Archives of pathology & laboratory medicine
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Arch. Pathol. Lab. Med. · Dec 2009
Whole-slide imaging digital pathology as a platform for teleconsultation: a pilot study using paired subspecialist correlations.
-Whole-slide imaging technology offers promise for rapid, Internet-based telepathology consultations between institutions. Before implementation, technical issues, pathologist adaptability, and morphologic pitfalls must be well characterized. ⋯ -Overall concordance between digital whole-slide and standard glass-slide interpretations was good at 91%. Adjustments in technology, case selection, and technology familiarization should improve performance, making digital whole-slide review feasible for broader telepathology subspecialty consultation applications.
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Arch. Pathol. Lab. Med. · Dec 2009
Case ReportsGastrointestinal basidiobolomycosis: an unusual fungal infection mimicking colon cancer.
-Basidiobolomycosis is a rare disease caused by the fungus Basidiobolus ranarum, an environmental saprophyte found worldwide. Patients with B ranarum infection may present with subcutaneous, gastrointestinal, or systemic lesions. Gastrointestinal basidiobolomycosis poses diagnostic difficulties, as its clinical presentation is nonspecific, with no identifiable risk factors. ⋯ -Gastrointestinal basidiobolomycosis can be detected on small endoscopic biopsy. The unequivocal diagnosis requires microbiologic cultivation of the fungus obtained from tissues. The prognosis for this disease is usually favorable as seen in 3 of our cases; however, cases with fatal outcome are on record.
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Arch. Pathol. Lab. Med. · Sep 2009
Biography Historical ArticleHenrietta Lacks, HeLa cells, and cell culture contamination.
Henrietta Lacks died in 1951 of an aggressive adenocarcinoma of the cervix. A tissue biopsy obtained for diagnostic evaluation yielded additional tissue for Dr George O. Gey's tissue culture laboratory at Johns Hopkins (Baltimore, Maryland). ⋯ The debate over cell culture contamination began in the 1970s and was not harmonious. Ultimately, the problem was not resolved and it continues today. Finally, we discuss the philosophical implications of the immortal HeLa cell line.
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The presence of histopathologic risk factors is associated with development of metastasis in a patient with retinoblastoma. Adjuvant chemotherapy administered to such patients decreases the risk of metastasis. ⋯ Histopathologic risk factors are present in a significant proportion of patients enucleated for retinoblastoma and have identifiable clinical predictors.
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Splenic hamartoma is a rare, benign vascular proliferation that is often found incidentally while working up other complaints or at autopsy. Women more commonly present with symptoms related to mass effect than men. ⋯ Although rendering a diagnosis can be difficult, endothelial cells that are positive for CD8 are a key feature that differentiate hamartoma from other vascular lesions of the spleen. Clinical, radiologic, and histologic correlation is essential to ensure this benign lesion is not mistaken for malignancy.