Amendments affect the community assembly and co-occurrence network of microorganisms in Cd and Pb tailings of the Eucalyptus camaldulensis rhizosphere.

Mining tailings containing large amounts of Pb and Cd cause severe regional ecosystem pollution. Soil microorganisms play a regulatory role in the restoration of degraded ecosystems. The remediation of heavy metal-contaminated tailings with amendments and economically valuable Eucalyptus camaldulensis is a research hotspot due to its cost-effectiveness and sustainability. However, the succession and co-occurrence patterns of these microbial communities in this context remain unclear. Tailing samples of five kinds of Cd and Pb were collected in E. camaldulensis restoration models. Physicochemical properties, the proportions of different Cd and Pb forms, microbial community structure, and the co-occurrence network of rhizosphere tailings during different restoration process (organic bacterial manure, organic manure, inorganic fertilizer, bacterial agent) were considered. Organic and organic bacterial manures significantly increased pH, cation exchange capacity, and the proportion of residual Pb. Still, there was a significant decrease in the proportion of reducible Pb. The changes in microbial communities were related to physicochemical properties and the types of amendments. Organic and organic bacterium manures decreased the relative abundance of oligotrophic groups and increased the relative abundance of syntrophic groups. Inorganic fertilizers and bacterial agents decreased the relative abundance of saprophytic fungi. B. subtilis would play a better role in the environment improved by organic manure, increasing the relative abundance of beneficial microorganism and reducing the relative abundance of pathogenic microorganism. pH, cation exchange capacity, and the proportion of different forms of Pb were the main factors affecting the bacterial and fungi variation. All four amendments transformed the main critical groups of the microbial network structure from acidophilus and pathogenic microorganisms to beneficial microorganisms. Heavy metal-resistant microorganisms, stress-resistant microorganisms, beneficial microorganisms that promote nutrient cycling, and copiotrophic groups have become critical to building stable rhizosphere microbial communities. The topological properties and stability of the rhizosphere co-occurrence network were also enhanced. Adding organic and organic bacterium manures combined with E. camaldulensis to repair Cd and Pb tailings improved (1) pH and cation exchange capacity, (2) reduced the biological toxicity of Pb, (3) enhanced the stability of microbial networks, and (4) improved ecological network relationships. These positive changes are conducive to the restoration of the ecological functions of tailings.

High-content stimulated Raman histology of human breast cancer.

Histological examination is crucial for cancer diagnosis, however, the labor-intensive sample preparation involved in the histology impedes the speed of diagnosis. Recently developed two-color stimulated Raman histology could bypass the complex tissue processing to generates result close to hematoxylin and eosin staining, which is one of the golden standards in cancer histology. Yet, the underlying chemical features are not revealed in two-color stimulated Raman histology, compromising the effectiveness of prognostic stratification. Here, we present a high-content stimulated Raman histology (HC-SRH) platform that provides both morphological and chemical information for cancer diagnosis based on un-stained breast tissues. Methods: By utilizing both hyperspectral SRS imaging in the C-H vibration window and sparsity-penalized unmixing of overlapped spectral profiles, HC-SRH enabled high-content chemical mapping of saturated lipids, unsaturated lipids, cellular protein, extracellular matrix (ECM), and water. Spectral selective sampling was further implemented to boost the speed of HC-SRH. To show the potential for clinical use, HC-SRH using a compact fiber laser-based stimulated Raman microscope was demonstrated. Harnessing the wide and rapid tuning capability of the fiber laser, both C-H and fingerprint vibration windows were accessed. Results: HC-SRH successfully mapped unsaturated lipids, cellular protein, extracellular matrix, saturated lipid, and water in breast tissue. With these five chemical maps, HC-SRH provided distinct contrast for tissue components including duct, stroma, fat cell, necrosis, and vessel. With selective spectral sampling, the speed of HC-SRH was improved by one order of magnitude. The fiber-laser-based HC-SRH produced the same image quality in the C-H window as the state-of-the-art solid laser. In the fingerprint window, nucleic acid and solid-state ester contrast was demonstrated. Conclusions: HC-SRH provides both morphological and chemical information of tissue in a label-free manner. The chemical information detected is beyond the reach of traditional hematoxylin and eosin staining and heralds the potential of HC-SRH for biomarker discovery.

