Human parvovirus PARV4 DNA in tissues from adult individuals: a comparison with human parvovirus B19 (B19V)

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>PARV4 is a new member of the Parvoviridae family not closely related to any of the known human parvoviruses. Viremia seems to be a hallmark of PARV4 infection and viral DNA persistence has been demonstrated in a few tissues. Till now, PARV4 has not been associated with any disease and its prevalence in human population has not been clearly established. This study was aimed to assess the tissue distribution and the ability to persist of PARV4 in comparison to parvovirus B19 (B19V).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>PARV4 and B19V DNA detection was carried out in various tissues of individuals without suspect of acute viral infection, by a real time PCR and a nested PCR, targeting the ORF2 and the ORF1 respectively. Low amount of PARV4 DNA was found frequently (>40%) in heart and liver of adults individuals, less frequently in lungs and kidneys (23,5 and 18% respectively) and was rare in bone marrow, skin and synovium samples (5,5%, 4% and 5%, respectively). By comparison, B19V DNA sequences were present in the same tissues with a higher frequency (significantly higher in myocardium, skin and bone marrow) except than in liver where the frequency was the same of PARV4 DNA and in plasma samples where B19V frequency was significantly lower than that of PARV4</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The particular tropism of PARV4 for liver and heart, here emerged, suggests to focus further studies on these tissues as possible target for viral replication and on the possible role of PARV4 infection in liver and heart diseases. Neither bone marrow nor kidney seem to be a common target of viral replication.</p

Histopathological comparison of intramural coronary artery remodeling and myocardial fibrosis in obstructive versus end-stage hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Abstract Background Although imaging techniques have demonstrated the existence of microvascular abnormalities in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a detailed histopathological assessment is lacking as well as a comparison between different phases of the disease. We aimed to compare microvasculopathy and myocardial fibrosis in hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) versus end-stage (ES) HCM. Methods 27 myectomy specimens of HOCM patients and 30 ES-HCM explanted hearts were analyzed. Myocardial fibrosis was quantitatively determined with dedicated software and qualitatively classified as scar-like or interstitial. Intramural coronary arteries were evaluated separately according to lumen diameter: 100–500 μ versus Results Median value of fibrosis in the anterobasal septum of explanted hearts was 34.6% as opposed to 10.3% of myectomy specimens (p  Conclusions Microvasculopathy is an intrinsic feature of HCM with similar characteristics across the natural phases of the disease. Conversely, myocardial fibrosis changes over time with ES hearts showing a three-fold greater amount, mainly scar-like. ES showed a closer association between microvasculopathy and replacement fibrosis

Diagnostic utility of PLAG1 immunohistochemical determination in salivary gland tumors

PLAG1 (pleomorphic adenoma gene 1) is a proto-oncogene whose overexpression is a crucial oncogenic event in salivary gland pleomorphic adenomas (PA), and in carcinoma ex-PA. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the sensitivity and the specificity of PLAG1 as a marker in the differential diagnosis of salivary gland benign and malignant tumors. We examined 101 cases, including 36 PAs, 8 myoepitheliomas, 3 basal cell adenomas, and 1 canalicular adenoma among benign tumors; 16 mucoepidermoid carcinomas, 10 adenoid cystic carcinomas, 8 acinic cell carcinomas, 8 polymorphous low-grade adenocarcinomas, 7 salivary duct carcinoma, and 4 epithelial-myoepithelial carcinoma among malignant tumors. PLAG1 was diffusely positive in 94.4% of PAs and in all myoepitheliomas, although with a lower staining intensity. Among malignant tumors, 2 (25%) polymorphous low-grade adenocarcinomas and 1 salivary duct carcinoma ex-PA were positive. In conclusion, PLAG1 is a marker with good specificity for PA and could be a useful diagnostic adjunct in the diagnosis of salivary gland tumors. In particular, this marker is negative in the most common salivary carcinomas, including adenoid cystic carcinoma, mucoepidermoid carcinoma, and acinic cell carcinoma. However, some mimickers of PA, like polymorphous low-grade adenocarcinoma, may show occasional positivity for PLAG1, thus limiting its diagnostic use. In addition, carcinoma ex-PA shows consistent positivity, and therefore should be considered as a diagnostic possibility in case of a malignant tumor with PLAG1 expression. Copyright © 2012 by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

MAML2 rearrangement in Warthin's tumour: A fluorescent in situ hybridisation study of metaplastic variants

Background: Warthin's tumour (WT) is a common benign lesion of the major salivary glands. The nature of WT remains controversial, with particular regard to the presence of clonal chromosomal abnormalities, including the t(11;19) translocation involving the CRTC1 and MAML2 genes, that have been identified in both WT and mucoepidermoid carcinoma. In this study, we focused our attention on metaplastic WT variants, and we conducted a fluorescent in situ hybridisation (FISH) analysis for the presence of MAML2 gene rearrangement. Methods: Dual-colour FISH analysis was performed on paraffin-embedded sections of eight WTs showing metaplastic changes (five with squamous metaplasia, two with mucinous metaplasia and one with both) using a MAML2 break-apart probe. Results: Presence of split signals indicative of gene rearrangement was identified in a subset of cells in areas of squamous metaplasia in two samples of WT. No rearrangement was observed in the oncocytic epithelium, in lymphocytes and in areas of mucinous metaplasia. Conclusions: The presence of a small subpopulation of cells carrying MAML2 rearrangement in areas of squamous metaplasia within WT could predispose these lesions to malignant transformation in mucoepidermoid carcinoma and could represent a molecular link between the two entities. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S

Metastasizing Maxillary Ameloblastoma: Report of a Case with Molecular Characterization

Ameloblastoma is a benign odontogenic tumour that may exhibit aggressive biological behaviour with local recurrence and metastasis following initial surgical resection. Surgery is the most acceptable modality of treatment, even if a biological approach is currently on study. We report a case of maxillary ameloblastoma with development of neck and brain metastases after repeated local recurrences. Molecular analysis was performed with the aim to better characterize this neoplasm and its peculiar behaviour