Contribution of Raman Spectroscopy to Diagnosis and Grading of Chondrogenic Tumors

In the last decade, Raman Spectroscopy has demonstrated to be a label-free and non-destructive optical spectroscopy able to improve diagnostic accuracy in cancer diagnosis. This is because Raman spectroscopic measurements can reveal a deep molecular understanding of the biochemical changes in cancer tissues in comparison with non-cancer tissues. In this pilot study, we apply Raman spectroscopy imaging to the diagnosis and grading of chondrogenic tumors, including enchondroma and chondrosarcomas of increasing histologic grades. The investigation included the analysis of areas of 50×50 μm2 to approximately 200×200 μm2, respectively. Multivariate statistical analysis, based on unsupervised (Principal Analysis Components) and supervised (Linear Discriminant Analysis) methods, differentiated between the various tumor samples, between cells and extracellular matrix, and between collagen and non-collagenous components. The results dealt out basic biochemical information on tumor progression giving the possibility to grade with certainty the malignant cartilaginous tumors under investigation. The basic processes revealed by Raman Spectroscopy are the progressive degrading of collagen type-II components, the formation of calcifications and the cell proliferation in tissues ranging from enchondroma to chondrosarcomas. This study highlights that Raman spectroscopy is particularly effective when cartilaginous tumors need to be subjected to histopathological analysis

VULVAR HISTOPATHOLOGICAL AND IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL CHANGES IN PATIENTS WITH PRIMARY SJÖGREN SYNDROME

Background: Primary Sjogren Syndrome (pSS) is an autoimmune disease mostly affecting women, characterized by a lymphocyte-mediated infiltration and destruction of several exocrine glands, which causes mucosal dryness. Genital involvement is frequent and characterized by vulvar and vaginal dryness, dyspareunia and pruritus, that significantly impairs sexual function. However, despite the high frequency of genital involvement, few data were published about the histopathology of external genitalia in pSS. The studies performed until now show that vaginal and vulvar dryness are due to the presence of a vulvar inflammatory infiltrate and to the atrophy of minor and major vestibular glands, whose secretions are important for the sexual function. Objectives: To evaluate the presence and the characteristics of histopathological and immunohistochemical changes in vulvar tissues in women with pSS. Methods: Women with pSS (21 patients) underwent vulvar biopsies that have been evaluated for histopathological and immunohistochemical changes and finally compared with those obtained from 26 patients with lichen sclerosus. Results: An inflammatory infiltrate (composed predominantly by T lymphocytes (CD3+), sparse CD20+ B cells and mean CD4:CD8 T-cell ratio of 1.5) was evidenced in all 21 biopsies and classified in mild (10), moderate (11) and severe (0). No correlation was shown between vulvar inflammatory infiltrate score and salivary Chisholm e Mason score. No differences were found neither in gynecological symptoms neither in clinical and demographical characteristics between patients with mild and those with moderate vulvar inflammatory score. A higher prevalence of moderate inflammatory infiltrate was observed in biopsies from women with lichen sclerosus than in pSS

Interferon free antiviral treatment of chronic hepatitis C in patients affected by β-thalassemia major

Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) significantly affects the prognosis of liver disease [1] and health related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with β-thalassemia major [2, 3]. CHC cure is a crucial event in the prognosis of the disease, since prevents fibrosis progression, decreases the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and improves survival. Standard antiviral therapy with Pegylated Interferon (PEG-IFN) and Ribavirin (RBV) has long been the standard of care, despite its limited efficacy and increased ribavirin induced hematological adverse events in thalassemic patients [4]. Recently, several novel highly effective direct antiviral agents (DAAs) have been approved for HCV treatment, with impressive cure rates, higher than 90%, after 8–12 weeks of therapy and mild adverse events [5], but there are no published reports documenting the efficacy, safety and impact on QOL of available interferon-free antiviral regimens in patients with βthalassemia majo