A single liver metastasis from pleural biphasic mesothelioma

Virtually any malignancy can metastasize to the liver. Large solitary metastases are rare and can be difficult to distinguish from primary tumors. Malignant mesothelioma is often considered as a locally invasive cancer but tumor dissemination to extra-thoracic sites is possible, and the liver can be involved. Herein, we present a rare case of pleural mesothelioma with a solitary large liver metastasis diagnosed postmortem in a ninety-two-year-old man with 35 years of exposure to asbestos. Results of immunohistochemical staining of the pleural and liver tumor were similar, both positive for low-molecular weight keratins, calretinin, vimentin, and podoplanin, and negative for Claudin-4, TTF1, CEA, BerEP4, CK7, CK19, CK20, BAP1, Hep Par1, p40, and WT1. Fluorescent in-situ hybridization (FISH) for p16/CDKN2A was also performed and a homozygous deletion was detected in both tumors, supporting the diagnosis of mesothelioma. Reporting this case, we would like to point out that extra-thoracic dissemination from pleural mesothelioma, even if exceptional, can occur. In cases where differential diagnoses are challenging, the value of ancillary techniques and a practical approach to diagnostic work-up is of primary importance

Germinação e dormência de linhagens de amendoim tipo Runner derivadas de populações de base genética ampla.

Sementes de amendoim apresentam dormência em diferentes graus, sendo esta característica mais pronunciada na subespécie hypogaea, incluindo o grupo da variedade Virgínia ?Runner?, onde são classificadas as cultivares ?Runner? comerciais. A dormência é interessante por evitar perdas durante a colheita e por estar relacionada à menor contaminação por aflatoxinas. Este trabalho avaliou a germinação e a dormência em sete linhagens avançadas de amendoim tipo ?Runner? de ciclo médio, obtidas a partir da seleção em populações de base genética ampla, e três cultivares comerciais tipo ?Runner?

Formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded samples for next generation sequencing: Problems and solutions

Over the years, increasing information has been asked of the pathologist: we have moved from a purely morphological diagnosis to biomolecular and genetic studies, which have made it possible to implement the use of molecular targeted therapies, such as anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) molecules in EGFR-mutated lung cancer, for example. Today, next generation sequencing (NGS) has changed the approach to neoplasms, to the extent that, in a short time, it has gained a place of absolute importance and diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic utility. In this scenario, formaldehyde-fixed and paraffin-embedded (FFPE) biological tissue samples are a source of clinical and molecular information. However, problems can arise in the genetic material (DNA and RNA) for use in NGS due to fixation, and work is being devoted to possible strategies to reduce its effects. In this paper, we discuss the applications of FFPE tissue samples in the execution of NGS, we focus on the problems arising with the use of this type of material for nucleic acid extraction and, finally, we consider the most useful strategies to prevent and reduce single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNV) and other fixation artifacts

Avaliação do desempenho de linhagens de amendoim em Jaboticabal, São Paulo, via modelos mistos.

O desenvolvimento de cultivares tipo "Runner" adaptadas à região Centro-Oeste é um dos objetivos do Programa de Melhoramento do amendoim da Embrapa. Conhecer o desempenho dos genótipos selecionados em outras regiões do Brasil pode contribuir para atender a demanda do mercado de sementes de amendoim. Foram conduzidos dois ensaios durante a safra 2016-17, em Jaboticabal, São Paulo, colhidos aos 125 e 130 dias após a emergência das plantas (DAE), visando avaliar o desempenho de linhagens selecionadas pela Embrapa na região Centro-oeste

Urological melanoma: A comprehensive review of a rare subclass of mucosal melanoma with emphasis on differential diagnosis and therapeutic approaches

Melanoma is reported as the 19th most common cancer worldwide, with estimated age-standardized incidence rates of 2.8–3.1 per 100,000. Although the origin is most frequently cutaneous, mucosal melanoma has been described several times in literature, and despite its rarity (only 1% of all melanomas), increasing attention is being paid to this disease form. Within this subgroup, melanomas of the uropoetic apparatus are a rarity among rarities. Indeed, less than 50 cases of primary melanoma originating from the urinary bladder have been described, and even less originating from the kidney, renal pelvis and urethra. In this work, we present a detailed review of the literature related to this proaches. subclass of mucosal melanoma, delve into the biological landscape of this neoplasm and discuss current approaches, future perspectives and potential therapeutic approaches. Keywords: melanoma; mucosal melanoma; urology

Vibrotactile Feedback for Brain-Computer Interface Operation

To be correctly mastered, Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) need an uninterrupted flow of feedback to the user. This feedback is usually delivered through the visual channel. Our aim is to explore the benefits of vibrotactile feedback during users� training and control of EEG-based BCI applications. A protocol for delivering vibrotactile feedback, including specific hardware and software arrangements, was specified. In three studies with 33 subjects (including 3 with spinal cord injury) we compared vibrotactile and visual feedback, addressing: (I) the feasibility of subjects� training to master their EEG rhythms using tactile feedback; (II) the compatibility of this form of feedback in presence of a visual distracter; and (III) the performance in presence of a complex visual task on the same (visual) or different (tactile) sensory channel. The stimulation protocol we developed supports a general usage of the tactors; preliminary experimentations. All studies indicated that the vibrotactile channel can function as a valuable feedback modality with reliability comparable to the classical visual feedback. Advantages of using a vibrotactile feedback emerged when the visual channel was highly loaded by a complex task. In all experiments, vibrotactile feedback felt (after some training) more natural for both controls and SCI users