Primary vaginal Ewing's sarcoma or primitive neuroectodermal tumor in a 17-year-old woman: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Primary Ewing's sarcoma or primitive neuroectodermal tumor of the genital tract of women is uncommon. Rarer still is its occurrence in the vagina, with only five cases described so far. Out of these, only one case was confirmed using molecular analysis.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We present an extremely rare case of Ewing's sarcoma or primitive neuroectodermal tumor in a 17-year-old Indian girl. She presented with a vaginal mass that was initially diagnosed as a malignant round cell tumor. Immunohistochemistry showed diffuse positivity for vimentin, membranous positivity for MIC2, and positivity for BCL2 and FLI-1. On the other hand, she was negative for cytokeratin, epithelial membrane antigen, desmin, Myo D-1, myogenin and smooth muscle actin. A diagnosis of primitive neuroectodermal tumor was thus offered. Furthermore, a molecular analysis of our patient using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction technique showed positivity for t(11; 22) (q24; q12) (EWSR1-FLI1), thus confirming the diagnosis of a Ewing's sarcoma/primitive neuroectodermal tumor. Our patient was offered chemotherapy on Institutional protocol EFT 2001.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This is a rare case of primary vaginal Ewing's sarcoma or primitive neuroectodermal tumor, which was confirmed with molecular analysis, in the youngest patient known so far. This study reinforces the value of integrating morphological features with membranous MIC2 positivity, along with application of molecular techniques in objective identification of an Ewing's sarcoma or primitive neuroectodermal tumor at uncommon sites.</p

A systematic review for the development of Alzheimer’s disease in in vitro models: a focus on different inducing agents

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common progressive neurodegenerative disease and is associated with dementia. Presently, various chemical and environmental agents are used to induce in-vitro models of Alzheimer disease to investigate the efficacy of different therapeutic drugs. We screened literature from databases such as PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google scholar, emphasizing the diverse targeting mechanisms of neuro degeneration explored in in-vitro models. The results revealed studies in which different types of chemicals and environmental agents were used for in-vitro development of Alzheimer-targeting mechanisms of neurodegeneration. Studies using chemically induced in-vitro AD models included in this systematic review will contribute to a deeper understanding of AD. However, none of these models can reproduce all the characteristics of disease progression seen in the majority of Alzheimer’s disease subtypes. Additional modifications would be required to replicate the complex conditions of human AD in an exact manner. In-vitro models of Alzheimer’s disease developed using chemicals and environmental agents are instrumental in providing insights into the disease’s pathophysiology; therefore, chemical-induced in-vitro AD models will continue to play vital role in future AD research. This systematic screening revealed the pivotal role of chemical-induced in-vitro AD models in advancing our understanding of AD pathophysiology and is therefore important to understand the potential of these chemicals in AD pathogenesis

Bilateral renal metastases in a case of Merkel cell carcinoma

Merkel cell carcinoma is a primary neuroendocrine carcinoma of the skin. It is a highly aggressive tumor which commonly metastasizes to lymph nodes, liver, lung and bone. The diagnosis is based on histology and immunohistochemistry. Renal metastasis, with sparing of other common sites of hematogenous spread (lung and liver), is a unique feature of this case

Bilateral renal metastases in a case of Merkel cell carcinoma

Merkel cell carcinoma is a primary neuroendocrine carcinoma of the skin. It is a highly aggressive tumor which commonly metastasizes to lymph nodes, liver, lung and bone. The diagnosis is based on histology and immunohistochemistry. Renal metastasis, with sparing of other common sites of hematogenous spread (lung and liver), is a unique feature of this case

Inter and intraobserver variation in gross tumor delineation on megavoltage CT images in patients undergoing tomotherapy-based image-guided radiotherapy for postoperative vault recurrences

Purpose: This study was designed to evaluate inter and intraobserver concordance in gross tumor volume (GTV) delineation on megavoltage CT (MVCT) images in patients with postoperative vault recurrences. Materials and Methods: Three observers delineated GTV on MVCT and CECT and two observers recontoured on MVCT images. Tumor volumes were calculated and correlated using Spearman correlation. The standard deviation of centre of mass was averaged on per patient basis. The ratio of common volume and encompassing volume was used to determine intra and interobserver spatial concordance. Lack of difference in spatial concordance ratio between MVCT and CECT images was used as an index of usability of MVCT images. Results: Thirty six datasets were available for seven patients. High intraobserver GTV correlation was recorded for observer 1 and 2 (r = 0.93 and r = 0.98; P=0.03 and 0.0001). The average intraobserver spatial concordance ratio was 0.57 and 0.62 respectively. The mean GTV of observers 1, 2 and 3 were 31.6 (18.7-52.2); 28.2 (16.7-51.8) and 46.3 cc (29.1-90.5) respectively. Average standard deviation of centre of mass of all observers was less than 5 mm in either direction. Largest interobserver discordance was observed in anterior, inferior and lateral direction. The interobserver spatial concordance of GTV on MVCT and CECT images was 0.34 and 0.36 (P=0.24) respectively. Conclusion: Moderate to good inter and intraobserver GTV correlation was observed on MVCT images, however, was associated with low interobserver spatial concordance on both MVCT and CECT images. Strategies to improve contouring reproducibility on MVCT and KVCT images are desirable

Stem cell therapy in COVID-19: Pooled evidence from SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV and ARDS: A systematic review

Background: SARS-CoV-2, which majorly affects the lungs and respiratory tract is thought due to dysregulation of the immune system which causes an immense imbalance of the cytokines. However, till now no standard treatment has been developed in treating the disease. On the other hand, it becomes important to prevent the acute respiratory tract infection due to COVID-19 which is the most dangerous phase leading to increased mortality. Hence this systematic review has been framed by pooling the available data of the use of stem cells in SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV and ARDS. Methods: 6 literature databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, Google Scholar, Clinicaltrials.gov, and Clinical trial registry of India) were searched for relevant studies till 10th August 2020 using keywords stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells, cell therapy, SARS CoV-2, SARS Coronavirus, Coronavirus 2, COVID-19, nCoV-19, Novel Coronavirus, MERS CoV, ARDS, acute respiratory distress syndrome. Results: The observations of this systematic review suggest capability of MSCs in reducing the systemic inflammation and protecting against SARS-CoV-2 as evidenced by the available clinical data. Conclusion: MSCs can overcome the clinical challenges currently faced by SARS-CoV-2 infected patients, specifically who are seriously ill and not responding to conventional therapies. Though the available clinical data is motivating, still predicting the therapeutic potential of MSCs will be too early in COVID-19. Hence, further studies in a larger cohort of patients becomes a prerequisite to validate their potential efficacy

Bilateral renal metastases in a case of Merkel cell carcinoma

Merkel cell carcinoma is a primary neuroendocrine carcinoma of the skin. It is a highly aggressive tumor which commonly metastasizes to lymph nodes, liver, lung and bone. The diagnosis is based on histology and immunohistochemistry. Renal metastasis, with sparing of other common sites of hematogenous spread (lung and liver), is a unique feature of this case