Liver transplantation and cirrhotomimetic hepatocellular carcinoma: classification and outcomes.

Liver transplantation has become the standard-of-care treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) that falls within certain size and numerical criteria for patients with cirrhosis. Cirrhotomimetic (CMM) HCC is an uncommon growth pattern that infiltrates cirrhotic parenchyma, can become extensive in size, and can evade detection via radiological studies. Liver transplant outcomes for this type of HCC are not well reported but generally are considered to be poor.

In situ hybridization for Coccidioides immitis 5.8S ribosomal RNA sequences in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded pulmonary specimens using a locked nucleic acid probe: a rapid means for identification in tissue sections.

Coccidioides immitis/Coccidioides posadasii are common causes of pulmonary infection in certain geographic areas, and are highly infectious when working with culture isolates in the laboratory. Rapid techniques to accurately identify this pathogen in tissues may be of benefit for diagnosis and in limiting the exposure of laboratory personnel to this agent. Locked nucleic acids (LNA) are modified nucleotides in which a ribonucleoside is linked between the 2'-oxygen and the 4'-carbon atoms with a methylene unit.

Diagnostic utility of mucin profile in fine-needle aspiration specimens of the pancreas: an immunohistochemical study with surgical pathology correlation.

Background: The cytologic differentiation between neoplastic and reactive/reparative processes in the endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspirations (EUS-FNA) of the pancreas can be difficult. Malignant transformation of the pancreatic ductal epithelium changes the expression of apomucins. The goal of the current study was to determine an optimal immunohistochemical panel of mucin (MUC) antibodies that would allow the cytomorphologic distinction of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and its differentiation from reactive/reparative processes and inadvertently sampled gastric and duodenal mucosa.

Lack of benefit of pre-transplant locoregional hepatic therapy for hepatocellular cancer in the current MELD era.

The potential for disease progression in patients awaiting liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has encouraged many centers to employ pre-transplant radiofrequency ablation or chemoembolization in an attempt to control tumor burden while patients are on the wait list. Despite general acceptance by the transplant community, few objective data demonstrate pre-transplant treatment efficacy or improved post-transplant outcomes in HCC patients listed with Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) exception points. To evaluate the utility of pre-transplant therapy in the current MELD era, we retrospectively compared 31 treated patients (T) with 33 untreated (U) controls.

Appendicitis among liver transplant recipients.

Appendicitis among liver transplant recipients has not been described in the current literature. We report 8 recipients who experienced appendicitis three weeks to 181 months after liver transplantation (LT). Initial presenting findings differed from the nonimmunosuppressed population in that a majority of the patients did not have leukocytosis (>10,000 cells/mm3).