Basic nutritional properties of cornelian cherry (Cornus mas L.) cultivars grown in the Czech Republic

The ascorbic acid, total polyphenols, total anthocyanins and mineral content, together with antioxidant activity, was determined in five Czech, two Ukrainian and two Austrian cultivars of cornelian cherry (Cornus mas L.) widely grown in the Czech Republic. Ascorbic acid content varied between 199–433 mg kg−1, total polyphenols between 2174–6143 mg kg−1, and total anthocyanins between 61–253 mg kg−1. All fruits were good sources of major metals (K, Ca, Mg, Fe, and Mn) and trace elements (Cu, Zn, and Cr). The antioxidant activity was determined by EPR and DPPH radical scavenging assay and ranged from 29.5% to 67.2%. There was a linear relationship between antioxidant activity and total polyphenol content. Based on the obtained results, Ekotišnovský, Fruchtal, and Ruzyňský cultivars were recommended for further investigation and breeding programme of cornelian cherry fruit in the Czech Republic

Clinicopathological features, MCPyV status and outcomes of Merkel cell carcinoma in solid-organ transplant recipients: a retrospective, multicentre cohort study

none25siBackground The proportion of Merkel cell carcinomas (MCCs) in solid-organ transplant recipients (SOTR) harbouring Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) is unknown, as are factors affecting their outcomes. Objective To describe clinicopathological features of MCC in SOTR, investigate the tumoral MCPyV-status and identify factors associated with tumour outcomes. Methods Retrospective, international, cohort-study. MCPyV-status was investigated by immunohistochemistry and polymerase chain reaction. Results A total of 30 SOTR and 44 consecutive immunocompetent patients with MCC were enrolled. SOTR were younger at diagnosis (69 vs. 78 years, P < 0.001). Thirty-three percent of SOTR MCCs were MCPyV-positive vs. 91% of immunocompetent MCCs (P = 0.001). Solid-organ transplantation was associated with an increased cumulative incidence of progression (SHR: 3.35 [1.57-7.14], P = 0.002), MCC-specific mortality (SHR: 2.55 [1.07-6.06], P = 0.034) and overall mortality (HR: 3.26 [1.54-6.9], P = 0.002). MCPyV-positivity and switching to an mTOR inhibitor (mTORi) after MCC diagnosis were associated with an increased incidence of progression (SHR: 4.3 [1.5-13], P = 0.008 and SHR: 3.6 [1.1-12], P = 0.032 respectively) in SOTR. Limitations Retrospective design and heterogeneity of SOTR cohort. Conclusions MCPyV appears to play a less prominent role in the aetiopathogenesis of MCC in SOTR. SOTR have a worse prognosis than their immunocompetent counterparts and switching to an mTORi after the diagnosis of MCC does not improve progression.Ferrándiz-Pulido, C; Gómez-Tomás, A; Llombart, B; Mendoza, D; Marcoval, J; Piaserico, S; Baykal, C; Bouwes-Bavinck, J N; Rácz, E; Kanitakis, J; Harwood, C A; Cetkovská, P; Geusau, A; Del Marmol, V; Masferrer, E; Orte Cano, C; Ricar, J; de Oliveira, W R; Salido-Vallejo, R; Ducroux, E; Gkini, M A; López-Guerrero, J A; Kutzner, H; Kempf, W; Seçkin, DFerrándiz-Pulido, C; Gómez-Tomás, A; Llombart, B; Mendoza, D; Marcoval, J; Piaserico, S; Baykal, C; Bouwes-Bavinck, J N; Rácz, E; Kanitakis, J; Harwood, C A; Cetkovská, P; Geusau, A; Del Marmol, V; Masferrer, E; Orte Cano, C; Ricar, J; de Oliveira, W R; Salido-Vallejo, R; Ducroux, E; Gkini, M A; López-Guerrero, J A; Kutzner, H; Kempf, W; Seçkin,

Primary cutaneous posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorders in solid organ transplant recipients: a multicenter European case series.

Primary cutaneous posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLD) are rare. This retrospective, multicenter study of 35 cases aimed to better describe this entity. Cases were (re)-classified according to the WHO-EORTC or the WHO 2008 classifications of lymphomas. Median interval between first transplantation and diagnosis was 85 months. Fifty-seven percent of patients had a kidney transplant. Twenty-four cases (68.6%) were classified as primary cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL) and 11 (31.4%) as primary cutaneous B cell PTLD. Mycosis fungoides (MF) was the most common (50%) CTCL subtype. Ten (90.9%) cutaneous B cell PTLD cases were classified as EBV-associated B cell lymphoproliferations (including one plasmablastic lymphoma and one lymphomatoid granulomatosis) and one as diffuse large B cell lymphoma, other, that was EBV-negative. Sixteen (45.7%) patients died after a median follow-up of 19.5 months (11 [68.8%] with CTCL [6 of whom had CD30(+) lymphoproliferative disorders (LPD)] and 5 [31.2%] with cutaneous B cell PTLD. Median survival times for all patients, CTCL and cutaneous B cell PTLD subgroups were 93, 93, and 112 months, respectively. Survival rates for MF were higher than those for CD30(+) LPD. The spectrum of primary CTCL in organ transplant recipients (OTR) is similar to that in the general population. The prognosis of posttransplant primary cutaneous CD30(+) LPD is worse than posttransplant MF and than its counterpart in the immunocompetent population. EBV-associated cutaneous B cell LPD predominates in OTR

Pain identifies squamous cell carcinoma in organ transplant recipients:The SCOPE-ITSCC PAIN study

Organ transplant recipients (OTR) are at high risk for cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas (SCC). We aimed to define clinically meaningful patient-reported warning signals predicting the presence of invasive SCC.Patient-reported signs and symptoms of 812 consecutively biopsied skin lesions from 410 OTR were determined by questionnaire and physical examination and related to the subsequent biopsy-proven diagnoses. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were used as a measure of distinction between the predictive values of patient-reported warning signals and the occurrence of SCC. Pain was an independent predictive patient-reported warning signal for a biopsy-proven invasive SCC. The odds ratio from the fully adjusted model predicting SCC was 4.4(95% confidence interval: 2.4–8.2). Higher scores on the visual analog scale (VAS) for pain were associated witha greater likelihood for the presence of SCC compared to none or mild pain. The for scores on the VAS from 1to 3, 4 to 6 and 7 to 10 were 4.9 (2.2–10.5), 2.3 (0.96–5.5)and 16.5 (3.6–75.8), respectively. Pain is the most powerful patient-reported warning signal for invasive cutaneous SCC in OTR. Empowerment of patients by education could accelerate diagnosis and treatment of cutaneous SCC