Maxillectomy defects: Virtually comparing fibular and scapular free flap reconstructions.

BACKGROUND: This study virtually compares patient-specific fibular and scapular reconstructions for maxillectomies. METHODS: Nine maxillectomy defects were created on 10 maxillas and virtually reconstructed with patient-specific fibulas and scapulas. Reconstructions were compared for restoring midface cephalometrics, dental implantability, and pedicle length. RESULTS: Of 90 maxillectomy defects, the vertically oriented scapula provided improved orbital floor and maxillary height reconstructions (p < 0.001), albeit at the cost of dental implantability compared to the fibula (p < 0.001). In two defects crossing the midline, the fibula, allowing for more osteotomies, provided improved maxillary projection. In the remaining three defects crossing the midline, the horizontally oriented scapula was comparable to the fibula. Fibular and scapular reconstructions were amenable for dental implantation and had similar pedicle lengths, although favoring scapula in extensive defects. CONCLUSION: Fibular and scapular reconstructions of maxillectomy defects provide unique strengths. This virtual analysis can guide a goal-oriented reconstruction based on defect type and patient-specific goals.

NTRK2 Fusion driven pediatric glioblastoma: Identification of oncogenic Drivers via integrative Genome and transcriptome profiling.

This is the first report of a NACC2-NTRK2 fusion in a histological glioblastoma. Oncogenomic analysis revealed this actionable fusion oncogene in a pediatric cerebellar glioblastoma, which would not have been identified through routine diagnostics, demonstrating the value of clinical genome profiling in cancer care.

Molecular subtypes of clear cell carcinoma of the endometrium: Opportunities for prognostic and predictive stratification.

OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to characterize the pathological, molecular and clinical outcomes of clear cell carcinoma of the endometrium (CCC). METHODS: CCC underwent ProMisE (Proactive Molecular Risk Classifier for Endometrial Cancer) classification identifying four molecular subtypes: i) 'POLEmut' for ECs with pathogenic POLE mutations, ii) 'MMRd', if there is loss of mismatch repair proteins by immunohistochemistry (IHC), iii) 'p53wt' or iv) 'p53abn' based on p53 IHC staining. Clinicopathologic parameters, immune markers (CD3, CD8, CD79a, CD138, PD-1), ER, L1CAM, and outcomes were assessed. RESULTS: 52 CCCs were classified, including 1 (2%) POLEmut, 5 (10%) MMRd, 28 (54%) p53wt and 18 (35%) p53abn. Women with p53abn and p53wt CCCs were older than women with MMRd and POLEmut subtypes. p53wt CCC were distinct from typical p53wt endometrioid carcinomas; more likely to arise in older, thinner women, with advanced stage disease, LVSI and lymph node involvement, and a higher proportion ER negative, L1CAM overexpressing tumors with markedly worse outcomes. High levels of immune infiltrates (TILhigh) were observed in 75% of the CCC cohort. L1CAM overexpression was highest within p53abn and p53wt subtypes of CCC. CONCLUSION: CCC is a heterogeneous disease encompassing all four molecular subtypes and a wide range of clinical outcomes. Outcomes of patients with POLEmut, MMRd and p53abn CCC are not distinguishable from those of other patients with these respective subtypes of EC; p53wt CCC, however, differ from endometrioid p53wt EC in clinical, pathological, molecular features and outcomes. Thus, p53wt CCC of endometrium appear to be a distinct clinicopathological entity within the larger group of p53wt ECs.

Older patients with differentiated thyroid cancer exhibit more aggressive pathological characteristics than younger patients

Summary: Differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) has long been recognized as having a worse prognosis in older people. We retrospectively evaluated the clinical and pathological characteristics of 973 sequentially treated patients with primary DTC stratified into 2 age groups, ≥ 55 or < 55 years, based on the current American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) DTC staging system. We found that older patients had a higher frequency of extrathyroidal cancer extension and larger cancers, and that their cancers were less commonly completely resectable.

Interpretation of somatic POLE mutations in endometrial carcinoma.

