Res Vet Sci 2017 Jun 11;114:313-321. Epub 2017 Jun 11.

Roche Pharmaceutical Research & Early Development, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Roche Innovation Center Basel, Switzerland.

The goal of this in situ hybridization and image analysis technique is to study the effects of new pharmacological/chemical entities on the thyroid and pituitary gland in rats, reveal the pathogenesis of thyroid follicular cell hypertrophy and to retrospectively exclude the risk of thyroid tumor development in humans. In the present study, we describe the increase of thyroid-stimulating hormone- (TSH-) beta subunit mRNA in the pars distalis of the pituitary gland and the quantitative measurement of TSH mRNA positive cells from rats of three 4-week toxicity studies treated with three different test compounds inducing thyroid follicular cell and hepatocellular hypertrophy in rats. Compared to immunohistochemistry (IHC), in situ hybridization (ISH) for TSH was found to be more sensitive. Read More

J Oral Maxillofac Pathol 2017 Jan-Apr;21(1):115-118

Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology and Microbiology, D. Y. Patil University School of Dentistry, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.

Keratoacanthoma (KA) is a benign epithelial tumor which presents clinically as a proliferating dome-shaped keratin-filled crater. The lesion occurs predominantly upon sun-exposed areas of the body and is known to arise from hair follicle. Actinic rays are a major contributing factor in the etiology. Read More

Am J Dermatopathol 2017 Mar 27. Epub 2017 Mar 27.

Departments of*Pathology, and †Dermatology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA.

Primary skin adnexal tumors can be challenging to classify and must be discerned from cutaneous adenocarcinoma metastases from various sites. We evaluated expression of Sox10 and DOG1 in normal cutaneous adnexa and in 194 primary skin adnexal tumors, and compared their performance in discriminating primary skin adnexal tumors from cutaneous metastatic adenocarcinomas with that of p40 and p63. In normal skin adnexa, we noted Sox10 expression in both the secretory and myoepithelial cells in eccrine glands, but only in myoepithelial cells in apocrine glands. Read More

Case Rep Pathol 2016 27;2016:7169564. Epub 2016 Nov 27.

The Thyroid, Parathyroid and Pituitary Center for Miami, Internal Medicine Department, Miami Beach, FL, USA.

Water-clear cell adenoma (WCCA) of the parathyroid gland is an exceedingly rare neoplasm. To date, 17 cases have been reported in the literature, with only one of them being intrathyroidal. Here we report a case of a 34-year-old woman who presented for evaluation of a goiter and was found to have a thyroid nodule and abnormal thyroid function tests (TFT). Read More

Am J Dermatopathol 2017 May;39(5):e69-e70

*Department of Dermatology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL; †Advanced Dermatology and Mohs Surgery, Batavia, IL; and ‡Consolidated Pathology Consultants, Libertyville, IL.

Follicular malignant melanoma (FMM) is an exceedingly rare variant of melanoma. Only 8 cases have been reported in the literature thus far. Often bland on physical examination, FMM shows a striking histologic pattern, with atypical melanocytes sometimes consuming the entire follicle and extending into the dermis. Read More

J Cutan Pathol 2016 Nov 5;43(11):974-983. Epub 2016 Sep 5.

Department of Diagnostic Pathology, Kainan Hospital, Yatomi, Japan.

Background: This study was designed to evaluate the immunoexpression of DOG1, a specific marker expressed in gastrointestinal stromal tumors, in normal skin tissues and cutaneous epithelial tumors.

Methods: DOG1 immunostaining extent, intensity and pattern were evaluated in 69 cutaneous apocrine/eccrine tumors, 11 sebaceous tumors, 46 follicular tumors, 52 keratinocytic tumors and perilesional normal tissues.

Results: In normal tissues, DOG1 was expressed strongly in the intercellular canaliculi of eccrine glands, moderately in the myoepithelial cells of mammary and anogenital mammary-like glands, and weakly or not at all in the periphery of sebaceous lobules and the lower layer of epidermis and follicular infundibulum. Read More

J Mol Neurosci 2016 Oct 26;60(2):171-8. Epub 2016 Aug 26.

