Xanthomas of the stomach: a report of two cases

Gastrointestinal tract xanthomas are non tumor, well demarcated mucosal lesions that consist of foamy histiocytes, most commonly diagnosed in the stomach. The histologic appearance of xanthomas can resemble certain malignant lesions. After retrospective data base search, we have encountered only 2 cases of xanthomas, both in the antral part of the stomach. Lamina propria of the mucosa contained rare, chronic inflammatory infiltrate and clusters of oval and polygonal cells with abundant, foamy cytoplasm. The cytoplasm of described cells did not show the presence of mucin (Periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) and Alcian blue staining). The cells showed distinct cytoplasmic CD68 positivity and CKMNF116 negativity, which confirmed the diagnosis of xanthoma. Given the frequent association of xanthomas and known precancerous lesions of gastric mucosa, and occasional coexistence of malignant change, we need to pay attention to its diagnosis, and it is advisable to use both histochemical and immunohistochemical methods

Overview of Erasmus+ NETCHEM project: ICT networking for overcoming technical and social barriers in instrumental analytical chemistry education

The paper briefly presents goals, main activities, challenges and outcomes of the NetChem project (http://www.netchem.ac.rs/) that was co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of European Union (project no. 573885-EPP-1-2016-1-RS-EPPKA2- CBHE-JP). The project has been started in October 2016 and with extension lasts until April 2020. Western Balkan region has been targeted by upgrading capacities for education in environmental and food analysis of Albania and Serbia in cooperation with partners from France, United Kingdom and Czech Republic. Dedicated NETCHEM platform and SQL database were created to improve the cooperation and educational capacities of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) involved