Fine needle aspiration cytology of breast cylindroma in a woman with familial cylindromatosis: a case report

BACKGROUND: That sweat gland type tumors occur occasionally in the breast is not surprising, as the breast and cutaneous sweat glands are embryologically related. Cylindromas present most commonly as solitary and sporadic dermal nodules on the face and scalp. Cases of multiple cylindromas are dominantly inherited, and the neoplasms are referred to as "turban tumors" when multiple lesions cover the scalp. Primary cylindroma of the breast has been reported once in the past. To the best of our knowledge, the fine needle aspiration cytology of primary breast cylindroma and its occurrence in the setting of familial cylindromatosis have not previously been reported. CASE: A 59-year-old woman presented with an ill-defined left breast mass. She had a personal and family history of dermal cylindromas on the head and face. Fine needle aspiration cytology demonstrated small, uniform cells with oval nuclei and finely granular cytoplasm, with some cells arranged around conspicuous cylinders of dense, acellular material. Excisional biopsy was recommended to exclude adenoid cystic carcinoma. Tissue biopsy revealed a benign cylindroma arising in breast parenchyma. CONCLUSION: Fine needle aspiration cytology of cylindroma very closely mimics that of adenoid cystic carcinoma. Although extremely rare, primary breast cylindroma is another entity to be included in the cytologic differential diagnosis of bland, basaloid cells associated with globular, extracellular material, a finding most commonly associated with adenoid cystic carcinoma.     

Longitudinal strain quantitates regional right ventricular contractile function

The assessment of contractile function of the right ventricle (RV) is an important clinical issue, but this remains difficult because of its complex anatomy and structure. We thought to investigate whether new Doppler-derived myocardial deformation indexes may quantify regional contractile RV function during varying loading conditions. In nine pigs, ultrasonic crystals were inserted longitudinally in the RV inflow and outflow tracts to assess regional contractile function. The same RV segments and the interventricular septum were imaged using apical echocardiographic views. Regional function was assessed using two parameters: 1) systolic strain (SS), representing the relative magnitude of segmental systolic shortening; and 2) its temporal derivative, peak systolic strain rate (SR), i.e., the maximal velocity of segmental shortening. Data were acquired at baseline and during partial pulmonary artery constriction (PAC) and inferior vena cava occlusion (IVCO). SS decreased significantly after PAC and IVCO in both the inflow and outflow tracts but only during IVCO in the septum. SR was less sensitive to loading variations in all segments. A significant correlation was found between SS values derived from sonomicrometry and myocardial Doppler in RV segments (r = 0.84, P < 0.001). Thus regional strain and SR provide complementary information on the heterogeneous RV contractile function and can be accurately and noninvasively quantified using Doppler myocardial imaging.     

Autophagy Limits Endotoxemic Acute Kidney Injury and Alters Renal Tubular Epithelial Cell Cytokine Expression

Sepsis related acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common in-hospital complication with a dismal prognosis. Our incomplete understanding of disease pathogenesis has prevented the identification of hypothesis-driven preventive or therapeutic interventions. Increasing evidence in ischemia-reperfusion and nephrotoxic mouse models of AKI support the theory that autophagy protects renal tubular epithelial cells (RTEC) from injury. However, the role of RTEC autophagy in septic AKI remains unclear. We observed that lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a mediator of gram-negative bacterial sepsis, induces RTEC autophagy in vivo and in vitro through TLR4-initiated signaling. We modeled septic AKI through intraperitoneal LPS injection in mice in which autophagy-related protein 7 was specifically knocked out in the renal proximal tubules (ATG7KO). Compared to control littermates, ATG7KO mice developed more severe renal dysfunction (24hr BUN 100.1mg/dl +/- 14.8 vs 54.6mg/dl +/- 11.3) and parenchymal injury. After injection with LPS, analysis of kidney lysates identified higher IL-6 expression and increased STAT3 activation in kidney lysates from ATG7KO mice compared to controls. In vitro experiments confirmed an altered response to LPS in RTEC with genetic or pharmacological impairment of autophagy. In conclusion, RTEC autophagy protects against endotoxin induced injury and regulates downstream effects of RTEC TLR4 signaling.     