Department of Anatomy, University of Pecs, 7624, Szigeti u 12, Pecs, Hungary.

Pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP) belongs to the vasoactive intestinal peptide-secretin-glucagon peptide family, isolated first from ovine hypothalamus. The diverse physiological effects of PACAP are known mainly from animal experiments, including several actions in endocrine glands. Alteration of PACAP expression has been shown in several tumors, but changes in expression of PACAP and its specific PAC1 receptor in human thyroid gland pathologies have not yet been investigated. Read More

Indian Dermatol Online J 2016 May-Jun;7(3):177-9

Department of Dermatology, Goztepe Research and Training Hospital, Istanbul Medeniyet University, Istanbul, Turkey.

Inverted follicular keratosis is a rare benign tumor of the follicular infundibulum characterized by exo-endophytic growing. It is thought to be a rare variant of the seborrheic keratosis. The diagnosis of inverted follicular keratosis is generally established histopathologically because clinical differentiation from other lesions is difficult. Read More

Clin Exp Dermatol 2016 Jul 28;41(5):468-73. Epub 2016 Mar 28.

Department of Dermatology, Melanoma Unit, Hospital Clinic, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.

Background: Inverted follicular keratosis (IFK) is an uncommon benign tumour of the follicular infundibulum, which is often misdiagnosed clinically as other keratinizing tumours, and commonly diagnosed correctly by histopathology. There are few reports about the dermoscopic findings of this lesion.

Aim: To evaluate the dermoscopic features of IFK. Read More

An Bras Dermatol 2015 Nov-Dec;90(6):780-96; quiz 797-8

Centro Hospitalar Universitário de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.

Benign follicular tumors comprise a large and heterogeneous group of neoplasms that share a common histogenesis and display morphological features resembling one or several portions of the normal hair follicle, or recapitulate part of its embryological development. Most cases present it as clinically nondescript single lesions and essentially of dermatological relevance. Occasionally, however, these lesions be multiple and represent a cutaneous marker of complex syndromes associated with an increased risk of visceral neoplasms. Read More

Int J Surg Pathol 2016 May 27;24(3):232-6. Epub 2015 Dec 27.

Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova-IRCCS, Reggio Emilia, Italy

Pseudocarcinomatous hyperplasia (PCH) is a reactive proliferation of the epidermis that can be associated with many inflammatory and neoplastic conditions. Histologically, it is characterized by irregular strands of epidermis, usually at the level of the follicular infundibulum, projecting downward into the dermis. The differentiation between a well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma and PCH can be particularly challenging when the biopsy is superficial and the causing lesion is dermal-based. Read More

J Am Acad Dermatol 2016 Feb 6;74(2):356-62. Epub 2015 Dec 6.

Department of Dermatology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut.

Background: Squamous cell carcinoma in situ (SCCis) has been reported to involve the hair follicle epithelium. Deep follicular invasion is often cited as a cause of treatment failure.

Objective: We sought to define the frequency and the depth of hair follicle invasion by SCCis. Read More

Biol Reprod 2015 Sep 22;93(3):69. Epub 2015 Jul 22.

Department of Reproductive Medicine and Center for Reproductive Science and Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) pathophysiology is poorly understood, due partly to lack of PCOS animal models fully recapitulating this complex disorder. Recently, a PCOS rat model using letrozole (LET), a nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor, mimicked multiple PCOS phenotypes, including metabolic features absent in other models. Given the advantages of using genetic and transgenic mouse models, we investigated whether LET produces a similar PCOS phenotype in mice. Read More

Dermatol Ther (Heidelb) 2015 Sep 5;5(3):207-11. Epub 2015 Jul 5.

Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.

Background: Tumor of the follicular infundibulum (TFI) is considered as a rare benign neoplasm providing two distinctive clinical patterns: the solitary and the eruptive form. The clinical presentations resemble many other dermatologic conditions and require histopathological study to make a definite diagnosis.

