Benign TdT-positive cells in pediatric and adult lymph nodes: a potential diagnostic pitfall

Benign TdT-positive cells have been documented in a variety of non-hematopoietic tissues. Scant data are however available on their presence in non-neoplastic lymph nodes. This study is aimed to: (i) characterize the presence/distribution of benign TdT-positive cells in pediatric and adult reactive lymph nodes; (ii) define the phenotype and nature of such elements. This retrospective study considered 141 reactive lymph nodes from pediatric and adult patients without history of neoplastic disease. TdT-positive cells were characterized by immunohistochemical and morphometric analyses and their presence was correlated with the clinical-pathological features. The nature of TdT-positive cells was investigated by: (i) double immunostaining for early lymphoid cell markers; and (ii) assessment of TdT expression in fetal lymph nodes. Sparse TdT-positive cells were documented in all pediatric cases and in most (76%) adult lymph nodes. TdT-positive cell density was higher in children than adults (15.9/mm2 versus 8.6/mm2; P<.05). TdT positivity did not correlate with any clinical and histological parameter and double immunostaining disclosed a phenotype compatible with early lymphoid precursors (positivity for CD34, CD10 and variable expression of CD7). A very high TdT-positive cell density (802.4/mm2) was reported in all fetal lymph nodes. In conclusion, TdT-positive cells are a common finding in pediatric and adult lymph nodes. The interstitial distribution and low number of such cells allows for the differential diagnosis with precursor lymphoid neoplasms. The high density in fetal lymph nodes and the phenotype of such cells suggest their belonging to an immature lymphoid subset gradually decreasing with age

Microstrip Resonators and Broadband Lines for X-band EPR Spectroscopy of Molecular Nanomagnets

We present a practical setup to perform continuous-wave X-band electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy by using planar microstrip lines and general purpose instrumentation. We fabricated Ag/alumina and Nb/sapphire microstrip resonators and transmission lines and compared their performance down to 2 K and under applied magnetic field. We used these devices to study single crystals of molecular Cr3 nanomagnets. By means of X-band planar resonators we measured angle-dependent spectra at fixed frequency, while broadband transmission lines were used to measure continuous wave spectra with varying frequency in the range 2–25 GHz. The spectra acquired at low temperatures allowed to extract the essential parameters of the low-lying energy levels of Cr3 and demonstrate that this method is particularly suitable to study small crystals of molecular nanomagnets

TOX Expression in Mycosis Fungoides and Sezary Syndrome.

Mycosis fungoides (MF) and Sezary syndrome (SS) are the two most common type of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). Currently, no markers can be clearly related to prognosis or to differential diagnosis between early stages and inflammatory benign diseases (IBD). The thymocyte selection-associated high mobility group box factor (TOX), has been proposed as a possible marker in differential diagnosis between early CTCL stages and IBD. Recently TOX has been related to prognosis. We aimed to investigate whether TOX may be a diagnostic or prognostic marker. MF and SS biopsies between 2010 and 2020 were retrieved. New tissues slides were stained with an anti-TOX antibody, (Clone NAN448B). On each slide, 5 fields were examined at high magnification (400×), to evaluate the percentage of marker-positivity in a quantitative way. Thirty-six patients (12 females and 24 males) and 48 biopsies were collected. Nine patients had multiple biopsies. TOX expression in MF/SS cases showed an increase from early to advanced phases. TOX was not regarded as a prognostic marker due to the absence of significant changes by comparing early MF cases with reactive conditions. TOX statistical significance increased in patients alive with disease and in those dead of disease (p = 0.013 and = 0.0005, respectively) as compared with patients in complete remission. Our results show that TOX should be regarded more as a prognostic than a diagnostic marker.This research received no external fundingS

Influence of hyaluronic acid on bacterial and fungal species, including clinically relevant opportunistic pathogens.