Pathogenic somatic missense mutations within the DNA polymerase epsilon (POLE) exonuclease domain define the important subtype of ultramutated tumours ('POLE-ultramutated') within the novel molecular classification of endometrial carcinoma (EC). However, clinical implementation of this classifier requires systematic evaluation of the pathogenicity of POLE mutations. To address this, we examined base changes, tumour mutational burden (TMB), DNA microsatellite instability (MSI) status, POLE variant frequency, and the results from six in silico tools on 82 ECs with whole-exome sequencing from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Of these, 41 had one of five known pathogenic POLE exonuclease domain mutations (EDM) and showed characteristic genomic alterations: C>A substitution > 20%, T>G substitutions > 4%, C>G substitutions < 0.6%, indels < 5%, TMB > 100 mut/Mb. A scoring system to assess these alterations (POLE-score) was developed; based on their scores, 7/18 (39%) additional tumours with EDM were classified as POLE-ultramutated ECs, and the six POLE mutations present in these tumours were considered pathogenic. Only 1/23 (4%) tumours with non-EDM showed these genomic alterations, indicating that a large majority of mutations outside the exonuclease domain are not pathogenic. The infrequent combination of MSI-H with POLE EDM led us to investigate the clinical significance of this association. Tumours with pathogenic POLE EDM co-existent with MSI-H showed genomic alterations characteristic of POLE-ultramutated ECs. In a pooled analysis of 3361 ECs, 13 ECs with DNA mismatch repair deficiency (MMRd)/MSI-H and a pathogenic POLE EDM had a 5-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) of 92.3%, comparable to previously reported POLE-ultramutated ECs. Additionally, 14 cases with non-pathogenic POLE EDM and MMRd/MSI-H had a 5-year RFS of 76.2%, similar to MMRd/MSI-H, POLE wild-type ECs, suggesting that these should be categorised as MMRd, rather than POLE-ultramutated ECs for prognostication. This work provides guidance on classification of ECs with POLE mutations, facilitating implementation of POLE testing in routine clinical care. © 2019 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.

Performance Characteristics of Endometrial Sampling in Diagnosis of Endometrial Carcinoma.

Outpatient endometrial biopsy can give false-negative results, with a 0.9% reported posttest probability for endometrial carcinoma (EC) after a negative result. Our objective was to determine if there has been any improvement in the performance characteristics of endometrial biopsy over the last 15 yr. All hysterectomy specimens with a diagnosis of EC or atypical hyperplasia (AH), reported between May 2011 and May 2015, were identified and cross-referenced for any negative endometrial sampling results during the 5 yr before hysterectomy. Negative endometrial samples were defined as either benign findings or insufficient/nondiagnostic, excluding those diagnosed as AH or EC and those for which follow-up sampling was recommended because of atypia. Of 1677 hysterectomy specimens showing AH or EC there were previous negative biopsies in 172: 116 benign and 56 insufficient/nondiagnostic. Over the same period 22,875 negative endometrial biopsy specimens were reported in our region. The posttest probability of having EC or AH in the hysterectomy specimen, given a negative endometrial biopsy result, was 0.74%. In a subset of 90 cases in which a negative biopsy was followed by a diagnosis of AH or EC in a hysterectomy specimen, the slides were independently reviewed. There were no cases where a diagnosis of carcinoma was missed. In 12 samples atypia or possible atypia was identified, and the level of agreement with the original diagnosis was excellent κ=0.83±0.05. In a prospective comparison of examination of 3 levels from each block versus a single slide in 319 cases, the routine preparation of additional slides did not yield clinically significant information. Although there has been evolution in the diagnostic criteria for AH and for recognition of morphologically subtle forms of AH or EC, our results demonstrate a significant lack of sensitivity of outpatient endometrial sampling in the diagnosis of endometrial malignancy/premalignancy. The sensitivity problems are mainly attributable to failure to sample abnormal endometrium. Independent review of slides or examination of additional levels did little to increase the diagnostic yield.

