Clusterin expression in cutaneous CD30-positive lymphoproliferative disorders and their histologic simulants

Background:  Clusterin is a ubiquitous 80 kDa heterodimeric glycoprotein previously shown to be expressed on tumor cells of systemic and, to a lesser extent, primary cutaneous anaplastic large cell lymphoma (PC-ALCL). Lymphomatoid papulosis (LyP), an important differential diagnosis of ALCL, has been studied for clusterin expression in only a small number of cases. The aim of this study was to compare clusterin immunostaining patterns in LyP and other cutaneous histologic simulants with those of PC-ALCL.
Methods:  Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections of PC-ALCL (6), LyP (20), mycosis fungoides with large cell transformation (MF-LCT, 12), pityriasis lichenoides et varioliformis acuta (PLEVA, 12), arthropod bite reaction (ABR, 12) and lymphomatoid reactions (LR, 9) were immunostained for clusterin and evaluated for staining pattern and distribution. All diagnoses were made with clinicopathologic correlation.
Results:  Characteristic dot-like Golgi staining was identified in 10/20 LyP (50%), 4/6 PC-ALCL (67%) and 9/12 MF-LCT (75%). Two of 12 PLEVA (17%), 1 of 12 ABR (8%) and 2 of 8 LR (25%) had lymphocytes (< 25%) with diffuse cytoplasmic staining. Dermal dendritic cells stained strongly for clusterin. High background staining occurred in some cases.
Conclusion:  Clusterin immunostaining does not reliably distinguish between LyP, PC-ALCL or MF-LCT, but could distinguish LyP from its reactive histologic simulants.     

Preliminary evidence for a role of apolipoprotein E alleles in identifying haemodialysis patients at high vascular risk

Conventional risk factors have very low predictive power in identifying haemodialysis patients at high risk of vascular accidents. A role for apolipoprotein E isotypes was looked for in a small, but rigorously defined, cohort of longterm haemodialysis patients. In individuals with high vascular risk, as identified by higher common carotid intima/media thickness, we found an excess of apolipoprotein E4 alleles. This preliminary result requires confirmation in large patient cohorts.      

Ki-1 Large Cell Lymphoma with Regressing Lesions in a Child

An 8-year-old boy was seen with a cutaneous Ki-1 anaplastic, large cell lymphoma with multiple lesions. Some of the lesions showed spontaneous regression. During more than seven years of disease no systemic involvement was observed, but recurrent, self-healing lesions did appear. Histopathologic examination of five lesions revealed a variety of findings, from an inflammatory infiltrate to a highly anaplastic pattern. The neoplastic cells expressed Ki-1 and leukocyte common antigens. Ultrastructurally, those cells showed ruffled indentations. The differential diagnosis includes microvillous malignant lymphoma. The patient has had a four-year follow-up without relapses.     

Hodgkin disease: CT of the thymus

The computed tomography (CT) scans in two groups of patients with Hodgkin disease were reviewed to determine the frequency of thymic enlargement. In 50 CT scans from 50 patients with evidence of thoracic disease on CT scans who were examined for primary staging, the thymus was enlarged in 15 of 50 (30%). Fifty CT scans were obtained from 44 patients at the time of 50 separate episodes of known or suspected relapse. Relapse occurred in the mediastinum in 12 episodes, lung parenchyma in five, and both sites in one. Thymic enlargement thought to be due to involvement by disease was present in seven of 18 (38%). Mediastinal disease was associated with thymic enlargement in all but one patient in whom a thymic cyst developed after radiation therapy. Differentiation of thymic enlargement from enlarged superior mediastinal lymph nodes was easily made in all but two patients. Thymic enlargement in the absence of lymph node enlargement may indicate a different disease, since isolated Hodgkin disease of the thymus is uncommon. Primary thymic tumor should be considered initially, whereas after treatment, rebound hyperplasia of the thymus may be the cause of enlargement.     

Solitary bronchioloalveolar carcinoma: CT criteria

The computed tomographic (CT) scans of 30 patients with solitary bronchioloalveolar carcinoma were reviewed. Common features at CT included the peripheral or subpleural location of a pulmonary mass (25 cases), pseudocavitation (18 cases), heterogeneous attenuation (17 cases), irregular margins forming a star pattern (22 cases), and pleural tags (21 cases). Using these CT criteria, four independent observers attempted to identify cases of bronchioloalveolar carcinoma from a larger sample of lung cancers and benign lesions by categorizing a series of test cases into four probability categories. Although the bronchioloalveolar carcinomas were correctly ranked in the two highest probability categories 75% of the time (in 45 of 60 cases), there was considerable overlap with other lung lesions, particularly with adenocarcinoma and large cell undifferentiated carcinoma. However, even though the typical features of bronchioloalveolar carcinoma are not invariable or highly specific, they are characteristic enough to suggest the diagnosis.     

A randomized controlled trial of electromagnetic therapy in the primary care management of venous leg ulceration

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to establish the potential efficacy, tolerabilityand side-effect profile of electromagnetic therapy as an adjunctto conventional dressings in the treatment of venous leg ulcers. METHOD: A prospective, randomized, double blind controlled clinicaltrial was carried out in a dedicated leg ulcer clinic basedin one urban general practice. Nineteen patients with leg ulcersof confirmed venous aetiology were assessed. The main outcomemeasures were rate and scale of venous leg ulcer healing, changesin patient-reported pain levels, quality of life, degree ofmobility, side effect profile and acceptability to patientsand staff. RESULTS: Sixty-eight per cent of patients attending this dedicated clinicachieved improvements in the size of their ulcer (4, 21%, healedfully) and in reduced pain levels (P < 0.05) during the trial,despite the chronicity of ulcer histories. Patients treatedwith electromagnetic therapy at 800 Hz were found at day 50to have significantly greater healing (P < 0.05) and paincontrol (P < 0.05) than placebo therapy or treatment with600 Hz. All patients reported improved mobility at the end ofthe study. The electromagnetic therapy was well tolerated bypatients, with no differences between groups in reporting adverseevents, and proved acceptable to staff. CONCLUSION: Despite the small numbers in this pilot study, electromagnetictherapy provided significant gains in the healing of venousleg ulcers and reduction in pain. Keywords. Electromagnetic therapy, RCT, leg ulcers, primary care.