North American Journal of Medicine and Science
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Epithelial Membrane Antigen Expression in Various WHO Thymoma Types
Get PDFBackground: Epithelial membrane antigen (EMA) is a glycoprotein, widely used in the differential diagnosis of epithelial neoplasms. Little is known about EMA expression in thymic neoplasms classified based on world health organization (WHO) scheme. Material and Methods: A series of 66 thymic neoplasms were reviewed and classified according to the WHO scheme. These cases along with 7 normal thymic tissues were constructed in three tissue microarray blocks. Slides were stained using anti-EMA monoclonal antibody. Staining patterns were recorded for each tumor, as well as the staining intensity and percentage of stained tumor cells. In case of presence of more than one histologic type, staining was interpreted based on the predominant component
The Relationship between Primary Extrauterine Adenosarcoma and the Secondary Müllerian System: Report of a Unique Case Demonstrating Histologic Transition between Benign and Malignant Elements and a Review of the Literature
Get PDFBackground: Extrauterine adenosarcomata are thought to arise from pre-existing foci of endometriosis. In 1925 Sampson proposed three criteria for a definitive diagnosis of malignancy arising in endometriosis: (1)histological evidence of endometriosis in close proximity tothe tumour; (2) no other identifiable primary site of malignancy; and (3) histological appearance of the tumour compatible with an origin in endometriosis. In 1953 Scott added a fourth criterion(4) requiring contiguous histological transition of benign endometriosis merging with the malignant component
Acupuncture in Current Pain Management
Get PDFAlthough acupuncture has been used over thousands of years for the treatment of many clinical conditions, particularly pain conditions, many factors regarding the effectiveness, mechanisms and side effects of acupuncture remain unclear to clinicians. This review article aims to provide the scientific data generated from basic science and clinical research to help clinicians gain better knowledge on the role of acupuncture treatment in pain management
Secretory Leukocyte Protease Inhibitor: Immunohistochemical Evidence Supporting a Fallopian Tube Origin for Serous Papillary Carcinoma
Get PDFSerous papillary carcinoma (SPC) represents the most common histological type of ovarian carcinoma, which is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related death in women in the United States.1 The tissue of origin for SPC remains controversial. It is believed by many authors that the cancer arises from the surface epithelia of the ovary or the cells that line ovarian inclusion cysts.2-3 In this theory, the ovarian surface epithelium (OSE), usually flattened with no distinct features, undergoes Mullerian metaplasia and through possible undefined molecular events, acquires serous papillary morphology during malignant transformation. A contrasting opinion is that SPC may arise from the fallopian tube (FT), this supposition based on the morphologic resemblance of SPC to the fimbriated end of the FT. A recent report4 investigating the patterns of gene expression among different histotypes of epithelial ovarian cancer showed strong correlation of expression profile of serous papillary carcinoma with that of the fallopian tube. [N A J Med Sci. 2009;2(2):42-43.
Update on Chronic Hepatitis B (CHB) Treatment
Get PDFThe availability of newer antiviral agents, as well as comprehensive treatment recommendations, has equipped clinicians with sufficient options to formulate hepatitis B virus (HBV) treatment regimens and individualize therapeutic strategies. This article reviews the most recent guideline recommendations on goals, treatment indications, and endpoints, and resistance to anti-HBV treatment. In advocating an individualized approach to HBV treatment, currently available agents are further introduced separately
Female Infertility Treatment with Acupuncture
Get PDFInfertility currently affects about 6.1 million women in the USA. Although in vitro fertilization (IVF) has been routinely used for female infertility, the average success rate is lower than 30% (American Pregnancy Association). The encouraging news for those who have no successful results from the conventional medical treatment is that IVF and IUI (intra-uterine insemination) are not the only choices for infertility treatment. Acupuncture and Chinese herbal formula can be used to treat of infertility in both women and men. Moreover, the treatment can be also combined with IVF to provide higher opportunities for conception and pregnancy, evidenced by a number of clinical studies. So far, no side effects from such treatment have been reported
Vitamin D and Hypertension
Get PDFEarly experimental studies have suggested that vitamin D may be involved in the regulation of blood pressure (BP) and the pathogenesis of hypertension through its effects on calcium homeostasis, vascular smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells, and activity of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS). Human studies have shown a possible link between inadequate vitamin D status and elevated BP or higher prevalence of hypertension. Due to limited data from well-designed prospective studies, it remains unsettled whether low vitamin D status leads to future risk of hypertension. The BP-lowering efficacy of high-dose vitamin D supplementation for hypertension prevention must be tested in future randomized clinical trials.
