Background : This study was done to obtain comprehensive data on changes in the structural components of the enteric nervous system in pediatric patients with intestinal pseudo-obstruction (IPO). We evaluated routinely processed, in formalin-fixed tissues by quantitative morphometric analysis. In addition, we used formalin-fixed tissue to explore the possibility of using previously proposed diagnostic criteria to evaluate frozen serial sections for intestinal neuronal dysplasia (IND) type B and hypoganglionosis. Methods : We analyzed data for 19 IPO cases. Morphometric analysis for quantification of ganglia and ganglion cells (GCs) was done for the myentric and the submucous plexus. In addition, we determined the presence of immature GCs and the distribution of nerve fibers and interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC). Results : Nine patients showed combined hypoganglionosis, IND, and decreased ICC; others showed various combinations of these. Several morphometric factors were significantly different between patient groups as well as being different than the control group. Conclusions : Our pediatric IPO cases showed extensive overlapping of pathological findings. And the findings suggest the utility of using previously proposed morphometrically measured factors in multiple frozen sections as diagnostic criteria for IND type B and hypoganglionosis in formalin-fixed tissue.

With the rapidly spreading coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic over the past few months, the world is facing an unprecedented crisis. Innumerable lives have been lost to this novel infectious disease, the nature of which supersedes conventional medical understanding. The COVID-19 pandemic is not just a global health crisis, several aspects of life in the post-COVID-19 era are also being contemplated. Experts in unison are warning that the upcoming changes in all areas of life could potentially be far more drastic than ever experienced in the entire human civilization. The medical community is no exception, and therefore, personnel involved in forensic medicine also need to be adequately prepared for the future. Forensic medicine is a branch of medicine dedicated to one of the most important stages of the human lifecycle and has always been at the forefront in times of unprecedented social change. The autopsy, one of the most important tools of forensic medicine, is also useful to infectious diseases because it identifies the causal relationship between death and infection, reveals medical and epidemiological knowledge, and provides objective evidence for legal disputes. We present new autopsy guidelines in forensic medicine, formulated based on the various infectious diseases that we presently live with and may encounter in the future. In formulation of these guidelines several considerations have been taken into account, namely, the role forensic pathologists should play in the post-COVID-19 era and the necessary preparations as well as the support needed from society to fulfill that role. The present COVID-19 outbreak should be a starting point for formulating improvements in current practices in forensic science, including autopsy biosafety practices and the medicolegal death investigation system.

Background : This study was done to see if there were correlations between anatomic and molecular parameters such as microvessel density (MVD), lymphatic vessel density (LVD), and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR)-3 expression and various clinical parameters for papillary thyroid carcinomas of size > 1.0 cm (PTCs) and size ≤ 1.0 cm (papillary thyroid microcarcinomas, PTMCs). PTMCs were divided into two subgroups (0-5 mm and 6-10 mm). Methods : We analyzed 197 thyroid carcinomas including 113 PTCs and 84 PTMCs. Tissue samples form 30 patients from each group matched for clinical characteristics were selected for immunostaining. Results : Although PTCs and PTMCs showed significant differences in clinical characteristics, they did not show significant difference in MVD, LVD, or VEGFR-3 expression. There was a significantly higher LVD in the PTMC subgroup with the larger tumors but no difference in clinical characteristics. LVD was higher in patients > 45 years old (more apparent in the PTC group) and LVD had suggestive correlations with multicentricity and extrathyroidal extension depending on analytic conditions. Conclusions : Since LVD showed variable correlations with clinical variables for papillary carcinoma of the thyroid depending on analytic conditions, the individually planned treatments based on overall clinicopathological factors are advised.

Background: Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is defined as a lack of the expression of estro gen receptor, progesterone receptor and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 in breast cancer. Many TNBCs show a profound infiltration of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). It is still uncertain whether these TILs are protumoral or antitumoral. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) play a role in inducing immune tolerance to antigens, and they may be selectively recruited by cancer cells. This study was conducted to evaluate the significance of TILs with an emphasis on forkhead box p3 (Foxp3), which is a marker for CD25+CD4+ Treg in TNBC. Methods: We investigated the Fox p3, CD8 and CD4 expressions in 100 cases of TNBC by immunohistochemistry and using a tis sue microarray. The Foxp3 expression was divided as the high and low infiltration groups (cutoff value= 20). Results: The high infiltration group was correlated with higher histologic and nuclear grades. However, Foxp3+ Tregs were decreased in the T3 and T4 TNBCs as compared to that of the T1 and T2 TNBCs. No significant differences were found for the nodal status, lymphovascular invasion, stage, recurrence and overall survival. Conclusions: High Foxp3+ Treg infiltration in TN BC is correlated with the nuclear and histologic grades, but there was no relation to recurrence and overall survival.

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