KRAS G12D mutation in Brunner gland adenoma.

Brunner gland lesions (BGLs) encompass benign proliferations of the homonymous glands and have been designated as hyperplasia, adenoma (BGA), hamartoma or nodule. In general terms, lesions larger than 0.5 cm are considered true neoplasia with unknown malignant potential and unclear pathogenesis.

When technology leads social business: Food truck innovation.

As restaurants and other non-essential businesses shut down to halt the spread of COVID-19, food-trucks adapted their business model, taking advantage of lower overheads and the ability to be mobile, to provide a response to the spike in demand for ready-made food. Set in France, this study identifies how food-trucks harnessed technology to support sustainable social business. We use triangulation to collect and analyse data from consumers and food-truck owners/managers on their perceptions of the value proposition and its limitations.

Concurrent B Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Lymphoma/Leukemia and Monoclonal B Cell Lymphocytosis: A Case Report with Extensive Molecular Analysis.

Although acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and monoclonal B cell lymphocytosis (MBL) are common neoplasia, a simultaneous presentation is very unusual. Here, we present two different B cell clones, MBL and B-ALL, cocirculating in a 78-year-old African American male. Detailed molecular characterization revealed an unusual MPL (T487I) point mutation and unmutated VH4-39.

Exome sequencing identifies novel somatic variants in African American esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Esophageal cancer has a strikingly low survival rate mainly due to the lack of diagnostic markers for early detection and effective therapies. In the U.S.

Inclusion of an E7 DNA Amplification Test Improves the Robustness of Human Papillomavirus-Associated Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Diagnosis.

Background: The rise in human papillomavirus (HPV) infection rates over the last few decades in the USA has contributed to a significant increase in the overall incidence of patients diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. These head and neck carcinomas develop in the oropharynx, with more than 90% of them caused by infection with high-risk HPV type 16. Patients diagnosed with HPV-induced oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas (OPSCCs) have a better prognosis and treatment response than those diagnosed with head and neck cancers caused by alcohol consumption and tobacco use.

The role of interleukin-15 in inflammation and immune responses to infection: implications for its therapeutic use.

Interleukin-15 (IL-15) is a pleiotropic cytokine with a broad range of biological functions in many diverse cell types. It plays a major role in the development of inflammatory and protective immune responses to microbial invaders and parasites by modulating immune cells of both the innate and adaptive immune systems. This review provides an overview of the mechanisms by which IL-15 modulates the host response to infectious agents and its utility as a cytokine adjuvant in vaccines against infectious pathogens.

Activation-induced cytidine deaminase expression in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma with a paracortical growth pattern: a lymphoma of possible interfollicular large B-cell origin.

Context: Activation-induced cytidine deaminase, necessary for immunoglobulin somatic hypermutation and class switch recombination, is usually expressed within the follicular dendritic network but is also expressed in a population of interfollicular large B cells outside the germinal center.

Objective: To report 7 cases of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma with a distinct paracortical distribution. Expression of activation-induced cytidine deaminase, previously described in interfollicular large B cells, was evaluated.

Vaccinia virus-based multivalent H5N1 avian influenza vaccines adjuvanted with IL-15 confer sterile cross-clade protection in mice.

The potential for a global influenza pandemic remains significant with epidemiologic and ecologic indicators revealing the entrenchment of the highly pathogenic avian influenza A H5N1 in both wild bird populations and domestic poultry flocks in Asia and in many African and European countries. Indisputably, the single most effective public health intervention in mitigating the devastation such a pandemic could unleash is the availability of a safe and effective vaccine that can be rapidly deployed for pre-exposure vaccination of millions of people. We have developed two vaccinia-based influenza vaccines that are molecularly adjuvanted with the immune stimulatory cytokine IL-15.

Expression of NR1, NR2A and NR2B NMDA receptor subunits is not altered in the genetically-inbred Balb/c mouse strain with heightened behavioral sensitivity to MK-801, a noncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonist.

The genetically-inbred Balb/c mouse strain shows heightened sensitivity to the ability of MK-801 (dizocilpine), a noncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonist, to raise the threshold voltage necessary to precipitate tonic hindlimb extension and elicit irregular episodes of intense jumping behavior (referred to as "popping"), relative to other inbred mouse strains and the outbred NIH Swiss mouse. Moreover, an allosteric modulatory effect of sarcosine, a glycine reuptake inhibitor, on MK-801's antagonism of electrically precipitated seizures was detected 24 h after Balb/c mice were forced to swim in cold water for up to 10 min; this was not observed in unstressed Balb/c mice or stressed or unstressed NIH Swiss mice. Phencyclidine (PCP), a noncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonist that binds to the same hydrophobic channel domain as MK-801, precipitates a schizophreniform psychosis in susceptible individuals that shares descriptive similarities with schizophrenia.

Classic Kaposi Sarcoma in the United States over the last two decades: a clinicopathologic and molecular study of 438 non-HIV-related Kaposi Sarcoma patients with comparison to HIV-related Kaposi Sarcoma.

