Biomedical subjects

Jessica E Sigel

Publications and source records attributed to Jessica E Sigel.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Lipidized dermatofibromas and their relationship to serum lipids.

BACKGROUND: Lipidized dermatofibromas represent a rare variant of dermatofibroma that has been regarded as an incidental finding with no particular clinical significance. OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to investigate the relationship between lipidized dermatofibromas and patient age, anatomic location, and serum total cholesterol. METHODS: A retrospective case control format was used with an experimental group containing patients with biopsy-proven lipidized dermatofibromas and a control group containing patients with nonlipidized dermatofibromas. RESULTS: Ages in the experimental group ranged from 35 to 75 years with a mean value of 53 years whereas ages in the control group ranged from 27 to 72 years with a mean value of 48 years. A comparison between the mean of the ages between the two groups using the t test method showed no statistically significant difference (P = .09). Lesion location on the body was grouped into 4 sites: leg, thigh, trunk, and upper extremity. Of the 23 patients in the experimental group, 10 had lesions on the legs, 5 had lesions on the thighs, 2 had lesions on the trunk, and 5 had lesions on the upper extremities. Of the 41 patients in the control group, 15 had lesions on the legs, 7 had lesions on the thighs, 9 had lesions on the trunk, and 10 had lesions on the upper extremities. A comparison between the two groups showed no statistically significant difference (P = .60). In all, 16 of the 23 patients in the experimental group and 24 of the 41 patients in the control group were considered to have high cholesterol. A comparison showed no statistically significant difference between the cholesterol levels of the two groups (P = .38). LIMITATIONS: Limitations that we encountered during the study included the relative infrequency of lipidized dermatofibromas, limiting the number of patients in the study. In addition, medication histories and lipid levels on patients were not always available. In addition, we formed a control group from people who had their cholesterol checked often, which may cause them to have a higher average cholesterol than that of the general population. CONCLUSIONS: Our data show that lipidized dermatofibromas do not differ clinically from nonlipidized dermatofibromas in age distribution of patients, tumor location, or underlying serum lipid levels.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Expression profile and molecular genetic regulation of cyclin D1 expression in epithelioid sarcoma.

Epithelioid sarcoma is a distinctive, aggressive soft tissue tumor typically presenting as a subcutaneous or deep dermal mass in the distal extremities of young adults. Molecular genetic data of well-characterized cases of epithelioid sarcoma are sparse. A recent cytogenetic study of epithelioid sarcoma by conventional metaphase comparative genomic hybridization reported recurrent gains at chromosome 11q13, a region containing many genes, including the cyclin D1 gene. Cyclin D1 is a positive cell cycle regulator that is overexpressed in a variety of neoplasms, including mantle cell lymphoma and breast carcinoma. The objective of this study was to examine cyclin D1 expression in epithelioid sarcoma. Of 24 cases evaluated, 23 (96%) displayed cyclin D1 nuclear expression using immunohistochemical evaluation. Eight cases, which expressed cyclin D1 by immunohistochemistry, were evaluated by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and RNA in situ hybridization (RISH) for amplification of the cyclin D1 gene and messenger RNA (mRNA) expression, respectively. Seven of eight cases showed a typical eusomic state. One case showed pseudoamplification due to aneusomy/polysomy. There was no evidence of cyclin D1 gene amplification or messenger RNA overexpression detected by FISH or RNA in situ hybridization analyses, respectively. Our data clearly demonstrate that cyclin D1 protein is upregulated in epithelioid sarcoma, suggesting a role for this cell cycle regulator in the pathogenesis of epithelioid sarcoma. The high level of cyclin D1 protein expression in epithelioid sarcoma appears to be regulated by translational and/or post-translational mechanisms.

Cyclin D1↗

PubMed2003

Beryllium dermatitis.

Chronic beryllium disease is a granulomatous disorder characterized by a cell-mediated immune response to beryllium. Most reports of chronic beryllium disease discuss pulmonary and noncutaneous immunologic findings. This report of occupational chronic beryllium disease emphasizes cutaneous findings and discusses the potential role of skin exposure in the disease.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Epithelioid sarcoma: an immunohistochemical analysis evaluating the utility of cytokeratin 5/6 in distinguishing superficial epithelioid sarcoma from spindled squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Epithelioid sarcoma (ES) is a rare, aggressive soft tissue tumor characterized by nodular aggregates of epithelioid and/or spindled cells that are immunoreactive to cytokeratins (CKs) and epithelial membrane antigen. ES that arises in the dermis may cause epidermal ulceration and can resemble, clinically, morphologically and immunohistochemically, cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. CK 5/6 has recently been found to be an excellent marker of squamous cell carcinoma, including spindled variants, but it is not known if this marker can be utilized to distinguish superficial ES from cutaneous spindled squamous cell carcinoma (SSCC). METHODS: Twenty-four cases of ES with typical histologic features and 10 cases of SSCC with ultrastructural evidence of epithelial differentiation were studied. Immunohistochemical analysis using an antibody to CK 5/6 was performed. The extent of immunoreactivity was evaluated in a semiquantitative manner using the following scale: 0, < 5% of cells staining; 1+, 6-25% of cells staining; 2+, 26-50% of cells staining; 3+, 51-75% of cells staining; 4+, > 75% of cells staining. RESULTS: CK 5/6 was expressed in all 10 cases of SSCC, including one case with 3+ staining and six cases with 4+ staining. In contrast, CK 5/6 staining was found only in rare tumor cells (1+ staining) in one of 24 (4%) cases of ES. CONCLUSIONS: CK 5/6 staining is useful in distinguishing superficial ES from cutaneous SSCC.

Biomarkers, Tumor↗