New Step in Understanding the Pathogenetic Mechanism of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: Involvement of the Pontine Reticular Gigantocellular Nucleus.

This study aimed to investigate, for the first time, the potential role of the gigantocellular nucleus, a component of the reticular formation, in the pathogenetic mechanism of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), an event frequently ascribed to failure to arouse from sleep. This research was motivated by previous experimental studies demonstrating the gigantocellular nucleus involvement in regulating the sleep-wake cycle. We analyzed the brains of 48 infants who died suddenly within the first 7 months of life, including 28 SIDS cases and 20 controls.

Involvement of the Superior Colliculus in SIDS Pathogenesis.

The aim of this study was to investigate the involvement of the mesencephalic superior colliculus (SC) in the pathogenetic mechanism of SIDS, a syndrome frequently ascribed to arousal failure from sleep. We analyzed the brains of 44 infants who died suddenly within the first 7 months of life, among which were 26 infants with SIDS and 18 controls. In-depth neuropathological investigations of serial sections of the midbrain showed the SC layered cytoarchitectural organization already well known in animals, as made up of seven distinct layers, but so far never highlighted in humans, albeit with some differences.

Harmful Effect of Intrauterine Smoke Exposure on Neuronal Control of "Fetal Breathing System" in Stillbirths.

This article is aimed to contribute to the current knowledge on the role of toxic substances such as nicotine on sudden intrauterine unexplained deaths' (SIUDS') pathogenetic mechanisms. The in-depth histopathological examination of the autonomic nervous system in wide groups of victims of SIUDS (47 cases) and controls (20 cases), with both smoking and no-smoking mothers, highlighted the frequent presence of the hypodevelopment of brainstem structures checking the vital functions. In particular, the hypoplasia of the pontine parafacial nucleus together with hypoplastic lungs for gestational age were observed in SIUDS cases with mothers who smoked cigarettes, including electronic ones.

Interlaboratory concordance of p16/Ki-67 dual-staining interpretation in HPV-positive women in a screening population.

Background: p16/Ki-67 dual staining is a candidate biomarker for triaging human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive women. Reproducibility is needed for adopting a test for screening. This study assessed interlaboratory reproducibility in HPV-positive women.

Sudden intrauterine unexplained death: time to adopt uniform postmortem investigative guidelines?

Background: Worldwide approximately 2.6 million are stillborn, mostly occurring in developing countries. In the great part these deaths are inexplicable.

Biparametric MRI and 41 sector map for MRI/Transrectal ultrasound fusion biopsy to increase diagnostic accuracy of prostate cancer.

Optimizing the number of prostate biopsy (PB) cores in the initial diagnosis of prostate cancer is still an open question. Increasing the number of cores can expectedly lead to a higher cancer detection rate but more frequent, and greater number of adverse effects should be considered. It is necessary to limit the number of PBs, obtained from tumor areas and areas with a high suspect of malignancy.

Massive Amniotic Fluid Aspiration in a Case of Sudden Neonatal Death With Severe Hypoplasia of the Retrotrapezoid/Parafacial Respiratory Group.

We report a case of a baby, who, after pregnancy complicated by maternal Addison's disease and Hashimoto's thyroiditis and natural delivery, unexpectedly presented a cardiorespiratory collapse and died 1 hour after birth without responding to prolonged neonatal resuscitation maneuvers. The cause of death was reliably established by carrying out a forensic postmortem examination. More specifically, the histological examination of the lungs showed the presence of abundant endoalveolar and endobronchial cornea scales caused by absorption of amniotic fluid.

Neuropathology of Early Sudden Infant Death Syndrome-Hypoplasia of the Pontine Kolliker-Fuse Nucleus: A Possible Marker of Unexpected Collapse during Skin-to-Skin Care.

Objective: To find a possible pathogenetic mechanism of the early sudden infant death occurring in newborns during the skin-to-skin care (SSC), through the examination of neuronal centers regulating the vital activities.

Study Design: This is an in-depth examination of the brain stem in 22 healthy term newborns, suddenly died in the first hour of life without the identification of a cause at autopsy (early sudden infant death syndrome [eSIDS]), 12 of them concomitantly with SSC, and 10 with age-matched controls died of known pathology.

Results: Developmental alterations of neuronal structures of the brain stem were highlighted in 19 of the 22 eSIDS, but not in control.

Histogenetic categorization of atypical melanocytic tumor of uncertain biological malignant potential.

Several reports have demonstrated difficulties and lack of agreement in the histopathological diagnosis of particular melanocytic lesions, with problems in their management. A histogenetic approach to the study of these lesions originated the following classification: 1. superficial atypical proliferation significance; 2.

Sudden unexpected postnatal collapse at 20 hours from birth during skin-to-skin care related to brainstem developmental alterations - a case report.

This report describes a case of sudden collapse of a 20-hour-old newborn, while he was placed close to their mother according to skin-to-skin care, attributed to developmental alterations of brainstem nuclei involved in regulation of the vital functions. The infant, after a normal pregnancy, appeared well developed at birth, with no evidence of malformations or trauma, but showing severe asphyxia. The routine autopsy did not reveal a possible cause of death.

Prognostic Predictors of Thin Melanoma in Clinico-Pathological Practice.

The latest reviews on thin melanoma (TM) continue to consider it a melanoma within 1 mm in thickness, but no consensus exists as to which patients with TM are at risk for lymph node metastases (1). Numerous studies have evaluated the impact of various predictors (Breslow thickness, Clark level, ulceration, regression, vascular invasion, mitotic activity, location, sex) for nodal disease in melanoma, but the conclusions have not been homogenous (2,3). For this reason, we read the paper by Homolak et al.

Nicotinic Receptor Abnormalities in the Cerebellar Cortex of Sudden Unexplained Fetal and Infant Death Victims-Possible Correlation With Maternal Smoking.

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are cationic channels of the neuronal cell membrane, differentially expressed in the central nervous system which, when activated by endogenous acetylcholine or exogenous nicotine, are able to enhance cholinergic transmission. The aim of this study was to investigate in human perinatal age the immunohistochemical expression of the α7-nAChR subtype, given its involvement in neuronal differentiation and its significant vulnerability to the toxic effects of nicotine. Thirty fetuses (with a gestational age between 25 and 40 weeks) and 35 infants (1-6 months old), suddenly died of known (controls) and unknown causes (unexplained deaths), with smoking and nonsmoking mothers, were included in this study.

Neuropathological protocol for the study of unexplained stillbirth.

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