Ligneous cervicitis in a woman with plasminogen deficiency associated with an atypical form of microglandular hyperplasia: a case report and review of literature.

A 19-yr-old woman with previously diagnosed clear cell adenocarcinoma was referred to the Charité for further treatment. Biopsies were taken from the cervix, the endometrium, pseudomembranes in the peritoneum, and sentinel lymph nodes. The morphologic picture of pseudomembranes and inflammation together with the provided information about plasminogen deficiency of the patients led to the hypothesis of ligneous cervicitis. The previously taken biopsies of the adenocarcinoma were reevaluated and showed a clear cell lesion. Further immunohistochemical examination with antibodies against p16, Ki67, CEA, and p53 could not prove its malignant character. As a result we diagnosed an atypical form of microglandular hyperplasia in a patient with ligneous cervicitis. Ligneous cervicitis is a rare inflammatory condition that might affect all mucus membranes in patients with plasminogen deficiency. This case shows the importance of correlating pathologic and clinical findings in the diagnosis of ligneous cervicitis because of the rarity of the disease and the heterogeneity at presentation.

Microscopic inflammation in ileocecal specimen does not correspond to a higher anastomotic leakage rate after ileocecal resection in Crohn's disease.

BACKGROUND: Patients with Crohn's disease suffer from a higher rate of anastomotic leakages after ileocecal resection than patients without Crohn's disease. Our hypothesis was that microscopic inflammation at the resection margins of ileocecal resections in Crohn's disease increases the rate of anastomotic leakages. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In a retrospective cohort study, 130 patients with Crohn's disease that underwent ileocecal resection between 2015 and 2019, were analyzed. Anastomotic leakage was the primary outcome parameter. Inflammation at the resection margin was characterized as "inflammation at proximal resection margin", "inflammation at distal resection margin" or "inflammation at both ends". RESULTS: 46 patients (35.4%) showed microscopic inflammation at the resection margins. 17 patients (13.1%) developed anastomotic leakage. No difference in the rate of anastomotic leakages was found for proximally affected resection margins (no anastomotic leakage vs. anastomotic leakage: 20.3 vs. 35.3%, p = 0.17), distally affected resection margins (2.7 vs. 5.9%, p = 0.47) or inflammation at both ends (9.7 vs. 11.8%, p = 0.80). No effect on the anastomotic leakage rate was found for preoperative hemoglobin concentration (no anastomotic leakage vs. anastomotic leakage: 12.3 vs. 13.5 g/dl, p = 0.26), perioperative immunosuppressive medication (62.8 vs. 52.9%, p = 0.30), BMI (21.8 vs. 22.4 m2/kg, p = 0.82), emergency operation (21.2 vs. 11.8%, p = 0.29), laparoscopic vs. open procedure (p = 0.58), diverting ileostomy (31.9 vs. 57.1%, p = 0.35) or the level of surgical training (staff surgeon: 80.5 vs. 76.5%, p = 0.45). CONCLUSION: Microscopic inflammation at the resection margins after ileocecal resection in Crohn's disease is common. Histologically inflamed resection margins do not appear to affect the rate of anastomotic leakages. Our data suggest that there is no need for extensive resections or frozen section to achieve microscopically inflammation-free resection margins.

Primary Neuroendocrine Neoplasms of the Breast: Case Series and Literature Review.

Primary neuroendocrine carcinoma of the breast (NECB) as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2012 is a rare, but possibly under-diagnosed entity. It is heterogeneous as it entails a wide spectrum of diseases comprising both well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumors of the breast as well as highly aggressive small cell carcinomas. Retrospective screening of hospital charts of 612 patients (2008-2019) from our specialized outpatient unit for neuroendocrine neoplasia revealed five patients diagnosed with NECB. Given the low prevalence of these malignancies, correct diagnosis remains a challenge that requires an interdisciplinary approach. Specifically, NECB may be misclassified as carcinoma of the breast with neuroendocrine differentiation, carcinomas of the breast of no special type/invasive ductal carcinoma, or a metastasis to the breast. Therefore, this study presents multifaceted characteristics as well as the clinical course of these patients and discusses the five cases from our institution in the context of available literature.

