Soft tissue Rosai-Dorfman disease: 29 new lesions in 18 patients, with detection of polyomavirus antigen in 3 abdominal cases.

Soft tissue Rosai-Dorfman disease (STRDD) is rare, previously reported only as single cases and few series. Simian virus 40 (SV40), a polyomavirus, has been identified in lymphoid processes and has a controversial role in neoplasia etiology. Occasional cytoplasmic pink granular inclusions and nuclear changes led us to explore a viral etiology.

A preliminary examination of the role of NFAT 3 in human skin, cultured keratocytes and dermal fibroblasts.

Background: Ciclosporin A (CsA) is widely utilized for the treatment of inflammatory skin diseases such as psoriasis.The therapeutic effects of CsA are thought to be mediated via its immunosuppressive action on infiltrating lymphocytes in skin lesions. CsA and tacrolimus block T cell activation by inhibiting the phosphatase calcineurin and preventing translocation from the cytoplasm to the nucleus of the transcription factor Nuclear Factor of Activated T cells (NFAT).

Modulation of NFAT-5, an outlying member of the NFAT family, in human keratinocytes and skin.

Background: Cyclosporin A (CsA) and tacrolimus block T cell activation by inhibiting the phosphatase calcineurin and preventing translocation from the cytoplasm to the nucleus of the transcription factor Nuclear Factor of Activated T cells (NFAT). NFAT compose a family of transcription factors that are turned on during T cell activation.

Aims: To study the expression of NFAT-5 mRNA and protein in normal human keratinocytes and to investigate the cellular and subcellular pattern of expression of NFAT-5 in normal human skin and psoriasis, and analyze effects of different agonists and ultraviolet radiation on NFAT-5 in normal human skin.

Expression, localisation and functional activation of NFAT-2 in normal human skin, psoriasis, and cultured keratocytes.

Ciclosporin A (CsA) is widely utilized for the treatment of inflammatory skin diseases such as psoriasis. The therapeutic effects of CsA are thought to be mediated via its immunosuppressive action on infiltrating lymphocytes in skin lesions. CsA and tacrolimus block T cell activation by inhibiting the phosphatase calcineurin and preventing translocation from the cytoplasm to the nucleus of the transcription factor Nuclear Factor of Activated T cells (NFAT).

Synovial sarcoma involving the head: analysis of 36 cases with predilection to the parotid and temporal regions.

Synovial sarcoma involving the head is rare, and data on the clinicopathologic characteristics of such tumors are scant. In this study, we examined 36 synovial sarcomas of the head excluding tumors in the oral cavity, sinonasal tract, submandibular area, neck, and intracranial space. There were 19 men and 17 women with a mean age of 35 years (range: 4 to 85 y).

Epithelial sheath neuroma: be aware of benign perineural invasion!

Perineural involvement by epithelial cells is usually considered as a sign of malignancy and is seen in a variety of malignant skin neoplasms. However, there are other benign conditions characterized by the presence of perineural involvement by epithelial cells. We present a case of epithelial sheath neuroma in a 43-year-old male.

Disseminated coccidioidomycosis: a case report from the United kingdom.

We reported the first case of disseminated coccidioidomycosis from the UK successfully treated with amphotericin B, where skin biopsy was the initial clue for the correct diagnosis.

Primary gallbladder sarcoma: a clinicopathologic study of 15 cases, heterogeneous sarcomas with poor outcome, except pediatric botryoid rhabdomyosarcoma.

Background: Primary gallbladder sarcoma (PGBS) is rare, with only 39 documented cases, with the predominant type being leiomyosarcoma.

Design: Cases recorded as "gallbladder sarcoma" were retrieved from our files; the clinicopathologic features were reviewed and recorded. Only primary gallbladder wall mesenchymal tumors were included.

Dendritic cell sarcomas/tumours of the breast: report of two cases.

Extranodal follicular dendritic cell sarcoma/tumours (FDCS/Ts) and interdigitating dendritic cell sarcoma/tumours (IDCS/Ts) are rare neoplasms. We present two cases of FDCS/T and IDCS/T of the breast. The FDCS/T case (case 1) presented in a 31-year-old woman and the IDCS/T case (case 2) in a 67-year-old woman who both showed a firm lump in the left breast.

A practical and comprehensive immunohistochemical approach to the diagnosis of superficial soft tissue tumors.

Soft tissue tumors include neoplasms of specific and unknown lineages, and, therefore, lineage markers of smooth muscle, skeletal muscle, endothelial, epithelial and Schwann cells have proven useful in everyday practice. However, groups of tumors remain that are defined essentially on grounds of histology; others can be defined by molecular genetic studies. The complex distribution patterns of many antigens and loss of some differentiation antigens in malignant tumors often necessitate the use of panels of antibodies.

