A case of intestinal MALToma with co-existent tuberculosis and Peutz-Jeghers polyp.

A 22-year-old male patient underwent a segmental resection of the ileum due to clinical symptoms of bowel obstruction and radiological evidence of ileal wall thickening and enlarged mesenteric nodes. Histopathological examination of the resected specimen revealed an extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma(MALToma) of the intestine and tuberculous lesions along with a solitary Peutz-Jeghers polyp. The case is presented for its rarity and to stress upon the clinical and radiological challenges that arise when lymphomas and tuberculous lesions co-exist at the same site.

Domestic microwave versus conventional tissue processing: a quantitative and qualitative analysis.

BACKGROUND: Microwave irradiation has been tried as a replacement for the conventional tissue processing technique in histopathology laboratories for quite some time. Studies have shown that Domestic Microwave Tissue Processing (DMWTP) provides a faster delivery of the tissue sections with a morphology which is similar to that which is seen Conventional Tissue Processing (CTP). But many laboratories still confine the domestic microwave tissue processing method only to the handle selected specimens, for which urgent reports are needed. One of the probable reasons is that, understanding about the number of tissue sections which can be processed using a microwave oven at a time, with the appropriate quality, still remains unclear. AIM: The aim of this study was to quantitatively analyze the optimum number of samples that a domestic microwave could process at a time, as well as to qualitatively analyze the morphological outcome of those tissue sections with that of conventional processing. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was approved by the research and ethical committee of Sree Balaji Medical College and Hospital. A total of 135 paired tissue sections were included in the study. Ten tissue sections (which are mentioned hereafter as A10) were processed in a domestic microwave and their paired 10 tissues were processed by a conventional method. Subsequently, the number of tissues which was to be processed was increased to B15, C20, D25, E30 and F35, after ascertaining that the morphological qualities of the previously processed tissue sections were satisfactory. Sections of 4 µm thickness were taken and they were stained by the Haematoxylin and Eosin method. The slides of the tissues which were processed by the microwave method and the conventional method were randomly numbered, for a blind study, which were independently evaluated by two observers. The qualities of slides were assessed, based on 4 parameters: the cytoplasmic details, the nuclear details, the tissue architecture and the staining characteristics. The statistical analysis was done by using SPSS 15.0. RESULTS: The morphological outcomes (quality) of the DMWTPs were comparable to that of the CTPs, when the sample load (quantity) in the microwave oven was up to 25 samples. CONCLUSION: Domestic microwave processing can be effectively used in laboratories with a maximum sample size of 25 samples per load. This has the advantage of being rapid, with its morphological quality being identical to that of conventional processing.

The reference intervals for the haematological parameters in healthy adult population of chennai, southern India.

BACKGROUND: The haematological parameters are influenced by various factors like age, ethnicity, diet, genetic and gender differences and hence it is important to define the specific reference values with regards to the age, gender and the region. The indices like the Red Cell Distribution Width (RDW), the Mean Platelet Volume (MPV) and the Platelet Distribution Width (PDW) are newer haematological parameters which are calculated by automated haematology analyzers. There is an increasing evidence that these are clinically valuable bio markers. But not many studies have estimated the reference intervals for these parameters in our population. AIM AND OBJECTIVE: Our primary objective was to identify the gender specific reference intervals for RDW, MPV, PDW and other haematological parameters for the healthy adult population of our region. We also aimed at comparing the study reference intervals with the existing reference ranges. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective review of 2443 medical case sheets of the individuals who attended the preventive health check up program in a tertiary care hospital in the year 2011, was done. With 500 subjects who satisfied our study criteria, the haematological reference intervals were established. RESULTS: Gender specific reference intervals were established for the newer indices as well as for the other haematological parameters. We derived the reference intervals for the newer parameters in our population as: RDW: 12.23%-15.36% in males and 12.3%-15.85% in females. MPV: 7.9 fL-13.7 fL in males and 8 fL -13.28 fL in females PDW: 9 fL -16.56 fL in males and 8 fL -13.28 fL in females. CONCLUSION: Our values differed from the existing haematological reference values, thus showing the importance of developing region-specific reference intervals. Our data also showed the importance of establishing gender specific reference intervals.