Molecular classification defines outcomes and opportunities in young women with endometrial carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: Approximately 15% of endometrial carcinomas (ECs) arise in young women who may wish to avoid surgical menopause and/or preserve fertility. Our aim was to evaluate the prognostic significance of Proactive Molecular risk classifier for Endometrial Carcinoma (ProMisE) in young (<50 yo) women with EC. METHODS: ProMisE was applied to a retrospective cohort of women with ECs <50 yo at diagnosis, and associations between the four ProMisE molecular subtypes (MMR deficient (MMRd), POLE mutated (POLE), p53 wild type (p53wt), and p53 abnormal (p53abn)) and clinicopathological parameters, including outcomes, were assessed. RESULTS: Of 257 ECs, there were 48 (19%) MMRd, 34 (13%) POLE, 164 (64%) p53wt and 11 (4%) p53abn. ProMisE subtypes were associated with differences in all measured clinicopathological parameters except for presence of synchronous ovarian tumours and fertility. Age at diagnosis was youngest and BMI highest in women with p53wt ECs. MMRd and p53abn tumours were more likely to be advanced stage (III/IV), high-risk (ESMO), and receive chemotherapy. ProMisE subtypes were strongly associated with outcomes (overall, disease-specific, and progression-free survival (p < 0.0001 for all)). Advanced stage, grade, LVSI, myometrial invasion and ESMO risk groups showed associations with some but not all survival parameters. ProMisE maintained a strong association with OS and DSS on multivariable analysis. CONCLUSIONS: ProMisE molecular classification is prognostic in young women with EC, enabling early stratification and risk assignment to direct care. Further studies can assess response to therapy, fertility, and cancer-related outcomes within the framework of molecular subtype.

Limited clinical utility of intraoperative frozen section during parathyroidectomy for treatment of primary hyperparathyroidism.

BACKGROUND: This study's objective was to evaluate the utility of intraoperative frozen section (IFS) performed during parathyroidectomy for treatment of primary hyperparathyroidism (PHP), and to identify patients for whom it is most helpful. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was carried out for all patients who underwent parathyroidectomy for treatment of PHP between January 2013 and June 2018. RESULTS: 262 patients made up the final study population. Overall, IFS provided information that influenced the operative plan in 46 patients (17.6%). IFS altered the operative plan in 10.2% of cases that were correctly preoperatively localized, and in 41.5% of cases that were either incorrectly or not preoperatively localized. CONCLUSIONS: IFS did not provide information that influenced the operative plan during parathyroidectomy for treatment of PHP for the majority of patients. Patients that present with normal PTH and hypercalcemia, or those who do not localize preoperatively, are most likely to benefit from IFS.

Molecular Classification of Grade 3 Endometrioid Endometrial Cancers Identifies Distinct Prognostic Subgroups.

Our aim was to investigate whether molecular classification can be used to refine prognosis in grade 3 endometrial endometrioid carcinomas (EECs). Grade 3 EECs were classified into 4 subgroups: p53 abnormal, based on mutant-like immunostaining (p53abn); MMR deficient, based on loss of mismatch repair protein expression (MMRd); presence of POLE exonuclease domain hotspot mutation (POLE); no specific molecular profile (NSMP), in which none of these aberrations were present. Overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates were compared using the Kaplan-Meier method (Log-rank test) and univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazard models. In total, 381 patients were included. The median age was 66 years (range, 33 to 96 y). Federation Internationale de Gynecologie et d'Obstetrique stages (2009) were as follows: IA, 171 (44.9%); IB, 120 (31.5%); II, 24 (6.3%); III, 50 (13.1%); IV, 11 (2.9%). There were 49 (12.9%) POLE, 79 (20.7%) p53abn, 115 (30.2%) NSMP, and 138 (36.2%) MMRd tumors. Median follow-up of patients was 6.1 years (range, 0.2 to 17.0 y). Compared to patients with NSMP, patients with POLE mutant grade 3 EEC (OS: hazard ratio [HR], 0.36 [95% confidence interval, 0.18-0.70]; P=0.003; RFS: HR, 0.17 [0.05-0.54]; P=0.003) had a significantly better prognosis; patients with p53abn tumors had a significantly worse RFS (HR, 1.73 [1.09-2.74]; P=0.021); patients with MMRd tumors showed a trend toward better RFS. Estimated 5-year OS rates were as follows: POLE 89%, MMRd 75%, NSMP 69%, p53abn 55% (Log rank P=0.001). Five-year RFS rates were as follows: POLE 96%, MMRd 77%, NSMP 64%, p53abn 47% (P=0.000001), respectively. In a multivariable Cox model that included age and Federation Internationale de Gynecologie et d'Obstetrique stage, POLE and MMRd status remained independent prognostic factors for better RFS; p53 status was an independent prognostic factor for worse RFS. Molecular classification of grade 3 EECs reveals that these tumors are a mixture of molecular subtypes of endometrial carcinoma, rather than a homogeneous group. The addition of molecular markers identifies prognostic subgroups, with potential therapeutic implications.

