Eosinophil‐rich trichoblastic carcinoma with aggressive clinical course in a young man

We present the case of a 35‐year‐old man who developed a follicular differentiated cutaneous carcinoma with an eosinophil‐rich infiltrate and an aggressive clinical behavior. After an in‐depth histopathological investigation the diagnosis of trichoblastic carcinoma was made. Over the course of the disease the patient developed a cutaneous in‐transit metastasis as well as an axillary lymph node metastasis 18 months after the excision of the primary tumor on his back. Based on a literature review we discuss the different concepts behind the term “trichoblastic carcinoma” and we summarize the clinical and histological details of previously reported cases. Furthermore, we focus on the phenomenon of tumor‐associated eosinophilia.     

New aspects of the activities of pediatric intensive care unit

A model of regional network of pediatric resuscitation has been created in the Sverdlovsk region. The model is based on evaluation of hazards, is staged, standard, and makes use of a universal information space. The unifying structure is a pediatric resuscitation consultation center. Its main tasks are therapy and counseling in the region and introduction of overall training in reanimation and intensive care of children, with improvement of the level of urgent care at therapeutic institutions of the region. The activities of the resuscitation care network promoted a significant decrease in neonatal mortality by 29.5% and of infant mortality by 28.7%.     

Mucinous carcinoma of the skin, primary, and secondary: a clinicopathologic study of 63 cases with emphasis on the morphologic spectrum of primary cutaneous forms: homologies with mucinous lesions in the breast

We present the largest series of mucinous carcinoma involving the skin, describing the histopathologic, immunohistochemical, electron microscopic, and cytogenetic findings. Our aim was fully to characterize the clinicopathologic spectrum and compare it with that seen in the breast. In addition, we wished to reevaluate the differential diagnostic criteria for distinguishing primary mucinous carcinomas from histologically similar neoplasms involving the skin secondarily, and study some aspects of their pathogenesis. We demonstrate that primary cutaneous mucinous carcinomas span a morphologic spectrum compatible to their mammary counterparts. Both pure and mixed types can be delineated morphologically, and some lesions have mucocele-like configurations. Most lesions seem to originate from in situ lesions that may represent, using mammary pathology terminology, ductal hyperplasia, atypical ductal hyperplasia, or ductal carcinoma in situ or a combination of the three. Inverse cell polarity appears to facilitate the progression of the changes similar to lesions in the breast. The presence of an in situ component defines the neoplasm as primary cutaneous, but its absence does not exclude the diagnosis; although for such neoplasms, full clinical assessment is essential. Mammary mucinous carcinoma involving the skin: all patients presented with lesions on chest wall, breast, axilla, and these locations can serve as clue to the breast origin. Microscopically, cutaneous lesions were of both pure and mixed type, and this correlated with the primary in the breast. Dirty necrosis was a constant histologic finding in intestine mucinous carcinomas involving the skin, and this feature may serve as a clue to an intestinal origin.     

To the effective concentration of xenon

The present literature discusses what effective concentration of xenon may be used to induce adequate anesthesia. To examine the analgesic properties of the substance, 38 patients undergone laparoscopic operations for calculous cholecystitis under informational saturation EEG (INEEG) monitoring were included into this study. All the patients were divided into 3 groups in accordance to the mode of anesthesia maintenance and INEEG monitoring. In Groups 1 and 2, the concentration of xenon was maintained at 70%; INEEG monitoring was made in the of-line mode. In Group 3, the concentration of xenon was gradually decreased from 70% to the minimum value at which the level of INEEG was 40-50%, which corresponds to the adequate depth of anesthesia. The use of 70% xenon concentration and the standard doses offentanyl (3.1 +/- 1.6 microg/kg/h) resulted in excessively deep anesthesia (38 +/- 4% INEEG). Reduction of the dose of fentanyl on an average to 1.5 +/- 0.8 microg/kg/h permitted more adequate anesthesia; however, an excessively deep anesthesia is encountered in 40% of cases, as evidenced by INEEG. The active use of INEEG monitoring in Group 3 makes it possible to perform an adequate anesthesia (46 +/- 4% INEEG) and to determine the xenon concentration necessary for this, which is equivalent to 42 +/- 11% with the dose of fentanyl of 0.9 +/- 0.8 microg/kg/h.     

Infiltrating retiform perineurioma: a case report

Retiform perineurioma is a rare distinct histologic subtype of benign soft tissue perineurioma. We report 1 case of retiform perineurioma with a superficial invasion of the adjacent skeletal muscle. The patient was a 34-year-old woman with a neoplasm located between the deltoid muscle and the biceps. Histologically, the tumor was nonencapsulated, composed exclusively of perineurial cells without cytologic and tissue atypia. There were focal areas in which the neoplastic cells infiltrated the muscle tissue, widely separating the bundles. This case may represent a diagnostic pitfall as it can be confused with a malignant perineurioma.     

