Alpha to Omicron: Disease Severity and Clinical Outcomes of Major SARS-CoV-2 Variants.

BACKGROUND: Four severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants predominated in the United States since 2021. Understanding disease severity related to different SARS-CoV-2 variants remains limited. METHOD: Viral genome analysis was performed on SARS-CoV-2 clinical isolates circulating March 2021 through March 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. Major variants were correlated with disease severity and patient outcomes. RESULTS: In total 2779 patients identified with either Alpha (n 1153), Gamma (n 122), Delta (n 808), or Omicron variants (n 696) were selected for analysis. No difference in frequency of hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and death were found among Alpha, Gamma, and Delta variants. However, patients with Omicron infection were significantly less likely to be admitted to the hospital, require oxygen, or admission to the ICU (2 12.8, P .001; 2 21.6, P .002; 2 9.6, P .01, respectively). In patients whose vaccination status was known, a substantial number had breakthrough infections with Delta or Omicron variants (218/808 [26.9] and 513/696 [73.7], respectively). In breakthrough infections, hospitalization rate was similar regardless of variant by multivariate analysis. No difference in disease severity was identified between Omicron subvariants BA.1 and BA.2. CONCLUSIONS: Disease severity associated with Alpha, Gamma, and Delta variants is comparable while Omicron infections are significantly less severe. Breakthrough disease is significantly more common in patients with Omicron infection.

Clonal hematopoiesis-derived therapy-related myeloid neoplasms after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant for lymphoid and non-lymphoid disorders.

Therapy-related myeloid neoplasms (tMN) are complications of cytotoxic therapies. Risk of tMN is high in recipients of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (aHSCT). Acquisition of genomic mutations represents a key pathogenic driver but the origins, timing and dynamics, particularly in the context of preexisting or emergent clonal hematopoiesis (CH), have not been sufficiently clarified. We studied a cohort of 1507 patients undergoing aHSCT and a cohort of 263 patients who developed tMN without aHSCT to determine clinico-molecular features unique to post-aHSCT tMN. We show that tMN occurs in up to 2.3% of patients at median of 2.6 years post-AHSCT. Age ≥ 60 years, male sex, radiotherapy, high treatment burden ( ≥ 3 lines of chemotherapy), and graft cellularity increased the risk of tMN. Time to evolution and overall survival were shorter in post-aHSCT tMN vs. other tMN, and the earlier group's mutational pattern was enriched in PPM1D and TP53 lesions. Preexisting CH increased the risk of adverse outcomes including post-aHSCT tMN. Particularly, antecedent lesions affecting PPM1D and TP53 predicted tMN evolution post-transplant. Notably, CH-derived tMN had worse outcomes than non CH-derived tMN. As such, screening for CH before aHSCT may inform individual patients' prognostic outcomes and influence their prospective treatment plans. Presented in part as an oral abstract at the 2022 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA, 2022.

Engraftment and Measurable Residual Disease Monitoring after Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation: Comparison of Two Chimerism Test Strategies, Next-Generation Sequencing versus a Combination of Short-Tandem Repeats and Quantitative PCR.

Chimerism testing supports the study of engraftment and measurable residual disease (MRD) in patients after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant. In chimerism MRD, relapse can be predicted by increasing mixed chimerism (IMC), recipient increase ≥0.1% in peripheral blood, and proliferating recipient cells as a surrogate of tumor activity. Conventionally, the combination of short-tandem repeat (STR) and quantitative PCR (qPCR) was needed to ensure assay sensitivity and accuracy in all chimerism status. We evaluated the use of next-generation sequencing (NGS) as an alternate technique. The median numbers of informative markers in unrelated/related cases were 124/82 (NGS; from 202 single-nucleotide polymorphism), 5/3 (qPCR), and 17/10 (STR). Assay sensitivity was 0.22% (NGS), 0.1% (qPCR), and 1% (STR). NGS batch (4 to 48 samples) required 19.60 to 24.80 hours and 1.52 to 2.42 hours of hands-on time (comparable to STR/qPCR). NGS assay cost/sample was $91 to $151, similar to qPCR ($99) but higher than STR ($27). Using 56 serial DNAs from six post-transplant patients monitored by the qPCR/STR, the correlation with NGS was strong for percentage recipient (y = 1.102x + 0.010; R2 = 0.968) and percentage recipient change (y = 0.892x + 0.041; R2 = 0.945). NGS identified all 17 IMC events detected by qPCR (100% sensitivity). The NGS chimerism provides sufficient sensitivity, accuracy, and economical/logistical feasibility in supporting engraftment and MRD monitoring.

