Nodular cutaneous amyloidosis.

A 56-year-old white man presented with a lesion on the right shoulder. The lesion developed during a short period and recently became irritated with occasional bleeding and mild pruritus. The patient denied pain. Medical history included melanoma, nonmelanoma skin cancer, diabetes mellitus type II, hyperlipidemia, multinodular thyroid goiter, and obesity. Medications and family and social history were noncontributory. Review of systems was negative. Examination revealed a slightly raised, friable yellow-pink waxy plaque located on the right shoulder (Figure 1). There was no evidence of excoriation, secondary infection, drainage, scale, crust, atrophy, lichenification, or telangiectasia. The patient had no mucosal or nail changes and the remainder of his skin examination was normal. A shave biopsy on the right shoulder revealed a nodular deposit of homogenous eosinophilic material associated with extravasated erythrocytes within the dermis. An infiltrate of lymphocytes and plasma cells was associated with the deposits. Immunohistochemical stains revealed positive plasma cells with kappa light chain and negative with lambda light chain. Congo red stain was positive and supported the diagnosis. The findings were consistent with nodular cutaneous amyloidosis (NCA) of the amyloid light-type. Initial work-up included referrals to hematology/oncology and to general surgery. The patient had a complete blood cell count (CBC), complete metabolic profile (CMP), serum protein electrophoresis (S-PEP), urine protein electrophoresis (U-PEP), 24-hour urine creatinine clearance, and protein, serum immunoglobulins and 132 microglobulin. These were all within normal limits. Abdominal/pelvic computed tomography and positron emission tomography scan also were within normal limits. Bone marrow biopsy showed no abnormalities. The patient underwent both an abdominal fat pad biopsy as well as a colonoscopy with rectal biopsy. Both were negative for amyloidosis. Initially, the patient's cutaneous amyloidosis remained localized and mild pruritus was controlled with low potency topical steroids. The patient was closely monitored by hematology/oncology and general surgery on a biannual basis to assess the possibility of progression to systemic amyloidosis. Over the course of the subsequent two years, the patient developed multiple similar lesions across the back, shoulders, and chest, which were biopsied and found to be consistent with NCA. Progression of the cutaneous nodules led to disfiguring, painful, and friable pink to yellow waxy papules coalescing into plaques with obvious hemorrhage diffusely over the trunk (Figure 2). In lieu of the painful and disfiguring progression of disease, the patient desired a more aggressive treatment plan. At present, the treatment option recommended to the patient is carbon dioxide laser ablation. Hematology/oncology recommendation consists of a general systemic amyloid reevaluation annually, including CBC, CMP, S-PEP, U-PEP, 24-hour urine collection with creatinine clearance, and history and physical examination.

Cutaneous amyloidosis.

Amyloidosis is generally classified as either systemic or cutaneous, with both primary and secondary forms. There are also heredofamilial and hemodialysis-associated varieties of amyloidosis, all with specific amyloid fibril derivatives. Nodular cutaneous amyloidosis is the most rare form of primary cutaneous amyloidosis. Lesions typically present as a crusted nodule on the face, extremities, or acral sites. The amyloid fibrils are immunoglobulin-derived and either kappa or lambda light chains. Systemic involvement is dependent on plasma cell amyloid protein deposition. Lesions may otherwise be classified as a local plasma cell clone or cutaneous plasmacytoma. Recent reports state that there is <10% risk of systemic progression. Workup should include at least a full history and physical examination; serum protein electrophoresis and urine protein electrophoresis; and gingival, rectal, or abdominal fat pad biopsies to rule out the presence of extracutaneous amyloid deposition. Management of nodular cutaneous amyloidosis is challenging, as there is no consistently effective treatment and local recurrence is common.

Subcutaneous fat necrosis/panniculitis and polyarthritis associated with acinar cell carcinoma of the pancreas: a rare presentation of pancreatitis, panniculitis and polyarthritis syndrome.

An 82-year-old man presented with a two-week history of three painful, inflamed nodules on his lower extremities with symmetric arthritis of multiple joints. He was under the care of hospice for end-stage acinar cell carcinoma of the pancreas. His serum amylase and lipase levels were markedly elevated. An incisional biopsy revealed lobular inflammation of subcutaneous fat, focal fat necrosis with saponification/ghost cells and scattered foreign-body type giant cells consistent with pancreatic fat necrosis/pancreatic panniculitis. This is hypothesized to be initiated by autodigestion of subcutaneous fat secondary to systemic spillage of excess digestive pancreatic enzymes. Enzymes such as amylase, lipase and trypsin are increased in the bloodstream and can affect remote tissues, such as the subcutaneous fat and articular surfaces of joints. This report, along with the patient's clinical findings, was consistent with PPP syndrome: pancreatic disease, polyarthritis and panniculitis. Although the pancreatic disease of PPP syndrome usually includes pancreatitis, this case represents a report of polyarthritis and panniculitis occurring in the presence of pancreatic carcinoma.

Gender dimorphism in differential peripheral blood leukocyte counts in mice using cardiac, tail, foot, and saphenous vein puncture methods.

BACKGROUND: In many animal models that investigate the pathology of various diseases, there is a need to monitor leukocyte counts and differentials. However, various researchers use a range of different techniques in male and female laboratory animals to collect such blood variable information. These studies are then compared to one another without consideration of the possibility that different bleeding sites or techniques as well as gender may produce varying results. In light of this, the peripheral blood leukocyte counts and differentials of C57BL/6 male and female mice were determined using four blood-sampling techniques: cardiac, tail, foot, and saphenous vein punctures. METHODS: Blood smears were prepared and stained with Wright-stain for differential cell analysis. The total number of peripheral blood leukocytes was determined with the aid of a hemocytometer. Applying ANOVA and Student t-test analysis made comparisons between groups. RESULTS: The total leukocyte counts obtained using the cardiac puncture method were significantly lower as compared to the other three blood sources; saphenous, tail and foot. There were no significant differences between leukocyte counts of blood samples collected from the tail, saphenous, and foot. Additionally, no significant differences were observed in total leukocyte counts between male and female mice. Differential analysis showed lymphocytes as the predominant cell type present in the peripheral blood of both male and female mice, comprising 75-90% of the total leukocytes. While no significant differences were observed between male and female differential counts of blood collected from saphenous and tail veins, a significant difference in differential counts of blood obtained via cardiac puncture was observed between the male and female groups, suggesting the role of sex hormones. Further, of the four methods, cardiac puncture appeared to be the fastest and more reliable technique, yielding the maximum blood volume with the least amount of stress being exerted on the sampling site. CONCLUSIONS: This information suggests that in studies concerning leukocyte counts and differentials, the animal gender and the sampling site of blood collection should be kept consistent as to avoid introducing any misleading experimental variation, and that cardiac puncture is the best method of blood collection in mice.