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Metaplastic carcinoma of the breast is a heterogeneous group of neoplasms with mixed epithelial and mesenchymal differentiation. Metaplastic carcinoma of the breast is a rare and aggressive malignancy, with high recurrence and metastasis. Metaplastic carcinoma with chondroid differentiation is an uncommon subtype that tends to have a relatively good prognosis than that of other subtypes. We report the imaging features of three cases of pathologically proven metaplastic carcinoma with chondroid differentiation as follows: a high-density mass with amorphous or coarse heterogeneous calcifications on mammography; a microlobulated or partially indistinct, complex cystic, and solid mass on sonography; and a relatively circumscribed or partially indistinct, irregular mass with heterogeneous T2 high-signal intensity and heterogeneous or rim enhancement with initial fast enhancement and delayed washout on MRI.

Infection with high-risk (HR) Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is associated with the development of precancerous lesions or invasive carcinoma of the uterine cervix. Thus, the high viral load (VL) of HR-HPV DNA currently serves as a representative quantitative marker for cervical cancer. However, the clinical significance of low HPV DNA VL remains undetermined. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical association between the low HPV DNA VL and cytology/histologic diagnosis of cervical samples. We searched the electronic medical databases for the resultant analyses of HPV genotyping among patients who underwent treatment for any cervical lesion or who had undergone gynecological examinations with any positive HPV results according to the national cancer screening service between 2015 and 2016. HPV testing with genotyping and semi-quantitative VL measurement was conducted using an AnyplexTM II H28 Detection assay (H28 assay, Seegene, Seoul, Republic of Korea). The H28 assay is a multiplex semi-quantitative real-time PCR test using the tagging of oligonucleotide cleavage and extension (TOCE) technology. The VL was semi-quantified as high (3+; positive signal before 31 PCR cycles), intermediate (2+; positive between 31 and 39 PCR cycles), or low (1+; positive after 40 PCR cycles). Out of 5940 HPV VL analyses, 356 assays (5.99%) were reported as low VL (1+) of HPV DNA. Matched cytology diagnoses were mostly negative findings (n = 347, 97.5%), except for seven cases of atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (1.9%) and two cases of atypical glandular cells (0.6%). During the follow-up periods, abnormal cytologic diagnoses were identified, including one case of high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) and two low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSILs). The matched, confirmative histologic diagnosis of HSIL cytology was compatible with chronic inflammation, wherein the two LSILs had regular check-ups. None revealed clinically concerned outcomes associated with HPV-related squamous lesions. The cytology was most likely negative for malignancy when the VL of HPV DNA was low (1+). Additional strategic monitoring and management may thus be unnecessary.

Abstract Background Dickkopf-1 (DKK1) is a Wnt/ß-catenin pathway antagonist related to gastric cancer (GC) carcinogenesis. However, the prognostic role of combined DKK1 and ß-catenin expression in advanced GC (AGC) is not clear. Methods In total, 158 patients with AGC who underwent gastric resection were enrolled in this study. DKK1 and ß-catenin expression was evaluated in whole tumor sections by immunohistochemistry. Results DKK1 expression was high in 73 (46.2%) patients, while ß-catenin expression was positive in 51 (32.3%) patients. The expression of DKK1 was positively correlated with that of ß-catenin (P

Background/Aims Endoscopic resection is the first-line treatment for rectal neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) measuring

Objective. Caveolin-1 (Cav-1), as the main component of caveolae, has complex roles in tumourigenesis in human malignancies. We investigated Cav-1 in primary and metastatic tumor cells of gastric cancer (GC) and its association with clinical outcomes. Methods. We retrieved 145 cases of GC who had undergone curative gastrectomy. The expression levels of Cav-1 was evaluated by immunohistochemistry, and its association with clinicopathological parameters and patient survival was analyzed. Results. High expression of Cav-1 protein of the GC in the stomach and metastatic lymph node was 12.4% (18/145) and 16.5% (15/91). In the multivariate analysis, tumoral Cav-1 protein in metastatic lymph node showed prognostic significance for relapse-free survival (RFS, HR, 3.934; 95% CI, 1.882–8.224; P=0.001) and cancer-specific survival outcome (CSS, HR, 2.681; 95% CI, 1.613–8.623; P=0.002). Among the GCs with metastatic lymph node, it remained as a strong indicator of poor prognosis for RFS (HR, 3.136; 95% CI, 1.444–6.810; P=0.004) and CSS (HR, 2.509; 95% CI, 1.078–5.837; P=0.032). Conclusion. High expression of tumoral Cav-1 protein in metastatic lymph node is associated with unfavorable prognosis of curative resected GC, indicating the potential of novel prognostic markers.

