An unusual clinical presentation of myxoid dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans with a prominent vasculature: A potential pitfall in the diagnosis of myxoid soft tissue tumors.

Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is a rare soft tissue tumor that arises primarily on the trunk and extremities but seldom on the scalp. Several variants of DFSP have been described, including myxoid DFSP. Although typical DFSP may have focally myxoid areas, myxoid DFSP, in which most of the stroma is myxoid, is rare and can pose diagnostic challenges.

Pediatric vaccine-strain herpes zoster: a case series.

Background/objectives: Herpes zoster (HZ) is caused by reactivation of the varicella zoster virus (VZV), and typically causes a painful, vesicular, dermatomal rash in adults over the age of fifty. However, HZ has been known to present in immunocompetent pediatric patients, which account for under 1% of total cases. Pediatric cases are typically caused by natural infection with VZV, but among vaccinated children up to half of cases can be due to vaccine-strain VZV.

Outcomes of basal cell carcinomas directly invading the parotid gland.

Background: Parotid involvement by basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is rare, and therefore management is controversial.

Objective: To review the treatment and outcomes of patients with BCC involving the parotid by direct infiltration.

Methods And Materials: The authors performed a retrospective chart review of BCC cases involving the parotid.

3-D ultrastructure of O. tauri: electron cryotomography of an entire eukaryotic cell.

The hallmark of eukaryotic cells is their segregation of key biological functions into discrete, membrane-bound organelles. Creating accurate models of their ultrastructural complexity has been difficult in part because of the limited resolution of light microscopy and the artifact-prone nature of conventional electron microscopy. Here we explored the potential of the emerging technology electron cryotomography to produce three-dimensional images of an entire eukaryotic cell in a near-native state.

Electron cryotomography sample preparation using the Vitrobot.

Electron cryotomography is the highest-resolution structural technique currently available that can be applied to unique objects such as flexible large protein complexes, irregular viruses, organelles and small cells. Specimens are preserved in a near-native, 'frozen-hydrated' state by vitrification. The thickness of the vitreous ice must be optimized for each specimen, and gold fiducials are typically added to facilitate image alignment.

Three-dimensional structure of Mycoplasma pneumoniae's attachment organelle and a model for its role in gliding motility.

While most motile bacteria propel themselves with flagella, other mechanisms have been described including retraction of surface-attached pili, secretion of polysaccharides, or movement of motors along surface protein tracks. These have been referred to collectively as forms of 'gliding' motility. Despite being simultaneously one of the smallest and simplest of all known cells, Mycoplasma pneumoniae builds a surprisingly large and complex cell extension known as the attachment organelle that enables it to glide.