From ocular immune privilege to primary autoimmune diseases of the eye.

After the discovery of ocular immune privilege, exhaustive research has been performed, and advances have been made in the field of ocular immunology. Currently, it is clear that local and systemic pathways are involved in maintaining a well-preserved environment to guarantee normal vision. The development of autoimmunity in the eye is still a subject of research; however, it has been suggested that microglial cells could act as a gateway for initiating autoimmunity. Moreover, based on the fact that ocular involvement in systemic autoimmune diseases is well described, we aimed to collect and describe ocular diseases with a proposed primary autoimmune pathogenic mechanism. It should be noted that the autoimmune classification in several entities is a topic of discussion among authors.

Hydatid cyst in soft tissues mimicking malignant tumors. Diagnosis by fine needle aspiration cytology.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the role of fine needle aspiration cytology in the diagnosis of soft tissue hydatid cysts. STUDY DESIGN: Five cases of soft tissue hydatid cyst were diagnosed primarily by fine needle aspiration cytology. RESULTS: In all cases, large fragments of acellular material, finely lamellated, were found. There were no complications related to fine needle aspiration, and histologic studies confirmed the diagnosis of hydatid cyst. CONCLUSION: When acellular, laminated fragments suggestive of a laminated layer are identified on smears, hydatid cyst should be considered in the differential diagnosis, even in atypical locations and in the absence of hooklets, protoscolices or both.