Sarcomas Harboring EWSR1::PATZ1 Fusions: A Clinicopathologic Study of 17 Cases.

Soft tissue sarcomas harboring EWSR1::PATZ1 are a recently recognized entity with variable morphology and a heterogeneous immunohistochemical profile. We studied 17 such tumors. The tumors occurred in 12 men and 5 women (median age, 50 years; range, 15-71 years), involved the thoracoabdominal soft tissues (14 cases; 82%), lower extremities (2 cases; 12%), and tongue (1 case; 6%), and ranged from 0.7 to 11.3 cm (median, 4.7 cm). All but 1 patient received complete surgical resection; 7 were also treated with neoadjuvant chemo/radiotherapy. All cases showed typical features of EWSR1::PATZ1 sarcoma, including uniform round to spindled cells, fibromyxoid matrix, fibrous bands, hyalinized vessels, and pseudoalveolar/microcystic spaces. Unusual features, seen in a subset of cases, included degenerative-appearing nuclear atypia, epithelioid cytomorphology, mature fat, abundant rhabdomyoblasts, high mitotic activity, and foci with increased cellularity and nuclear atypia. Positive immunohistochemical results were desmin (16/17, 94%), MyoD1 (13/14, 93%), myogenin (6/14, 43%), GFAP (10/10, 100%), S100 protein (15/17, 88%), SOX10 (7/13, 54%), keratin (10/17, 59%), CD99 (4/11, 36%), H3K27me3 (retained expression 9/9, 100%), p16 (absent expression 1/4, 25%), and p53 (wild type 3/3, 100%). Fusion events included EWSR1 exon 8::PATZ1 exon 1 (14/17, 82%), EWSR1 exon 9::PATZ1 exon 1 (2/17, 12%), and EWSR1 exon 7::PATZ1 exon 1 (1/17, 6%). No evaluated tumor had alterations of CDKN2A/B and/or TP53, or MDM2 amplification. Clinical follow-up (16 patients: median, 13.5 months; range, 1-77 months) showed distant metastases in 3 patients (1/3 at time of presentation) and no local recurrences. At the time of last follow-up, 14 patients were disease free, 1 was alive with disease, 1 was dead of disease (at 13 months), and 1 had an indeterminant pulmonary nodule. We conclude that the morphologic spectrum of EWSR1::PATZ1 is broader than has been previously appreciated. Although more long-term follow-up is needed, the prognosis of these very rare sarcomas may be more favorable than previously reported.

Biochemical, histological and transcriptomic analyses for the immunological organs provide insights into heat stress-induced disease susceptibility in Largemouth Bass.

Aquaculture of Largemouth Bass (LMB, Micropterus salmoides), an economically important species, is badly affected by the outbreak of bacterial diseases in summer. However, the mechanisms underlying heat-induced disease susceptibility remain largely unknown. In this study, after exposure to 34 °C for 1, 7 and 14 d, the head kidney, spleen and blood of LMB were sampled for biochemical and histological assays to explore the effects of heat exposure on the oxidative and immunological indices. Compared to the controls maintained at 28 °C, chronic heat exposure (34 °C for 14 d) induced oxidative stress, caused cell apoptosis and decreased expression of the immunological genes in the head kidney and spleen tissues; and attenuated the blood immunological indices. Consistent with the impaired immunological functions, chronic heat exposure predisposed LMB to Aeromonas hydrophila infection and significantly (p < 0.001) increased tissue bacterial load. Furthermore, the effects of chronic heat exposure (heat), A. hydrophila infection (infection) and heat exposure followed by A. hydrophila infection (heat + infection) on gene expression in the head kidney and spleen of LMB were characterized by RNA sequencing. The results indicated that chronic heat exposure facilitated the bacteria-elicited changes in expression of the genes involved in a couple of metabolic and signaling pathways in both tissues. Upon heat + infection, the pathways involved in energy production and nutrients biosynthesis were enhanced, whereas those associated with the host cell functions such as cell-cell interactions and cell signaling were depressed. Our data provide new insights into the mechanisms underlying heat-induced disease susceptibility in LMB.

