Diagnostic evaluation of serial sections of labial salivary gland biopsies in Sjögren's syndrome.

OBJECTIVES: Sjögren's syndrome is a chronic inflammatory disease. The detection of chronic inflammatory infiltrates containing >50 lymphocytes (lymphocytic focus) per 4 mm2 tissue in minor salivary gland biopsies is a diagnostic parameter of the disease. The aim of the study was to examine if an increase in the tissue area of a single minor labial salivary gland biopsy through serial histological sections in patients affected by primary Sjögren's syndrome could facilitate the detection of the diagnostic focus score (grades >1 or >2). METHODS: We observed 24 labial salivary gland biopsies from patients affected by primary Sjögren's syndrome, diagnosed according to the clinical-laboratory cri…

Sudden cardiac death due to anomalous origin of the right coronary artery: A case report in a child

Anatomical features and clinical correlations in Caucasian patients with definite arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy.

AIM: Arrhythmogenic right ventrticular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy (ARVD/C) is an inherited cardiomyopathy characterized by fibrofatty replacement and a high risk of ventricular arrhythmias (VA) and sudden cardiac death (SCD). The aim of the present investigation is to examine the pathological profile and the clinical correlations in a group of ARVD/C patients. METHODS: We conducted a multicenter study evaluating 47 patients (31 men; mean age 37±14 years) with definite ARVD/C. Diagnosis was established according to the actual clinicomorphologic criteria at autopsy or clinically. We divided the study population in 2 different groups. First group included 28 alive patients and the second 19 pati…

Reconstruction of full thickness scalp defects after tumour excision in elderly patients: our experience with Integra dermal regeneration template.

Summary Background Scalp reconstruction after wide tumor excision is particularly challenging. Free tissue transfers, local flaps, or skin grafts can be used but present some disadvantages especially with old patients with local advanced cancers, systemic diseases and in patients with a prior history of recurring scalp skin cancers in which the risk of burying a recurring tumor with a flap is likely. The Authors expose their early experience with Integra ® dermal regeneration template for scalp reconstruction after scalp tumor excision. Methods Eight patients with primary or secondary scalp tumor underwent a first surgical procedure under local anaesthesia for tumor removal and Integra ® po…

ANTITHROMBOTIC PROPHYLAXIS IN LAPAROSCOPIC CHOLECYSTECTOMY

Pulmonary thromboembolism is a common cause of in-hospital death. In moderate or high risk patients undergoing laparotomy, acute and long-term mortality can be effec-tively reduced with an appropriate prophylactic drug treatment, while in low-risk patients undergoing laparoscopy, the correlation between the thromboembolism risk and the pro-cedure itself, as well as potential benefits of thromboprophylaxis are, at present, unclear. Here we report the case of E., a 49-year-old woman with patent foramen ovale, consid-ered to be at low risk of thromboembolism, who experienced a sudden cardiopulmonary arrest following a laparoscopic cholecystectomy and died four days later. . The purpose of this…

ORAL LEOKOPLAKIA:TOPICAL ISOTRETIONIN TREATMENT

Prevalence of vulval lichen planus in a cohort of women with oral lichen planus:an interdisciplinary study

BACKGROUND: Lichen planus (LP) is a mucocutaneous inflammatory dermatosis that frequently involves the oral and genital mucosae. Patients with LP affecting these sites are often seen by oral medicine specialists or gynaecologists who work in isolation and depend heavily on histopathologists to help them in confirming the diagnosis. There are few studies in the literature combining the experiences of these specialists who share the care of patients with both oral and genital LP. OBJECTIVES: To estimate the prevalence of vulval LP (VLP) in a cohort of patients with histologically confirmed oral LP (OLP). METHODS: The study group consisted of 42 women histologically diagnosed with OLP. The mea…

Oral necrotizing microvasculitis in a patient affected by Kawasaki disease

Kawasaki disease (KD) was first described in 1967 by Kawasaki, who defined it as ?mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome?. KD is an acute systemic vasculitis, which mainly involves medium calibre arteries; its origin is unknown, and it is observed in children under the age of 5, especially in their third year. The principal presentations of KD include fever, bilateral nonexudative conjunctivitis, erythema of the lips and oral mucosa, changes in the extremities, rash, and cervical lymphadenopathy. Within KD, oral mucositis ? represented by diffuse mucous membrane erythema, lip and tongue reddening and lingual papillae hypertrophy with subsequent development of strawberry tongue ? can occur both i…

An interesting question of Pompe disease. A case report

Glycogenosis type II or Pompe disease is an inherited autosomal recessive disorder known in 3 different clinical forms (infantile, juvenile and adult). We report on a case diagnosed as a classic infantile form with the worst outcome of all 3 described, if we had followed and executed a correct and complete diagnostic pathway. A 7 months old female child was admitted for fever and dyspnoea. At chest auscultation weepings and weezings were found; on the cardiac apex a murmur due to mitralic failure was retrieved. The thorax X-ray showed a greatly increased heart shadow with a cardiothoracic index of 0.75. ECG showed high voltages and signs of bilateral ventricular hypertrophy. Cardiac ultraso…