Digital cytology: A short review of technical and methodological approaches and applications.

The recent years have been characterised by a rapid development of whole slide imaging (WSI) especially in its applications to histology. The application of WSI technology to cytology is less common because of technological problems related to the three-dimensional nature of cytology preparations (which requires capturing of z-stack information, with an increase in file size and usability issues in viewing cytological preparations). The aim of this study is to provide a review of the literature on the use of digital cytology and provide an overview of cytological applications of WSI in current practice as well as identifying areas for future development.

Mechanism and functional consequences of loss of FOXO1 expression in endometrioid endometrial cancer cells.

The forkhead transcription factor FOXO1, a downstream target of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/Akt signalling pathway, regulates cyclic differentiation and apoptosis in normal endometrium, but its role in endometrial carcinogenesis is unknown. Screening of endometrial cancer cell lines demonstrated that FOXO1 is expressed in HEC-1B cells, but not in Ishikawa cells, which in turn highly express the FOXO1 targeting E3-ubiquitin ligase Skp2. FOXO1 transcript levels were also lower in Ishikawa cells and treatment with the proteasomal inhibitor was insufficient to restore expression. Lack of FOXO1 expression in Ishikawa cells was not accounted for by differential promoter methylation or activity, but correlated with increased messenger RNA (mRNA) turnover. Comparative analysis demonstrated that HEC-1B cells proliferate slower, but are more resistant to paclitaxel-mediated cell death than Ishikawa cells, which were partially reversed upon silencing of FOXO1 in HEC-1B cells or its re-expression in Ishikawa cells. We further show that FOXO1 is required for the expression of the growth arrest- and DNA-damage-inducible gene GADD45alpha. Analysis of biopsy samples demonstrated a marked loss of FOXO1 and GADD45alpha mRNA and protein expression in endometrioid endometrial cancer compared to normal endometrium. Together, these observations suggest that loss of FOXO1 perturbs endometrial homeostasis, promotes uncontrolled cell proliferation and increases susceptibility to genotoxic insults.

Benign regressing histiocytosis of the liver.

A case of benign regressing histiocytosis of the liver is reported. The patient, an adult male, presented with fever and diarrhoea and on abdominal echography multiple nodules were present in the liver. Histologically and immunohistochemically the lesions had features of Langerhans' cell histiocytosis. The nodules regressed within four months, without therapy, and the patient is free of disease 29 months after presentation.

Standardized reporting of histological diagnoses for non-neoplastic liver conditions in needle biopsies.

The importance of standardizing surgical pathology reports is emerging from the literature. The use of checklists has recently been proposed for diagnosing the major tumour types, but no attention has been given to non-neoplastic conditions. In this paper a checklist for standard reports of liver needle biopsies for non-neoplastic conditions is presented.

Sarcomatoid neoplasms of the breast: proposed definitions for biphasic and monophasic sarcomatoid mammary carcinomas.

Biphasic sarcomatoid carcinomas (SC) of the breast are defined as tumors that are composed of overtly carcinomatous and sarcoma-like elements and were known in the past as "carcinosarcomas." On the other hand, monophasic SC show features that are similar to those of sarcomas, but epithelial differentiation is detected in the former of these lesions by immunohistochemical methods. Adequate tissue sampling often is required to demonstrate both components of biphasic SC; if properly performed, this procedure greatly reduces the diagnosis of true mammary "sarcoma." The carcinomatous element of biphasic tumors is characterized either by features of a squamous carcinoma or an invasive ductal adenocarcinoma. Squamous differentiation is more often associated with a spindle-cell, fibrosarcoma-like, or malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH)-like sarcomatoid component, whereas adenocarcinomas usually are admixed with sarcoma-like tissues having "heterologous" properties. The overtly epithelial elements of biphasic SC are always immunoreactive for keratin, but areas that simulate sarcoma express this protein more heterogeneously. Both components may show positivity for vimentin, although the sarcoma-like elements do so more consistently. Monophasic SC is composed solely of fusiform and pleomorphic cells that are keratin-positive despite their mimicry of sarcomatous differentiation. This tumor variant commonly assumes a myxoid, angiomatoid, or storiform growth pattern, without recognizable carcinomatous foci by light microscopy. Prognosis and involvement of regional lymph nodes in mammary SC cases is controversial, because different tumors have been grouped together in the past for the analysis of these variables. However, SC generally has a less favorable outcome than that of ordinary invasive carcinomas of the breast.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)