Pathogenic Profile Characteristics and Clinical Risk Factor Analysis of Patients Who Died from Sepsis Combined with Pulmonary Infection by Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing.

Introduction: Sepsis is one of the major diseases that seriously threatens human health, and its incidence and in-hospital morbidity and mortality rates remain high. Applying metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) technology to analyze the differences in pathogenic profiles and clinical factors in patients surviving and dying from sepsis combined with pulmonary infections provides diagnostic value and application for clinical purposes. Methods: Sixty-three BALF samples from patients with sepsis combined with pulmonary infection from Fuqing Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University were collected, and all of them were tested by simultaneous mNGS and conventional microbial combined test (CMT) to compare the pathogenic profiles and clinical indices of patients who survived and died of sepsis combined with pulmonary infection and to further compare the diagnostic differences between mNGS and CMT in patients who survived and died of sepsis combined with pulmonary infection. We analyzed the diagnostic value of mNGS for sepsis combined with pulmonary infection. Results: A total of 141 strains of pathogens were isolated from 63 samples of patients with sepsis combined with pneumonia at suspected infection sites, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia are predominant, and higher ApacheII, LAC, P and PT are all risk factors affecting the death of septic patients. Conclusion: Applying the mNGS method to patients with sepsis combined with pneumonia can improve the positive detection rate of pathogenic microorganisms and focus on death-related risk factors such as pathogenic bacteria species as well as clinical laboratory indices, which can guide clinicians to take appropriate measures to treat patients with sepsis and reduce the occurrence of death.

Osteoid osteomas of the hands and feet: a series of 71 cases.

Osteoid osteomas typically arise in the long bones of extremities. Patients often report pain relieved by NSAIDS, and radiographic findings are often sufficient for diagnosis. However, when involving the hands/feet, these lesions may go unrecognized or misdiagnosed radiographically due to their small size and prominent reactive changes. The clinicopathologic features of this entity involving the hands and feet are not well-described. Our institutional and consultation archives were searched for all cases of pathologically confirmed osteoid osteomas arising in the hands and feet. Clinical data was obtained and recorded. Seventy-one cases (45 males and 26 females, 7 to 64 years; median 23 years) arose in the hands and feet, representing 12% of institutional and 23% of consultation cases. The clinical impression often included neoplastic and inflammatory etiologies. Radiology studies demonstrated a small lytic lesion in all cases (33/33), the majority of which had a tiny focus of central calcification (26/33). Nearly, all cases demonstrated cortical thickening and/or sclerosis and perilesional edema which almost always had an extent two times greater than the size of the nidus. Histologic examination showed circumscribed osteoblastic lesions with formation of variably mineralized woven bone with single layer of osteoblastic rimming. The most common growth pattern of bone was trabecular (n = 34, 48%) followed by combined trabecular and sheet-like (n = 26, 37%) with only 11 (15%) cases presenting with pure sheet-like growth pattern. The majority (n = 57, 80%) showed intra-trabecular vascular stroma. No case showed significant cytology atypia. Follow up was available for 48 cases (1-432 months), and 4 cases recurred. Osteoid osteomas involving the hands and feet follow a similar age and sex distribution as their non-acral counterparts. These lesions often present with a broad differential diagnosis and may initially be confused with chronic osteomyelitis or a reactive process. While the majority of cases have classic morphologic features on histologic exam, a small subset consists solely of sheet-like sclerotic bone. Awareness that this entity may present in the hands and feet will help pathologists, radiologists, and clinicians accurately diagnose these tumors.

