New Step in Understanding the Pathogenetic Mechanism of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: Involvement of the Pontine Reticular Gigantocellular Nucleus.

This study aimed to investigate, for the first time, the potential role of the gigantocellular nucleus, a component of the reticular formation, in the pathogenetic mechanism of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), an event frequently ascribed to failure to arouse from sleep. This research was motivated by previous experimental studies demonstrating the gigantocellular nucleus involvement in regulating the sleep-wake cycle. We analyzed the brains of 48 infants who died suddenly within the first 7 months of life, including 28 SIDS cases and 20 controls.

Involvement of the Superior Colliculus in SIDS Pathogenesis.

The aim of this study was to investigate the involvement of the mesencephalic superior colliculus (SC) in the pathogenetic mechanism of SIDS, a syndrome frequently ascribed to arousal failure from sleep. We analyzed the brains of 44 infants who died suddenly within the first 7 months of life, among which were 26 infants with SIDS and 18 controls. In-depth neuropathological investigations of serial sections of the midbrain showed the SC layered cytoarchitectural organization already well known in animals, as made up of seven distinct layers, but so far never highlighted in humans, albeit with some differences.

The Histogenetic Model of Melanoma in the Modern Era of Personalized Medicine.

Malignant melanoma (M) can be defined, quite simply, as a malignant neoplasm derived from melanocytes; however, there is great histological and, consequently, clinical variability from case to case (1). In order to try to overcome this intrinsic difficulty, various classification systems have been proposed over the years; as part of this effort, the World Health Organization (WHO) introduced its famous classification about half a century ago (2). Currently, the International Classification of Diseases for Oncology (ICD-O), provided by the WHO International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), distinguishes the in situ forms from invasive ones, recognizing four main morphological subtypes: nodular M, superficial spreading M, lentigo maligna M, and acral lentiginous M (3).

Sudden intrauterine unexplained death: time to adopt uniform postmortem investigative guidelines?

Background: Worldwide approximately 2.6 million are stillborn, mostly occurring in developing countries. In the great part these deaths are inexplicable.

Neuropathology of Early Sudden Infant Death Syndrome-Hypoplasia of the Pontine Kolliker-Fuse Nucleus: A Possible Marker of Unexpected Collapse during Skin-to-Skin Care.

Objective: To find a possible pathogenetic mechanism of the early sudden infant death occurring in newborns during the skin-to-skin care (SSC), through the examination of neuronal centers regulating the vital activities.

Study Design: This is an in-depth examination of the brain stem in 22 healthy term newborns, suddenly died in the first hour of life without the identification of a cause at autopsy (early sudden infant death syndrome [eSIDS]), 12 of them concomitantly with SSC, and 10 with age-matched controls died of known pathology.

Results: Developmental alterations of neuronal structures of the brain stem were highlighted in 19 of the 22 eSIDS, but not in control.

Pathobiological expression of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in cerebellar cortex of sudden fetal and infant death victims.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a neurotrophin of the central nervous system, is able to regulate neuronal differentiation and modulate synaptic plasticity, being particularly involved in the development of the cerebellar cortical structure. The main aim of this study was to delineate, by immunohistochemistry, the BDNF expression in human cerebellar cortex of victims of fetal and infant death. The study was performed on a total of 45 cases, aged between 25 gestational weeks and 6 postnatal months, including 29 victims of sudden fetal and infant death and 16 age-matched subjects who died of known causes (Controls).

Sudden unexpected postnatal collapse at 20 hours from birth during skin-to-skin care related to brainstem developmental alterations - a case report.

This report describes a case of sudden collapse of a 20-hour-old newborn, while he was placed close to their mother according to skin-to-skin care, attributed to developmental alterations of brainstem nuclei involved in regulation of the vital functions. The infant, after a normal pregnancy, appeared well developed at birth, with no evidence of malformations or trauma, but showing severe asphyxia. The routine autopsy did not reveal a possible cause of death.

Prognostic Predictors of Thin Melanoma in Clinico-Pathological Practice.

The latest reviews on thin melanoma (TM) continue to consider it a melanoma within 1 mm in thickness, but no consensus exists as to which patients with TM are at risk for lymph node metastases (1). Numerous studies have evaluated the impact of various predictors (Breslow thickness, Clark level, ulceration, regression, vascular invasion, mitotic activity, location, sex) for nodal disease in melanoma, but the conclusions have not been homogenous (2,3). For this reason, we read the paper by Homolak et al.

Nicotinic Receptor Abnormalities in the Cerebellar Cortex of Sudden Unexplained Fetal and Infant Death Victims-Possible Correlation With Maternal Smoking.

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are cationic channels of the neuronal cell membrane, differentially expressed in the central nervous system which, when activated by endogenous acetylcholine or exogenous nicotine, are able to enhance cholinergic transmission. The aim of this study was to investigate in human perinatal age the immunohistochemical expression of the α7-nAChR subtype, given its involvement in neuronal differentiation and its significant vulnerability to the toxic effects of nicotine. Thirty fetuses (with a gestational age between 25 and 40 weeks) and 35 infants (1-6 months old), suddenly died of known (controls) and unknown causes (unexplained deaths), with smoking and nonsmoking mothers, were included in this study.

Neuropathological protocol for the study of unexplained stillbirth.

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In Vivo Uptake of Rare Earth Metals by Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells.

Rare earth metals (REM) are a group of 17 chemical elements in the periodic table, namely scandium (Sc), yttrium (Y) and the lanthanides. In relation to atomic volume and geological behavior, the lanthanides are further subdivided into light, medium and heavy REM. They find many applications in the technological field; however, their impact on the human health is still conflicting and, for many aspects, unknown.