Parosteal osteosarcoma mimicking osteochondroma: A radio-histologic approach on two cases

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Objective</p> <p>Parosteal osteosarcoma is a well-differentiated variant of osteosarcoma that affects the surface of the bone. The imaging pattern is very typical. We report two cases mimicking an osteochondroma, radiologically and histologically and propose an explanation.</p> <p>Material</p> <p>The review of 86 parosteal osteosarcomas of bone revealed this atypical pattern only once. A consultation case was received in the same time, and added to ours. Patients were 28 years old and 56 years old females. Imaging studies included two radiographs, two CTscans, one MRI examination and one bone scan and the results were compared to histology.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>On imaging, both lesions presented as ossified lobulated masses attached with a broad base to the underlying cortex. No radiolucent cleft separated the masses and the host bone and cortex continuity between the mass and the femur was seen, with medullary communication. The marrow of the mass had a different density and intensity compared to normal marrow. So, there were features of an osteochondroma (cortex and medullary continuity) and of a parosteal osteosarcoma (ossified marrow). Pathological assessment on the final specimen confirmed the presence of low-grade parosteal osteosarcomas, after an erroneous diagnosis of osteochondroma on the initial biopsy.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Parosteal osteosarcoma can be rarely confused with osteochondroma. A radiologic-pathologic correlation is essential. Cortex continuity is the most misleading imaging feature that may occur in parosteal osteosarcomas. A knowledge of this misleading pattern will help diagnose the lesion from the beginning.</p

Imaging of hibernomas: A retrospective study on twelve cases

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To analyze the imaging features of hibernomas on computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MRI).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Twelve hibernomas were retrospectively assessed with CT and MR imaging and compared to the histology of the specimen</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Nine females and three males with a mean age of 30 years were included. Ten tumors occurred in the thigh and two affected the subcutis of the periscapular and buttock regions. On eight CT scans, seven (87,5%) lesions were homogeneous and mildly to moderately hyperdense compared to subcutaneous fat while one lesion was heterogeneous with mixed hypo and hyperattenuating areas. On six T1W images, five (83,3%) lesions appeared homogeneous and hypointense relative to subcutaneous fat and one was heterogeneous. Incomplete fat suppression was depicted in all cases. All lesions displayed marked enhancement. Large intratumoral vessels were depicted in three of the 12 (25%) cases. Septations were depicted on four of the eight unenhanced CT and on all six MRI examinations.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Hibernoma usually appears hypodense and hypointense relative to subcutaneous fat on pre-contrast CT and MR T1W with variable enhancement patterns and incomplete fat suppression on STIR or fat-saturated sequences. These characteristics relate directly to the presence of brown fat. However, atypical findings such as heterogeneous patterns of mixed fatty and non fatty components on unenhanced CT and MR T1W can be also encountered. Absence of large intratumoral vessels should not exclude hibernomas from the differential diagnosis of regional lipomatous tumors.</p

Reclassification and subtyping of so-called malignant fibrous histiocytoma of bone: comparison with cytogenetic features

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The diagnostic entity malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) of bone is, like its soft tissue counterpart, likely to be a misnomer, encompassing a variety of poorly differentiated sarcomas. When reviewing a series of 57 so-called MFH of bone within the framework of the EuroBoNeT consortium according to up-to-date criteria and ancillary immunohistochemistry, a fourth of all tumors were reclassified and subtyped.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In the present study, the cytogenetic data on 11 of these tumors (three myoepithelioma-like sarcomas, two leiomyosarcomas, one undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma with incomplete myogenic differentiation, two undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcomas, one osteosarcoma, one spindle cell sarcoma, and one unclassifiable biphasic sarcoma) are presented.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>All tumors were high-grade lesions and showed very complex karyotypes. Neither the overall pattern (ploidy level, degree of complexity) nor specific cytogenetic features distinguished any of the subtypes. The subgroup of myoepithelioma-like sarcomas was further investigated with regard to the status of the <it>EWSR1 </it>and <it>FUS </it>loci; however, no rearrangement was found. Nor was any particular aberration that could differentiate any of the subtypes from osteosarcomas detected.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>chromosome banding analysis is unlikely to reveal potential genotype-phenotype correlations between morphologic subtypes among so-called MFH of bone.</p

Sorafenib blocks tumour growth, angiogenesis and metastatic potential in preclinical models of osteosarcoma through a mechanism potentially involving the inhibition of ERK1/2, MCL-1 and ezrin pathways

