Mullerian carcinosarcoma in the colon of a patient with history of endometrial carcinoma: A case report and insight into possible pathogenesis

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Mullerian carcinosarcoma can occur in extragenital sites.

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Malignant transformation of endometriosis is common in the rectosigmoid area.

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MLH1 hypermethylation has been implicated in endometriosis-associated carcinomas.

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Adequate sampling is essential in determining the etiology of colonic tumors.

Nodal Combined Blue Nevus and Benign Nevus Cells in Multiple Axillary Sentinel Nodes in a Patient With Breast Carcinoma

Combined blue nevus and benign nevus cells were identified in the same sentinel lymph node. Blue nevus alone was also present in an additional sentinel lymph node in the same axilla in a patient who underwent needle localization, wide local excision, and sentinel lymph node biopsy for her pT1cN1mi(sn)M(na) invasive duct carcinoma of the breast. Of the 4 sentinel lymph nodes, 1 showed micrometastasis and 2 other lymph nodes showed blue nevus involving the capsule and trabeculae of the nodes. The patient had no significant previous clinical history of any skin tumors and had a negative clinical examination for malignant melanoma or pigmented skin lesions after the diagnosis of nodal blue nevus. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of combined blue nevi involving multiple sentinel lymph nodes in the same axilla. An equally interesting finding is the presence of benign nonpigmented nevus cells in continuation with the blue nevus in the same node.

Large solitary luteinized follicle cyst of pregnancy and puerperium: report of two cases

We describe two cases of large solitary luteinized follicle cyst of pregnancy and puerperium (LSLFCPP) with new clinicopathologic findings. The first case occurred in a 40-year old woman who was found to have a left ovarian mass during the third trimester of pregnancy. The patient delivered a full term healthy female infant via caesarean section. The ovarian mass was removed by oophorectomy. The specimen showed a unilocular, thin-walled, clear fluid filled cyst measuring 15 × 12 × 5 cm. Microscopically, the cyst was lined by single to multiple layers of luteinized cells with mainly small, round and regular nuclei and focally enlarged, bizarre, and hyperchromatic nuclei. Occasional mitotic figures were seen. The cyst wall showed marked edema and nests of luteinized cells that were morphologically similar to the cyst lining cells. Groups of lesional cells were surrounded by reticulin fibers. The patient has been healthy without disease after 7 years. The second patient was a 29-year old pregnant woman who was found to have a right ovarian cyst by ultrasound at 14-week gestation. She then presented with preterm labor at 33-week gestation and delivered a healthy female infant via caesarean section. A right salpingo-oophorectomy was performed. Gross inspection of the specimen revealed a unilocular, brown mucoid fluid filled cyst measuring 14 × 11 × 9 cm. The cyst surfaces were smooth, and the cyst wall exhibited marked edema. Microscopic examination showed features similar to the first case: cyst lined by luteinized cells with focal large nuclei, scattered nests of luteinized cells in the edematous fibrous wall, and reticulin fibers surrounding large nests of lesional cells. No mitoses, however, were identified in the second case. The patient has been well without disease 1 year after surgery. These two cases contribute to a better understanding of LSLFCPP. Our case in the 40-year old patient is the first to show mitotic figures in LSLFCPP and suggests that the presence of occasional mitoses should not exclude a diagnosis of LSLFCPP. The lesion in the second patient caused preterm labor. Nevertheless, absence of disease recurrence in our patients demonstrates a benign nature of LSLFCPP.

Knowledge of basic emotions in adolescent and adult individuals with autism

An experiment was carried out in which 30 adolescent and adult patients with autism and 30 age- and IQ-matched Down syndrome patients were instructed to choose one of the chocolates that were hanging near four pictures displaying facial expressions of basic emotions (fear, anger, happiness, and sadness). As predicted, most of the Down syndrome patients took the chocolate near the happy face picture. Unexpectedly, however, autistic patients made more responses to the fearful face picture. Also, Down syndrome patients were more capable of naming the four basic emotions than autistic patients.

L-type calcium channels may regulate neurite initiation in cultured chick embryo brain neurons and N1E-115 neuroblastoma cells

The intracellular free Ca2+ concentration, [Ca2+]i, plays an important role in regulating neurite growth in cultured neurons. Insofar as [Ca2+]i is partly a function of Ca2+ influx through voltage-sensitive calcium channels (VSCC), Ca2+ entry through VSCC should influence neurite growth. Vertebrate neurons may possess several types of VSCC. The most frequently described VSCC types are usually designated L, T and N. In most preparations, these VSCC types respond differently to certain pharmacological agents, including Cd2+, Ni2+, the dihydropyridines nifedipine and BAY K8644, and the aminoglycoside antibiotics. We used these agents to study the role of Ca2+ influx in regulating neurite initiation and length in cultures of chick embryo brain neurons and N1E-115 mouse neuroblastoma cells. In chick neurons, nifedipine and Cd2+ (less than 50 microM), which have been reported to inhibit L-type channels, reduced neurite initiation, but not mean neurite length. Ni2+ (less than 100 microM), reported to inhibit T-type channels, had no effect on either initiation or length. Low concentrations of most aminoglycosides (less than 300 microM), reported to inhibit N-type channels, had no effect on neurite initiation, but high concentrations of streptomycin (great than 300 microM), reported to inhibit both L- and N-type channels, reduced neurite initiation. BAY K8644, which enhances current flow through L-type channels, had no effect except at high concentration (50 microM), which inhibited initiation. N1E-115 neuroblastoma cells have been reported to contain L-type and T-type channels, but thus far no channel similar to the N-type has been described. In cultured N1E-115 cells, nifedipine (5 microM), Cd2+ (5 microM), and streptomycin (200 microM) reduced neurite initiation, while nickel (50 microM) and neomycin (100 microM) did not affect initiation. None of these agents altered neurite length. In N1E-115 cells, whole-cell voltage clamp recordings showed that nifedipine and Cd2+ inhibited L-type channels but not T-type channels, while Ni2+ inhibited T-type channels but not L-type channels. Streptomycin slightly inhibited L-type channels but enhanced current flow through T-type channels. Neomycin slightly inhibited both channel types. These data indicated that neurite initiation in these two cell types may be modulated by Ca2+ influx through L-type channels, but not T- or N-type channels. Neurite length was not significantly influenced by any of the agents tested, suggesting that Ca2+ influx through VSCC may not affect neurite elongation.