Idiopathic Localized Involutional Lipoatrophy: A Retrospective Study of 12 Cases.

BACKGROUND: Idiopathic localized involutional lipoatrophy (ILIL) is focal loss of subcutaneous tissue without any clinical or histopathological inflammation with spontaneous regression. OBJECTIVE: To retrospectively study clinical features and evolution of lesions in patients diagnosed with idiopathic localized lipoatrophy presenting to the department of dermatology of two district hospitals of Himachal Pradesh. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study of clinical patterns and evolution of ILIL was done in patients presenting with this condition in two district hospitals in the past 4 years (October 2013-September 2017). All clinically suspected and histopathologically confirmed cases of idiopathic localized lipoatrophy were included in the study. All cases with history of antecedent injections, vaccination, or medications before the development of lesion and inflammatory lipoatrophy on histopathology were excluded. RESULTS: We found a total of 12 patients with ILIL. About 66% were children (8/12), 3 (25%) young females, and 1 (8%) young adult male. The most common site involved was buttock in 9 (75%) cases followed by a single case each (8%) with lesion on arm, face, and lower back. Two children and one adult were having bilateral involvement (25%), whereas the remaining had unilateral lesions. Lipoatrophy in 8 (66%) patients decreased spontaneously (with placebo) within 4-12 weeks duration whereas 4 required treatment. None required surgical or cosmetic interventions. LIMITATIONS: Small sample size and nonavailability of immunohistochemistry reports in all patients. CONCLUSION: ILIL is a rare form of lipoatrophy with specific loss of adipose tissue without any inflammatory changes. We concluded that ILIL is an underreported entity, probably due to its spontaneous resolution.

Switching from positive to negative axial thermal expansion in two organic crystalline compounds with similar packing.

Switching from positive to negative axial thermal expansion in pure organic materials is reported for the first time. This rare phenomenon has been rationalized based on the packing of molecules in crystal structures and transverse thermal vibrations of atoms in the molecule. Unique packing of the molecules in the crystal structure contributes to the restricted movement of molecules along the c axis. Subsequently, contraction of molecular dimensions with increasing temperature, due to transverse vibrations of some atoms, assists with the switch from Positive Thermal Expansion (PTE) to Negative Thermal Expansion (NTE).

Intradural Eosinophilic Granuloma Invading Skull: Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Eosinophilic granuloma is a localized form of Langerhans cell histiocytosis, most commonly involving the skeletal system. Their origin from the dura is rare with only a handful of cases on record. We present one such rare case of an eosinophilic granuloma originating from the dura mater with secondary osseous invasion in an 11-year-old female child who presented with a swelling in the right parietal region. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated an enhancing mass with a wide dural attachment with a lytic lesion in the overlying skull. Right parietal extended craniotomy was done with the excision of mass from the dura. Histopathological features of mass were characteristic of eosinophilic granuloma which was confirmed by positive immunohistochemical staining for CD1a.

Well differentiated neuroendocrine tumor of the kidney: Report of a rare case with review of literature.

Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are uncommon tumors that exhibit a wide range of neuroendocrine differentiation and biological behavior. Primary NETs of the kidney, including carcinoid tumor, small cell carcinoma (SCC), and large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) are exceedingly rare. Renal carcinoids are typically slow-growing tumors and pursue a variable clinical course. In contrast, SCC and LCNEC often present with locally advanced or metastatic disease and carry a poor prognosis. We herein report a rare cases of well-differentiated NET (carcinoid) in a 39-year-old male along with the immunohistochemical features. The rarity of these tumors poses a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge.

Thyroid tuberculosis in a child: a rare entity.

Thyroid tuberculosis is a rare disease even in countries where tuberculosis is endemic. Clinically tuberculosis is not often suspected in cases of thyroid nodule or swelling. We report a case of 11 years female child who presented with a thyroid swelling. Fine-needle aspiration cytology revealed caseating epithelioid granulomas and acid fast bacilli. Patient improved with antitubercular drugs. Tuberculosis may be considered as differential diagnosis of thyroid swelling.

Cytomorphological features of Hürthle cell carcinoma: A report of two cases with review of literature.

The use of the term "Hürthle cell neoplasm" as the gold standard should be discouraged as it makes evaluating these lesions more confusing. Recently, a number of studies have been conducted to define criteria that are more specific for Hürthle cell carcinoma (HCC). We herein report two cases of HCC of thyroid which were accurately diagnosed preoperatively using various cytological features described in the recent studies. A review of the literature is also presented.