The usefulness of PCR amplification of the IS6110 insertion element of M. tuberculosis complex in ascitic fluid of patients with peritoneal tuberculosis.

Background: The diagnosis of tuberculous peritonitis (TP) may be difficult and elusive. The present study was designed to demonstrate the diagnostic usefulness of a nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay, specific for the IS6110 insertion element of M. tuberculosis complex, in patients with ascites who were suspected of having TP in order to achieve a more timely diagnosis and treatment.

Induction of hepatic granulopoiesis due to chorioamnionitis during the second trimester of development.

Objective: To detect post mortem changes in fetal hematopoiesis consistent with infection from liver examination alone.

Study Design: We investigated the immunohistochemical expression of Glycophorin C, Neutrophilic elastase, and CD34, in the hepatic parenchyma from fetuses miscarried as a result of chorioamnionitis (caused by Chlamydia trachomatis) and correlated them with the equivalent from fetuses after voluntary abortion (gestational age: 16th, 20th, and 24th weeks).

Results: A statistically significant difference was found in the Neutrophilic elastase positive cells to the advantage of cases with chorioamnionitis over voluntary abortions (24th week: P=0.

Malignant mucoepidermoid tumor arising in the accessory parotid gland: a case report.

Purpose: The head and neck surgeon's fascination with parotid surgery arises from the gland's spectrum of histopathological presentations, as well as the diversity of its morphological features. A mass arising in the mid-cheek region may often be overlooked as a rare accessory lobe parotid neoplasm. This report serves to revisit the topic of accessory parotid gland neoplasms to emphasize proper management, particularly the surgical aspects, so that consequences of salivary fistula, facial nerve paralysis, and recurrence are avoided.

Imprint cytology for rapid evaluation of lung and mediastinal lesions.

Background: Frozen-section biopsy (FSB) of pulmonary and mediastinal tumors is commonly used in the evaluation of diagnostic tissue in thoracic surgery. However, FSB can be labor intensive for the pathology department and time-consuming while the patient is anaesthetised. Imprint cytology is more rapid than the FSB procedure (average, 1 min versus 10 min per tissue sample) and allows more extensive sampling of the specimen.

Detection of chromosome 1p deletion using FISH on meningioma touch imprints suggest a region outside chromosome 22 as important in tumor recurrence.

Background: Atypical and anaplastic meningiomas tend to recur and to invade adjacent brain, bone, and skin. They can also metastasize to extracranial organs such as the lung, liver, or bone causing death. The classic genetic abnormality is loss in chromosome 22.

Prevalence of hemochromatosis gene (HFE) mutations in Greece.

The frequencies of the hereditary hemochromatosis gene (HFE) mutations C282Y and H63D vary between different populations. There are a limited number of reports regarding the frequency of these mutations in populations of southeastern Europe. Two hundred and sixty-four adult individuals of Greek origin were examined for the C282Y and H63D mutations to determine the allele and genotype frequencies.

Tumour necrosis factor-alpha levels in non-diabetic offspring of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) is considered to be involved in the insulin resistance of type 2 diabetes mellitus. The offspring of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus are at increased risk of developing diabetes and several metabolic abnormalities, but the underlying defects responsible are not known. We studied serum TNF-alpha levels in 30 healthy non-diabetic offspring of type 2 diabetic parents (group A), and the relationship between TNF-alpha levels and variables associated with insulin resistance and diabetes.

Immunocytochemical profile of malignant pleural effusions of small-cell lung cancer.

Background: Small-cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) is a highly malignant tumour of a somewhat distinctive cell type. The aim of this study was to determine the immunocytochemical profile of tumor cells and lymphoid cell in SCLC pleural fluids.

Methods: Nine cases of malignant pleural fluids of SCLC were studied using cell block preparation.

Immunohistochemical expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin in infiltrating ductal carcinoma of the breast with productive fibrosis.

Myoepithelial cells are normally located between the epithelial cells and the basal lamina of secretory elements of exocrine glands. Their role in the histogenesis of breast tumours has been studied extensively, and a definite differentiation towards myoepithelial cells has been demonstrated in adenoid cystic carcinoma, adenomyoepithelioma, low-grade adenosquamous (syringomatous) carcinoma, pure malignant myoepithelioma and poorly differentiated myoepithelial-rich breast carcinoma. All these tumours are of low malignancy, with the exception of malignant myoepithelioma and poorly differentiated myoepithelial-rich carcinoma.

Gains and losses of glycoprotein CD44 and secretory component expression in endometrial hyperplasia and neoplasia.

CD44 is an adhesion molecule, which binds hyaluronic acid and participates in a number of cell-cell interactions, including lymphocyte homing. The CD44 antigen is expressed on approximately 90% of lymphocytes, monocytes, granulocytes, and, in lower amounts on thymocytes, fibroblasts, and erythrocytes. Platelets lack CD44.

Immunophenotypic profile of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes in medullary carcinoma of the breast.

Medullary carcinoma (MC) of the breast is considered to carry a more favorable prognosis than other subtypes of infiltrating ductal carcinoma. This is a biological paradox because its clinical behavior contrasts with its anaplastic morphology. MC is characterized by a dense lymphocytic infiltrate.

Low expression of interferon regulatory factor-1 and identification of novel exons skipping in patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia.

Chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) is a malignant clonal disorder of the haematopoietic stem cell. Treatment of CML patients with interferon alpha (IFN-alpha) has induced haematological and cytogenetic remission. Interferons transcriptionally activate target genes through the JAK-STAT and interferon regulated factors (IRFs) family pathways.

Human subcutaneous dirofilariasis: a report of three cases manifesting as breast or axillary nodules.

