Left Ventricular Apical Aneurysm in a Cat With Primary Cardiomyopathy

A 13-year-old female Persian cat died suddenly after severe respiratory distress. At necropsy, the changes were compatible with congestive heart failure. The heart was enlarged with a flabby and puckered sac-like aneurysm at the apex of the left ventricle. The apical zone showed a thin muscular wall arising from the free wall of the left ventricle connected to a bulged saccular area through a wide communication. Microscopically, the wall of the aneurysm was composed of fibrous connective tissue with neovascularization and sparse atrophied myocardial cells at the margins. A few isolated cardiomyocytes in the lesion stained positively for desmin, and the inner lining of the aneurysm had immunoreactivity to von Willebrand factor and CD31. Mature fibrous connective tissue was interspersed with degenerated and disorganized cardiomyocytes elsewhere in the myocardium, and many small myocardial arteries were tortuous and thickened. In this case of sudden death, the diagnosis was primary cardiomyopathy, with formation of a left ventricular apical aneurysm within an area of marked myocardial fibrosis and cardiomyocyte atrophy.

Abstract P6-03-20: Gene expression profile of triple negative breast cancer in patients highlight biomarkers involved in cell metabolism

Introduction: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive breast cancer subtype, lacking expression of estrogen, progesterone and HER2 receptors. Evidence suggests that TNBC present more frequently in young African-American and Hispanic women, with lower socioeconomic status, hormonal environment and obesity. To this date, there are no studies that have compared TNBC versus nonTNBC in a homogeneous population. Comparison of these groups may help to identify genes that are key hallmarks in TNBC patients.

Objective: To analyze the expression profile of TNBC versus nonTNBC in a homogeneous population from northwestern Mexico, in order to find distinctive biological pathways characteristics to TNBC.

Methods: A prospective study was conducted involving a total of 50 patients (25 TNBC and 25 nonTNBC) undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for breast cancer. Both groups were similar in mean age at diagnosis (51 vs 47 years), mean of glucose levels (107 mg/dl vs 104 mg/dl) and BMI (28 vs 29) for TNBC and nonTNBC respectively. Core biopsies were obtained for histological diagnosis and gene expression, total RNA was isolated and expression profiling performed. Some of the differentially expressed genes were selected and validated by qPCR

Results: Seventy percentage of the population presented BMI > 25. We identified a genomic profile expression composed of 40 genes associated with TNBC phenotype. Out of 40 genes, 9 were overexpressed (FOXC1, PRKX/PRKY, UGT8, BCL11A, HMGA1, LPIN1, FAM171A1, HAPLN3, y ANKRD11) and 31 under-expressed. Interestingly, some of these genes were previously associated to breast cancer. HMGA1, PRKX and LPIN1 participate in the insulin metabolism, UGT8 in the sphingolipids metabolism, while two others are transcription factors associated with metastasis and poor prognosis (FOXC1) and tumor growth (BCL11A).

Conclusions: To our knowledge this is the first study in Latin American woman reporting a genomic signature for TNBC strongly associated with aberrant metabolism itself, such as seen in obesity. Understanding cell metabolism may help to clarify the mechanism for tumor development and progression in TNBC patients.

Citation Format: Santuario-Facio SK, Cardona-Huerta S, Perez-Paramo YX, Treviño V, Hernandez-Cabrera F, Rojas-Martinez A, Psdilla-Rivas G, Muñoz-Maldonado G, Barbosa-Quintana A, Barbosa-Quintana O, Garza-Guajardo R, Gonzalez-Guerrero JF, Martinez-Rodriguez JL, Ortiz-López R. Gene expression profile of triple negative breast cancer in patients highlight biomarkers involved in cell metabolism. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P6-03-20.

Gallbladder selection for histopathological analysis based on a simple method: a prospective comparative study

INTRODUCTION

After a cholecystectomy, the current and traditional practice is to send each resected gallbladder to the pathologist for analysis. Some reports have suggested the possibility of selecting only those gallbladders that need to be analysed. The purpose of this study was to show a simple method for selecting which gallbladders should be sent to the pathologist.

METHODS

A prospective comparative study was carried out. Two 'tests' were performed in 150 patients to detect or rule out gallbladder cancer. The first test included the patient's variables and a macroscopic gallbladder analysis performed by the surgeon (MGAS). The second test was the analysis performed by the pathologist. The results were compared.

RESULTS

Of the 150 patients, 132 were women and 18 men; 130 were under 60 years old. One patient had inflammatory bowel disease, seven had changes on ultrasonography and in four cases intra-operative disturbances were observed. During the MGAS, disturbances were found in 30 patients. Eighty-one cases (54%) had at least one or more risk factors for gallbladder cancer.

[Right pulmonary hyperplasia with bronchoesophageal fistula]

The pulmonary hypoplasia with bronchoesophageal fistula is a rarely-seen disease which can be confused with total pulmonary agenesis. This case study concerns to one day old male newborn which was hospitalized in our hospital with respiratory difficulties, accompanied by pulmonary opacity of the right side. After having carried out diagnosis studies, including bronchography, we concluded that it was a case of pulmonary agenesis. The patient died from persistent pulmonary hypertension. The anatomopathologic diagnosis, was right pulmonary hypoplasia with bronchoesophageal fistula. This pathology originated during early embryonic stage when the bronchoplastic and esophagoplastic tissue are incompletely separated an thus a fistula between the esophagus and the principal bronchus is formed. The presence of a fistula could not be proven by bronchography. However, esophagography or esophagoscopy would have proven the presence of the fistula.

[Mediastinal lipoblastoma in a 14-year-old patient]

This is a case report on a 14 year child with a benign mediastinum lipoblastoma examined at the University Hospital "Dr. José E. González", in Monterrey, Nuevo León. This is an infrequent pathology and little has been published especially dealing with patients at this age and the site where it was found. This is a benign tumor which requires complete resection. The patient was submitted to an anterolateral bilateral thoracotomy which allowed for the complete resection of the tumor. It weighed 3.1 kilograms and measured 26 x 21 cm. The patient evolved satisfactorily.

[Acute necrotizing cholecystitis in infancy: report of a case]

We present a case-report of a six weeks old premature baby who developed acute acalculous gangrenous cholecystitis related to septicemia due to Citrobacter freundii. We analyze other etiological factors and remark the importance of physical examination and ultrasonographic exploration of the biliary tract. Early cholecystectomy is suggested.