Hyaluronic acid (HA) has several clinical applications (aesthetic surgery, dermatology, orthopaedics and ophtalmology). Following recent evidence, suggesting antimicrobial and antiviral properties for HA, we investigated its effects on 15 ATCC strains, representative ofclinically relevant bacterial and fungal species. The in vitro system employed allowed to assess optical density of broth cultures as a measure of microbial load in a time-dependent manner. The results showed that different microbial species and, sometimes, different strains belonging to the same species, are differently affected by HA. In particular, staphylococci, enterococci, Streptococcus mutans, twoEscherichia coli strains, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida glabrata and C. parapsilosis displayed a HA dosedependent growth inhibition; no HA effects were detected in E. coli ATCC 13768 and C. albicans; S. sanguinis was favoured by the highest HA dose. Therefore, the influence of HA on bacteria and fungi warrants further studies aimedat better establishing its relevance in clinical applications

Clinical and therapeutic aspects of candidemia: A five year single centre study

B ackground Candida is an important cause of bloodstream infections (BSI) in nosocomial settings causing significant mortality and morbidity. This study was performed to evaluate contemporary epidemiology, species distribution, antifungal susceptibility and outcome of candida BSI in an Italian hospital. Methods All consecutive patients who developed candidemia at Santa Maria della Misericordia University Hospital (Italy) between January 2009 and June 2014 were enrolled in the study. Results A total of 204 episodes of candidemia were identified during the study period with an incidence of 0.79 episodes/1000 admissions. C. albicans was isolated in 60.3% of cases, followed by C. parapsilosis (16.7%), C. glabrata (11.8%) and C. tropicalis (6.4%). Of all Candida BSI, 124 (60.8 %) occurred in patients admitted to IMW, 31/204 (15.2 %) in ICUs, 33/204 (16.2%) in surgical units and 16/204 (7.8%) in Hematology/Oncology wards. Overall, 47% of patients died within 30 days from the onset of candidemia. C. parapsilosis and C. glabrata candidemia were associated with the lowest mortality rate (36%), while patients with C. tropicalis BSI had the highest mortality rate (58.3%). Lower mortality rates were detected in patients receiving therapy within 48 hours from the time of execution of the blood cultures (57,1% vs 38,9%, P <0.05). At multivariate analysis, steroids treatment (OR= 0.27, p=0.005) and CVC removal (OR=3.77, p=0.014) were independently associated with lower and higher survival probability, respectively. Candidemia in patients with peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC) showed to be associated with higher mortality in comparison with central venous catheters (CVC, Short catheters and Portacath) and no CVC use. For each point increase of APACHE III score, survival probability decreased of 2%. Caspofungin (OR=3.45, p=0.015) and Amphothericin B lipid formulation (OR=15.26, p=0.033) were independently associated with higher survival probability compared with no treatment

Expolinear model on soybean growth in Argentina and Brazil

Predicting crop growth and yield with precision are one of the main concerns of the agricultural science. For these purpose mechanistic models of crop growth have been developed and tested worldwide. The feasibility of an expolinear model for crop growth was evaluated on predicting growth modification on soybean (Glycine max L. Merrill) of determined and undetermined growth cultivars, submitted to water restrictions imposed on different phenological stages. An experiment was carried out in Azul/Argentina and in Viçosa/Brazil during the growing seasons (1997/1998, 1998/1999 and 2002/2003). The expolinear model was adjusted to the dry-matter data obtained from each treatment. The model showed sensibility of Rm (maximum relative growth rate of the culture - g g-1 day-1) to variation in air temperature; of Cm (maximum growth rate of the culture - g m-2 day-1) to solar radiation and of Tb (lost time -day) to water stress. Cm values were higher without water restriction presenting, in both countries, a direct correlation with solar radiation. Without water restrictions, Rm values were lower when the average air temperature during the cycle was lower. It was observed that under water stress the culture had a bias to present higher Rm values. Tb was lower in the irrigated treatments than in those with water deficits. The analysis of the outputs clearly shows the feasibility of the expolinear model to explain the differential growth rates of soybean as a consequence of climatic conditions.Prever o crescimento e a produtividade das culturas com precisão é uma das principais preocupações das ciências agrícolas. Com esse propósito, modelos mecanísticos de crescimento de culturas têm sido desenvolvidos e testados. A adequação do modelo expolinear de crescimento de culturas foi avaliada para prever as modificações de crescimento de cultivares de soja (Glycine max L. Merrill) de crescimento determinado e indeterminado, submetidas a déficit hídrico em diferentes estádios fenológicos. Um experimento foi conduzido em Azul/Argentina e outro em Viçosa/Brasil durante as estações de cultivo (1997/1998, 1998/1999 e 2002/2003). O modelo expolinear foi ajustado aos dados de fitomassa seca obtidos de cada tratamento. O modelo apresentou sensibilidade do parâmetro Rm (taxa máxima de crescimento relativo da cultura - g g-1 day-1) à variação na temperatura do ar; do parâmetro Cm (taxa máxima de crescimento da cultura - g m-2 day-1) à radiação solar; e do parâmetro Tb (perda em tempo - dias) ao estresse hídrico. Os valores de Cm foram maiores sem restrições hídricas, apresentando, em ambos os países, uma correlação direta com a radiação solar. Sem restrições hídricas, os valores de Rm foram menores quando a temperatura média do ar durante o ciclo foi menor. Sob estresse hídrico, a cultura mostrou uma tendência a apresentar valores de Rm maiores. Os valores de Tb foram menores nos tratamentos irrigados e maiores nos tratamentos com deficiência hídrica. A análise dos resultados mostrou claramente a capacidade do modelo expolinear para simular as diferentes taxas de crescimento da cultura da soja como uma consequência das condições climáticas