Cost-effectiveness of active versus conservative colposcopic management of mild dyskaryosis.

Management of mild dyskaryosis remains controversial. In this study, we compared the cost-effectiveness of active versus conservative colposcopic management of women presenting with mild dyskaryosis in two different hospital settings. All women presenting in 2001 with a mild dyskaryotic smear and requiring colposcopy were studied in two different clinical settings (70 women at Darent Valley Hospital (DVH) and 327 at St George's Hospital (SGH)).

Cutaneous lobomycosis: a delayed diagnosis.

The occurrence of lobomycosis outside central and South America is extremely rare. Herein we report 2 extraordinary cases of lobomycosis in 2 South African patients seeking medical attention at the Liverpool School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The first patient presented with a 32-year history of a lesion on his left foot, with a further lesion subsequently developing on the right foot within the year.

Infection and cervical neoplasia: facts and fiction.

Whilst there is strong evidence that human papillomavirus (HPV) is the principal aetiological agent in cervical neoplasia, some other sexually transmitted agents may either contribute or protect against cervical carcinogenesis, such as the herpes virus family (HSV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or Chlamydia trachomatis (CT). Epidemiological studies suggest that HSV may have a role in cervical neoplasia, but there is no clear supportive experimental evidence. Serological studies have also failed to reveal a difference in the prevalence of antibodies to CMV and EBV between patients with cervical cancer and controls.

Primary cutaneous amebiasis with a fatal outcome.

We report a fatal case of disseminated amebiasis in a young African woman, which initially presented with an ulcerated cutaneous lesion on the left flank. The causative organism was confirmed by examination of a wet drop preparation from the ulcer discharge and by skin biopsy. The patient was not immunosuppressed and was treated unsuccessfully with metronidazole.

Gallbladder sarcoma: a clinicopathological study of seven cases from the UK and Austria with emphasis on morphological subtypes.

Background: Primary sarcoma of the gallbladder (PGBS) is rare, with only 40 cases reported in the literature. Most of these have been diagnosed as leiomyosarcoma. We aimed to evaluate the histological features of a case series of this rare tumor and correlate these with clinical features.

Superficial acral fibromyxoma: a clinicopathological analysis of 32 tumors including 4 in the heel.

Aims: To examine a series of superficial acral fibromyxomas (SAFs) and discuss our experience with this new entity and its differential diagnosis in the past 5 years.

Methods And Results: Thirty-two new cases of SAF were studied between 2001 and 2006. The patients included 22 males and 10 females with an age range between 23 and 82 years (mean 51, median 53) presenting with a solitary mass or nodule with an average size of 2 cm.

Granular perineurioma: the first report of a rare distinctive subtype of perineurioma.

Perineurioma represents a relatively recently described neoplasm in the spectrum of benign peripheral nerve sheath tumors composed of perineurial cells staining immunohistochemically positive for epithelial membrane antigen. Although intraneural, extraneural and sclerosing perineurioma, rare variants of perineurioma, do occur, and knowledge of them is important in the differential diagnosis of mesenchymal tumors of different lines of differentiation and more importantly if their clinical course differs from that of other perineuriomas. We report herein the first case in the world literature of granular perineurioma arising in the dermal and subcutaneous tissues of the trunk of a 28-year-old female.

"Macular arteritis": a latent form of cutaneous polyarteritis nodosa?

Recently described macular arteritis presents as asymptomatic hyperpigmented macules, runs a chronic, indolent course, and shows lymphocytic arteritis at various stages of evolution ranging from fibrinoid necrosis to endarteritis obliterans. Herein, we present another case that was clinically suspected to be unilateral plantar pompholyx. A 47-year-old male presented with a 2-month history of persistent, reticulated, asymptomatic, nonblanching erythematous and brawny macules, and scattered, slightly scaly papules over the plantar instep of his left foot.

Gastric changes following colchicine therapy in patients with FMF.

Background: Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is also called recurrent polyserositis. The salient features of this disease include brief recurrent episodes of peritonitis, pleuritis, and arthritis, which are usually associated with fever. Colchicine is highly effective in the treatment of FMF and in preventing the development of recurrent attacks and amyloidosis, and it is essential to make the correct diagnosis and institute daily therapy with colchicine (0.

Localization of calcineurin/NFAT in human skin and psoriasis and inhibition of calcineurin/NFAT activation in human keratinocytes by cyclosporin A.

Systemic cyclosporin A and tacrolimus are effective treatments for psoriasis. Cyclosporin A and tacrolimus block T cell activation by inhibiting the phosphatase calcineurin and preventing translocation from the cytoplasm to the nucleus of the transcription factor nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT). Inhibition of T cell activation is thought to account for their therapeutic action in psoriasis.