Localized Cutaneous Argyria at the Site of a Prior Melanoma Excision Confirmed by Scanning Electron Microscopy With Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis.

ABSTRACT: Localized cutaneous argyria is a rare condition caused by the accumulation of silver particles in the skin, leading to blue-gray discoloration. Argyria may mimic melanoma and lead to misdiagnosis. We present a patient with a history of melanoma that developed a blue-gray nodule at a prior melanoma graft. The diagnosis was confirmed using scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive x-ray analysis. These techniques differentiate argyria from melanoma and can be performed on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded, tissue sections. Health care providers should be alert that argyria may mimic recurrent melanoma in patients unaware of silver exposure.

Cryopreservation of Anopheles stephensi embryos.

The ability to cryopreserve mosquitoes would revolutionize work on these vectors of major human infectious diseases by conserving stocks, new isolates, lab-bred strains, and transgenic lines that currently require continuous life cycle maintenance. Efforts over several decades to develop a method for cryopreservation have, until now, been fruitless: we describe here a method for the cryopreservation of Anopheles stephensi embryos yielding hatch rates of ~ 25%, stable for > 5 years. Hatched larvae developed into fertile, fecund adults and blood-fed females, produced fully viable second generation eggs, that could be infected with Plasmodium falciparum at high intensities. The key components of the cryopreservation method are: embryos at 15-30 min post oviposition, two incubation steps in 100% deuterated methanol at - 7 °C and - 14.5 °C, and rapid cooling. Eggs are recovered by rapid warming with concomitant dilution of cryoprotectant. Eggs of genetically modified A. stephensi and of A. gambiae were also successfully cryopreserved. This enabling methodology will allow long-term conservation of mosquitoes as well as acceleration of genetic studies and facilitation of mass storage of anopheline mosquitoes for release programs.

Recommendations for Counseling and Education of Service Members on Endemic African Cutaneous Kaposi Sarcoma: A Case Study.

We report a case of Endemic African Cutaneous Kaposi Sarcoma (EACKS) on the lower extremity of an immunocompetent 31-yr-old male service member from Cameroon. Diagnosis was made using clinical and histologic findings. The service member was treated with local radiation therapy with resolution of his tumor.The goal of this article is to educate practitioners to counsel susceptible service members and leadership on the risk of developing EACKS when traveling to Sub-Saharan Africa, monitor for disease development, and guide in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with this rare disease.

Intramuscular lipoma: a review of the literature.

Lipomas are the most common type of soft tissue mesenchymal tumors. They are typically located subcutaneously and consist of mature fatty tissue. When they occur under the enclosing fascia, they are called deep-seated lipomas. Infrequently, lipomas can arise inside the muscle and are called intramuscular lipomas. Intramuscular lipomas have been commonly investigated and categorized in the same group as other deep-seated and superficial lipomatous lesions. Their clinical, histological and imaging characteristics may resemble well-differentiated liposarcomas, further adding to the difficulties in the differential diagnosis. This article summarizes the available literature and describes the typical epidemiological, pathological and clinical features of intramuscular lipomas, as well as delineating their treatment and prognosis.

Vector competence of Aedes albopictus from Virginia and Georgia for chikungunya virus isolated in the Comoros Islands, 2005.

We evaluated recently colonized samples from Virginia and Georgia (USA) of Aedes albopictus, an important vector of chikungunya virus (CHIKV), to determine whether they became infected with and transmitted COM125, a CHIKV isolate from the Comoros Islands. Seven days after imbibing an infective blood meal containing a minimum of 8.5×10(4) plaque-forming units (pfu)/mL, 31-86% of A. albopictus from the counties of Fairfax, Loudon, Rockingham, and Suffolk, Virginia, and Fulton, Georgia were infected. The average viral titer per mosquito was 1.1×10(4) pfu/mL (2×10(2)-3.3×10(4)). We detected CHIKV in salivary expectorate of infected mosquitoes from Rockingham (8%), Fulton (22%), and Loudon (48%) counties 7 days after blood feeding. Because CHIKV has no vaccines or specific antiviral treatments, vector control and education are critical to prevent its transmission. We discuss how local populations of A. albopictus could transmit CHIKV introduced to the southeastern USA from the Indian Ocean or Indian Subcontinent.