Extraoral Osseous Choristoma in the Head and Neck Region: Case Report and Literature Review.

An osseous choristoma is a benign tumor consisting of regular bone tissue in an irregular localization. Choristomas in the head and neck region are rare. Most frequently, they are found in the region of the tongue or oral mucosa. There are also very few reports on osseous choristomas in the submandibular region. We present the case of a woman with a large, caudal osseous choristoma within the lateral cervical triangle. Literature review is given about all of the reported cases in the region of the neck. The pathogenesis is yet unexplained. Our case supports the theory that the development of an osseous choristoma is a reaction to a former trauma. Cervical osseous choristomas are seldom, but they represent an important differential diagnosis when dealing with a cervical tumor.

Marginal zone lymphomas with monocytoid morphology express T-bet and are associated with a low number of T cells in extranodal locations.

The presence of tumor cells with monocytoid morphology in marginal zone lymphoma (MZL) has been described previously. Reactive monocytoid B cells bear a distinct immunophenotype and typically express T-bet, which clearly distinguishes them from nodal marginal zone B cells. The latter are positive for CD27 and negative for T-bet. We analyzed 74 MZLs for the expression of T-bet and correlated these results with the presence of monocytoid morphology. Expression of T-bet correlated with the presence of monocytoid morphology in MZLs. In analogy to reactive monocytoid B lymphocytes, we also found a significantly lower relative amount of intratumoral T lymphocytes in extranodal MZL with monocytoid morphology.

Antiinflammatory properties of a plant-derived nonsteroidal, dissociated glucocorticoid receptor modulator in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

Compound A (CpdA), a plant-derived phenyl aziridine precursor, was recently characterized as a fully dissociated nonsteroidal antiinflammatory agent, acting via activation of the glucocorticoid receptor, thereby down-modulating nuclear factor-kappaB-mediated transactivation, but not supporting glucocorticoid response element-driven gene expression. The present study demonstrates the effectiveness of CpdA in inhibiting the disease progress in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a well-characterized animal model of multiple sclerosis. CpdA treatment of mice, both early and at the peak of the disease, markedly suppressed the clinical symptoms of EAE induced by myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein peptide immunization. Attenuation of the clinical symptoms of EAE by CpdA was accompanied by reduced leukocyte infiltration in the spinal cord, reduced expression of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, and reduced neuronal damage and demyelination. In vivo CpdA therapy suppressed the encephalogenicity of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein peptide-specific T cells. Moreover, CpdA was able to inhibit TNF- and lipopolysaccharide-induced nuclear factor-kappaB activation in primary microglial cells in vitro, in a differential mechanistic manner as compared with dexamethasone. Finally, in EAE mice the therapeutic effect of CpdA, in contrast to that of dexamethasone, occurred in the absence of hyperinsulinemia and in the absence of a suppressive effect on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Based on these results, we propose CpdA as a compound with promising antiinflammatory characteristics useful for therapeutic intervention in multiple sclerosis and other neuroinflammatory diseases.

Expression patterns of polo-like kinase 1 in human gastric cancer.

Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) is centrally involved in the regulation of mitosis in normal and malignant cells. It is known that inhibition of PLK1 expression in vitro and in vivo leads to mitotic arrest, induction of apoptosis and suppression of tumor growth. In the present study, expression of PLK1 was investigated in paraffin tissue of 135 cases of gastric adenocarcinoma and in 46 corresponding lymph node metastases by immunohistochemistry. Expression data were correlated with clinicopathological parameters and patient survival. Seventy-three (54.1%) of 135 carcinomas showed an overexpression of PLK1 compared to normal gastric mucosa. Overexpression of PLK1 correlated positively with tumor stage, nodal status and diffuse growth pattern. PLK1 expression in the primary tumor did not differ from PLK1 expression in the corresponding lymph node metastases. PLK1 expression was a significant prognostic factor in univariate but not in multivariate survival analysis. As a conclusion, upregulated PLK1 expression in gastric cancer correlates with a malignant tumor phenotype and has impact on patient prognosis. These data underscore the importance of PLK1 in gastric carcinogenesis and present a translational link for functional data into potential clinical use by defining PLK1 as an attractive protein for novel targeted chemotherapeutic approaches in gastric cancer.