Disrupted Leptin Signaling in the Lateral Hypothalamus and Ventral Premammillary Nucleus Alters Insulin and Glucagon Secretion and Protects Against Diet-Induced Obesity.

Leptin signaling in the central nervous system, and particularly the arcuate hypothalamic nucleus, is important for regulating energy and glucose homeostasis. However, the roles of extra-arcuate leptin responsive neurons are less defined. In the current study, we generated mice with widespread inactivation of the long leptin receptor isoform in the central nervous system via Synapsin promoter-driven Cre (Lepr(flox/flox) Syn-cre mice). Within the hypothalamus, leptin signaling was disrupted in the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) and ventral premammillary nucleus (PMV) but remained intact in the arcuate hypothalamic nucleus and ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus, dorsomedial hypothalamic nucleus, and nucleus of the tractus solitarius. To investigate the role of LHA/PMV neuronal leptin signaling, we examined glucose and energy homeostasis in Lepr(flox/flox) Syn-cre mice and Lepr(flox/flox) littermates under basal and diet-induced obese conditions and tested the role of LHA/PMV neurons in leptin-mediated glucose lowering in streptozotocin-induced diabetes. Lepr(flox/flox) Syn-cre mice did not have altered body weight or blood glucose levels but were hyperinsulinemic and had enhanced glucagon secretion in response to experimental hypoglycemia. Surprisingly, when placed on a high-fat diet, Lepr(flox/flox) Syn-cre mice were protected from weight gain, glucose intolerance, and diet-induced hyperinsulinemia. Peripheral leptin administration lowered blood glucose in streptozotocin-induced diabetic Lepr(flox/flox) Syn-cre mice as effectively as in Lepr(flox/flox) littermate controls. Collectively these findings suggest that leptin signaling in LHA/PMV neurons is not critical for regulating glucose levels but has an indispensable role in the regulation of insulin and glucagon levels and, may promote the development of diet-induced hyperinsulinemia and weight gain.

Early infancy microbial and metabolic alterations affect risk of childhood asthma.

Asthma is the most prevalent pediatric chronic disease and affects more than 300 million people worldwide. Recent evidence in mice has identified a "critical window" early in life where gut microbial changes (dysbiosis) are most influential in experimental asthma. However, current research has yet to establish whether these changes precede or are involved in human asthma. We compared the gut microbiota of 319 subjects enrolled in the Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development (CHILD) Study, and show that infants at risk of asthma exhibited transient gut microbial dysbiosis during the first 100 days of life. The relative abundance of the bacterial genera Lachnospira, Veillonella, Faecalibacterium, and Rothia was significantly decreased in children at risk of asthma. This reduction in bacterial taxa was accompanied by reduced levels of fecal acetate and dysregulation of enterohepatic metabolites. Inoculation of germ-free mice with these four bacterial taxa ameliorated airway inflammation in their adult progeny, demonstrating a causal role of these bacterial taxa in averting asthma development. These results enhance the potential for future microbe-based diagnostics and therapies, potentially in the form of probiotics, to prevent the development of asthma and other related allergic diseases in children.

Coagulation factor XIIIa is inactivated by plasmin.

Coagulation factor XIIIa (FXIIIa) is a transglutaminase that covalently cross-links fibrin and other proteins to fibrin to stabilize blood clots and reduce blood loss. A clear mechanism to describe the physiological inactivation of FXIIIa has been elusive. Here, we show that plasmin can cleave FXIIIa in purified systems and in blood. Whereas zymogen FXIII was not readily cleaved by plasmin, FXIIIa was rapidly cleaved and inactivated by plasmin in solution (catalytic efficiency = 8.3 × 10(3) M(-1)s(-1)). The primary cleavage site identified by mass spectrometry was between K468 and Q469. Both plasma- and platelet-derived FXIIIa were susceptible to plasmin-mediated degradation. Inactivation of FXIIIa occurred during clot lysis and was enhanced both in plasma deficient in fibrinogen and in plasma treated with therapeutic levels of tissue plasminogen activator. These results indicate that FXIIIa activity can be modulated by fibrinolytic enzymes, and suggest that changes in fibrinolytic activity may influence cross-linking of blood proteins.