Aspergillus infection is the most common cause of death due to fungi in immunocompromised hosts. Aspergillus tracheobronchitis is an uncommon but severe form of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, which is limited entirely or mainly to the tracheobronchial tree and can often be life-threatening. We report a case of a 54-year-old man who died from Aspergillus tracheobronchitis without an underlying disease. Autopsy revealed an extensive yellowish plaque adhering to the trachea and bronchial wall. The microscopic examination of the trachea and bronchus revealed septate branching hyphae of Aspergillus.
Aspergillus ; Autopsy ; Bronchi ; Bronchitis ; Cause of Death ; Fungi ; Humans ; Hyphae ; Immunocompromised Host ; Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis ; Middle Aged ; Trachea ; Tracheitis ; Trees

Aspergillus infection is the most common cause of death due to fungi in immunocompromised hosts. Aspergillus tracheobronchitis is an uncommon but severe form of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, which is limited entirely or mainly to the tracheobronchial tree and can often be life-threatening. We report a case of a 54-year-old man who died from Aspergillus tracheobronchitis without an underlying disease. Autopsy revealed an extensive yellowish plaque adhering to the trachea and bronchial wall. The microscopic examination of the trachea and bronchus revealed septate branching hyphae of Aspergillus.

Metastases of malignant tumors to the oral region from distant sites are uncommon. A 45-year-old man with painless gingival swelling was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma of the lung. On cytology, clusters of tumor cells on mucous background revealed enlarged nuclei, indistinct cell borders, and irregular nuclear membranes. Some cells showed nuclear inclusions, nuclear grooves and small nucleoli. These findings are indicative of metastatic adenocarcinoma. We present a case of gingival metastasis from a lung adenocarcinoma.
Adenocarcinoma ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Gingiva ; Humans ; Intranuclear Inclusion Bodies ; Lung ; Lung Neoplasms ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Nuclear Envelope

BACKGROUND: E-cadherin, cortactin, and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 have roles in tumor development or progression, but their expression has not been fully investigated in pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia (PEH) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the head and neck. METHODS: We evaluated the immunohistochemical expression of E-cadherin, cortactin, and MMP-9 in 29 cases of PEH and 97 cases of SCC. Additionally, we evaluated their relationship with clinicopathologic factors and prognostic implications in SCC. RESULTS: Thirty-five cases of SCC showed reduced expression of E-cadherin, whereas none of the PEH did. A total of 20 cases and 11 cases of SCC were immunoreactive for cortactin and MMP-9, respectively, whereas none of the PEH did. In SCC, reduced expression of E-cadherin was correlated with cortactin expression and invasion depth. Cortactin expression was correlated with differentiation, T classification, and recurrence and/or metastasis. MMP-9 expression was correlated with invasion depth. Cortactin expression was correlated with poor overall survival and relapse-free survival and it was an independent prognostic factor. CONCLUSIONS: The reduced expression of E-cadherin and the expression of cortactin may be helpful for the differential diagnosis of PEH and SCC. Furthermore, cortactin expression in association with reduced E-cadherin expression is correlated with poor prognosis in SCC.
Cadherins ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Cortactin ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Head ; Head and Neck Neoplasms ; Hyperplasia ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis ; Recurrence