MGMT Methylation and Differential Survival Impact by Sex in Glioblastoma.

Introduction: Sex differences in glioblastoma (GBM) have been observed in incidence, genetic and epigenetic alterations, and immune response. These differences have extended to the methylation of the MGMT promoter, which critically impacts temozolomide resistance. However, the association between sex, MGMT methylation, and survival is poorly understood, which this study sought to evaluate. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted and reported following STROBE guidelines, based on adults with newly diagnosed GBM who received their first surgical intervention at Cleveland Clinic (Ohio, USA) between 2012 and 2018. Kaplan-Meier and multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to analyze the association between sex and MGMT promoter methylation status on overall survival (OS). MGMT was defined as methylated if the mean of CpG 1-5 ≥ 12. Propensity score matching was performed on a subset of patients to evaluate the effect of individual CpG site methylation. Results: A total of 464 patients had documented MGMT methylation status with a mean age of 63.4 (range 19-93) years. A total of 170 (36.6%) were female, and 133 (28.7%) received gross total resection as a first intervention. A total of 42.5% were MGMT methylated, with females more often having MGMT methylation than males (52.1% vs. 37.4%, p = 0.004). In univariable analysis, OS was significantly longer for MGMT promoter methylated than un-methylated groups for females (2 yr: 36.8% vs. 11.1%; median: 18.7 vs. 9.5 months; p = 0.001) but not for males (2 yr: 24.3% vs. 12.2%; median: 12.4 vs. 11.3 months; p = 0.22, p for MGMT-sex interaction = 0.02). In multivariable analysis, MGMT un-methylated versus methylated promoter females (2.07; 95% CI, 1.45-2.95; p < 0.0001) and males (1.51; 95% CI, 1.14-2.00; p = 0.004) had worse OS. Within the MGMT promoter methylated group, males had significantly worse OS than females (1.42; 95% CI: 1.01-1.99; p = 0.04). Amongst patients with data on MGMT CpG promoter site methylation values (n = 304), the median (IQR) of CpG mean methylation was 3.0% (2.0, 30.5). Females had greater mean CpG methylation than males (11.0 vs. 3.0, p < 0.002) and higher per-site CpG methylation with a significant difference at CPG 1, 2, and 4 (p < 0.008). After propensity score matching, females maintained a significant survival benefit (18.7 vs. 10.0 months, p = 0.004) compared to males (13.0 vs. 13.6 months, p = 0.76), and the pattern of difference was significant (P for CpG-sex interaction = 0.03). Conclusions: In this study, females had higher mean and individual CpG site methylation and received a greater PFS and OS benefit by MGMT methylation that was not seen in males despite equal degrees of CpG methylation.

Predictors of clinical outcome in myeloproliferative neoplasm, unclassifiable: A Bone Marrow Pathology Group study.

