Sonographic features of benign thyroid nodules: interobserver reliability and overlap with malignancy.

OBJECTIVE: To prospectively determine the sonographic findings of nodular hyperplasia of the thyroid, to compare these with reported findings associated with malignancy, and to assess interobserver reliability. METHODS: Seventy thyroid nodules were scanned, and then biopsies of the nodules were performed under sonographic guidance with fine-needle cytologic analysis; in all cases images were reviewed by 2 experienced radiologists without knowledge of clinical outcome. Findings reported associated with malignancy were specifically assessed. Interobserver agreement between the expert and secondary readers for each finding was calculated by the kappa or weighted kappa statistic and the Fisher exact test of independence. RESULTS: There were 68 benign and 2 malignant nodules in a population of 63 female and 7 male patients. The mean benign nodule size was 2.9 cm; 60% were solid; 54% were hypoechoic; 59% were microlobulated or macrolobulated; 47% had central vascularity; 24% contained calcifications; and 82% were elliptical in shape. There was very good interobserver reliability for the presence of calcium (kappa = 0.91) and good agreement for the presence and location of vascularity (kappa = 0.75) and the amount of cystic components (kappa = 0.62; all P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: Sixty-nine percent of benign nodules had at least 1 finding reported previously as associated with malignancy. The interobserver reliability of the sonographic findings was good to very good for 3 of the 5 findings assessed.     

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumour of the cervical vagus nerve in a neurofibromatosis type 1 patient.

One serious complication of neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is the development of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumours (MPNSTs). These malignancies often develop within pre-existing plexiform neurofibromas and their development is now thought to be associated with both tumour suppressor gene mutations and dysregulated growth factor signalling. Recent work demonstrates that the lifetime risk of malignant transformation is significantly greater than previously thought. Ionising radiation, a long-standing disease, particularly the presence of a large number of plexiform neurofibromas from an early age, are suggested risk factors. We present an NF1 patient who developed an MPNST of the cervical vagus nerve which was successfully treated with surgery. Close monitoring of patients with NF and a high level of suspicion towards rapidly enlarging and painful swellings is merited as these features may signify malignant transformation. Whether a positive history of MPNST in other affected family members predisposes the individual to a higher risk of malignant transformation is unclear.     

IFN-alpha1,8 inhibits tumor-induced angiogenesis in murine angiosarcomas.

Interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) has proved effective in the treatment of hemangiomas, hemangioblastomas, and Kaposi's sarcoma. To investigate the ability of IFNs to inhibit angiosarcoma, we used two transformed murine endothelial cell lines that form angiosarcomas in vivo. SVR and MS1-VEGF cell lines express oncogenic H-ras or vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), respectively. IFN-alpha1,8, which is active against murine and human cells, inhibited SVR and MS1-VEGF proliferation in vitro by 40% at 10(3) U/mL (p = 0.028). In vivo, IFN-alpha1,8 inhibited SVR tumor volume by 71% (p = 0.047) and MS1-VEGF volume by 79% (p = 0.003). Tumor-induced angiogenesis was decreased in SVR tumors by 52% (p = 0.005) and in MS1-VEGF tumors by 58% (p = 0.001). Sera from IFN-alpha1,8-treated mice bearing either SVR or MS1-VEGF tumors demonstrated a 5-fold increase in IP-10/CXCL10 (p = 0.001), an IFN-induced antiangiogenic protein. Both recombinant IP-10 and IFN-alpha1,8 inhibited human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) vessel formation in the fibrin gel assay, a three-dimensional culture model of angiogenesis, by 56% at 25 ng/mL and 50% at 1.2 ng/mL, respectively (p < 0.001). An IP-10 blocking antibody restored vessel formation to 80% of untreated controls (p = 0.001). Given the magnitude of the in vivo response, these data suggested that the antitumor effects of IFN-alpha1,8 were likely mediated through angiogenesis inhibition rather than solely by direct inhibition of tumor cell proliferation.     

Leishmania identification by PCR of Giemsa-stained lesion imprint slides stored for up to 36 years

This study examined the ability of PCR to amplify Leishmania DNA, stored on Giemsa-stained slides, from American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) patients. In total, 475 slides stored for up to 36 years were obtained from an outpatient clinic in a Brazilian ACL-endemic region, and Leishmania DNA was amplified from 395 (83.2%) of the DNA samples using primers specific for the minicircle kinetoplast DNA. Restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of these amplicons demonstrated that Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis was the only species present in these samples. The results demonstrated that archived Giemsa-stained slides can provide a Leishmania DNA source for performing clinical and epidemiological studies of leishmaniasis.