Urothelial Tumours of the Urinary Bladder: A Histopathological Study of Cystoscopic Biopsies

Introduction: Bladder tumours constitute one of the most common urological conditions. Urothelial (transitional cell) carcinoma accounts for 90% of all primary tumours of the bladder. These tumours are an important cause of morbidity and mortality. The objective of this study was to present the histopathological patterns of urothelial tumours and to determine the grade and stage of these tumours. Methods: This is a 3 year descriptive study of urothelial tumours carried out in the Department of Pathology, Patan Academy of Health Sciences (PAHS), Lalitpur, Nepal. Data of all cystoscopic biopsies collected during this period were analyzed. Results: Of the 83 urinary bladder tumours, 81 (97.59%) cases were urothelial (transitional cell) tumours. Transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) was the most common bladder tumour which was seen in 67 (80.72%) cases. Thirty two (47.76%) cases of TCC were low grade while 35 (52.24%) were high grade. Forty three (64.18%) cases of TCC were superficial or in early stage (pTa and pT1) while 24 (35.82%) showed muscle invasion. Conclusions: Transitional cell carcinoma was the most common bladder cancer. Most of these tumours were high grade. A large percentage of high grade carcinomas presented with muscle invasion. Pathological grade and muscle invasion are the most valuable prognostic predictors of survival. The importance of including smooth muscle in the biopsy specimens needs to be emphasized. _______________________________________________________________________________________ Keywords: cancer; high grade; low grade; transitional tumour; urinary bladder. ______________________________________________________________________________________

STAT2 Mediates Innate Immunity to Dengue Virus in the Absence of STAT1 via the Type I Interferon Receptor

Dengue virus (DENV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus, and symptoms of infection range from asymptomatic to the severe dengue hemorrhagic fever/dengue shock syndrome (DHF/DSS). High viral loads correlate with disease severity, and both type I & II interferons (IFNs) are crucial for controlling viral replication. We have previously reported that signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) 1-deficient mice are resistant to DENV-induced disease, but little is known about this STAT1-independent mechanism of protection. To determine the molecular basis of the STAT1-independent pathway, mice lacking STAT1, STAT2, or both STAT1 and STAT2 were infected with a virulent mouse-adapted strain of DENV2. In the first 72 hours of infection, the single-deficient mice lacking STAT1 or STAT2 possessed 50–100 fold higher levels of viral RNA than wild type mice in the serum, spleen, and other visceral tissues, but remained resistant to DENV-induced death. In contrast, the double-deficient mice exhibited the early death phenotype previously observed in type I and II IFN receptor knockout mice (AG129), indicating that STAT2 is the mediator of the STAT1-independent host defense mechanism. Further studies demonstrated that this STAT2-dependent STAT1-independent mechanism requires the type I IFN receptor, and contributes to the autocrine amplification of type I IFN expression. Examination of gene expression in the spleen and bone marrow-derived macrophages following DENV infection revealed STAT2-dependent pathways can induce the transcription of a subset of interferon stimulated genes even in the absence of STAT1. Collectively, these results help elucidate the nature of the poorly understood STAT1-independent host defense mechanism against viruses by identifying a functional type I IFN/STAT2 signaling pathway following DENV infection in vivo

Urothelial Tumours of the Urinary Bladder: A Histopathological Study of Cystoscopic Biopsies

Introduction: Bladder tumours constitute one of the most common urological conditions. Urothelial (transitional cell) carcinoma accounts for 90% of all primary tumours of the bladder. These tumours are an important cause of morbidity and mortality. The objective of this study was to present the histopathological patterns of urothelial tumours and to determine the grade and stage of these tumours. Methods: This is a 3 year descriptive study of urothelial tumours carried out in the Department of Pathology, Patan Academy of Health Sciences (PAHS), Lalitpur, Nepal. Data of all cystoscopic biopsies collected during this period were analyzed. Results: Of the 83 urinary bladder tumours, 81 (97.59%) cases were urothelial (transitional cell) tumours. Transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) was the most common bladder tumour which was seen in 67 (80.72%) cases. Thirty two (47.76%) cases of TCC were low grade while 35 (52.24%) were high grade. Forty three (64.18%) cases of TCC were superficial or in early stage (pTa and pT1) while 24 (35.82%) showed muscle invasion. Conclusions: Transitional cell carcinoma was the most common bladder cancer. Most of these tumours were high grade. A large percentage of high grade carcinomas presented with muscle invasion. Pathological grade and muscle invasion are the most valuable prognostic predictors of survival. The importance of including smooth muscle in the biopsy specimens needs to be emphasized. _______________________________________________________________________________________ Keywords: cancer; high grade; low grade; transitional tumour; urinary bladder. ______________________________________________________________________________________