OBJECTIVES: Myeloproliferative neoplasm, unclassifiable (MPN-U, revised to MPN, not otherwise specified in the fifth edition of the World Health Organization classification) is a heterogeneous category of primary marrow disorders with clinical, morphologic, and/or molecular features that preclude classification as a more specific MPN subtype due to stage at diagnosis, overlapping features between MPN subtypes, or the presence of coexisting disorders. Compared with other MPN subtypes, the contribution of the mutational landscape in MPN-U in conjunction with other clinical and morphologic biomarkers to prognosis has been less well investigated. METHODS: We performed a multicenter, retrospective study of MPN-U (94 cases) to better define the clinicopathologic features, genetic landscape, and clinical outcomes, including subgroups of early-stage, advanced-stage, and coexisting disorders. The Dynamic International Prognostic Scoring System (DIPSS) plus scoring system was applied to assess its relevance to MPN-U prognosis. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis demonstrated bone marrow blast count and DIPSS plus score as statistically significant in predicting overall survival. Univariate analysis identified additional potential poor prognostic markers, including abnormal karyotype and absence of JAK2 mutation. Secondary mutations were frequent in the subset analyzed by next-generation sequencing (26/37 cases, 70.3%) with a borderline association between high molecular risk mutations and overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: This study, as one of the largest of MPN-U studies incorporating both clinicopathologic and molecular data, moves toward identification of biomarkers that better predict prognosis in this heterogeneous category.

Identification and interpretation of TET2 noncanonical splicing site intronic variants in myeloid neoplasm patients.

Background: DNA hypermethylation and instability due to inactivation mutations in Ten-eleven translocation 2 (TET2) is a key biomarker of hematological malignancies. This study aims at characterizing two intronic noncanonical splice-site variants, c.3954+5_3954+8delGTTT and c.3954+5G>A. Methods: We used in silico prediction tools, reverse transcription (RT)-PCR, and Sanger sequencing on blood/bone marrow-derived RNA specimens to determine the aberrant splicing. Results: In silico prediction of both variants exhibited reduced splicing strength at the TET2 intron 7 splicing donor site. RT-PCR and Sanger sequencing identified a 62-bp deletion at the exon 7, producing a frameshift mutation, p.Cys1298*. Conclusion: This study provides functional evidence for two intronic TET2 variants that cause alternative splicing and frameshift mutation.

Genomic analysis of marginal zone and lymphoplasmacytic lymphomas identified common and disease-specific abnormalities.

Lymphoplasmacytic lymphomas and marginal zone lymphomas of nodal, extra-nodal and splenic types account for 10% of non-Hodgkin lymphomas. They are similar at the cell differentiation level, sometimes making difficult to distinguish them from other indolent non-Hodgkin lymphomas. To better characterize their genetic basis, we performed array-based comparative genomic hybridization in 101 marginal zone lymphomas (46 MALT, 35 splenic and 20 nodal marginal zone lymphomas) and 13 lymphoplasmacytic lymphomas. Overall, 90% exhibited copy-number abnormalities. Lymphoplasmacytic lymphomas demonstrated the most complex karyotype (median=7 copy-number abnormalities), followed by MALT (4), nodal (3.5) and splenic marginal zone lymphomas (3). A comparative analysis exposed a group of copy-number abnormalities shared by several or all the entities with few disease-specific abnormalities. Gain of chromosomes 3, 12 and 18 and loss of 6q23-q24 (TNFAIP3) were identified in all entities. Losses of 13q14.3 (MIRN15A-MIRN16-1) and 17p13.3-p12 (TP53) were found in lymphoplasmacytic and splenic marginal zone lymphomas; loss of 11q21-q22 (ATM) was found in nodal, splenic marginal zone and lymphoplasmacytic lymphomas and loss of 7q32.1-q33 was found in MALT, splenic and lymphoplasmacytic lymphomas. Abnormalities affecting the nuclear factor kappa B pathway were observed in 70% of MALT and lymphoplasmacytic lymphomas and 30% of splenic and nodal marginal zone lymphomas, suggesting distinct roles of this pathway in the pathogenesis/progression of these subtypes. Elucidation of the genetic alterations contributing to the pathogenesis of these lymphomas may guide to design-specific therapeutic approaches.

