Pulmonary pathologic alterations associated with biopsy inserted hydrogel plugs.

The prevention of pneumothorax after percutaneous lung biopsy is a major patient safety concern. The insertion of hydrogel plugs into biopsy sites to mitigate this complication is a new intervention. The histology of the plug has not been previously reported, and in this study the histologic reaction is reported in 13 cases. The hydrogel plug forms a spherical basophilic matrix pool with an adjacent foreign body giant cell reaction and patchy eosinophilia. No extension to the pleural surface is present. The potential diagnostic errors related to the presence of the plug are discussed.

Giant Cell Arteritis of the Female Genital Tract With Occult Temporal Arteritis and Marginal Zone Lymphoma Harboring Novel 20q Deletion: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is an immunologically mediated vasculitis of large and medium-sized vessels, typically affecting the cranial arteries and usually occurring in the elderly. GCA of the female genital tract is extremely rare with only 31 cases reported in the English literature. An 83-year-old white female with postmenopausal vaginal bleeding revealed an endometrial polyp on pelvic ultrasonography following which polypectomy and subsequently hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy was done. Microscopy revealed a well-differentiated endometrioid adenocarcinoma. Interestingly, classic GCA involving numerous small to medium-sized arteries of the cervix, myometrium, bilateral fallopian tubes, and ovaries was also identified. Hematologic evaluation revealed marginal zone lymphoma with an exceptionally rare 20q deletion. Bilateral temporal artery biopsy was done subsequently, which exhibited GCA on microscopy. Corticosteroid was started that improved her polymyalgia rheumatica symptoms. The patient is on follow-up for 3 years and is doing well. To our knowledge, this is the first case of GCA of the female genital tract associated with a lymphoma and the second case of marginal zone lymphoma with the novel 20q deletion.

Tumor-to-tumor metastasis: case report of a pulmonary adenocarcinoma metastatic to a clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

Tumor-to-tumor metastasis is a very rare event. The recipient tumor may be benign or malignant. Renal cell carcinoma is the most common tumor recipient of metastasis while lung carcinoma is the most common donor tumor. We report a 57-year-old Caucasian male who presented with chest pain. On PET CT Scan, he was also found to have a large renal mass for which he underwent left nephrectomy. On histology of the renal mass, the tumor was a conventional renal cell carcinoma with areas of metastatic non-small cell lung carcinoma. The two components had a distinctive morphology which was confirmed on subsequent immunohistochemistry. The physiopathological mechanisms making clear cell renal cell carcinoma an avid recipient of a metastatic carcinoma have been speculated upon, but are still unknown.

Identification of human T-cell leukemia/lymphoma virus type I antibodies, DNA, and protein in patients with polymyositis

OBJECTIVE: To investigate a possible association between human T cell leukemia/lymphoma virus type I (HTLV-I) and polymyositis (PM). METHODS: Sera and muscle biopsy samples from 9 Jamaican PM patients were compared with specimens from American HTLV-I positive PM patients and normal controls. Sera were evaluated for HTLV antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blot. The biopsy samples were analyzed for HTLV-I/II DNA by polymerase chain reaction and were also immunohistochemically stained for HTLV gp46 envelope protein. RESULTS: Seven of the 8 Jamaican PM patients from whom sera were available were HTLV-I seropositive. The muscle biopsies of all 9 Jamaican patients demonstrated severe lymphocytic infiltration, cellular degeneration, myofiber atrophy, and fibrosis. Each muscle biopsy specimen contained HTLV-I DNA. Two of 6 samples demonstrated intense staining for HTLV-I gp46 in many of the invading mononuclear cells and weak staining for HTLV-I gp46 in many of the other specimens were weakly positive for gp46 in rare mononuclear cells. All controls specimens were negative for the presence of HTLV-I DNA and protein. CONClUSION: HTLV-I is associated with an inflammatory muscle disease characterized by direct invasion of the affected muscle by HTLV-I-infected mononuclear cells.(AU)