Histopathological diagnosis of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy: A review of three autopsy cases.

INTRODUCTION: Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy is an underdiagnosed myocardial disease which commonly presents with sudden cardiac death in young people. It is considered as a challenge for forensic pathologist due to its pathological changes. Here, we presented three cases of postmortem diagnosis of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy with involvement of other subtypes. CASE REPORT: Here, we report autopsy cases of sudden cardiac death as the first clinical manifestation observed in three patients with different ages and with no medical history, nor previous family history of sudden death or heart diseases. The postmortem investigations were performed and the diagnosis of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy with three expression forms was later confirmed by histopathological examination, this latter showed fibroadipose tissue infiltrations of the myocardium. The diagnosis of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy was discussed with review through the literature. CONCLUSION: We presented special characteristic and histopathology features of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy cases, discovered in our usual forensic practice. This may be helpful for forensic pathologists to make a reliable diagnosis even in the absence of clinical history.

Primary carcinoma of the larynx in females: A case series.

Background and aim: In north Africa, laryngeal carcinomas remain a predominately male pathology. While in many countries the gap between men and women is narrowing. This study aimed to examine the epidemiological, clinical, therapeutic, and follow up data of a case series of 23 female patients treated for laryngeal carcinoma. Patients and methods: Medical records of a case series of 23 patients for primary carcinoma of the larynx at the Department of Head and Neck Surgery of the 20 August Hospital of Casablanca, between January 2012 and September 2016, were reviewed. Demographic, clinical, endoscopic, radiological, surgical, and follow-up data were collected. Results: 7% of all the patients treated for LC were women, The most affected age group was between 60 and 79 years (52%), 52% had no major risk factor, all patients had an epidermoid carcinoma, 48% of patients had T2 tumors. T1, T3, and T4a were found in respectively 17%, 22%, and 13%. N1 in 43% of the cases (n = 10), N0 in 35% (n = 8), N2b in 17% (n = 4), N2c in 4% (n = 1). All patients were M0. All the patients in this series have undergone surgical treatment. At 5 years, the survival rate was 83%. Conclusion: Since the proportions of women in published studies are limited, there are still many controversies about gender differences in laryngeal cancer. Therefore, further studies should seek a clearer understanding of factors involved in female laryngeal cancer to adopt more appropriately the measures of prevention and early diagnosis.

Unusual presentation of a soft palate mass: A rare case report of solitary extramedullary plasmacytoma.

INTRODUCTION: Plasmacytoma is a rare clonal neoplastic disorder of bone marrow that originates from plasma cells. It usually presents as a multiple myeloma (MM). Less than 5% of patients present with either a single bone lesion as a solitary bone plasmacytoma (SBP) or, even more rarely, as a soft tissue mass of monoclonal plasma cells representing a solitary extra medullary plasmacytoma (SEP). CASE PRESENTATION: We report a case of a 59-year-old man presenting with a mass of the soft palate evolving for a year. Physical examination showed an extension to the nasal cavity. Biopsy with immunohistochemical study demonstrated sheets of mononucleated plasmacytoid cells diffusely expressing CD138. The plasma cells showed monoclonal light chain Kappa. Further investigations did not show any other locations including bone and bone marrow. Thus, diagnosis of solitary extramedullary plasmacytoma of the soft palate was established. The patient was treated with chemotherapy with total remission on his one year follow-up. DISCUSSION: SEP may arise in any organ, either as a primary tumor or as part of a MM. Almost 90% of SEP arise in the head and neck, especially in the upper respiratory tract. Primary treatment for most patients is radiotherapy, but surgery may also be required, and multidisciplinary decision between surgeon, hematologist and radiotherapist is crucial for planning optimum care. CONCLUSION: SEP is an extremely rare condition which requires diagnostic and therapeutic management in the same level of MM. Prognosis is better than the two other forms (MM and SBP).

Peripheral Medulloepithelioma: A Rare Entity to Know.

According to the World Health Organization, medulloepithelioma belongs to the embryonal neoplasm entity. It is a very rare, highly malignant tumor typically affecting infants and young children. Usually, the tumor arises in the eye or in the central nervous system; a peripheral location has been rarely reported without an established treatment. The recognition and separation of this neoplasm from other differential tumors are mandatory for better understanding of its biology and determination of optimal treatment. This paper reports a case of an ectopic intrapelvic medulloepithelioma with liver metastasis in a 3-year-old girl.

Strain effects on the electronic, optical and electrical properties of Cu2ZnSnS4: DFT study.

Based on the density functional theory and Boltzmann transport theory, we investigated electronic, electrical and optical properties of Kesterite CZTS under different strain conditions. Our results indicate that both biaxial compressive and tensile strain effects lead to change in the band gap of this structure with different strain values. Furthermore, the edge of absorption, under the influence of an increasing compression, moves towards the short wavelengths. Electrical conductivity for pure CZTS and under dilatation and compression shows that with the increase of dilatation the conductivity of the material also increases, this physical property could be exploited to improve the performance of CZTS a suitable absorbent material in solar cells.