Spindle epithelial tumor with thymus-like differentiation: a case report and review of literature.

UNLABELLED: Spindle epithelial tumor with thymus-like differentiation (SETTLE) is an extremely rare type of thyroid tumor with fewer than 35 reported cases available in the literature so far, most of them having been diagnosed histologically after resection. The tumor is believed to be derived from branchial-pouch or thymic remnants, occurring in young adults, predominantly in males, with a male:female ratio 1.8:1. CASE: A 14-year-old girl presented with a nodular mass in her right thyroid that had been present for 1 year. Ultrasonological study revealed a heterogeneous solid mass (2.5 × 1.5 × 1.5 cm) in the right lobe of the thyroid. Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) smears were highly cellular and comprised of predominantly dissociated uniform spindle cells with naked oval nuclei along with some aggregates and groups. Occasional islands of epithelial cells were also present. Cytologically, the spindle cells had bland nuclear chromatin, with very scanty mitotic figures. Upon examination of the FNA smears, a provisional diagnosis of SETTLE was suggested along with a request for an incisional biopsy to rule out another differential diagnosis of medullary carcinoma thyroid. On the resected tissue specimen, diagnosis was histologically confirmed to be SETTLE. Immunohistochemical study revealed a strong and diffuse positivity for high-molecular-weight keratin and vimentin, and negativity for thyroglobulin, calcitonin, S-100 protein, desmin, chromogranin and synaptophysin. CONCLUSION: Cytologically, SETTLE can safely be considered, especially if spindle elements are observed along with the occasional group of epithelial cells in FNA smears from the thyroid of young adults. It can help in the preoperative recognition of lesions based on distinctive cytomorphological features and immunohistochemical characteristics, allowing a more sound therapeutic approach because these patients can present with delayed metastasis.

Iminodiacetic acid functionalized cation exchange resin for adsorptive removal of Cr(VI), Cd(II), Ni(II) and Pb(II) from their aqueous solutions.

Iminodiacetic acid functionality has been introduced on styrene-divinyl benzene co-polymeric beads and characterized by FT-IR in order to develop weak acid based cation exchange resin. This resin was evaluated for the removal of different heavy metal ions namely Cd(II), Cr(VI), Ni(II) and Pb(II) from their aqueous solutions. The results showed greater affinity of resin towards Cr(VI) for which 99.7% removal achieved in optimal conditions following the order Ni(II)>Pb(II)>Cd(II) with 65%, 59% and 28% removal. Experiments were also directed towards kinetic studies of adsorption and found to follow first order reversible kinetic model with the overall rate constants 0.3250, 0.2393, 0.4290 and 0.2968 for Cr(VI), Ni(II), Pb(II) and Cd(II) removal respectively. Detailed studies of Cr(VI) removal has been carried out to see the effect of pH, resin dose and metal ion concentration on adsorption and concluded that complexation enhanced the chromium removal efficacy of resin drastically, which is strongly pH dependent. The findings were also supported by the comparison of FT-IR spectra of neat resin with the chromium-adsorbed resin.

Aspiration vs nonaspiration technique of cytodiagnosis--a critical evaluation in 160 cases.

The two sampling techniques were studied in 160 randomly selected cases of superficial swellings in various sites of the body. They were sampled by fine needle aspiration (FNA) and by non-aspiration (NA) (a needle without application of aspiration pressure). Cell samples were cytologically assessed and critically evaluated using five objective parameters. Contamination with blood was more in lymphnode, thyroid and liver lesions in aspiration smears than NA smears and values were statistically significant. Similarly when compared for the degree of cellular trauma and cellular degeneration statistically significant better results were obtained by nonaspiration technique for lymphnode lesions. Regarding amount of cellular material obtained by FNA, statistical significant better results were found for breast lesions only. Statistically significant better maintenance of architecture was observed only for thyroid lesions by NA technique. Better average scores were observed by NA technique for lymphnode and thyroid only. Categorizing all the smears obtained by FNA & NA on the basis of their scores according to predetermined criteria, greater number of diagnostically adequate specimens were obtained by FNA than by NA but the number of diagnostically superior specimens obtained by NA technique was found to be more than that by FNA. The difference was found to be statistically significant. However the number of inadequate smears was also more by NA technique than by FNA technique.

