Transcriptional repressor GATA binding 1 (TRPS1) immunoexpression in normal skin tissues and various cutaneous tumors.

BACKGROUND: Transcriptional repressor GATA binding 1 (TRPS1) is a transcription factor recently shown to play a role in the development of breast and liver cancer. Here, we evaluate TRPS1 immunoexpression in normal skin tissues and various cutaneous tumors. METHODS: TRPS1 immunohistochemistry was performed in 109 cases of primary cutaneous tumors and 19 cases of metastatic carcinomas. TRPS1 expression was also evaluated in the normal skin tissues. RESULTS: The normal epidermis was TRPS1-. In contrast, the eccrine apparatus, epithelial compartment of the hair follicles, hair papilla, sebaceous glands, and anogenital mammary-like glands were TRPS1+. In primary cutaneous tumors, TRPS1 positivity varied in poroma (2/3), nodular hidradenoma (4/5), spiradenoma (4/4), cutaneous mixed tumor (5/5), trichilemmal cyst (7/8), proliferating trichilemmal tumor (1/3), pilomatricoma (9/9), sebaceoma (2/5), extramammary Paget disease (13/13), sebaceous carcinoma (2/2), actinic keratosis (3/10), Bowen disease (7/12), and squamous cell carcinoma (1/5) cases. All cases of seborrheic keratosis, basal cell carcinoma, Merkel cell carcinoma, and malignant melanoma were TRPS1-. All metastatic breast carcinoma cases (8/8) were highly positive for TRPS1, while all but one of the other metastatic tumor cases were TRPS1-. CONCLUSIONS: TRPS1 immunoexpression was observed in several skin appendages and cutaneous tumors.

Congenital cerebellar dysplasia in White Leghorn chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus).

Congenital cerebellar anomalies have been rarely reported in birds. We examined cerebellums with disorganized folia from seven specific-pathogen-free White Leghorn chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus). Islands of heterotopic cortex were distributed from the deeper cortices to the medulla in the cerebellum. The characteristic lesions were composed of randomly admixed components of the cerebellar cortex, including Purkinje cells, a molecular layer and granular cells. Immunofluorescent analysis revealed Purkinje cells with haphazardly extended dendrites and a lack of Bergmann's glial fibres in the foci. Chicken parvovirus, Aino virus and avian retrovirus were not detected in the affected birds by polymerase chain reaction. This is the first report of cerebellar dysplasia in chickens possibly caused by a genetic abnormality.

A Rare Tumor of Intravascular Myopericytoma in the Right Renal Vein.

Myopericytoma, a perivascular myoid neoplasm, is commonly found in the dermis or subcutaneous tissues; however, its occurrence in visceral organs is unusual. Here, we present an extremely rare tumor of intravascular myopericytoma of the right renal vein. A 44-year-old man was incidentally diagnosed with a mass in the right kidney during a routine checkup. A nephrectomy was performed because the urologist suspected renal cancer. A gross examination of the resected specimen revealed a well-circumscribed brown mass in the renal hilum. Histologically, the tumor showed a concentric multilayered proliferation of spindle cells surrounding blood vessels. Immunohistochemical staining showed that the spindle-shaped tumor cells were negative for desmin but positive for α-smooth muscle actin and h-caldesmon, indicating their myoid nature. We confirmed that the tumor was located in the right renal vein because it was encased within a thick wall that was desmin-positive and contained elastic fibers, as shown by Elastica van Gieson staining. The patient was diagnosed with an intravascular myopericytoma of the right renal vein. There are several differential diagnoses for renal mesenchymal tumors, including angiomyolipoma. This emphasizes the importance of considering these uncommon tumors when examining nephrectomy specimens.

Plastic Bronchitis of Human Bocavirus 1 Detected by Comprehensive Polymerase Chain Reaction of Mucus Casts.

Plastic bronchitis (PB) is a rare and severe respiratory disease characterized by the formation of branching mucus casts, resulting in airway obstruction. PB can be divided into two types. Type 1 PB is primarily caused by inflammatory casts that result from allergic diseases. In type 2 PB, mucinous casts are produced in association with congenital heart disease. PB is also associated with viral respiratory infections, particularly the influenza A (H1N1) pdm09 virus, which is the most common pathogen affecting pediatric patients. Herein, we report a case of severe type 1 PB caused by human bocavirus (HBoV)1 in a child. Multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of a nasopharyngeal swab revealed the presence of respiratory syncytial virus and human parainfluenza virus 3. However, no viruses other than HBoV1 were detected in mucus casts by real-time PCR. Consequently, we suggest that HBoV can cause PB in pediatric patients, and direct and comprehensive PCR of bronchial casts may be useful for identifying the etiologic agents.

Cardiac pathology and molecular epidemiology by avian leukosis viruses in Japan.

Epidemiological studies suggest that retroviruses, including human immunodeficiency virus type 1, are associated with cardiomyopathy and myocarditis, but a causal relationship remains to be established. We encountered unusual cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and mitosis in Japanese native fowls infected with subgroup A of the avian leukosis viruses (ALVs-A), which belong to the genus Alpharetrovirus of the family Retroviridae and mainly induce lymphoid neoplasm in chickens. The affected hearts were evaluated by histopathology and immunohistochemistry, viral isolation, viral genome sequencing and experimental infection. There was non-suppurative myocarditis in eighteen fowls and seven of them had abnormal cardiomyocytes, which were distributed predominantly in the left ventricular wall and showed hypertrophic cytoplasm and atypical large nuclei. Nuclear chains and mitosis were frequently noted in these cardiomyocytes and immunohistochemistry for proliferating cell nuclear antigen supported the enhancement of mitotic activity. ALVs were isolated from all affected cases and phylogenic analysis of envSU genes showed that the isolates were mainly classified into two different clusters, suggesting viral genome diversity. In ovo experimental infection with two of the isolates was demonstrated to cause myocarditis and cardiomyocyte hypertrophy similar to those in the naturally occurring lesions and cardiac hamartoma (rhabdomyoma) in a shorter period of time (at 70 days of age) than expected. These results indicate that ALVs cause myocarditis as well as cardiomyocyte abnormality in chickens, implying a pathogenetic mechanism different from insertional mutagenesis and the existence of retrovirus-induced heart disorder.