A Case of Papulonodular Mucinosis in a Patient With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Papulonodular mucinosis is a distinctive lupus erythematosus cutaneous variant that generally occurs in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Despite a higher incidence of SLE in women, lupus cutaneous mucinosis occurs more frequently in men. Typically, papulonodular mucinosis appears as asymptomatic, flesh-colored papules and nodules with a propensity for the trunk and upper extremities.

Validation and implementation of an algorithm for reporting the automated absolute neutrophil count from selected flagged specimens.

Samples that are flagged by automated cell counters and, therefore, require a time-consuming microscopic review cause unacceptable wait times for patients in hematology/oncology clinics. We used a set of 518 samples to validate that 5 flags on Sysmex XE/XT instruments (Sysmex, Kobe, Japan) could safely be ignored when the absolute neutrophil count (ANC) was the primary clinical question. The R(2) between automated and manual ANCs was 96.

Islet grafting and imaging in a bioengineered intramuscular space.

Background: Because the hepatic portal system may not be the optimal site for islet transplantation, several extrahepatic sites have been studied. Here, we examine an intramuscular transplantation site, bioengineered to better support islet neovascularization, engraftment, and survival, and we demonstrate that at this novel site, grafted beta cell mass may be quantitated in a real-time noninvasive manner by positron emission tomography (PET) imaging.

Methods: Streptozotocin-induced rats were pretreated intramuscularly with a biocompatible angiogenic scaffold received syngeneic islet transplants 2 weeks later.

GAB2 amplifications refine molecular classification of melanoma.

Purpose: Gain-of-function mutations in BRAF, NRAS, or KIT are associated with distinct melanoma subtypes with KIT mutations and/or copy number changes frequently observed among melanomas arising from sun-protected sites, such as acral skin (palms, soles, and nail bed) and mucous membranes. GAB2 has recently been implicated in melanoma pathogenesis, and increased copy numbers are found in a subset of melanomas. We sought to determine the association of increased copy numbers of GAB2 among melanoma subtypes in the context of genetic alterations in BRAF, NRAS, and KIT.