Mansonella,including a Potential New Species,as Common Parasites in Children in Gabon

Background

Like other tropical African countries, Gabon is afflicted by many parasitic diseases, including filariases such as loiasis and mansonellosis. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of these two filarial diseases in febrile and afebrile children using quantitative real-time PCR and standard PCR assays coupled with sequencing.

Methodology/Principal Findings

DNA from blood specimens of 1,418 Gabonese children (1,258 febrile and 160 afebrile) were analyzed. Overall, filarial DNA was detected in 95 (6.7%) children, including 67 positive for M. perstans (4.7%), which was the most common. M. perstans was detected in 61/1,258 febrile children (4.8%) and 6/160 afebrile children (3.8%, P = 0.6). Its prevalence increased statistically with age: 3.5%, 7.7% and 10.6% in children aged ≤5, 6–10 and 11–15 years, respectively. M. perstans prevalence was significantly higher in Koulamoutou and Lastourville (12% and 10.5%, respectively) than in Franceville and Fougamou (2.6% and 2.4%, respectively). Loa loa was detected in seven febrile children including one co-infection with M. perstans. Finally, 21 filarial DNA positive were negative for M. perstans and Loa loa, but ITS sequencing could be performed for 12 and allowed the identification of a potential new species of Mansonella provisionally called “DEUX”. Mansonella sp. “DEUX” was detected only in febrile children.

Conclusions/Significance

Further study should be performed to characterize Mansonella sp. “DEUX” and evaluate the clinical significance of mansonellosis in humans.     

Platelet function and Isoprostane biology. Should Isoprostanes be the newest member of the Orphan-ligand family?

While there have been many reports investigating the biological activity and signaling mechanisms of isoprostanes, their role in biology, particularly in platelets, appears to still be underestimated. Moreover, whether these lipids have their own receptors is still debated, despite multiple reports that discrete receptors for isporpstanes do exist on platelets, vascular tissues, amongst others. This paper provides a review of the important literature of isoprostanes and provides reasoning that isoprostanes should be classified as orphan ligands until their receptor(s) is/are identified.     

Molecular cytogenetic identification and relationship of the artificial intergeneric hybrid between Dendranthema indica and Crossostephium chinense by GISH

Although most of the hybrid embryos aborted at an early developmental stage, a 2n = 27 true intergeneric hybrid between Dendranthema indica (L.) Des Moul (2n = 36) as ♀ and Crossostephium chinense (L.) Makino (2n = 18) as ♂ was produced following pollination and ovule rescue. The morphology of the resulting adult putative hybrid and the two parents differed significantly from one another in seven of the nine traits measured, the exceptions being leaf width and leaf length, for which the putative hybrid was indistinguishable from the maternal plant. Genomic in situ hybridization experiments were able to successfully distinguish the genomic origin of both mitotic and meiotic metaphase chromosomes in the hybrid. In addition, the 18 D. indica chromosomes were paired as bivalents at meiotic metaphase in the hybrid.     

Synthesis of novel lactam derivatives and their evaluation as ligands for the dopamine receptors, leading to a D(4)-selective ligand

The preparation of some lactam (cyclic amide) derivatives bearing various phenylpiperazinylbutyl side chains attached to the amide nitrogen together with their dopamine receptor affinity study is described. The synthesis of the target compounds involved the preparation of the intermediate bromobutyl derivatives of the appropriate lactam followed by N-alkylation of the appropriate phenylpiperazines with these intermediates. Radioligand binding studies at D(2)-D(5) receptor subtypes and a functional calcium assay of the target compounds at D(2) and D(5) receptor subtypes were performed. All compounds, except 12a and 12b, showed selectivity towards the D(2)-like receptor subtypes. Selectivity of the indolinone derivatives 11a-d at the D(4) receptors was observed. Compound 11b exhibited a remarkable affinity to hD(4) receptors with K(i) value of 0.04+/-0.02 nm and was >43,000-fold selective over the hD(2) receptor. In the functional assay, all the active compounds were of antagonistic activity.