Superficial CD34-Positive Fibroblastic Tumor: A Case Series and a Review of Literature.

Superficial CD34-positive fibroblastic tumor (SCD34PFBT) is a recently recognized neoplasm of mesenchymal origin. Only a few cases have been reported in the literature so far. Microscopically, it consists of a dermal spindle cell neoplasm, with low mitotic activity, arranged in a fascicular pattern. The individual neoplastic cells show marked nuclear atypia, nuclear pseudo-inclusions, and dense eosinophilic cytoplasm. The tumor cells characteristically show positivity for CD34 immunohistochemical stain. This tumor behaves as a low-grade malignancy with potential to recur locally, with rare cases showing lymph node metastasis. Wide local excision and regular follow-up are the currently followed steps for management. This tumor serves as a diagnostic challenge due to its overt atypia, and it can be misdiagnosed as a sarcoma. Recognition of this entity among pathologists is important due to this reason. We hereby report four cases of this newly recognized entity.

Renal Leiomyosarcoma: Unraveling the Mysteries of a Rare Malignancy.

Primary leiomyosarcoma is a rare malignant kidney tumor. The diagnosis of this disease is usually made on the basis of histological examination because it lacks specific clinical or radiological characteristics. Differentiation between leiomyosarcoma and sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma can be challenging because spindle cell morphology is observed in both tumors. Therefore, caution should be exercised when making a diagnosis of primary renal leiomyosarcoma. Both renal sarcoma and sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma have a worse prognosis, and nephrectomy is the treatment of choice in locally resectable tumors. An example of such a tumor is discussed in relation to its diagnostic challenges. We report a case of a 35-year-old female who presented with a left renal mass. A left radical nephrectomy was performed, and a firm, tan-white, lobulated tumor (14x8x7.5 cm) was present on gross examination. A histological diagnosis of high-grade leiomyosarcoma was made on the basis of histology, positivity for caldesmon and desmin, and negative cytokeratin immunostaining. Sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma was ruled out based on morphological findings after extensive sampling of the tumor along with negativity for CK, CD-10, and carbonic anhydrase IX immunostaining.

Histopathological Spectrum of Ovarian Neoplasms: A Single-Center Study.

Introduction Among female genital tract-related malignancies, ovarian tumors are the leading cause of mortality. The present study was conducted to identify the various histopathological spectrums of ovarian neoplasm (ON) according to the World Health Organization (WHO) classification in a single center. Material and methods This cross-sectional study was conducted over a period of one year (November 2020 to October 2021) in the Department of Histopathology, Chughtai Institute of Pathology (CIP), Lahore, Pakistan. The study included 390 cases of ovarian neoplasms (ONs). After proper fixation and thorough gross examination, sections were routinely processed and examined. The distribution of the various histomorphological spectrum of ovarian tumors was studied according to the WHO classification. Results Out of the 390 cases studied, 320 (82.05%) were benign, 11 (2.82%) borderline, 57 (14.61%) malignant, and two (0.52%) metastatic tumors. Surface epithelial tumors (SETs) (246 (63.08%)) were the most common of all, followed by germ cell tumors (GCTs) (115 (29.48%)) and sex cord-stromal tumors (SSTs) (27 (6.92%)). The largest percentage (36.15%) of ONs was seen in 21-30 years of age group. Conclusion The present study shows various histopathological features of ONs. Benign tumors are more common than malignant tumors. Among the benign tumors, serous tumors were most common of all. Thus, an accurate histological diagnosis is important to initiate a proper management plan.

Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy of RNA samples extracted from blood of hepatitis C patients for quantification of viral loads.

BACKGROUND: Raman spectroscopy is a promising technique to analyze the body fluids for the purpose of non-invasive disease diagnosis. OBJECTIVES: To develop a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) based method for qualitative and quantitative analysis of HCV from blood samples. METHODS: SERS was employed to characterize the Hepatitis C viral RNA extracted from different blood samples of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infected patients with predetermined viral loads in comparison with total RNA of healthy individuals. The SERS measurements were performed on 27 extracted RNA samples including low viral loads, medium viral loads, high viral loads and healthy/negative viral load samples. For this purpose, silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) were used as SERS substrates. Furthermore, multivariate data analysis technique, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Partial Least Square Regression (PLSR) were also performed on SERS spectral data. RESULTS: The SERS spectral features due to biochemical changes in the extracted RNA samples associated with the increasing viral loads were established which could be employed for HCV diagnostic purpose. PCA was found helpful for the differentiation between Raman spectral data of RNA extracted from hepatitis infected and healthy blood samples. PLSR model is established for the determination of viral loads in HCV positive RNA samples with 99 % accuracy. CONCLUSION: SERS can be employed for qualitative and quantitative analysis of HCV from blood samples.

Raman spectral characterization of silver metal-based complexes of different benzimidazolium ligands.

In this study, Raman spectroscopy has been employed for the characterization of two structurally different monodentate N-heterocyclic carbene ligands (ligand-1 and ligand-2) and their respective complexes (complex-1 and complex-2). The Raman spectral features are found helpful for the confirmation of formation of complexes. The significant Raman spectral features are identified for benzimidazole ring with higher intensities in carbene complexes having more polarizability as compared to their ligands, providing the evidence for the formation of coordinate covalent bond. The successful complexation is further supported by using multivariate data analysis technique, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), which is found very helpful to highlight the variability of Raman spectral data of both ligands and their respective metal complexes from each other. Moreover, the coordination of carbene with Ag(I) is confirmed from the dominant spectral markers of higher intensities at 359 cm-1 in complex-1 and 338 cm-1 in complex-2. The effective and reliable characterization and confirmation of metal complexes indicates the potential of Raman spectroscopy for its use for the characterization of the organometallic complexes and other chemical products.

Raman spectroscopy along with Principal Component Analysis for the confirmation of Silver(I)-N-heterocyclic carbene complex formation.

In this study Raman spectroscopy is employed for the characterization of two different ligands called as S1 and S2 and their respective co-ordinate complexes called C1 and C2. Specific Raman spectral signatures are observed for each of these Silver(I)-N-heterocyclic carbene complexes Ag(I)-(NHCs), which can be associated with the imidazolium ring, part of both of the ligands, indicating the formation of new coordinate covalent bond. For the detailed analysis, Raman spectral data of these ligands and complexes is analyzed by multivariate data analysis technique, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) which is found very helpful to differentiate two ligands and complexes from each other. The significant Raman peaks with higher intensities in the complexes as compared to the respective ligands are associated with imidazole ring which can be attributed to the enhanced polarizability of this ring on complex formation. Moreover, the spectral features associated with (AgC) bond are observed with higher intensity at 360 in (C1) and 383 in (C2). This study indicates the potential of Raman spectroscopy for the characterization and confirmation of formation of organometallic complexes and other chemical products.