Objective: To inform physicians of a clinical presentation of TFI. Read More

J Cutan Pathol 2015 Sep 12;42(9):645-51. Epub 2015 May 12.

Department of Dermatology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.

Herein, we describe a 63-year-old male with multiple tumors arising within a nevus sebaceus on the posterior scalp. On histopathologic examination, four distinct tumors were identified: trichoblastoma, syringocystadenoma papilliferum, desmoplastic trichilemmoma and tumor of the follicular infundibulum (TFI). Within the TFI component of the nevus sebaceus, there was intracytoplasmic accumulation of eosinophilic keratin, as shown on pancytokeratin-stained sections, imparting a signet-ring appearance to the cells. Read More

Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2015 Apr 20;71(3):541-51. Epub 2015 Feb 20.

Dow AgroSciences, LLC, Indianapolis, IN 46268, USA.

Pronamide, a selective, systemic, pre- and post-emergence herbicide, caused an increased incidence of thyroid follicular cell adenomas in a rat carcinogenicity study. Thyroid tumors, as well as liver and pituitary changes, were limited only to the high-dose group. The evidence for and against specific potential modes of action (MoAs) for rat thyroid follicular cell adenomas and their relevance to humans is discussed. Read More

Aquat Toxicol 2015 Mar 22;160:188-96. Epub 2015 Jan 22.

School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742, Republic of Korea. Electronic address:

Triphenyl phosphate (TPP), one of the most widely used organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs), has frequently been detected in the environment and biota. However, knowledge of its toxicological effects is limited. The present study was conducted to determine the adverse effects of TPP on the thyroid endocrine system of embryonic/larval zebrafish, and the underlying mechanisms for these effects were studied using rat pituitary (GH3) and thyroid follicular (FRTL-5) cell lines. Read More

Cutis 2014 Dec;94(6):301-3

88 Jiefang Rd, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China 310009.

The etiology of tumor of the follicular infundibulum (TFI) is unknown. Eruptive forms of TFI are rare. We present the case of a 49-year-old woman with multiple lesions on the arms, shoulders, trunk, buttocks, and legs of more than 3 years' duration. Read More

Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2014 Dec 17;70(3):673-80. Epub 2014 Oct 17.

Bayer SAS, Bayer CropScience, 355 rue Dostoïevski, CS 90153, 06906 Sophia Antipolis, France.

Fluopyram, a broad spectrum fungicide, caused an increased incidence of thyroid follicular cell (TFC) adenomas in males at the highest dose evaluated (750ppm equating to 105mg/kg/day) in the mouse oncogenicity study. A series of short-term mechanistic studies were conducted in the male mouse to characterize the mode of action (MOA) for the thyroid tumor formation and to determine if No Observed Effect Levels (NOELs) exist for each key event identified. The proposed MOA consists of an initial effect on the liver by activating the constitutive androstane (Car) and pregnane X (Pxr) nuclear receptors causing increased elimination of thyroid hormones followed by an increased secretion of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). Read More

J Biol Rhythms 2015 Apr 19;30(2):76-83. Epub 2014 Nov 19.

Department of Medical Specialties, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, Hypertension and Nutrition, University Hospital of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland

The circadian clock represents an anticipatory mechanism, well preserved in evolution. It has a critical impact on most aspects of the physiology of light-sensitive organisms. These rhythmic processes are governed by environmental cues (fluctuations in light intensity and temperature), an internal circadian timing system, and interactions between this timekeeping system and environmental signals. Read More

An Bras Dermatol 2014 Nov-Dec;89(6):964-6

Universidade de Santo Amaro, Santo Amaro, SP, Brazil.

Tumor of the follicular infundibulum is a rare benign cutaneous adnexal neoplasm with variable clinical presentation. In most cases the diagnosis is made with the help of histopathology, due to lack of a characteristic clinical presentation. The most common form is a solitary lesion, but it can be multiple or eruptive, then called infundibulomatose. Read More

J Theor Biol 2014 Nov 28;361:31-40. Epub 2014 Jul 28.

