High charge of cerebroid nests in nodular melanomas predicts tumor aggressiveness and high mutational tumoral burden: a pilot study.

Purpose: Even today, melanoma is a highly aggressive neoplasm with a high mortality rate. The nodular type is very aggressive and has cerebroid nests of melanocytes (CNMs) at the growth edge, morphologically similar to the poorly differentiated neoplastic epithelial cell clusters described in colorectal, breast, and endometrioid endometrial cancers.

Patients And Methods: We selected 25 nodular melanomas (NMs) with known molecular profiles, of which the entire paraffin-embedded lesion was available.

Salivary Gland Secretory Carcinoma: Clinicopathologic and Genetic Characteristics of 215 Cases and Proposal for a Grading System.

Salivary gland secretory carcinoma (SC), previously mammary analog SC, is a low-grade malignancy characterized by well-defined morphology and an immunohistochemical and genetic profile identical to SC of the breast. Translocation t(12;15)(p13;q25) resulting in the ETV6 :: NTRK3 gene fusion is a characteristic feature of SC along with S100 protein and mammaglobin immunopositivity. The spectrum of genetic alterations for SC continues to evolve.

A longitudinal study of C1q and anti-C1q autoantibodies in homologous and heterologous pregnancies for predicting pre-eclampsia.

C1q, the recognition molecule of the classical pathway of the complement system, plays a central role in pregnancy. Lack of C1q is characterized by poor trophoblast invasion and pregnancy failure. C1q can be the target of an antibody response: anti-C1q autoantibodies (anti-C1q) are present in several infectious and autoimmune diseases.

SARS-CoV-2 modulates virus receptor expression in placenta and can induce trophoblast fusion, inflammation and endothelial permeability.

SARS-CoV-2 is a devastating virus that induces a range of immunopathological mechanisms including cytokine storm, apoptosis, inflammation and complement and coagulation pathway hyperactivation. However, how the infection impacts pregnant mothers is still being worked out due to evidence of vertical transmission of the SARS-CoV-2, and higher incidence of pre-eclampsia, preterm birth, caesarian section, and fetal mortality. In this study, we assessed the levels of the three main receptors of SARS-CoV-2 (ACE2, TMPRSS2 and CD147) in placentae derived from SARS-CoV-2 positive and negative mothers.

Unexpected Vertical Transmission of SARS-CoV-2: Discordant Clinical Course and Transmission from Mother to Newborn.

Mother-to-newborn COVID-19 transmission is mainly postnatal, but single-case reports and small case series have also described SARS-CoV-2 transplacental transmission. Unfortunately, studies regarding vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 lack systematic approaches to diagnosis and classification. So far, scientific evidence seems to suggest that the severity of maternal infection increases the risk of vertical transmission.

Myasthenia Gravis crossing Parkinson's disease: a 20 year study from single Italian center.

Purpose: The concomitant diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD) and Myasthenia Gravis (MG) is rare. The aim of the study was to report our experience of patients with both diagnoses.

Material And Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of patients with MG and PD, seen at Neurology Department, Modena, Italy from 2000 to 2020.

Constitutive PSGL-1 Correlates with CD30 and TCR Pathways and Represents a Potential Target for Immunotherapy in Anaplastic Large T-Cell Lymphoma.

Due to the high expression of P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1) in lymphoproliferative disorders and in multiple myeloma, it has been considered as a potential target for humoral immunotherapy, as well as an immune checkpoint inhibitor in T-cells. By investigating the expression of in 678 T- and B-cell samples by gene expression profiling (GEP), further supported by tissue microarray and immunohistochemical analysis, we identified anaplastic large T-cell lymphoma (ALCL) as constitutively expressing SELPLG at high levels. Moreover, GEP analysis in CD30+ ALCLs highlighted a positive correlation of with (CD30-coding gene) and T-cell receptor (TCR)-signaling genes ( and ), suggesting that the common dysregulation of TCR expression in ALCLs may be bypassed by the involvement of PSGL-1 in T-cell activation and survival.

Chronic thyroiditis in lateral ectopic thyroid mimicking cervical metastasis of thyroid cancer.

Summary: We present the case of a 45-year-old Caucasian woman who attended the Endocrinology Unit for a left cervical mass discovered during follow-up for autoimmune chronic thyroiditis. The ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy of the lesion was consistent with a metastasis of follicular thyroid carcinoma. The sonographic neck evaluation revealed no thyroid nodules but three markedly hypoechoic and highly vascularized areas, with irregular margins and hyperechoic spots.

Cytoproliferative activity in colorectal poorly differentiated clusters: Biological significance in tumor setting.

Background: Poorly differentiated clusters (PDCs) have gained a significant prognostic role in colorectal carcinomas (CRCs) being associated to high risk of lymph node metastasis, shorter survival time and poor prognosis. The knowledge in PDC biology is not completely clear.

Materials And Methods: We assessed Ki-67 LI in 45 CRCs showing ≥10 PDCs.

Histopathology of IBD Colitis. A practical approach from the pathologists of the Italian Group for the study of the gastrointestinal tract (GIPAD).

