Unusual remodeling of the hyalinization band in vulval lichen sclerosus by type V collagen and ECM 1 protein

OBJECTIVES: The vulva is the primary site affected in lichen sclerosus, a chronic dermatosis in women that is histologically characterized by a zone of collagen remodeling in the superior dermis. The normal physiological properties of the vulva depend on the assembly of collagen types I (COLI), III (COLIII) and V (COLV), which form heterotypic fibers, and extracellular matrix protein interactions. COLV regulates the heterotypic fiber diameter, and the preservation of its properties is important for maintaining normal tissue architecture and function. In the current work, we analyzed the expression of COLV and its relationship with COLI, COLIII, elastic fibers and extracellular matrix protein 1 in vulvar biopsies from patients with lichen sclerosus. METHODS: Skin biopsies from 21 patients with lichen sclerosus, classified according to Hewitt histological criteria, were studied and compared to clinically normal vulvar tissue (N=21). Morphology, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, 3D reconstruction and morphometric analysis of COLI, COLIII, COLV deposition, elastic fibers and extracellular matrix 1 expression in a zone of collagen remodeling in the superior dermis were performed. RESULTS: A significant decrease of elastic fibers and extracellular matrix 1 protein was present in the hyalinization zone of lichen sclerosus compared to healthy controls. The non-homogeneous distribution of collagen fibers visualized under immunofluorescence in the hyalinization zone of lichen sclerosus and control skin was confirmed by histomorphometry. Lichen sclerosus dermis shows a significant increase of COLI, COLIII and COLV expression compared to the healthy controls. Significant inverse associations were found between elastic fibers and COLV and between COLV and extracellular matrix 1 expression. A direct association was found between elastic fiber content and extracellular matrix 1 expression. Tridimensional reconstruction of the heterotypic fibers ...

Classificação das pneumonias intersticiais idiopáticas: perspectivas para os próximos dez anos / Classification of idiopathic interstitial pneumonias: the next ten years

A classificação das pneumonias intersticiais idiopáticas pela American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society em 2002 incluiu sete entidades clínico-patológicas: fibrose pulmonar idiopática, pneumonia intersticial não específica, pneumonia em organização criptogênica, pneumonia intersticial aguda, bronquiolite respiratória associada a doença pulmonar intersticial, pneumonia intersticial descamativa e pneumonia intersticial linfoide. Todavia, em 2002, muitas áreas de incerteza foram geradas, incluindo a exacerbação aguda da fibrose pulmonar idiopática, a pneumonia intersticial não específica, diretrizes baseadas em evidências para o diagnóstico e gerenciamento da fibrose pulmonar idiopática, assim como as doenças com padrão de fibrose intersticial associada ao tabaco. O objetivo da presente revisão foi propor uma revisão dessa classificação para os próximos dez anos, incluindo o diagnóstico clínico, radiológico e patológico da pneumonia intersticial usual/fibrose pulmonar idiopática; a exacerbação aguda da fibrose pulmonar idiopática, assim como de pneumonia intersticial não específica, doenças pulmonares intersticiais associadas ao tabaco, pneumonia em organização criptogênica e pneumonia intersticial aguda; pneumonias intersticiais idiopáticas raras, como pneumonia intersticial linfoide idiopática e fibroelastose pleuropulmonar idiopática limitada ao lobo superior; padrões histológicos raros, como pneumonia em organização aguda fibrinosa e padrões bronquiolocêntricos das pneumonias intersticiais idiopáticas; e pneumonias intersticiais idiopáticas genéticas, como as pneumonias intersticiais idiopáticas familiares (herdadas) e fibrose pulmonar associada a síndromes hereditárias.

Postmortem diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction in patients with acute respiratory failure: demographics, etiologic and pulmonary histologic analysis

OBJECTIVES: Acute respiratory failure is present in 5% of patients with acute myocardial infarction and is responsible for 20% to 30% of the fatal post-acute myocardial infarction. The role of inflammation associated with pulmonary edema as a cause of acute respiratory failure post-acute myocardial infarction remains to be determined. We aimed to describe the demographics, etiologic data and histological pulmonary findings obtained through autopsies of patients who died during the period from 1990 to 2008 due to acute respiratory failure with no diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction during life. METHODS: This study considers 4,223 autopsies of patients who died of acute respiratory failure that was not preceded by any particular diagnosis while they were alive. The diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction was given in 218 (4.63%) patients. The age, sex and major associated diseases were recorded for each patient. Pulmonary histopathology was categorized as follows: diffuse alveolar damage, pulmonary edema, alveolar hemorrhage and lymphoplasmacytic interstitial pneumonia. The odds ratio of acute myocardial infarction associated with specific histopathology was determined by logistic regression. RESULTS: In total, 147 men were included in the study. The mean age at the time of death was 64 years. Pulmonary histopathology revealed pulmonary edema as well as the presence of diffuse alveolar damage in 72.9% of patients. Bacterial bronchopneumonia was present in 11.9% of patients, systemic arterial hypertension in 10.1% and dilated cardiomyopathy in 6.9%. A multivariate analysis demonstrated a significant positive association between acute myocardial infarction with diffuse alveolar damage and pulmonary edema. CONCLUSIONS: For the first time, we demonstrated that in autopsies of patients with acute respiratory failure as the cause of death, 5% were diagnosed with acute myocardial infarction. Pulmonary histology revealed a significant inflammatory response, which has not previously been reported.

