BackgroundPrimary gastric actinomycosis is extremely rare, the appendix and ileocecal region being the most commonly involved sites in abdominopelvic actinomycosis. Herein, we report a case of primary gastric actinomycosis. The diagnosis was made on microscopic evaluation of gastroscopic biopsy specimens. To the best of our knowledge, this is the third case to be reported in the literature, in which the diagnosis was made in a gastroscopic biopsy rather than a resection specimen.Case presentationAn 87-year-old Saudi male on medication for cardiomyopathy, premature ventricular contractions, renal impairment, hypertension, and dyslipidemia, presented to the emergency department with acute diffuse abdominal pain, abdominal distension, constipation and vomiting for two days, with no history of fever, abdominal surgery or trauma. The patient was admitted to the hospital with an impression of gastric outlet obstruction. Based on radiologic and gastroscopic findings, a non-infectious etiology was suspected, possibly adenocarcinoma or lymphoma. Gastroscopic biopsies showed an actively inflamed, focally ulcerated atrophic fundic mucosa along with fragments of a fibrinopurulent exudate containing brownish, iron negative pigment and abundant filamentous bacteria, morphologically consistent with Actinomyces.ConclusionAlthuogh extremely rare, primary gastric actinomycosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of radiologic and gastroscopic diffuse gastric wall thickening and submucosal tumor-like or infiltrative lesions, particularly in patients with history of abdominal surgery or trauma, or those receiving extensive medication. A high level of suspicion is required by the pathologist to achieve diagnosis in gastroscopic biopsies. Subtle changes such as the presence of a pigmented inflammatory exudate should alert the pathologist to perform appropriate special stains to reveal the causative organism.
In response to the current outbreak of Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19), a fast body of literature emerged providing insights into the clinical and radiologic aspects of the novel disease, while the pathologic manifestations on tissue are yet to be sufficiently characterized mainly due to paucity of autopsy and biopsy of these cases. It is essential for both the clinicians and pathologists to maintain up-to-date knowledge of this continuously evolving topic in the midst of the current pandemic. Besides, understanding the impact of any disease in tissue pathology is crucial for better analysis of the pathogenesis and speculation of potential therapeutic targets. This review aimed to highlight the potential implication of COVID-19 in the pathology of various organ systems. We discuss the pathologic findings of the lungs, gastrointestinal tract, liver, brain, kidneys, heart, and the reproductive and immune systems that are associated with COVID-19. It seems that the respiratory, immune, and the digestive systems are the major targets of the disease. Mild mononuclear inflammatory cell infiltration is the most frequent histologic finding in general. Besides organ-specific changes, microthrombi, especially noticed in lungs, kidneys, and prostates, are the most significant observation microscopically. In addition, the possible mechanisms of organ injury were also reviewed.
In breast carcinoma proliferative rate is not only prognostic, but also predictive factor. Ki-67 labeling index (Ki-67 LI) is a superior and more reproducible way to assess proliferation than counting mitoses. There are different Ki-67 LI cut-off values proposed for stratification. The best method of scoring Ki-67 LI is still controversial. Our aim was to test the consensus of Ki-67 LI read in the 2 most common specimens, diagnostic core biopsies (CNB) and surgical excision (SE), first using the hot spot (HS) for counting, and then the average (Av) Ki-67 LI. Cases diagnosed as having invasive duct breast carcinoma on CNB followed by SE over 6 years were recruited (n=96). Ki-67 LI was counted in both specimen types using HS and Av scoring methods. For both methods, agreement between the 2 specimen categories was tested using different cut-off values. Intraobserver reproducibility was also measured for both scoring methods. Ki-67 LI was significantly lower in CNBs compared with SEs (mean difference: -13.3 and -6.3, P<0.001, using HS and Av methods, respectively). The agreement between Ki-67 LI in CNBs and SEs using 10, 14, and 20 as cut-off value was superior when we used Av method (for κ=0.793, 0.814, and 0.745; vs. for HS: κ=0.542, 0.525, and 0.672, respectively). Intraobserver reproducibility ranged from very good to perfect for both methods. Our results suggested that specimen-specific cut-off value should be applied for both scoring methods.
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