Psoriasiform lesions of glans and palms: A rare presentation in secondary syphilis.

Erythematous scaly papules on the palms and soles are a common manifestation of secondary syphilis. We report a case of 19-year-old male who presented with erythematous, scaly, psoriasiform lesions over the palms and glans penis. The papules over the palms showed tenderness on blunt vertical pressure. There was a history of sexual contact and ulcer over the glans around 2 months back, which resolved on its own. Venereal Disease Research Laboratory test was positive in 1:32 dilution. Treponema pallidum hemagglutination test was also positive. This case highlights the atypical presentation of secondary syphilis.

An Immunohistochemical and Polarizing Microscopic Study of the Tumor Microenvironment in Varying Grades of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Invasion of epithelial cells into the connective tissue brings about massive morphological and architectural changes in the underlying stroma. Myofibroblasts reorganize the stroma to facilitate the movement of tumor cells leading to metastasis. The aim of this study was to determine the number and pattern of distribution of myofibroblasts and the qualitative and quantitative change that they cause in the collagen present in the stroma in various grades of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). METHODS: The study was divided into two groups with group I (test group, 65 cases) consisting of 29 cases of well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma, 25 moderately differentiated SCC, and 11 poorly differentiated SCC, and group II (control group) consisting of 11 cases of normal mucosa. Sections from each sample were stained with anti-α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) antibodies, hematoxylin and eosin, and Picrosirius red. Several additional sections from each grade of OSCC were stained with Masson's trichrome to observe the changes in collagen. For the statistical analysis, Fisher's exact test, Tukey's post hoc honest significant difference test, ANOVA, and the chi-square test were used, and p < .05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: As the tumor stage progressed, an increase in the intensity α-SMA expression was seen, and the network pattern dominated in more dedifferentiated carcinomas. The collagen fibers became thin, loosely packed, and haphazardly aligned with progressing cancer. Additionally, the mean area fraction decreased, and the fibers attained a greenish yellow hue and a weak birefringence when observed using polarizing light microscopy. CONCLUSIONS: Myofibroblasts bring about numerous changes in collagen. As cancer progresses, there isincrease in pathological collagen,which enhances the movement of cells within the stroma.

A case of giant lupus vulgaris.

Lupus vulgaris, the commonest form of tuberculosis of the skin, presents with a plaque that enlarges slowly with advancing edges while showing atrophy at other areas. It may be acquired by the blood stream, via lymph, by contiguous spread or from external inoculation. We describe a case of lupus vulgaris with a large erythematous-scaly plaque of 44 × 26 cm over the back and a similar 7 × 5 cm plaque over the right thigh. The plaque over the back was gradually progressive for the previous ten years and showed scarring and atrophy at places. Histopathology of the area showed caseating granulomas with Langhans giant cells, epitheloid cells and lymphocytes. A diagnosis of lupus vulgaris was made. This case is being presented owing to the large size of the lesion.

Retiform Hemangioendothelioma of the Gluteal Region: A Case Report.

Retiform hemangioendothelioma is a locally aggressive, rarely metastasizing, low-grade angiosarcoma characterized by intercommunicating vascular channels lined by hobnail or cuboidal endothelial cells, flanked by lymphocyte and hyaline sclerosis. Neoplastic endothelial cells usually express von Willebrand factor, CD31 and CD34, while the lymphocytic infiltrate shows a mixture of CD3+, T and CD20+ B cells. The authors describe a case of a 76-year-old female who presented with a soft, painless, ill-defined mass measuring 9 cm in her right gluteal region for the past 15 years, clinically suggestive of a lipoma. There was no regional lymphadenopathy. The mass was resected and sent for histopathological examination. The slow-growing lesion and the typical histomorphology led to the diagnosis of retiform hemangioendothelioma. The diagnosis was confirmed by immunohistochemistry using CD34 antibody, which strongly stained the endothelial cells. The patient was followed up for 6 months after the surgery and no recurrence was noted.

Disseminated cysticercosis incidentally diagnosed in a patient of fracture shaft of femur.

Cysticercosis is caused by the larval form of Taenia solium tape worm, cysticercus cellulose. The life cycle of T. solium consists of 2 host, the definite host is a man who harbours the adult forms of the worm in the intestine, while the intermediate host is the pig, where the larval form (cysticercus cellulose) is found in the skeletal muscle. Cysticercosis develops when human beings incidentally become the intermediate host and the eggs mature within their small intestine. The route of entry of the eggs into the human intestine may occur through autoinfection or by ingestion of contaminated food or water. Further, these eggs develop into the larval form which spread throughout the intestinal wall and are disseminated by the blood stream to brain, muscles, subcutaneous tissues or any other organ. Until now, only 50 cases of disseminated forms have been reported in the literature, with the majority of the cases being from Indian subcontinent. Regarding the clinical presentations, symptoms usually depend on the location, size and number of cysts in the involved lesion. However, it may present occasionally with dementia, muscular hypertrophy or subcutaneous nodules with relative absence of focal neurological signs or raised intracranial pressure. We, here, report a case of disseminated cysticercosis, detected incidentally in a man aged 52 years who presented with an open fracture of the right femur.

Disseminated cryptococcosis in an immunocompetent child.

Cryptococcus is a ubiquitous fungus and is known for causing meningitis and cutaneous infections in immunocompromised individuals. Disseminated cryptococcal infection is very rare and almost always found to occur in immunocompromised individuals especially in persons infected with HIV. This is particularly attributed to its capsulated spores. But there are few reported cases in which it has been found to cause disseminated infections even in immunocompetent individuals. We report a similar case of disseminated cryptococcal infection in an immunocompetent host. Early detection and treatment of disseminated cryptococcosis is essential to reduce morbidity and for better outcome.

Laryngeal histoplasmosis.

Histoplasmosis is a fungal infection, having interesting synonyms such as Cave disease, Darling's disease, Ohio Valley disease, reticuloendotheliosis, Spelunker's lung and Caver's disease. The aetiological agent is a dimorphic fungus, Histoplasma capsulatum, causing chronic granulomatous disease. The route of transmission is by inhalation of dust particles from soil contaminated by excrement of birds or bats, harbouring the small spores or microconidia, which is considered the infectious form of fungus. The spectrum of illness ranges from subclinical infection of the lung to progressive disseminated disease. The major bulk of histoplasmosis infections are asymptomatic or present with mild influenza like illness and involve immunocompetent individuals. However, the immunocompromised or immunodeficient cases have disseminated/haematogenous infections with multiple organs involved and are usually fatal unless treated immediately. Laryngeal involvement is associated with the disseminated form of the disease. Histoplasmosis of larynx is a rare entity and poses diagnostic difficulty to otolaryngologists because clinically it may be mistaken for malignancy. We report an unusual case of laryngeal histoplasmosis in a man aged 60 years who presented with provisional diagnosis of tuberculosis/malignancy.

Ultrastructural pathology of human liver in Rift Valley fever.

Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a zoonotic disease that primarily affects ruminant animals and can also cause fatal disease in humans. In the current report, we present the ultrastructural changes in the liver of a man aged 60 years who died from RVF in the Aseer Central Hospital, Abha, Saudi Arabia. The main hepatic changes by transmission electron microscopy included the presence of 95-115 nm electron-dense particles consistent with RVF virions, nuclear condensation, vacuolar degeneration, lipid droplet accumulation and mitochondrial damage and dilation. There were also viral inclusion bodies with electron-dense aggregates, dilation of intercellular spaces, damage of sinusoidal microvilli with widening of space of Disse, dilation of bile canaliculi and increasing number of phagolysosomes.