Environmental surface sampling of SARS-CoV-2 in selected hospitals in Malaysia

@#COVID-19 has spread rapidly worldwide. The role of fomites in facilitating onward transmission is plausible. This study aimed to determine the presence of viable virus and its persistence on the surfaces of fomites in wards treating COVID-19 patients in Malaysia. This study was conducted in two stages. First, environmental sampling was performed on random days in the intensive care unit (ICU) and general wards. Then, in the second stage, samples were collected serially on alternate days for 7 days in two selected general wards. In Stage 1, a total of 104 samples were collected from the surfaces of highly touched and used areas by patients and healthcare workers. Only three samples were tested positive for SARS-COV-2. In Stage 2, three surface samples were detected positive, but no persistence of the virus was observed. However, none of the SARS-CoV-2 RNA was viable through tissue culture. Overall, the environmental contamination of SARS-CoV-2 was low in this hospital setting. Hospitals’ strict infection control and the compliance of patients with wearing masks may have played a role in these findings, suggesting adherence to those measures to reduce occupational exposure of COVID-19 in hospital settings.

Isolated Duodenal Metastasis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Rare Presentation.

Hematogenous metastasis to the duodenum from any primary tumor is rare. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) frequently metastasizes to lung and regional lymph nodes. Involvement of small intestines by HCC is mostly via direct invasion of the contiguous neoplasm. We report a case of isolated noncontiguous duodenal metastasis of HCC because of its rarity.

Solid variant of papillary carcinoma of nipple: An under recognized entity.

Papillary lesions of the breast represent a heterogeneous group with differing biological behavior. Solid papillary carcinomas are uncommon tumors composed of circumscribed large cellular nodules separated by bands of fibrosis. Correct diagnosis is crucial but may be difficult, as many other benign and malignant lesions have similar histological appearances. Immunohistochemistry plays a useful role in their differentiation. We describe one such case of a solid variant of papillary carcinoma of the left nipple in a 75-year-old woman, who had no other palpable mass in rest of the breast tissue. The case is documented for the rarity of its occurrence and significance of recognition of this lesion.

Extramedullary relapse of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in breast: A rare presentation.

Unusual sites of relapses following allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) are rarely reported. Our report describes a thirty-two-year old female, who developed extramedullary (EM) breast relapse after allogenic HSCT for pre B cell Philadelphia chromosome negative ALL. She had no evidence of leukemia in her marrow demonstrating 100% full donor chimerism, while she had ALL relapse in her breast.

Squamous cell carcinoma arising from primary retroperitoneal mature teratoma.

A 65 year old postmenopausal female presented with left sided abdominal pain. Sonogram revealed an intra-abdominal 7.4 x 5.7 cm heterogenous mass. On laparotomy, approximately 10 X 10 cm mesenteric mass was seen adherent to the descending colon. Multiple omental tumor deposits were also noted. Gross examination showed solid and cystic tumor with sebaceous material admixed with hair. Histopathology showed mature cystic teratoma with a spectrum of well to poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma with omental metastasis.