Massive Perivillous Fibrin Deposition and Chronic Histiocytic Intervillositis a Complication of SARS-CoV-2 Infection.

An emerging complication of COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is reported. A 23-year-old patient presented with high temperature and reduced fetal movements at 25 + 5/40 weeks of gestation. RT-PCR proved maternal COVID-19 infection. Ultrasound examination confirmed intrauterine death. Placenta histology showed necrosis of the villous trophoblast, associated with Chronic Histiocytic Intervillositis (CHI) and Massive Perivillous Fibrin Deposition (MPFD) with up to 90% - of the intervillous spaces being involved. Immunohistochemistry showed CD68 positive histiocytes in the intervillous spaces and the villous trophoblast was positive for the COVID-19 spike protein. RNA scope signal was indicative of the presence of the viral genome and active viral replication in the villous trophoblastic cells, respectively. MPFD is a gradually developing end-stage disease with various etiology, including autoimmune and alloimmune maternal response to antigens expressed at the feto-maternal interface and frequently accompanies chronic alloimmune villitis or histiocytic intervillositis. Covid-19 infection is associated with similar pattern of histological changes of the placenta leading to placental insufficiency and fetal death. This case report supports maternal- fetal vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 virus leading to placental insufficiency and fetal demise. MPFD and CHI appear to be the typical placental histology for SARS-CoV-2 virus infection associated fetal demise.

Congenital desmoplastic trichoepithelioma.

Desmoplastic trichoepithelioma (DT) is a rare benign adnexal neoplasm considered to have follicular differentiation. It usually presents as an asymptomatic, firm, annular plaque with a raised border. The most common site of occurrence is the face, usually on the cheek. Females are more often affected than males and the age range of patients previously reported is 8-79 years. We present a case of congenital desmoplastic trichoepithelioma. A girl was born at term to a healthy mother after an uneventful pregnancy and was noted to have widespread erythematous plaques with milia-like lesions over the right scalp, face and neck, with some areas of atrophic scarring. Histology and immunohistochemistry of incisional biopsies of the lesions were consistent with a diagnosis of DT. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of congenital DT.

Rare case of exomphalos complicated with umbilical cord teratoma in a fetus with trisomy 13.

An exomphalos containing unusual solid and cystic mass was diagnosed during a routine ultrasound examination in the 17th week of gestation. Further investigations were planned but the pregnancy was terminated. The fetopathological examination revealed an umbilical cord teratoma. Although this entity is very rare it should be emphasized as a possible differential diagnosis when cystic lesion of the cord is detected. Large teratomas associated with abdominal wall defect may have poor fetal outcome and can be associated with structural and chromosomal abnormalities. In our case trisomy 13 was diagnosed.

Extremely high maternal alkaline phosphatase serum concentration with syncytiotrophoblastic origin.

An extremely high alkaline phosphatase (AP) concentration (3609 IU/litre) was found in a 20 year old primigravida at 37 week's gestation, prompting an examination of its histological and cellular origin. Immunohistochemistry and western blots using antibodies against AP, Ki-67, phospho-protein kinase B (Akt), phospho-p44/42 mitogen activated protein kinase/extracellular signal regulated kinase 1/2 (MAPK/Erk1/2), phospho-glycogen synthase kinase-3beta (GSK-3beta), phospho-stress activated protein kinase/c-Jun N-terminal kinase, total-Akt, total-GSK-3beta, and phospho-p38-MAPK were carried out on index and control placental samples of the same gestational age. Compared with controls, staining of the index placenta showed minimal AP labelling of the brush border and remarkable positivity of the intervillous space. Cytotrophoblastic proliferation was 8-10% in the index placenta compared with 1-2% in controls. The index placenta also had raised concentrations of protein kinases with important roles in cell differentiation. The proliferation and differentiation rates of the cytotrophoblasts were found to be five times higher in index samples than in controls. It is hypothesised that loss of syncytial membranes in immature villi led to increased AP concentrations in the maternal circulation and decreased AP staining of the placenta. Loss of the syncytium might also stimulate increased proliferation of villous cytotrophoblasts, which would then fuse and maintain the syncytium.

Best practice no 178. Examination of the human placenta.