Department of Mathematics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-8205, United States; Biomathematics Program, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, United States. Electronic address:

A system of 16 differential equations is described which models hormonal regulation of the menstrual cycle focusing on the effects of the androgen testosterone (T) on follicular development and on the synthesis of luteinizing hormone (LH) in the pituitary. Model simulations indicate two stable menstrual cycles - one cycle fitting data in the literature for normal women and the other cycle being anovulatory because of no LH surge. Bifurcations with respect to sensitive model parameters illustrate various characteristics of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), a leading cause of female infertility. Read More

Am J Dermatopathol 2015 Jul;37(7):535-8

*Department of Pathology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC; †Department of Pathology, King Fahad University Hospital, University of Dammam, Dammam, Saudi Arabia; and ‡Department of Dermatology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC.

Tumor of follicular infundibulum (TFI) is currently believed to be a benign epithelial neoplasm with follicular differentiation. It has been suggested that TFI is associated with dermal scarring, but further investigation is needed to confirm this correlation. To approach this question, a retrospective study was presented, a total of 67 cases (64 lesions) were found in a search covering cases over a 10-year period. Read More

Am J Dermatopathol 2014 Jun;36(6):e105-7

Department of Pathology and *Dermatology, University Hospital and School of Medicine, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

Viral-associated trichodysplasia spinulosa is an unusual condition with distinctive clinical and histopathological features. Initially described in patients immunosupressed as a result of solid organ transplantation, it has also been reported in patients treated with immunosuppressive drugs other than cyclosporine or being treated for hematological malignancies. Patients presented with disseminated follicular, hyperkeratotic papules, and variable degrees of alopecia. Read More

Am J Dermatopathol 2014 Dec;36(12):965-71

*Ackerman Academy of Dermatopathology, New York, NY; and †Department of Dermatology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China.

Panfolliculoma (PF) is an uncommon benign follicular neoplasm exhibiting differentiation toward all components of a hair follicle. Several pathologic manifestations have been described in a limited number of cases. We studied 19 cases of PF to summarize the clinical parameters and to classify this unique neoplasm histopathologically. Read More

Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol 2014 Mar-Apr;80(2):141-4

Delhi Dermpath Laboratory, New Delhi, India.

We present three cases of a rare eruptive variant of tumor of follicular infundibulum. Two patients presented with hypopigmented macules. The clinical differential diagnoses considered in these two cases were vitiligo, lichen sclerosus et atrophicus, and idiopathic guttate hypomelanosis. Read More

Korean J Pathol 2013 Dec 24;47(6):569-74. Epub 2013 Dec 24.

Department of Family Medicine, Diskapi Yildirim Beyazit Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey. ; Department of Family Medicine, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.

Nevus sebaceus of Jadassohn is a congenital cutaneous hamartoma comprised of multiple skin structures. It has the potential to develop into variety of neoplasms of various epidermal adnexal origins. While multiple tumors may occasionally arise, it is unusual for more than four tumors to arise simultaneously within a single sebaceus nevus. Read More

J Endocrinol 2013 Dec 28;219(3):205-15. Epub 2013 Oct 28.

Division of Anatomy and Embryology, Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, PO 62514, Egypt.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are persistent environmental pollutants that can severely disrupt the endocrine system. In the present study, early-weaned male rats were administered a single dose of 2,3,6-2',5'-pentachlorinated biphenyl (PCB 95; 32 mg/kg per day, by i.p. Read More

Folia Neuropathol 2013 ;51(3):261-8

Maria Maksymowicz, MD, PhD, Department of Pathology, M. Sklodowska-Curie Memorial Cancer Centre and Institute of Oncology, 5 W.L. Roentgena Str., 02-781 Warsaw, Poland, phone: +48 22 546 28 08, fax: +48 22 546 29 84, e-mail:

Metastases to the pituitary gland and sella turcica are uncommon. The distinction between primary and secondary metastatic pituitary tumours is challenging as carcinomas from distant sites might closely resemble, both clinically and histopathologically, non-functional adenomas or primary pituitary carcinomas. Among metastases to pituitary gland ones from thyroid carcinoma are extremely rare. Read More

PLoS One 2013 3;8(10):e74596. Epub 2013 Oct 3.