Brooke-Spiegler syndrome: report of a case with combined lesions containing cylindromatous, spiradenomatous, trichoblastomatous, and sebaceous differentiation

Brooke-Spiegler syndrome is an autosomal dominantly inherited disease with predisposition to cutaneous adnexal neoplasms, most commonly cylindromas and trichoepitheliomas. We report a patient in whom 11 lesions were removed from the scalp and face for various reasons over a period of 3 years. The histopathological survey revealed a plethora of benign adnexal neoplasms showing apocrine, follicular, and sebaceous differentiation occurring independently and conjointly. The histopathological spectrum in our patient included cylindromas, spiradenomas, trichoepitheliomas, small nodular trichoblastomas, and lymphadenomas. Many lesions had hybrid features of two or more neoplasms. By far the most common composite tumor was spiradenocylindroma. Some spiradenocylindromas demonstrated prominent sebaceous or trichoblastomatous differentiation or both. We suggest the terms "sebaceous spiradenocylindroma" and "trichospiradenocylindroma" for these lesions. The occurrence of sebaceous and trichoblastic differentiation in spiradenocylindromas is a further proof that spiradenoma and cylindroma are not eccrine tumors but neoplasms of the folliculosebaceousapocrine unit.     

Melanoma with prominent pigment synthesis (animal-type melanoma): a case report with ultrastructural studies

Melanoma with prominent pigment synthesis or animal-type melanoma (ATM) is a very rare type of melanoma. Its histogenesis has not been elucidated and ultrastructural features have not been described in human beings. We present an additional case of ATM in a 28-year-old woman with positive sentinel node biopsy and provide the results of electron microscopic studies. Histopathologically, the skin lesion was composed of heavily pigmented neoplastic cells mostly arranged as large sheets, focally also in a nodular growth pattern. After bleaching, the neoplastic cells demonstrated round nuclei with 1 or rarely 2 conspicuous nucleoli and a prominent nuclear membrane and abundant, gray, slate-like cytoplasm. Some cells demonstrated round cytoplasmic inclusions. There was no nuclear pleomorphism, and only a few mitotic figures could be found after extensive search. Multiple areas of necrosis en masse of tumor cells were seen. The lymph node biopsy revealed a complete effacement of the lymph node architecture by the extensive proliferation of hyperpigmented cells in the parenchyma. Immunohistochemically, the same pattern of staining was seen on the bleached and unbleached slides both in the skin and in the lymph node. The neoplastic cells stained positively with MiTF (nuclei), NSE, NKI/C3, tyrosinase (weak), p53, and CD68. S-100 protein, HMB45, Melan A, Mac367, and lysozyme reacted negatively. Occasional cells (<1%) reacted with MIB-1. Ultra-structural studies revealed that the neoplastic cells possessed a large, indented nucleus with a prominent nuclear membrane, a single (para) centrally located nucleolus, and peripherally marginated chromatin. The cytoplasm was abundant and contained numerous single melanosomes and rare compound melanosomes. The melanosomes were in stages II to IV of maturation, with a marked predominance of stage II and stage III melanosomes. There was a high number of aberrant melanosomes with a wide variety of configurations. Melanophages were a minor component of the lesion. Our ultrastructural studies provide unequivocal evidence that ATM is a neoplasm of melanosome-producing cells. We also review the literature on ATM.     

Low-grade trichoblastic carcinosarcoma of the skin

We present an unusual case of cutaneous carcinosarcoma with the epithelial component closely resembling nodular basal cell carcinoma, and the mesenchymal component composed of cells constituting extended follicular papillae. A solitary tumor was excised in an 80-year-old man. Histologic sections revealed an ulcerated, asymmetric, poorly circumscribed neoplasm composed of epithelial cells arranged in lobules with peripheral palisading or in a cribriform pattern. The epithelial cells were darkly basophilic with scant cytoplasm and round or oval nuclei with an indistinct chromatin pattern and nucleoli. Nuclei crowding and mitotic figures were observed. Some lobules contained melanin. There were no shadow cells, sebaceous or apocrine glandular differentiation. Each epithelial nodule was surrounded by multiple rows of cells with pale vesicular nuclei and scant cytoplasm. Smaller epithelial aggregations were encircled by these cells concentrically; in larger ones these cells were aligned across a broad front resembling so-called "continuous papillae". Additionally, numerous small follicular germ-like structures associated with papillae were seen. The cells composing "continuous papillae" showed nuclear pleomorphism, numerous mitotic figures including atypical ones, and nuclear crowding. At foci, the transition from the multilayered arrangement of these cells into their diffuse proliferation in the stroma was seen. There were no transitions between the epithelial and stromal component; both were intermingled as though being mutually dependent, with no areas revealing a high-grade tumor or dedifferentiation. Immunohistochemically, the epithelial cell component stained with cytokeratins. The cells of the mesenchymal component tested positive for vimentin and negative for desmin and cytokeratins. The proliferation index (Ki-67) was high in both components. There were also a high number of p53-positive cells in both compartments. We propose the term "low-grade trichoblastic carcinosarcoma" for this neoplasm. We are not aware of a similar tumor published in the English literature.     

Interhospital transportation of children from paediatric intensive care units within a major region

The activity of a regional reanimation-and-consultation center (RCC) related with transportation of 3219 children (79.5% of them were newborns) is summarized in the paper. The share of children assigned for artificial lung ventilation (ALV) increased from 50.8% to 82.6%, while the lethality rate dropped from 12.8% to 6.9%. The above results were enabled by a maximally early re-hospitalization of patients from therapeutic-and-prevention facilities (TPF) with limited medical care abilities and by early preparations (for transportation) by using the DINAR-2 expert system. The children were transported only after the main vitally important systems had been compensated for and with support of an adequate intensive care therapy. Should the above principles be met, the specialized therapy could be started at he earliest possible time; it promoted the therapy quality and cut the patients' stay in intensive care units.