Histopathology of scarring alopecia in Indian patients.

Objectives: Diagnosis of scarring alopecias (SAs) are challenging, especially when lesions late in the process of development are met with. There is a paucity of literature that profiles the role of histopathology in unscrambling this puzzle, especially in Indian patients. Our aim is to review the histological features of SA in Indian patients and attempt to assign a specific diagnosis.

Hunt for the hidden trait.

Objective: To assess the efficacy of a peripheral smear examination as a screening tool for β-thalassemia trait.

Materials And Methods: 17 623 Leishman-stained peripheral smears were evaluated during the period from July 2006 to September 2007. The following parameters were studied: hemoglobin, red blood cell count, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration and red cell distribution width.

WCAFTI: worrisome cytologic alterations following tissue infarction; a mimicker of malignancy in breast cytology.

The acronym WCAFTI (cafti)-(Worrisome cytologic alterations following tissue infarction) is introduced here for the first time for the entity which describes the spectrum of cytologic changes seen in spontaneous infarction of an epithelial lesion. The pathology may be responsible for abnormal cytologic findings such as cellular dyshesiveness, nuclear enlargement with cytoplasmic blurring and irregular nuclei. Although, it is a rare event, it is essential for a cytologist to be aware of this new acronym WCAFTI to avoid misinterpretation of atypical cells and necrosis as indicators of malignancy.