Live Everyday to the Full
Get PDFDr. Michelle Lau emigrated from Hong Kong to the United States in 1994. She graduated from UC Berkeley with Highest Honor in Molecular and Cell Biology (Genetics). She graduated from Duke University Medical School in 2004. During her medical school years, she was awarded Clinical Research Training Program Fellowship at the National Institutes of Health. Her research in bone marrow transplant was published in the journal Blood. She is also the regional director of Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association (APAMSA). She then completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Washington University Barnes Jewish Hospital. Her work in sickle cell disease was presented in the American College of Physician Missouri Annual Conference. She is currently finishing her fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at Harvard’s teaching hospital,Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. She is honored in this year’s Cambridge Who’s Who list. She is currently performing research on Cancer and Asian Americans
Clinical Significance of Functional MRI Guided Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Autism
Get PDFAutism is a complicated neurodevelopment disorder of largely unknown cause. It is characterized by the difficulty to communicate and interact with others, often accompanied by significant behavioral challenges. Autism is much more common than previously believed. Based on the 2007 CDC data,1 validated by several other recent epidemiologic studies,2-3 autism is diagnosed in 1 in 150 children in the United States and it affects four times as many boys than girls. The diagnosis of autism has increased ten-fold in the last decade. About 1.5 million Americans may have some form of autism when symptoms of milder variants are taken into consideration. This number continues to rise. Epidemiologists estimate that the number of autistic children in theUS could reach up to 4 million in the next decade. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has called autism a national public health crisis with an estimated cost of over $90 billion a year. Despite the serious social impact of autism, study grants available for research is reported to be only 0.3% of the total NIH funding, much lower than what is available for other less common and less severe disorders
Biliary Papillomatosis Coexisting with Hepatitis C: Report of a Rare Case with Review of the Literature
Get PDFBiliary papillomatosis is a rare disease and is often fatal. It is characterized by diffuse papillary proliferations of bile duct epithelial cells. Patient may present with fever, abdominal pain and obstructive jaundice. The degree of biliary obstruction varies, ranging from almost asymptomatic to severe life-threatening illness with painful obstructive jaundice, vomiting, cholangitis, and pancreatitis. Preoperative diagnosis is very uncommon. Here, we describe an incidental finding of a case of biliary papillomatosis after liver transplant in a 65 year-old woman with end-stage liver disease secondary to Hepatitis C. Grossly, the mass is located at the posterior aspect of the right lobe, extending to the portal area, presenting as a white fibrotic area measuring 6.0 x 8.0 x 4.5 cm. Cut surface of this area is gray-white with multiple cysts ranging from 1.2 x 0.9 x 0.9 cm to 0.2 x 0.2 x 0.2 cm. Microscopic examination revealed glandular growth pattern of the epithelial cells with a stroma consisted of fibrovascular connective tissue. These epithelial cells have abundant cytoplasm with the nuclei arranged regularly close to the basement membrane. There is slight nuclear hyperchromatism, but there is no obvious atypia. The tumor cells contain mucin as shown by PAS stain, which is resistant to the diastase treatment. The negative immunohistochemical stains for CEA and Cytokeratin 20 did not support the possibility of metastatic tumor from lower GI tract, while the positive Cytokeratin 7 staining was compatible with an origin of intrahepatic bile duct. Based on above findings, she was diagnosed multifocal biliary papillomatosis in the background of florid bile ductule proliferation. The cirrhosis and chronic inflammation in her liver were consistent with the history of hepatitis C. She also had associated chronic cholecystitis and cholelithiasis. She was treated by liver transplantation. The patient is doing well now (eight years after the transplantation). In addition, the related literatures are reviewed, and the possible pathogenesis, treatment plan, and prognosis of biliary papillomatosis are briefly discussed