A benign maxillary tumour with malignant features.

Non-specific biopsy results such as chronic inflammation, hemorrhage, necrosis can be frustrating to the clinician. This is especially true if the patient presents with clinical features suggestive of an aggressive tumour. This is a review of the clinical features, diagnostic dilemmas and surgical management of a benign maxillary mass with malignant features - a disease called hematoma-like mass of the maxillary sinus (HLMMS).

A silenced allele in the Colton blood group system.

Background: The antigens of the Colton blood group system, Co(a) and Co(b), are encoded by a single gene that produces the aquaporin-1 (AQP1) protein, a water channel-forming protein, and are characterized by a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). A healthy Caucasoid blood donor originally typed as Co(a-b-) with commercial anti-Co(b) typed Co(a-b+) when retested with another anti-Co(b). Retyped with two different molecular biology methods, the sample came out Co(a)/Co(b).

Simultaneous characterization of progenitor cell compartments in adult human liver.

The human liver is a complex tissue consisting of epithelial, endothelial, hematopoietic, and mesenchymal elements that probably derive from multiple lineage-committed progenitors, but no comprehensive study aimed at identifying and characterizing intrahepatic precursors has yet been published. Cell suspensions for this study were obtained by enzymatic digestion of liver specimens taken from 20 patients with chronic liver disease and 13 multiorgan donors. Stem and progenitor cells were first isolated, amplified, and characterized ex vivo according to previously validated methods, and then optimized flow cytometry was used to assess their relative frequencies and characterize their immunophenotypes in the clinical specimens.

CD20-related signaling pathway is differently activated in normal and dystrophic circulating CD133(+) stem cells.

Among the heterogeneous population of circulating hematopoietic and endothelial progenitors, we identified a subpopulation of CD133(+) cells displaying myogenic properties. Unexpectedly, we observed the expression of the B-cell marker CD20 in blood-derived CD133(+) stem cells. The CD20 antigen plays a role in the modulation of intracellular calcium homeostasis through signaling pathways activation.

Ten-year quality control of a semiautomated procedure of cord blood unit volume reduction.

Background: Volume reduction of cord blood units decreases the cost of cryogenic storage. This study reports the analysis of a 10-year quality control program of a semiautomated cord blood volume reduction procedure.

Study Design And Methods: Cord blood was collected in a plastic bag containing 29 mL citrate-phosphate-dextrose, centrifuged at 2124 x g for 12 minutes, and processed with a semiautomated device.