ABSTRACT
This study aims to evaluate histopathologic alterations and the presence of chronic histiocytic intervillositis in first-trimester coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19)-positive pregnancies ending in abortion, compared with those at a similar gestational week and undergoing curettage before the pandemic. This retrospective case-control study consisted of 9 patients who were infected with COVID-19 and undergoing curettage for abortion between April 2020 and January 2021. The control group consisted of 34 patients with a similar gestational age who underwent curettage for abortion before August 2019. Demographic and clinical data were recorded. A histopathologic examination of the placental specimens was performed. The CD68 immunostaining was performed to detect intravillous and intervillous histiocytes. At the time of diagnosis of COVID 19, 7 patients (77.8%) of COVID-19-positive women had symptoms with the most common symptoms of fatigue (66.7%) and cough (55.6%). Histopathologic examination revealed that the rate of intravillous and intervillous calcification, intervillous fibrinoid deposition, hydropic villi and acute lymphocytic villitis, and fetal and maternal thrombi was significantly higher in the COVID-19-positive patients than the control group ( P =0.049, 0.002, 0.049, 0.014, 0.008, 0.001, and 0.014, respectively). There was a significant difference in the CD68 staining of the intravillous and intervillous histiocytes between the groups ( P =0.001). This study showed a significant increase in the intervillous fibrinoid deposition, thrombi formation in the maternal and fetal vascular structures, acute lymphocytic villitis, and an increase of CD68 + stained histiocytes in the intravillous and intervillous spaces in women infected with COVID-19 during the first trimester of pregnancy.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND/AIMS: The aim of this multicenter study was to investigate cyclooxygenase-2 protein expression in gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors and to examine the relationship to various clinicopathological parameters. METHODOLOGY: Thirty-seven gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumor specimens were analyzed immunohistochemically. Correlations between expression and some parameters such as age, sex, tumor size, location, presence of multiple neuroendocrine tumor, lymphatic/vascular/muscularis propria invasion and lymph node metastases were evaluated. Results were interpreted as significant if p < 0.05. RESULTS: Mean age of patients (15 men/22 women) was 52 +/- 17. Tumor size varied between 0.1 and 12 cm. (mean; 3.17 +/- 3.29 cm). Expression was detected in 75% of cases and in 92% of gastric neuroendocrine tumors. Expression in mixed endocrine and non-endocrine carcinomas was found to be significantly higher than in well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumors and carcinomas (p = 0.016). A relationship was observed between overexpression and lymphatic and vascular invasion (p = 0.029). However, no significant correlation was found between expression and sex, tumor location, size, muscularis propria invasion and lymph node metastasis. CONCLUSIONS: Cyclooxygenase-2 expression may play a role in the evolution of gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. However, further studies are necessary to determine the importance of this role, prognostic relevance and whether cyclooxygenase isoenzyme can be a target for treatment in these tumors.
