Nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis associated with cancer of unknown origin complicated with thrombus in the left auricular appendage: case report

A 63-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with a complaint of right lateroabdominal pain. He was diagnosed with metastatic colon cancer, and then developed multiple brain embolic infarctions 7 days after admission. Transesophageal echocardiography showed that mobile, echo-dense masses were attached to the anterior and posterior mitral valve leaflet. Furthermore, there was a thrombus in the left auricular appendage despite sinus rhythm. These findings led to a diagnosis of suspected infectious endocarditis with subsequent multiple brain infarctions. The patient's general condition worsened and he died 13 days after admission. An autopsy was performed, and, while poorly differentiated cancer was observed in multiple organs, no primary tumor could be identified. Histological analysis showed that the masses of the mitral valve consisted mainly of fibrin without bacteria or oncocytes. This patient was therefore diagnosed with nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis associated with cancer of unknown origin complicated with thrombus in the left auricular appendage

Primary submucosal nodular plasmacytoma of the stomach: a poorly recognized variant of gastric lymphoma

ABSTRACT: Gastric plasmacytoma (GP) is a rare variant of gastric lymphomas. In the exceptional event that a patient presents with GP, the lesion occupies the mucosal layer in the vast majority of cases. Here we report a case of nodular plasmacytoma confined to the submucosa with no evidence of Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection. The patient was a 59-year old female presenting with no particular symptoms. The tumor was well-demarcated and consisted of a diffuse monomorphic proliferation of plasma cells with numerous lymphoid follicles scattered throughout the tumor. The mucosal surface was intact and not associated with any tumor nodules. The cells were diffusely positive for CD79a, Bob1, EMA and IgA and consistently negative for CD3, CD19, CD20, PAX5, CD56, IgM and IgG. Additionally, in situ hybridization demonstrated clonality in the form of λ light-chain restriction. This submucosal nodular proliferation pattern of plasmacytoma is poorly recognized and considered to be a novel variant of lymphoma. VIRTUAL SLIDES: The virtual slide(s) for this article can be found here: http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/348999870867307

Gender Stereotypes and Expected Backlash for Female STEM Students in Germany and Japan

Although Germany and Japan are top-ranking in STEM, women are underrepresented in the STEM fields of physics, engineering, and computer science in both countries. The current research investigated widespread gender-science stereotypes in STEM in the two countries (Studies 1 and 2) and negative consequences of expected backlash (i.e., imagining negative reactions and lower ascribed communion in scenarios) for women’s emotions and motivation in STEM due to role incongruity and lack-of-fit (Study 3). Studies 1 (N = 87) and 2 (N = 22,556) showed that explicit and implicit gender-science stereotypes are widespread and comparable in Germany and Japan. Study 3 (N = 628) showed that lower ascribed communion was related to less positive emotions, more negative emotions and anxiety emotions, and less study motivation for STEM students (from the fields of physics, engineering, and computer science) from Germany and Japan. Results point to more subtle expected backlash effects for women in STEM than hypothesized. Theoretical and practical implications for gender equality in STEM are discussed.publishe