Fine needle aspiration cytology of follicular dendritic cell sarcoma of the stomach masquerading as gastrointestinal stromal tumor: A case report of a unique entity with emphasis on cytomorphology.

Follicular dendritic cell sarcoma (FDCS) is a rare malignant neoplasm, postulated to arise from follicular dendritic cells, with approximately 343 reported cases. Less than 100 cases of FDCS were in the gastrointestinal tract, with only four cases described in the stomach, none of them diagnosed on fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology. We report here the first case of FDCS of the stomach diagnosed on FNA. Our patient is a 31-year-old male who presented with several years history of intermittent abdominal pain prompting occasional emergency-room visits. Imaging showed a 10.6 cm mass arising from the stomach, concerning for gastrointestinal stromal tumor. FNA cytology was performed using five passes with a 22-gauge needle. The smears were moderately cellular consisting of sheets and large, loosely cohesive clusters of ovoid to spindle cells with indistinct cytoplasmic borders and abundant cytoplasm, peppered with numerous small mature lymphocytes. The nuclei of the tumor cells were oval with finely granular chromatin with frequent nuclear grooves, pseudoinclusions, and easily recognizable mitotic figures. The tumor cells were positive for FDCS markers (CD21, CD23, and CD35).

Hydrogen sulfide alleviates beryllium sulfate-induced ferroptosis and ferritinophagy in 16HBE cells.

Beryllium sulfate (BeSO4 ) can result to lung injuries, such as leading to lipid peroxidation and autophagy, and the treatment of beryllium disease has not been well improved. Ferroptosis is a regulated cell death process driven by iron-dependent and lipid peroxidation, while ferritinophagy is a process mediated by nuclear receptor coactivator 4 (NCOA4), combined with ferritin heavy chain 1 (FTH1) degradation and release Fe2+ , which regulated intracellular iron metabolism and ferroptosis. Hydrogen sulfide (H2 S) has the effects of antioxidant, antiautophagy, and antiferroptosis. This study aimed to investigate the effect of H2 S on BeSO4 -induced ferroptosis and ferritinophagy in 16HBE cells and the underlying mechanism. In this study, BeSO4 -induced 16HBE cell injury model was established based on cellular level and pretreated with deferoxamine (DFO, a ferroptosis inhibitor), sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS, a H2 S donor), or NCOA4 siRNA and, subsequently, performed to detect the levels of lipid peroxidation and Fe2+ and the biomarkers of ferroptosis and ferritinophagy. More importantly, our research found that DFO, NaHS, or NCOA4 siRNA alleviated BeSO4 -induced ferroptosis and ferritinophagy by decreasing the accumulation of Fe2+ and lipid peroxides. Furthermore, the relationship between ferroptosis, ferritinophagy, H2 S, and beryllium disease is not well defined; therefore, our research is innovative. Overall, our results provided a new theoretical basis for the prevention and treatment of beryllium disease and suggested that the application of H2 S, blocking ferroptosis, and ferritinophagy may be a potential therapeutic direction for the prevention and treatment of beryllium disease.

Dysfunction of Prkcaa Links Social Behavior Defects with Disturbed Circadian Rhythm in Zebrafish.

Protein kinase Cα (PKCα/PRKCA) is a crucial regulator of circadian rhythm and is associated with human mental illnesses such as autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia. However, the roles of PRKCA in modulating animal social behavior and the underlying mechanisms remain to be explored. Here we report the generation and characterization of prkcaa-deficient zebrafish (Danio rerio). The results of behavioral tests indicate that a deficiency in Prkcaa led to anxiety-like behavior and impaired social preference in zebrafish. RNA-sequencing analyses revealed the significant effects of the prkcaa mutation on the expression of the morning-preferring circadian genes. The representatives are the immediate early genes, including egr2a, egr4, fosaa, fosab and npas4a. The downregulation of these genes at night was attenuated by Prkcaa dysfunction. Consistently, the mutants demonstrated reversed day-night locomotor rhythm, which are more active at night than in the morning. Our data show the roles of PRKCA in regulating animal social interactions and link the social behavior defects with a disturbed circadian rhythm.

