Congenital late onset thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura: a diagnostic challenge
No abstract available (Source: Pathology)
Source: Pathology - September 11, 2015 Category: Pathology Tags: Correspondence Source Type: research
Novel heterozygous Bbeta (c.1311T>A) mutation (Fibrinogen St Kilda) associated with recurrent pregnancy loss
No abstract available (Source: Pathology)
Source: Pathology - September 11, 2015 Category: Pathology Tags: Correspondence Source Type: research
Evaluation of four chromogenic media for the isolation of Group B Streptococcus from vaginal specimens in pregnant women
Summary: Direct culture onto four commercial chromogenic media, selective for the isolation of Group B Streptococcus (GBS), were compared with the conventional pre-enrichment Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) method for the ability to isolate GBS from 242 pregnant women's self-collected vaginal/perineal swabs. The sensitivities and specificities for direct culture on to chromogenic agar were 92% and 100% for StrepBSelect (Bio-Rad Laboratories), 96% and 100% for Brilliance GBS (Thermo-Fisher Scientific), 94% and 100% for CHROMagar StrepB (CHROMagar, Dutec Diagnostics), 86% and 100% for ChromID Strepto B (bioM...
Source: Pathology - September 11, 2015 Category: Pathology Tags: Microbiology Source Type: research
Active surveillance for multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria in the intensive care unit
Summary: A short-term program of performing serial active screening cultures (ASC) in the intensive care unit was instituted to establish a method for the detection of antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) and the local rates of colonisation. Of all submitted ASC, 25.9% (30/116 collected swabs) isolated an antibiotic-resistant GNB. ChromID ESBL agar (bioMérieux, France) identified the majority of these organisms, with the additional antibiotic-impregnated media [MacConkey agar (MCA) with ciprofloxacin, MCA with gentamicin and MCA with ceftazidime] adding limited benefit. Compared to swabs performed on admissio...
Source: Pathology - September 11, 2015 Category: Pathology Tags: Microbiology Source Type: research
A longitudinal evaluation of performance of automated BCR-ABL1 quantitation using cartridge-based detection system
Summary: An automated cartridge-based detection system (GeneXpert; Cepheid) is being widely adopted in low throughput laboratories for monitoring BCR-ABL1 transcript in chronic myelogenous leukaemia. This Australian study evaluated the longitudinal performance specific characteristics of the automated system.
The automated cartridge-based system was compared prospectively with the manual qRT-PCR-based reference method at SA Pathology, Adelaide, over a period of 2.5 years. A conversion factor determination was followed by four re-validations. Peripheral blood samples (n = 129) with international scale (IS) values within...
Source: Pathology - September 11, 2015 Category: Pathology Tags: Haematology Source Type: research
Comparison of the Freelite serum free light chain (SFLC) assay with serum and urine electrophoresis/immunofixation and the N Latex FLC assay
Summary: Few reports have compared available serum free light chain (SFLC) assays. Here, a retrospective audit of the Freelite SFLC assay compared results to electrophoresis (EP)/immunofixation (IFX) and the N Latex FLC assay.
A total of 244 samples collected over 3.5 months were studied using the Freelite and N Latex FLC nephelometry assays. Results were compared with serum and/or urine EP/IFX. The precision and linearity of the N Latex FLC assay was examined.
Detectable paraprotein by serum or urine EP/IFX was present in 94% of samples with kappa and 100% with lambda FLC restriction. The correlation between the assays wa...
Source: Pathology - September 11, 2015 Category: Pathology Tags: Immunopathology Source Type: research
FOXP3+ T regulatory lymphocytes in primary melanoma are associated with BRAF mutation but not with response to BRAF inhibitor
Summary: Tumour infiltrating lymphocytes in primary melanoma have been found to correlate with patient outcomes. A subpopulation of tumour infiltrating lymphocytes expresses the transcription factor forkhead box protein 3 (FOXP3). These are known as FOXP3+ T-regulatory cells (Tregs) and are thought to play an immune suppressive role in tumourigenesis. In most tumours, including melanoma, a high density of intratumoural FOXP3+ Tregs has been associated with poor prognosis. It is not known whether these cells also influence the response to BRAF inhibition therapy in metastatic melanoma. In the present study we retrospectivel...
Source: Pathology - September 11, 2015 Category: Pathology Tags: Anatomical Pathology Source Type: research
KRAS, NRAS, BRAF mutations and high counts of poorly differentiated clusters of neoplastic cells in colorectal cancer: observational analysis of 175 cases
Summary: A novel grading system based on the counting of poorly differentiated clusters (PDC) of neoplastic cells at the invasive margin and in the tumour stroma was recently introduced among the histological parameters predictive of adverse clinical outcome in colorectal cancer (CRC). The aim of this study was to correlate the histological grade based on PDC and the mutational status of KRAS, NRAS and BRAF genes in 175 consecutive CRCs. The highest PDC count under the objective lens of a ×20 microscopic field in each tumour was considered for grading assessment, so that PDC counts (Source: Pathology)
Source: Pathology - September 11, 2015 Category: Pathology Tags: Anatomical Pathology Source Type: research
Differential proteomic and tissue expression analyses identify valuable diagnostic biomarkers of hepatocellular differentiation and hepatoid adenocarcinomas
Summary: The exact discrimination of lesions with true hepatocellular differentiation from secondary tumours and neoplasms with hepatocellular histomorphology like hepatoid adenocarcinomas (HAC) is crucial. Therefore, we aimed to identify ancillary protein biomarkers by using complementary proteomic techniques (2D-DIGE, label-free MS). The identified candidates were immunohistochemically validated in 14 paired samples of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and non-tumourous liver tissue (NT). The candidates and HepPar1/Arginase1 were afterwards tested for consistency in a large cohort of hepatocellular lesions and NT (n = 2...
