Neoadjuvant treatment for locally advanced unresectable and borderline resectable pancreatic cancer: oncological outcomes at a single academic centre.

Introduction: Pancreatic cancer (PC), even in the absence of metastatic disease, has a dismal prognosis. One-third of them are borderline resectable (BRPC) or locally advanced unresectable PC (LAUPC) at diagnosis. There are limited prospective data supporting the best approach on these tumours.

Integrating Downstaging in the Risk Assessment of Patients With Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer Treated With Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy: Validation of Valentini's Nomograms and the Neoadjuvant Rectal Score.

Background: Adjuvant chemotherapy is controversial in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer after preoperative chemoradiation. Valentini et al developed 3 nomograms (VN) to predict outcomes in these patients. The neoadjuvant rectal score (NAR) was developed after VN to predict survival.

Familial seborrhoeic keratosis associated with multiple 'pure reticulated acanthomas' and infundibulocystic basal cell carcinomas.

Background: A variety of genodermatoses with multiple cutaneous tumours and germline genetic alterations, such as PTCH1 mutations, have been described. Other cutaneous syndromes have been associated with somatic gene mutations, such as FGFR3 in familial seborrhoeic keratosis.

Objectives: To describe the clinical, dermoscopic and histopathological features of multiple cutaneous lesions, mostly infundibulocystic basal cell carcinomas (ICBCCs) and pure reticulated acanthomas, present in a family affected by familial seborrhoeic keratosis.

Novel Immunologic Approaches to Melanoma Treatment.

Approaches to treating melanoma have changed radically since the introduction of immunotherapy, and survival figures are now higher than possible with earlier therapies. The immunomodulators currently available mainly block CTLA-4 (cytotoxicT lymphocyte-associated molecule-4) and PD-1 (programed cell death protein 1) translocated to the cell surface, where they inhibit the antitumor immune response. Treatments blocking these molecules are being more widely used.

Differential Clinicopathological Features in Spontaneous Regression of Melanomas and Melanocytic Naevi.

The aim of this study was to determine the clinical, histological and/or immunohistochemical features that enable differential diagnosis of regression of melanocytic naevi from regression of melanomas. All melanocytic neoplasms with histologically-confirmed regression diagnosed in our hospital between 2002 and 2009 were reviewed retrospectively. Lamellar and delicate fibrosis were associated with melanocytic naevi (p <0.

Histiocytosis with mixed cell populations.

Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) and juvenile xanthogranuloma (JXG) are thought to originate from a common stem cell precursor, with divergent differentiation under different microenvironmental conditions. We describe an exceptional case of multiple cutaneous lesions in a 10-year-old boy, in which the coexistence of both LCH and JXG cell populations is found in every single lesion. The presence of Birbeck granules and CD207 (langerin) immunostaining in the LCH component would argue against the diagnosis of indeterminate cell histiocytosis (ICH).

Parvovirus B19-Associated Microvesicular Eruption.

We report on a 3-year-old girl with a microvesicular generalized rash in whom primary infection by parvovirus B19 was demonstrated by seroconversion. To our knowledge, this is the first instance of an eruption arising from parvovirus B19 with this peculiar clinical pattern.

Deregulation of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase expression during tumor progression of human cutaneous melanoma.

Background/aim: Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) is a highly abundant housekeeping gene. GAPDH overexpression has been reported in diverse types of human cancers including cutaneous melanoma. Our goal was to quantify GAPDH mRNA and protein expression in the whole spectrum of primary and metastatic melanomas in the search for a specific role for this ubiquitous molecule during tumor progression.

Spontaneous regression of multiple melanocytic nevi after melanoma: report of 3 cases.

Complete spontaneous regression of multiple melanocytic nevi after melanoma is an extremely rare phenomenon. We report 3 cases of patients with a history of melanoma that showed regression of almost all melanocytic nevi over time. One of the patients had 2 simultaneous primary cutaneous melanomas without metastasis.

Use of an integrated Atlas of Mental Health Care for evidence informed policy in Catalonia (Spain).

Background: This paper aims to present the Integrated Atlas of Mental Health of Catalonia (2010) focusing on: (a) the importance of using a taxonomy-based coding and standard system of data collection when assessing health services; and (b) its relevance as a tool for evidence-informed policy.

Method: This study maps all the care-related services for people with mental disorders available in Catalonia in 2010, using the 'Description and Evaluation of Services and Directories in Europe for long-term care' (DESDE-LTC). The unit of analysis is the Basic Stable Input of Care (BSIC), which is the minimal organisation unit composed by a set of inputs with temporal stability.

Assessment of regression in successive primary melanomas.

Introduction And Objectives: It has been suggested that patients who have had a melanoma may develop increased immunity against certain antigens expressed by tumor-associated melanocytes. Thus our objective was to review the records of patients with successive primary melanomas to ascertain whether the pattern of regression might indicate the presence of an immunization effect arising from the first melanoma.

Material And Methods: A review of all the cases recorded in the melanoma database of our dermatology department between 2000 and 2012 identified 19 patients who had multiple asynchronous melanomas (2.