Juvenile xanthogranuloma (JXG) is a rare histiocytic disorder primarily affecting children, typically presenting as self-limiting skin lesions. However, extracutaneous JXG (extra-JXG) or systemic JXG (sJXG) can involve various organs, including the central nervous system (CNS), leading to high morbidity and mortality, especially in cases of CNS involvement. Treatment approaches for CNS–JXG, including surgical resection, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy, lack consensus, with reports of relapsed or refractory cases being rare. Here, we present the case of a 2-year-old girl with refractory extra-JXG involving the CNS, characterized by multiple intracranial lesions. Initial chemotherapy with prednisolone and vinblastine showed no response, and second-line therapy, including cytarabine and vincristine combined with surgical resection, was also ineffective. However, a 6-cycle third-line chemotherapy regimen incorporating vincristine and carboplatin led to a positive response, with stable disease status, and normal growth and neurodevelopment observed. Our findings suggest that combined chemotherapy with carboplatin and vincristine is a feasible and well-tolerated treatment strategy for patients with CNS–JXG.

22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) is a disorder caused by microdeletions in the long arm of chromosome 22. It is one of the most common chromosomal microdeletion disorders. Clinical symptoms are caused by heterozygous deletion of chromosome 22q11.2 and include congenital heart diseases and palatal abnormalities. Bernard-Soulier syndrome (BSS) is a rare autosomal recessive bleeding disorder caused by deficiency of the glycoprotein Ib-IX-V complex (GPIb-IX-V), the receptor for von Willebrand factor. Glycoprotein Ib-beta (GPIbβ) gene mutation is one of the causes of BSS, and the GP1bβ gene is located on chromosome 22q11.2. Most 22q11DS patients do not have a bleeding issue since most of them have heterozygous deletion of the GPIbβ gene. However, we report a case in which a child with 22q11.2DS visited the hospital with subgaleal hemorrhage and was diagnosed with Bernard-Soulier syndrome with GPIbβ gene mutation by a platelet aggregation test and genetic sequencing.

Hepatocellular adenoma is an uncommon, benign liver tumor usually occurring in patients using estrogen or anabolic androgens and in those with a genetic disease, including glycogen storage disease. Hepatocellular adenomas can sometimes induce pain. However, it is usually asymptomatic. Moreover, few studies have reported cases of hepatocellular adenomas presenting with iron deficiency anemia. Herein, we report a pediatric case of a large hepatocellular adenoma, presenting with iron therapy- refractory iron deficiency anemia. A 14-year-old boy was diagnosed with hepatocellular adenoma during an anemia work-up. Improvement in iron deficiency anemia was observed after tumor resection.

Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare histiocytic disorder characterized by heterogenous lesions infiltrated with CD1a+/CD207+ cells. Although LCH has a relatively good prognosis, the prognosis for patients with LCH refractory to standard chemotherapy is poor. Neurodegenerative LCH (ND-LCH) is a central nervous system complication of LCH that is characterized by progressive radiological and clinical abnormalities. Symptomatic ND-LCH is difficult to treat and therefore has a poor prognosis. A two-year-old boy presented with a scalp mass. Biopsy confirmed LCH. Whole-body imaging revealed LCH involvement in multiple bones of the skull, facial bones, and lungs. Prednisolone and vinblastine chemotherapy was initiated. One-year post-treatment, most of the lesions in the bones and lung nodules disappeared, and chemotherapy was discontinued. New neurodegenerative lesions appeared 4 months after chemotherapy was discontinued. Second-line chemotherapy using cytarabine, vincristine, and prednisolone was initiated. However, neurological manifestations of ND-LCH worsened post second-line treatment, and the treatment was switched to cytarabine and cladribine. Despite third-line chemotherapy, the lesions progressed, and neurological deficits worsened. After identifying BRAF V600E mutation in the tumor tissue using next-generation sequencing, cytotoxic chemotherapy was discontinued and vemurafenib treatment was initiated. One-year post-vemurafenib therapy, ND-LCH manifestations regressed, and the patient experienced neurological improvement.

