Aggressive variant of a solid pseudopapillary neoplasm: a case report and literature review.

Solid pseudopapillary neoplasm, a lesion of uncertain cellular differentiation, is an unusual tumor of the pancreas with an indolent clinical course that typically arises in young females. We report a case of solid pseudopapillary neoplasm arising in a 17-year-old adolescent girl who presented with progressive abdominal pain. The patient underwent surgical resection of an 18 × 14 × 8-cm pancreatic mass that displayed the usual histologic features of a solid pseudopapillary neoplasm in addition to prominent nuclear atypia, increased proliferative index, and extensive necrosis. These unusual histologic findings are rare and are of particular interest owing to the dramatically decreased survival time displayed in this case. Although precise pathologic criteria suggesting a high risk for aggressive behavior of solid pseudopapillary neoplasms are uncertain, recognition of the unusual pathologic features displayed in this case may be useful in the prediction of potentially more aggressive neoplasms that portend a poorer prognosis.

Sani-cloth wipe mimics rare enzyme deficiency malonic aciduria on newborn screen.

Within a 7-month period at our institution, newborn screening by tandem mass spectrometry revealed 10 cases with elevated levels of malonylcarnitine, which suggested malonic aciduria. Malonic aciduria is a rare autosomal recessive inborn error of metabolism. Confirmatory testing yielded normal results in all the newborns involved. The application of quality improvement practices dictated investigating the dried blood spot collection process, which revealed the use of multiple blood-collection techniques by newborn nursery staff, improper handling of the dried blood spot specimens, and sanitary wipe contamination as the causes of the aberrant false-positive results at our institution. This systematic evaluation identified the cause of the aberrant false-positive results and a strategy was implemented to avoid aberrant results in the future. Thus far, no false-positive results have occurred since the investigative process. False-positive results on a newborn screen can cause unnecessary emotional and economic stress on families, a finding that was identified at our institution. Historically, false-positive newborn screening results have been identified in infants born by cesarean delivery in which iodine antiseptic was used and in newborns who receive total parenteral nutrition, such as premature infants in the NICU. Therefore, if an unusually high number of false-positive results are found during the newborn screening process, contamination should be considered as a contributing factor.