Two Cases of Biphasic Synovial Sarcoma With Expression of PAX8 and ER: A Diagnostic Pitfall.

Synovial sarcoma (SS) is a high-grade malignant neoplasm frequently arising in the deep soft tissue of the lower and upper extremities of young adults. Primary SS in the pelvis is extremely rare with scattered case reports. It often causes a diagnostic challenge in small biopsy and/or with aberrant expression of immunohistochemical markers. Here, we report 2 unusual cases of SS in the pelvis. Microscopically both cases present with biphasic morphology including spindle and epithelioid cells. In addition, the tumor cells in both cases expressed PAX8 and estrogen receptor. PAX8 is a transcription factor usually expressed in tumors of thyroid gland, kidney, and Müllerian system origin. The expression of PAX8 especially with co-expression of estrogen receptor can be misleading and result in a diagnosis of Müllerian tumors in female patients with pelvic masses. The diagnosis of SS for both cases was confirmed either with the fluorescence in situ hybridization or reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction showing a SS18 (SYT) (18q11) gene rearrangement. It is imperative to include SS in the differential diagnosis for malignant neoplasms exhibiting monotonous spindle cells (monophasic SS) and biphasic mixed monotonous spindle and epithelioid tumor cells in female patients with a pelvic mass. Molecular study for SS18 translocation is essential for the diagnosis in such cases.

Percutaneous full endoscopic tumourectomy of a lumbar epidural schwannoma via transforaminal approach: a case report and systematic review of the literature.

STUDY DESIGN: Report of three patients undergoing lumbar epidural schwannoma tumourectomy. Percutaneous endoscopy has been routinely used in the treatment of disk herniation but has not been reported in the management of intraspinal tumours. METHODS: Three patients diagnosed with schwannoma by imaging and pathological examination underwent percutaneous full endoscopic tumourectomy. A 5-mm incision was made, the puncture needle passed through the skin, subcutaneous tissue and the deep fascia and vertebral muscles to the intervertebral foramen area. Next, a working cannula was inserted into the lesion area. Foraminotomy was completed by trephine and microscopic power drill if the foramen was stenosed. Tumour tissue was totally removed piecemeal. After probing the nerve foramen and the nerve root satisfactorily, the working cannula was removed and the incision sutured. RESULTS: Three patients were operated successfully. Symptoms recovered in all cases and no complication or recurrence was found on follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: This case report presents a new technique for non-infiltrating extradural lumbar tumour treatment, demonstrating feasibility and safety of percutaneous full endoscopic lumbar tumourectomy.

LncRNA SNHG11 promotes the malignant transformation of human bronchial epithelial cells induced by beryllium sulfate.

Background: Beryllium and its compounds are carcinogenicity, but the mechanisms through which this occurs have yet to be clarified. Accumulating evidence exists that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play an important role in occurrence and development of cancer. Aims and Methods: To explore the carcinogenic mechanism of beryllium, human bronchial epithelial cells (16HBE) were treated with 50 µM beryllium sulfate (BeSO4) for 45 passages (~23 weeks). The expression levels of lncRNA SNHG7, SNHG11, SNHG15, MIR22HG, GMPS, and SIK1 were detected at passage 0 (P0), 15 (P15), 25 (P25), 35 (P35), and 45 (P45). Results: The results indicated that enhanced cell proliferation, extensive clones in soft agar, protein expressions of up-regulated matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9), matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2), proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), cyclin D1, and down-regulated p53 were all observed at the 45th passage in 16HBE cells. Thus, BeSO4-transformed 16HBE cells (T-16HBE) were established. Meanwhile, the study found that the expression of lncRNA SNHG11 was elevated during malignant transformation. Knockdown of SNHG11 in T-16HBE cells blocked cell proliferation, invasion, and migration, and decreased the protein levels of MMP9, MMP2, PCNA, cyclin D1, but increased p53. Conclusions: The studies revealed that SNHG11 acts as an oncogene in the malignant transformation of 16HBE cells induced by BeSO4, which signifies progress in the study of the carcinogenic mechanism of beryllium.

