Death-related gastric necrosis after laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding in the early post-operative period

We report a case of a rare complication of laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) as a cause of death in the immediate post-operative period. The number of relevant reports and postmortem images presented in the literature is extremely restricted. Gastric necrosis may constitute a cause of death after LAGB in the early post-operative period. Postmortem examination reveals the extension of gastric ischemia and necrosis, responsible for the lethal outcome. To date, only one case of gastric necrosis after LAGB in the immediate post-operative period leading to death has been reported, according to authors' knowledge. The diagnosis of this complication may be delayed on the grounds of its rarity. In our opinion, surgeons should be aware of the clinical state implying gastric ischemia early after LAGB, so as to recognize and, in turn, to treat it promptly.Diagn Patho

Xanthoma of the bladder associated with transitional cell carcinoma

J Uro

Fatal poisoning from ingestion of Datura stramonium seeds

A 19-y old male who intentionally ingested an unknown quantity of Datura stramonium seeds to experience its hallucinogenic effects was found dead. Hyoscyamine and scopolamine were detected in postmortem blood and urine. Blood concentrations of hyoscyamine and scopolamine were 1.1 and 0.2 microg/mL, respectively; in urine only hyoscyamine at 14.2 microg/mL was found. This fatality presents the highest blood concentrations ever reported and confirms that death was due to Datura Stramonium seed ingestion.Vet Hum Toxico

Sudden death due to primary intracranial neoplasms. A forensic autopsy study

Although most fatal tumors are diagnosed well before a patient's death, occasionally forensic pathologists encounter cases in which the presence of a primary tumor of the central nervous system had not been suspected prior to death. A search for cases of sudden death due to intracranial tumors from a total of 1985 autopsies from the archives of the Department of Forensic Pathology, University of Ioannina, Greece, in the period 1998-2005, was undertaken. Two such cases in which a medico-legal autopsy had disclosed brain tumors were found. The first case was a 34-year-old man who had been found unconscious in bed, and died a few hours after hospitalization. His autopsy had revealed a 7-cm glioblastoma at the level of the third ventricle. The second case involved a 67-year-old man presenting with brain tumor, diagnosed 1.5 months previously. The patient had died after 16 hours of hospitalization. A 4-cm astrocytoma of the left temporal lobe had been found at autopsy. In both cases, the tumors may, directly or indirectly, have been the underlying cause of death. The importance of a thorough neuropathological examination in all cases of sudden death, in which no extracerebral cause had been found, is emphasized.Anticancer Re

First case of fatal pulmonary peliosis without any other organ involvement in a young testosterone abusing male

Peliosis is a rare lesion characterized by the presence of blood-filled cysts, with unknown true incidence and etiology. It has been most frequently reported to the liver (peliosis hepatis) and to other organs of the mononuclear phagocytic system, such as spleen, bone marrow and lymph nodes. However, other organs may also be affected. Its occurrence has been linked to wasting conditions such as tuberculosis, cancer, immunosuppression and the use of androgenic-anabolic steroids. Herein, we report a case of pulmonary peliosis, in a 29-year-old man who was abusing testosterone as it was proved by toxicological analysis. To our knowledge this is the third reported case of pulmonary peliosis and the first one that is not associated with peliosis of any other organ.Forensic Sci In

Comparison of the dysadherin and E-cadherin expression in primary lung cancer and metastatic sites

Dysadherin, a cancer associated cell membrane glycoprotein, has been reported to downregulate E-cadherin. Aberrant expression of E-cadherin has been associated with the development of metastases in patients with cancer. Even though the expression of dysadherin and E-cadherin has been studied in primary non-small cell lung carcinoma, little is known about its expression at the distant metastases sites. We investigate by immunohistochemistry the relationship between E-cadherin and dysadherin in 111 cases of primary lung carcinomas (53 squamous cell carcinomas, 21 adenocarcinomas, 13 large cell carcinomas, and 24 small cell carcinomas), and their distant metastases. The intensity, the expression pattern and the percentage of neoplastic cell staining were recorded and the results were correlated with clinicopathological findings of the subjects. Dysadherin immunostain was expressed in 61 (54.95%) of the cases, and increased dysadherin expression was significantly correlated with tumour size (p=0.003), distant metastases (p=0.0034), and metastasis size (p=0.0008). Reduced E-cadherin expression was noted in 46 (41.45%) of the cases, and was correlated with high-grade tumour (p=0.02), infiltrative growth pattern (p=0.042), and advanced stage (p=0.032). Although the correlation between the expression of dysadherin and E-cadherin was not significant, a group of patients showed reduced E-cadherin expression with dysadherin overexpression. In lung carcinomas dysadherin expression seems to reflect tumour aggressiveness and may be considered a positive marker of poor prognosis when considered alone or/and in combination with down-regulation of E-cadherin.Histol Histopatho

Pilocytic astrocytoma arising in a dermoid cyst of the ovary: a case presentation

Virchows Arc