Classic Kaposi sarcoma is rare and occurs predominantly in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern men. Since the emergence of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related Kaposi sarcoma, the incidence, clinicopathologic features, and molecular human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) association of American Classic Kaposi Sarcoma has not been fully explored. This study compares Classic Kaposi Sarcoma to AIDS-related Kaposi Sarcoma over the same two decade time period.

Primary pulmonary and mediastinal synovial sarcoma: a clinicopathologic study of 60 cases and comparison with five prior series.

Primary pulmonary and mediastinal synovial sarcoma is rare and poses a diagnostic challenge particularly when unusual histological features are present. We present 60 cases of primary pulmonary and mediastinal synovial sarcoma (29 male and 27 female subjects; mean age, 42 years) and compare our results with five prior series to better define unusual histological features. Clinically, patients with mediastinal synovial sarcoma were younger with a male gender bias.

Ewing sarcoma family of tumors in unusual sites: confirmation by rt-PCR.

Ewing sarcoma family tumors originating in the palate or adrenal gland are extremely rare and may cause difficulty in diagnosis. More common tumors primary to these sites need to be excluded before one arrives at the correct diagnosis. We have recently diagnosed 2 such cases.

Gene rearrangement and comparative genomic hybridization studies of classic Hodgkin lymphoma expressing T-cell antigens.

Context: Reed-Sternberg cells in classic Hodgkin lymphoma are enigmatic and difficult to study because they are so sparse. Tissue microdissection allows for the isolation of single Reed-Sternberg cells. Isolated Reed-Sternberg cells show clonal immunoglobulin gene rearrangement indicating a B-cell origin.

Minute synovial sarcomas of the hands and feet: a clinicopathologic study of 21 tumors less than 1 cm.

Synovial sarcoma, one of the most common types of soft tissue sarcomas, usually presents in the proximal or middle portions of the extremities, often as a large mass with an aggressive clinical behavior. Gland-forming biphasic and spindle cell fibrous monophasic tumors are the most common subtypes. In this study, we evaluated 21 minute synovial sarcomas, <1 cm in diameter, from the hands and feet.

Activity of the tyrosine kinase inhibitor PKC412 in a patient with mast cell leukemia with the D816V KIT mutation.

The majority of patients with systemic mast cell disease express the imatinib-resistant Asp816Val (D816V) mutation in the KIT receptor tyrosine kinase. Limited treatment options exist for aggressive systemic mastocytosis (ASM) and mast cell leukemia (MCL). We evaluated whether PKC412, a small-molecule inhibitor of KIT with a different chemical structure from imatinib, may have therapeutic use in advanced SM with the D816V KIT mutation.

Time-motion analysis of 6 cystic fibrosis mutation detection systems.

Background: A dramatic increase in requests for routine cystic fibrosis (CF) carrier screening prompted us to conduct a time-motion analysis comparing commercially available CF testing platforms. Questions addressed in the study included: (a) How much time is required to perform each step involved in carrying out the assay procedure? (b) Which system requires the minimum number of manual manipulations to complete a typical run? (c) What workflow benefits can be achieved by automation?

Methods: We used a 96-sample run for comparisons and analyzed each of the 6 methods to determine the number of pipetting steps and manual manipulations, the labor and instrument time, and the total time required to perform the assay. The survey participants included a staff of 4 technologists who perform complex molecular assays regularly.

Comparison of the performance of screening mammography, physical examination, and breast US and evaluation of factors that influence them: an analysis of 27,825 patient evaluations.

Purpose: To (a) determine the performance of screening mammography, ultrasonography (US), and physical examination (PE); (b) analyze the influence of age, hormonal status, and breast density; (c) compare the size and stage of tumors detected with each modality; and (d) determine which modality or combination of modalities optimize cancer detection.

Materials And Methods: A total of 11,130 asymptomatic women underwent 27,825 screening sessions, (mammography and subsequent PE). Women with dense breasts subsequently underwent screening US.

Human herpesvirus 8 genome is not found in whole bone marrow core biopsy specimens of patients with plasma cell dyscrasias.

Recently, molecular evidence of the gamma herpesvirus, human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8), was found in the nonmalignant bone marrow stromal cells of patients with multiple myeloma using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based assay. Other investigators have been unable to confirm either the presence of HHV-8 using molecular techniques or serologic evidence of prior infection with HHV-8. In order to maximize the likelihood of detection of small quantities of the virus and minimize the risk of potential nucleic acid contamination, we used entire bone marrow biopsy core specimens for DNA extraction and amplification.

Molecular testing for hereditary hemochromatosis.

Recent molecular genetic testing methods for hereditary hemochromatosis (HH) and single nucleotide polymorphisms are summarized. Comparisons of various sample preparation and detection instrumentation are made in terms of automation, cost, high-throughput and feasibility of implementation in a clinical laboratory. Examples are given for the analysis of the two mutations associated with hereditary hemochromatosis (HH) by high-performance liquid chromatography, capillary electrophoresis and mass spectrometry based on single nucleotide extension.

Detection of SYT-SSX fusion transcripts in archival synovial sarcomas by real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction.

Synovial sarcomas comprise approximately 5% of soft tissue sarcomas and occur primarily in young adults. The t(X;18) (p11.2;q11.