Pigmented epithelioid melanocytoma: report of first Japanese cases previously diagnosed as cellular blue nevus

Background:  The term 'pigmented epithelioid melanocytoma (PEM)' was recently used for borderline melanocytic tumor/low-grade melanoma including cases previously diagnosed as human animal-type melanoma and epithelioid blue nevus. No Japanese cases have been reported.
Methods:  We reviewed 219 cases previously diagnosed as blue nevus in Japan. Common blue nevus was identified in 154 cases and cellular blue nevus in 65 cases.
Results:  We have found two Japanese cases of PEM previously diagnosed as cellular blue nevus. Two patients were female. The age at presentation was 32 and 28 years. Two lesions were on the buttock. Two cases fulfilled histological criteria proposed for PEM. There is no evidence of recurrence or metastases.
Conclusions:  PEM is a distinct melanocytic tumor and the unifying diagnostic term. PEM is present in Japanese, but these cases may be previously diagnosed as cellular blue nevus. Japanese pathologists should recognize a new concept of PEM, and when they make a diagnosis of PEM, they should be recommended sentinel lymph node sampling.     

Neurological disorders and violence: a systematic review and meta-analysis with a focus on epilepsy and traumatic brain injury

The objectives of this study were to systematically review and meta-analyze the research literature on the association of common neurological disorders and violence. Keywords relating to neurological disorders and violence were searched between 1966 and August 2008. Case–control and cohort studies were selected. Odds ratios of violence risk in particular disorders compared with controls were combined using fixed-effects meta-analysis with the data presented in forest plots. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to identify possible differences in risk estimates across surveys. Information on risk factors for violence was extracted if replicated in more than one study. Nine studies were identified that compared the risk of violence in epilepsy or traumatic brain injury compared with unaffected controls. For the epilepsy studies, the overall pooled odds ratio for violent outcomes was 0.67 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.46–0.96]. For traumatic brain injury, the odds ratio was 1.66 (95% CI 1.12–2.31). An additional 11 case–control studies investigated factors associated with violence in epilepsy and traumatic brain injury. It was not possible to meta-analyze these data. Comorbid psychopathology was associated with violence. Data on other neurological conditions was limited and unreplicated. In conclusion, although the evidence was limited and methodological quality varied, epilepsy and traumatic brain injury appeared to differ in their risk of violence compared with control populations. Longitudinal studies are required to replicate this review’s provisional findings that epilepsy is inversely associated with violence and that brain injury modestly increases the risk, and further research is needed to provide information on a broader range of risk factors.     

Workplace status and risk of hypertension among hourly and salaried aluminum manufacturing employees

An inverse relationship between workplace status and morbidity is well established; higher job status has been associated with reduced risks of heart disease, hypertension, and injury. Most research on job status, however, has focused on salaried populations, and it remains unclear whether job status operates similarly among hourly workers. Our objectives were to examine whether hourly status itself influences risk of hypertension after adjustment for socioeconomic confounders, and to explore the role of fine-scale job grade on hypertension incidence within hourly and salaried groups. We examined data for 14,999 aluminum manufacturing employees in 11 plants across the U.S., using logistic regression with adjustment for age, sex, race/ethnicity and other individual characteristics. Propensity score restriction was used to identify comparable groups of hourly and salaried employees, reducing confounding by sociodemographic characteristics. Job grade (coded 1 through 30, within hourly and salaried groups) was examined as a more refined measure of job status. Hourly status was associated with an increased risk of hypertension, after propensity restriction and adjustment for confounders. The observed effect of hourly status was stronger among women, although the propensity-restricted cohort was disproportionately male (96%). Among salaried workers, higher job grade was not consistently associated with decreased risk; among hourly employees, however, there was a significant trend, with higher job grades more protective against hypertension. Increasing the stringency of hypertension case criteria also increased the risk of severe or persistent hypertension for hourly employees.     

West Nile virus quantification in feces of experimentally infected American and fish crows.

To better understand the potential environmental health risk presented by West Nile virus (WNV)-contaminated feces, we quantified the amount of WNV present in the feces of experimentally infected American crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) and fish crows (Corvus ossifragus). Peak fecal titers ranged from 10(3.5) to 10(8.8) plaque-forming units (PFU)/g for 10 American crows and from 10(2.3) to 10(6.4) PFU/g for 10 fish crows. The presence of infectious WNV in bird feces indicates a potential for direct transmission of WNV. Thus, handlers of sick or dead birds should take appropriate precautions to avoid exposure to fecal material.     

Immunohistological identification of cell subsets in human gingival after local treatment for gingivitis or periodontitis

The cellular infiltrate present in human diseased gingiva was analyzed in biopsies from 12 patients with gingivitis or periodontitis. The samples studied had been obtained in the course of surgery at inflammatory sites remaining after institution of periodontal treatment. Histological and immunological techniques were used to identify macrophages, B-cells, plasma-cells, T-cells and T cell subsets, as well as cells expressing class II HLA membrane antigens. T-cells appeared as the predominant population, but plasma-cells were also visualized in nearly all samples. Both OKT4+ and OKT8+ cells were seen in all cases, the latter being more numerous in periodontitis patients. Interdigitating-like cells were observed, positively labelled for class II antigens, as well as macrophages which were more numerous in periodontitis patients. These results suggest the participation of all components of the immune response in gingival disease, in a way resembling chronic recurrent inflammatory diseases.