Sudden onset acute liver failure in a patient with clinically occult small cell lung carcinoma: autopsy report and review of the medical literature

Liver metastases are commonly found in advanced cancer patients; however, acute liver failure secondary to diffuse liver infiltration is rare. Small cell lung carcinoma accounts for 15% of lung carcinomas. We describe the ninth case of small cell lung carcinoma massively metastatic to the liver, reported in the scientific literature, with sudden clinical onset and death after a few days. An autopsy was performed to understand the cause of death

Conservatively treated glassy cell carcinoma of the cervix

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Very little data about the conservative treatment of early stage glassy cell cervical cancer have been reported.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 30-year old patient, nulligravida was admitted to the Gynecologic Oncology Unit of the Catholic University of Campobasso for irregular post-coital vaginal bleeding. The patients was staged as having FIGO stage IB1 (tumor diameter = 2 cm) squamous cervical cancer. After extensive counseling of the patient and her family, laparoscopic pelvic lymphadenectomy and cold knife conization were performed. The final diagnosis was FIGO Stage IB1 glassy cell carcinoma. Currently, after a follow-up of 38 months, she has no evidence of disease.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We reported a case of early stage glassy cell cancer patient, who was conservatively treated by conization and laparoscopic pelvic lymphadenectomy.</p

p17 from HIV induces brain endothelial cell angiogenesis through EGFR-1-mediated cell signalling activation

© 2018, United States & Canadian Academy of Pathology. HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder in HIV patients substantially reduces their quality of life. We previously showed that the HIV matrix protein, p17 could stimulate lymph-angiogenesis in vitro potentially contributing to lymphoma tumour growth and in addition is associated with vascular activation in neuro-degenerating brain tissue; here, therefore, we have investigated the detailed molecular mechanisms of this action. We performed in vitro cell culture, angiogenesis experiments, phospho-protein microarrays and Western blotting to identify cellular signalling induced by p17 within human brain endothelial cells (HbMEC), and inhibitor studies to block p17-induced vascular growth. We also characterised the effects of hippocampal CA1 injection of p17 on epidermal growth factor receptor-1 (EGFR1) expression linked to our murine model of dementia. p17 strongly induced angiogenesis of HbMEC (migration, tube formation and spheroid growth). p17 concomitantly increased phosphorylation of EGFR1 as well as down-stream intermediates ERK1/2, FAK, PLC-γ and PKC-β whilst an inhibitor peptide of EGFR, blocked cell signalling and angiogenesis. Finally, Mice that showed reduced cognitive function and behavioural deficiencies after p17 injection, demonstrated that p17 localised in cortical microvessels and also neurones many of which stained positive for p-EGFR1 by histology/IHC. This work provides strong support that p17 may be involved in initiating and/or perpetuating vascular tissue pathophysiology associated with comorbidity in HIV patients