Pathobiology of Hodgkin Lymphoma

Despite its well-known histological and clinical features, Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) has recently been the object of intense research activity, leading to a better understanding of its phenotype, molecular characteristics, histogenesis, and possible mechanisms of lymphomagenesis. There is complete consensus on the B-cell derivation of the tumor in most cases, and on the relevance of Epstein-Barr virus infection and defective cytokinesis in at least a proportion of patients. The REAL/WHO classification recognizes a basic distinction between lymphocyte predominance HL (LP-HL) and classic HL (cHL), reflecting the differences in clinical presentation and behavior, morphology, phenotype, and molecular features. cHL has been classified into four subtypes: lymphocyte rich, nodular sclerosing, with mixed cellularity, and lymphocyte depleted. The borders between cHL and anaplastic large-cell lymphoma have become sharper, whereas those between LP-HL and T-cell-rich B-cell lymphoma remain ill defined. Treatments adjusted to the pathobiological characteristics of the tumor in at-risk patients have been proposed and are on the way to being applied

Intron 4-5 hTERT DNA Hypermethylation in Merkel Cell Carcinoma: Frequency, Association with Other Clinico-pathological Features and Prognostic Relevance

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an aggressive skin tumor with neuroendocrine differentiation, mainly affecting elderly population or immunocompromised individuals. As methylation of the human telomerase reverse transcriptase (mhTERT) has been shown to be a prognostic factor in different tumors, we investigated its role in MCC, in particular in intron 4-5 where rs10069690 has been mapped and recognized as a cancer susceptibility locus. DNA methylation analysis of hTERT gene was assessed retrospectively in a cohort of 69 MCC patients from the University of Bologna, University of Turin and University of Insubria. Overall mortality was evaluated with Kaplan-Meier curves and multivariable Royston-Parmar models. High levels of mhTERT (mhTERThigh) (HR\u2009=\u20092.500, p\u2009=\u20090.015) and p63 (HR\u2009=\u20092.659, p\u2009=\u20090.016) were the only two clinico-pathological features significantly associated with a higher overall mortality at the multivariate analysis. We did not find different levels of mhTERT between MCPyV (+) and (-) cases (21 vs 14, p\u2009=\u20090.554); furthermore, mhTERThigh was strongly associated with older age (80.5 vs 72&nbsp;years, p\u2009=\u20090.026), no angioinvasion (40.7% vs 71.0%, p\u2009=\u20090.015), lower Ki67 (50 vs 70%, p\u2009=\u20090.005), and PD-L1 expressions in both tumor (0 vs 3%, p\u2009=\u20090.021) and immune cells (0 vs 10%, p\u2009=\u20090.002). mhTERT is a frequently involved epigenetic mechanism and a relevant prognostic factor in MCC. In addition, it belongs to the shared oncogenic pathways of MCC (MCPyV and UV-radiations) and it could be crucial, together with other epigenetic and genetic mechanisms as gene amplification, in determining the final levels of hTERT mRNA and telomerase activity in these patients