Designing Myeloid Gene Panels.

CONTEXT.­: Next-generation sequencing studies are increasingly used in the evaluation of suspected chronic myeloid neoplasms (CMNs), but there is wide variability among laboratories in the genes analyzed for this purpose. Recently, the Association for Molecular Pathology CMN working group recommended a core 34-gene set as a minimum target list for evaluation of CMNs. This list was recommended based on literature review, and its diagnostic yield in clinical practice is unknown. OBJECTIVE.­: To determine the diagnostic yield of the core 34 genes and assess the potential impact of including selected additional genes. DESIGN.­: We retrospectively reviewed 185 patients with known or suspected CMNs tested using a 62-gene next-generation sequencing panel that included all 34 core genes. RESULTS.­: The Association for Molecular Pathology's core 34 genes had a diagnostic yield of 158 of 185 (85.4%) to detect at least 1 variant with strong/potential clinical significance and 107 of 185 (57.8%) to detect at least 2 such variants. The 62-gene panel had a diagnostic yield of 160 of 185 (86.5%) and 112 of 185 (60.5%), respectively. Variants of unknown significance were identified in 49 of 185 (26.5%) using the core 34 genes versus 76 of 185 (41.1%) using the 62-gene panel. CONCLUSIONS.­: This study demonstrates that the Association for Molecular Pathology-recommended core 34-gene set has a high diagnostic yield in CMNs. Inclusion of selected additional genes slightly increases the rate of abnormal results, while also increasing the detection of variants of unknown significance. We recommend inclusion of CUX1, DDX41, ETNK1, RIT1, and SUZ12 in addition to the Association for Molecular Pathology's 34-gene core set for routine evaluation of CMNs.

A comprehensive analysis of cytopenias and bone marrow morphology in patients with a history of bariatric and metabolic surgery.

INTRODUCTION: Following bariatric and metabolic surgery (BMS), patients may develop persistent cytopenia(s) despite adequate micronutrient levels. A comprehensive analysis of laboratory and hematopathologic findings in BMS patients with unexplained cytopenia(s) has not been previously described. METHODS: We reviewed the clinical and laboratory data, bone marrow histology, and used ancillary testing to characterize patients with a history of BMS who had subsequent bone marrow biopsies due to unexplained cytopenia(s). RESULTS: All patients had anemia and 59% (23/39) had additional cytopenias. Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and clonal cytopenia of unknown significance (CCUS) were diagnosed in 8% (3/39) and 10% (4/39), respectively. Remaining cases were classified as idiopathic cytopenia of unknown significance (ICUS) with anemia alone (ICUS-A) in 47% (15/32) or multiple cytopenias (ICUS-PAN) in 53% (17/32). Time since surgery, age, or amount of weight loss was not associated with a specific diagnosis. No patient was vitamin B12 or folate deficient. However, vitamin B6 and zinc were decreased in 47% (5/11) and 29% (9/29), respectively. Examination of bone marrow aspirates revealed slight erythroid dyspoiesis affecting <10% of precursors in 60% (9/15) ICUS-A and 59% (10/17) ICUS-PAN. CONCLUSION: Bone marrow findings in patients with unexplained cytopenia(s) after BMS are not specific in the majority of cases, and caution is advised when interpreting dyserythropoiesis. Levels of micronutrients and vitamins other than iron, folate and vitamin B12 are frequently disturbed in this patient cohort and warrant correction and close clinical follow-up.

Clinically Significant CUX1 Mutations Are Frequently Subclonal and Common in Myeloid Disorders With a High Number of Co-mutated Genes and Dysplastic Features.