The human placenta is an underexamined organ. The clinical indications for placental examination have no gold standards. There is also inconsistency in the histological reports and the quality is variable. There is great interobserver variability concerning the different entities. Although there are still grey areas in clinicopathological associations, a few mainstream observations have now been clarified. The histopathological examination and diagnosis of the placenta may provide crucial information. It is possible to highlight treatable maternal conditions and identify placental or fetal conditions that can be recurrent or inherited. To achieve optimal benefit from placental reports, it is essential to standardise the method of placenta examination. This article summarises the clinical indications for placenta referral and the most common acknowledged clinicopathological correlations.

Apoptosis in various organs of preterm infants: histopathologic study of lung, kidney, liver, and brain of ventilated infants.

Apoptosis, the well-characterized form of active programmed cell death, is a physiologic phenomenon in embryonal and fetal life in developing organs. Severe hypoxia, which occurs in most preterm infants, also leads to cell death, which may be necrotic or apoptotic. The aim of our study was to examine the incidence of apoptosis in various organs (such as lung, kidney, and brain) of preterm infants who suffered from clinically proven respiratory distress causing infantile respiratory distress syndrome (IRDS), cardiac failure, and periventricular leukomalacia (PVL). Twenty-four autopsy cases were studied histologically to detect the apoptotic ratio, which was performed on the basis of hematoxylin and eosin staining and validated by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated nick end-labeling (TUNEL) reaction. Elevated apoptotic ratio was found in stages II, III, and IV of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) among alveolar and bronchiolar cells. The apoptotic activity was very low in stage I of BPD. High apoptotic ratio was detected in hypoxic injuries of the central nervous system (CNS) of preterm infants. Features of apoptosis were present in proximal and excreting tubules of the kidney. Significant elevation of apoptotic activity may play a role in the development of BPD, ischemic brain lesions, and renal failure.

[Practice of fetal pathological examination]. / A fetopathologiai feldolgozás gyakorlata.

Authors report on the practice and most important genetic questions of fetopathological examinations. A so called genetic-morphologic approach is suggested. The observer needs special knowledge to recognize major and minor signs of defects in fetuses in the second, or sometimes even in the first trimester. Spontaneous abortions in the first trimester are caused mainly by chromosome aberrations. In the second trimester the main causes of spontaneous abortions are maternal in origin or secondary to intrauterine infection. Medical legal aspects are also reviewed. For proper documentation a photo or X-ray must be taken. Cytogenetic and molecular genetic methods are also very important tools, therefore examination must be performed before fixation. For the first time in Hungary fetal biometric data are presented with correlation between gestational age and different organ weights. Our aim is to promote better understand of fetal malformations and disorders.

Misdiagnosis of lung cancer in a 2000 consecutive autopsy study in Budapest.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the accuracy of lung cancer mortality data based on clinical observations in the absence of autopsy and to identify factors affecting the accuracy of diagnosis. METHODS: Admission, pre-autopsy and post-autopsy diagnoses were recorded for 1000 consecutive autopsies in each of two University departments in Budapest with high autopsy rates for persons dying in hospital. In those 87 cases where one or more diagnosis included primary lung cancer, additional data were collected concerning clinical investigations relevant to the diagnosis and the histological type lung cancer, and on smoking habits. RESULTS: 59% (36/61) of lung cancers seen at autopsy were not detected pre-autopsy, while 50% (25/50) of those diagnosed pre-autopsy were not confirmed at autopsy. Many misdiagnoses arose because patients were too ill to be properly investigated and/or died before investigations could be completed. Accuracy of diagnosis increased with the number of diagnostic techniques applied, but was still far from perfect in the absence of necropsy. Underdiagnosis was commoner in non-smokers and overdiagnosis commoner in smokers. CONCLUSIONS: Without necropsy, lung cancer misdiagnosis is common, especially when modern diagnostic procedures cannot be fully employed. Knowledge of smoking habits may affect diagnostic accuracy.

Olive oil decreases liver damage in rats caused by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4).

Oral carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) poisoning of the liver of male F-344 rats was modified by dissolving CCl4 in various oils (sunflower, corn, fish and olive). After 8 weeks of CCl4 treatment (3 x 0.2 ml/kg body weight every other day, dissolved in aliquots of 0.5 ml of each types of oil) the rats were sacrificed and the ratio of connective tissue in the liver was determined by morphometry after picrosirius staining. The percentage of collagen fibres increased in all CCl4-treated groups compared to the controls. This increase was almost the same (6-8%) in the case of CCl4 dissolved in sunflower, corn or fish oil, but when olive oil was applied as a solvent, the collagen ratio was only 2-4 percent. On the bases of this finding olive oil is considered as less harmful to the liver in acute CCl4 poisoning than other oils.