Whole transcriptome analysis of long noncoding RNA in beryllium sulfate-treated 16HBE cells.

Beryllium and its compounds can cause pulmonary interstitial fibrosis through mechanisms that are not yet clear. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) is implicated in various diseases. The molecular toxicity of beryllium sulfate (BeSO4) was investigated through the RNA-seq analysis of the lncRNA and mRNA whole-transcriptome of BeSO4-treated 16HBE cells. A total of 1014 lncRNAs (535 upregulated and 479 downregulated) and 4035 mRNAs (2224 upregulated and 1811 downregulated) were found to be significantly dysregulated (|logFC| ≥> 2.0, p < 0.05) in the BeSO4-treated groups when compared with the control group. Five differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs were verified by qRT-PCR. KEGG analysis showed that lncRNA regulates the ECM receiver interaction and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways, etc. In addition, H19:17, lnc-C5orf13-1:1, lnc-CRYAA-17:1, lnc-VSTM5-1:11, and lnc-THSD7A-7:1 may regulate BeSO4-induced 16HBE cytotoxicity through ceRNA mechanism. The results of this study will provide some theoretical support for the study of the toxic mechanism of beryllium and its compounds.

Angiomyofibroblastoma and Potential Mimicking Soft Tissue Tumors That May Occasionally Present in the Retroperitoneum: An Approach to the Differential Diagnosis With Report of an Unusual Index Case Abutting the Kidney.

The retroperitoneal soft tissues, extending from the pelvic floor to the level of the diaphragm, are the source of a variety of mesenchymal neoplasms with overlapping features and distinct clinical behaviors, making their distinction of crucial importance. Herein, we report a rare retroperitoneal angiomyofibroblastoma (AMFB) that presented as a right abdominal mass in a 25-year-old woman and that clinically simulated a primary renal carcinoma. The patient underwent complete surgical resection showing a well-circumscribed tumor adjacent to but separate from the right kidney. It was comprised of irregular, often anastomosing islands and cords of plump to spindled cells in a collagenous stroma with numerous thin-walled vessels. The tumor cells clustered around the vessels and admixed with moderate numbers of adipocytes. There was neither significant nuclear atypia nor mitotic activity. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells showed strong reactivity for desmin, diffuse expression of estrogen and progesterone receptors, retained nuclear expression of retinoblastoma protein, and absent CD34 expression. The immunomorphological features were these of a "lipomatous variant" of AMFB of the retroperitoneum. The occurrence of AMFB in the retroperitoneum is unexpected since it mostly develops in the lower genital tract of young women, making its recognition in this rare location difficult. As a consequence, more common pelvic or retroperitoneal soft tissue neoplasms may represent the primary diagnostic considerations. We, therefore, review a variety of soft tissue tumors occurring in the pelvis/retroperitoneum that, to some degree, may mimic AMFB, and present key findings to assist in accurate diagnosis.

Will the Volume-Based Procurement Policy Promote Pharmaceutical Firms' R&D Investment in China? An Event Study Approach.

Innovation is the key to the development of the pharmaceutical industry. The pilot program of China's "4 + 7" volume-based procurement policy ("4 + 7" procurement policy) brings the drug price back to a reasonable level through trading procurement quantities for lower drug prices. The policy manages to reduce the burden of the health care system, improve efficiency, and push the pharmaceutical industry to transform and update from the era of high gross profit of generic drugs to innovative drugs. So far, few studies have investigated the influence of the volume-based procurement policy on the innovation of pharmaceutical firms. By combining the event study and Difference-in-Difference (DiD) methodology, this study finds that the abnormal return (AR) of firms with high R&D intensity is lower than that of firms with low R&D intensity during the event window period. Moreover, further analysis identifies the moderating effect of firm size and firm type. Specifically, the results show that the negative influence of high R&D intensity on abnormal return (AR) during the announcement of the "4 + 7" procurement policy is stronger in large firms and innovative pharmaceutical firms. Finally, we discuss the policy implications of our study.