Habitat preference and distribution of Chinese pangolin and people's attitude to its conservation in Gorkha District, Nepal

The Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) has experienced a rapid population decline throughout its distribution. In Nepal, it mostly occurs outside protected areas; therefore, habitat degradation due to anthropogenic activities is one of the major threats to its survival. However, the scarcity of information on the ecology and distribution of pangolins impedes evidence-based conservation of this species in Nepal. Its habitat preferences and distribution and the factors influencing people's attitude to its conservation were studied in Gorkha District in central Nepal. Thirteen transects, each 0.5 km in length, were used for recording burrows indicating the presence of pangolin. In total, 124 burrows were recorded, of which 38 were new and 86 were old, which indicated a clumped distribution. Based on the highest percentage frequency of occurrence, most burrows occurred between 650 and 800 m a.s.l., in areas with a south-facing aspect, with moderate canopy cover, in forest, red soil and gentle terrain. The logistic regression model revealed that habitat type, soil type, crown cover, terrain, and distance to water were the most important factors affecting pangolin presence. In total, 87 households and 9 key informants were interviewed using questionnaires to determine the people's knowledge of pangolins and attitude to their conservation. More than 50% of the respondents had seen pangolin in the areas studied and had a general knowledge of their habitat and benefits. However, most of them were unaware that it was illegal to hunt pangolins and were involved in opportunistic hunting for meat consumption. Pangolins were mostly recorded in forest at altitudes 650-800 m a.s.l., with moderate canopy cover, red soil, and close to a source of water; habitat, soil, canopy cover, terrain, and distance to water were statistically significantly associated with the presence of pangolin burrows. This study revealed that an increase in public awareness (mainly through education) would help to increase the likelihood of pangolin survival. These results can also serve as guidelines for protecting pangolin habitats for use by local authorities.Peer reviewe

Table_1_Habitat preference and distribution of Chinese pangolin and people’s attitude to its conservation in Gorkha District, Nepal.DOCX

The Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) has experienced a rapid population decline throughout its distribution. In Nepal, it mostly occurs outside protected areas; therefore, habitat degradation due to anthropogenic activities is one of the major threats to its survival. However, the scarcity of information on the ecology and distribution of pangolins impedes evidence-based conservation of this species in Nepal. Its habitat preferences and distribution and the factors influencing people’s attitude to its conservation were studied in Gorkha District in central Nepal. Thirteen transects, each 0.5 km in length, were used for recording burrows indicating the presence of pangolin. In total, 124 burrows were recorded, of which 38 were new and 86 were old, which indicated a clumped distribution. Based on the highest percentage frequency of occurrence, most burrows occurred between 650 and 800 m a.s.l., in areas with a south-facing aspect, with moderate canopy cover, in forest, red soil and gentle terrain. The logistic regression model revealed that habitat type, soil type, crown cover, terrain, and distance to water were the most important factors affecting pangolin presence. In total, 87 households and 9 key informants were interviewed using questionnaires to determine the people’s knowledge of pangolins and attitude to their conservation. More than 50% of the respondents had seen pangolin in the areas studied and had a general knowledge of their habitat and benefits. However, most of them were unaware that it was illegal to hunt pangolins and were involved in opportunistic hunting for meat consumption. Pangolins were mostly recorded in forest at altitudes 650–800 m a.s.l., with moderate canopy cover, red soil, and close to a source of water; habitat, soil, canopy cover, terrain, and distance to water were statistically significantly associated with the presence of pangolin burrows. This study revealed that an increase in public awareness (mainly through education) would help to increase the likelihood of pangolin survival. These results can also serve as guidelines for protecting pangolin habitats for use by local authorities.</p