State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Laboratory of Animal Infectious Diseases, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China ; Key Lab of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Education. College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China.

Inhibin, a member of the transforming growth factor-β [TGF-β] superfamily, is a suppressor of follicle-stimulating hormone [FSH] release through pituitary-gonadal negative feedback loop to regulate follicular development. In this study, Inhibin α-subunit [Inha] gene was knocked down successfully in mice primary anterior pituitary cells at both transcriptional and translational levels by RNAi-Ready pSIREN-RetroQ-ZsGreen Vector mediated recombinant pshRNA vectors. The results indicated that inhibin silencing significantly promoted apoptosis by up-regulating Caspase-3, Bax and Bcl-2 genes without affecting p53 both at transcriptional and translational levels. Read More

Prog Histochem Cytochem 2013 Aug 26;48(2):65-98. Epub 2013 Jul 26.

Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Endocrinology, KU Leuven, Bus 902, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.

Besides its classical role in bone and calcium homeostasis, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3), the active form of vitamin D, has many non-classical effects; antiproliferative, anti-apoptotic and prodifferentiating effects of 1,25(OH)2D3 have been described in several tumour types in preclinical models. This review focuses on the insights gained in the elucidation of the role of 1,25(OH)2D3 in the normal thyroid and in the pathogenesis, progression and treatment of thyroid cancer, the most common endocrine malignancy. An increasing amount of observations points towards a role for impaired 1,25(OH)2D3-VDR signalling in the occurrence and progression of thyroid cancer, and a potential for structural analogues in the multimodal treatment of dedifferentiated iodine-resistant thyroid cancer. Read More

Dev Biol 2013 Sep 14;381(1):144-58. Epub 2013 Jun 14.

Department of Genetics, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, NH 03755, USA.

Sex determination in mammals requires interaction between the transcription factor GATA4 and its cofactor FOG2. We have recently described the function of both proteins in testis development beyond the sex determination stage; their roles in the postnatal ovary, however, remain to be defined. Here, we use gene targeting in mice to determine the requirement of GATA4 and FOG2 in ovarian development and folliculogenesis. Read More

Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2013 Jul 6;436(3):443-8. Epub 2013 Jun 6.

Department of Medicine and Bioregulatory Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan.

Activin, a transforming growth factor β family member, has a wide range of physiological roles during embryonic development and organogenesis. In the ovary, activin, secreted from ovarian granulosa cells, not only acts on the pituitary gland to regulate the gonadotropin secretion from the pituitary gland in an endocrine manner but also acts on granulosa cells in a paracrine/autocrine manner to regulate folliculogenesis. Previously, we showed that activin signals through activin type IB receptor (ActRIB) and up-regulates follicle-stimulating hormone receptor expression and P450 aromatase activity in human ovarian granulose cell-like KGN cells. Read More

J Cutan Pathol 2013 Jun 27;40(6):532-7. Epub 2013 Mar 27.

Department of Pathology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.

Background: Tumor of the follicular infundibulum (TFI) is an uncommon benign adnexal tumor that usually presents as a solitary keratotic papule in the head and neck area. Infrequently, it may present as multiple lesions or in association with other conditions. Although it was initially described in 1961, the pathogenesis of this lesion is still controversial. Read More

Ophthal Plast Reconstr Surg 2013 Jul-Aug;29(4):e95-8

David G. Cogan Laboratory of Ophthalmic Pathology, Department of Ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA.