Localized amyloidosis of the prostatic urethra mimicking urothelial carcinoma.

Amyloidosis is a disease characterized by extracellular deposition of amyloid protein fibrils in tissues. It rarely involves the urethra with just over 50 cases reported in the English language literature. We report a case of urethral amyloidosis that mimicked urothelial carcinoma clinically. The patient is a 69-year-old male who presented to the emergency department with shortness of breath. An abdominal CT scan demonstrated a right hydronephrotic kidney and a large, predominantly hyperdense lesion, presumed to be hematoma largely occupying the urinary bladder. Pan-cystoscopy revealed a 6 cm bladder mass involving the prostatic urethra displacing the right ureteral orifice, which was biopsied. Histologic examination showed numerous osteoclast-type giant cells, with areas of extensive calcification and multifocal ossification interspaced by large deposits of amorphous eosinophilic material. Amyloid deposition was confirmed by Congo red and sulfated Alcian blue stains. Light chromatography tandem mass spectrometry was performed and detected multiple types of proteins including serum amyloid P component, apolipoprotein A4, and apolipoprotein E; however, a dominant amyloid type was not identified. The patient had no history of infection or localized inflammation. Further investigations for systemic amyloidosis were all negative. Amyloidosis of the urethra is extremely rare and may either be localized, idiopathic or a manifestation of systemic amyloidosis. Physicians among various specialties, including urologists, pathologists and radiologists should be aware of this rare entity, as this lesion may be easily mistaken for malignancy further emphasizing the importance of tissue diagnosis before definitive surgery. Long-term follow-up in the absence of symptoms may not be required.

Primary Renal Mesenchymal Neoplasms in Nephrectomy Specimens: A 16-Year Survey of Primary and Incidental Cases From a Single Institution.

Context. Primary renal mesenchymal neoplasms are rare but diverse. Several neoplasms of mesenchymal derivation can arise as a primary renal mass; however, incidental tumors are identified in nephrectomies performed for end-stage renal disease or other malignant epithelial renal neoplasms. In this article, we document their frequencies with demographic information in nephrectomy specimens. Design. We retrospectively searched our database for nephrectomy specimens from the year 2000 to 2016. Results. A total of 224 cases were identified with an incidence rate of 4.4% (224/5128). One hundred ninety (85%) neoplasms were benign, 27 (12%) were malignant, and 7 (3%) were of intermediate biologic behavior. The majority of cases occurred in adults (93%, 208/224), and 39% of cases represented an incidental finding. The most common neoplasms were angiomyolipoma (58%) and renomedullary interstitial cell tumor (17%). Malignant mesenchymal kidney tumors are rare (0.39% of nephrectomy specimens). The most common adults' malignant tumors in our survey were synovial sarcoma and Ewing's sarcoma. Conclusion. Primary renal mesenchymal tumors are rare and are mostly benign in nature with many incidentally identified lesions. They arise in different age groups with malignant lesions usually presenting at a younger mean age.

Fibroblastic sarcomas of the mediastinum.