Context.--Papillary immature metaplasia (PIM) is a known papillary cervical lesion associated with low-risk human papillomavirus (LR-HPV). Objective.--To evaluate additional clinicopathologic features and the HPV genotypes of PIM and discuss the presumptive cell of origin. Design.--A total of 26 PIM cases were evaluated by p16INK4a, cytokeratin (CK) 7, and CK17 immunohistochemical stainings. Human papillomavirus genotyping was performed, by using HPV DNA Chip, HPV polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and real-time PCR. Results.--Histologically, PIM forms either a papillary mass (n = 21 of 26, 81%) or a slightly elevated/flat plaque (n = 5, 19%). All cases contain variable amounts of mucinous epithelia within the lesions. Koilocytosis was identified in 15 of the 26 cases (58%). Sixteen cases (61%) were associated with LR-HPV (types 6, 11, or 42), but 3 cases (12%) with high-risk (HR) HPV (16, 16/18, and 33), 2 cases (8%) with mixed LR- and HR-HPV (6/16 and 11/58), while 2 cases (8%) were negative, but p16INK4a immunostaining showed nonblock positivity in all cases. Eight (31%) had high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) in the adjacent mucosa, 4 (50%) of which showed direct continuity. Identical HPV subtypes were confirmed in separately microdissected cases from PIM and adjacent HSIL. Most lesions (n = 24, 92%) expressed CK17 (reserve cell marker) in a bottom-heavy pattern and CK7 (squamo-columnar junction [SCJ] marker) in a top-heavy pattern, while most cases of low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) were negative for both markers. Conclusions.--Our results suggest that PIM is a distinct subset of LSIL showing a productive HPV infection, but PIM involves the transformation zone and is proximal to SCJ, while LSIL is mostly from ectocervix or distal to the SCJ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A fast and efficient way to calculate and generate an accurate surface energy database (of more than several million surface energy data points) for all bcc and fcc metals is proposed based on an effective pair-wise-potential model. The accuracy of this model is rigorously tested and verified by employing density functional theory calculations, which shows good agreement within a mean absolute error of 0.03 eV/atom. The surface energy database generated by this model is then visualized and mapped in various ways; namely, the surface energy as a function of relative orientation, a orientation-dependent stereographic projection (the so-called Wulff net), and Gibbs-Wulff construction of the equilibrium crystal shape, for comparison and analysis. The Wulff nets (drawn with several million surface energy data points) provide us with characteristic surface energy maps of these cubic metals. In an attempt to explain the surface energy anomaly in bcc Li, we demonstrate how our effective-pair-potential-derived Wulff net can clearly discriminate the strong influence of the second-and third-nearest-neighbor bonds on the high-Miller-index surface energetics of bcc Li. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cadmium telluride (CdTe) is a p-type semiconductor used in thin-film solar cells. To achieve high light-to-electricity conversion, annealing in the presence of CdCl2 is essential, but the underlying mechanism is still under debate. Recent evidence suggests that a reduction in the high density of stacking faults in the CdTe grains is a key process that occurs during the chemical treatment. A range of stacking faults, including intrinsic, extrinsic, and twin boundary, are computationally investigated to identify the extended defects that limit performance. The low-energy faults are found to be electrically benign, while a number of higher energy faults, consistent with atomicresolution micrographs, are predicted to be hole traps with fluctuations in the local electrostatic potential. It is expected that stacking faults will also be important for other thin-film photovoltaic technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Primary squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the upper genital tract, including the endometrium, fallopian tubes, and ovaries, is extremely rare. It must be distinguished from the mucosal extension of primary cervical SCC because determination of the primary tumor site is important for tumor staging. However, patients with SCC of the fallopian tubes or ovarian surface have often undergone prior hysterectomy with inadequate examination of the cervix, making it difficult to determine the primary site. Methods: We compared histologic findings, p16INK4a expression, and human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA status in four patients with primary SCC of the upper genital tract and five patients with primary cervical SCC extending to the mucosa of the upper genital tract. Results: All five SCCs of cervical origin showed strong expression of p16INK4a, whereas all four SCCs of the upper genital tract were negative, although one showed weak focal staining. Three of the five cervical SCCs were positive for HPV16 DNA, whereas all four primary SCCs of the upper genital tract were negative for HPV DNA. Conclusions: Although a thorough histological examination is important, immunonegativity for p16INK4a and negative for HPV DNA may be useful adjuncts in determining primary SCCs of the upper genital tract. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Orbital solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) has recently been proposed as the encompassing terminology for hemangiopericytoma, giant cell angiofibroma (GCAF), and fibrous histiocytoma of the orbit. The lacrimal gland is a very rare location for both SFT and GCAF. A 39-year-old man presented with a painless left upper eyelid mass. An orbital computed tomography scan identified a 1.1 cmsized well-defined nodule located in the left lacrimal gland. He underwent a mass excision. Histopathologic examination showed a proliferation of relatively uniform spindle cells with a patternless or focally storiform pattern. Dilated vessels were prominent, but angiectoid spaces lined with giant cells were absent. Floret-type giant cells were mostly scattered in the periphery. The tumor was immunoreactive for CD34 and CD99, but negative for smooth muscle actin and S-100 protein. This is the first Korean case of SFT of the lacrimal gland with overlapping features of GCAF, suggesting a close relationship between the two entities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Aiming toward a sustainable energy era, the design of efficient photocatalysts for water splitting by engineering their band properties has been actively studied. One promising avenue for the band engineering of active photocatalysts is the use of solid-solution alloying. However, the enormous possible configurations of multicomponent alloys hinders the experimental screening of this multidimensional material space, providing an opportunity for machine learning (ML) approaches to help accelerate the discovery of new multicomponent alloy materials. A conventional prerequisite for ML approaches is a large database of accurate material properties, which may require exhaustive computational and/or experimental resources. This study demonstrates that the screening of solid-solution alloys (up to hexanary systems) can be performed using a small database to minimize (and optimize) the number of high-level computational calculations. Specifically, we use ZnTe-based alloys as a prototypical example and employ a secure independent screening and sparsifing operator with the recently developed agreement method (α-method). Furthermore, we discuss and propose design routes to determine the optimal solid-solution ZnTe-based alloys for photoassisted water-splitting reactions.

