Fibrinogen storage disease without hypofibrinogenaemia associated with acute infection.

Aims: The presence of ground glass hepatocytes in a liver biopsy may be related to different conditions, including fibrinogen storage disease. Three types of fibrinogen storage disease have been described, namely types I, II and III. Type I is an hereditary hypofibrinogenaemia genetically characterized by a mutant variant of the fibrinogen molecule designated as fibrinogen Brescia, consistent with a gamma284 Gly-->Arg mutation.

Natural history of ulnar entrapment at elbow.

Objective: No clinical-neurophysiological data on natural history of ulnar neuropathy at elbow (UNE) are reported. The aim of the current study is to assess the course of untreated UNE.

Methods: We performed a follow-up at 1 year of 30 neurophysiologically positive UNE, 24 were untreated and 6 were operated on.

Toker cells are probably precursors of Paget cell carcinoma: a morphological and ultrastructural description.

The present paper documents an investigation of the morphology, immunohistochemistry, and ultrastructure of Toker cells (TC), aiming for a better definition of these elements and better understanding of their histogenesis. We studied 12 nipples removed for nipple adenoma from twelve patients and a case of supernumerary nipple. In addition four cases of Paget's carcinoma (PC) restricted to the nipple without underlying tumor were studied for comparison.

Orbital (desmoid type) fibromatosis.

A case of extra-abdominal fibromatosis (EF) of the orbit is described in a 35-year-old man presenting with progressive exophthalmos, right ptosis and diplopia. MRI showed an orbital mass of intermediate signal in T1-weighted images (WI) and low signal in T2WI, which enhanced non-homogeneously after contrast injection. The histological diagnosis of EF was made and the lesion was surgically removed.

Low-grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma of salivary glands: characteristic immunohistochemical profile and evidence of striated duct differentiation.

The purpose of the present study is to determine the presence and distribution of epithelial and myoepithelial cells in mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) of salivary glands and to compare them with normal salivary gland tissue and other primary carcinomas. This is in order to establish novel diagnostic criteria and to better understand MEC histogenesis. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues from ten well-differentiated MECs, three adenoid cystic carcinomas (ACC), four acinic cell carcinomas (AC), and three epithelial-myoepithelial carcinomas (EMCC) of salivary glands were studied with immunohistochemistry using antibodies that recognise antigens indicative of epithelial and myoepithelial cell differentiation.

Renal calcium phosphate and oxalate deposition in prolonged vitamin B6 deficiency: studies on a rat model of urolithiasis.

Objective: To determine the effect on kidney oxalate-salt deposition of a prolonged diet which induced vitamin B6 deficiency in adult rats, as there are reports of the pathogenic involvement of vitamin B6 deficiency in the formation of renal calcium oxalate calculi.

Materials And Methods: The study comprised 24 6-month-old male albino Wistar rats; 12 were fed with a purified vitamin B6-deficient diet and the others provided with the same diet but supplemented with 6 mg/kg of vitamin B6. After 12 weeks, all rats were killed, and their kidneys fixed in formalin and routinely processed to paraffin for morphological examination; some fragments were fixed in glutaraldehyde and prepared for ultrastructural examination.

TT virus-related acute recurrent hepatitis. Histological features of a case and review of the literature.

TT virus is a recently discovered virus, of which the pathogenetic potential is still uncertain. The present paper describes the histopathological features of a case of TT virus-related acute recurrent hepatitis. The patient is a 28-year-old woman with no history of drug or alcohol abuse, presenting with repeated episodes of hypertransaminasemia evidenced during the last 4 years.

[Myoepithelial differentiation markers in salivary gland neoplasia].

Salivary gland tumors frequently present myoepithelial cell differentiation that is not always easily identified on routinely stained sections. Recently novel markers of myoepithelium have been studied, such as calponin (CALP), caldesmon (CALD), and smooth muscle myosin heavy chain. These markers, together with smooth muscle actin may be useful tools for identifying myoepithelial cells.

Differential Expression of Myoepithelial Markers in Salivary, Sweat and Mammary Glands.

Myoepithelial cells (MECs) are contractile elements showing a combined epithelial and smooth muscle phenotype. Among the numerous immunohistochemical markers employed to detect MECs, smooth muscle actin (SMA) is the most widely used. Recently, other markers of smooth muscle differentiation have been demonstrated in MECs, such as calponin, heavy caldesmon (h-caldesmon), and smooth muscle myosin heavy chain (SMM-HC).

[Demonstration of TT virus in liver tissue fixed in formalin and embedded in paraffin].

Introduction: TT virus has been recently isolated in Japan in patients with acute and chronic non-A/non-G hepatitis. Its possible etiopathogenetic role in causing hepatitis has been initially taken in consideration. On the contrary, more recent studies deny the importance of TT virus in causing liver damage.

Comparative genomic hybridization analysis of myoepithelial carcinoma of the breast.

Although there seems to be a common stem cell for the two epithelial cell types in the breast, the vast majority of breast cancers exhibit a luminal phenotype. Pure myoepithelial carcinomas are rare. We report our findings of genetic alterations in these tumors.

Divergent differentiation in endocrine and nonendocrine tumors of the skin.