Nevus comedonicus is a rare developmental abnormality of the infundibulum of the hair follicle. It is usually unilateral and commonly presents at birth or during childhood. A rare case of late-onset, bilateral nevus comedonicus of the eyelids is reported. Read More

Arq Bras Endocrinol Metabol 2012 Nov;56(8):507-12

Endocrine Division, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital at Universidade Federal do Parana, Curitiba, Brazil.

We report on an adult woman with rare coexistence of acromegaly, pheochromocytoma (PHEO), gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST), intestinal polyposis, and thyroid follicular adenoma. At the age of 56, she was diagnosed with acromegaly caused by a pituitary macroadenoma, treated by transsphenoidal surgery, radiotherapy, and octreotide. During routine colonoscopy, multiple polyps were identified as tubular adenomas with high-grade dysplasia on histology. Read More

Endocrine 2013 Jun 26;43(3):485-93. Epub 2012 Sep 26.

Section of Endocrinology, ASL6, Viale Alfieri 36, Livorno, Italy.

Pituitary metastases (PM) from thyroid cancer are rare, but their management can represent a difficult challenge for the endocrinologist. Our aim was to review all reported cases of PM from thyroid cancer. PubMed was consulted and 19 papers reporting 20 cases were found. Read More

Clin Lab 2012 ;58(5-6):419-26

The Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region 830054, PR China.

Background: Thyroid tumor is the most common malignant cancer of endocrinology, with an increasing incidence in the world. In the absence of specific markers of malignancy, it is a real challenge to distinguish benign and malignant thyroid tumors under the microscope.

Methods: The present study aimed to investigate the expression of Ki-67, Galectin-3, and pituitary tumor transforming gene (PTTG) in thyroid tumors, and to assess their diagnostic value as markers in the differential diagnoses of thyroid tumors. Read More

Endocrinology 2012 Jul 25;153(7):3526-36. Epub 2012 Apr 25.

School of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Institute for Biomedical Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom.

Within the basolateral membrane of thyroid follicular epithelial cells, two transporter proteins are central to thyroid hormone (TH) biosynthesis and secretion. The sodium iodide symporter (NIS) delivers iodide from the bloodstream into the thyroid, and after TH biosynthesis, monocarboxylate transporter 8 (MCT8) mediates TH secretion from the thyroid gland. Pituitary tumor-transforming gene-binding factor (PBF; PTTG1IP) is a protooncogene that is up-regulated in thyroid cancer and that binds NIS and modulates its subcellular localization and function. Read More

Ophthal Plast Reconstr Surg 2012 Sep-Oct;28(5):e127-30

David G Cogan Laboratory of Ophthalmic Pathology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02114 , USA.

An 86-year-old woman slowly developed a solitary 0.3 3 0.2-cm papule on the left lower eyelid. Read More

J Cutan Pathol 2012 Apr;39(4):444-8

Department of Dermatology and Dermatopathology, Saint-Pierre Hospital, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium.

We report two cases of eruptive tumors of the follicular infundibulum (TFI) with an unusual clinical presentation which has not been described previously in literature. In both cases, the appearance was strikingly similar, consisting of multiple asymptomatic hypopigmented macules on the buttocks of two Black African males, aged 38 and 55 years old. In both cases, the eruption had evolved over several months. Read More

Dermatology 2012 9;224(2):97-100. Epub 2012 Mar 9.

Department of Internal Medicine, Oldness and Nephrologic Diseases, Dermatology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.

Background: Focal dermal hypoplasia (FDH) or Goltz syndrome is a rare genetic multisystem disorder characterized by hypoplasia of ectodermally and mesodermally derived tissues. No cases of development of basal cell carcinomas in patients affected by FDH have previously been reported.

Methods: We followed a 38-year-old woman with FDH who developed, within a period of 3 years, 14 atypical pigmented lesions. Read More

Am J Dermatopathol 2012 Jul;34(5):491-505

Department of Dermatology, Fundación Jiménez Díaz, Universidad Autónoma, Avanida Reyes Católicos 2, Madrid, Spain.