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary bone tumour in children and young adults. Despite improved prognosis, metastatic or relapsed OS remains largely incurable and no significant improvement has been observed in the last 20 years. Therefore, the search for alternative agents in OS is mandatory.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We investigated phospho-ERK 1/2, MCL-1, and phospho-Ezrin/Radixin/Moesin (P-ERM) as potential therapeutic targets in OS. Activation of these pathways was shown by immunohistochemistry in about 70% of cases and in all OS cell lines analyzed. Mutational analysis revealed no activating mutations in KRAS whereas BRAF gene was found to be mutated in 4/30 OS samples from patients. Based on these results we tested the multi-kinase inhibitor sorafenib (BAY 43-9006) in preclinical models of OS. Sorafenib inhibited OS cell line proliferation, induced apoptosis and downregulated P-ERK1/2, MCL-1, and P-ERM in a dose-dependent manner. The dephosphorylation of ERM was not due to ERK inhibition. The downregulation of MCL-1 led to an increase in apoptosis in OS cell lines. In chick embryo chorioallantoic membranes, OS supernatants induced angiogenesis, which was blocked by sorafenib and it was also shown that sorafenib reduced VEGF and MMP2 production. In addition, sorafenib treatment dramatically reduced tumour volume of OS xenografts and lung metastasis in SCID mice.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In conclusion, ERK1/2, MCL-1 and ERM pathways are shown to be active in OS. Sorafenib is able to inhibit their signal transduction, both <it>in vitro </it>and <it>in vivo</it>, displaying anti-tumoural activity, anti-angiogenic effects, and reducing metastatic colony formation in lungs. These data support the testing of sorafenib as a potential therapeutic option in metastatic or relapsed OS patients unresponsive to standard treatments.</p

YY1 overexpression is associated with poor prognosis and metastasis-free survival in patients suffering osteosarcoma

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The polycomb transcription factor Yin Yang 1 (YY1) overexpression can be causally implicated in experimental tumor growth and metastasization. To date, there is no clinical evidence of YY1 involvement in outcome of patients with osteosarcoma. Prognosis of osteosarcoma is still severe and only few patients survive beyond five years. We performed a prospective immunohistochemistry analysis to correlate YY1 immunostaining with metastatic development and survival in a selected homogeneous group of patients with osteosarcoma.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We studied 41 patients suffering from osteosarcoma (stage II-IVa). Multivariate analysis was performed using Cox proportional hazard regression to evaluate the correlation between YY1 expression and both metastasis development and mortality.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>YY1 protein is not usually present in normal bone; in contrast, a high number of patients (61%) showed a high score of YY1 positive cells (51-100%) and 39% had a low score (10-50% positive cells). No statistical difference was found in histology, anatomic sites, or response to chemotherapy between the two degrees of YY1 expression. Cox regression analysis demonstrated that the highest score of YY1 expression was predictive of both low metastasis-free survival (HR = 4.690, 95%CI = 1.079-20.396; p = 0.039) and poor overall survival (HR = 8.353, 95%CI = 1.863-37.451 p = 0.006) regardless of the effects of covariates such as age, gender, histology and chemonecrosis.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Overexpression of YY1 in primary site of osteosarcoma is associated with the occurrence of metastasis and poor clinical outcome.</p

Contaminazione da Staphylococcus spp. nel latte crudo: considerazioni di carattere igienico-ispettivo

The study investigates the contamination of raw milk by S. aureus and other Staphylococcus spp. The investigation shows a large percentage of samples to be contaminated. Some considerations about risk associated to consumption of raw milk are discusse

Proximate composition, fatty acid profile, and heme iron and cholesterol content of rabbit meat as affected by sire breed, season, parity order, and gender in an organic production system

The study evaluated the effects of sire breed (SB: Vienna Blue (VB) and Burgundy Fawn (BF)), parity order (P: 1 = nulliparous, 2 = primiparous, 653 = multiparous), slaughter season (SS: spring, summer), and gender (G: males, females) on the meat quality of rabbits reared under an organic production system. They originated from VB and BF sires mated with females derived from a mix of crossbreds (medium- to large-sized breeds). Rabbits were 46 \ub1 6 days old, they were housed in groups of five in collective cages, fed a pelleted diet, and slaughtered at a live weight of 2.8 \ub1 0.13 kg. The hind leg meat samples (from 30 VB and 28 BF crossbred rabbits) were divided into two sub-samples: one was freshly packed in plastic bags, and the other was freeze-dried. Samples were stored at \u201320\ub0C until analysis. The fresh hind leg samples were analyzed for heme iron and cholesterol contents, and fatty acid (FA) profiles. The freeze-dried hind leg samples were analyzed for proximate composition. Moisture and protein contents were affected by SS. The hind leg meat of rabbits slaughtered in summer showed lower moisture (P < 0.01), higher protein (P < 0.01), and lower cholesterol (P < 0.05) contents than that of rabbits slaughtered in spring. Meat of rabbits slaughtered in summer had less C14:0 (P < 0.05) and C16:0 FA (P < 0.01) and a higher proportion of total polyunsaturated FA (PUFA) (P < 0.001) due to n-6 FA (P < 0.01). The proportion of total saturated FA, C18:3 n-3 and C20:3 n-6 (P < 0.05), was influenced by gender. The BF crossbreed showed higher levels of total PUFA (P < 0.05) when reared in summer, primarily due to significant differences in C18:2 n-6 (P < 0.01) and C18:3 n-3 (P < 0.01). This study demonstrates that when rabbits are slaughtered in summer, their meat quality is better because the animals require longer time to reach the fixed slaughter weight; the meat is therefore characterized by a higher degree of maturity, with higher total PUFA and lower cholesterol contents

GORHAM-STOUT DISEASE: THE EXPERIENCE OF ISTITUTO RIZZOLI

GORHAM-STOUT DISEASE: THE EXPERIENCE OF ISTITUTO RIZZOL