry.

Background: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is described as a major health problem in many countries of the world. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are characterized as one of immunologic indexes. One of the best methods to determine of Tregs percentage is flow cytometry.

Effects of Opium Dependency on Testicular Tissue in a Rat Model: An Experimental Study.

Purpose: This study is aimed to evaluate the effects of opium dependency on testicular tissue in a rat model.

Methods: Thirty-two Wistar male rats (aged 30 days and weighing 200-250 grams) were randomized into two groups. Group A, consisting of 16 rats, received dissolved oral opium tablets in drinking water for 45 days, whereas group B (control group) consisted of 16 rats that received opium-free water.

Dicrocoelium Dentriticum in Explanted Liver: Report of an Unusual Finding.

Dicrocoelium dentriticum, a member of trematode type helminths, is a liver parasite of ruminants. Humans are infected accidentally by ingestion of intermediate host, through infected ants via eating of raw vegetables or drinking of contaminated water. Infection is often asymptomatic or results in subtle symptoms; therefore, infections are usually unrecognized.

Intraoperative consultation of central nervous system lesions. Frozen section, cytology or both?

Objective: Frozen section is the traditional method of assessing central nervous system (CNS) lesions intraoperatively. Our aim is to determine the diagnostic accuracy of frozen section and/or cytological evaluation of CNS lesions in our center.

Study Design: A total of 157 patients with CNS lesions underwent open surgical biopsy or excision in our center during a period of 2 years (2012-2013).

Utility of QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube Test in the Diagnosis of Latent TB in HIV-Positive Patients in a Medium-TB Burden Country.

Background: The authors aimed to compare TST with QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT) for detecting latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) in HIV-infected patients in Iran as a TB-medium endemic country.

Methods: In a cross-sectional design,130 HIV-positive patients in HIV clinic of Tehran University were studied. Patients screened for LTBI with QFT and TST simultaneously.

Parathyroid Hormone Levels May Predict Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis in Morbidly Obese Patients.

Background: Obesity as a worldwide health problem is associated with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Since severe liver injury may be present in asymptomatic obese patients and a definite diagnosis of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis can only be made after an invasive procedure of liver biopsy, there is a need for noninvasive methods to predict the probability of NASH.

Objectives: To investigate the role of vitamin D endocrine system in predicting the probability of presence of NASH in asymptomatic morbidly obese candidates of bariatric surgery.

Correlation of Histopathologic Findings of Non-Graft Threatening Preservation/Reperfusion Injury in Time-Zero Liver Needle Biopsies With Short-Term Post-transplantation Laboratory Alterations.

Background: Early post-transplantation alterations in liver tests are caused by a variety of etiologies including rejection, biliary or vascular complications, and preservation/reperfusion injury (PRI).

Objectives: The aim of this study was to show the correlation between histopathologic changes of PRI and the alterations in liver tests in the early post-transplantation period.

Materials And Methods: Between April 2013 and August 2014, histopathologic findings of protocol, time-zero, Tru-Cut, liver needle biopsies were evaluated in 94 cases of cadaveric liver transplantation.

NAFLD Prevalence in a Young Cadaveric Organ Donor Population.

Background: Liver transplantation is a critical survival point for patients with end stage liver diseases. It can dramatically increase patients' survival if the donor liver is intact. One aspect of liver health is absence of steatosis.

Patient outcomes in a liver transplant program in Iran.

Objectives: The first liver transplant program in Tehran was started at Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2002. The purpose of this study was to evaluate patient outcomes in this program.

Materials And Methods: From January 2002 to February 2013, there were 172 deceased-donor orthotopic liver transplants performed in 166 patients, including revision transplant in 6 patients.

Model for End stage Liver Disease (MELD) and Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) scores: Ability to predict mortality and removal from liver transplantation waiting list due to poor medical conditions.

Background: There are many patients awaiting liver transplantation with only few donors providing the organ. The Child-Turcotte-Pugh score (CTP) and the Model for End stage Liver Disease (MELD) are the most common scores for prioritizing patients on waiting lists. In this study, we compared the ability of these scores to predict mortality or removal from the waiting list due to poor medical conditions.