The impact of an electrochemical environment on the thermodynamic stability of polar oxide surfaces is investigated for the example of ZnO(0001) surfaces immersed in water using density functional theory calculations. We show that solvation effects are highly selective: They have little effect on surfaces showing a metallic character, but largely stabilize semiconducting structures, particularly those that have a high electrostatic penalty in vacuum. The high selectivity is shown to have direct consequences for the surface phase diagram and explains, e.g., why certain surface structures could be observed only in an electrochemical environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The repeated slab approach has become a de facto standard to accurately describe surface properties of materials by density functional theory calculations with periodic boundary conditions. For materials exhibiting spontaneous polarization, we show that the conventional scheme of passivation with pseudo hydrogen is unable to realize a charge-neutral surface. The presence of a net surface charge induces via Gauss’s law a macroscopic electric field through the slab and results in poor size convergence with respect to the thickness of the slab. We propose a modified passivation method that accounts for the effect of spontaneous polarization, describes the correct bulk limits and boosts convergence with respect to slab thickness. The robustness, reliability, and superior convergence of energetics and electronic structure achieved by the proposed method are demonstrated using the example of polar ZnO surfaces.

Atom probe tomography (APT) analysis is being actively used to provide near-atomic-scale information on the composition of complex materials in three-dimensions. In recent years, there has been a surge of interest in the technique to investigate the distribution of hydrogen in metals. However, the presence of hydrogen in the analysis of almost all specimens from nearly all material systems has caused numerous debates as to its origins and impact on the quantitativeness of the measurement. It is often perceived that most H arises from residual gas ionization, therefore affecting primarily materials with a relatively low evaporation field. In this work, we perform systematic investigations to identify the origin of H residuals in APT experiments by combining density-functional theory (DFT) calculations and APT measurements on an alkali and a noble metal, namely Na and Pt, respectively. We report that no H residual is found in Na metal samples, but in Pt, which has a higher evaporation field, a relatively high signal of H is detected. These results contradict the hypothesis of the H signal being due to direct ionization of residual H _2 without much interaction with the specimen’s surface. Based on DFT, we demonstrate that alkali metals are thermodynamically less likely to be subject to H contamination under APT-operating conditions compared to transition or noble metals. These insights indicate that the detected H-signal is not only from ionization of residual gaseous H _2 alone, but is strongly influenced by material-specific physical properties. The origin of H residuals is elucidated by considering different conditions encountered during APT experiments, specifically, specimen-preparation, transportation, and APT-operating conditions by taking thermodynamic and kinetic aspects into account.