Comment on analyzing flow cytometric data for comparison of mean values of the coefficient of variation of the G1 peak.

BACKGROUND: The coefficient of variation (CV) is often used to characterize and summarize the flow cytometry analysis of nuclear DNA of the Go/G1 peak in a cell population within an individual organism. CV values are frequently used in subsequent statistical analysis to compare experimental groups of individuals. METHODS: We explain why the conventional analysis of variance, linear comparisons and regressions that employ the F and t-tests are not appropriate for analyzing CV data sets. The weighted least squares procedure which utilizes the chi-square test is presented as an adequate method. We further explain why this type of data needs to be analyzed by this procedure. RESULTS: To illustrate the application of the weighted least squares procedure, we analyzed a real data set that had been previously analyzed by conventional methods. We found that a non-significant result (p = 1) using the latter was significant when re-analyzed with the weighted least squares procedure (p = 0.032). CONCLUSIONS: Significant differences between treatments established by the weighted least squares often go unidentified by the conventional analysis. Use of the weighted least squares procedure is recommended for analyzing CV data sets.

Hidden cases of leprosy (in prison)

Leprosy survey conducted in eight prisons in seven districts of Bihar State revealed a prevalence of 13.3 per 1000 which was 12 times more than the recorded prevalence of leprosy in the State. Thus this finding supports the view that prisons could form a hyperendemic pocket for leprosy. Regular NLEP services need to be extended to the inmates of the prisons.

Estimating analytical variances in measurement of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and application to monitoring contaminants in American lobster (Homarus americanus).

A method is presented for estimating replicate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations in American lobster (Homarus americanus) digestive gland tissue based on recoveries of added perdeuterated surrogates from a single satisfactory analysis. PAH concentrations demonstrated a large interanimal variance, even in specimens captured at the same time in the same place. Principal component analysis showed that the variability of the total system of biological variables (carapace length, lobster weight, and digestive gland weight) could be adequately summarized by the first principal component alone in each data set. Ranks provide ordered classification of individuals, allowing data analysis by statistical methods for continuous variables (i.e., analysis of variance). PAH concentrations in individual lobsters were generally highly sensitive to animal size, sex, and fishing area. Efficient monitoring would result from analyzing individual animals of a single sex from a study area, using as small a geographical study area as possible, measuring a single biological variable, and using individual specimens of as narrow a size range as possible.

Multi-laboratory study of measurement of chlorobiphenyls and other organochlorines in fish oil.

Analysts participating in a multi-laboratory comparative study were asked to identify 4 chlorobiphenyls (CBs) supplied in neat form, to measure the amounts of these present in spiked and unspiked fish oil, to measure other CBs and organochlorines in the unspiked fish oil, and to compare results for their own standard solution and those for standard solutions prepared from the supplied CB compounds. Comparisons were done for a common supplied method and the individual methods used in each laboratory. Participants had no trouble identifying 2,2',5,5'-tetrachlorobiphenyl, 2,2',4,5,5'-pentachlorobiphenyl, and 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl. Most misidentified 2,2',3,4,5-pentachlorobiphenyl. Approximately one-half of the quantitative comparisons between participants' standards and those prepared from the supplied CBs differed by more than 10%. Two standards prepared from one of the CBs differed by an average of 6.6% (range 0.0-24.5%). Recoveries of added CBs from the fish oil ranged from 24 to 294% for spikes of 63-85 ng/g with no clear distinction between results for the common method vs individual laboratory methods. The common methodology gave a lower coefficient of variation (CV) for most other CBs and organochlorines, but in most cases the CVs for the individual CBs were not smaller than that for Aroclor 1254 equivalents.