Effects of non-pharmacological or pharmacological interventions on cognition and brain plasticity of aging individuals.

Brain aging and aging-related neurodegenerative disorders are major health challenges faced by modern societies. Brain aging is associated with cognitive and functional decline and represents the favourable background for the onset and development of dementia. Brain aging is associated with early and subtle anatomo-functional physiological changes that often precede the appearance of clinical signs of cognitive decline. Neuroimaging approaches unveiled the functional correlates of these alterations and helped in the identification of therapeutic targets that can be potentially useful in counteracting age-dependent cognitive decline. A growing body of evidence supports the notion that cognitive stimulation and aerobic training can preserve and enhance operational skills in elderly individuals as well as reduce the incidence of dementia. This review aims at providing an extensive and critical overview of the most recent data that support the efficacy of non-pharmacological and pharmacological interventions aimed at enhancing cognition and brain plasticity in healthy elderly individuals as well as delaying the cognitive decline associated with dementia

Morphological features of Spitz naevus as observed by digital videomicroscopy

A characteristic epiluminescence pattern of pigmented epithelioid and/or spindle cell naevus, or Spitz naevus, has been described previously. The aim of this study was (i) to evaluate the characteristic morphological features both of pigmented and non-pigmented epithelioid and/or spindle cell naevi observed employing a videomicroscope, (ii) to identify their histopathological correlates and (iii) to assess the improvement in diagnostic accuracy for epithelioid and/or spindle cell naevi obtained by means of this new instrumental device. Clinical, videomicroscopic and histopathological diagnoses were performed on 26 epithelioid and/or spindle cell naevi. Moreover, the videomicroscopic pattern of each lesion was described using appropriate morphological parameters. Based on their morphological aspect detected by digital videomicroscopy, epithelioid and/or spindle cell naevi can be subdivided into three main groups: (i) darkly pigmented lesions, (ii) red or light brown ESC naevi, and (iii) lesions with dark or brown areas on a light-brown background. Whereas most epithelioid and/or spindle cell naevi of the spindle cell type belonged to the morphological group I and group 3, most epithelioid cell lesions appeared as red or light-brown coloured naevi. Finally, instrumental observation by means of a videomicroscope enabled an improvement in diagnostic accuracy with respect to the naked eye observation, with an increase in sensitivity from 15% to 58%

Metaplastic carcinoma with extensive dendritic cell differentiation: a previously unrecognised type of triple-negative breast cancer

The case of a metaplastic carcinoma of the breast exhibiting dendritic cell differentiation is described. The clinico-pathologic and immunohistochemical features are reported, together with the differential diagnosis

Atypical fibroxanthoma and pleomorphic dermal sarcoma: A reappraisal

Atypical fibroxanthoma (AFX) and pleomorphic dermal sarcoma (PDS) share clinical, pathological, immunohistochemical and molecular features, though PDS is associated with a more aggressive behavior

Inflammatory Fibroid Polyps of Gastrointestinal Tract Rarely Show Increased IgG4 Expression

Inflammatory Fibroid Polyp (IFP) of gastrointestinal tract is characterized by concentric perivascular fibrosis and a mixed inflammatory infiltrate rich in eosinophils and also few plasma cells. IgG4-related sclerosing diseases (IgG4-RSD) are a heterogenous group of disorders described in many organs, characterized by a significant increased of IgG4+ plasma cells in a context of storiform fibrosis, obliterative vasculitis and mixed inflammatory infiltrate containing eosinophils. The histological similarities between IFP and IgG4-RSD prompted the present study in the attempt to find a possible link between IgG4 over-expression and IFP.The expression of IgG4 and IgG was evaluated in a series of 23 cases of IFP belonging to 23 patients. All cases were reviewed by two pathologists and the histological diagnosis confirmed. Immunohistochemistry for antibodies anti-IgG, anti-IgG4, and anti-IgA was performed on all cases and the results were evaluated by two observers.One case of IFP out of 23 (4.3%) fulfilled the IgG4-RSD histological criteria. The case did not differ histologically from the others. The patient did not present either a raised serological level of IgG4, nor other sign of IgG4-RSD.IgG4 increased expression can be rarely observed in IFP. Steroid therapy in cases of IFP with abundant IgG4+ plasma cells, especially in patients with multiple tumors, could be considered as an alternative to surgical treatment.

Reflectance Confocal Microscopy as an Aid to Dermoscopy to Improve Diagnosis on Equivocal Lesions: Evaluation of Three Bluish Nodules

Nodular lesions can be difficult to diagnose under dermoscopy alone, since they often lack specific diagnostic features. Confocal microscopy can be used as an aid to dermoscopy, to increase the diagnostic accuracy on equivocal skin lesions. We report three cases of bluish nodular lesions, difficult to diagnose under dermoscopy alone. Confocal features were very useful in these cases to lead us to the correct diagnosis, recognizing benign versus malignant entities. Histopathology is also reported, with high correspondence compared to the confocal imaging

Pigmented Nodular Basal Cell Carcinomas in Differential Diagnosis with Nodular Melanomas: Confocal Microscopy as a Reliable Tool for In Vivo Histologic Diagnosis

Nodular basal cell carcinoma, especially when pigmented, can be in differential diagnosis with nodular melanomas, clinically and dermoscopically. Reflectance confocal microscopy is a relatively new imaging technique that permits to evaluate in vivo skin tumors with a nearly histological resolution. Here, we present four cases of challenging nodular lesions where confocal microscopy was able to clarify the diagnosis