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BACKGROUND: The definition of objective, clinically applicable evaluation criteria for FISH 1c/7c in laryngeal precursor lesions for the detection of chromosome instability (CI). Copy Number Variations (CNV) for chromosomes 1 and 7 reflect the general ploidy status of premalignant head and neck lesions and can therefore be used as a marker for CI.METHODS: We performed dual-target FISH for chromosomes 1 and 7 centromeres on 4 µm formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections of 87 laryngeal premalignancies to detect CNVs. Thirty-five normal head and neck squamous cell samples were used as a control. First, the chromosome 7:1 ratio (CR) was evaluated per lesion. The normal range of CRs (≥0.84 ≤ 1.16) was based on the mean CR +/- 3 x SD found in the normal population. Second, the percentage of aberrant nuclei, harboring > 2 chromosomes of chromosome 1 and/or 7 (PAN), was established (cut-off value for abnormal PAN ≥ 10%).RESULTS: PAN showed a stronger correlation with malignant progression than CR (resp. OR 5.6, p = 0.001 and OR 3.8, p = 0.009). PAN combined with histopathology resulted in a prognostic model with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.75 (s.e. 0.061, sensitivity 71%, specificity 70%).CONCLUSIONS: evaluation criteria for FISH 1c/7c based on PAN ≥ 10% provide the best prognostic information on the risk of malignant progression of premalignant laryngeal lesions as compared with criteria based on the CR. FISH 1c/7c detection can be applied in combination with histopathological assessment.

A 65-year-old male patient with a history of Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) and Systemic Mastocytosis (SM) presented with an invasive disease of the external auditory canal (EAC) and a parotid gland abscess. Abscess drainage and treatment for a malignant otitis externa (MOE) was started, which did not lead to clinical improvement. Computed Tomography (CT) of the petrous bone as well as a Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography with 2-[fluorine-18]-fluoro-2-deoxy- d -glucose (FDG-PET-CT) showed bony erosion of the EAC with a symmetrical FDG distribution at the level of both EACs. Histopathological biopsies of the EAC revealed a rarely encountered localization of systemic mastocytosis (SM). Especially patients with a hematological disorder such as a MDS are at risk to develop SM. In case of a fulminant infectious disease of the EAC in these patients, a localization of SM should be considered as well. This is the first report on SM with a localization in the EAC.

A Schroedinger equation proposed for the GMP gapped spin-2 mode of fractional Quantum Hall states is found from a novel non-relativistic limit, applicable only in 2+1 dimensions, of the massive spin-2 Fierz-Pauli field equations. It is also found from a novel null reduction of the linearized Einstein field equations in 3+1 dimensions, and in this context a uniform distribution of spin-2 particles implies, via a Brinkmann-wave solution of the non-linear Einstein equations, a confining harmonic oscillator potential for the individual particles., Comment: 5 pages. Additional references, with discussion, in v2, plus improved analysis of parity violation