Source: Pathology - September 11, 2015 Category: Pathology Tags: Anatomical Pathology Source Type: research
High grade neuroendocrine carcinoma of the urinary bladder treated by radical cystectomy: a series of small cell, mixed neuroendocrine and large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma
The objective of this study was to characterise the features of HGNEC treated by radical cystectomy. The study consisted of 79 patients with HGNEC including small cell (68 patients), large cell neuroendocrine (LCNEC) (5 patients) and mixed neuroendocrine (mixed-NEC) carcinoma (6 patients) matched with 122 patients with UC, treated at our institution between 1987 and 2014. Morphometric analysis for cell and nuclear size as well as immunophenotyping for neuroendocrine markers and cell-cycle regulators were applied to tissue microarrays. Small cell, LCNEC and mixed-NEC are a morphological spectrum of high grade neuroendocrine...
Source: Pathology - September 11, 2015 Category: Pathology Tags: Anatomical Pathology Source Type: research
Clinicopathological characterisation of small (2 cm or less) proximal and distal gastric carcinomas in a Chinese population
Summary: Clinicopathological characteristics of small gastric carcinoma have not been well defined in Chinese patients. The aim of this study was to investigate and compare small proximal (PGC, n = 111) with distal (DGC, n = 202) gastric carcinoma in 313 consecutive surgically resected small (≤2 cm) gastric carcinomas diagnosed with the WHO criteria. PGC patients were significantly older (average age 63 years versus 59 in DGCs) with a male/female ratio of 3:1. Most tumours were clustered along the lesser curvature (74% in PGCs and 65% in DGCs). Compared to DGCs, PGCs showed a protruded gross pattern significant...
Source: Pathology - September 11, 2015 Category: Pathology Tags: Anatomical Pathology Source Type: research
Validation of International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) grading for prostatic adenocarcinoma in thin core biopsies using TROG 03.04 ‘RADAR’ trial clinical data
In this study we have evaluated the prognostic significance of ISUP grading in 496 patients enrolled in the TROG 03.04 RADAR Trial. There were 19 grade 1, 118 grade 2, 193 grade 3, 88 grade 4 and 79 grade 5 tumours in the series, with follow-up for a minimum of 6.5 years. On follow-up 76 patients experienced distant progression of disease, 171 prostate specific antigen (PSA) progression and 39 prostate cancer deaths. In contrast to the 2005 modified Gleason system (MGS), the hazards of the distant and PSA progression endpoints, relative to grade 2, were significantly greater for grades 3, 4 and 5 of the 2014 ISUP grading s...
Source: Pathology - September 11, 2015 Category: Pathology Tags: Anatomical Pathology Source Type: research
The prognostic significance of the 2014 International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) grading system for prostate cancer
This study examined the predictive value of ISUP grading, comparing results with recognised prognostic parameters.
Of 3700 men undergoing radical prostatectomy (RP) reported at Aquesta Pathology between 2008 and 2013, 2079 also had a positive needle biopsy available for review. We examined the association between needle biopsy 2014 ISUP grade and 2005 modified Gleason score, tumour volume, pathological stage of the subsequent RP tumour, as well as biochemical recurrence-free survival (BRFS). The median age was 62 (range 32–79 years). Median serum prostate specific antigen was 5.9 (range 0.4–69 ng/mL). For needle biop...
Source: Pathology - September 11, 2015 Category: Pathology Tags: Anatomical Pathology Source Type: research
Extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma and aggressive NK cell leukaemia: evidence for their origin on CD56+bright CD16−/+dim NK cells
Summary: Mature natural killer (NK) cell neoplasms are classified by the World Health Organization into extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma, nasal type (ENKTL) and aggressive NK cell leukaemia (ANKL). In order to propose their normal NK cell counterparts, we reviewed the literature on the phenotype of the neoplastic NK cells from five series of patients with ENKTL (n = 411) and seven series of patients with ANKL (n = 114) and compared with that of the normal and activated mature CD56+ NK cell subsets. The tumour NK cells usually express brightly the CD56 adhesion molecule and CD94 lectin type killer receptor, and have an...
Source: Pathology - September 11, 2015 Category: Pathology Tags: Review Source Type: research
Hospital autopsy audit: discordant primary clinical diagnoses are found in 20% of cases in a reducing autopsy case load. Selection bias or significant findings?
No abstract available (Source: Pathology)
Source: Pathology - September 11, 2015 Category: Pathology Tags: Editorial Source Type: research