Calretinin is a calcium-binding protein member of the EF-hand family. The presence of calretinin has been demonstrated in certain stages of the cellular cycle in a wide variety of normal and neoplastic tissues. The main aims of our study were (1) to investigate what structures of the normal skin and cutaneous adnexal proliferations express immunoreactivity for calretinin and (2) to determine the value of immunohistochemical expression for calretinin as a marker for follicular, sebaceous, apocrine, and eccrine differentiation in cutaneous adnexal proliferations. Read More

Hum Reprod 2012 Feb 23;27(2):531-40. Epub 2011 Nov 23.

Division of Reproductive Sciences, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Beaverton, OR 97006, USA.

Background: Hyperandrogenemia is associated with several clinical disorders in which both reproductive dysfunction and metabolic changes may coexist [i.e. polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), obesity and congenital adrenal hyperplasia]. Read More

J Am Acad Dermatol 2012 May 19;66(5):823-6. Epub 2011 Oct 19.

Kempf and Pfaltz, Histological Diagnostics, Zürich, Switzerland.

Background: Necrotizing infundibular crystalline folliculitis (NICF) is a folliculocentric disorder associated with filamentous crystalline deposits, enclosed by parakeratotic columns within the partly necrotic follicular ostium and infundibulum. There are only very few data published about this disorder of unknown origin.

Objective: We sought to determine the clinicopathological features and pathogenetic aspects of NICF. Read More

Peptides 2011 Nov 17;32(11):2333-9. Epub 2011 Sep 17.

Department of Cytology and Histology, School of Medicine, University of Seville, 41009 Sevilla, Spain.

Ghrelin is a 28-amino-acid peptide that stimulates pituitary growth-hormone secretion and modulates food-intake and energy metabolism in mammals. It is mainly secreted by the stomach, but it is also expressed in many other tissues such as cartilage or the thyroid gland. In the present study we have analyzed by RT-PCR and using immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence the expression and tissue distribution of ghrelin and its functional receptor (GHS-R type 1α) in thyroid cell-lines and in normal and pathological rat thyroid tissue. Read More

Ann Dermatol 2011 May 27;23(2):198-200. Epub 2011 May 27.

Department of Dermatology and the Research Institute of Dermatology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Tumor of the follicular infundibulum (TFI) is an uncommon benign adnexal tumor that usually presents as a solitary keratotic papule on the face or scalp of elderly patients. Histopathologically, it typically manifests as a plate-like fenestrated proliferation of monomorphic pale-staining cells. A 76-year-old male presented with about a 2 cm, well-defined, yellowish to brownish, slightly elevated, twisted and bent, interrupted, cord-like plaque on his left lower abdomen. Read More

J Dermatol 2011 Nov 9;38(11):1118-21. Epub 2011 Jun 9.

Thyroid 2011 Aug 19;21(8):921-5. Epub 2011 May 19.

Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine Unit, Istituto Oncologico Veneto-IRCCS, Padova, Italy.

Background: Pituitary metastases are found in about 1% of all pituitary resections. They often derive from breast, lung, and gastroenteric tract adenocarcinomas, very rarely from thyroid carcinoma. Presenting symptoms of thyroid carcinoma metastatic to the pituitary gland are usually chiasmatic with central neurological impairment due to space-occupying expansion in the parasellar region. Read More

Acta Neuropathol 2011 Aug 18;122(2):253-8. Epub 2011 May 18.

Neuropathology Service, Institute of Pathology, University of Bern, Switzerland.

Spindle cell oncocytoma (SCO) is a rare, non-adenomatous tumor originating from the anterior pituitary gland. Composed of fusiform, mitochondrion-rich cells sharing several immunophenotypic and ultrastructural properties with folliculo-stellate cells (FSC), SCO has been proposed to represent a neoplastic counterpart of the latter. To date, however, SCO has failed to meet one criterion commonly used in histological-based taxonomy and diagnostics; that of recapitulating any of FSCs' morphologically defined developmental or physiological states. Read More