OBJECTIVES: CUX1 mutations have been reported in myeloid neoplasms. We aimed to characterize the mutational landscape, clonal architecture, and clinical characteristics of myeloid disorders with CUX1 variants. METHODS: We reviewed data from a targeted 62-gene panel with CUX1 variants. Variants were classified as of strong or potential clinical significance (tier I/tier II) or of unknown significance (VUS). RESULTS: CUX1 variants were identified in 169 cases. The 49 tier I/tier II variants were found in older patients (mean age, 71 vs 60 years old) and predominantly inactivating alterations, while the 120 VUS cases were missense mutations. Monosomy 7/deletion 7q was more common in tier I/tier II cases. Co-mutations were detected in 96% of tier I/tier II cases (average, 3.7/case) but in only 61% of VUS cases (average, 1.5/case). Tier I/tier II CUX1 variants tend to be subclonal to co-mutations (ASXL1, SF3B1, SRSF2, TET2). Among myeloid disorders, tier I/tier II cases were more frequently diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndromes and had a higher number of bone marrow dysplastic lineages. CONCLUSIONS: CUX1 mutations are seen with adverse prognostic features and could be a late clonal evolutional event of myeloid disorders. The differences between CUX1 tier I/tier II and VUS underscore the importance of accurate variant classification in reporting of multigene panels.

Design and Implementation of Improved SARS-CoV-2 Diagnostic Assays To Mitigate the Impact of Genomic Mutations on Target Failure: the Xpert Xpress SARS-CoV-2 Experience.

In 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) enabled manufacturers to request emergency use authorization (EUA) to facilitate the rapid authorization of in vitro diagnostic (IVD) platforms for the detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Uncommon SARS-CoV-2 point mutations could cause nucleocapsid (N) gene target failure (NGTF) when using first-generation Xpert Xpress assays, so improvements were designed and implemented. In response to NGTF reports and with consideration of viral genomic information in public databases, the Xpress assays were redesigned to mitigate the impact of SARS-CoV-2 mutations on qualitative assay performance. The second-generation assays include a third gene target (RNA-dependent RNA polymerase [RdRp]) and redundant oligonucleotide probes for the N2 target. First- and second-generation assay performances were evaluated using a challenge set of samples. A second-generation assay with updated oligonucleotide chemistry received FDA EUA in September 2021. A prototype assay with oligonucleotide chemistry similar to that of the second-generation assay with FDA EUA successfully detected all three gene targets (N2, envelope [E], and RdRp) in all challenge samples (100%; 50/50), including variants with N gene mutations (g.29197C>T or g.29200C>T), which caused NGTF in the first-generation assays. Investigation and reporting of IVD target failures, public sharing of viral genomic sequence data, and the FDA EUA pathway were essential components in facilitating a short cycle time from the identification of mutations that impact the performance of an IVD assay to the design and implementation of an improved IVD assay. IMPORTANCE The SARS-CoV-2 genome has mutated during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Some of these mutations have impacted the performance of nucleic acid amplification tests like PCR, which are commonly used as diagnostic tools to detect an infection. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) emergency use authorization (EUA) process enables the rapid reformulation and regulatory authorization of improved PCRs. In our experience, the identification of SARS-CoV-2 mutations that impact PCR performance, the subsequent development of improved PCR chemistry, and the use of the FDA EUA regulatory pathway led to improved diagnostic performance during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic that is able to keep pace with the rapidly evolving genome of SARS-CoV-2.

Myeloid Sarcoma Involving the Testis in Adults: Clonal Evolution of Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

To describe the clinical, histologic, immunophenotypic, and genetic characteristics of myeloid sarcoma (MS) diagnosed in the testes of adults, 3 cases were identified, and information on their presentation, clinical features, treatment, and outcome was retrieved from the medical records. In addition, histologic, immunophenotypic, and molecular characteristics were reviewed. This showed that all patients had a previous history of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), in 2 cases diagnosed >10 years before the testicular lesions. In 1 case, there was bilateral involvement, while in 2, involvement was unilateral. The neoplastic cells showed evidence of cytogenetic/molecular clonal evolution in all cases, 1 of which also had significant immunophenotypic changes. A mutational profile including NPM1 p.Trp288Cysfs*12, IDH1 p.Arg132His NRAS p.Gly12Asp was seen in 2 of the 3 cases. Concurrent bone marrow involvement by a myeloid neoplasm was diagnosed in 2 patients, in 1, there was AML in the second 8% blasts. These patients progressed rapidly after MS and had a dismal outcome. The patient with no concurrent bone marrow disease had a favorable outcome. In conclusion, MS involving the testes of adults is a rare event, and it may represent the clonal evolution of AML.

