Congenital thymoma

Thymomas are a heterogeneous group of tumors arising from the epithelium of the thymus. They are categorized by the proportion of neoplastic epithelia to lymphocytes and by the degree of cytologic atypia. Thymomas constitute 0.2-1.5% of all malignancies and nearly all occur in patients over 20 years. We reviewed the available literature and found less than 50 cases of thymoma reported in children (<18 years of age), the youngest being 4 years old, and no cases in newborns. They represent less than 1% of all mediastinal tumors in children. Due to the limited number of cases in the pediatric population, the diagnosis and treatment in this population is extremely challenging. Thymomas in all age groups may be associated with paraneoplastic syndromes, being myasthenia gravis the most common, which is associated with a worse prognosis in the pediatric population. We present the first case of a newborn infant with congenital thymoma. This case demonstrates a rare tumor in an unusual age group and emphasizes the importance of multidisciplinary teamwork in the decision-making and management of this condition.

Association of karyomegalic interstitial nephritis with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis

Karyomegalic interstitial nephritis (KIN), first described in 1974, is a rare form of chronic tubulointerstitial nephritis. It is defined by the presence of markedly enlarged, hyperchromatic nuclei with prominent nucleoli, mainly involving tubular epithelial cells of the kidney, accompanied by marked interstitial fibrosis. The disease presents as asymptomatic proteinuria, gradually progresses to chronic kidney disease and eventually leads to end-stage renal disease by 30-40 years. The etiology of the disease remains unclear; however, genetic risk factors and possible association with HLA (B27/35) is proposed by some. It has also been linked to FAN1 (FANCD2/FANC1- associated nuclease 1) mutation. Case Report We present two cases of KIN with associated focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. Both patients presented with nephrotic range proteinuria. The biopsies demonstrated marked enlargement of tubular nuclei (3-5x larger than the uninvolved tubular nuclei, a metric used by some authors in previous studies) in some tubules, meeting the diagnostic criteria of KIN.. Interestingly, case one had a prior biopsy that showed minimal change disease. In the biopsies done at our institution, H&E sections showed patchy tubular attenuation with readily recognizable tubular cell mitotic figures, indicating concurrent acute tubular injury. Electron microscopy showed diffuse podocyte foot process effacement, along with microvillous transformation, podocyte hypertrophy, and cytoplasmic vacuoles, suggesting podocyte injury. This cytoplasmic vacuolization was also observed in the tubular epithelial cells. In both cases, the injury factor appeared to target both podocytes and tubular cells.

Utilizing electronic resources to promote your residency program

As the COVID-19 pandemic spread to the United States, it was followed by unprecedented changes. These changes did not spare undergraduate and graduate medical students. Specifically, medical students applying for residency programs were faced with a novel challenge. In March 2020, as the pandemic became increasingly severe, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) recommended pulling medical students from in-person clinical rotations. By May 2020, the AAMC recommended that all residency interviews be conducted online for the 2020-2021 residency application cycle. These unprecedented modifications to the interview season required programs to quickly adapt and find ways to utilize online tools to convey what their program offered to applicants. In this paper, we will outline the adaptations, tools, and resources that residencies and applicants have used to navigate through the 2020/2021 interview cycle.

Hyalinizing clear cell carcinoma of the soft palate: a review of literature review

Hyalinizing clear cell carcinoma (HCCC), also known as clear cell carcinoma, not otherwise specified [CCC, (NOS)], is a rare minor salivary gland tumor characterized by proliferation of clear cells, organized in trabecular cords, or solid nests within loose to densely hyalinized stroma. It is considered a diagnosis of exclusion by the World Health Organization (WHO) because other salivary tumors may also have a clear cell component. Hence, there is a wide differential diagnosis. EWSR1-ATF1 gene rearrangements are fairly specific for this tumor, however, one of the recent studies have described its presence in clear cell odontogenic carcinoma (CCOC) one of its histologic mimickers. EWSR1 and CREM fusions have recently been described in these tumors but its importance is still not well described. Here we present a case of a 33-year-old woman who presented with a recurrent lesion of the soft palate. Her initial lesion was resected and diagnosed as low-grade myoepithelial tumor. Surgical margins at the time of initial resection were positive and the re-excision was recommended but the patient did not undergo surgery. Two years later, local recurrence at the same site was found and an excision was performed yielding negative margins. Histopathologic examination revealed features consistent with hyalinizing clear cell carcinoma. The patient remains disease free 1 year after the re-excision. The pathology, clinical characteristics, differential diagnosis and treatment of hyalinizing clear cell carcinoma are reviewed.

Benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma: literature review and update

Benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma (BMPM) is a rare peritoneal tumor diagnosed predominantly in pre-menopausal women. Associated risk factors include endometriosis and pelvic inflammatory disease in women, and prior abdominal surgery in both genders. To date, the pathogenesis of this disease remains controversial with possible etiologies, including a neoplastic versus a reactive process. Given the risk factors, some authors believe that this disease is secondary to a reactive process. However, because some studies describe cases where there is no prior surgical history or inflammatory milieu present, and because of this entity's predilection for recurrence, some authors believe the origin to be neoplastic. Some genetic and familial associations have also been reported. Malignant transformation is extremely rare, with only two cases reported in the literature, despite the recurrence potential. Like the etiology, the name of this entity is also controversial. Some authors prefer the term "peritoneal inclusion cyst (PCM)" instead of "benign cystic mesothelioma" and argue that the term mesothelioma should only be used when there is evidence of atypia. Most cases of BMPM are discovered incidentally. Others reflect sequela of tumor mass effect. It appears intra-operatively as large, multi-focal, cystic lesions in the peritoneal and pelvic cavity. Diagnosis is achieved through surgical sampling with histopathological examination. Immunobiologically, BMPM exhibits multiple small cystic spaces with flattened lining containing calretinin positive cells without atypical features, mitotic figures, or tissue invasion. Treatment includes cytoreductive surgery. Here we present a case of BMPM in a 60-year-old male - a rare disease in an uncommon patient population.

Prevalence and risk factors of premenstrual syndrome among female population of Rahim Yar Khan

Background: Premenstrual syndrome [PMS] is one of the disorders associated with onset of menstruation causing physical, psychological and behavioral symptoms

Objective: To determine the prevalence and risk factors of premenstrual syndrome among female population of Rahim Yar Khan

Methodology: Study Design: Cross sectional study. Study subjects: Females of reproductive age from 16 to 40 years. Place and duration of study: Research was conducted from 16[th] to 29[th] March 2015 that was carried out in OPD and Gynecology ward of Sheikh Zayed Medical College/Hospital, Rahim Yar Khan. Performa was designed and pretested. Before commencing with the data collection, informed verbal consent was taken from all the 300 study subjects. The performa contained information on age, marital status, occupation, educational level of subjects and signs/symptoms of premenstrual syndrome among females. The data was entered on SPSS version 16 and results of various variables were presented as percentage and mean +/- standard deviation

Results: Study subjects has mean age of 22 +/- 4.9 years. Age distribution of subjects was 16-20 years [47%], 21-25 years [38.3%], 26-30 years [7%], 31-35 years [4.3%] and 36-40 years [4.3%]. In this study, 5.7% were illiterate, 3% primary, 3% middle, 7% secondary and 81% were highly educated. In this study, 74% were students, 14% housewives, 10% has government job and 2.3% has private job. In this study, 74.7% were unmarried. Out of 300 females 251 [83.7%] were found to have PMS. Frequency of PMS symptoms in study subjects were anxiety [57.7%], depression [57.7%], mood swing [71.7%], irritability [73.3%], pain [86.7%], fatigue [79.7%], discomfort [83.7%], abdominal cramps [47.7%], breast tenderness [25%], bloating [27.7%] and acne [32.3%]. The frequency of most common risk factor was low cheese/butter intake [87.7%], high tea/coffee intake [74.7%], high salty / junk food intake [66.3%], Low yogurt intake [61%], daily exercise [48%], low milk intake [39%], low egg intake [35.5%], low vegetable intake [13.7%], sedentary life style [33.3%], stressed state [30.3%], and eating spicy/cold food [7.3%]

Conclusion: Premenstrual syndrome was high in study subjects and high in young females. Majority of the women having PMS were unmarried, students and education level above bachelors and has low cheese/ butter intake, high tea/coffee and junk food intake

Muscle-Sparing Blepharoplasty: A Prospective Left-Right Comparative Study

BACKGROUND: Standard upper blepharoplasty involves removal of both the skin and a portion of the underlying orbicularis oculi muscle. The senior author had observed sluggishness of eyelid closure, lagophthalmos as well as varying degrees of eye irritation in certain patients during the early postoperative period. He postulated that these findings could be due to orbicularis muscle excision. He therefore undertook a prospective study 27 years ago comparing standard blepharoplasty on one eyelid to skin-only excision on the fellow eyelid. METHODS: A randomized, prospective, single-blinded study was designed using the fellow eye as an internal control. 22 patients undergoing upper blepharoplasty procedure requiring greater than 5 mm of skin resection and with no history of ophthalmologic disease, dry eye, or previous eyelid surgery were selected. Upper blepharoplasty was performed with skin-only removal on one side, and combined skin-muscle removal on the other side. Patients were evaluated until six months after surgery except for two patients who were lost to follow-up after three months. Sluggish eyelid closure, lagophthalmos, dry eye and aesthetic result were outcome measures scored by patient survey, the operating surgeon, and a blinded expert panel. RESULTS: There were comparable aesthetic outcomes in both eyelids. The incidence of sluggish eyelid closure, lagophthalmos and dry eye syndrome were significantly higher in eyelids where wide segments of muscle had been resected. CONCLUSIONS: Muscle-sparing upper blepharoplasty produces similar aesthetic outcomes as conventional blepharoplasty, while significantly reducing the complications of sluggish eyelid closure, lagophthalmos and dry eye disease. The authors therefore recommend muscle-sparing upper blepharoplasty.