Primary mediastinal fibroblastic sarcomas constitute a rare, heterogeneous group of neoplasms, mainly including solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) (benign and malignant), low grade fibromyxoid sarcoma (LGFMS), adult fibrosarcoma (FS), myxofibrosarcoma, sclerosing epithelioid FS, etc. Although morphologically diverse, they frequently have similar clinical and radiological features. Overlapping of histological features among these neoplasms can make it challenging for pathologists to come to an accurate diagnosis. In addition, other mesenchymal neoplasms and spindle cell neoplasms of the epithelial cell origin can occur in the mediastinum. Immunostaining and molecular testing are important ancillary studies to confirm or rule out primary mediastinal fibroblastic neoplasms. SFT and LGFMS occur more often than adult FS in the mediastinum and both have reliable immunostaining markers STAT6 and MUC4, respectively, and unique molecular changes. The incidence of adult FS has decreased dramatically due to recognition of morphologically and genetically distinctive subtypes of fibroblastic sarcoma and better understanding of mesenchymal and non-mesenchymal mimickers. Adult FS is extremely rare and a diagnosis of exclusion. Adult FS can be rendered only after careful histological examination and thorough ancillary studies have ruled out all its mimickers. This article is focused on reviewing clinicopathological features, immunostaining, molecular changes, prognosis and differential diagnosis of SFT, LGFMS, and adult FS. Correct diagnosis is crucial for oncologists to make appropriate clinical management plans.

[Atrazine changes meiosis and reduces spermatogenesis in male mice].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of exposure to atrazine on meiosis and spermatogenesis in adult male mice. METHODS: We divided 16 adult male Institute for Cancer Research (ICR) mice into a solvent control and an atrazine exposure group of an equal number and intraperitoneally injected with solvent dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) and atrazine at 100 mg/kg/d, respectively. After 4 weeks of treatment, we obtained the body and testis weights of the mice, observed the changes in the testicular histomorphology, examined the cell apoptosis in the testis tissue, and determined the expressions of meiosis-related key genes in the spermatocytes by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR. RESULTS: Compared with the controls, the mice treated with atrazine showed significantly less increase in the body weight (ï¼»11.2 ± 0.17ï¼½ vs ï¼»8.29 ± 0.51ï¼½ g, P < 0.05) and testis weight (ï¼»0.28 ± 0.01ï¼½ vs ï¼»0.24 ± 0.01ï¼½ g, P < 0.05), loosely arranged and thinned lumens of seminiferous tubules, disordered arrangement and reduced number of spermatogenic cells, decreased sperm concentration (ï¼»2.36 ± 0.14ï¼½ vs ï¼»0.90 ± 0.12ï¼½ ×106/ml, P < 0.01) and increased percentage of morphologically abnormal sperm in the epididymis tail (ï¼»8.60 ± 1.07ï¼½% vs ï¼»18.02 ± 1.71ï¼½%, P < 0.05), elevated apoptosis rate of spermatocytes, and down-regulated the expressions of SCP1, SCP3 and Rad51 mRNA in the spermatocytes (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Atrazine can reduce spermatogenesis in male mice by damaging testicular morphology, increasing the apoptosis of spermatocytes and down-regulating the expressions of meiosis-related genes in the spermatocytes.

STAT6 Expression in Solitary Fibrous Tumor and Histologic Mimics: a Single Institution Experience.

STAT6 stain has proved to be a good surrogate marker for the genetic alteration (NAB2-STAT6 gene fusion) in solitary fibrous tumor (SFT). This study aims to validate the use of STAT6 rabbit monoclonal antibody in differentiating SFT from its histologic mimics. Forty-five cases of SFT and 110 cases from 9 other spindle cell tumors were collected for STAT6 immunostaining. Positive nuclear STAT6 staining was present in all 45 SFT cases (100% sensitivity). No nuclear staining was identified in other spindle cell neoplasms (0/13, dedifferentiated liposarcoma; 0/17, synovial sarcoma; 0/16, malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors; 0/25, undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma; 0/10, dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans; 0/9, low-grade fibromyxoid sarcoma; 0/6, angiofibroma; 0/5, deep fibromatosis; 0/9, gastrointestinal tumor). The STAT6 staining in SFT was usually diffuse (5+ in 19 cases; 4+ in 17 cases) and strong (40 cases). Monoclonal STAT6 stain is highly sensitive and specific for SFTs and particularly useful in the diagnosis of difficult SFT cases.