Methylation profiling of benign and malignant breast lesions and its application to cytopathology.

Methylation of tumor suppressor genes has been implicated in breast cancer development. However, methylation profiles of different breast lesions, subtypes of carcinoma in particular, have not been examined in detail. In this study, we use methylation-specific PCR (MSP) to generate gene methylation profiles of different breast lesions and to test the clinical utility of such profiles. We examined the methylation status of three genes, RARbeta2, RASSF1A, and cyclin D2, on 102 samples of breast tissue, from benign (n = 36), to in situ carcinoma (n = 21), to invasive carcinoma (n = 45). We found that almost all cases of invasive carcinoma (96%) contained at least one methylated gene from our panel, whereas gene methylation was less common among benign lesions (42%) and in situ carcinoma (76%). Of the three genes, cyclin D2 methylation was most specific for malignancy because only 1 of 35 benign cases was methylated at this gene (1 case was not informative). The major histologic subtypes of invasive carcinoma show similar methylation profiles in the genes examined. We next performed MSP analysis on archival breast fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy samples and corresponding surgical biopsy specimens and found a high concordance between the two types of specimens. We then analyzed 17 breast FNA biopsy samples with an indeterminate diagnosis. In this setting, MSP had a high specificity (100%) and modest sensitivity (67%) for identifying malignancy.     

Incremental Value of Three‐Dimensional Echocardiography over the Two‐Dimensional Technique in the Assessment of Combined Sinus of Valsalva Rupture into the Right Ventricle and Adjacent Perimembranous Ventricular Septal Defect

We describe the incremental value of live/real time three‐dimensional (3D) echocardiography over the 2D technique in the assessment of ruptured right sinus of Valsalva into the right ventricle associated with an adjacent perimembranous ventricular septal defect in an elderly patient.     

An unusual side effect of isotretinoin: retinoid dermatitis affecting external urethral meatus

Isotretinoin (Iso) is the most effective drug against severe nodulocystic acne. As a synthetic oral retinoid, Iso exerts its actions by modulating cell growth and differentiation. Targeting all the pathophysiologic processes in acne development, Iso has been considered to be an unique drug, however it has several side effects. While chelitis, xerosis, ocular sicca, arthralgia, myalgia, headache, hyperlipidemia are the most common side effects, teratogenicity and depressive symptoms are the most concerning ones. In addition, Iso has unusual side effects which have been described for the first time in the literature. Here, we report a remarkable side effect of Iso in a 23-years-old male patient with retinoid dermatitis affecting the external uretral meatus. To our knowledge, only few cases of retinoid dermatitis in the urethral mucosa due to Iso have been reported in the literature so far.     

Simultaneous transcatheter pulmonary and tricuspid valve‐in‐valve implantation for the treatment of failing pulmonary and tricuspid bioprostheses

We report a case of a patient with a history of bioprosthetic pulmonary and tricuspid valve replacement who developed significant stenosis and regurgitation of the bioprosthetic valves. Due to multiple comorbidities, he was deemed high risk for redo‐valve replacement surgery. He subsequently underwent percutaneous transcatheter pulmonary and tricuspid valve‐in‐valve procedure at the same setting. This is the first of such that is reported in the literature. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Protein-lipid interactions in food systems: a review

Proteins and lipids, both individually or as complexes, play important functional roles in foods. Since the 1970s food scientists have devoted attention to the nature of these interactions and particularly to their effects on functional characteristics of protein-based foods. Previously, most of the published work was devoted to the biochemical aspects of protein-lipid interactions in biological systems. This article reviews the protein-lipid interactions of both naturally occurring protein-lipid complexes and protein-lipid complexes formed by induced interactions in foods and food products. The physicochemical characteristics of known protein-lipid complexes, the nature of binding which results in formation of these complexes and the effect of the interactions on food functionality are reviewed.