Diagnostic utility of fine-needle aspiration cytology in syphilitic lymphadenitis: A case report.

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection that causes serious health problems without treatment. Detection of syphilis is necessary to stop the spread of the infection. Cytological screeners and pathologists may experience fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) for syphilitic lymphadenitis; however, its characteristic cytological features are rarely reported. We present FNAC cytological features of syphilitic lymphadenitis in a case of a 21-year-old man. He presented with a sore throat and painful neck lymphadenopathy. His swollen and painful neck persisted even with antibiotic treatment. Necrotizing lymphadenitis and lymphoma were clinically suspected. FNAC was taken from the swollen lymph node. Cytologic findings of the specimen showed various inflammatory cells with small-sized vessels arranged in a branching/arborizing fashion. The vessels were surrounded by inflammatory cells, including plasma cells, neutrophils, and macrophages. Perivascular plasma cell cuffing was focally seen along with inconspicuous granulomas. Neutrophils appeared to involve the vascular wall. The cytological findings suggested syphilitic lymphadenitis, and clinical findings and serological tests confirmed primary syphilis with concomitant human immunodeficiency virus infection. Branching/arborizing vessels associated with many plasma cells, vascular involvement of neutrophils, and granulomas may suggest syphilitic infection if the specimen is obtained via FNAC. (189 words).

Determination of silicon wafer site flatness using dual heterodyne interferometers with sub-nanometer precision.

Precise measurement of wafer flatness with high sensitivity and high spatial resolution is essential to realize high yields in nano-scale lithography because the depth of focus in this technology is relatively small. We report on a highly precise site flatness measurement system that employs a pair of heterodyne interferometers and achieves sub-nanometer precision for polished 300-mm silicon wafers. The determined overall mean standard deviation for the site flatness front-surface least-squares fit range is 0.21 nm. Furthermore, this system allows us to obtain images of the wafer flatness via scanning with a high spatial resolution of approximately 12 µm. These results suggest that the heterodyne interferometer-based system is a suited candidate for use at the next-generation 16-nm half-pitch technology node.