In the skin, endocrine tumors showing areas with nonendocrine features and nonendocrine tumors showing endocrine differentiation are present. (1) Neuroendocrine carcinomas with nonendocrine differentiation: Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) of the skin has been frequently described in association with squamous cells carcinoma (SCC) which can arise separately (as synchronous or metachronous lesions) from MCC as well as closely intermixed. In the first event the possibility that the lesions are sustained by same causative factors (among which sun exposure is the most probable) is suggested.

[Orbital embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma in adults. Report of 2 cases].

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most frequent sarcoma of infancy. Embryonal RMS is generally correlated with a better response to chemotherapy. In the present paper two cases of embryonal RMS of the orbit affecting adult patients are reported.

Progesterone receptor expression in orbital cavernous hemangiomas.

Orbital cavernous hemangiomas (OCH) have thick and highly cellular vascular walls. Ultrastructural studies have demonstrated the smooth muscle nature of these cells. Vascular neoplasms can modify their morphological and clinical features under hormonal stimulation.

[Quality control of the "M. Malpighi" Anatomy, Histology, and Pathologic Cytology Section, Oncology Department, University of Bologna, Bellaria Hospital].

The quality control scheme in use at the Department of Anatomic Pathology of the University of Bologna-Bellaria Hospital Since 1993 a quality assurance (QA) scheme has been set up in our Department, modified from the protocol in use at the Department of Pathology of Yale University and published by J. Rosai in his textbook. A QA committee has been appointed and each member is responsible for a specific branch of the total workload; the areas involved are: 1.

[Albumin mRNA and pCEA in the histopathologic diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma].

Extrahepatic neoplasms metastatic to the liver histologically are often indistinguishable from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The differential diagnosis between HCC and metastatic liver tumours can be even more difficult in ultrasound guided fine-needle biopsies. Purpose of the present study was to investigate the utility of immunohistochemical staining with polyclonal anticarcinoembryonic antigen (pCEA) antibody and of in situ hybridization (ISH) revealing human albumin mRNA, with emphasis on tissues obtained via fine-needle procedure.

Hypertrophic inflammatory neuropathy involving bilateral brachial plexus.

Background: The present case is an example of hypertrophic inflammatory neuropathy (HIN). This entity is a rare tumor-like, chronic inflammatory, focal or multifocal, mainly demyelinating neuropathy of unknown origin, most frequently involving the brachial plexus.

Case Description: The authors describe a 67-year-old man presenting with a nodular mass in his right supraclavicular fossa.

Angiomyolipoma of the parotid gland: a case report.

Angiomyolipoma is a hamartomatous process that most frequently occurs as a single lesion or multiple foci in the kidneys of patients affected by tuberous sclerosis. Angiomyolipoma can also arise in extrarenal sites, among which the liver is the most frequently recorded. Only rare cases of angiomyolipoma located in the head and neck region (ear and oral and nasal cavity) have been described.

[Helicobacter heilmannii: anatomo-clinical study of 14 new cases].

Introduction: Helicobacter pylori is one of the most common causes of human gastritis. Recently, a new agent has been isolated, which also causes a gastritis. It has been initially named Gastrospirillum hominis and renamed Helicobacter heilmannii (Hh).

Albumin gene expression in adenocarcinomas with hepatoid differentiation.

Two cases of hepatoid adenocarcinomas were studied with an in situ hybridization technique (ISH) using a RNA probe for human albumin mRNA. In case 1 the urinary bladder of a 67-year-old woman was affected; in case 2 the tumour was located in the gastric antrum of an 80-year-old woman. In neither case had alpha fetoprotein (AFP) been determined preoperatively.

[Malignant melanoma with pseudoepitheliomatous reaction marker. A case report].

Pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia or pseudocarcinomatous hyperplasia (PEH) is characterized by a downward expansion of the epidermis, which can simulate a squamous cell carcinoma (SC). It is usually associated to chronic inflammatory conditions, but rarely it can hide a tumour. In the present paper a case of melanoma (M) associated with a prominent PEH is described.

Identification of mitochondria in liver biopsies. A study by immunohistochemistry, immunogold and Western blot analysis.

Hepatocytes are rich in mitochondria, which play an important role in hepatic metabolism. In certain pathologic conditions (most often alcoholic liver disease) mitochondria became enlarged; nevertheless, even in these conditions they are hardly detectable on light microscopy. Recently an antimitochondrial antibody (mAM), which recognizes a 60-kDa protein, has been characterized.

Carcinomas of the breast showing myoepithelial cell differentiation. A review of the literature.

Myoepithelial cells are normally located between the epithelial cells and the basal lamina of secretory elements of exocrine glands. Their role in the histogenesis of breast tumours has been studied extensively, and a definite differentiation towards myoepithelial cells has been demonstrated in adenoid cystic carcinoma, adenomyoepithelioma, low-grade adenosquamous (syringomatous) carcinoma, pure malignant myoepithelioma and poorly differentiated myoepithelial-rich breast carcinoma. All these tumours are of low malignancy, with the exception of malignant myoepithelioma and poorly differentiated myoepithelial-rich carcinoma.