An atypically localized atrial myxoma: a case report

Atypical cardiac myxomas are rare occurrences and may present with a variety of clinical manifestations depending on the location and morphology. A 46-year-old woman had a 4 x 3 x 2-cm myxoma originating from the superior wall of the left atrium, found by echocardiography and multislice tomography. The tumor was successfully treated by surgical excision. The resected tumor was a well-defined encapsulated mass with a narrow-base stalk originating from the right wall of the left atrium in between the right upper and lower pulmonary vein. The patient recovered without complication and was discharged 6 days after the operation. At 1-year follow-up, echocardiography revealed normal cardiac function without reccurence in terms of mass. Although up to 80% of myxomas are localized in the left atrium, of which 75% involve in the interatrial septum, it should not be forgotten that myxomas can appear in an atypical localization, as occurred in our case.     

Prevalence of mucosal types of human papillomavirus in skin lesions in north part of Iran

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) consist of more than 100 types and are known to be associated with numerous malignant tumors, including carcinomas of the mucosal and cutaneous epithelium. Non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) is the most frequently occurring malignancy worldwide in the Caucasian population. Some studies have shown that NMSC biopsy specimens harbor cutaneous as well as mucosal human papillomavirus, suggesting that mucosal types may play a role in development and progression of the tumor in skin. To investigate the presence of mucosal HPV types in skin lesions, we performed a retrospective study in which 288 paraffin embedded biopsies from benign and malignant skin lesions (NMSC) were collected. Using nested PCR with MY09/11 and GP5+/6+ primers mucosal HPVs were detected in 25.7% of malignant specimens, but just in 0.7% of benign lesions. Direct sequencing revealed HPV18 as the most frequent type, which was found in 75% of HPV-positive specimens. HPV16 and HPV56 were also detected, 22.3 and 2.7%, respectively. These findings suggest that, high-risk mucosal HPV types recently identified as significant risk factors for cervical cancer, may also represent a risk factor for non-melanoma skin cancer.     

Development of rapid PCR method for simultaneous identification of species, specific capsular type, and toxigenicity of Pasteurella sp. isolates

Toxigenicity, species, and type species of Pasteurella multocida isolates cannot be differentiated by morphology or standard biochemical reactions. A more rapid method is needed for P. multocida detection from clinical cases. These findings provide rapid insights into the characteristics of P. multocida isolates and suggest that this method can identify toxigenic and specific capsular type P. multocida. A PCR assay has been developed for rapid detection of P. multocida and differentiation of capsular types A and D. In this rapid method, kmt1, capA and capD, and toxA genes were amplified and a reliable multiplex PCR method for the detection of P. multocida in sheep and goats in the south of Iran was designed. Twenty isolates were obtained, which evinced characteristic morphological and cultural properties. Ten samples were identified simultaneously through the presence of the kmt1 gene as P. multocida species, the hydD–hydC gene as type A capsule, and the toxA gene as dermonecrotic toxin by mPCR, but none of them belonged to type D.