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) are lifelong disorders in which an interaction between genetic and environmental factors is involved. IBDs include two entities: Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC); these can be adequately diagnosed and distinguished with a correct methodological approach based on communicating exhaustive clinical, endoscopic and laboratory information to the pathologist and performing adequate bioptic sampling and precise morphological signs including crypt architecture, distribution of inflammation and granulomas, when present. IBD needs to be distinguished from non-IBD colitis, mostly at its onset.

CD133 Expression in Placenta Chorioangioma Presenting as a Giant Asymptomatic Mass.

: Placental chorioangioma is the most common benign non-trophoblastic neoplasm of the placenta. Its clinical relevance lies in the size of the tumor since larger masses cause pregnancy complications, including an unfavorable neonatal outcome. We report the case of a 34-year-old second gravida and nullipara at the 35th week of gestation, admitted to the gynecological department for antibiotic-resistant fever.

Urinary proteomic profiles of prostate cancer with different risk of progression and correlation with histopathological features.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common tumor in men with extremely variable outcome, varying from latent or indolent form to very aggressive behavior. High grade tumors, expansions exceeding the prostatic capsule into the surrounding soft tissues and spreading through lymph vascular channels, represent the most consistent unfavorable prognostic factors. However, accuracy in the prediction of the disease progression is sometimes difficult.

Histopathology of Celiac Disease. Position Statements of the Italian Group of Gastrointestinal Pathologists (GIPAD-SIAPEC).

Celiac Disease (CeD) is an immune-mediated inflammatory disorder of the small intestine, affecting genetically susceptible individuals when exposed to gluten. Small intestinal biopsy interpretation has been the "gold standard" for celiac disease (CeD) for over 50 years. Despite today's availability of sensitive and specific serological tests, the histopathological features from mucosal biopsy play a key role in diagnosing when CeD is suspected.

Diagnostic interobserver variability in Crohn's disease- and ulcerative colitis-associated dysplasia: a multicenter digital survey from the IG-IBD Pathologists Group.

Background: Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis, two forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), are chronic and relapsing conditions of the gastrointestinal tract both characterized by long lasting chronic inflammation and increased risk of dysplasia and colorectal cancer (CRC). The aim of our study was to evaluate the interobserver agreement about IBD-associated dysplasia among pathologists belonging to the Italian Group for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IG-IBD P).

Methods: The present multicenter survey was performed using telepathology, supported by an open source E-learning platform.

Microscopic imaging of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and Non-IBD Colitis on digital slides: The Italian Group-IBD Pathologists experience.

Background: The aim of the study is to report the experience of the pathologists of the Italian Group for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) (group formed by pathologists with various experience) on the morphological assessment of digital slides pertaining to IBD and Non-IBD colitis underlining the necessity to implement this tool in daily routine and its utility to share opinions on difficult cases.

Materials And Methods: Forty-eight histological slides stained with haematoxylin and eosin obtained from ileo-colorectal endoscopic biopsies were digitized using Menarini D-Sight 2.0 system, uploaded onto a website platform and shared among 40 pathologists participating in the study.

A proof of evidence supporting abnormal immunothrombosis in severe COVID-19: naked megakaryocyte nuclei increase in the bone marrow and lungs of critically ill patients.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global public health emergency with many clinical facets, and new knowledge about its pathogenetic mechanisms is deemed necessary; among these, there are certainly coagulation disorders. In the history of medicine, autopsies and tissue sampling have played a fundamental role in order to understand the pathogenesis of emerging diseases, including infectious ones; compared to the past, histopathology can be now expanded by innovative techniques and modern technologies. For the first time in worldwide literature, we provide a detailed postmortem and biopsy report on the marked increase, up to 1 order of magnitude, of naked megakaryocyte nuclei in the bone marrow and lungs from serious COVID-19 patients.

Retrospective study 2005-2015 of all cases of fetal death occurred at ≥23 gestational weeks, in Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy.

Background: Intrauterine fetal death (IUFD) is a tragic event and, despite efforts to reduce rates, its incidence remains difficult to reduce. The objective of the present study was to examine the etiological factors that contribute to the main causes and conditions associated with IUFD, over an 11-year period in a region of North-East Italy (Friuli Venezia Giulia) for which reliable data in available.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of all 278 IUFD cases occurred between 2005 and 2015 in pregnancies with gestational age ≥ 23 weeks.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma in colonic wall: metastatic disease or cancerized pancreatic ectopic tissue?

We describe two unusual cases of cancerized ectopic pancreatic parenchyma within the wall of the left colon. Although the morphology of the neoplastic cells and their immunoprofile were consistent with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, the detection of small foci of regular ectopic pancreatic tissue close to dysplastic glands at the periphery of the cancerized mass represented the key diagnostic features. A careful histological examination of surgical samples represents the correct approach to the diagnosis of this rare disease, mostly when total-body CT scan evaluation confirms the lack of bilio-pancreatic masses.

Gastroblastoma in Adulthood-A Rarity among Rare Cancers-A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Gastroblastoma (GB) is a rare gastric epithelial-mesenchymal neoplasm, first described by Miettinen et al. So far, all reported cases described the tumor in children or young adults, and similarities with other childhood blastomas have been postulated. We report a case of GB in a 43-year-old patient with long follow up and no recurrence up to 100 months after surgery.