Entendendo a estrutura microscópica e submicroscópica da barreira alvéolo-capilar na lesão pulmonar aguda / Understanding the microscopic and submicroscopic structure of the alveolar-capillary membrane in acute lung injury

A lesão pulmonar aguda/síndrome do desconforto respiratório agudo (LPA/SDRA) pode ser induzida por diferentes causas. A lesão pulmonar ocorre por efeito direto sobre as células epiteliais pulmonares ou em decorrência de efeito indireto sobre as células endoteliais, onde o dano pulmonar decorre da liberação de mediadores inflamatórios em órgãos distais. Neste artigo, enfatizamos as diferenças microscópicas e submicroscópicas no pulmão envolvido na LPA e SDRA, ambas caracterizadas por intensa resposta inflamatória local com acúmulo de diferentes tipos celulares.O remodelamento do parênquima pulmonar caracterizado por fibroelastogênese ocorre em paralelo com o processo inflamatório. O prognóstico do paciente dependerá da resolução do evento inicial e do balanço entre a intensidade das respostas inflamatória e de remodelamento. Diferentes protocolos tentam modificar ambas as respostas, mas todos com resultados negativos. Postulamos que, para uma melhor compreensão da fisiopatologia da SDRA, diferenças microscópicas e submicroscópicas devem ser consideradas. Logo, para se estabelecer uma conduta clínica mais precisa e melhorar o prognóstico desses pacientes, deve-se considerar a etiologia da LPA/SDRA.

Acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ALI/ARDS) can be induced by various causes. Lung injury can occur through direct or indirect effects on the lung epithelial cells, the latter caused by the release of inflammatory mediators in distal organs. In this article, we emphasize the lung microscopy and ultrastructural changes seen in ALI and ARDS, both of which are characterized by an intense inflammatory process with cell infiltration. The lung parenchyma remodeling process is characterized by fibroelastogenesis occurring in parallel with the inflammatory process. The prognosis depends on the resolution of the initial event and on the balance between the inflammatory response and the remodeling process. Although various protocols have been developed in attempts to modify those aspects, none have produced positive results.We postulate that a better understanding of ARDS cannot be gained without taking lung microscopy and ultrastructural analysis of the lung parenchyma into account. Therefore, in order to improve the clinical management and the prognosis of patients with ALI/ARDS, the etiology of the syndrome should be considered.

Demographic, etiological, and histological pulmonary analysis of patients with acute respiratory failure: a study of 19 years of autopsies

INTRODUCTION: Acute respiratory failure has been one of the most important causes of death in intensive care units, and certain aspects of its pulmonary pathology are currently unknown. OBJECTIVES: The objective was to describe the demographic data, etiology, and pulmonary histopathological findings of different diseases in the autopsies of patients with acute respiratory failure. METHOD: Autopsies of 4,710 patients with acute respiratory failure from 1990 to 2008 were reviewed, and the following data were obtained: age, sex, and major associated diseases. The pulmonary histopathology was categorized as diffuse alveolar damage, pulmonary edema, alveolar hemorrhage, and lymphoplasmacytic interstitial pneumonia. The odds ratio of the concordance between the major associated diseases and specific autopsy findings was calculated using logistic regression. RESULTS: Bacterial bronchopneumonia was present in 33.9 percent of the cases and cancer in 28.1 percent. The pulmonary histopathology showed diffuse alveolar damage in 40.7 percent (1,917) of the cases. A multivariate analysis showed a significant and powerful association between diffuse alveolar damage and bronchopneumonia, HIV/AIDS, sepsis, and septic shock, between liver cirrhosis and pulmonary embolism, between pulmonary edema and acute myocardial infarction, between dilated cardiomyopathy and cancer, between alveolar hemorrhage and bronchopneumonia and pulmonary embolism, and between lymphoplasmacytic interstitial pneumonia and HIV/ AIDS and liver cirrhosis. CONCLUSIONS: Bronchopneumonia was the most common diagnosis in these cases. The most prevalent pulmonary histopathological pattern was diffuse alveolar damage, which was associated with different inflammatory conditions. Further studies are necessary to elucidate the complete pathophysiological mechanisms involved with each disease and the development of acute respiratory failure.