Human subcutaneous dirofilariasis is a rare infection caused by filarial worms of the genus Dirofilaria. The parasites are transmitted to man by zooanthropophilic bloodsucking insects and the infection is manifested as subcutaneous nodules. Excisional biopsy is both diagnostic and therapeutic.

A quantitative study of collagen production by human smooth muscle cells during intestinal morphogenesis.

Differentiating mesenchymal cells and the extracellular matrix that these cells produce constitute the structural basis for developing organs. The splanchnopleuric mesenchyme surrounding the developing gut and respiratory tubes provides connective tissue cells to the lamina propria/submucosa and smooth muscle cells to the muscularis musosae/muscularis externa. In human fetal intestine, the identity of the matrix-producing cell or cells has begun to be elucidated.

Nucleolar organizer regions: their significance in the maturation of the gut-associated lymphoid tissue.

Nucleolar organizer regions (NORs) are important for regulating protein synthesis. Our study points towards the possibility of determining gut-associated lymphoid (GAL) cell proliferation and maturation in fetuses from ten to 35 weeks of gestation by means of the Argyrophilic (Ag) staining for NORs. This technique was performed on paraffin-embedded small intestine and mesentery tissue sections from 30 fetuses at the 10th, 14th, 15th, 19th, 20th, 23rd, 31st, and 35th week of gestation.

Expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin in the stromal cells of bone marrow in fetuses in different stages of development, in multiple myeloma and monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significance.

Several disorders are associated with a monoclonal immunoglobulin detected by serum or urine electrophoresis, the most common being a monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significance, multiple myeloma, Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia, and amyloidosis. Plasma cells, the immunoglobulin secretory cells of the immune system, are normal constituents of bone marrow (BM). Plasma cells are seen in small numbers in the stroma, surrounding blood vessels in the marrow.

Cigarette smoking and the degree of maturation of the vaginal squamous epithelium in postmenopausal women.

To determine the effects of cigarette smoking on vaginal squamous epithelium in postmenopausal women, we studied the vaginal smear patterns of 199 healthy postmenopausal non-smokers and 41 healthy postmenopausal smokers, with a mean age of 56 years. A statistically significant difference to the hazard of smokers was found in the percentage of smears manifesting absence of maturation of vaginal squamous cells. A high incidence of atrophic-type vaginal smears in the group of smokers was also found independent of postmenopausal age.

Spontaneous abortions with increased CD5 positive cells in the placental tissue during the first trimester of gestation.

Most spontaneous abortions occur before 12 weeks' gestation, and most are due to chromosomal errors in the conceptus. Relatively few truly spontaneous abortions take place between 12 and 20 weeks' gestation. Thereafter, between 20 and 30 weeks another type of premature spontaneous termination due to ascending infection becomes prevalent.

K statistic as a measure of quality control in cervicovaginal cytology.

Quality assessment schemes are widespread in most branches of pathology but are uncommon in the more subjective areas of histopathology and cytology. Researchers in many fields have become increasingly aware of the observer as an important source of measurement error. The validity of any method of reporting evidence of an abnormal process in cellular material is based on the degree of correlation with the actual disease process as it exists in the tissue and its reproducibility.

Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex DNA in pericardial fluid, bone marrow and peripheral blood in a patient with pericardial tuberculosis. A case report.

Definitive diagnosis of tuberculous pericarditis requires identification of bacilli in pericardial fluid or tissue. Conventional diagnostic methods are time-consuming and have a low sensitivity making bacteriological confirmation of the disease very difficult. Hereby, we report the case of molecular detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in pericardial fluid, bone marrow and peripheral blood from a 63-year-old woman with pericardial tuberculosis, using a nested PCR assay specific for IS6110 insertion element of M.

Expression of the intermediate filament vimentin and fibrillar proteins of the extracellular matrix related to embryonal heart development.

During organogenesis, the heart is one the first organs to develop and the earliest organ to function. The early appearance of cardiac activity in the tubular hearts of chick and rat embryos was noted many years ago. It arises from two plates of the splanchnic mesoderm which fuse to form a single tubular structure composed of endocardial and myocardial cells and, between them, the extracellular cardiac matrix.

Expression of laminin, type IV collagen and fibronectin molecules is related to embryonal skin and epidermal appendage morphogenesis.

Basement membrane zones are specialized sheets--like arrangements of extracellular matrix proteins and glycosaminoglycans, and act as an interface between parenchymal cells and support tissue. They separate epithelium, endothelium, muscle cells and Schwann cells from adjacent connective tissue stroma, and also from a limiting membrane in the central nervous system. They are involved in several cellular and biological processes, including adhesion, migration and cellular differentiation.

Imprint cytology of non-specific granulomatous mastitis.

Non-specific granulomatous mastitis (NSGM) is a tumor-like inflammatory condition involving breast lobules. Its recognition is of great significance because of clinical masquerade to invasive carcinoma. A 25-year-old woman developed a palpable breast lump with clinical and mammographic findings suggestive of malignancy.

Differential expression of Bcl-2 proto-oncogene in the trophoblast from embryos with Down's syndrome and those after spontaneous abortion.

Down's syndrome (trisomy 21) was the first human chromosomal syndrome to be recognized (in 1959 by Lejeune and colleagues). It is also the most frequent chromosomal aberration occurring in one out of 700 live newborns. In the present study we investigated the immunohistochemical expression of the apoptosis-suppressing protein Bcl-2 in placental trophoblastic cells from embryos with Down's syndrome (gestational age 12th, 15th and 22nd week) and correlated the findings with equivalent trophoblastic cells from embryos after spontaneous abortion.