A Model for Design and Implementation of a Laboratory Information-Management System Specific for Molecular Pathology Laboratory Operations.

The Molecular Pathology Section, Cleveland Clinic (Cleveland, OH), has undergone enhancement of its testing portfolio and processes. An Excel 2013- and paper-based data-management system was replaced with a commercially available laboratory information-management system (LIMS) software application, a separate bioinformatics platform, customized test-interpretation applications, a dedicated sample-accessioning service, and a results-releasing software application. The customized LIMS solution manages complex workflows, large-scale data packets, and process automation. A customized approach was required because, in a survey of commercially available off-the-shelf software products, none met the diverse and complex needs of this molecular diagnostics service. The project utilized the expertise of clinical laboratorians, pathologists, genetics counselors, bioinformaticians, and systems analysts in partnering with software-engineering consultants to design and implement a solution. Concurrently, Agile software-building best practices were formulated, which may be emulated for scalable and cost-effective laboratory-authored software.

Molecular and pathologic characterization of AML with double Inv(3)(q21q26.2).

The inv(3)(q21q26.2) altering a single chromosome 3 homolog is an established myeloid malignancy-associated entity. Comparatively, double inv(3) cases involving both homologs are exceedingly rare with 13 reports across AML, CML and MDS. This scarcity was confirmed by finding only 2 new cases out of 34,898 bone marrows collected during a 55 year period at a large medical center (0.0005%). The double inv(3) was detected by karyotype and confirmed by FISH on both homologs in a 41 year old female and a 72 year old male with AML. In the latter case, a 2.26-fold increase in MECOM RNA level was found using an NGS myeloid gene panel. Chromosomal microarray analysis identified segmental copy-neutral loss-of-heterozygosity (CN-LOH) at 3q21 extending to near the q-arm terminus. This is the third report of distal 3q CN-LOH, substantiating that the double inv(3) arises through somatic repair of acquired segmental LOH. Long term clinical and genetic evaluation revealed no discernible morphologic difference between single and double inv(3) cases, conventional chemotherapy resistance and rapid dominance of the double inv(3) clone. The two new cases are consistent with relatively longer survival of double inv(3) patients in the absence of concurrent chromosome 7 loss compared to those with both abnormalities. Importantly, the first known outcome data of bone marrow transplantation in double inv(3) AML is also presented.

Donor skin allograft survival after bone marrow transplantation: Case report and systematic review of the literature☆.

BACKGROUND: We present a case of skin allograft survival in a patient who previously received a bone marrow transplant from the same HLA-matched donor. DNA fingerprinting of skin biopsies showed mixed cellularity originating from the donor and recipient (68% and 32% donor DNA in the allograft skin and the native recipient's skin, respectively). Histologic sections demonstrated both grade 3/4 rejection and graft-versus-host-disease. We have conducted a systematic review in search for other cases of donor skin allograft survival after a bone marrow or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. METHODS: All reported cases in English, Spanish, French, and German were captured using the electronic databases. Bibliographies of relevant articles were manually searched. RESULTS: Nineteen patients (12 females) who received skin allografts from their bone marrow or hematopoietic stem cell donors were identified. Average age was 27.2 years (range: 5 months to 64 years). Skin allografts were used to treat graft-versus-host-disease, Herlitz junctional epidermolysis bullosa, and to test tolerance before a kidney transplantation from the same donor. Eight cases were not receiving immunosuppressive therapy. Allografts survived in all patients. In three patients, skin punch biopsies were taken, and these biopsies demonstrated mixed donor and recipient cellularity. The pathology result is specified in two more cases, with no signs of rejection. CONCLUSIONS: The same donor skin allografts may be a safe option to treat severe cutaneous conditions in recipients of a bone marrow/hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. However, future studies are needed to confirm these results.

