Quantitative Uncertainty Analysis for a Weed Risk Assessment System.

Weed risk assessments (WRA) are used to identify plant invaders before introduction. Unfortunately, very few incorporate uncertainty ratings or evaluate the effects of uncertainty, a fundamental risk component. We developed a probabilistic model to quantitatively evaluate the effects of uncertainty on the outcomes of a question-based WRA tool for the United States.

A study to improve the identification of pancreatobiliary adenocarcinoma utilizing fine-needle aspiration cytology and immunohistochemical application for KOC and S100P.

Introduction: The identification of pancreatic adenocarcinoma by fine-needle aspiration (FNA) cytology is a difficult, yet critical, task. This study uses a panel of two immunohistochemical (IHC) markers, KOC and S100P, to augment the interpretation of pancreatic adenocarcinoma using cytopathology specimens and to compare these to corresponding surgical specimens.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 33 surgical specimens with pancreatic adenocarcinoma and 33 corresponding, preceding FNA cytology specimens.

Parvovirus b19 persistence in abnormal thyroid tissue of a mature cystic ovarian teratoma: a case report.

Ovarian teratomas represent the most common neoplasm derived from germ cells and can contain mature ectodermal, mesodermal, and endodermal tissues. In rare cases, these teratomas can be composed predominantly or solely of thyroid tissue. These thyroid cells often function similarly to normal thyroid tissues.

Infection and persistence of erythrovirus B19 in benign and cancerous thyroid tissues.

Human erythrovirus B19 (EVB19) is a small, pathogenic DNA virus that has been associated with a wide range of illnesses. The primary site of replication is in bone marrow-derived erythroid progenitor cells, but EVB19 DNA has been detected in a wide range of organs. Recently, studies have linked EVB19 to thyroid cancers and other thyroid diseases.

Increased IL-6 detection in adult and pediatric lymphoid tissue harboring parvovirus B19.

Background: Parvovirus B19 (B19V) is a common pathogenic virus infecting humans. Previous studies have shown evidence of B19V infection in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) and Hodgkin's lymphoma using ELISA and PCR on serum specimens. B19V nonstructural protein is known to alter the expression of cellular factors including interleukin-6 (IL-6), which can increase the risk for and worsen the prognosis of lymphomas.

Chlamydia induces anchorage independence in 3T3 cells and detrimental cytological defects in an infection model.

Chlamydia are gram negative, obligate intracellular bacterial organisms with different species causing a multitude of infections in both humans and animals. Chlamydia trachomatis is the causative agent of the sexually transmitted infection (STI) Chlamydia, the most commonly acquired bacterial STI in the United States. Chlamydial infections have also been epidemiologically linked to cervical cancer in women co-infected with the human papillomavirus (HPV).

Detection of parvovirus B19 capsid proteins in testicular tissues.

Objective: To detect B19 capsid proteins, VP1 and VP2, in testicular tissues, both normal and tumor, using immunohistochemistry.

Methods: Samples of normal, fetal, and tumor testicular tissue (n = 31) and normal testicular DNA (n = 1) were tested for the presence of B19. Immunohistochemistry staining was used for the detection of viral capsid proteins VP1 and VP2.

Parvovirus B19 infection in Hashimoto's thyroiditis, papillary thyroid carcinoma, and anaplastic thyroid carcinoma.

Background: The human pathogenic parvovirus B19 (B19) has recently been detected in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) tissues at a high frequency in two studies of a Chinese cohort. We wanted to extend these data to include another cohort and expand the thyroid tumor tissue types assessed. In particular, we were interested to find whether B19 also infects anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC), one of the most aggressive human cancers.

Enlarged benign-appearing cervical lymph nodes by ultrasonography are associated with increased likelihood of cancer somewhere within the thyroid in patients undergoing thyroid nodule evaluation.

Background: Benign-appearing cervical lymph nodes (CLN) are easy to assess during an ultrasonography (US) evaluation for a guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy of a suspicious thyroid nodule, but their clinical significance regarding thyroid cancer risk is not known. Non-malignant-appearing nodes may be an indicator of early malignancy in the thyroid. We hypothesize that there is an increased prediction of thyroid cancer when benign-appearing enlarged CLN (ECLN) > 1 cm in any dimension are present during an US evaluation of thyroid nodules.

Synchronous thymoma and thymic carcinoid in a woman with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1: case report and review.

Objective: To report a rare case of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN 1) in conjunction with concomitant thymoma and thymic carcinoid.

Methods: We describe a never before reported case involving a 63-year-old female patient with MEN 1 who had synchronous thymoma and thymic carcinoid tumors. A review of the pertinent literature is also undertaken.

Application of immunohistochemistry to cytology.

Context: The uses of monoclonal antibodies via immunochemistry have been reported frequently within the literature using various methodologies with applications to cytology specimens. The direct application of immunochemistry to cytology may have a variety of pitfalls that the general pathologist familiar with its application to histology may be unaware of when applying it prospectively to patient specimens.

Objective: To review common pitfalls when applying immunochemistry to cytology specimens and to suggest approaches to the more common differential dilemmas that apply to a variety of cytology specimens that could be seen in a general pathology practice.

Herpes virus infection in peritoneal fluid: a case report and review of literature.

Herpetic infections in body cavity fluids are unusual and are rarely reported in the cytology literature. We report a case of a 74-yr-old woman who developed ascites after undergoing an elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy for biliary colic. Cytology of peritoneal fluid revealed changes in a herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection that was confirmed by immunocytological staining.

Fine-needle aspiration in PreservCyt: a novel and reproducible method for possible ancillary proteomic pattern expression of breast neoplasms by SELDI-TOF.

Proteomic profiles of tumor protein expression by the surface enhanced laser desorption-ionization time of flight (SELDI-TOF) methodology have been shown to have a potential usefulness for protein discovery as well as screening, diagnosis, prognosis and therapeutic considerations of cancer from several organ systems. Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) specimens from tumor samples is an accepted method to diagnose the cells of interest but often can be a limited assessment due to quantity of the sample. The current use of fresh or rapidly frozen specimens for proteomic profiling can be burdensome for clinicians to collect and submit specimens.