Small-vessel vasculitis surrounding an uninflamed temporal artery: a new diagnostic criterion for polymyalgia rheumatica?

Objective: To assess the prevalence and clinical significance of small-vessel vasculitis (SVV) surrounding an uninflamed temporal artery (TA) in patients diagnosed as having giant cell (temporal) arteritis (GCA) and/or polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR).

Methods: Patients with GCA and/or PMR (n = 490) were included in this multicenter prospective study. Slides of TA biopsy specimens were reviewed by 2 pathologists who were blinded with regard to clinical information.

Quantitative study of nerves of the human left atrium.

Objectives: To quantify and study the distribution of innervation of the left atrium and the pulmonary veins in humans.

Background: Damage to cardiac nerves has been hypothesized as the explanation for successful radiofrequency ablation of atrial fibrillation.

Methods: From January 2003 to September 2003, histologic and quantitative studies of innervation of the left atrium and the pulmonary veins was performed in 43 consecutive necropsied adult hearts (30 men and 3 women; mean age 45.

Correlation of the WHO schema for the classification of thymic epithelial neoplasms with prognosis: a retrospective study of 90 tumors.

A series of 90 thymic epithelial tumors were reviewed and classified by histopathologic characteristics into the three major categories (A, B, and C) recognized by the WHO schema. Each tumor type was correlated with patient characteristics and clinical data (age, sex, presence of myasthenia gravis, tumor size and invasiveness, and completeness of resection), and with outcome (survival, recurrence, and metastasis). All tumors were categorized by the WHO schema.

Primary cardiac lymphoma in immunocompetent patients: a report of three cases and review of the literature.

Primary cardiac lymphoma is an extranodal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma exclusively located in the heart and/or pericardium, extremely rare in immunocompetent patients, and more frequent in immunodepressed patients. We present 3 retrospectives cases of primary cardiac lymphoma in immunocompetent patients and review 35 cases reported in the literature. Two patients were adults and one was a child.

Primary sarcomas of the lung: a clinicopathologic study of 12 cases.

Background: Chest physicians have a limited experience of primary pulmonary sarcomas, which represent a particular entity among rare intrathoracic neoplasms.

Design: Retrospective review of medical records.

Purpose: To study patients with primary sarcomas of the lung diagnosed in our pathology department in order to define their clinical characteristics, treatment, and prognosis.