Establishing a Clinical Laboratory in a Tertiary/Quaternary Care Greenfield Hospital in the Middle East: Recounting the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi Experience.

CONTEXT: - This review chronicles the establishment of a clinical laboratory in Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, a greenfield tertiary/quaternary care hospital in the United Arab Emirates. It discusses the challenges faced, solutions sought, and lessons learned and shares insights and pitfalls that may be encountered in such an undertaking. OBJECTIVES: - To share our experience in building a clinical laboratory in a start-up, multispecialty hospital and how we provided support and managed people, processes, and technology for building and making operational the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. DATA SOURCES: - The Medline (PubMed, National Center for Biotechnology Information, Bethesda, Maryland) database was used to review this topic as well as other journals, books, and Google (Mountain View, California) search engine. CONCLUSIONS: - To deliver on the promise of quality healthcare in a culturally appropriate setting close to home, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi proved to be an unprecedented and ambitious project, jointly carried out by Mubadala Investment Corporation and the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Cognizant of the scale of this task, hospital leadership engaged closely with staff and stakeholders through motivational techniques and effective communication. Excellent project planning and execution of complex tasks were required for initiation of services. Establishing the clinical laboratory served as an instructive model in fostering multidisciplinary teamwork by highlighting ways to manage operational roadblocks and opportunities in the planning, commissioning, and activation phases. Throughout the activation process, all efforts were directed to create a patient-safety culture within an intentional-learning organization.

An approach to interpreting immunohistochemical stains of adenocarcinoma in small needle core biopsy specimens: the impact of limited specimen size.

Interpreting immunohistochemical stains of metastatic adenocarcinoma in small needle core biopsy specimens is not always straightforward. We studied the effects of small specimen size on immunohistochemical stain results in 20 colorectal adenocarcinoma hepatic resection specimens stained with cytokeratin (CK)7 and CK20. We superimposed 18- and 20-gauge needle core biopsy computer images. The results in needle core biopsy specimens correlated best with resection specimen results when immunoreactivity was assessed using the 3 images with the highest percentage of immunoreactive cells. CK7- and CK20+ needle core biopsy specimens correlated best when a higher percentage cut point was used. Immunohistochemical stains in small needle core biopsy specimens should be based on the regional area with the greatest immunoreactivity. The positive result cut point should increase as the amount of stainable carcinoma available for interpretation decreases.

Phenotypic Heterogeneity in Patients with Homozygous Prothrombin 20210AA Genotype. A paper from the 2005 William Beaumont Hospital Symposium on Molecular Pathology.

Venous thromboembolic events (VTEs) affect an estimated 1 in 1000 people annually, resulting in approximately 50,000 deaths, with prevalence increasing with age. The genetic contributors to thrombosis have been described and further explored within the last 15 years as molecular diagnostic techniques have become more widely used. The prothrombin G20210A mutation is the second most common inherited thrombotic risk factor after factor V Leiden. Generally present in less than 5% of the population, the mutation's prevalence varies greatly with ethnicity. The G20210A mutation confers a mildly increased thrombotic risk that is compounded by the presence of other risk factors. One striking characteristic of the G20210A mutation is the phenotypic heterogeneity of the rare homozygous cases. Forty percent of the reported homozygous cases are asymptomatic. Many of the symptomatic patients have additional risk factors that might compound the thrombotic risk. We present here a review of the literature for the homozygous prothrombin G20210A mutation and describe additional cases that exemplify the heterogeneous nature of this entity.